Friday, October 30, 2009

I'm employed ... and confused

I got offered a job this morning, and I took it. I'm kind of unexcited about it.

To start from the beginning, this has happened SO fast. I found the job listing on Wednesday. I submitted my application that morning, and I got a phone call Wednesday afternoon. They asked me to interview Thursday (yesterday). When I went in for the interview, I realized I was at a job placement company. I had thought I'd be interviewing at the workplace, with my potential future boss.

I've learned a little about the company and what I'll be doing. It's a temp position through the month of December, but it could very likely go permanent afterwards. (Just in time to interfere with any holiday plans, I guess.) I'll be doing administrative work, with a little editing work as well. I'll be making a fraction of what I made in Dallas, but that's OK. For starters, I'm living with K now. I'm not driving 10 hours every other weekend to see him, and our bills have gone from two apartments to one house. Plus, there's the fact that the Army gives him money for our rent since we live off post. I don't need to be making the same amount of money I was making in Dallas.

K would be OK with me staying home if I wanted to. It's nice to have the days to get things done for K, and I take care of things around the house so we don't have to worry about it when K is home. I mow the lawn, clean the house, go grocery shopping and cook dinner. Since I wasn't working, I took it as my job to take care of the house, so I did. There's been downtime, obviously, but more this week than ever in the past since we've been getting settled, had visitors or been traveling ourselves.

I'd honestly be OK with staying home all the time for the flexibility it allows. I can pick up work with the company I worked with in Dallas when they need it. Since the work is inconsistent, they pay very well when I can help. I have the freedom to get things done during the day, and if K has a 4-day weekend, we can pick up and go wherever we want. Only I can't justify staying home to myself. It's not like we have a child I'm taking care of; that would be different. If I did stay home indefinitely, I would seek out volunteer opportunities to help fill my free time. I would be more OK with that.

But I miss bringing home a paycheck. I hate having to ask K to put money in my account. (We've talked about combining them, but we haven't done it yet. I really don't know if I want to.)

I miss the pride I had in taking care of things myself. If I saw a cute shirt on sale, I could buy it because it was my money. If I have a gift to buy someone, it would be from me since I had my own money to buy it with.

I was initially excited about this job opportunity for the paycheck alone, but then came the interview. The interviewer asked if I would still be able to pursue my passion (I guess she meant editing) through freelance work. I told her I would, but I kept to myself that editing is NOT my passion. I enjoy it, but there's definitely no passion.

And then she asked me what my career goal is. Shit. Wouldn't I like to know? Instead of getting into that whole conversation, I spoke just to say something and finally ended with something about "using my degree."

The job description said a person with a journalism or English degree is preferred, and an ideal candidate would have 1-2 years' experience at a newspaper or publishing company. Check and check. So I guess I'll be using my degree here after all.

Trouble is, I'm not sure it's the degree I'm happy with anymore.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Beauty. Fodder. Pictures.

K and I got back from our week in NY on Saturday night. His dad came to visit us Sunday morning, and he left Monday morning. What a whirlwind week!

We made a nice trip of it, since we drove to West Point for K's conference. First we stopped off near D.C. to see our friends Tom & Kris for a day or so. Then we headed up to West Point, where we stayed with friends while K helped at the conference. Then, we went to NYC on Thursday afternoon to stay with friends there until Saturday morning.

I enjoyed my first trip to West Point. I got to spend a good part of the week checking out the campus, even taking a tour one day. Man, is that place gorgeous.






































(Not sure if the people in this picture are cadets, but they're definitely not in uniform. I think the cadets were all in class when I took this.)





























































































(The superintendent's house. See his "GO ARMY / BEAT NAVY" spirit signs on the porch? )



















The Cadet's Chapel was gorgeous. Evidently each week someone has to go through with a template to make sure the Bibles and hymnals are perfectly aligned.






















































































Trophy Point was really neat too. It's called that because all the cannons on display there were captured during wars. There are a ton! Trophy Point also has a great view of the Hudson River.





































































(Evidently this giant chain is responsible for the U.S. being a country today.)





























































































I couldn't believe how HUGE some of the homes were on the other side of the Hudson. They must have an amazing view! (Also, evidently the one in the bottom picture is supposed to look like the wizard's house in The Wizard of Oz.)







































Our visit came at a great time to admire the fall leaves.







































K had a good time playing with our friends' little girl. (See what I mean? Thank goodness HE's great with kids! Maybe our future children will have hope thanks to him.)





























The night we got to NYC (after my fabulous haircut), we met our friends (the other I Do, Part 2 couple!) for tapas for dinner. There were some delicious ones and some very interesting ones, to say the least. Afterwards, we headed to a champagne bar. K and I decided NYC is a very expensive place. I have no idea how people can afford to live there and still be able to eat. (Actually, vice versa.)

























































Our friends' apartment was awesome, and you can even see Ground Zero from their window. Insane!





























That Friday night, our friends invited over two other couples for a Louisiana friends reunion. Our friend Jay makes amazing crab rangoon, and K helped him prepare it for us for the evening.

What's funny is that until a few weeks ago, we hadn't seen two of these couples in over a year. We got to catch up with them at our Dallas ceremony. Then, two of the couples had weddings in the last month (both of which the 3rd couple also attended).


































































It was nice to have a little unexpected reunion. Who knows when we'll all get together again. It was still nice to be headed home after a week of being gone and over a month of traveling every single weekend. In our full day of driving, we got to see quite a bit of beautiful fall foliage.




















But it turns out that after so much time away, nothing quite beats the look of your own front door.

Friday, October 23, 2009

SO worth it!

It really is like I have a whole new head of hair.

BEFORE
See that fabulous little chunk in the middle on the back shot? That part always gave me troubles!
























































DURING
(Reeeeally hoping I didn't set my expectations too high.)





























AFTER
















































When I saw the final, finished product (two hours after I'd arrived at the salon), I said to the hairdresser, "My hair looks better than it did at our wedding!" I was shocked to see that my hair can look this amazing entirely on its own (well, with a nice conditioning treatment and fabulous miracle gel), with no help from a curling iron.

Now, I just have to see if I can get it looking this good on my own!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Today's the big day!

I've been super excited about this since I scheduled my appointment. Today, I'm going to get the Best Haircut in the History of the World.

My problem with expensive haircuts is that whether you pay $25 or $65 for the service, you still leave with the same hair. I learned that there's quite a difference in my satisfaction level with a $25 haircut and, say, a $45 haircut, but I could never justify spending more than that. Today, I'll triple that by the time I add the tip, but I'm OK with that price since I actually do not expect to leave with the same hair.

It's occurred to me that I might be expecting too much out of this visit. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment. But then I think of the before & after pictures on the website and decide my expectations are just fine. I'd love to leave with curls like Melina Kanakaredes. I think my hair is capable of that.

With all this excitement about a change for my hair, I remembered that I once wrote a song about my frustrations with it. It goes to the tune of Meredith Brooks' "Bitch" (love that song!). I can't remember all the words off the top of my head. I have it all written down somewhere at home, but for now, here's what I can remember:

I hate my hair today
It's too big for me, I know, but it won't change
I tried to tell you, but you look at me like maybe
there is something underneath ...
Hiding underneath*

Yesterday I tried
50 kinds of gel but I'm not satisfied
No matter what I do it sticks out everywhere
I don't even care
Today might be the day I just decide to shave it off!

'Cause I'm Fluff,** I've got big hair
It's a pain, makes people stare,
Make rude comments, wanna touch it
I wish that I could brush it ...


I'll post pictures tomorrow!

*Yes, people have asked me if I hide things under my hair before. It used to be ridiculously thick when I was in junior high & high school.
**I got teased relentlessly about my hair in the 8th grade. A group of boys started calling me Fluff, among other really mean things. It got so bad the principal had to get involved and threaten to suspend them.
I've been asked a few times by total strangers if they can touch my hair. Weirdos.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

What's funny is I've often been called 'the mom' in my group of friends

I think moms are superheroes. I swear, the things they have to carry (all at the same time!), the things they have to do and think of and prepare for ... They constantly have to have this other tiny person on their mind because that other tiny person is completely dependent upon them.

I could silently observe babies for hours. The things they do, the things they learn ... They really are fascinating. But they terrify me. They somehow make me feel shy and uncomfortable. I wind up asking them stupid questions: "Are you all dressed for Halloween?", "Are you going to read me a book?", "What is that? Is that your toy?" Idiot! It's a baby! You know she can't answer you!

Sometimes a baby will hand me something, which really makes me nervous, especially if there are other people in the room: Great, she just handed me a book. Does she want me to just look at it, or should I read it to her? ... Oh gosh, he's bringing me a cup. Do I say thanks, or do I have to pretend to drink out of it?

I was never really around babies growing up. All my cousins were right around my age. Then, when I was 9 (and too busy playing to care), my uncle and his wife had a baby. He was the only baby I was ever around at all growing up, and I rarely saw him since he lived far away.

Having a child of my own was something I knew would happen sometime in the future, but I never thought much of it until I got Piper. All of a sudden, I had this dependent little puppy to take care of. I wanted people to like her, and I wanted her to constantly behave (did NOT happen when she was a puppy). I worried that I was overdisciplining my dog. In an effort to not become my mother, I was second-guessing everything I did. I wanted my dog to be good, but I didn't want to be too strict on her, either. AND SHE'S JUST A DOG.

It was then that I developed my fear of having a child someday. If I was this bad with a dog, there's no telling how insane I'll make myself with a child.

At 26, I still haven't spent much time around babies, but I'm quite certain that will change. A few of our close friends (including the ones we're staying with this week) are starting families, and a few more are getting to that point pretty quickly. And in two or three years, K and I will be at a logical point in our lives to begin our family. Whether or not we're ready then will be another story, but we'll see.

My fear of babies might have made me abandon the whole idea of even having kids of my own, but I can't spring that on K after we're married. Plus, in spite of my missing mom gene, I'm excited about someday sharing that experience with K. He's great with kids, and it's obvious that he's going to make an amazing father someday (again, in at least three years).

Hopefully spending little bits of time with our friends and their children will make me feel more and more comfortable around kids. And if that hasn't happened before K and I find ourselves with an expanding family, then I guess I'll just be thankful that children don't form long-term memories until after age 3!

Friday, October 16, 2009

A new argument for leaving the lights on

K just knew I'd have blogged this story on Tuesday, but I didn't. I thought it fell into the category of TMI, so I kept it to myself. I didn't tell a soul about it.

But now it's Friday, and my nose is STILL sore, so I'm sharing.

I've already confessed on here that I'm not a virgin. My husband and I do have sex. There. I admitted it again.

So, we've been traveling quite a bit lately. We've had some late nights getting back home, and we've been tired from the constant flying and driving and catching up with friends on our trips. We found ourselves in a bit of a dry spell. I honestly can't remember how long it had been, but I know it was at least since before the exhausting Long Island trip.

Last week, the desire was there. But two nights in a row, K missed my, "I'm going to bed," clues, so I was asleep before he got in bed. The third night, K was asleep before I went to bed (man, he can fall asleep fast!).

And the 4th night? K actually told me he was too tired. Granted, we did have to get up at 4 a.m., and it was definitely after 1 a.m., but seriously? He kicked himself the entire rest of the weekend. And you can bet I gave him hell for it too.

During our trip to OK, we spent two nights in our friends' living room and another night in my dad's room. Pretty uneventful. So when we finally got back home on Monday night, we were both very ready to put an end to the dry spell.

When we finally climbed into bed, I turned the lights out. We had had a bit of an argument earlier, so I wasn't sure what the night would lead to. Turns out sexual frustration always wins.

We were in the warm-up phase when K kissed my stomach. I sat up to lead him back to the top of the bed (seriously, when it's been that long, who needs foreplay?!) ... when he happened to already be headed that way.

In the darkness of our bedroom, the hardest part of K's head went cracking straight into my nose. I instantly slapped my hands over it, wincing in pain. I was sure blood was gushing down my chin. No doubt he had broken it. God, I was going to have black eyes. How would I explain them?

I couldn't figure out if I should laugh or cry. I wanted to do both. I managed to somehow do neither (for at least a bit). I ran to the bathroom, cupping my hands to catch the blood. When I flipped the switch and caught my reflection in the mirror, I was surprised and relieved to see that there was no blood. My nose wasn't swollen, and my eyes didn't appear to be bruising.

But my nose still hurt like hell.

It had definitely killed the mood. I climbed back into bed, expecting the dry spell to extend for at least another night.

I was wrong. Turns out sexual frustration always wins.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

If you're a vegetarian, you might wanna skip this one

Our trip to OK and TX was great, but super-fast, as usual. We spent a LOT of time in the car.

We landed in Dallas in time to meet Miss Heather and B for dinner. K and I were so excited to get REAL Mexican food again (and to see Heather and B, of course)! We tortured our friends by ordering Sangria swirl margaritas, which apparently no one in North Carolina or VA is aware exists. (If you haven't had one, you're seriously missing out!)











































After lunch, we went straight for OK to see my family. (Well, with a quick stop on the side of the road so I could show my home state how excited I was to be back.)




















My dad made us his delicious steak for dinner. Since he's a butcher, it's his job to know how to make the best steak in the world. And he's very good at that job.




















Not too long after dinner, K and I headed up to Norman so we'd be there for all the game day festivities the next day. ER drove up to come to the game with us. She also brought us some delicious cupcakes that were every bit as good as they looked.




















For the "game day festivities," we met up with a few friends and walked around Campus Corner. We enjoyed pizza at one of our favorite pizza places to visit (even if it did originate in Stillwater).












































































K and I were sure to wear the jerseys I had made for us! (I blurred out our last name, since I'm pretty sure everyone who has it is related to K.)




















The game? A little scary in the first half, but that's to be expected when your QB has been out for the entire season. I'm just glad he's back! I was also glad to have my new camera with me to capture some great pictures of the action.











































































I even got a cool shot of the mascot crowd-surfing. Here's a semi-fun fact for you: Many Sooners call these mascots (there are two) the horse-pig, since they look like half-horse, half-pig. The mascots are a new addition to the University of Oklahoma. They came along in the fall of 2005, just a couple months after I graduated. Our real mascot -- the fabulous two-horse-drawn Sooner Schooner -- isn't able to travel to all the away games, and some programs won't even allow the schooner on their field. The horse-pigs were someone's solution to that problem. I must say I'm not a fan of the mascots either, since everyone knows all football fans stick to tradition. This move did knock them up a couple notches in my book, though.




















Since ER, her sister (who was also at the game) and I are all former OU band members, we watched the post-game concert. When they "gave the go-go" (Sooner band translation: started playing the drum intro to "Boomer Sooner"), we were all super excited to get to give the longhorns-down, as opposed to the No. 1 finger. See, the end of the game marked the beginning of OU-texas week, which all college football fans know about. (And if you were reading my blog this time last year, you might remember that I've even accidentally sacrificed my car due to my love of this week in football.)




















After the game, I convinced my friends to eat dessert before dinner. See, one of the things I'd missed most about Norman is my favorite dessert. It's an amazing custard place that was started by an OU grad just 5 years ago. In October and November, they have their special seasonal pumpkin pie custard that is Ah.Maze.Ing. When I realized our visit to Norman would coincide with the appearance of this delicious treat, I was almost as excited as I was when we booked our trip to begin with. My pumpkin pie custard was every bit as yummy (if not more) than I remembered it to be.







































Sunday morning, we headed back to my hometown for more time with my family ... and more meat (oh, the life of a butcher's daughter). Mmm, pork chops!




















Monday, we headed back to the Dallas airport, but not before stopping for lunch at Potbelly to fulfill another food fix we can't take care of in VA.

This was a fast trip, but we'll head back in December or January. With so much delicious food that we can only get in OK and TX, we may have to get a one-way ticket and jog our way back to VA!