My last day of work is 1 week from today. I cannot believe it. In one week I'm going to be saying goodbye to everyone here and then frantically packing and cleaning the house. And then lugging furniture and boxes and driving 5 hours up to the Bay!
And then...then I have to find a job. Which seems so daunting and impossible right now being so far away and having no one call me after sending them my resume. I'm going to have to walk into Human Resource Departments, fill out applications and sell myself (I know it sounds dirty....it sometimes feels dirty).
But once these things are settled: moving, finding a job, finding a permanent apartment I think I will be ok, but right now I just don't want to think about it. Don't want to pack, don't want to say goodbye, don't want to move.
sigh. Can I just skip over this part and get to next month now.
But this is apparently how my cat spends his day. If there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back as a cat with someone like me or Michele as the owner.
Well it's been a topic of conversation in our house for the last year and it's finally more than conversation and what ifs. It's real. Garren and I are moving back to the Bay Area the first weekend of January. And I'm FREAKING out.
We were planning on early February to give us some time after the holidays. Some breathing room. Then our roommate let us know that she was moving home in early January so then the decision became do we get another roommate and put off the move or do we bite the big one and just move up the date.
Well we moved up the date. I gave our notice to the landlord this past weekend and I'm giving notice to work on Friday. OMG! I'm sure your questions are, "Do they have jobs? A place to live? Any plan what so ever?". My answers are no, kinda and not really.
We've been applying, but everyone is looking for someone to start ASAP that I think they can't be bothered with people relocating from Santa Barbara. I'm hoping we'll have more luck once we're in the area. Mom has been great enough to offer up her 2nd bedroom to me and Garren and the two cats until we get settled with a job and can look for a place. Bay Area commute here I come!
So really the plan at this point is to 1. give notice at work 2. start packing 3. have a nice xmas and new years in SB 3. move the 1st weekend of January 4. find job or temp work until I can find a job and 5. find a decent place to live.
So on top of all the logistical aspects of moving there is the worry of what if I can't find a job? What if we can't find an affordable place near any job I can find? What if I still don't like living in the Bay Area? What if I don't like what I'm doing? What if I'm just miserable.
But then there is also mom, ady, erik, kristen, michele and other people I left when I moved that I will be happy to be close to again. I mean the though alone of being able to see dumb movies with michele so that I have someone else to giggle with is so great! Also to be able to go to dinner with friends who for the past 4.5 years I've only seen 2 times a year is also wonderful.
I mean this could all be good and great and the best thing ever, but until the cats, Garren and I are settled, I'm going to continue to freak out.
So Garren and I went to our annual Dave Matthews concert on Tuesday night and I think it was by far one the best shows I have ever been to. We got really lucky and had amazing seats in the Garden boxes. Not that there really is a bad seat at the Hollywood Bowl, but it didn't hurt that it was the closest I've ever been at a Dave concert and it rocked. We also took our time getting there and left early so that we could hang out, have some drinks, and soak in the atmosphere.
Some of my observations from the show include:
1. Do not rave to Dave. Really. There was some guy with glow sticks doing raver moves. It just...NO
2. Dave loves his surprise guests. John Mayer decided to come out and play a song. (Garren's favorite DMB song of all time in fact). Just for fun.
3. John Mayer looks like he's having an orgasm when he plays guitar....It's kinda disturbing.
4. John Mayer walked past me after his appearance on stage as he was directed to his seat. I could have hit him. (I now count him among the few celebrities I've been close enough to cause physical harm to.)
5. Dave Matthews fans have to be some of the happiest fans ever. Everyone is so bouncy.
6. Best song of the night was Exodus which the band performed with Steven Marley. A-Freaking-Mazing.
side note - I wrote out this post earlier and it was much better, but the computer decided to close my application and all of it was lost...sigh. Why is you can never remember what you originally wrote and are convinced it was so much better...
As Michele mentioned, I was recently in the Bay Area to go to the Buffy Muiscal with her and Kristen. And what fun that was. Singing! Crazy Dancing! Spike! So much fun.
The secondary reason that I was in the Bay was to check it out again as a place to live. Garren and I having been stating, pretty much since we started dating that a move would eventually be necessary. Where we work is currently small, there have been so many crazy upheavels and politics going on and neither of us really has any place to advance to. So San Francisco is a viable options. Lots of hotels, lots of opportunity, plus family and friends.
I came back up a little nervous, because I didn't know if I would like it. Frankly I hated the area when I left and Santa Barbara is home to me. If there were no monetary concerns both of us would stay here forever. And frankly I don't know if it will be much better in SF, but at least there we will have more opportunity, be able to learn more and then maybe take that knowledge and experience and move somewhere cheaper that we can afford to really live......
Therefore I was slightly suprised to find that I do like the area. I spent some time in Berkeley and SF and was able to look at it with some distance between me and who I was four years ago. I'm in a better place. I like what I do and who I'm with. And by moving together we will both be better able to afford the city. That was my one stipulation. I won't live anywhere east of Berkeley. I've done that and not been happy. If we do this I want a fresh start in the area. Garren didn't really like Berkeley so I think we're pretty much saying it's living in SF or bust.
And we are moving for those of you who are reading this going, "But is she coming?!". We are. We're determined and we're both constantly looking at Craigslist for jobs and hosuing just to get an idea of what we can expect. We can't move right away. Garren is taking a class at the city college that he wants to finish and I have a small trip planned with Krista (yes without Garren.....I'm a HORRIBLE girlfriend) that I will need vacation time to support. My personal plan is to start applying to jobs after I get back from vacation and if something comes of that Great! One or both of us would like to have a job before we move, just for security sake. It would make both of us feel better if at least one of us will have an income immediately when we move. We'll see....that being said if nothing does happen by say Februrary at the latest we'll probably just say "Screw it" and move anyways.
We are both hard workers and will be able to do temp work, restaurant work or in Garren's case Barista work until we can find something more permanent in the hospitality field. Hell I would even take an entry level job at the right hotel to get my foot in the door.
So there it is. We're moving. Probably December at the absolutely earliest, realistically in January and I think February at the latest. Maybe not the best time to move in terms of opportunities and weather...but there it is. We're both ready for the change and I for one am excited to think that I will be closer to family and friends. I will however miss many of our friends here, but considering they have all also been talking about moving up, I'm hoping they will either join us or make it there before us....
So I posted the names I might be calling the new kitty, but I never actually posed what I actually ended up calling her.
Maggie. Or Miss Maggie or Maggie Mae or a whole bunch of other silly things. Garren actually named her....although he denies it. He says he only suggested the name, but he named her. Don't let him fool you.
Miss Maggie is still very skittish, probably from her time on the mean streets of Santa Barbara, but she's getting better. We tried her out in a small space when she first came into the house and then moved her into our room. She was terrified of the hallway and lets not even talk about the big bad kitchen, but the last few days she and Willoughby have been playing extensively and I have left the bedroom door open so that she can venture out. She even made it to the living room one night while I was watching TV. She did however turn tail and run as soon as she noticed me though. Maggie has even taken to sleeping on the bed with us at night. When she first started out in our room the bed was to be under not on top of. She has since discovered the plushness of the top of the bed though....
She and Willoughby however are the funniest things ever. They are wrestling and chasing each other, grooming each other and napping together. It's the cutest thing EVER. Exhibit A. I was a little nervous that Willoughby would be jealous of a new kitty, but since she came home all he wants is to be where she is. If I can't find her I just look for Willoughby and he's usually staring at where ever she is hiding. He's so happy and it makes me so happy.
It's pathetic. I basically have furry children and I talk about them as such. I feel like the old cat lady....oh well.
I have a new kitty! Enter picture:
I'm picking her up in an hour after I get off work. I still have no name, but here are the names I am considering in no particular order. Feel free to mock them, vote for them or submit your own ideas:
Rosmerta
Aurora
Dinah
Desi
Chicklets*
Ali
Ember
Jinx
Mopsy
Goober
Gidget
Penny
Sadie
Bubble Yum*
*The gum brand names are because she had to have surgery at a local emergency room to have the gum she ate removed from her stomach. (She was starving!)
I know it's horrible but I secretly love the name goober.
An opportunity has recently fallen in my lap. At least I hope it turns out to be an opportunity. The owner of a private estate that my work has frequently recommended as an alternate site for private events and weddings has asked me to consider being her preferred event coordinator.
She and I are friends. She's a wonderful woman and she has such great faith in my abilities for some reason. She has had some bad experiences with some other coordinators in the area and she would like to be able to start recommending me instead. In fact she wants me to be the only coordinator that she will allow to work on her property.
It's highly flattering and a little intimidating. I mean yes, I've done some events at work and I'm organized enough to think that I can pull it off, but I would prefer to have some formal training. Actually work for someone who has done it for years so I can learn all the tricks and the things to avoid and the questions to ask and make all the contacts. Just walking in and saying I'm your wedding coordinator and these are my prices seems a little daunting and overly ambitious. What if I mess something up big time. I mean this is someone's wedding day. Despite the fact that I think they can be insane and stupid doesn't mean I don't realize how important they are to people. (and yes that is going to be my advertisement)
Anyways I spent the evening putting together a list of what my services would entail. I'm going to have to do more research. I feel a little sketchy on a few of the things I listed, plus a wedding coordinator is supposed to know all the wedding etiquette. What do I know about wedding etiquette?!
So yea. The owner of this private estate is only looking for 6-8 more events for next year, so it's not like that would be anytime soon or very many of them and she started out with no real experience except the two weddings she organized herself for her daughters at the property and she's has a wonderful little business going, so I suppose why can't I?
Yea. Uh-huh.....still terrified
So after bragging in the comments of my last blog that I actually got my cat Willoughby to sleep through the night and not wake me up in the morning my cat decided to show me who the real boss is in the relationship.
I got home really late after watching Harry Potter last night to find that Willoughby had been playing with one of the roommates for a few hours, but was somehow still wired. I continued to play with him as I cleaned up my room hoping to wipe him out. Eventually he wouldn't play with anything I threw his was and I settled down into bed.
And he went to sleep. Only problem is I woke up in the middle of the night and then realizing that Willoughby was practically smushing me, couldn't get back to sleep. So I moved a lot and woke Willoughby up and then it was over.
He decided to play with my feet I decided to kick him out. After that I didn't fall back into a very deep sleep. And then it was 5:55am. Like clockwork, 5 minutes before my first alarm goes off Willoughby starts to meow and claw at the door. He's gotten so good at it that he can open the door somehow.
This problem has been continuous and I have read up on how to keep your cat from meowing excessively. Everything I read said you have to ignore them and not react to the meowing because if you do anything, get up, feed them, kick them into another room you are apparently reinforcing the behavior.
Have you ever tried to ignore a cat who is dead set on getting his breakfast? It can't be done. And you can't go back to sleep. But you don't want to get up because that will reinforce his behavior and you're exhausted and all you want to do is sleep another 15-20 minutes. And you think well if he just stops for a few minutes I'll go out and feed him so he doesn't associated food with the meowing, but he doesn't stop, so you get so annoyed that you get up and lock him in another room and reinforce the behavior. sigh.
Maybe I should try earplugs.
More Entries
Oy - December 28, 2007Not that I'm Suprised - December 21, 2007
My Boyfriend is going to KILL me - December 18, 2007
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Moving on Up - October 03, 2007
Best of Friends - August 21, 2007
Pretty Flower - August 07, 2007
I can hear the bells - July 30, 2007
Apparently I am my cat's bitch - July 12, 2007
Where's my Friend? - July 10, 2007
Quarter - June 05, 2007
A Wink and A Smile - May 21, 2007
Seiously?! - May 14, 2007
Rejected and Dejected - May 11, 2007
Upgrade - May 01, 2007
The Saga Continues - April 26, 2007
The Land of Scarlett - April 09, 2007
More Snot Producing - April 07, 2007
Babble - March 30, 2007
Word is I'm a Slut - September 02, 2006
F****** Construction - July 15, 2006
Ball of Love - June 16, 2006
Woo Hoo! - May 31, 2006
bunny update and other stuff - May 24, 2006
put the bunny down - May 19, 2006
I'm not left handed either - May 11, 2006
Coachella 2006 - May 06, 2006
But...I....Wait......Didn't - April 28, 2006
Chloe - April 25, 2006
Blog Material - April 21, 2006
Up to Date - April 20, 2006
You're Nuts Junior - April 12, 2006
Wednesday Drunken Wednesday - March 30, 2006
Magic - March 28, 2006
Road Trip - March 20, 2006
Cult - March 16, 2006
Run for it Marty!!!! - March 03, 2006
I Never Would Have Made It In The 70s - February 26, 2006
Shake That - February 14, 2006
I Want To Hug You Like A Santa Claus - February 09, 2006
Missing Boo - February 07, 2006
Paint a Picture - February 06, 2006
Another one bites the dust - January 21, 2006
Talking like Michele talking like Kristen - December 10, 2005
Quotes - December 10, 2005
Wait For It - December 03, 2005
Michele's concerns - November 30, 2005
Wellington, So Sad - November 30, 2005
Water Everywhere - November 27, 2005
Three Words - November 27, 2005
Dory - November 24, 2005
Look Mom, No Hands - November 20, 2005
A Good Height - November 16, 2005
Visitor - October 22, 2005
Dizzy - October 01, 2005
Green Submarine - September 16, 2005
Poor Unfortunate Me - September 10, 2005
Mr. Ribbon - August 30, 2005
Gone, Going - August 28, 2005
You know the Queen?! - July 06, 2005
Breathe - July 06, 2005
Not Unexpected - June 29, 2005
Lots of Changes Old Max, Lots of Changes - June 16, 2005
Freak Out - April 20, 2005
1-900-Star-Wars - April 18, 2005
New Pest on the Block - March 21, 2005
Whew - February 24, 2005
No Caffine, sniff, sniff - November 24, 2004
In the doghouse - November 15, 2004
Costume - October 26, 2004
Bad Mood - October 08, 2004
Land of Kiwis - September 29, 2004
Long Time No Update - September 22, 2004
Quarter of a Century - August 27, 2004
Happy Birthday Baby Sister! - August 25, 2004
I got in a bar fight - August 15, 2004
The Vegas - August 08, 2004
Zoo in Santa Barbara - August 01, 2004
September Concert - July 20, 2004
Rocky - July 19, 2004
I am such a nerd - July 17, 2004
More Picutres - June 27, 2004
Superman - June 24, 2004
Hoppity Hop - June 05, 2004
An Insomniac's Thoughts - May 27, 2004
Burly Arms - May 19, 2004
Shakin' - May 09, 2004
My Cat is being stalked - May 07, 2004
He Sends the Devil Packing - May 01, 2004
I think I'm turning Japanese - April 09, 2004
Truly Outrageous - April 06, 2004
My Trip Across the Country - March 24, 2004
Apparently I'm Boy Crazy - March 02, 2004
The last two weeks or so.. - February 14, 2004
This one is for you Michele - February 08, 2004
Score! - January 29, 2004
OH MY FUCKING GOD - January 20, 2004
1st Timer - January 16, 2004
Brace Yourselves - January 10, 2004
A Hobbit Hunting I Will Go - January 07, 2004
Mini Nuala and Ady - December 29, 2003
Oh Boy - December 20, 2003
Canceled TV Shows - December 18, 2003
If I Was on Survivor I'd Lose - December 15, 2003
Top Ten - December 09, 2003
Exciting Times in the Life of Nuala - December 08, 2003
Oh the cats I could have - December 07, 2003
In which I scream at Kitties not to claw the furniture - November 22, 2003
So this is how it went - November 01, 2003
Bad Friend - October 17, 2003
Way too Giddy - October 01, 2003
And the punches just keep on coming - September 28, 2003
Happy Birthday Daphne! - September 27, 2003
Ribbon - September 25, 2003
A Household of Six - September 12, 2003
Time at the Beach - September 01, 2003
Happy Birthday to me - August 27, 2003
The Next Deperado - August 20, 2003
The Secret Meaning of MY Name - August 10, 2003
Step 2...going on Step 3? - August 07, 2003
LA Freaking Sucks - July 27, 2003
From Iraq - July 16, 2003
Well.... - July 15, 2003
Yo Ho Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me - July 10, 2003
Stressed? I've got the answer - July 09, 2003
Ha Ha! - July 02, 2003
Mom Always Said Not to Play on the Freeway - June 24, 2003
34 Hours, 34 Minutes, 8 Seconds and counting - June 19, 2003
Back to Civilization - June 18, 2003
Moving sucks - June 10, 2003
So Long, Farwell... - May 30, 2003
LoopNYC - May 30, 2003
Star Trek - May 29, 2003
A small thank you - May 28, 2003
Rocky! - May 23, 2003
Puppies! - May 21, 2003
So Long Farewell....You want how much? - May 21, 2003
Employment for me. - May 19, 2003
Good God! - May 15, 2003
Taking the leap - May 14, 2003
@#!*!#$ Politics - April 25, 2003
It's Official...again - April 24, 2003
Happy Cows - April 24, 2003
Awwwwww - April 21, 2003
Hear no Evil - April 15, 2003
We're off to see the Wizard - April 09, 2003
I was stumped - April 07, 2003
It's almost like free money - March 31, 2003
Plug - March 31, 2003
Shipping out - March 24, 2003
Crazy Government Signs - March 20, 2003
Drug addict not for me...check - March 17, 2003
Can I have your attention please.. - March 12, 2003
Attack on the French - March 11, 2003
Apparently the Superbowl is Gay - March 07, 2003
I know you are but what am I? - March 07, 2003
It's Official - March 07, 2003
On The Road Again - March 04, 2003
I'm So Bored - February 27, 2003
Sad day in the Neighborhood - February 27, 2003
Now What? - February 22, 2003
The American View - February 20, 2003
@$!* - February 12, 2003
Wako Jacko - February 07, 2003
My Oral Hygienist Hates Me - February 06, 2003
Attention Anita Lovers! - February 04, 2003
Michele Screamed Turkeys! - January 30, 2003
If anyone cares... - January 29, 2003
Dancing Indians - January 24, 2003
Sweet, Sweet Giles - January 24, 2003
Return of the Cousins - January 23, 2003
Scary Squirrels - January 22, 2003
And We Have a Date!!!! - January 15, 2003
Vote some more! - January 13, 2003
Mr. Scorsese's New York - January 13, 2003
Who's Bored? - January 10, 2003
Who wants $20? - January 08, 2003
The vote that really counts - January 03, 2003
Tattoo, Yea or Nay? - December 29, 2002
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.... - December 18, 2002
Tis the Season... - December 11, 2002
Happy Birthday Sumit! - December 10, 2002
Old Author, New Series - December 04, 2002
So what do we think? - December 03, 2002
Goddamn essays - December 03, 2002
Is it me or...? - November 21, 2002
Buggin you - November 19, 2002
Anita Blake you're my Hero - November 14, 2002
And away we go - November 14, 2002
Tattoo? Me? Nahhh! Well... - November 08, 2002
Quiz Fad - November 06, 2002
Muffins! - November 05, 2002
Halloween - October 30, 2002
La Boheme and some other stuff - October 28, 2002
Sloshball - October 25, 2002
Wedding Pictures - October 18, 2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN - October 17, 2002
The Wedding...dun dun dun! - October 16, 2002
Tales from the City - October 14, 2002
Long time no typing - October 05, 2002
Ahh the Munchkins - September 27, 2002
Save the Kitties! - September 18, 2002
Fun with Chemicals and other random facts - September 18, 2002
La Boheme Baz Style - September 12, 2002
Petit Jete, Petit Jete, Pirouette, Sauter! - September 11, 2002
Back from Cabo - September 09, 2002
Camping Pictures - September 04, 2002
Applications suck - August 31, 2002
Thanks - August 30, 2002
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Housesitting! - August 21, 2002
The Bill Clinton Show?!? - August 21, 2002
Mmmm Food - August 19, 2002
How in sync are we? - August 16, 2002
Oh those Musicals - August 16, 2002
Camera Classes - August 15, 2002
The dark side - August 14, 2002
Song of the South - August 02, 2002
Art Classes - August 02, 2002
"Up in arms over a new ordinance restricting lap dance gyrations and barring customers from stuffing bills in G-strings at clubs." - August 01, 2002
My cool cousin - August 01, 2002
Walnut Creek - July 30, 2002
A Decision...I think - July 26, 2002
Debate - July 23, 2002
Mmmm Beer... - July 19, 2002
Me? I'm off to Cabo! - July 19, 2002
But of course...they're...well you KNOW - July 19, 2002
CAN-CAN! - July 18, 2002
Nuala has gone GLOBAL! - July 12, 2002
Those crazy Germans - July 12, 2002
Ramblings of a bored bored girl - July 11, 2002
Damn Dreams - July 11, 2002
Where's the respect! - July 10, 2002
Stupid Job - July 10, 2002
I saw Long-Hai! - July 07, 2002
I'm off to Greece! - July 02, 2002
ABBA music and spandex! Oh the delight! - July 01, 2002
Sucky - June 28, 2002
Destroy work! - June 27, 2002
blah blah blah - June 25, 2002
ughhh boyfriends - June 21, 2002
Weekend! - June 21, 2002
football - June 18, 2002
Last weekend I... - June 17, 2002
Pity Me - June 14, 2002
