HIRED!

I suppose I should be sending out an update about my whereabouts and all that. I did move to the Chapel Hill area in August and didn't say anything else till now. It has been busy and uneventful at the same time. In the end it was a whole month before I got hired, from there I had to wait for 2 weeks for my first pay check, which was this past Friday, so I have been paid for a total of one day of work. BUT the awesome thing is that I got hired for the job I wanted, my first choice, they are also the only one that ever called me for an interview, even the temp agency, which I will say, is totally worthless. It's coming up on two month, I'm hired, and I still have been called about ANY work. I should just see how long it takes them.


So, I love my job, I am working at the hospital at the Neurology clinic. It's office work, lots of phone answering, setting appointments, checking people in and out, verifying insurance, etc. The cool thing is that not only is it office work but I was hired because of my nurse's assistant license. Eventually I'll be trained as a CNA as well in Neurology and have more responsibilities. I am very excited about all of it. I've had a bunch of computer training already and I'm getting a feel for things. I've loved dressing up, I get to work full time, I am even getting over time right now and I still get off at 5:30. All the classes I want to take work right around my schedule, eventually, when I get money and have time I'll be able to take some classes. We'll see. I also have an art project to work on soon. I hope that all works out. I have PLANS! My big shot lawyer friend, Rebecca, wants to commission me to paint for her office and her town home. YAY!

I'll tell you though, it was real tough up till I got hired, my bank account is scratchings and it's going to be that when I pay rent tomorrow. My first big paycheck doesn't come till next week. Bah. But after that it'll be smooth sailing.


I'm having so much fun here. I get to hang out with Jason pretty much every day. I'm being a little clingy I think because he'll be leaving in January for college in Asheville, it's 3 hours away. That, and I have plans to be painting all I can from now till January. I've been out to watch him play paintball, there's been great dinner conversations at coffee night and poker nights, Jason has taken me out to a few movies, there was the Carrboro art crawl where I got to see the local artists and discovered contra dancing which is my kind of dancing. Almost every girl was wearing flowy skirts and it's like variations of the Virginia Reel. The music was fantastic.


I think Saturday night was just about the highlight. It was the Clockwork Ball. It's called "steam punk" maybe I've mentioned this style to you. I guess it's based off an anime movie called Steam Boy which makes me feel nerdy and less enthused about the origins BUT the bottom line is that it's like funky Victorian dress. All the girls were in corsets and, fishnets and crazy lace up boots. I had my own visions of steam punk, adjusted them slightly when I saw the trailer to the anime and then proceeded to copy the female character on Sweeny Todd. It took me a good while to get that ratty hair do, I still haven't attempted to comb out my hair but with some crazy blow drying, bobby pins, and random poofs I looked like a wreck. "My goal is a fancy hairstyle that I slept in for a week," I explained to Jason when he asked why I was trying make it look like I had been living in a bush. Unfortunately I didn't take a camera with and Jason refused to come along but I had a great time, I had on this long long black satin skirt, 3 or 4 inch platform boots, and petticoats, everything. It was sort of school marm/mad scientist lady. I danced till I wanted to cut my feet off and then we walked home, I bet is was half a mile. The night was fantastic, the music was awesome and the costumes were amazing. I hope to get a link to the pictures soon. I'll put that up later. I was surrounded by friends, I knew seven people there, met a couple more, and we danced the night away. SO. MUCH. FUN.


Yesterday was the memorial service for one of the Friday night poker players, Mary. I'm sure I must have met her on at least the first Poker Night that I was at but I can't really remember. She died suddenly of a brain aneurysm while Jason was up in MN. Even though I didn't remember her it was very sobering to see the lives she touched and the affect she had on people. The minister gave a great service and I went away thinking about how short life is, what our purpose is and how it's all small stuff. Our purpose in life is to serve the community and the lives of others, was his message. I think of that as I am here and how there are so many things to participate in around here and as I get to hang out with the Shores' group. There is a sense of community here that was explained as stronger than ties of friends. It's almost like family and they often refer to themselves as a tribe. That's what I love about being here. I feel this opportunity to be a part of something strong, accepting and embracing. I also have my times of feeling inadequate like being down south in BBQ country. I've been instructed that BBQ is only BBQ when it's pork. It's pork or shrimp, neither that I eat. I am also dreading Halloween. Where am I going to hide for that? Because I am really going to have to hide. The entire town takes part, it's like New Orlean's Mardi Gras. You can't escape it. No one is going to understand that, my favorite thing to do is dress up but I'm going to skip the biggest dress up party of the year.


On Friday is the fall Beach trip. The Spring one is the one I went to when I decided that I would be moving here. I am very excited. The Shores tell me that the water is 80 degrees. I thought that water was warm and wonderful last time. I can't wait. So much to do. Next Friday is my big paycheck. I've had two months to plan how to spend it. Most of it will go to pay off loans from the Bank of Mom and Dad. I guess there aren't many exciting purchases, just household stuff that I didn't want to bother mailing. I found more free stuff. That's been exciting.


Dreya and I get nearly all our food for free from Dreya's job - although, Jason also takes me out every night which is what has mostly sustained me. It's exciting to see what is available or what new treat we get to have. Often it is bread, sometimes, it's a leaking jug of milk, one time it was an abandoned jar of honey - yay for free honey!

Our furniture situation is the same way. Russ, Jason's Dad, gave us the heads up on some furniture on the side of the road. Dreya and I were able to get it all in the back of her little hatchback. We got a very nice long desk, that's more just a table with a drawer, a roomy bookcase, and an end table. Once we got home we unloaded everything, and then rearranged the whole living room to fit everything in a homey way. It's so nice and open feeling now, I sit on the couch looking across at the fountain and the huge mirror, I can look outside to my right at our patio, the solid coffee table is where our laptops permanently sit, the table is now our art desk covered in paints, the end table is the mail drop, and everything has various dried plants hanging from it. We are collecting all the shelving that we can because Dreya's plant collection all has to come in the house for the winter.


Winter reminds me of weather and weather reminds me of hurricane season. So far we've only had the tail end of one hurricane. There was some power out, leaves and small branches were everywhere, and a huge oak fell down once the sun was out again. It was pretty exciting to see the torrential rain, some streets were momentarily flooded. I like when weather can bring everyone together. There was lots of spectating going on. Well, that's about all I can think of. I've been helping Russ fix up his apartments on Sundays, I've rocked on the porch with the Shores while we watched the sunset from the porch of the local ice cream shop. I had raspberry chocolate but I should have had the mango. Carol had an intense day of surgery where she operated nearly all day, got home at 10:00 that night, got called in at 1:00 in the morning and finished the operation at 10:00 the next morning then spent the rest of the day seeing patients. I've been walking home from work, I finally found my way to Kat and Ninja's, Kelly and I did some very quick window shopping during a rare visit to the mall, and my boss gave me a bunch of her office clothes that she doesn't wear! I've seen more deer activity in the suburbs than anywhere else. I've seen a doe nursing her twin fawns in my back yard, and bucks lock horns in a field as Jason and I drove by.


All right, that's all I can think of. I've thrown in these pictures from the 80s party I went to at Mr. Jim's. You know, that one where I was one of two people that dressed up. Another thing I loved about the Clockwork Ball, I was certainly not the best dressed or most outrageously dressed. I got so many ideas, I wish I would have taken pictures, I wish I could have taken notes. Well, I will talk to you later. I'll try to get you an update about the beach trip.