recessionista

f you, yesterday.  yesterday was the assiest day ever.

i started out trying to have a positive attitude, heading to st. croix falls so i could get my birth certificate from my mom, so i could give documentation of my citizenship to my new employer and expedite a passport.  after the car almost broke down because the coolant was leaking, i was finally on my way.  halfway there i got a call from chris at work: he’d found the cigar box with our stuff (passports/ social security cards) in it at work.  somehow in the midst of our move it got into a box of stuff he was bringing to work to put on the “free table”.  it was just coincidental that he finally went through the box at work yesterday, about two hours after i was supposed to catch my flight (i think there was some greater power keeping me here for two more days).  so at least my passport was found and i didn’t have to expedite a new one, which is super expensive. i just tried my hardest not to freak out at him, and i didn’t.  he didn’t mean to…

i just continued on my way to scf, since i still needed either my birth certificate or my social security card, (same amount of driving to scf or bloomington -chris’ work- either way) as documentation to give to the hr office, who was calling me several times throughout the day to make sure i was going to bring it in.  god,  lay off.  i’m coming, but i have other things on my mind.

one of these other things was the diva cup that was lost in my vagina.  if you haven’t used it or heard of it before, the diva cup is a reusable, pliable plastic cup-thing that you can use instead of tampon.  my sister uses one and likes it and several of my co-workers rave about it, so i thought i’d give it a try.  the first day went fine, i used it, got it out, put it back in before bed on tuesday night.  i woke up on wednesday (assy-day) and just wanted to get on the road, so when i couldn’t get it out i didn’t panic at first, i had a job to save and a ticket to mexico i didn’t want to waste.  plus i didn’t realize that something could get lost up there just like that.  anyway, it got progressively more and more uncomfortable and by the time i tried to get it out again it was pretty much lost.  by this time i was in st. croix falls, had picked up my birth certificate, and was having lunch with mom and kate.  i was talking to them about the stressful day, and told them about my lost diva cup.  they just kind of stared at me for a second and then were like, “you need to go to the emergency room right now,”  “toxic shock syndrome,” etc.  i knew this, but i wanted to take care of my job first, because if i didn’t get the documentation to them at some point yesterday my employment was going to be terminated.  my mom got a very stressed out look on her face, left the table and went outside.  when she came back in she was like, “you have a doctor’s appointment at 1:20. you can bring the documentation to your employer after you take care of this.”  we had to laugh about it because kate was like, “i would have been to the doctor first thing this morning”, and i was like, i know… but i wasn’t sure what to do first today: get fired from my job, waste my ticket to mexico, or die of tss.  hm, how should i prioritize my day? 

anyway, i went to the doctor and it was awful and very embarrassing.  the doctor was super sweet and eventually got it out (with the metal separater thing and some forceps)  but even today my muscles are still all crampy.  i am never going to use that thing again.  actually the doctor just threw it out anyway.  they’re like $30 and she didn’t even ask me if i wanted to keep it, she just tossed it, but obviously i didn’t want it anyway; it just kind of shows what she thought of it.  i asked her if she thought it depended on the shape of your (yoohoo) whether or not you could use it, and she said yeah, and also how close your backbone is to your pubic bone and all kinds of other factors.  i guess i have a vast vagina, and if chris hadn’t found the lost passports at work i maybe would have had to start looking for them up there.  oh, and i apologized to the doctor, i was like, “thank you so much, i know that was probably really gross…” and she was like, “oh don’t worry about it, it was nothing compared to watching a birth.”  and in my head i was like, oh, okay.  i wasn’t going to compare it to that, but thanks.

so after that was all taken care of i made my way to the hr office of children’s home society and family services.  when i was almost there i got a call from the hr manager who was like, “just wondering if you’re coming in today…” (kind of sassy and annoyed) and i tried not explode and be like, “YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF DAY I’VE HAD!” but calmly explained that i was almost there with my documentation.  so i got that taken care of and pretty much collapsed into the car and came home and took a hot bath.  i was not leaving the house again last night, who knows what could’ve happened.

so, if everything goes as planned i’ll be on a plane tomorrow morning headed for mexico.  the wedding’s not til saturday, so i should make it.  sigh.

so, shitty story short, i’m an idiot asshole and didn’t think of locating my passport until the day before i needed it.  i didn’t even start looking for it because of my trip, but because i needed some “documentation” for my new job.  i was looking for my social security card which i keep in the same spot as my passport: a cigar box of chris’s where he keeps his important materials (passport, social security card, so i decided i needed a spot like that and moved into the cigar box).  i went to the dresser -where we kept the cigar box at the old place- and, lo and behold, no cigar box.  hmmmm.  hours and hours of searching later, going through every box, cupboard, nook and effing cranny about six times between the two of us, turns out we haven’t seen this cigar box since we moved.  it didn’t even cross my mind that i should look for it, i just knew that everything i needed was in there.

so, since i need my passport to go to mexico now, and i need to prove to my new employer within three days (of orientation, so, by wednesday) that i am a u.s. citizen or my employment is terminated, my head about blew up.  all afternoon.  fuck.

turns out, i have an amazing mom (i was already aware of this fact as she’s proven it in countless ways, but please click the link) and she paid for me to expedite a new passport and move my plane ticket to friday.  she’s also going to get my birth certificate for me, so i have proof.  amazing.  i hope it works.  time will tell.

so instead of going to mexico on wednesday, i get to go on a scavenger hunt instead.  here’s my list:

*birth certificate

*application(s) for a new passport

*passport photos

*letter of approval (or whatever) from the passport people - in an envelope i need to fedex

*copies of my birth certificate and license for my new employer

i feel like a shitty friend to lesley for not being more prepared… “yeah i’ll be in your wedding!”  i just hope i make it

i leave tomorrow and am so excited! i’ve got some more packing to do, and then have to work til 9:30, come home, and head out tomorrow morning at like, 4:30 am!  we already have plans to meet lesley and scott at the lol ha bar at 6 pm.  yay!

i’m also going to try to get to savers for their 50% off sale today, honoring veteran’s day.

last night was my last scheduled cashiering shift at the wedge, and luckily all of the annoying things that i don’t like about cashiering happened, so i didn’t feel all that sentimental about it.  all of my managers and supervisors have been really sweet about letting me know that they’ll miss me, though.  which is nice.  i’m going to miss it there too, which is great, because i would hate to leave a job on bad terms.  like with twisted grille when, towards the end, my paychecks (which were about $18) were bouncing.  and then they never paid off any of there employees and fled to mexico, i heard there was also some tax evasion going on.  maybe i’ll seek them out while i’m down there and get that $30 they owe me…

hasta la pasta!

are:

~being the only one at new hire orientation who forgot to bring “documentation” i.e. my social security card.  it  was pretty obvious that i hadn’t read the email that the hr manager sent out, and i also didn’t print out and bring a signed copy of the offer letter (i don’t have a printer).  “sorry i’m so unprepared.” i said.  “that’s okay,” he said with a fake laugh.

~which health insurance plan do i want?  how many times am i going to see a doctor this year?  i haven’t been going much (at all) in the last year and a half, but that’s because i had fake americorps insurance, which was basically just a 20% off coupon that you showed the receptionist, so i probably will need to go at least a couple of times this year to fill in those cavities, etc.

~trying to orgainize a way in which i can get chris to deposit my check in my account so it will be available to me asap in mexico, but it doesn’t come out til the day after i leave and then it’s the weekend and banks are closed, and that’s the only money i have…

~realizing that i am taking a (mostly) unpaid week off and still needing to pay rent shortly after returning.

~starting new job!!!! (exclamations of alarm, not excitement)

so, there are many, but none too serious.  at least i get to start packing for mexico today because that means it’s right around the corner, and that casts a bright, beautiful mexican sunlight over everything.  and the week after i return i start my new job and three of my sisters come home for thanks giving!  yay!  so things will be good, they are just stressful right now, and it doesn’t help that i feel like our house is still only half unpacked.  on stress tests, moving your residence and starting a new job are two of the highest scoring (most stressful) events, and i did both in a month.  then throw in there a trip to mexico and a few art shows that i need to make pieces for, and the holidays right around the corner, so it’s no wonder that i feel like i’m heading straight for the institution… no it’s really not that bad, really (twitch, tweak, eye spasm, twitch).

starting to pack for me means doing laundry, but i like thinking about what i need to bring.  not much: a couple of dresses, a swimsuit, a towel, sunscreen…

turns out kara was busy yesterday, so chris and i went home to st. croix falls to visit kate and the boys instead, which was very nice. here’s chris playing with nathan and joe (look how happy they make him!):

nathan’s in kindergarten now, so here is some of the work he’s been doing:

this one’s of star wars, you can see the light sabers and dead darth mal down in the left corner:

i especially like the brown sun.  that’s a nice touch, i might borrow it.

i just made a HUGE breakfast for chris and myself, breakfast burritos with sweet potatoes and jalapenos.  yum.  and now i’m relaxing and listening to a prairie home companion, which i just realized, is kind of annoying me right now.  i’m going to change it.

better.

i’m feeling kind of sluggish this morning, as last night after work jenny and I went out for a martini* at the dragon.  i hadn’t been there in a long time and it is always good to visit the splendor that is the red dragon chinese restaurant.  is it worrysome that i know two of the employees by name?  i think it’s mostly from caffetto and not from spending time at the dragon, but still, when you walk into a bar and the employees are like, oh hey tina, it makes you feel a little like cliff.  and not in a good way.

* = 2 martinis and 3 beers

i think kara and i are going to see the duchess later, or some movie.  that should be nice.  it’s really cold out today, like see your breath cold out.  and it’s snowing a little, so it’s a good day to go see a movie inside.  thoughts of mexico are keeping me warm.

here’s a picture of akumal bay, where i’ll be in about 72 hours.  yesssss.

and here’s a picture of a cat dressed up as a rice krispy treat (and looking pissed):

check out cuteoverload.com for all kinds of cute stuff (baby elephant feet!).

well, i suppose i should shower those dirty martinis away now…

so i gave my two weeks notice last night at the wedge.  it was sad, mostly just telling my coworkers was sad.  i’m going to miss them…  but it was sort of awkward telling my manager.  he was like, “it’s not the best time of year, but…”  well, sorry, but i’ve been looking for something more along the lines of a career since august, it just took me this long to finally get hired.  and i’m sure it looks planned to them because i give my two weeks notice and then am gone for one week of it in mexico, but, honestly, it just turned out that way (although i couldn’t have planned it better…).  and then he was like, “but you’ve been here for over a year…”  i’ve been there for two years.  recognize.  oh well.  i’m still sad, but looking forward to a change of pace.

so, everyone pretty much didn’t believe my wolf story.  they were all like, it was probably a coyote.  well, i know it was more likely to be a coyote, but the story is so much better with a wolf in it.  duh.  the big bad coyote?  i don’t think so.  and everyone agreed that the story is so much better with a wolf in it.  besides, this is minnesota, wolves are from here, so it is still a big possibility.  and i realized that i have seen a wolf before, at fawn-doe-rosa animal park in st. croix falls, wi, so i do know what they look like.  they have two timber wolves in cages there, which is sad because you could tell they were going stir crazy in one onethousandth of the space they naturally cover.  just a quick sidenote, the time that i saw the wolves at fawn-doe-rosa i was there with kate, nathan, and joe, and nathan and joe were just little:  joe was an infant and kind of just laid around not doing much, but nathan had just turned two and was very serious about the animals we were seeing.  there was a baby deer that was making some sort of little crying noise and nathan went up to it and kind of crouched down and whispered to it for a little while and when he came back by us he said, matter-of-factly, “he misses his daddy.”  it was probably about the cutest thing ever.  awwww.  so anyway, i do know what a wolf looks like.  rachel was like, “do you think it was a timber wolf?”  and i pictured kevin garnett running down the sidewalk with kill in his mouth.  (i know he doesn’t play for the t-wolves anymore, but he’s the most famous one i could think of, or the only one i could think of)

i can’t tell if it’s raining outside or not.  but it’s going to be cold ride to work either way, better bundle up.  bonus to riding bike to work in the cold: when you get there your cheeks are all pink and cute.  it’s a flattering look for anyone, even if it only lasts 10 minutes.

…some of the pieces i’ve been working on lately…

.

this morning i woke up to a layer of snow on the ground!  it was like those mornings when you’re little and you had no idea what was brewing all night.  i peeked out from behind the curtain of the window by my bed and was like “!”.  it’s not going to stay, it’s not even sticking to the road, but that’s good because i still want to bike to work today.

i’ve been relishing my lazy morning today, making a big breakfast and watching the view, because pretty soon i’m not going to have lazy mornings at home anymore (!) i got the job at the early childhood learning center!  yay!  i’ll start in two weeks.  but this means that tonight at work i have to give my two weeks notice to the wedge.  sad.  but i know it’s what i want to do, and i can still pick up shifts there from time to time, which might actually be fun.  still, i just have a hard time leaving jobs i like -even if it means moving forward- which is why i was at coffee talk for 5+ years, and i still miss it.

oh!  this morning (as i was watching the view) i saw a wolf run past on the sidewalk out in front of our house!  it had a rabbit or squirrel or some sort of kill in its mouth and it wasn’t actually running, but more like jogging by at a steady pace, so i got a pretty good look at it.  i saw it and was like, “what the…!”  i know it was a wolf because it was all skinny and kind of mangy, and i looked for a collar and couldn’t see one on it.  plus, i don’t think any husky-type of dog around here would kill a rabbit or squirrel and run around with it in it’s mouth; people in the city don’t have hunting dogs.  i wonder if i should call animal control or something.  there are a lot of children that live in this neighborhood and their parents might want to know.  but that sounds like some sort of fairytale or something, and i would be playing the part of the crazy person: the girl who cried wolf.  it was so weird… where did we move to?  take note that my whole life growing up in rural wisconsin i never once saw a wolf -well i thought i did once, but chris said it wasn’t (he’s not around this morning)- but once i move to the city i see one run right past my front window, with prey in its mouth, nonetheless!

anyway, i took some pictures this morning of our place (unfortunately i didn’t get one of the wolf):

our new living room

my plants.  (you can kind of see the snow outside)

my orchid.  usually they only bloom in the winter,

but this one’s been going since late last winter!

my “studio”.

some of the texts i recieved on my phone last night after the election was called for obama:

*yeah!

*obama wins!

*i’m crying, in a good way

*yeeeeeaaaaah america!

*horray!

*he did it! we win!!! OMG :-)!!!

*this is amazing!!

*believe!

*yeah=)

i had to work last night til a little after 10, so they had just called the election when i began my bike ride home form work.  the whole ride was a big party.  first i passed some girls out on the front stoop of their place banging on pots and pans and yelling “yay obama!” and i waved back, yelled, and the car passing me honked and yelled, “obama!” out their window.  then cars were honking and hooting all along the way and people were waving at each other.  finally when i was just around the corner from our place some very old man, stooped over and walking with a cane, on the sidewalk called out to me, “so obama [and he said bama like alabama] so obama for our next president?” and i was like, “yeah!” and he goes, “that’a girl!”.  i heard that in parts of the city they had to block the streets off because people were flooding into them.  it was such a united and jovial night, and today was pretty much the same, at least in minneapolis.  people were singing “oh happy day!” and everything…  i’m so happy.  even if it doesn’t turn out to be the change we’re all dreaming of, at least it’s worth a try.  things obviously haven’t been working that well for us for the last eight years, so let’s try another approach.

this morning i had an interview with richfield public schools for the paraprofessional position.  i think it went pretty well, but i’ve thought that before…  also today i was kind of expecting a job offer from the preschool that i interviewed with last week and have been in touch with since, but, alas, no call.  i thought they were just going to check my references, so unless someone gave me a bad reference (gasp!)… but who would do such a thing?  i just decided today that i would say yes if they offered me the job, and then they don’t even offer it to me.  i wouldn’t have minded so much yesterday, but now i have that feeling that you get when you don’t get a call after a first date, even though you had no interest in going out with the person again, you’re slightly offended that they aren’t interested in you.

oh well, i got a super cute dress for twenty dollars at marshall’s after the interview.

one of these two men will be our next president.

i can’t wait to just find out.  although there does seem to be a festive and excited air to the day, the anticipation is felt by all but none of the disappointment has hit yet.  i guess i must have felt this through the t.v., though, because i actually haven’t left the house yet and i’m still in my pajamas.  some obama volunteer did come to my door, though.  luckily i saw him ahead of time through the window and ran in to hide in the bedroom.  i was watching the view at the time and i think he heard it and hung around the door for a little bit, but i was peeking through the bedroom window so i could watch his every move… finally he left.  i’m going to go vote, don’t worry; i’m even skipping my yoga class because chris told me he had to wait in line for an hour and a half, and i have to work later.  and i’m going to vote for obama, don’t worry, but i don’t want to talk to you about it with my morning breath and pajamas on, okay?  lay off.

i also got a phone call today from the early childhood learning center where i interviewed and it was kind of akward.  this woman and i got along great last week (i kind of felt like she was interested in me even, you know, like that)  but this morning i don’t know if i said too much or what, but i kind of feel like i made her think twice about me.  last week when they asked me when i could start if i was offered the job i forgot to tell them that i would be gone for a week in mexico starting next wednesday, and then i told her that i have another interview tomorrow and she was like, “oh… is it another early childhood position?” and she said it kind of low and quiet like she was hurt, like i was cheating on them.  i shouldn’t have said anything.  and then i asked about what hours is would be, and it seems like i definitely wouldn’t be able to still work at the wedge, and i think she could sense that there was something i was hesitating about.  oh well.  i guess if they offer it to me i’ll probably take it.  but if the interview tomorrow goes well and if that job pays, like, a thousand dollars an hour, i might take that one and stay at the wedge part-time.

i leave for mexico next wednesday and then when i get back the sales of my artwork start, and that weekend is shanna’s birthday celebration and then suzie and lori are going to be in town for thanksgiving.  geez.  starting a new job in the midst of this sounds like a lot, luckily the job would be playing with kids, which is pretty stress relieving.

this is don flood, he’s part of the ace program at accessability, where i was working for americorps.  don makes AMAZING water color paintings, but he’s kind of a pervert.  a harmless pervert, and a somehow endearing pervert.  he also supplied kara and i with lots of great quotes, “you look like a mocadye”, “don, what’s a mocadye”, “octopus”.  or “bobby, [whos real name is robbie] you better stop that cryin’ or you’ll wake the baby”, “what baby, don?”, “the baby octopus”.  i guess he was stuck on that octopus.  don is great.  we recently just wrapped up a show with the watercolor paintings of the ace group at caffetto coffee shop in uptown, and they sold all but one or two and made $280 for the ace program!  which is, like, three months budget for them that they depend on for everything from transportation to class materials.  i’m trying to get them a show now at a dunn brothers in south minneapolis, but first kara and i have to do a class with them to make some more paintings. maybe i should dress up as a mocadye for don.

today is INCREDIBLY beautiful.  way too nice, this should not be allowed because it’s just rubbing it in our faces that summer is gone, not approaching.  but it is nice for sitting outside and drinking coffee.  i was going to make some coffee at home this morning and i put some water in the tea pot and noticed the water coming out of the faucet was yellow!  and this was after i’d already had some tea!  eew.  i just hope it wasn’t urine.

so tomorrow’s the big day: the election!  this will be the second election i’ve voted in and the first one was very disappointing, so i hope this time around i feel like my vote counts a little more.  this whole elctoral college thing is still weird to me.  i know it’s how we’ve done things forever, but it still seems to me that all votes should be equal.  but what do i know?  mocadye.  i am very excited to see how things turn out, though.  i have to work (which is lame) so i won’t be able to follow it like everyone else, but hopefully by the time i’m done we will have a pretty good idea of who the next prez will be, that way i don’t have to sit through the agony.

so now that my hair is dry and i can look at it in daylight, it is still black, or at least so dark brown that it looks black.  it’s definitely not what i was going for, but i guess i don’t hate it, and maybe it will fade (just hopefully not fade to gray).

well, this beautiful day’s-a-wastin’ away, so i should probably get home and get painting.  goodbye warm sunshine.  see you next may.