A very (un) busy worker bee

(just FYI...still thinking about a cat name...perhaps Flannery or Kathleen Norris)

I am officially a worker bee. I started my new job on Monday, as a curriculum writer for an educational publisher. Only, there isn't any curriculum writing, yet. Actually, each morning in the three days I've been there I've asked my boss what I can do. He's given me this very pained look, hesitated and sucked air in through his teeth, and said he'll work on it and look for work for me to do.

Okay, so I'm trying to be patient, but why would you hire someone if you're not ready for them to do work? It's frustrating. And it makes the day long.

So I'm a member of a "pod," which means that we all have our computer stations together in one big cubicle. Monday, and most of today, I just stared at my computer, browsing the curriculum the publisher makes, "familiarizing" myself with it. Granted, I was pretty familiar with it after 8 hours of staring at it Monday. Finally near the end of the day an online teacher needed help with grading. Easy, but at least something to do. I never though that having nothing to do at work would be so boring.

I certainly hope it picks up.

Also, people here are WAY too nosy. Not like I didn't know this...it is just way more annoying than I remember. My first day of work, no fewer than three people asked me "Are you still single?" Still? Like I'm ancient? Come on, people.

Yesterday, someone asked me my last name, and then asked "Are you one of the famous ones?" How are you supposed to answer that?

Today my old high school teacher, who works near me, told everyone at lunch about how big my parents' lake house is. Just weird.

Anyway, I think the corporate world in the Midwest is way different than the Bay Area. After seeing Donna's workplace, and this one, it's night and day. There are definitely no video games here.

You decide

I am typing this post 1 letter at a time, as the cat is sleeping on my right arm. It's really quite cute--she pushes my arm with her head until it's under her head like a pillow, then puts her other arm over it, to make sure it doesn't go anywhere.

Since she seems to ba appearing regularly lately, I think it is time to name her. Check out the pictures and tell me which you think suits her best, or suggest your own.

1. Quiddie

2. Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya ("Kitty")

3. Sassafras

4. Owl

5. Zora Neale (as in Zora Neale Hurston)

6. Countess Katenka

The Glorious Appearing

Today was the day of two momentous occasions. First, it was my first day of work. I'm working for an educational publisher doing Language Arts curriculum design. Probably more curriculum revision, they said today. I'm working near my old high school English teacher, which is a little strange. Also, they did not have any actual work for me today. Sounds great, right? It was actually really boring. I can review their current curriculum, but 8 hours was a lot...

The other, more interesting event was the cat appeared. She came out from behind the fridge when I stuck my hand back there, and she has just come up from the basement (on her own) for the first time. She's currently making very slow laps around the house, sniffing generously.

Here are some better pics. from today:

Obstinate, or Scared?

The cat is still huddling behind the old refrigerator in the basement. The routine the last two days now has been that I go and reach my arm as far behind the fridge as I can, pet her, and try to coax her to come out. So far, she's come out twice. Today I got to pet her, and brush her. But, as soon as I let go of her, she ran back behind the fridge.

My mom keeps saying she'll come out when she's not scared anymore, but...

Is it possible she'll stay back there forever?

My Cat...Name Needed

So I found the cat...sort of. She's behind an old fridge in the basement bomb shelter. I saw her back side, and I could sort of reach in and pet her. At one point she turned around so I could see her head, but she wouldn't come out. I left some treats for her.

On another topic...Once she comes out, what should her name be? She came with the name Callie, but I don't think I'll keep it.

Any suggestions?

I lost my cat

Today my mom helped me pick out a cat at the Humane Society. I got a beautiful, green-eyed calico girl named Kallie. Or maybe Callie...I don't remember.

Anyway, we took her home and set her up with all her stuff in the basement. We played with her, watched her explore everything, then left her to get acquainted while we went for dinner. My dad came to pick us up, and we wanted to show the cat to him. I went downstairs, and she was gone...couldn't be found anywhere. We looked in crawl spaces, above the bomb shelter, behind boxes, in cupboards. We went to dinner, thinking we'd find her when we came back. We went through the same routine--got the flashlights out and checked the crawl space and all the other places she might hide.

She's not there. Or, at least, she's not coming out. I would guess the Humane Society frowns on owners who lose their cats on the first night. I just hope I find her tomorrow...

What the f***???

So I have this wall of cupboards in my kitchen which reach almost to the ceiling. I was up on a stepstool today, putting a few things in the top cupboard, and I found this little black zippered pouch.

I thought maybe it was a tool kit, but it was shaped like half a heart.

I got down off the stepstool, unzipped the black pouch, and my stomach fell to the floor. Here's the face I made:

Now what, you ask, might make me make this face?

Here is the answer, the object I found left in a cupboard in my kitchen:

That's right, it's a friggin' handgun. So many questions...Whose was it? I'm assuming the lady who owned the house before me. Did she have it to protect herself? Would she quickly jump up on a stepstool, get the gun down, and load it when there was an intruder?

And, most importantly--How do you leave your gun in a kitchen cupboard???

This is definitely the strangest thing I've ever found while moving.

new house scariness

Okay...living in a house alone at night is way scarier than living in an apartment alone. Especially when said house has no window coverings, and lots of windows. Must get blinds soon.

The Homestead

It's weird to say it, but I'm home. It doesn't feel like home yet, but all my stuff is in my new house. And, my neighbors have an unprotected network, so free internet tonight until mine is set up tomorrow. Whee!

So now, for some pictures.

The Front.

Kitchen, with boxes

Living/Dining Room, with boxes.

Alternate View Living/Dining room, with boxes.
Backyard, no boxes.

all is new

Today is the day I move into my new house. I made it home, safe and sound, after 26 1/2 hours in the car. 1 novel finished, Middlesex. Quite good, though not my favorite ever. I'll be interested to hear what Oprah has to say about it.

So far, no loving on the babies yet. Crazy relatives have started to call and ask about my new home. I have a new phone number. If you didn't ge the e-mail, e-mail me. I shall post pictures of everything later, post chaos. The sad thing? Another day of no internet...makes me feel closed in, like I'm in one of the sod huts people used to live in on the prairie. Or maybe that's the move in general...not sure yet.

Updates to come.

Motorin'

So I'm in the middle of Wyoming, with my first reliable internet since Thursday. I drove about 13 1/2 hours today, and listened to the first half of Middlesex. Very good. I am exhausted though. Sleep has eluded me the last few nights, and I knew it was trouble when I started yawning at 11am today.

It was also really sad to leave CA. There's not really that much to say about it, except that it doesn't really seem real. I was telling my friends that somehow it seems like they'll all just be there when I arrive tomorrow.

Speaking of friends, they helped pack the truck this weekend. It was quite a feat, and as you can see from the picture, the result is probably the best packed Uhaul on the roads. Oh, and the reflectors make it seem like it was also some sort of dance party. Which it was.

I heart minor league baseball!!!!

Ever since I started working at a summer camp and going to the Fargo Redhawks' games, I've loved minor league baseball. I'm not really that into other sports, but I looooooove a good summertime baseball game. Jen and Brian got free tickets from Target, so tonight we went to a San Jose Giants game.

The "beer batter" was struck out, so we go those Heinekens two-for-one.

Bigger Than a Breadbox...

...and more fun than a wheel of cheese.

This is the massive wheel of bubblewrap my dad sent to help me pack.

Packing and saying goodbye have been occupying most of my time. It's exhausting.

Checkouts

Some random bits tonight.

I checked out of school today. It felt a lot more final to hand in my keys than it did when the kids left yesterday. I hugged everyone goodbye, and only felt my lip quivering once, while saying goodbye to someone who probably never cries.

I also went to the grocery store and got in front of the most obnoxious man in the checkout line. He looked over my groceries, and actually touched them. He was first making small talk, then touched my shoulder and asked me to save his place in line. I was hoping the checker would be fast, but no. He came back, and actually commented about my groceries. He had something to say about everything I was buying, and what it might say about me. I just smiled, and said nothing.

A few days ago I called to have a utility shut off, and the guy was checking something, and asked if it was Holly with an "i" or an "e." Uh? Y.

The best middle school boy conversation I overheard yesterday went like this. There were three middle school boys standing around, and one said "So, are you going to play ponies this summer?" Another said "Yeah, if my mom lets me." Hilarious. I acted shocked and said "Oh my gosh, are you guys really playing with ponies this summer?" And of course, they were referring to ponies baseball.

And just now I called for pizza and the guy told me my pizza would be ready in 19 minutes. I had to ask twice, just so I could hear him say again that it would be ready in 19 minutes. 19? Almost as strange as Holly with an "i" or an "e."

Cool!

I read today that StoryCorps is in Sioux Falls! They record stories of ordinary people, or in their own words, "StoryCorps is a national project to instruct and inspire people to record one another's stories in sound.

Maybe I'll work on a story for them...or interview someone...intriguing!

Celebrating!

I am officially done teaching. Today was our last day of school, topped off with the annual skating party. I thought I might feel more joyous after school, but it wasn't the jumping up and down kind of happy, just a lot more calm. That was probably in part because the middle schoolers were all crying and carrying on about leaving one another.

I also hope this means more sleep. I looked back on my blog from last year at this time, and I was also not sleeping then. Although it always takes me a long time to get to sleep, a half hour at least, this week my mind has been thinking things out long after I want to go to sleep. Someone asked me last week where I think about stuff, and I've decided it's while I'm lying in bed, trying to sleep. It seems to be involuntary--I can't sleep until everything's worked out.

So tonight is a celebration of being done with school. It will be celebrated by going out for gyros with friends, and a bottle of my favorite pinot grigio. As I have declared, let it be so.
Perhaps the pinot grigio will inspire packing!

Days left as a teacher: 1. (that includes a skating party)

Tonight was graduation. It was a good class, and actually kind of sad to see them graduate. I got two thank you notes from kids today that were really sweet, and amusing.

One contained the line "Ms. D, thank you for all your patients with me this year."

The other said "It's unfortunate you won't be returning to our school, because I won't see you again on earth."

Aww....that does make me a little sad to quit teaching. Just a little.

adios, citibank!

Days left as a teacher: 3, including 1 workday. Amen.

And, I have a job! I think...

It all started in Feb. when I sent a resume to a company for a position I really wanted. It was via a friend of a friend, and I never heard anything, despite follow up. So, I thought hope was lost there.

Then they posted a less desirable position on the internet, and I was feeling desperate. I submitted my resume, and got an interview. During the interview I mentioned the other job, and lo and behold, I'm getting it.

At least I think so. There has been an informal, e-mail offer. I'm waiting to get something in writing, but it looks like I'll either be a curriculum designer/online teacher, or a full-time curriculum designer. Now, to choose a cat.

Dillon Beach is to good times as...

The beach weekend was the perfect activity to end my time in California. Somehow I was the only person who didn't take any pictures, but you can check out Donna's, and Jeff and Jen's. Jen and Jeff even got a photo of me and Camille. If you check it out, you can see that skeptical look on Camille's face as I'm walking her across the room. She knows the score.

The weather was cloudy and cool, and the whole thing reminded me a lot of hanging out at my parents' place in Okoboji. There was Trivial Pursuit, sleeping in, video games, and a fully-stocked bar. I also had my first Blue Curacao since Amsterdam...it's still disgusting stuff.

The weekend reminded me of how happy I have been here, with such good friends. So, if any of ya'll are reading this, you are to living in California as Jen is to gardening!