Surrounded by Boxes

Between the somewhat more time-filling schedule at the bookstore than I had anticipated, plus the scramble to find a place to live in Akron so B didn't have to commute 45 minutes every day, and then the subsequent move... I'm away from my desk, please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  If you need immediate assistance, press 1 for the operator.  Beeeeeeeep.

Long story short, we looked at seven different places in Akron, the first being awesome but too expensive, some in the middle that were just meh (and some that were yuck), to the last one which, strangely, has the same floorplan as the house we rented in Toledo.  It felt like home right away.  It has its downsides though - no fenced-in yard, so Jake has to be on a cable; fully carpeted; sump pump right in the middle of the basement floor (yick); neighbors literally rightherenextdoor; and no central air.  Which we thought would be manageable with the massive attic fan upstairs - open the windows at night & turn that sucker on, and in rushes the cool air... but unfortunately this only works when it's actually cool at night.  So we bought a portable air conditioner.  Emphasis not so much on the portable really, but easier than a window unit for sure.

But we're settling in, slowly but surely.  The cats stayed at B's parents' place until last night and are now exploring happily, Jake has "christened" the living room carpet already but at least it's a darker color so it doesn't show, we had some mildew on a few things from the storage unit that had to be cleaned, we finally got the basement carpet dried out after the homeowner's valiant effort with a steam cleaner, but most importantly, the beer glass collection is put away in the china display cabinet (which are almost identical to the ones we had in Toledo too).  We're still unpacking (the heat slowed me down a lot, plus the aforementioned crazy work schedule at the bookstore) and we have a wedding to attend this weekend so we probably won't get much further with it until late next week.  I'm off to Chicago for NeoCon on Monday & Tuesday, and B's new job leaves him wiped out when he gets home, so the non-essential stuff will just have to wait I guess.

Deprived

Normally I'm woken up at about 5-5:30 am by either B's alarm or a very obnoxious Lily yowling at the door. This morning, it was neither - instead, a bizarre dream about Castle, Beckett, and I trying to escape from a murderous cult that was holding us hostage. A murderous cult of teenage girls, no less. Beckett and I escaped first by locking ourselves in a public bathroom, but when Castle tried to sneak away to meet us, somebody threw a grenade into the hallway and we had to escape through the vent onto the roof.

And now that I would like to go back to sleep for another hour, Lily is raising a holy ruckus as usual. *sigh* It's always something.

But, on the unrelated bright side, I start working at the bookstore next Thursday, and B has another interview today for a job that is a much better fit for him. So prayers, wishes, & FGBVs for him would be much appreciated.

Shiny!!

I think the official Random Tuesday Thoughts meme died, but I'm doing one today anyway just because.

***
The neighbors behind us are having their landscaping guys do their leaf-blowing today.  It's a good day for it, because (a) it's a weekday, and everyone but me is at work, and (b) miraculously, it's not raining.  But, here's the incredibly stupid part (you knew this was coming, right?) - we live in the woods, and the dudes are leaf-blowing the wooded area.  As in, not lawn, WOODS.  Where the leaves are supposed to be.  *facepalm* I don't know whether to blame the homeowners or the dudes with the noisy backpacks, but either way - some people just should not be allowed near nature.
***
I finally broke down and bought two tee-shirts yesterday, thanks in part to Lucy and the Betties' discussion of great geeky shirts.  Holy crow, were there some awesome ones!  But these particular two that I bought have been on my wish-list for a while now.  I bought this one for B:

http://www.snorgtees.com/sugar-skull-trooper

And this one for me!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/womens/bb00/

(It's hard to see, but the speech bubble says "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"  If you don't get it, you need to watch Firefly and then Serenity.  Look it up on Netflix, and thank me later.)

The one I REALLY want is this one:

But when I went to place my order a whole HOUR ago, the size I need was backordered.  NOW, when I go to get the link for the picture, it's in stock.  BOOO.  (Also, hint hint! I made a wishlist for the website!  Because I'm subtle like that. ;) )

***
Work has been going well, thanks for asking.  This initial project I've been working on is coming along smoothly, and while the *coughimpossiblecough* deadline won't quite be achieved, everyone is on the same page.  I'm not sure where we'll go from here - I'm hoping they'll keep me on for more projects, which sounds like a very real possibility.  But, there's another opportunity lurking in the shadows too, and I hope I won't have to choose between the two.  But I won't jinx it!  I won't!

I will say though, that I have an interview Friday for a part-time spot that's open at Barnes & Noble (the one in Akron where I worked before - I'm glad I stayed in touch with some of the people there!), so that will fill out my days nicely.  It'll be good to get out of the house too.

***
Why yes, Friday is my birthday!  How kind of you to remember.  :D  Oh, no big plans really.  We're going to see if we can get a table at the new B-Spot, Michael Symon's burger/brats/beer place.  Since we do live in Michael Symon's hometown after all... sorry, inside joke... okay I'll explain.  There was a commercial on Food Network or the Cooking Channel or something, with Michael Symon as the new spokesperson for Calphalon, and they were advertising a contest: "Win a trip to Michael Symon's hometown!!! And now we'll distract you with these SHINY POTS AND PANS!!"  Never at any point in the commercial did they mention that, well, that's actually Cleveland.  Yep, in Ohio.  No, there's really not anything more there, except OMG MICHAEL SYMON'S HOMETOWN.  When we saw it, B and I absolutely died laughing.  We could just imagine the winner: "WHOO HOO I WON!!  Wait, Cleveland??  Seriously??!  Ugh." 

But back to my birthday.  I'm turning 31.  THIRTY. ONE.  *shudder*  And yet, I'm buying myself tee-shirts with dinosaurs and geeky movie quotes on them.  I've got a death-grip on my youth, dammit!
Edited:  Oh holy snotballs people, I'm turning THIRTY TWO.  3-2.  Math was never my strong suit.  *headdesk*

But really, the only thing I want for my birthday this year is a house.  But I'll settle for gift cards or something from that wish list I mentioned.  (KIDDING.  No one had better get me ANYTHING.  Except B.  I want a house.) :P

Finally!!!

So it took a while, but I can finally say that I'm EMPLOYED!

I am officially working a an Independent Contractor for another furniture company outside Toledo - they're letting me work remotely from Cleveland, with a once-a-week trip to their office for physical work.  Our initial contract is for 3 months, to complete a certification in time for Neocon (a big trade show for interior design held in Chicago every June).  I'll be doing all the fun data collection & writing for the certification.  Once this initial phase is complete, we'll re-negotiate from there - either I will officially hang out my shingle as a Consultant and file all the paperwork to become an LLC, or I'll be hired on a full-time basis to manage this company's environmental stuff, just like at my last job.

I'll probably only go the LLC route if I can round up some more clients, and the easiest would be my two previous employers.  (Nudge nudge, Dave and Greg and Ian and Heather....  ;) )

I'll be honest, these first 3 months are kind of a "special introductory offer" - I'm not getting paid a whole heckuva lot, compared to the rest of the green business consulting world, but (a) they recognize that fact & it will definitely be part of the renegotiation, and (b) I'm definitely not turning away an opportunity like this just because they're not willing to pay me a higher rate that, frankly, I haven't proved I'm worth yet as a consultant.  So, I'm conceding the point for right now.  It's just nice to get a paycheck!

I'm still looking for a second part-time retail job, just to get me out of the house in the evenings.  Working from home is a brand-new experience for me, and I'm sure I'll get tired of not leaving the house!

B started his part-time summer job this week too.  He's working at the convention/event center in Akron as a houseman and caterer, something he's done in the past and that pays really well.  It'll be a good second job for him, especially if he's able to get this National Parks job he's pushing for!

We've also filled out the application to get pre-approved for a VA Home Loan, because it would honestly be cheaper and a better financial choice for us to buy a house than rent.  We're hoping to make an offer on an awesome little place not too far from here, but our realtor called last night & said there was another offer for it.  If we get our letter back tomorrow we might still be able to squeeze in, but we're not hanging all our hopes on it.  We'll see what happens, and if we miss out then we'll keep looking.  There's a ton on the market right now after all.

So, FINALLY, some good news to report!!  :D

Day Dreaming

Today, Lucy asked "What's your dream?"

***

Someday I will have...

...a house like this....

...with a room like this...

...and a garden like this...

...and like this too...

...and a studio/shop like this...

Courtesy of Ross Chapin Architects

...with this in our backyard.

McKenzie River, Oregon