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.