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.