Crisis Averted

I didn't get the job.

Looks like God's thoughts and my thoughts lined up on this one. (I love it when that happens!)

I Love Craig and his List

I've had two extremely successful purchases on Craigslist lately and both of them have resulted in getting my family members on a bike.

The first purchase was a kiddie trailer so we can tow little Gracen along with us when we go on bike rides. The idea being that since Monica, my mom and I are all around during the day - why not exercise together? We have yet to take the inaugural ride (largely due to the rain) - but rest assured, I'll post about it in all it's adorable glory as soon as we do.

The second purchase was a bike for my mom. Now that she's finally made it out of the woods with her stent surgery, she's on to the world of rehab. I thought biking would be a great way to spice up those otherwise monotonous routines a bit, so this bike has been a fun challenge. Or at least, I think so. At the moment, my mom has a hate/tolerate relationship with it, but it's growing on her. Right now working out it hard and we all know that translates as no fun. But as she gets stronger, my hope is that so will her love for the bike.

I was able to find her a comfort ride hybrid. The idea being that it sits a little more upright and would therefore be easier on her back and more comfortable. This does not, however stop her from complaining about her bum. Frankly, I have no sympathy for her on that end (heh). It's just part of the ride. In any case, with her extremely erect posture, I can't help but mutter the little ditty from the Wizard of Oz when I see her pedaling by....doot do-doot duh-do-doot!

Gainful Employment

I took a reprieve from my jam-packed schedule of living life and put my best foot forward for a job interview today.

A construction management company found my resumé on monster.com and called me a few weeks ago for a phone interview. Apparently I did pretty well because out of the masses, I was one of three chosen to interview for the position. After a 45 minute "skills test," I finally had the interview.

All in all, I think I did well. I did my best to be honest about what strengths I bring to the table and what I'm looking for in a position. I really walked out of there feeling like I might have the job.

The only trouble is, I don't want it.

Don't get me wrong - the job sounds pretty interesting, challenging enough, good office environment...the problem is, I don't know if I'm ready to go back to work yet. I'm really enjoying not having a job! This seems wrong and backwards though, so I'm trying to examine what my deal is.

I'll save your eyes the agony of reading my breathy self-rationalizations and just tell you that I think my hesitation (or lack of enthusiasm) is stemming from mediocrity. This job would be settling. I left my job because I no longer LOVED it, so why would I accept another when it's doomed to die the same death? I think at the end of the day, despite what the news is constantly trying to ram down my throat, bad economy or no, I'm holding out for something good. Something I believe in. Something I'm excited about. And I'm not willing to concede the point simply because this job is available now.

At least, that's what I intend to say when they call to let me know...

Babies, babies, and still yet, more babies

There comes a time in everyone's life wherein it feels as though everyone they know is pregnant. Right now is that time in my life. (At my last count, it was 8 buns in their respective ovens.)

So last weekend I headed up north for the first of many baby showers in my near future to celebrate with my good friend Diana on the eminent arrival of her baby girl. I figured since I have so much time on my hands these days, I'd make her a quilt for the occasion.

My first thought was that it would be a baby quilt - something for the new little one's room, something to add to all the other baby paraphernalia. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted it to be a gift for Diana. Something that she would use and enjoy; something that she got warmth and comfort from. Because really - let's be honest here - that baby doesn't give one rip about it. Thus, I decided I would be making her a mama quilt. A quilt that would appeal to Diana, that she could use to snuggle her newborn in, and that reflected Diana to me.

So in order to accomplish this feat, I employed the help of both my good friend and Diana's, Ms. Kristen Mauss. She was able to sneakily find out not only what colors Diana was into, but managed a fabric sample to boot! (I know, talk about an A+ on the reconnaissance.) With that kind of intel, the project came together in a little over a week. So without further ado, the final product:


So, do you like it?

(The main red fabric I used is a Heather Bailey fabric called Red Peonies from the Pop Collection and can be found here.)

Rest & Relaxation

I took a break last week from my regularly grueling schedule of job hunting, making quilts, and hanging out with my fam to put in a little R & R time. I know it's tempting to think my life is nothing but R & R time right now (and I wouldn't blame you for the assumption), but it's really not. Between constantly crawling Craigslist and Monster, putting together quilt projects with my mom, going to my nephew's little league games, constantly oscillating between "Do I want a job?" and "Augh, I need a job now," and spending QT at my mom's, my dad's, and my brother's houses - it's all quite exhausting. (Not that I'm complaining either...)

Anyway, the point being, I was ready for a little ME time - away from the responsibilites of financial stability and grown-up-hood. But that's kind of hard to do when you've got $0 in your disposable income budget.

Hard, but not impossible.

So I hopped in my car, drove 100 miles north and spend two days at a vacation condo my family owns a part of in Ferndale. I know what you're thinking - "vacation in Ferndale" doesn't make much sense, but it's a nice little retro condo right on the water and best of all - no one else lives there. It was just me and my bad self. And at the end of the day, that's all I was looking for.

On a Musical Note

In a previous post about Chicago, I briefly mentioned a performer named Lenka whom I saw live and alluded to the fact that I'd elaborate later. Well, now it's later.

She was dang near the cutest thing I'd ever seen - I honestly wanted to shrink her down and stick her in my pocket and take her home with me. So. Dang. Cute. (Plus she's Australian - how can that be bad?)

She's been described as "Bubble Gum Pop," but this description is wrong to me. In my mind, BGP would be something like Mandy Moore or Britney or Jessica Simpson (before either of the latter two got quite so slutty). They have sweet reputations, they can sing, and their lyric content is 100% dull.

While Lenka indeed fits the first two criteria, she is a credited singer/songwriter/musician. I think the girl deserves some props for not being a mass-produced studio output. She's a creative entity in and of herself. Is her music a bit fluffy sounding? Sure, a bit. But I think she has a unique enough sound and interesting enough lyrics to redeem her from a BGP label. She reminds me more of Sara Barellis or Tristan Prettyman.

Anyway, I unexpectedly loved her. She's worth checking out. (And if you've been downloading the free itunes singles of the week, you already have one track...)

Oh and PS - Kelly Clarkson has a new album coming out in April. I can hardly wait. Stay tuned for the review....
Photos by JAMES GULLIVER HANCOCK

Six Month Bag-i-versary

That's right, I have now officially been living out of a bag for six months. Six. Months. Half a year. Approximately 180 days.

Yikes.

About 30 of those days were spent in the Terps spare room before I left for Italy. 56 of those days were spent traveling in Italy. The remaining 94 have consisted of shuffling between various familial spare rooms and couches. O joy.

Actually, it hasn't been that bad. And I'm not really intending to complain so much as to marvel at how a) the time has flown and b) how different my life is now.

I'm still not working and still not stressing about it. I comb through Craigslist and Monster nearly every day, draft cover letters and introduce myself via email, but as of yet no fruits have come from my labor. And I'm okay with that. I know that the right thing will surface in the Lord's timing. Besides, it's really nice to take an extended break from the 40 hour work week.

In fact, I like it so much, I'm only looking for part time work at the moment. Something that isn't too challenging and will pad my bank account a bit (since family members don't charge me for rent - heh heh.) This might seem a bit kooky/really crazy, but the truth is I'm waiting out a possible full time opportunity.

So what is this gold mine I'm sitting on, you ask? Well, as it turns out, one of my dad's co-workers used to work with the head of the Mariners HR Department. So I sent my resumé to him and he forwarded it to his co-worker, who sent it to the M's...who called me the day she received it.

The long and the short of the phone call was that due to a hiring freeze, her hands were tied and she couldn't offer me anything at the moment, but that she'd be keeping my personnel file on her desk and checking in with me. It's not a promise of employment, but it's something. And let's be honest: working for the M's = Dream Job. So, I'm willing to coast along in neutral for a bit to see how this one pans out. Perhaps it won't work out and I'll have to really dig in and begin the job search. But for now, well, I'm enjoying spending the time with my family, catching up with friends, recreating, and flexing my creative outlets.