Back to the Grind

So, my folks are home; my mom left her glasses in the hotel but I picked them up after work. We had a nice last day together: went over to Whidbey to show them the coffeeshop and meet Rene, had lunch at Ivar's, then drove to Snohomish to look at antiques. Fortunately there was a classic car show going on too, so my dad went crazy with the camera. If there's two things he loves, it's new technology and old cars. Then we drove back and had dinner at the Korean restaurant by my work, then back to the apartment and said goodbye.

I was extra bitter about returning to work this morning after my time off. My favorite Whole Foods checker barely acknowledged me: he must have forgotten about me in my absence. Since the bus gets me in about 25 minutes earlier than I need to be, I kill time in Whole Foods pretty much every day before work. I usually buy fruit for lunch; since I'm picky about what I eat, I like picking out the perfect piece of fruit every morning. Crunchy fruits are my favorite: there is nothing worse than a mushy, squishy piece of fruit. Peaches and Nectarines are great, but if you buy them ahead of time they too soft by the next day. Apples stay crunchy for a long time, so those I buy in bulk. I'm probably a little too excited that it's apple season.

Busy

I guess I should write an update; the past few weeks have been busy. Last weekend, we went to the island to celebrate David's Dad's 50th birthday. It was a huge event, with family members coming in from all over Washington and even Idaho. David's grandpa had some crazy stories. Mollye organized a great party. Fun was had by all. On Monday, I had my first of 5 monoprinting classes. All we really did was experiment with paper and the press, but it was really fun. My parents got into town on Wednesday, and I spent all of Tuesday preparing for them. We've pretty much just been hanging out since their arrivial- I took Thursday and Friday off of work. We went to the SAM, went to the Market, rode the monorail, shopped a little at Nordstrom Rack, went to QFC so that I can prove to my mom that I have somewhere nearby to buy groceries and am not living off of potato peels like her sister supposedly did once, watched the debates, had dinner with my cousin, went to a few bars since my parents are drinking again, rented a car and drove to Tacoma and saw the Museum of Glass, spent about 10 minutes in the Museum of Flight before it closed (it was Smithsonian Free Museum Day so both were free), ate a bunch of food, walked a bunch. I've even managed to fit in some studying and applied for a few jobs. For some reason I am exhausted so I'm going to go to bed now.

Meh

I didn't get the job, so I'm kinda bummed, but I did have the opportunity to speak with Carol yesterday about my slooow workload when literally everyone else in the office was in a meeting at a client's. Today, I followed up by asking (in an email) if I could work a little less, 32-35 hours a week. She forwarded it to Dave. He told me to ask someone in HR. I haven't heard back from them. I did find out from HR though that my insurance will cover most of my claim, but I am still stuck with a pretty hefty bill, so that has me a feeling little down.

In good news, the shoes I ordered a few weeks ago arrived today for the second time; the first size was too small, but these are just right. I splurged to buy an eco-friendly pair of shoes, and they are worth the money and the wait. I love them! The outside is hemp, with a piece of bamboo inserted to elevate the heel slightly, and the button closing the strap is made of coconut shell. They have a bumpy, cushy foot pad and are lined with a soft felt. With winter coming, they will be perfect with a warm pair of wool socks, and their rubber sole should be great in the Seattle rain. Since no aspect of consumerism is actually good for the environment, these at least do relatively little damage.

We went to dinner with Lindsey and Steven last night, then saw "Hamlet 2." Both the movie and the food were not very good. I like Lindsey and Steven, but trying to force friendship is a little awkward.

I walked home this evening, talked to David for a bit, made a Moroccan-influenced stew for dinner, did laundry, and am about to go to the gym. Then to bed. I had wanted to do some arts but there isn't time. Sigh.

interview

So, I had my interview at 12:30 today, and I think it went really well. In a weird stroke of luck, my bosses had a conference call on interviewing in the room behind my desk right before I left for it; the meeting covered what answers to look for from prospective employees. The office is in a great location- an extra short bus ride from my current job but otherwise nothing much would change as far as my commute. The man who interviewed me, my would-be boss, was a nice, middle-aged, gay guy who looked like George Carlin; I only mention that he was gay because he asked me whether or not I would have a problem working for a gay man. The position seems like a great fit to my interests- a lot of writing and marketing- and is only 3 days a week, which would mean I could look for an internship or another part-time job and have time for crafts too. Money would be tight, but with a second job I could manage. He asked for my references and a few samples of my work; I had the references on me, and emailed a thank-you with the samples when I got home. Fingers crossed!

Hope?

I applied for a job yesterday, and someone from the company called me this morning. I had a phone interview with my potential future boss, and am going in for an in-person interview tomorrow at 12:30. I really hope this works out.

Saturday night and all day Sunday

David and I hung out for a bit after Dan and Mollye left. Actually, we took a nap almost immediately after, then we hung out a bit. We went to the store, and I made a German chocolate cake. Trivia: German chocolate cake has nothing to do with Germany. It is named after a specific brand of baking chocolate, called German's, and are actually more typical of Southern US cuisine, as evidenced by the pecans in the frosting. Not to boast, but this may be the best thing that I or anyone else in the history of time has ever baked. Ok, that's probably not true, but I'm pretty proud of it since I whipped it up from scratch following Betty Crocker's sage guidance. Anyhow, the reason I made said cake was that David's buddy Willy shipped off to the Marines today and was in town to celebrate his last night as a free man. Willy and his friend Christina came over around 10 and we had a few drinks. Here's Willy with the Cake:
Now on to Sunday. David and I lounged around in bed for a bit; I ate oatmeal and studied flashcards while he played a game on his computer. Then I made some scrambled eggs/tofu. Then I went to the farmer's market and the gym. Boring. Then the good stuff began: we hopped on the bus to go to Gas Works Park. More trivia: the Gas Works used to be a gas factory and employed most of the surrounding area. Then they closed and the city turned them into a park. Anyhow, we got off the bus in Fremont. The below gallery is one of the folk art galleries Rene was talking about when she visited last week:
We got off the bus a little earlier than we needed to, but we walked by something I've been wanting to see for a while: the Fremont Troll!
Awesome. The VW bug he is holding in his left hand is an actual VW bug. Some little kid kicked it and proved it. We walked a bit and came to the park, where we took in scenic views of the Seattle skyline across Lake Union. David read a book and I studied vocab. Here's David in front of the Gas works.
It's sad to think that this is one of the last nice weekends we're might have, and I'm glad we got out to enjoy it.

Now David is watching "The View" and we're about to go to bed.

Guests

Dan, Mollye and the kids came over this afternoon. We tried to childproof the house but didn't do a great job; I don't think enough like a baby (or a mom) to realize what is considered a chew-toy in the eyes of a 9-month-old: everything.

Willy was offered a huge bonus to ship off to the Marine's a month early, so he's coming over to Seattle to celebrate his last night as a civilian. I'm going to bake a cake.