Premonitions

So a few blogs ago I discussed a "scare" that our landlady had put our house up for sale but we decided it was not true. It turns out that was based on a false assumption, but today the landlady did in fact show up at our house with a For Sale sign. Weird coincidence. She is selling it herself, apparently because she cannot afford a real estate agent. She apparently also got trapped in a sub-prime mortgage. Way to go. So if anyone wants to buy a 736 square foot house in the up and coming part of Albuquerque (soon to match Santa Fe's Canyon Road!), all you have to do is part with $182,500. Personally I think it's way over priced, but it is in line with the other stuff on the market on Mountain Road. It is unclear whether she is selling both lots with it or only the back one. So anyway, I guess tenants are allowed to stay until the end of their lease even if there is a sale, but I'm thinking we need to start looking anyway.

I also finally got a formal offer from the State, and now I too will have to commute to my job. So Matt will be going an hour south while I go an hour north. So maybe we need to be closer to the van/bus/train stops anyway.

Well that's my life. What are you all up to?

It's Been a Long Time, I Shouldn't Have Left You

...without a dope beat to step to.

Name the song and the artist. Winner gets... the opportunity to visit me in Albuquerque (airfare not included). Sorry, I don't have much to offer.

Also I just wrote a whole blog and my stupid crappy internet disappeared it and I don't feel like writing it again. Maybe later. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe two weeks from now. It involved the fact that I have been writing for other purposes and therefore not writing on here.

And how I might have a new job.

And how I am considering attempting the write one page a day, in a year you'll have a book feat. What do you think?

Miscellany

Have you folks been wondering where I've been? Me too. Part of my absence stems from the fact that my less-than-one-year-old-laptop is a piece of crap. Expensive crap. Matt's 5 year old computer can run the internet faster than this thing. So at certain points in the last two weeks I've sat down to write a blog and never had the time. I'm not sure whether to blame Vista or Dell or Qwest, but it sucks. Big waste of money.

So anyway, how's it going? Still no winner in the Democratic race. I'm kind of ambivalent about it, because even though I'm on Hillary's side, I do think she'll have a hard time in the general election. People hate her. It is silly. Yes she voted for the war, but she's done a lot of other good things. And who didn't vote for the war (who was in national office at the time and isn't Dennis Kucinich). Anyway. I didn't really mean to blog about politics today.

Did everybody hear that Fidel Castro stepped down? Of course Raul might be more of the same and the US doesn't seem to interested in smoothing over relations.

Oh what else. I found a neat blog about this guy who rides the bus in Albuquerque everyday and tells stories about it. I haven't gotten through all his back blogs, but I still think my story about holding that lady's baby in LA is up there at the top.

Also Matt and my New Texico blog is still forthcoming. It will be good, so don't get impatient.

Also I finally got paid for an article I wrote in November. The guy wrote me a check for $93.13. Couldn't he have just rounded it up? I mean seriously. Incidently, I have now been paid twice for taking pictures. Does this make me a professional photographer? Haha.

There was also a scare last week that our landlady had put our house on the market without telling us. We're pretty sure it's not true, but there were surveyors here on Friday. Why does one survey their property at random times? In relation to this incident, Matt and I started thinking about buying a house. Prices are rock bottom right now! So much cheaper than when we were looking last May. So we'll see how it goes. (It would help if either of us had a stable future.)

That's all I can think of right now. Oh except for my other secret future endeavor which apparently has a 50% chance of happening. Which is good because there was a big fiasco at work today that involved people downstairs not liking my sense of humor. Or something. Not sure. And my supervisor telling me that she thought I was fantastic and that the churchy people downstairs can be a little touchy. Weird. And then I left the office for 3 hours. For a doctor's appointment. Bastards. I'll show them! Maybe.

I should just stop writing now.

Goodbye for Awhile

Well, 3 down, many more to go. The Iowa caucuses are over with Huckabee and Obama the winners. The Wyoming GOP caucus is over (who knew) with Romney the winner. The New Hampshire primaries are over with McCain and Clinton the winners. (Little known fact - Clinton and Obama won the same amount of delegates in New Hampshire, so does it really matter who won?). Sadly, I will be out of contact for the next 2 weeks and won't know what's going on. Someone keep track for me. I still have to figure out who to vote for Tsunami Tuesday.

This will likely be my last post before my sister and I head off to Ecuador for nearly 2 weeks without electricty. Awesome. I will be gone the 12th to the 26th. Don't miss me too much!

It's Windy Out There...

...and that's why I'm in here being a bum. Winter was finally here but today it's 60. Last night it poured so hard the rain came in through the swamp cooler vent. (I was up at 4 in the morning rescuing my Care Bears.) And tomorrow we're going skiing. Last week my little sister came over and helped us decorate for Christmas and bake cookies. So I guess it really is December.

3 weeks until Christmas vacation! Unless I get fired before then. In which case "vacation" will come a lot sooner. I'm not very good at keeping my mouth shut. And my old boss wants me back for half a year. See this is why I haven't written in so long. I have nothing coherent to say.

My journal article was finally accepted, 2 years after I wrote the first draft. I may also have some other published items in the works, but I won't blog about them until they come out.

Enjoy the storm!

This Weekend is Me Weekend

Matt is gone, in the Valles, hopefully getting a lot of field work done. Hopefully enjoying fall, or maybe winter at that elevation, and hopefully not getting shot by hunters. Surely enjoying his dinner at Los Ojos.

I am here.

I like to get up in the mornings, after Matt leaves, so I can have some me time. Taking the bus makes this kind of hard because I only get up early enough to eat, shower, and walk down the street. So this weekend I am catching up.

I am reading - I'm in the middle of two books. One I am reviewing - Managing Water: Avoiding Crisis in California by Dorothy Green. One I am enjoying - Plenty by Smith and Mackinnon. I will be sure to post about Plenty when I am done with it - I am sure I will recommend it to everyone, even if you don't have pipedreams like I do to someday follow a 100-mile diet.

Actually I'm also in the middle of Monkey Wrench Gang, an Umberto Eco book, and Milagro Bean Field War. Maybe more. I tend to get distracted when books don't immediately grab my attention. Sometimes I go through periods where I hardly read anything, and then I stumble upon a book I love and I remember that I love reading. I'm just very specific about what I want to read.

Reading has motivated me again to be more faithful in pursuing my writing. My first front page article came out this week - granted it was on The Independent, but I guess it still counts. The editor even managed to spell my name right this time. (Oh and I finally got paid by LAT.)

I also pitched a story to HCN, submitted to Writers on the Range, and sent an old essay into a literary magazine - something a professor suggested I do years ago.

And I have another job possibility - actually in my field this time. And since I'm taking some me time, I've decided that I don't have to feel bad if I leave my current job. I have to do what's best for me. Maybe the other possibility won't come through. Maybe I will decide I like my job. Maybe I will learn to be happy in the present rather than always searching for better things for the future. Maybe I will enjoy this moment.

My Last Day of Weekday Freedom

Starting Monday I will be gainfully employed. No more Wacky Wednesday's at the Putt Putt, no more sleeping till 7 or 8 or 9. No more staying up until midnight. No more taking off for Phoenix at the last minute. No more inventing necklace holders. (Isn't it cute? This is a piece of a wire shelf system we are not using. I was never able to find a necklace holder that was tall enough.)


But we will have money, so that's good. No more watching my bank accounts deplete.

In the 2.5 days left before I start work, I have to write a book review, go out to a local farm and take pictures and write a feature, work a catering shift, and do laundry. Hmm, maybe I should be working on one of those things instead of blogging.

While working, I plan to keep catering and writing for the paper as well as volunteer for Albuquerque Open Space and participate in the New Mexico Riparian Council. I think I will be busy. Oh, I'm also planning to join the gym with a corporate membership. So I can get in shape for Ecuador.

In other news, Brownback dropped out of the Presidential race and Hastert will be resigning before his term is up. What is it about Larry Craig that he doesn't quit too. He is a national laughingstock. I almost feel sorry for the Republicans. Almost.

LifeChanging

By the end of this week, I will have been unemployed for 2 entire months. That is not entirely true since I am employed by a catering company, but you get it. This is my longest stint of unintentional unemployment ever. In a job market with only 3.9% unemployment.

Well, I finally have a job offer. I think I am going to take it. It involves advertising market research, and I would be doing data analysis and report compilation to start. The pay would be half of what I was making last year. But I was ridiculously overpaid last year. And there seems to be a lot of room to grow in this company. So, LifeChanging. This job will not involve water. At all. Unless I somehow get to work on an ad involving water resources. But most likely it will be bottled spring water. And then I will have to feel bad about myself.

Someone suggested I keep my hand in water by volunteering my time. I will have to think about what I could do. I would also like to freelance a bit on the side, but it will be hard with a 9 to 5.

Maybe I will like advertising? Maybe someday I could apply it to sustainable businesses or to marketing water resource conservation and education. Maybe I can justify it that way. I would like to explore and expand my creative side. And this company is not afraid of me being a hydrologist, which seems to be common among other companies. Except for the consulting companies. They are afraid of me not being an engineer or a chemist. Catch-22. Double Jeopardy. Do I understand the meaning of jeopardy? Not really. But this is how I landed at an advertising research firm in Albuquerque. I will tell them later today or tomorrow. I may push a start date back two weeks to allow a few more interviews in the water sector. I may take a small vacation since my time off will be reduced to 2 weeks. So, LifeChanging.

But this means I don't have to go to work at the coop, which I was supposed to start tomorrow. I get to make more than $9 an hour although I will miss out on the 18% discount. That guy is not pleased with me. Matt will have to do all the coop shopping from now on. As he already does. But I will have more than one day off for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we will actually be able to go home.

LifeChanging.

Networking

I am beginning to realize the importance of networking. My job at Sandia was handed to me through no effort of my own, simply because a guy in my research center liked my work and knew me. A friend from grad school just stopped by his office and he asked about me and she mentioned that I am having trouble finding a job and now he is probably concocting schemes to find me work, along with a previous supervisor at the research center. Unfortunately no one seems to have good contacts in New Mexico. And my husband's advisor just told him to tell me that a bunch of hydrologists got laid off the Nevada Test Site, with the implication being that I will never find a hydrology job in the general region.

At any rate, in an effort to boost my networking, I have added a link to my LinkedIn profile on the sidebar. LinkedIn is sort of like a social networking site, except the primary purpose is for business networking. Link In friends! I need your contacts.

Late Night Musings

I have decided that maybe I should go to Vermont Law School and get a Master of Science in Environmental Law. Everyone tells me I should go to law school, but I don't really want to learn boring stuff. Just environmental stuff.

So...

Who thinks $30,000 for a one year education is a good investment? I think this time I really need to get a degree that will get me a job. Maybe this won't. Maybe I have to get a real law degree to get a job. Maybe I have to wait until my husband makes enough money to pay my tuition. Maybe...

The Life of an Unemployed Woman, or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Live Like My Sister. Only Without a Gainfully Employed Husband.

You might be wondering what it is I do all day. I wonder that too. And yet I feel like I am always busy.

Matt beat me to the post about my parents' visit. See it here.

Since my last post I have received two more rejections - one from the CDL camp and one from an engineering company that apparently discriminates against hydrologists. I've also applied to about 20 other jobs. That brings the total up to at least 65 in Albuquerque alone. I have lost count. No joke.

I have an article going in the LA Times health section this Monday (and hopefully they will give me another assignment despite my need for extensive editing). I have a story lined up for High Country News if I can get Duncan Hunter (California Congressman running for President) to speak with me. I might also have an article with Plenty or This Old House. So at least there is some money coming in. Maybe. Eventually. Certainly not enough to pay the bills.

My lovely sister and her husband sent me a natural food gift basket to feed me in the hard times. Aren't they sweet? I am particularly excited about the cookies. And the cheese puffs. Luckily Matt will be gone for three days so I don't have to share with him.

In other news, I have to iron a tuxedo shirt tonight. I don't think I have ironed since I left my parents' house. Any tips?

Job Search Update

Yesterday my mom suggested that I go down to the unemployment office and see if I can collect. I had never thought of it before. I still haven't gone in the hopes that I will soon have a job. Let me review my interviews dating back to last April:

1. April - Taschek Environmental Consulting - sent me a letter saying they had already hired one person but would like to talk to me about a job in a couple of months. They never followed up on it or responded to two emails.
2. June 1 - DB Stephens - rejected me for the litigation group but the water resources guy said they would hire me if they got enough money. He never followed up on it or responded to my phone call.
3. August 14 - The Pinchot Institute in Washington DC - seemed to really like me but I never sent a writing sample since Matt decided to stay in school. They never followed up on it.
4. September 5 - Excel Staffing Agency - temp agency - They have not followed up with me or returned my email. Seriously? I can't even get a temp job?
5. September 7 - Albuquerque Catering Company - never actually got an interview because of a tent emergency. I filled out an application and left. Called on September 11 to follow up and had a short phone interview. Called on September 13 to report my acquisition of alcohol certification. Was offered a job starting at $9/hr. Will start September 20.
6. September 7 - Target - had two interviews and was told by the manager that I would be given a job offer. Received a rejection note in the mail on September 11. Said manager did not return my phone call.
7. September 11 - Village of Corrales - one question was whether I had a CDL. Turns out job description (recycling coordinator) includes driving multiple-ton trucks across town. Was told by my father, "beggars can't be choosers."
8. September 12 - Campfire After School Program - offered me an interview after I called to follow up and they told me I probably hadn't been selected. Told me over the phone positions were open, but claimed during the interview the following day that there weren't really any open. Apparently did not care that I have experience.
9. September 14 - National Atomic Museum - offered me an interview after I made two follow up calls. Suspect they interviewed me after not liking the first people they chose to interview. Seemed to really like me. We shall see.
10. September 14 - The Princeton Review - these stellar folks didn't tell me until I showed up that there are no classes in Albuquerque and there might not be for 6 months. Also forgot to bring the content test.

I am not even going to bring up how many jobs I have applied to since April. I haven't been keeping track. But seriously, I never knew how hard it was to get a job. I have gotten rejection letters from a few, but most apparently don't even have that small amount of courtesy. Even Target won't hire me. Although they did write a note at least. The catering company will be a bit of spending money, but my next several weekends are booked up so I won't get many shifts. Maybe I should have gone to school for a marketable degree.

Happy Labor Day!

Under the guise of unemployment, I actually have Labor Day off. Isn't it ironic though that so many laborers have to work today?

Matt's parents came to visit us this weekend, bringing with them mint cake for Matt's birthday. This meant that 1) I don't have to bake a cake and 2) I got to eat ice cream. Yum.

On Saturday we went to the Old Town Plaza, the Albuquerque Museum, and about 4 innings of a really crappy Isotopes game which was rained/lightninged out.

On Sunday Matt made french toast and scrambled eggs. Then we went to the Santa Fe Plaza, took a nap, and visited Buca for dinner with Arun. And we played Yahtzee.

I am still on a job search. My plan for tomorrow involves paying $30 to attend an alcohol certification class so I can maybe be a server. That's just the update. I'll try to start actually blogging again soon.

Blog Response

I find it an unfortunate representation of our national ideals that by far the most comments I have ever received on a blog were elicited by talk of half-naked men. Not nearly so many responses to pressing issues such as the war on terror and environmentalism. Even when I ask for assistance with life choices, no one replies. What is so alluring about a white trash poll?

On other notes, I am still unemployed and looking for a job. I am toying with the idea of trying to make it part-time at least as a freelance writer, or running away to start a business venture. Or at least running away to do research. As always, I am open to suggestions. I will now contemplate how to develop a poll that includes both half-naked men and my life choices in order to increase responses, but my preliminary ideas are less than savory.

Cheers!

Albuquerque

When Matt first told me that he was taking classes this semester, his round-a-bout way of telling me he had decided to stay in grad school (oh hey by the way, we're staying here), I was fairly upset. I had spent many hours applying to jobs out-of-state, mostly because I was excited about pursuing science communication and writing, and there just aren't any jobs in that arena here in the Burque. Plus we will probably be here for at least 3 more years, not just the 2 that had been originally promised to me.

Anyway, last night we went for a walk around the neighborhood. We live about 5 blocks from Old Town, where there is a nice park, lots of museums, and of course the Plaza with food and shopping (although a bit out of our price range.) And we live in a cute little adobe where it is 1:20 pm and I haven't turned the swamp cooler on yet. And the science center is hiring, so if I am lucky maybe I can get a job there. At any rate, I have calmed down a lot. This really might be a nice place to live. However, I think the job prospects mean fewer (if any) vacations and fewer extraneous purchases (including food and drink). After last year, we will have to adjust to the life of grad students - and I will have to stop worrying so much about saving money for the future. I have to go back to not worrying about responsibility. It's not like we have kids yet. We are still young and care free. No future security is necessary just yet. (Okay well I'm just giving myself a pep talk.) Anybody got any job ideas for me?

Well I think it's about time, don't you?

Sometimes I worry that I will alienate my ever-dwindling blog-reading audience by not posting for 12 days. After all, I could probably just talk to Matt and Karen and catch everybody up on my life (that is if my lovely sister would ever get on Skype).

But I like to write. Sometimes I am just too tired from staring at a computer all day and then coming home and staring at a computer to try to apply for jobs, and I think maybe I should just stop blogging, but I am not ready for that yet. (I have to blog so I can write really long sentences and use parentheses - both of which I cannot do at the paper - although I can use dashes.)

My time in LA and at the paper is nearly up. I'm not sure what to think about that. I'm certainly not excited. I'm also not really sad. I have no idea what I should do with my life. How can I be content at some water-related consulting job (which has not yet been offered to me) when there are so many great opportunities for environmental and science communication out there? How is it possible for people to have two-career families? I know they do it all the time, but it is just so difficult. I feel like if I don't get into the writing and communication field right now, it will never happen. I feel like I have momentum now. What will happen in 2 or 3 years? Maybe I will want to do something completely different anyway - that has always been the case until now.

Anyways I am currently jobless and aimless and heading toward penniless if things don't change in the near future. But I am glad I got to have this experience. I am glad I got some me-time (in a good way, not in a sitting home alone in Socorro and feeling sorry for myself kind of way). Hopefully the future will fall into place as it always has for me before.

I also want to bring 2 dogs home with me. Of course I can't do that since we don't know what we are doing with our lives, but I would like to. I will try to remember to take pictures of them another day. One is an elderly dalmation who needs more attention and an owner who believes in vets. The other is new to the doggie hostel, a young shepherd who got hit by a car and broke her leg. She loves playing ball and would be excited for people to play with her more often and take her out walking and running. And maybe train her. And she doesn't bark - big bonus. However, she's not even fixed so that's a problem. I can just see all the vet bills piling up. But they're so cute. Matt thinks maybe we should try having an animal before we decide to have kids to see how that goes.

What have I been up to for the past 11 days? Not much. Mom came to visit two weekends ago.
We checked out the Getty

UCLA

Marina del Rey (boring)
and Santa Monica

During the week I went out to Borrego Springs with a photographer and got drenched in a monsoon - in a place that has recorded about 1/2 inch of rain in the last 12 months.

Matt showed up Friday afternoon.
We went hiking

visited CityWalk
drove through Santa Monica Mountain NRA and Malibu
tried to go for a walk on the beach but instead I got stung by a bee on the bottom of my foot (and I'm not yet fully recovered - thanks for asking)

went to a pathetic Tigers game.


This week I am writing for science and health since my editor is now gone. These stories are much shorter and faster - I wrote 3 in 2 days. Not quite as stimulating, but still good experience.

7 more days left of work. I have to apply for jobs, finish my fellowship reports, pack up my room, and have a little fun before I leave. Looks like I'll be a busy bee.

The Secret...

is finally out. I have been awarded an AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship and will be working at the Los Angeles Times Environment desk for 10 weeks this summer. I'm pretty excited, but I will miss my husband :)

Creative Juices

There for awhile I had something to say everyday and I was working on fun little crafty projects. Do you think the two are related? Since then I've been doing boring things like applying for jobs and deciding whether or not to go to school (apparently I am past the decision deadline) and it just doesn't get those creative juices flowing. Hence the lack of posts. The last post is only there because it was such a perfect Socorro moment. Things like that have to be shared.

I am blogging right now to try to regain some of my temporary creative spirit. I have to find a new way to channel my energy. I'm thinking that when I finally find out about the summer project (on or before April 16th) I can get on with my life. I feel like I am in some sort of limbo right now, and it just isn't good for the soul. Speaking of the soul, I just discovered today that Matt has tomorrow off, presumably for Good Friday. He will actually be working all day, as will I (well at least part of the day), so it doesn't really do us much good at all.

Would you like to hear my mid-term future plans (subject to change at any time)? Here they are:
1) I work while Matt finishes school by the end of summer 2009 - 3 years total
2) I get my PhD in Sustainability at ASU while Matt works and Karen helps look after anything that might need looking after... This may take up to 3 years.
3) I work while Matt takes a few years off
4) Matt and I both work and become world-famous doctors and practitioners of sustainability

Also speaking of the soul, I think this Sunday may be the first Easter in my 26 years that I will not have gone to Mass. I am breaking free of tradition. We will either be partying in Taos on the last day of ski season or at some 'small Easter get-together' with a friend in Albuquerque. Who I always thought was Hindu. No Easter breakfasts for us though :)

Workin' Girl

I accomplished so much today that I don't even know who I am anymore. I fixed the logic glitch (or two or three or four) in my model (I hope) and pretty much got it calibrated without crazy numbers. Then with my spare time I went ahead and revised the journal article that I have been sitting on for two months. I didn't finish, but I got a huge start and sent it off to my co-authors. Maybe sometime in the not-too-distant future you will find me if you Google search my name and Journal of Environmental Management. Just maybe. Then, and only then, will I be famous.

In other news, I am taking a poll. Who thinks I should go back to school? If so, part-time or full-time? I don't think I'm going to get any money out of them and tuition runs about $198/credit hour, of which I need 48 to graduate, unless they count some of my prior graduate credits. In addition, how in the hell do I know if I want to be a planner? As it turns out I didn't even want to be a hydrologist. And I stopped wanting to be an engineer about 7 years ago even though I am now a practicing (in name only) Environmental Engineer. Anyway, opinions anyone?

UNM

The director called today to inform me that I have been accepted, but the funding question is quite vague. Nevertheless, one uncertain future item becomes somewhat more certain. Just what I love!