Mmmmm...

So today has been a dark and rainy day. I think its the closest I'll get to a fall day. I miss fall. Its still hot here although the evenings cool off a little bit. When I got home from work I didn't really feel like cooking anything detailed but wanted something cozy and quick because my hubby would be home soon and then he had to rush off to a meeting. I saw some pancake mix I bought ages ago and decided to make breakfast for dinner. We also had a Fuji apple (love Fuji apples!) that needed to be eaten. There was a bag of potatoes sitting around. Bingo. Apple pancakes, home fries (hash browns), and scrambled eggs with cheese. I've never made pancakes with fruit in them before but these turned out super yummy. I just made sure to peel the apple and cut it up into really small pieces. They turned out perfect. The Fuji apples are firm but so sweet. I don't like mushy apples and the crispness of these worked well with the fluffiness of the pancake.

These are now going to be a staple in my cooking. I don't make pancakes very often. Okay, so I've made them two other times in the past six months and haven't ever bothered before then. But they're so quick that I know I'll be leaning on them a lot with our schedules being so unreliable at the moment.

Obviously Its Been a While

So much has changed since my last post, yet so much has remained the same. My husband was offered a full-time position right before the school year started and he decided to take it. Its in the same department he was doing his grad assistantship, but it is a position that required us to move on campus. So, just a month and a half after moving here and just after I had finally unpacked everything, we had to pack again and move. Luckily the department let us use a van so we could get our stuff over here. This apartment is considerably smaller than our last one but its nice and convenient to my husband's office and its free. (His office is two doors down from the apartment.)

That retail store finally called me and offered me a position with no interview. Two months after I had originally contacted them. I accepted a part-time position. I lasted three days. Embarrassing, I know, but it was the worst store in the district and the department manager didn't bother meeting me when I was hired and he didn't bother introducing me to my co-workers either. The company has totally changed and their credit practices take advantage of people who can't afford the debt. Credit cards have their place, but not to buy that cute pair of jeans or that bigger, cooler television.

Anyway, I quit the job and in mid-August and am still trying to find a job. I'm with four temp agencies and I finally was placed for a week assignment to cover for a receptionist going on vacation. I really hope that something full-time will come up.

My husband is taking classes but is only able to take two because of his full-time status. He's enjoying them but its a lot of work.

We've been having fun doing things around the campus. My husband loves college football, so he's in heaven right now going to the games every Saturday. Especially since students get in for free. The fans here do some serious tailgating so the campus has been a zoo every Saturday. We went to the game yesterday and there was a fan that was nicely asked to sit down because he was blocking the view for a group behind us. He had been drinking a lot during the game and began mouthing off. He refused to sit down and then security stepped in. They asked him to sit and he defiantly got in the face of the security guard and began angrily shouting. The security guard of course radioed for an officer who showed up seconds later. The officer motioned for the fan and said, "Come here." Angry fan guy then mouthed off some more and the officer followed with, "Come here. 1.." It was so hilarious to see that a police officer resorted to treating this guy like a three-year-old. Although, one would argue that angry fan guy was acting like a three-year-old. It was amazing how quickly angry fan guy responded to the officer putting his pointer finger in the air and counting to three. He made it to one. Luckily next weekend is an away game.

Will Work for Money

Well, it has been a month since we got to Tallahassee and I'm still looking for a job. One of my husband's co-workers pointed out that his partner took four months to find a job. Aaack! I've applied for tons of admin positions. I'm not even sure what all I've applied for, but I've only heard from one place saying it had already filled the position. So, I went to my plan B and applied at the retail store that I once worked for and didn't hear anything. So I called three times and never got a call back. Then I went into the store and talked to a manager who said she was interested in me. She passed my resume to the HR manager and said she would like to get me in for an interview on Friday if he wasn't too busy. I didn't hear from him all day Friday and waited until 4:30 today to call and check in. Of course, the HR manager was at lunch so I left yet another message. He didn't call back. I think I've begged enough. They have my application, resume, and I'm sure they have my evaluation scores from the five years I worked there before. If it is meant to be, they'll call. But I have to move on so I can find a job.

You would think that with no job I would be focusing that energy on getting the apartment completely set-up. But, we've been here a month and I still have boxes to unpack. These are the unsavory boxes that were packed in a last-minute panic that I wouldn't get everything packed in time. So, a lot of random junk and papers got stuffed into boxes and now I have to weed through them and throw-out or shred. No room has escaped this fate, so while the house is functional, it is strewn with open boxes.

It is because the house is functional that I have put-off this daunting task and instead focused my energy on job-searching and Jon & Kate Plus 8. We didn't have TLC at our last place and so I know I'm a little slow to jump on the bandwagon, but holy cow this family is addicting. It makes me desperately want to have kids and dread having kids all at the same time.

On a brighter note, my husband and I have hooked up with another couple who will also be navigating the murky waters of grad school. The wife will be attending classes with my husband and so the four of us have bonded over the newness of living off-campus and extreme budgeting. (I know, it was only two years ago that I lived on my own in an apartment. But, my husband has never rented, so it has been a learning experience living with him.) We went to Wakulla Springs with them on Saturday and went on a boat tour and saw lots of birds, turtles, flying mullet, gar, and alligators. They loved it. It was my third time going on the tour, but as my husband says, "You never have the same experience at Wakulla". He's right, last time we went with my parents we saw an alligator eating a snake. Yum. After the boat tour we all had a picnic lunch and called it a day. It was nice being able to show them around like I actually knew my way around. I didn't feel as out of place as I had been.

That seems to be the biggest challenge of not having a job. Not having my own friends and peers. I'm really having to rely on my husband who is not the most social creature. It truly is a test of my trust in him and Him. But, I am beginning to appreciate the area and I love our new place and I have met some of the nicest neighbors. The rest is going to fall into place soon. I know it, it has to.

It's a Tuba!

It appears that one of our neighbors is a tuba player and he has been practicing in the courtyard a lot over the past few days. I think he might be playing in some kind of fireworks extravaganza because the music he's practicing sounds like the stuff played during fireworks. (Very patriotic and peppy.) Lucky for us, he's talented, so its not like we have a middle schooler painfully squeaking his way through a song.

In other news, I am feeling much better. My throat didn't hurt nearly as much today and I finally had some energy so I was able to get some stuff done. I am now a proud cardholder of a Florida State Driver's License. Its nice that they gave it to me today and that I don't have to wait for it to be mailed. However, the heat and humidity have not been kind to my complexion, so I look like pink koosh ball in my picture. I also got some curtains hung up, so this play is really starting to feel like home. The valance I got for the kitchen is perfect! Its a gauzy sage green with some embroidery on the edges. Very shabby chic. I also baked some cookies tonight, so the oven has officially been broken in and the house smells delicious.

We've been spending a lot of time in our second bedroom as it is the only room with cable at the moment. So I've been setting up that room and unpacking everything and getting things put away. I've also been spending a lot of time online looking for a job. I've applied for a couple, but tomorrow I'll hit it hard core. No plans for the weekend yet, but we'll see.

You Know You're a Bachelor When....

Your Chinese food delivery man remembers you five years later.

On Friday night my husband wanted to order Chinese for dinner. I was between naps so I told him that sounded good. He ordered from a place he apparently ordered from a lot while he was in Tallahassee last time. When the delivery man came to the door he recognized my husband and his order. My husband explained to the delivery man that he used to live on campus. I'm sure this particular restaurant owner is now rubbing his hands together thinking, "Cha-ching! My cash cow is back!"

Tallahassee

Well, this was the smoothest move I've made in my life. I thought that going cross-country would be a hassle, but I think the fact that I got one chance to get it done, all of our stuff was packed the day the truck was. The drive was pretty easy too. We were going to drive through Kansas City and the Midwest, but my parents and husband were worried about flooding, so we took a more southern route. We drove through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and of course, Florida. We got through it in three days and had perfect weather and minimal road construction.

We arrived in Tallahassee Sunday evening and found a great deal at a local Best Western. Given the heat and extreme humidity, we immediately went to the pool and cooled off. (I say extreme humidity, but I've been told this is nothing.) Then, we went for good ol' BBQ. There's a regional chain called Sonny's and we ate a lot. Yum. After dinner we drove by the apartment complex we'd be living in. When I saw it, I wasn't so sure. You see, we rented this place based on the complex's website. We saw a floor plan, but not much else. The outside was okay, but old. I needn't worry though, because on Monday we got the keys and the apartment is nice. The maintenance man greeted us upon arrival and it seems he was working hard to update the fixtures in the apartment. It looks great. We are very happy with our decision.

We got everything unloaded off the truck and then hit Goodwill and K-mart to get some furniture. We found a loveseat in remarkable shape for $20! Score! We also got an end table and a bench for the entryway. At K-mart we found a dinner table with a drawer on uber-clearance and we're using it for a desk. It's Martha Stewart, so you know its pretty. So, our apartment is comfortably furnished, but definitely college sheik. Our furniture "complements" each other but doesn't really "match".

On Tuesday night we had a little visitor. It was a bright green frog. Aaaaa! Frogs? No one warned me about frogs! I expected ants and mosquitoes and even roaches, but frogs?! My mom saw it just as we reached the top of the stairs (inside our apartment) and then it jumped off into the spare bedroom. The room my husband and I were sleeping in that night. I made my dad and husband catch it before I would step foot in there. Of course, the little bugger decided to jump into one of our boxes, so they had to unpack to catch it. I gave them two little Dixie cups from the bathroom to trap him with. Eventually little froggie was caught and taken downstairs and outside far away from the apartment. We better not see him again.

During the entire process of moving, both my husband and I have been fighting off a cold. On Wednesday when I was finally able to sit and take a breath, the cold overtook my body. So I slept most of the day while my parents ran around Tallahassee and went swimming in the pool. We took my parents to the airport at 5am today and afterward I came home and slept until 11:30 while my husband dealt with the Comcast guy. I still feel pretty crappy, but it seems to be getting a little better. We also went grocery shopping this afternoon as Twizzlers and gummy bears are of little sustenance.

So, that's the story so far. There is more to tell, but I have to make the bed and unpack some clothes. I don't think Tallahassee would appreciate me walking around naked tomorrow. I miss all of my friends, but I think that Tallahassee will treat me as well as Denver did.

A Lesson Learned

So after crying over Secretary's Day yesterday I was still feeling a little upset this morning. This morning I arrived at work feeling sorry for myself. I even mentioned to my co-worker that I was upset that nobody said anything yesterday. But, I realized I set myself up for disappointment...lame.

Then, this afternoon my boss comes and asks me to use my skills as an English major (he really must not know me) to edit and proofread a document. It turns out that said document is a commendation letter for a group of people who work in our office. Are you kidding me? After the crap you pulled yesterday, you expect me to really help you out and look over this for you? You write them a seven page document and you can't even tell me thanks? Then I started reading it. Whoa. The cover letter, which he wrote himself, was jumbled at best and incoherent at worst. I couldn't understand half of what was being said. There were statements that had nothing to do with the merits of the team he was writing about. I had to literally make an outline just to get all of the thoughts he was trying to convey. Its rare to see me write out an outline on paper, I usually make it in my head. Once I did that I managed to re-write the letter from scratch (including the address, he didn't even get that right!) and gave it to him to read. I went over the seven page document and as I was reading, realized that the team he was commending was the one to submit the support document. That's sad. I was able to whittle it down to three pages.

After my initial anger from when I found out what the document contained, it dawned on me how sad the situation was. I realized that this man had to rely on his secretary to write a letter because he couldn't. Not because he was too busy and not because he was lazy. He simply could not string two thoughts together. This isn't the first time this has happened, but it was the first time I saw it for what it really was. It made me feel pity for him. Pity that not only is he socially inept (he told me to be sure that I make a gyno appointment before I move...very awkward) but he is not very business savvy either. I wondered how he was able to land a job like this, but in talking to him and getting to know him I've come to the understanding that he always has other people do his work for him. (I'm not at liberty to divulge anymore.)

So, in a convoluted way, I received my recognition today. I know in my heart that I will never have to rely on my secretary to write something for me because I don't know how. (Assuming I ever have a secretary.) Even though he didn't know it, my boss demonstrated to me just how important I am.

SECRETARY'S DAY SUCKS!!!!

Warning: This is a "Poor Sarah" post. Read at your own risk.

So today was Administrative Professionals Day (formerly known as Secretary's Day). I am an Administrative Assistant. Did my boss or office do or say anything to me today? No. I've worked there four years and in that time I've busted my butt to make sure that everyone's individual birthday was recognized and that they received a cake or pie that was catered to their taste. I even went to four different diners last year to find coconut pie for my boss. Marie Calendars used to be located down the street from us but it closed and he didn't like frozen pie. In the same four years I've had one birthday recognized at the same time as two other people, in March. My birthday is in February. They did throw me a half-assed wedding shower only because I told a friend at work that I really wanted one and that the people in my office are lame. She went to my boss and asked if they were giving me one and that put the idea in his head. They served pie, frozen fruit pie. I.hate.pie. (Except for chocolate pie.)

I loved my last boss, but he needed a secretary to tell him about dates like that. I refuse to beg for my own birthday cake. So, I dealt with it but still resented that no one bothered to pay attention to me. A new guy came last fall and he made it a point to tell me that he paid attention to birthdays and Administrative Professionals Day. My birthday rolled around and not even a Happy Birthday. He knew when it was because my mom sent a huge bouquet of flowers the day before and he asked me what they were for. None of the women in my office did or said anything to me either. So, when today came up I figured my boss would make up for it. He didn't say anything. Not even a, "Good job, Sarah."

Normally I would say that this day is not fair to the other people working in the office, but they make a whole lot more than I do. A whole lot more. So, a gift card or flowers or even a stupid card makes up for me not getting paid as much as them. I work just as hard. As a matter of fact I've been working really hard on boxing up files to ship out for another one of my co-workers because she didn't have the guts to stand up to our boss in the past and do it herself years ago. Now I'm boxing up 15 years worth of paperwork and making my arms hurt every night.

I made sure to avoid all of the other admins in the building today. It was just too depressing to see all the flowers and balloons and other gifts. On top of all this, I had a telemarketer call and was extremely rude to me. I was really polite, as always, and he talked to me with attitude and hung up on me. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Today was a sucky day.

So Happy for Sunflower!

This weekend a new Sunflower Farmers Market opened up right down the hill. I have wanted to live close to one of these stores for years! They have extremely cheap produce and a lot of organic stuff. While I don't believe that organic is better for my health, it does usually mean better quality. The prices are what make me the most happy though. I could never justify wasting gas to drive all the way to Denver to shop at one of their stores, but now that it opened here I will definitely shop there for fresh food. This weekend was a zoo as Boulder is drawn to organic markets like moths to flame. I did manage to get strawberries and blackberries for $.88 a carton! Woo hoo! I'll probably wait until the novelty dies down a little to go back.

Across the street from Sunflower is an intruiging Italian food shop in an old Sinclair gas station and garage. They still sell gas, but it is also an illy coffee shop. The food is in the garage portion. I think I'll have to make a stop there this weekend. Who can pass up cheap gas and imported food?

Is Your Baby Representin'?

I was reading The Rocky Mountain News yesterday and came across a story about a mother and father fighting over which gang their baby will be brought up in. You can read the story here. Really? Really? First of all, I'd like to know how these two came together to make a baby if they are from different gangs. And much like religion in a relationship, why didn't one just convert to the other's gang?

Actually, what I'd really like to know is if this child's household has been referred to a review by Child Protective Services. Something tells me that a baby who is around gang activity is also around other unsavory activities. What happened to Barney vs. Big Bird? Now, I know that everyone is entitled to raise their child as they please and this right should be protected as US citizens; but this just seems bad and doesn't look like it will end well. I hope an anti-gang advocacy group gets ahold of this mother and shakes some sense into her. This child deserves its "real" mother, but if she's willing to subject her innocent baby to this, then the baby needs to be taken into custody.

However, the foster system can be just as bad. Not always, I know of some great foster parents and most are, but the system is overworked. I just pray that this child will turn out as a caring, productive member of society.

I Don't Want Another One of These!

I was thirsty when I got out of work today and decided to stop by 7-11 for a Slurpee. Not a normal indulgence but I was craving one. When I got to the machine I saw this:

Thinking it would be like a frappuchino, I got one. What a mistake! It didn't have the consistency of a frozen coffee drink, it was like a Slurpee. I know, I was stupid but it could have at least tasted like coffee! Instead, it was like drinking frozen maple syrup. I'm not a fan of maple syrup. So, I was stuck with a whole big cup of this crap. I drank an eighth of it and gave up. Very disappointing. Next time I'll just stick with the Coke flavor. You can't go wrong with a classic!

I Want One of These!

So, I'm looking for a jacket that I can wear in the spring when weather is extremely unpredictable here. I want something light but warm and waterproof. I couldn't find anything on the websites I normally browse so I googled "jacket". It brought me to this page.

How cool would it be to have one of these at a crowded event. Or even better, at a concert. That would ensure that no one would crowd you! I'm not really that sadistic, but it is fun to think about. (My friend gave me the title of "mosh pit protector" last week and I'm sure this could only help.)

But for the intended purpose it is a cool concept. It is sad that we even have to consider a coat like this. I don't think this is something that can be purchased but I don't think I would if I could. Brainiac that I am, I would find a way to shock myself!

Customer Service

So, for those that don't know, my husband and I are moving to Tallahassee in June so that he can work on a PhD. He was offered an assistantship that will provide tuition assistance and a small stipend each month. It will be his first position where we don't have to live-in or live-on, so we are looking for housing off campus.

Let me just start by saying that I can't believe people who work on commission in such a hot housing market aren't willing to be just a little more accommodating. But then again, Tallahassee has a hot housing market. I've contacted dozens of places to at least help me in my search for a place to rent. Granted, I started looking in February which is a little early, and no one was willing to help me. Even when I call now! At least take my information so if something comes up for June you can try your sales mojo. There are a few places that wanted to talk to me but then they told me they were a tax credit property with a maximum income limit. We couldn't survive on the income restriction so I couldn't do business with them.

I even called a Century 21 realtor in Tallahassee and the lady cut me off before I could explain that they may not know what will be available in June, but if they take my info and get back to me I would be interested in using them in the future when my husband and I are looking to buy. (Hopefully next year.) Needless to say I refuse to rent or buy anything that this particular office has listed. Their loss, because I am one of those people that will tell ten friends when they get bad service. (Having worked in customer service for 5 years, I know good from bad from just an off day.)

It makes me want to go into all of the apartment complexes and property management companies in Tallahassee and set up marketing databases. (The professor I took most of my marketing classes with pounded into our brains the necessity of databases in marketing.) It just seems asinine that these places wouldn't take my info along with my anticipated rent date, how much, and size wanted. So easy to do, takes three minutes and could result in a unit being rented as opposed to sitting empty for several weeks.

We did finally find an apartment complex this month that is willing to work with us. The only problem is that we'll have to get a co-signer because I won't have established income in Tallahassee when we get there. Seems stupid that they can't just look at my employment background and see that I've worked where I have for a solid four years and prior to that worked somewhere for five years, so I probably won't flake out and just not get a job. But, there are people who do flake out so we all have to suffer. I'll just be glad when the whole housing situation is solidified.