Employed!!!

I received a phone call this afternoon. I have a job now. Woohoo!!!

Moving back to Kansas, hooray!

I'm sort of in a dance around the living room and sing "I have a job" mood. (Think Little Rascals "I have a dollar.")

I'm happy and relieved.

That is all.

The Waiting Game

So how should I deal with the stress of waiting to find out if I got the job (and the potential for bad news)?

This morning, I'm going to take my parents' dog Bo for a walk. He's neurotic, and I think he could use some destressing as well. Then I will go for a run. I can't take Bo running because he will go out ahead of me, and with the momentum of running, I won't be able to pull him back. I don't want to end up on my face with scrapes and bruises.

After my run, I will perhaps do some kickboxing or an abs workout. Oh getting in shape--such a delightful boost of endorphins. I can use those to cope with the wait, and if I get bad news, an endorphin boost would be nice for bouncing back.

I have a couple of errands I have to squeeze in today, too. Mom needs a piece of glass to fix the door on the little mudroom/breakfast nook off the back patio. I also need to get a chip in my windshield fixed to avoid ending up with a cracked windshield. After that, I might try to do some cleaning to help out my mom since Kerrie's baby shower is here tomorrow. Productivity is good for a sense of well-being.

This afternoon, I am going to have drinks with my mom and some other stressed out teachers--teachers really need drinks with all they put up with. I would be in tears constantly if I had to deal with some of what my mom does. Kids just don't have it as easy as they should, and that creates a lot of stress for teachers. I'm not talking about academic ease, I'm talking home life. She's got foster care kiddos whose real parents have drug problems, etc., kids with divorced parents, kids whose parents make excuses for them, kids whose parents need to lighten up--all varieties of destructive parenting. Enough of this rant--today is about cheeriness.

Then to close my day I am going to Molly's book club with her since I happen to be home and they're talking about a book Molly insisted I read. Molly loved the book. I thought it was so-so. Should be fun anyway. Wherever I go, I really should join a book club. If there's time, I might ask to go to Molly's to play the new Zelda. :)

Post-Interview Concerns

So I have just kept thinking since I left the interview that I failed to convince them that I want to be in that particular city. They would be making an investment in me as an individual, they need to know that I won't skip out on them in 6 months or a year for something "better."

The truth is though, that most of the other things I've applied for aren't panning out. Most of the other things I've applied for are also with large companies, and I like their small company. I like it for all the same reasons that they like it. They have me completely sold on wanting the job.

They have reason to be concerned that I don't have many friends in that place, but where do I really have many friends? My closest friends are scattered across the country. MHK still has a horde, but those numbers will rapidly dwindle. There is no doubt about that. Returning to MHK doesn't sound that great to me.

I've looked in some other major cities where I have friends, and I'm just not finding as many appealing options as I have found in Kansas. I do not want to move to any new city for a job I find only mildly appealing for a friend or friends that will probably only stay in that place a year or two.

I'm ready to establish a niche somewhere. I want to join a gym and a book club, to establish some reliable lifelong friends. I want to live cheap and stockpile money like a those quiet simple neighbors you hear about that ended up having millions in coffee cans. I want to be that crazy lady. I think our nation is on a permanent downward spiral. I don't want my retirment to be dictated by stocks I'm not sure will ever recover. So I'm ready to establish a lifestyle that is prepared for this change, and I'm happy about this potential simple life because I think a shift away from material wealth will be nice in this country.

Some people really despise the city of this potential job. I understand why, but I think this city will suit my needs. It may actually suit my needs because it tends to be despised. It doesn't feel like a big city. The city where I did my undergrad experiences similar constant criticism. I liked it there a lot. It's also the home city of my dear friend Molly, so I can count on seeing her any time she visits her family.

Please, please let me have this job. I really do like the city. All I really need is my silly cat, a home, and some books. I'm easy.

Mmmm Soup...& Friends

So it was a pretty good weekend. Lindsey drove out on Friday, and we went to a local crappy bar, that has great chicken tenders and fries. We won't go there during busy bar hours, but for the dinner hour, we love it. Then we went to Mae's, our favorite local dive bar, and chilled for a while, drinking bullfrogs.

Saturday, I drove to Omaha in some unpleasant rain and then snow to visit Chris. We went to an art show(ish), then we went and saw The Descendents--it was good. Dinner was had, followed by Futurama watching and some nerdy conversation. Overall, braving the weather was a good choice.

Sunday when I got back to Juli Anna's, she had homemade chicken noodle soup on the stove. Yum!

Then I went to an open house at the new hotel with Deborah. We went to the Arts Center to look at local artists' works so that she could buy a Christmas present for a friend. We closed the afternoon with coffee.

Then I went to the store to buy a ham (they only had giant ones of the smoked variety and we didn't want brown sugar or honey ham). The ham was essential to go with the split pea soup Juli Anna made for dinner. Two homemade soups in one day. Both were awesome.

I was spoiled this weekend.

Today, I'm vegging and working on more job applications. Tomorrow is the interview. Fingers crossed.

Interview Scheduled

The final interview has been scheduled for next Tuesday at 2:30pm. Hopefully I will know if I have a job by the end of next week.

We also discussed the benefits provided by the company over the phone--may I just say, not too shabby.

I still didn't ask about the pay because, well, I don't really care that much. I want a job that keeps me mentally engaged with people who seem fun and human. They are aware of the minimum I would take for the position, so if this interview shows that I'm a cultural fit for the company, then I can't imagine why I wouldn't accept the job.

I really like this company. I haven't been excited by very many of the others, so I really hope I can beat out the other person, but if I don't, I'm trying to imagine what I have to look forward too. Not much. The not much is motivating me to continue applying for other jobs. I'm working on that right now.

If the other person does get the job, let me just say, that other person is a pretty smart, talented, and genuine person because this hiring process has been thorough. Anyone who has made it this far deserves this position. If it's not me, there is no doubt that the other person is positively amazing. I'll be sad, but I won't feel like I didn't get it because they aren't realizing what potential I offer. I'll know the other person had more to offer.

I do wish they had scheduled the interview via email. I am soooooo awkward on the phone. Phones are weird.

Shopping Bug

I have the shopping bug. Of course, I have to tightly hold on to my money, so I can't do anything but window shop right now.

My usual stops are Modcloth.com and shopruche.com (thanks to Brigit for sharing the second one).

However, today I am perusing far, far outside of my budget land...to capture ideas: millyny.com. I'm not thrilled by everything on the site (like purses or child swimsuit models), but there are some things I absolutely love. My most favorite things are under Look > Uptown Glam. The dresses in general are pretty nifty.

Also, they don't sell shoes, but check out the these awesome shoes. The dress isn't bad either.

I love chic retro clothing, though I tend to feel more myself when dressed a bit more bohemian.

I will have to take photos of the awesome pink tweed skirt my mom made me with budget retro cardigan from Target. It's a cool outfit that cost me nearly nothing. My mom is awesome.

Oh material vices--I am such a sucker for clothes.

My Bologna Has a First Name

I have been singing the Oscar Mayer bologna song a lot lately...and the Armour hot dog song. My family can be pretty negative sometimes, so I like to break into random jingle singing. Mom generally joins me in singing.

Most of the rest of the family thinks that I'm weird. Yesterday, Dad grabbed some napkins out of the side of the car and tried to shove them in my mouth as I sang. He thinks he's pretty funny.

Focusing on the positive would be a good goal for my family. As a family we can kind of turn into a vortex of negativity spiralling out of control. This has a great deal to do with why I want to move further away again. I hope my stay with my parents can be very, very brief. I love them, but I can only take so much.

I've decided to think as if I have this job. I'm still applying for other jobs, but I'm also looking for apartments close to the job. I have my little heart set on it. I'm ready. This job sounds great--small company, intellectually challenging, learning opportunities, collaborative and respectful work environment. I really can't imagine anything better.

I'm also ready to have enough money to put some in my savings account and my retirement plan, to not have to move in 6 months or a year, to be able to afford the environmentally friendly lifestyle I believe in. I'm also ready to be able to garage my car. I have a nice car; it deserves a garage.

Best yet, I'm excited to be able to visit my dear Kansas friends on weekends. I only have one friend in the city of the potential job, but I have several within 2-3 hours, 3 different cities to choose from for visiting friends.

...on a random note, I'm watching a movie with my mom, and the person giving background of the movie during the commercials said one of the actors chose to be in this movie, cancelling his contract to be in another movie because he was "allergic to people who take themselves too seriously." Awesome.