Summer is really over...

Sunday night, CJ and I had dinner at his parent's house. I like to go because my family is now very far away, so I'll take whatever family time I can get. They really are wonderful people and I enjoy the big family vibe they give off. CJ managed to mention that we are pretty much furniture-less, so they opened their basement storage to us. Our apartment now has two chairs, as they had an extra computer chair. They also had an old drafting table/desk. It's probably a children's desk, and the surface is like soft sandpaper, but it's better than the floor.

I've been home all day while CJ has been at work. Most of that day has been spent in front of the computer, and my back started to complain eventually. So I turned the computer off and moved everything to the desk. My back is much happier now.

Today, I have been thinking about how weird it is to not be in school right now. Maybe if I had a real job and felt like I was getting somewhere in life, it would feel less odd....but working part time as a barista is something I would have done in college. And I am not in college. I actually graduated!

I think the other thing is that, since I was 5 years old, I have associated FALL with SCHOOL. Maybe it's only an SAT comparison to you, but for the last 19 years, I have gone to school every fall. Last year was slightly different, as all my classes were online, but still. I took classes. I read books and took tests. There were textbooks involved. There are no textbooks now, nor tests. And it just feels...strange. Like I'm missing something. It's disquieting.

It's also frustrating to realize that I have spent the last 19 years of my life doing very little other than school. I am not casting any doubt on the value of a good education, but does it really have to take that LONG? Seriously. Yes, learning is a life long endeavor, but we really don't live to be that old. If I am in school for a quarter (or more!) of my life, is it really worthwhile? I mean, as far as being a functioning member of society? Like, it takes 20 years of prep for me to get to the point where I can be a member of the working class, but then you only get another 40 years out of me. Is that enough of a payback?

I'm not saying I would have done it any differently. As you can tell by my nostalgia for tests, I LIKE school. I'm just saying, as far as efficiency goes, is it really worth it?



Anywho, I've just been a bit too bored lately. A lot of tv watching and not much else. I am just really bored right now. I spent several hours this morning looking for jobs online and ended up applying to a bunch of random stuff. Nothing really all that interesting. Some clinical research stuff at John Hopkins and Georgetown, a part time position at a Nature Center. I feel I have kind of exhausted the potential jobs that I am eligible for through usajobs.gov so I have had to move on to other search engines. It takes more time tracking down a job that I am qualified for, than anything else.

I just want to have a way to spend my time. That pretty much means a job, a real one. And a car for CJ. Neither of those things has come to fruition yet. Part time barista work is only going to go so far. It won't pay all the bills....and I'd like to actually be saving money since there is a wedding in my future. If I had a two-year plan, it'd be on it.

Cross Country Recap

So, I know I didn't really mention the cross country trip at all in my last post. That might be because it wasn't a super exciting trip. We mostly just drove. I stopped briefly in Reno the day we left Oregon, but found a lot of casinos had closed in the downtown area. After that disappointment, we hoped back in the car and continued to drive to Winnemucca, NV. The next night was spent in Laramie, WY which was actually a pretty cute town. After that it was a night in Nebraska, a night in Iowa and then two nights in Columbus and on to Maryland.

As you can see from the pictures, the most exciting thing we did was drive.
























Maybe driving wasn't the most exciting part...maybe it was the tire blowout in Nebraska. Or not.


That's our trip in a nutshell. I recommend driving !-80 to anyone in a hurry to get cross country. If you want to actually see exciting things, I recommend taking another route. Cornfields are not that exciting.

Finally!

So here it is. My first Maryland blog. Today was the day we finally got internet at our new apartment. We've actually been here for two weeks. I can't believe it's been four weeks since we left Oregon. A whole month has gone by.

What do I have to show for it?

Well... here are some pictures!


At a park we visited in Columbus, OH. I was really amused by the sign. It may just be that it's never really cold enough to warrant a sign like this back home....


My wonderful fiance in front of the pond that the sign was referring to.


The bedroom in the new place, before the bed was set up. It's a huge bedroom with lots of closet space. I love it!


We are on the first floor so we've got these great sliding glass doors that lead out to the back yard of the apartment complex.


A view of our living room under construction. It doesn't look all that different now...but that's mostly because we don't really have any furniture yet.



So, what exactly have I been doing with myself?? How about a few more pictures?


Me at the Maryland Renaissance Festival this past weekend. Ariana loaned me her 'garb' so I was properly dressed for the occasion.


Ariana astride a toy horse on a COSTCO adventure. I love this picture.


Aside from that, I've mostly been spending my time at home, watching the various tv shows I have downloaded on my computer. Getting the internet today was awesome because I got to catch up on all the shows I have been missing out on without internet or cable for the last four weeks!

I also just started a new job. It's nothing too fancy, but it gets me out of the house....I was so bored for awhile. I am working at the Border's cafe in the Annapolis Mall. This is mostly just a temporary, seasonal position. I figured it is going to take awhile to get a 'real' job, so I might as well do something in the meantime. Since I have mostly been looking at government jobs, it may take several months to find something. Frankly, I don't want to lack a paycheck for that long. So I have a temporary job, while I continue to look. The cafe isn't too bad. I've started the training process, which involved sampling every drink they make. I was all kinds of coffeed out yesterday after work. It was kind of awesome.

We also went to yet another wedding, here in Maryland. So many weddings! It's crazy, but I think of it as research. It's a great way to see first-hand what I like and what I don't like. CJ and I still don't have a date yet, but we are still waiting to find out his graduation date and we'll go from there.

Anywho, it's about time for bed. I have work tomorrow!!