It's snowing again! It started snowing last Monday and snowed for 3 days. Then it rained and melted everything on Thursday. On Friday it started snowing again and hasn't stopped.
Forget a snowman. At this rate, I could build a Snow Village.
The only good thing about the snow is that while it's coming down, the temperature is at least near the 30's. When it stops snowing, it drops into the negatives.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
My apartment that I love so much...
I love it so much, I don't want to leave it! Actually, I'm just a little bit snowed in. It's been snowing for 2 days now and it was close to 9" last I looked (a couple hours ago.) My "street performance" tires and real wheel drive can't cut it out there in the snow, while it's snowing. Once it stops, I'll be able to get out and about. Hopefully that will be soon, because I have resumes to drop off!
There isn't much cabinet space, but there's a huge pantry behind one of the doors. We don't put food in there though, we use it as the "office" and the "recyclables station" i.e. all the stuff we don't want people who visit to see. And no, I haven't made any friends yet, so I don't have visitors. I'm working on it though! *I won't become friends with the neighbor, however, because she lets her dog off leash and it barks all day long when she's not at home.*
This is where I spend most of my time. Tornado likes it because we get to hang out all day. And I love the natural lighting that comes through the window and the big door on the opposite wall. I don't even turn on the lights until around 4:00. That's my IKEA couch and coffee table. I really wish they offered free delivery!
Ivan's room. I call it the "man room." He calls it "Tactical Headquarters." He had to a get a sun-blocking window curtain because the daylight throws a glare on his t.v. I rarely watch television, so it probably wouldn't have bothered me. Ivan mostly just watches G4. :)
His closet. Mine is much more crowded... so I'm not going to show it to you.
The bedroom. Cue the mood lights! I swear I do have matching nightstands. One of them had to stay home in TN though because it wouldn't fit in the car for the trip up.
There isn't much cabinet space, but there's a huge pantry behind one of the doors. We don't put food in there though, we use it as the "office" and the "recyclables station" i.e. all the stuff we don't want people who visit to see. And no, I haven't made any friends yet, so I don't have visitors. I'm working on it though! *I won't become friends with the neighbor, however, because she lets her dog off leash and it barks all day long when she's not at home.*
This is where I spend most of my time. Tornado likes it because we get to hang out all day. And I love the natural lighting that comes through the window and the big door on the opposite wall. I don't even turn on the lights until around 4:00. That's my IKEA couch and coffee table. I really wish they offered free delivery!
Ivan's room. I call it the "man room." He calls it "Tactical Headquarters." He had to a get a sun-blocking window curtain because the daylight throws a glare on his t.v. I rarely watch television, so it probably wouldn't have bothered me. Ivan mostly just watches G4. :)
His closet. Mine is much more crowded... so I'm not going to show it to you.
The bedroom. Cue the mood lights! I swear I do have matching nightstands. One of them had to stay home in TN though because it wouldn't fit in the car for the trip up.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Living Without Boundaries
Most of the people who know me well know that I am a person who doesn't like to categorize people. I've never been what one would consider racist or sexist or elitist. I feel that everyone, no matter skin color or education level or sex, deserves an opportunity to be great.
Somehow, though, I have found myself referring to the people who live here as northerners and myself as a southerner. As if there is a difference in who we are because of that.
So, my goal during all this moving around that we are going to do, is to stop putting people into a box because of where they live. I'm not going to conform or try to change who I am or what I look like to fit in, but I eventually will stop noticing that there is such a big difference between them and myself.
I realize that there are customs and rules that are going to be different here versus in TN and I just need to buck up and get over it. I'm still going to write about those things here, because it will be on my mind. I'll just try to do less complaining, because we can all do with less complaining in our lives.
I told my sister today that I'm cutting out some of the people in my life. If someone isn't a positive force to be around, then they are a negative one and I do not need negative influences around me. That goes for that negative part of myself as well.
Somehow, though, I have found myself referring to the people who live here as northerners and myself as a southerner. As if there is a difference in who we are because of that.
So, my goal during all this moving around that we are going to do, is to stop putting people into a box because of where they live. I'm not going to conform or try to change who I am or what I look like to fit in, but I eventually will stop noticing that there is such a big difference between them and myself.
I realize that there are customs and rules that are going to be different here versus in TN and I just need to buck up and get over it. I'm still going to write about those things here, because it will be on my mind. I'll just try to do less complaining, because we can all do with less complaining in our lives.
I told my sister today that I'm cutting out some of the people in my life. If someone isn't a positive force to be around, then they are a negative one and I do not need negative influences around me. That goes for that negative part of myself as well.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Outside the Apartment
It stopped snowing so I finally left the building!
The thing I love the most about this apartment complex is the sidewalk running all the way around it and through it. The maintenance crew keep it shoveled free of snow and ice so it's perfect for walking Tornado. We went for a walk this morning (because I couldn't possibly force myself to sleep in any more) and she loved it. I don't know how far we went. I guess maybe about 3/4 of a mile, because we were out there for 1/2 hour.
She and I are not quite up to jogging yet, but we will be. A couple walks every day and eventually we'll be running around the place instead of walking.
I'm hoping it will relax Tornado enough that she will take a nap. She gets so bored here. There is only so many times we can play before she gets bored with that too. She just sits in the floor and stares at me and when I tell her to stop, she goes to her bed and starts licking her butt. It's a no-win situation for me.
The thing I love the most about this apartment complex is the sidewalk running all the way around it and through it. The maintenance crew keep it shoveled free of snow and ice so it's perfect for walking Tornado. We went for a walk this morning (because I couldn't possibly force myself to sleep in any more) and she loved it. I don't know how far we went. I guess maybe about 3/4 of a mile, because we were out there for 1/2 hour.
She and I are not quite up to jogging yet, but we will be. A couple walks every day and eventually we'll be running around the place instead of walking.
I'm hoping it will relax Tornado enough that she will take a nap. She gets so bored here. There is only so many times we can play before she gets bored with that too. She just sits in the floor and stares at me and when I tell her to stop, she goes to her bed and starts licking her butt. It's a no-win situation for me.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Up all night and sleeping all day
Ivan is on the evening shift for the moment. He gets home around midnight most nights. This has put me way off schedule. I'm used to getting up when the sun comes up, even on the weekends. I'm forcing myself to stay up late so our schedules can match for the moment. I still end up waking up before 7am every morning, even though I'm staying up til 3 in the morning.
I've started applying for jobs. I haven't had to do this in a long time. I've always just had an opportunity come up and never really had to sell myself to get it. I think my honesty is a definite hindrance with this job search. I know we're only here temporarily so I am hesitant to apply for an actual job that isn't just available from a temp agency. On the flip side, I know I'm worth far more money than I can make working for an agency like that. While I don't believe that money is the most important thing, I also don't feel like I'm utilizing my skills to their maximum potential if I choose to work at a place like that.
So, I'm doing both: applying for "real" jobs and temporary jobs. What I find amazing is the number of jobs listed on Craigslist. I had no idea that it had become such a widespread market. There are upwards of twenty postings daily on the Craigslist classified section just for this town.
One of the job listings was for a promotional model. I'm not really sure what the experience required for that would be or even what the job entails. The listing wasn't too clear. It did require a photo to be sent along with a resume. That made me laugh. Can you just imagine the lucky guy that gets to screen out the applicants for that job?
A few of the listings that I found on other sites required a personality test to be completed at the same time. The logical side of me thinks this is ridiculous. I know exactly what kind of employee most managers are looking to hire. The questions are not that difficult and I guarantee you that I scored within the top 10% (I would say 5% but some of the math questions threw me.) Even if I wasn't such a model employee ;) that I would score high regardless, I certainly would have been able to choose the right answer and pretend to be. It's been 8 years since I graduated college and I still know how to beat the system.
I'm just hoping that whatever I do find, personality test or not, will correspond well with Ivan's schedule. I do like getting to spend a little bit of time with him every day. :)
I've started applying for jobs. I haven't had to do this in a long time. I've always just had an opportunity come up and never really had to sell myself to get it. I think my honesty is a definite hindrance with this job search. I know we're only here temporarily so I am hesitant to apply for an actual job that isn't just available from a temp agency. On the flip side, I know I'm worth far more money than I can make working for an agency like that. While I don't believe that money is the most important thing, I also don't feel like I'm utilizing my skills to their maximum potential if I choose to work at a place like that.
So, I'm doing both: applying for "real" jobs and temporary jobs. What I find amazing is the number of jobs listed on Craigslist. I had no idea that it had become such a widespread market. There are upwards of twenty postings daily on the Craigslist classified section just for this town.
One of the job listings was for a promotional model. I'm not really sure what the experience required for that would be or even what the job entails. The listing wasn't too clear. It did require a photo to be sent along with a resume. That made me laugh. Can you just imagine the lucky guy that gets to screen out the applicants for that job?
A few of the listings that I found on other sites required a personality test to be completed at the same time. The logical side of me thinks this is ridiculous. I know exactly what kind of employee most managers are looking to hire. The questions are not that difficult and I guarantee you that I scored within the top 10% (I would say 5% but some of the math questions threw me.) Even if I wasn't such a model employee ;) that I would score high regardless, I certainly would have been able to choose the right answer and pretend to be. It's been 8 years since I graduated college and I still know how to beat the system.
I'm just hoping that whatever I do find, personality test or not, will correspond well with Ivan's schedule. I do like getting to spend a little bit of time with him every day. :)
First Stop: Upstate NY
First Impression: It's damn cold here. It hasn't been above freezing since I've arrived and it's snowed twice in the past three days.
Second Impression: It's absolutely gorgeous. There are long stretches of fields and small lakes and rivers. If God blessed Texas, then the Angels blessed upstate New York. Right now, the whole area is covered in snow (it's snowing outside as I type this) and that certainly adds to the prettiness of the landscape.
I am pleasantly surprised that the area isn't as country as I feared it would be. There are plenty of businesses and shopping centers. I'm a city girl at heart, so I really like having things in town to do and local places to eat at and to visit.
Another surprise is the friendliness of the locals. There are two types of people here and I haven't figured out which is which yet. There are the people who have moved here from other places because of the military and there are the locals who have lived here all their lives. One group is friendly, the other is not. I'm hazarding a guess that the friendlies are the locals. The people in charge of the businesses and working at the restaurants and in the mall... those are the nice people. It's the people walking around doing the shopping that don't have the hospitality I'm used to.
Maybe it's a southern or a western thing, but where I'm from, when people hold open a door, you say thank you. When someone hands you something (your change from a purchase, something you dropped, a shopping bag) you say thank you. The people around here don't do that. They're very concerned with themselves and where they're going in life and don't take the opportunity to look around and see those around them. Life is what they do to it, not what they experience.
Second Impression: It's absolutely gorgeous. There are long stretches of fields and small lakes and rivers. If God blessed Texas, then the Angels blessed upstate New York. Right now, the whole area is covered in snow (it's snowing outside as I type this) and that certainly adds to the prettiness of the landscape.
I am pleasantly surprised that the area isn't as country as I feared it would be. There are plenty of businesses and shopping centers. I'm a city girl at heart, so I really like having things in town to do and local places to eat at and to visit.
Another surprise is the friendliness of the locals. There are two types of people here and I haven't figured out which is which yet. There are the people who have moved here from other places because of the military and there are the locals who have lived here all their lives. One group is friendly, the other is not. I'm hazarding a guess that the friendlies are the locals. The people in charge of the businesses and working at the restaurants and in the mall... those are the nice people. It's the people walking around doing the shopping that don't have the hospitality I'm used to.
Maybe it's a southern or a western thing, but where I'm from, when people hold open a door, you say thank you. When someone hands you something (your change from a purchase, something you dropped, a shopping bag) you say thank you. The people around here don't do that. They're very concerned with themselves and where they're going in life and don't take the opportunity to look around and see those around them. Life is what they do to it, not what they experience.
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