Suprise!

It has been a great week... the last week of freedom. Once i had my start date for work, Dave and I planned a suprise visit to mom's for her 60th birthday! his daughters picked me up at the airport and took me back to Judy's house, and mom was so suprised when she picked me up in addition to Harry Potter 3 and 4 movies. It was great.

We got lots of gab time, an afternoon at the beach, dinner with my bro, a full day of house repair, one infamous banana split from Tredwells, and even the new Harry Potter movie at the IMAX theater in Jordan's Furniture! It was a full 2 days... a great way to spend my last free time before entering the peons of the working world.

Which i now am.... my first day was yesterday, and i just didn't get around to posting then... it is hard to judge the job by yesterday. i didn't see one animal all day! i spent all day on their computers doing learning modules... and not info on the data system they have... this was propaganda to brainwash me into the company (actually, it is not a company, but Banfield, the TEAM... we use SmartTalk at work, not your ordinary english... it helps with a little rose tint, but it does create the urge to strangle....). I learned about the Banfield vision and the barriers to proper health care... my GOD, like i really need this waffle... i went to 4 years of vet school. if i don't know what keeps people from giving their pets the proper amount of healthcare, then i shouldn't have graduated. This is slow and frustrating. the rest of this week is going to be the same. I won't get to be a part of a working hospital until next monday, and then it is just shadowing.... grrr

but all is well. they are at least looking out for me having a good start... i just wish it wasn't so tacky and obvious propoganda.

that said, i have found a pretty good yoga class here. tra la la. and the climbing wall at the UK gym is small, and has frustrating rules, but the routes aren't too bad. life moves on.

and this weekend is amy's wedding shower! happiness!

A musings

i'm still happy about my job. i think.

i have recently realized that i have a job, i own a house (MY house [our house]. not anyone else's), i have my own lawn...i might actually resemble an adult! who ever wouldhave guessed? this is all quite shocking to me. and i feel very successful and self-important (imagine here the internal 3 yearold sticking out her chest and proclaiming to the world her significance...)

i still have no new friends here, but that will take time. it is difficult to force myself to socialize solo when during the day i get funny looks for not having umpteen children that i am staying home to care for, and in the evenings, i want to see my hubby if it's possible. but i am no longer a shut-in. i have been exploring the world around me and will maybe meet people there later...

i think the hardest part of curt's internship is not the hours that he's gone, it's the fact that he's here now, but desperately needs sleep...

i also find it funny that he started this blog, and yet i think he has posted a grand total of 3 times...

i hope that my work schedule will make it easier for us to see each other and not harder, as i will have 3-4 days off a week, and he gets 4 days off a month... they have to overlap at some point, right?

EMPLOYED!

this is very exciting news! the details:

there are precious few small animal jobs in the area. if i wanted to work exclussively in cows that would be one thing. there are 2 jobs in the area. if i had board certification and about 10 years of experience, there are a few jobs... i get regular e-mails from new job postings over 2 hours drive away! but not much locally. the local options?:

1) a place called heartland, has 2 well established clinics and good mentorship opportunities. willing to train me in any interest i might have, wanting me to become a specialist (although not necessarily board certified) in whatever. lots of back-up help. i would be helping them open a new clinic 15 min from my house. long hours- they want to be open until 11 pm, and i will have to do quite a bit of emergency work during that time.
2) a place 6 miles from home that was recently purchased by a former associate vet, he has no real plans for the future of the clinic. rare staff meetings, old vaccine protocols... bonus is that i would always get a day off midweek and 1.5 days every weekend, with a whole weekend every 3rd week.
3) banfield vet clinic in petsmart. have a good standard of care and lots of staff to help. want me to drive 1.5 hours both directions for a year until the new clinic opens closer to home. downside: this is a nation-wide corperation... yelch! commute is long and BORING. will have to invest in books on tape... yada, yada.

the outcome?:
1)they were very impressed with me, and would love to work with me, but are unable to offer me employment for the next year. no, sorry, not even part-time. after that point they may be able to hire me. MAY. 1 year. so sorry to waste your time and raise your hopes... so sorry to raise your expectations and get you ready for the real world. (losers)
2) they have no direction. they don't return my calls. they don't even have enough exam rooms for the number of vets they have. losers.
3) banfield had me come in to shadow for a half day the saturday after the 4th- ie the busiest they will ever be. we talked. we viewed. we assisted by squishing and restraining animals while they worked away. it was okay. OKAY. then i drove that whole long 1.5 hour commute up to florence and saw them on a slow day. hehe. i walk in and no one can greet me right away because... they are all too busy snibbling home-made cookies someone brought in (score 1 point). then they all introduce themselves, and include me in the conversation (point 2), and have a goodflow of gab, fun, funny, etc. no diamonds forming in their GI tracts, let me tell you! (point 3). they promise me i won't have to work alone for the first couple of months, at least until i'm comfortable. they are all working together well, they help each other out, and hang out together outside of the clinic (another point!).. it was a smooth and enjoyable day. we discussed lots of stuff. i feel comfortable there and happy.

i returned today for my contract meeting. i actually got hired! someone wants me! i feel so loved! so it is corporate... so it is a commute... the commute is only for one year until the new clinic opens, i have a good group until that time. i have a salary exactly what i expected, no signing bonus (normal for vet med), no moving bonus (had i signed with them before the move it couldhave been up to $2000), yes i get compensation for the miles... they may even give me a car! i had to pee in a cup for them. i can start my training as early as next week. yippee! i feel good about this. i think. there are times i wonder what i'm doing, but hey... if it doesn't work out, i can always start over again. the clinic meets my standards. they may vaccinate more than i like, but they are all about preventative care and client education. i can do my own diet plans... i can do as much CE as i want if i preapprove it (prove it will be of monetary value). i can grow here and stretch my wet little wings. i can learn a foreign language while driving mindlessly on I75. i only have to work 3-4 days a week because the days are long. they are open 7 days a week, so my weekends will not be normal all the time. this is all good.

and look at my other options. i mean seriously, what choice do i have.

i'm happy. at least, i'm giddy. i hope i'm still happy in a couple of weeks. it will be good to get my feet wet again.

i have 3 months to sign the contract. wish me luck!

treading water

i have reached the point where i can do stuff all day, and at the end of it, nothing looks done! so okay, a few more boxes have been FLATTENED (new source of joy in my life). The clothing drawers are organized and everything fits better now... the laundry is done... there are lots of fresh, organic, locally grown veggies in the fridge that i got when checking out the local farmers market (not entirely disappointing, but small).... but nothing looks better.

maybe i am just frustrated by the lack of hangy things to put up all my pretties! we have no anchors for the pictures that go around the house... we have no heavy duty hooks for the hammock (which will vastly improve my standard of living)

or by the fact that when i go to the store to buy necessities for the new house, they are invariably out of exactly what i wanted!

or by the fact that it is sunday, and many things i want to do cannot happen on sunday here... in fact, i was walking to the farmer's market when i ran into this man who teaches at the local seminary school... he's new to the neighborhood too, and sunday (unlike for everyone else in his profession) was his day off! so, we had a lovely chat, i snoogled his dogs, and went our separate ways. only to run into him again at the store, where neither of us could get what we wanted! :)

but i absolutely love being only 1 hour from the red river gorge... it is beautiful, it is GORGEous (teehee), it is magnificent... it has great hiking and climbing. who could ask for anything more?

on the job front for those who are wondering... i have a lunch interview on tuesday. what was i thinking? i have no table manners, i distinctly lack the ability to look graceful while trying to manhandle a fork, and i have food allergies! what was i thinking? i was thinking, "hey, you're offering to meet me for lunch?? cool! free food, possible job friggin' 6 miles from home... this will be fun!" sometimes i can be the dorkimus maximus. i am DOOMED! oh yeah, i also need a resume printed up... need to see if the printer is hooked up, with the paper i haven't unpacked yet... indeed, haven't found yet... YIPES! getting nervous. hope i don't stain my shirt while i dribble...

time to pull out the old mantra: i am good enough, i am smart enough, and dog-gone it, people LIKE me.

i will get a job, it will be a good one, and i will be rockin'!
sorry for the rant!
auds

liquor barn

who knew a lawnmower and a new tv could bring so much pleasure? (okay, so really it was the company we had when we bought said items that made my day... but still, how can you resist an opening line like that?)

the dyerdad came for a visit this week, and it has been wonderful to see family again. or really, any familiar face. he was a real trooper when it came time to shop for appliances, and even helped us map out the town a little with the discover of another sporting goods store, and the infamous liquor barn- the ultimate party store! the story:

we were trying out the new grill, and had decided that it was of utmost importance that we have some margaritas as an evening beverage accent... this point was made more resolute by the realization that we were out of jose cuervo (small family party after graduation took care of that bottle and saved us from having to move it...) and needed limade and limes... yes, we prettymuch only had the ice and a few drops of triple sec... so we made for the nearest liquor store: 2 blocks from our house. SCARY! they did have tequila, so not all was lost, but this establishment was a sorry excuse for a liquor store (and this from the girl who is drunk after one drink!). after dinner, curt diligently looked online for a better way to procure future beverages... and discovered, not to far across town, the liquor barn...

upon entering the establishment, we discovered that this place does NOT deserve the name. wewere inundated with fabulous cheeses and meats, an olive bar, and even fabulous international crackers! there were over a dozen isles of alcohol, with wines separated geographically (yes, we got some rioja wine to remind us of our trip), and vast arrays of ever liquor imaginable... w efound spanish 10 year reserve brandy, all sorts of high quality boozes, and goggled at the locked chest contianing brandy at the measly pittance of $5000... there is beer from around the country (good microbrews), especially some of curt's favorite michigan brands!

our larders are now full, we have happily sampled the spanish brandy, and we have discovered a national treasure, contentedly sitting right by our doorstep!

and on a similar note, another fabulous thing about lexington is the recycling! we have a city trash bin, an equally sized recycling bin, and a third for yard waste! we can recycle clear, green and brown glass, and all kinds of cardboard (not to mention the usuals) curbside! i LOVE this town!

oh! and wehave a live rosebush!
yippee!
i have once again been blown off course, and will write more later about what has been going on here....

mwah!
auds

watch out, i may have turned my brain on...

house update: we have all amenities, the bedroom and kitchen are mostly unpacked, the living room actually resembles one, curt and i are actually (believe it or not) enjoying life without a tv immensely, and the fridge just made a lovely little noise where the ice drops into the bucket with no human interference (JOY!). many of the address changes have been made, the cable internet has been ordered, the new bank account is open, the loans and mortgage have been addressed, and we will have our first guest (curt's dad) this sunday (WAAHOOO!). just because there is no guest room yet to speak of, and the "study" is a small room with absolutely 2 degrees of movement capable between all the boxes means nothing! NOTHING! we will prevail. there will be a home where once there was a house!

no real buyers remorse yet, more buyers loud exhalations (internal monologue hears Dr. Edie saying, "Heavy sighs... what's up?"). i know we bought a good house. i know the house needs a LOT of work, and i know i am happier here than i would be in every other house we saw, an apartment, or something... but limboland is not a fun place to be, and this is still limboland.

i am still adjusting to not being on camino. i have started driving here, which believe it or not, was a very daunting thing for me... i have no maps, no idea where things are, and i haven't driven in over a month (not to mention the fact that i have never liked driving very much). life makes so much more sense on foot, or even on bike. i can at least live in the happy delusion that my life moves at a pace i enjoy. i miss so much focusing on the road when i drive. i miss flowers and natural breezes. but hey, mobility is a good thing. and i actually had somewhere to go.

speaking of which... the camino... why did 2 unitarians decide to do a catholic pilgrimage across northern spain in their freetime? well, long and complicated answer to that. we wanted a vacation, and another long distance hike. we wanted to see spain, and the best way to get to know a country is to walk through the small towns and talk with the people who live there. live with them as much as possible. cultural immersion. great way to improve and revive my spanish. but there is still a spiritual journey behind it. there is a saying that people do the camino for 3 reasons: to ask for something, to be thankful for something, or they don't know. many people hike because they have lost a loved one, overcome an illness or cancer, because they are NOT overcomeing an illness or cancer, or to see how the camino will change them. It is not all about religion, for some it is only for sport. for me (not talking too much for curt here), i hiked for all three reasons. i am very thankful for my life, my family, my health, everything i have been given and have worked for. my support network is amazing. i needed time to recover from vet school as well. anyone who had to witness my body's odd medical maladies or dealt with me crying over the last few years is well aware of how desperately i needed to "walk away" from it all. but that said, i still don't know why i walk. i have always hiked with a sort of loss for why i do it. i can tell you what i like about hiking: covering long distances is very rewarding. there is a lot of time to contemplate. even if you don't wish to be introspective, you can only sing bohemian rhapsody so many times while you're walking, and you will eventually run out of bad 80's songs to sing. long, quiet hours of you, nature, and the road ahead (and my hubby). nothing could be better. or more painful, or harder work which may not prove rewarding if there are no views. there are many bad analogies that can be made (in life, as on the camino, one will make some wrong turns)... it is rewarding to live with less, to be reduced to the simplicity of a backpack.
the camino is amazing in it's differences to the at. having a bed at the end of every night, and often a volunteer to look after your blisters... a hot and filling meal for only about 12 dollars... the hope of a shower when you arrive. the camino is a road, often a dirt road, but always wide and decently level compared with the mountains of the at. this was a luxery hike for curt and i, but for many others, it was very difficult. it was inspiring to see the challenges others overcame on their camino. one lady broke her arm and continued to walk. old, frail, obese, and ill... many people ho couldnot speak or understand spanish.
there are fabulous old towns, hundreds of years old, with an aging population living a life that hasn't changed much over that time. there are old churches and monestaries, old pilgrims hospitals and hermitages, all offering a dark, quiet, cool place to sit and recoop... reflect, if they weren't in ruins yet. much of the camino is seeing the remains of human efforts: you cross roman bridges and walk on old roman roads. you pass ruins of christianity and churches in use that are decaying, have plants growing on the walls and rooof, and are reminders to the impermanance of human endeavors. the cathedral at santiago is a good example of that. there aren't enough clergy to keep the building free of vegitation, and many of the exterior fascades are grimey and in disrepair. you also pass through big and modern cities. bustling with thousands of people and noise, a reminder of what you have left behind.
but much of the camino is the same as the at. there are views, there is a lot of time to just be with yourself. there are fabulous flowers and people and conversations. there is time to be light and free, time to goof off, and breath the fresh air (and sometimes the pesticides they were spaying on the grapevines...). the camino is a long distance hike like any other, showing the goodness of the people who intersect it. camino literally means "the way" in spanish, and it does have a kind of taoist feel to it. people often asked if we were on "the way" and there is an understanding that, while yes, it is sometimes about the destination, the journey is important too, and should be experienced.
there is a huge push by the church to distinguish what the camino is all about. they are desperately trying to seperate the pilgrim from the tourist. they are trying to set some guidelines and ethics for the camino (something that has spiralled out of their control in the same way that the forest service does not really control the at)... trying to encourage the ever swelling numbers of people not to litter, not to skip ahead and take the bus, not to be demanding of a hotel-lilke accomidation, but to be thankful for the accomidations that are available... this distinction between the tourist and the pilgrim is a very deep issue, and one that reached far beyond the religious observers who were hiking. a famous german comedian hiked one year and wrote a best-selling book that brought many "tourists" this year. they stayed in the towns, and at the alburgues/refugios with the hikers, but they took the bus. they used the system for a cheap vacation. As the european union is spending quite a bit of money to refurbish the communities along the camino, and to plan for the camino's future as a source of touristic revinue, they too are trying to attract a pilgrim and not a tourist. there are exhibits and propoganda everywhere. everyone likes a pilgrim who spends money.
which is part of the issue that many people seem to have forgotten. the original pilgrim was a tourist. this was the first vacation. they travelled by many means: some on foot, yes, but many others took horses or mules, wagons, etc. some traveled in the lap of luxury. some travelled solely on the charity of others (that would be impossible today).
but in the end, both curt and i came away with a long distance hike, a good break from the real world, a chance to be with each other and ourselves, and a better understanding of spain, the provinces we travelled through, and catholicism past and present. we hopefully have found a little more peace and serenity that we can bring back with us, and at the very least, this long and rambling blog that made no point or sense what-so-ever...

sorry, i seem to have gone off the deep end. and i didn't even start to say what i meant to...
but at least i got a good respite from unpacking!
and i get to meet people at a barbque tonight! maybe i'll meet some fabulous new people today (i mean, other than the little man who installed the fridge)

love to all
auds

quick update

we have water! i can flush my toilet! yippee!

our stuff has arrived, but is not unpacked. the pods delivery truck is just about the coolest thing ever to watch unload... it squeezed down our narrow driveway, raised the pod up up up, narrowly missing some electrical wires, pulled the truck out, lowered the pod, and moved the braces and truck back and forth, up and down, to put everything back in place and off he drove... missing our roof by less than 2 inches! so impressed!

we have gas and hot water (a real shower! oh boy, i can't wait!)... we even bought a washer, dryer, and fridge, although they won't arrive until friday. boo hoo.

we will grill tomorrow, if i can find the tools to put the grill together. i am soo excited! we also found a middle eastern grocery! my taste buds are happy to be in lexington!

i miss my friends and family dearly... curt had his orientation all day which didn't help, but hey, at least one of us has a job, right? big hugs to all of you!
auds