EMPLOYMENT!!!

YES! It's true!! I am now gainfully employed again!! Woo hoo!! Exactly 5 months after I got laid off, I am now employed as a Technical Writer!!

YAY me!! And yay for paychecks to come!! Hubby and I were just getting to the point where things were starting to really hurt financially. Granted, I don't get my first paycheck for another 2 weeks, but at least I know it's coming.

So. It's been a challenging 5 months....laid off on 6/9 - sending out tons of resumes. Dad getting sick early in August, then passing on 9/9 - I miss you Daddy. And now I've started a new job - on 11/9. Hopefully this means that the troubles of 2009 will NOT overflow into 2010.

Here's hopin'!!

Friends

I have a good relationship with my hubby - I love him more every day. But.

He has his hobbies - music, graphic design. I can't seem to get into my own hobbies too much (I like to bead), except for reading and watching TV. So these days, while I'm just WAITING for a start date on my job, I find myself with alot of time on my hands - and no money to really do anything. I know, the Smithsonian museums are free, but getting the motivation to go downtown on my own is hard. 'Specially when checking out new museums is something hubby and I would like to do together.

Like tonight. He had to leave at 4:30 for his music event and won't be back till late...so I'm sitting all alone with the dog. This happened this past Friday too. Actually, Friday made me realize that I DON'T have any "local" friends (I've got some very good long-distance friends). No one to just call up and say "hey, wannna go grab some dinner?" or "wanna go wander a museum?" or just grab a cuppa with. I love to play board games, but hubby isn't into that too much. I tried to start up a game night with the couple next door - they're quite nice. But I guess either hubbs and I are a bit too different, or the age difference (they're younger) made it less appealing.

I really hate being so very lonely when I'm in such a good marriage. It just feels so wrong. But where the hell is a 40-something woman supposed to meet friends? I don't go to bars unless I'm with my hubby. I walk the dog. I like getting mani/pedis but since I'm basically unemployed that isn't feasible at the moment. Jeeze, I've even been skulking around Craigslist....

So - how do YOU think I should search for friends?

My Father

I lost my dad this year. Just last month in fact. He died on 9-9-9. He was only 79, trying really hard to make it to 80. He often used to "threaten" that he was going to live to 100, just to "drive you crazy". I would love to be driven crazy right now.

Who was my father? He was a man of dignity, a man of deep knowledge and curiosity. He was always learning something new. He was a marvelous gardener - his love of nature and plants and animals was part of his gentle nature. He was generous, funny, loving in his own way. He was one of the most intelligent men I knew - but never proud, never boasting - always humble. He loved to hug. He loved old movies, Bullwinkle the Moose, and admired Abraham Lincoln. He had a dog - a Pembroke Welsh Corgi - who he'd gotten from a rescue organization. He really loved that dog. That dog really loved him.

I'll probably think of a lot of good things to say about my dad after I post this entry. Maybe I'll add them, maybe I won't. All I can say now is - I love my dad, and I really miss him.

Eighteen Weeks.....and still counting.

In theory I've got a job. I've had the interview, I've had the verbal offer, and I've gotten the offer letter (signed and sent back). But. Now they have to do a background check and a ton of other paperwork....which could take anywhere from 30 to 45 days.

sigh.

So. Even though I've got the offer, I'm still sending out resumes - in hopes to find something sooner that might be a juicier find. I know, I should be thankful for the offer I do have - and I AM. But I'd much rather start work next Monday, not sometime in December. It's not only better for me financially, I'll have a lot less time to think about whether or not this job is the "right" one for me....yeah, I think WAY too much sometimes.

Otherwise. I miss my Dad. I'm glad to be back home with hubby and puppy, but I miss hanging out with Mom too. And now it's getting cold out, which means winter is coming. Mom is coming for Christmas, so no desert visit for me this year. I just wish we had the money to fix the guest room door. Maybe we'll have her stay in our room and we'll take the guest room......Hey, maybe next year I can get Mom to go to the desert WITH us....hmmmmm.

16 weeks - 4 months - hope on the horizon!

The end of week 16 finds me with a verbal job offer! There's still some paperwork to get through, and basically - until I'm AT MY DESK - I won't stop crossing my fingers or keeping my eyes open, but YAY!!

One of my brothers also has a very good lead on a job...he may find out in the next week or two, so fingers are crossed for him too.

I got back home last Saturday to a surprised hubby and a very happy puppy. It's good to be home. I talk to Mom almost every day, making sure she's not feeling alone too much. I think she's doing well, and next week her piano teaching starts up, so that will be very good for her.

So...what do you (few) people think of this 2012 prophecy? Any thoughts or ideas?

Week 15....still waiting.

Well. It's been a decidedly yucky summer, that much I can attest to. I'm still up in Michigan, though I have my eye on flying homeward soon. I miss my hubby and my dog! But Mom's needed me here to help with her transition, and I have no regrets to the time I've been here. After all, she has to learn a whole new way of living - she hasn't been truly alone for over 53 years. But I have every faith that she'll succeed and do it with style. My mom is pretty awesome, ya know?

As for me. I FINALLY had a job nibble!! Actually, the first call came in on the day dad died. But after a bit of phone tag, I got a phone interview and it sounds promising. I should be getting a face-to-face next week if things go well. Let's hope to the goddess that they go well!!!

One nice thing about these visits to Michigan - I've been able to reconnect with some long-time friends. D., B., and R. have all come back into my life, and that is just way awesome. I hope we can maintain contact and grow our friendships into our old age.

More later!

Hugs.

Sad day

Week 13 of unemployment finds me in Michigan again.

Today - 09/09/09 - at 3:00 - my father died.

This summer really sucks.