Summer vacation.

It's funny how in the course of a day, sitting around until noon in your pajamas can go from being something pathetic that you try not to broadcast ("Me? Noooo, I blow-dried my hair this morning, and I am DEFINITELY wearing pants right now. In case you were wondering, I was also DEFINITELY out of bed before 10 am, too.") to something decadent that you luxuriate in and maybe even taunt your close friends with a little ("Mmm... this coffee sure is good. It's even better IN PAJAMAS! Too bad I had sit on the couch all morning with the internet and a good book... What? You had to work?"). It's amazing the power that words, terms, and states of being can have on how we (and others) view our actions. When you're unemployed, lounging around in pajamas seems a little pathetic and sloppy; when you're simply waiting for employment to begin it feels like VACATION! And there is nothing wrong with pajamas until noon on vacation!

Wait, what's that? Employed? Yes, dear friends and family, Ariel's sweet summer vacation of 2008 has officially ended: yesterday I received a job offer I couldn't refuse, and this morning I accepted it. I start work on Wednesday the 10th.

It has been a PROCESS. In all, I've had NINE interviews this go-round, three of which were for the job I've just accepted, and most of which took place in the last week and a half. Overall, I sent out 33 applications (a large chunk of those I'm including sprung forth from two standard state position listings--so, I have to say, it sounds impressive, but really, it wasn't quite as much work as it seems), I was rejected from 17 opportunities, and I turned down one offer because the management and I weren't a good fit.

I had some doozies as far as interviews went, too (I can write about these because they were either for jobs for which I was turned down, or for positions that I ended up turning down myself).* I interviewed with someone who may well have been drunk (perhaps it was just said individual's face and way of throwing back their head when they laughed, but wowza... that would have been tricky to handle in a supervisor!), I had an exceptionally combative, aggressive interviewer whose immediate purpose, it seemed, was to try and catch me in a contradiction and to fluster me out of my poised interviewing comfort zone, I had a four-hour interview that didn't even result in a thanks-but-no-thanks phone call (or even a real hand-signed signature on a piece of paper), I was turned down for a job IN an interview for being too skilled and qualified for the position, and I had a couple big let downs for awesome interviews I thought I'd nailed.

Wow. I'm glad it's over.

The timing feels right, too. As the days start to shorten, the temperatures mellow, and the nights and mornings grow chilly, it feels like time to give up on summer vacation and turn my mind toward "real life" again. I think that a job is a good step in that direction.

I'll be entering into an industry that I know virtually nothing about (don't worry, MY job is within my knowledge/comfort zone, just not the company's overall industry), and working for a much larger immediate office than I've been involved with before. But, having met the people, and having had the opportunity to get to know the company a little, I think it's a good fit and that it will be a good challenge for me. I look forward to starting.

I also look forward to not worrying about things like eating out on occasion or picking up a new pair of shoes. Yes, Otto, I can afford to buy shoes AND cat food again! You don't have to eat Hobo spiders any longer!

* * *

Aaaaand now on TV there are adorable elementary school children in hard hats with shovels breaking ground on a new elementary school. The cuteness has made me lose my train of thought, so... consider this the most recent update!

xoxo

Ariel

*In the interest of keeping my new job, and keeping positive relations with all potential co-workers and clients, I'm making the decision right now not to blog about work in any sort of a specific or derogatory way. If something exciting and big happens, expect to hear about it, otherwise just assume all is peachy. :)

Reaction.

So far the "We're moving to Boise!" reaction has been pretty positive.

Not sure about Charlie, but I've had a few funny responses.

One co-worker at the high school fixated upon the idea of DUST:

"It's supposed to be real dusty there," he said. "I know someone who moved here from there. She said her husband shined his shoes before work every morning, and as soon as he stepped outside? WHAM. DUST. So, watch out for the dust."

Another made me feel so special:

"Oh. That's about where I grew up. Hmm. Interesting. Well, I suppose this means I need to get the Conference Proceedings finished."

(I should say that she went on to say very positive things about Boise; also the "Conference Proceedings" are a project for which I'm waiting on a piece from her to finally complete--I've been waiting since November for that piece.)

Overall, though, everyone seems to be excited.

Spudward!

At least for the weekend at any rate.

We're headed to Boise for the weekend with Charlie's parents. I'm certainly looking forward to checking it out and seeing what this "place" where supposedly I am going to "live" is like.

The only time I've spent in Boise was an overnight stay mid-road trip en route to New Mexico when I was 15 or 16. In contrast, once this weekend is over, Charlie will have been there three times in the last month--twice in one WEEK even! (On a side note: he commented to me the other day regarding a short work-related trip earlier this week, "I've never flown somewhere just for a day before! I've never been important enough for someone to fly me somewhere for a day before!" Exciting things!)

It's funny, from my point of view, Boise still seems like a unique and interesting "vacation" destination. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I'll actually be living there and actually needing to find lucrative employment in "the city of trees" (as it's called) in about a month. Also hard to conceptualize: I won't be living in Portland any longer. No longer an Oregonian. No longer a Portlander. I'll have a new driver's license, new plates on my car (Idaho... those are the red, white, and blue ones, right?), and will have to register to vote again.

Of course people do this all the time--every day. It's not like this is a strange, remarkable thing, but nonetheless, it's a big life change. That said, I'm thankful for such a great partner in adventure. I couldn't ask for someone better. :)

For Rent: BIG YARD.

Half of the fun (or frustration) of moving is browsing through the FOR RENT ads on Craigslist. Doing so can give you a real sense of the place you're moving to, and sometimes, a great sense of the people who live there.

I ran across one the other day, that, while not IN Boise (in a nearby city), I hope exemplifies the sense of humor of the average Idahoian (Boisian? What will we call ourselves?).

In particular, the picture of "Junior" (or maybe that's Fido?) and the emphasis, nay, insistence on a bonfire really tickled me.

I've PDF'd it so we can enjoy it forever, since Craigslist postings tend to expire.

Here's the link: House for Rent

What, what?

There's a rumor going around that we're moving to Idaho.
Let me banish it from the ephemeral world of myth and hear-say.

Is this true?
Sure thing. Charlie got the phone call last week and now we're Boise-bound.

Boise, Idaho!

6 hrs, 45 minutes from Portland, OR.
9 hrs, 25 minutes from Hoquiam, WA.
8 hrs, 53 minutes from Seabeck, WA.
8 hrs, 42 minutes from Kingston, WA.

6 hrs, 24 minutes from Grand Teton National Park.
6 hrs, 52 minutes from Yellowstone National Park.
5 hrs, 59 minutes from Steens Mountain, OR.
4 hrs, 49 minutes from Salt Lake City, UT.

Good news: a week or two after we move, we get the opportunity to see Andrew Bird and Josh Ritter, co-headlining together. I think this is a good sign.

In other things, we wanted Otto to have plenty of warning, so we broke the news gently.
As you can see, he's still adjusting to the idea:



xoxo

Ariel