Employment, huzzah!
Right now I'm in the middle of my third week at my new job with Sprint. Around November, Jenn told me they were hiring. Finding nothing else more promising by December, I decided to go for it. After a lengthy game of phone tag to get my employment history verified, I was hired. My training began January 4th, and goes on for 7 weeks, so today is the very middle of training (it's going by a lot faster than I might have anticipated, I guess).
Although it's a fairly basic call-center job, the lack of huge excitement is countered by the great benefits. I even get a free phone plan, with everything unlimited, so that's nice. Since I get a good discount, I made a small investment in my first smart-phone, which is a Blackberry Curve. A little overwhelming in the number of options, but at least it lets me do everything I could possibly want on my plan.
One downside to my job is the location. On bus and lightrail, the commute averages about an hour and a half each way. At least now I have a fun handheld device to keep me busy, plus I have time to read the whole newspaper for a change! I might even look into a car after training is over and my official shift starts, though I might be able to manage on the scooter once the weather warms up.
In any case, I'll make an effort to post once in a while--maybe my Blackberry will enable some interesting mobile posts.
Bundlecat
What happens when our house gets cold.
ringu
My early Christmas present is an engagement ring. :)
Angry time Part II
The other things frustrating me is the job situation.
Ironically, this is not because of my lack of job, but rather my sudden opportunity for one.
In a slap-dash effort, I applied for a job at Sprint on a tip from Jenn that they were hiring. First interview was less than inspiring, as they weren't hiring for a while. However, still jobless weeks or so later, I called them back to inquire, and warranted a second interview, or an assessment, whatever it's called. A background check and UA, and it sounds like the job should be a pretty sure thing for me.
This means I have to make a decision. Do I settle for a job I'm sure I can do, that pays not great, but fair, with decent benefits and so forth, and is a long commute from home? Or do I wait it out and just hope that something better falls on my plate, knowing it will require more of the thankless work of submitting applications, composing cover letters, meticulously searching job descriptions? Neither choice is the obvious one. On one hand, I'm tempted to take the Sprint job because at this point it looks like the path of least resistance (and a guaranteed paycheck come 2010). On the other hand, hindsight will be 2020 once I theoretically find my dream job...but then I can always quit...and making some money in the meantime is better than making no money while I twiddle my thumbs.
Plus, even if I do take Sprint and this turns out to be the best choice, there's nothing to say I won't end up as miserable as I was when I left RAAP. What good is steady income if it makes my life a living hell...
Hopefully this is exaggeration. There's no way I'll hate it that much...I hope. I've grown, and I understand what makes me happy in a job, so I'm going into this more informed than I've ever gone into a job before. I need to trust my instincts on this and stop worrying.
Mainly I'm concerned about the commute. Right now I reap a lot of joy from at-home time, and while I will probably appreciate it more when it is scarcer, if it is too scarce I will simply feel harried all the time, and feel that my job is consuming my entire life...but considering all the jobs right now seem to be a bit of a commute, there's not much I can do to avoid that, I suppose.
Yes, it seems this is the right thing to do...I just have this terrible feeling I'm not taking something into account, and I'm going to kick myself when I find out what it is too late.
There are other things frustrating me, but I have no energy to phrase them properly at this point.
Angry time Part I
About an hour ago I got really frustrated with my life...more specifically, with the impending events of my life. And the choices I have to make. And the fact that they can't be easier. Ug.
I got frustrated with my "wedding," if you can call it that, and the fact that no matter what I do, someone is going to try to talk me out of it, or worse, simply remind me that "it's my day and I can do what I want," which I've determined is the most effortlessly supportive thing to say. I mean, yes, I CAN do what I want. I am physically capable of dumping the punch bowl onto my in-laws and mooning the best man, if that is what I choose to do. But is the point of my wedding to piss people off? Not really, unless they've somehow all managed to do something to deserve it, which so far, they haven't. So whatever I do at my wedding, I must be prepared to back up. And this stresses me out.
I'd love to be able to say "I wanted it this way, isn't it lovely/meaningful/unique?" but when it comes down to it, I don't know what on Earth I want. I didn't want to get married for the longest time, and the fact that I am sometimes feels like I'm selling out...to compensate, my inclination is to make my wedding as "un-wedding-y" as possible, to prove that I'm not buying this institution hook, line and sinker. Yet somehow I feel like this is a great opportunity to participate in a larger institution--an opportunity we're rarely afforded nowadays in our anomic "holiday tree" filled society, where you basically build your own institutions as you see fit. As much as I support freedom of choice, can't there be some things we all agree on? Can we all agree weddings are beautiful and worthy of celebration? No, of course not. Not when there's so much complexity to each relationship...when the parents disapprove of the new spouse, the grandparents think it's disgraceful to wear black, etc etc etc.
Gah. And so you see why I became quite enraged over the whole ordeal. No matter what I decide, it all comes down to the fact that until I find a word to use other than "wedding," people are going to pigeon-hole me and my big happy get-together. They'll assume I'm paying out my ass for things like catering and photography and a monstrosity of a gown I can only wear once. They'll assume I want to look like a princess, because ALL girls want to be princesses and have their men buy them sparkly jewelry to show off what a nice paycheck will be supporting the little Mrs. AAGGHHH. And what irks me most is that because these assumptions are built into the whole mess, I have to second-guess myself when I actually consider for a moment that a particular diamond ring is kind of pretty...or a fluffy cream-colored dress might be fun to play in for a day...and then I remind myself that the desire for these things is created, not innate, and all the people telling me to say "yes" to them are either trying to make a buck or confused about what my "wedding" is going to mean--that because it is a "wedding" it necessitates a white dress and a bridal party and a processional. Why?? Why does it need these things? Why does everyone (myself included) keep suggesting that I'll regret NOT having these things?? Why does it need to look like a "wedding" to accomplish what I want it to?
Honestly, I haven't entirely decided what I want it to accomplish, which is at least half my problem.
Decisions, decisions, decisions. And with every choice I make, they become simpler, and yet I feel more and more trapped into that little "bride" box...makes me want to exert another 20 minutes on the elliptical machine to the tune of angry Deftones music. Which didn't help a whole lot aside from taking the edge off a tad, by the way.
Black Friday Weekend o' craziness
This weekend (Thanksgiving and after) has been rather busy.
On Thursday (Thanksgiving proper) we had at least 3-4 invitations. We decided to keep it simple and attend the two events that were geographically near one another: Brent's Aunt Candy in Wellington and my grandparents in Loveland. Candy's meal was planned for 1PM and the other was at 2, so we really could only eat at one or the other. We decided it made the most sense to eat the earlier dinner and then stop by and say hi at the other one, and maybe score some dessert. As it turned out this worked out nicely. We even got the chance to announce our engagement to the grandparents (Sallie kept prodding us till one of us got the gumption to say it). Brent's family had practically all known already, as he had given his mother permission to spread the word when we first told her the news. My parents did not take this liberty, so it was nice to have a comfortable setting to tell my grandparents. I plan to tell the rest of my family in our first official Christmas letter this year.
Thursday night we relaxed with a bath and video games, respectively, and then did a post-feast workout to ease our consciences. We'll have to make sure to keep up a good routine of this if we are to stay in shape through the winter. It's a good motivation to think that we'll probably be climbing a mountain or two next year, so we need to be prepared.
Friday we did some shopping, but not in the sense that most people did that day. Since we had just about all of our Christmas presents purchased already, we had no need for mall shopping (which was just as well, as neither of us care for crowded malls anyway). Our destination was the South Broadway antique district to find an engagement/wedding ring for me. We had a quick but tasty lunch at the Spicy Pickle, then headed down a block or two in search of antique rings. The first few stores mainly dealt in furniture, but eventually we came to a place that had a few rings on hand, and they suggested another place to try. The store they referred carried a better (and more expensive) selection, and we managed to find at least one other dealer that specialized in jewelry, as well as several that carried a limited selection alongside fine silver dishes and the like. At the last store we visited, we found a great deal on a necklace and brooch, so Brent made a small indulgence on these for my Christmas present. Friday night we were quite worn out from shopping, so Brent played video games and I started putting up Christmas decorations and watched Brokeback Mountain, which I'd rented.
Saturday we headed down to Larimer Square in search of another antique jeweler we'd been referred to: Victoriana. This one definitely carried some of the prettiest items I'd seen so far, but it was also a bit pricey, so we had to think on it. While downtown I picked up some stationary from Office Depot to print Christmas letters, and we picked up groceries. In the evening Brent had plans to game with friends, so I had him drop me off at Jenn's apartment, where we spent the evening concocting white chocolate fondue, watching Indiana Jones, and poring over ice cream recipes. It was a fun time with my Jenn, who I don't get to see too often these days.
Sunday we had plans to visit Brent's grandma Daphin. We joined her for brunch, then looked at old pictures of Brent and his family and watched a recording of a ventriloquist she had seen in Vegas. We also helped move some items out of her closet so shelves could be added. On the way home I talked Brent into stopping at Cherry Creek Mall, which we regretted a little once we realized how crowded it would be. I had hoped to find inexpensive rings (cubic zirconia or gems) at the department stores, but when Macy's failed to deliver, we peeked into a few jewelry stores and then gave up (frankly, the designs were the same as the antiques we'd found, at twice the price or more!) In the evening we had planned to spend time with Matt and Liisa, but they were just as exhausted as we were, so it was a night at home for all of us. I managed to get in a second short workout (one in the morning, one in the evening) to make up for missing Friday and Saturday. It wasn't too bad, but after dinner I was quite ready for bed.
This week I've compiled a whole list of things to do in addition to applying for jobs, so I'll be quite busy for a while.
Gimme gimme
I want the purple one to get married in. Too bad this is Saks 5th Ave
More scary makeup
They liked to switch it up a little at the haunt.
Snow Man
We made him today in the front yard! I love Sundays.
