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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Ok, Universe, Maybe We Can Catch a Break Now?

I wouldn't exactly say that the last two weeks have gone well.  Since the car accident, it feels like it's been a non-stop onslaught of badness.  Let's see... dad hit some debris on the road and popped two of his tires, Scott's family's dachshund Bailey had to be put to sleep, I didn't get the job with TFA, my friend's wallet got stolen (while she was at work!  Yikes!), my other friends decided to break up, and Scott's car broke down.  (Which brings our current car count down to zero.)

I rented a car yesterday so we would be able to get around at least until the end of the week.  Scott's car got towed to the shop on Tuesday, but we haven't heard anything from them yet.  Scott is going to call today to see what's happening.  After I got home yesterday, I developed a low-grade migraine and spent the rest of the day laying on the couch with Ringo trying to nurse myself back to health.  I suppose in this situation, it's a good thing I'm unemployed.

In good news on the job front, I applied for an office coordinator position in the Humanities department at Stanford.  It's very similar to a student job I had in college that I enjoyed.  I applied for it on Friday, and on Monday I got an email from them asking for a phone interview.  I had the phone interview on Tuesday and I think it went pretty well.  I'll find out by the end of this week or the beginning of next if I get an in person interview.  I think the best part of this job is that it starts at 8 and ends at 5, with an hour for lunch.  You'll notice that it specifically does not involve working on evenings, weekends, or at home.  I need a job where work stays at work so I can enjoy my personal life.

So anyway, let's all keep our fingers crossed about that.  And, universe?  Maybe it's time to give the Williamses a break.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Insomnia

I can't sleep.  Partially because Scott is sick and has been snoring all night.  But mostly because I have a lot on my mind today.

I used to feel this way when I was teaching- particularly on the weekends.  I'd find myself waking up at about 5 am, feeling totally wired by the to-do list, and being unable to ignore it for a couple more precious hours of sleep, despite total exhaustion.

These days, though, sleep hasn't eluded me so much.  In fact, quite the opposite has been true.  I've been sleeping a lot more, but still feeling tired.  (Isn't that a sign of depression?)  But today, 5 am seems to be my wake-up time.

Yesterday was a pretty big day.  On the way to the gym yesterday morning, I was in a car accident.  The car in front of me merging onto the Central Expressway stopped short at the end of the entrance ramp.  I stopped.  They went.  I looked over my shoulder to merge and started to accelerate, only to turn around and find they had stopped again.  I slammed on my brakes, but it was too late.  Their car didn't get too much damage, but I'm pretty sure my little 1992 Honda Accord will be totaled.  I mean, it's only worth $2,000 at most, and given the fact that the radiator started leaking, the entire hood will have to be replaced, the headlight was smashed, and so on, I'm sort of doubting that we'll come anywhere close to it being worth repairing.

I was planning on driving that car until it wouldn't drive any more.  I guess we're at that point.

After dealing with all of that,  I had my final in-person interview for a job with Teach for America.  I suited it up and drove up to San Francisco (in Scott's car.)  I think it went ok, but it's so hard to tell with these things.  I think that given that I was already feeling bad about my car, in retrospect I'm thinking more negatively about the interview than I would be otherwise.  I should hear back from them by the end of next week (which feels like about forever right now.)

In the mean time, I'm looking for other options.  The job search landscape is such a wasteland.  I don't want to have anything to do with teaching or schools, which is pretty unfortunate because those are my most recent jobs.  I'm trying to think of what I'd like to do that might actually be a fulfilling job for me, and with the exception of Teach for America, I'm drawing a blank.  There are plenty of secretarial jobs I could do, but I don't know if I could stand it.  I suppose at this point I can't really afford to be picky.  Maybe I just need to find something to do while I'm figuring out what I want to do.  Because I'm going to be needing a new car sometime soon.

Monday, September 6, 2010

This Coffee Shop is Not a Playground

As a childless adult, I find it extremely irritating and distracting when adults with children let their children run around restaurants during a meal.

Now, on an empirical level, I get it.  Your kid has legs.  Your kid knows how to use those legs.  Your kid wants to move around.  But, seriously folks, isn't this what they invented Chuck-E-Cheese for?

Come on.  I'm trying to enjoy my morning coffee and discuss current events in the Sunday paper with my husband, and I'm finding it impossible to hear what he's saying because your banshee of a child is running around and screaming right next to me.  I didn't spend $3.50 on my chai tea to have my morning ruined because you don't know how to control that thing.

I propose a rule: if the establishment you are planning on taking your kids to does not provide crayons to your kids, it is not a "family-friendly" restaurant.  That doesn't mean you can't take your kids there.  But it does mean that the other people in the restaurant probably don't find your kids to be as adorable as you do, especially when your kids are screaming at the tops of their voices.

I avoid restaurants like Chuck-E-Cheese and Red Robin because I don't want to be surrounded by a lot of noise.  I go to places like the local coffee shop because I want to enjoy a nice, adult atmosphere and have a decent bagel.  Please, respect my right to not be subjected to your crazy children.

Thank you, and enjoy your visit to the local playground- which is about 5 miles away from where I am having my coffee.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Boredom

All this sitting around as a stay-at-home wife is starting to get to me.

I'm used to being busy.  In fact, I thrive on busyness.  It helps me appreciate the downtime that I have.

But now my life entirely consists of downtime.  And it's driving me crazy.  I wake up in the morning, still feel mentally tired but my body itches to get up.  I putter around until it's time to go to the gym.  (My appointments with my trainer vary.  Sometimes I get up and go right away, and sometimes I have a couple of hours to wait.)

Come home.  Shower.  Eat something.  Realize it's not even noon yet, and what the hell am I going to do for the rest of the day?  Everyone I know is at work.  So, I'll do things like take a 3 hour nap or watch 5 episodes of Glee on the internet.  Real productive.

I have a second interview for a job with TFA today.  Let's all keep our fingers crossed that I get this job so I can stop going crazy.