All I'm Saying there's a joke in here somewhere

Anyone up for a trip to Preston, Idaho in June for the Napoleon Dynamite festival?

Seems like just the place to take some sweet blog photos.

Via Melissa.

Most of you know that we have two English springer spaniels, Cody and Grover. One thing that potential spaniel owners should consider is the fact that they are some damned hairy dogs. Ours require a hair cut about every two months, more in the heat of the summer.

Because it was running us about $80 per visit to the groomer for both dogs, we bought a good pair of clippers last fall and have been teaching ourselves to cut dog hair. (And in the words of Daryl Hannah's character in Steel Magnolias, I never, "let my personal misfortune interfere with my ability to do good hair.")

So I took the clippers in hand this afternoon and started shaving. And shaving. And shaving some more. The back yard currently looks like there was an explosion in a wig factory--are those called "wiggeries"? Anyway, Grover is entirely trimmed except for his swim-suit area, which his master is required to trim. No thank you--I don't trim dog balls, despite any rumors to the contrary. Cody is about 3/4 finished, and I lost patience and will let Matt finish up the job.

I was still in my sports bra and shorts from this morning's Pilates class, covered with dog hair. I failed to realize that I was getting one heck of a sunburn. In fact, I actually had what my old dermatologist called a photomorphic eruption, wherein the skin on my forearms gets hives from overexposure.

So there I was, looking like the Bride of Chewbacca with hives. Pictures are not forthcoming.

I have a job interview tomorrow. I really, really need to get this one, so start the good karma engines for me, if you will.

It was pointed out to me yesterday (in different, but no less hurtful words) that I am nothing but a resource to my current employer. The bottom line is that our administrator wants me to either quit or stay here and do my job. There is no leeway to give me a short-term assignment to another branch working out of Boise.

Because of my emotional state, living up here much longer is not an option. I have been battling mild-to-moderate depression since I moved to Cascade four and a half years ago, and have had to go unmedicated because of our desire to have a family. Being up here during the week without the one thing (my husband) that made it bearable in the past isn't an option.

So that leaves me with one path of action: I get another job ASAP and resign from this one. If I don't get the position I'm interviewing for tomorrow, I've got a chance at a temp job for the summer. It's the same pay, but I wouldn't be gaining time toward retirement or paying into my retirement account. I can handle that for the sake of my mental health, believe me.

But I think I've got maybe two to three weeks of sanity left for the current arrangement, and then I'm going to go wackadoo.

(Borrowed from Sherri, BTW.)

The Good: I can go back to drinking wine and eating sushi for another two weeks.

The Bad: Why? Because once again, I am not pregnant.

Continue reading "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"

I saw this headline: DNA Tests on Old Underwear Lead to Arrest, and I thought to myself, "Jeez, what a dope. If you're a sex offender and you throw out your old underwear, maybe you should wash them first. Idiot..."

Turns out the underwear belonged to a victim, not to the perpetrator. Maybe that's why I don't work for the DA's office.

Mel has joined forces with a great team and launched the coolest new web design/hosting/etc. site ever! I'd like to present you with Bonafide Style.

As many of you know I recommend Mel highly for design work. (I mean, hey, look around you.) If you're looking for a change or you need some help, she's your girl.

Good luck, ladies!

I'm still waking up. I'm not a morning person, and it usually takes me until about 8:00 to 8:30 to really regain any sort of mental acuity.

I got smarter about camper living after a week. Instead of using my French press for coffee (heating a kettle of water on the range prior) and then having to wash all the dishes generated by that, I bought a bunch of those bottled Starbucks frappucinos at the grocery store. Take the lid off, pop it in the microwave, then drink it and throw the bottle away. No dishes, go me.

The temperatures are warming up. I'm pretty sure it's only getting down to about 40 in the RV in the middle of the night. So that's good. I need to call later this morning to schedule an interview with the only other place that has me short-listed for a job. Wish me luck there!

See that bad boy there? *adjusts pants to accomodate self grown better endowed* Yeah, I won that today.

My former room-mate oversees some of the training aspects of the Peace Officers Standards & Training (POST) academy for the state. Matt and I had signed up for this fun run/walk before we realized she was one of the organizers, and since I found that out, I've been joking with her about how I was going to win the race. We all know I don't run. It would be sad if I did. She and Matt & I had a good laugh over that image.

So imagine the look on all our faces today when the announcer called my name and handed me a certificate. Yeah, it's third place in the ladies division of the walk. But there were probably 40 other women out there. That's why I felt compelled to do the Mary Katherine Gallagher Superstar pose as I was walking up to get my major award.

The good thing about Matt and my old roomie is that I can always horrify both of them with my nerdliness.

If you hate all the magnetic yellow ribbons on peoples' cars, you'll love these.

I'm absolutely in favor of supporting the troops. Emotional support, financial support, recognition that they're doing a very dangerous job. But I fail to see how putting a magnet on your car makes you a supporter, or makes you a better American.

Seems to me that if everyone who had one of these ribbons donated just one dollar to an organization that provided meaningful support to our service people, the country would be in a better place. Instead of buying a stupid magnet at a gas station, why not donate the equivalent amount to an organization that provides scholarships to the children of service people killed in action, or to one that helps feed the families of the underpaid military folks out there?

I heard a good joke today:

What's the difference between a Harley and a Hoover?

Continue reading "You're Gonna Like This One"

It really is true: there's no place like home.

I made it back here last night. I had a training session in Boise today, so it made sense to overnight in my own bed. Holy cow...it's hard for me to express how unhappy it feels in that RV in the evenings when I am all alone and don't have anyone to talk to.

Matt has been trying to coach me through it, and has the good advice of finding a way to expend positive energy after I get off work. For example, instead of sitting in the trailer reading and listening to sad music, I can go for hikes. I helped a co-worker (hi, Janet!) put together part of her new desk. Not only is it good karma, but things like that keep my mind and body occupied.

I'm going to try to tough it out. If you'd asked me Monday night if I was going to last the week, I'd have said no. But I think every subsequent day will be a little easier, though it won't necessarily be a happy time.

I should be interviewing for another job down here in the next week or two. There are a couple of other options out there, one involving taking a cut in pay, but hey, I wouldn't have to live in a trailer 85 miles from home.

Sherri offered up this link on her site after she won free movie tickets.

Basically, it's a Google-powered search engine, but you can win prizes as you're searching. Neato, eh?

Go join up and see if you can score some schwag while you search!

Anyone have any opinion or thoughts to share about the election of the new Pope?

While I'm not personally affiliated with the Catholic church, my husband was raised Catholic and his parents are very devout. I'd been hoping that a moderate would be chosen, but it sounds like Cardinal Ratzinger is nearly as conservative a Catholic as Mel Gibson.

The linked article says this about the crowd's reaction at Vatican Square: Ten days later just before Ratzinger and 114 other cardinals entered the conclave to select the 265th pontiff he delivered a sharp-edged homily on strict obedience to church teachings that left liberal Catholics wincing.

"We were all hoping for a different pope a Latin American perhaps but not an ultraconservative like this," she said.

Well, we made it. They new site is up and running, and the design and archives should be coming over soon. In the meantime, it's nice just to be able to feel like I can post regularly!

Major kudos to Mel for getting all this done, even though she's got about a bazillion other things going on right now.

Movable Type, that is. Stability... A wider array of publishing options...

The new site is CaseyOC.info, so if you happen to be linked to me, please update your tags.

The design and archives are in the process of being migrated, but all new posts will be made at the new site from here on out. Come on over!

I see I've been posting as Mel. Okay, the last two entries were written by me, Casey. Yeah...moving on now.

It's snowing outside my window now and the snow is blowing in about a million directions. Yes, I said "snowing." I can't really say that I'm too excited about that. I've only got a half-hour before I return to life as Trailer Trash at the RV, and I'd just love it if it was about ten degrees warmer outside.

It was a cold night last night. The RV has an electric heater, but I have visions of dying in a Winnebago inferno if I was to leave it on during sleeping hours. I woke up shivering around midnight, but thought to myself, "Maybe it's 5:30 in the morning. I can get up if it's 5:30." I rolled over and checked my watch, and like I said earlier, it was midnight. And I had to go to the bathroom. Did I mention that I don't have any water in the RV to flush the toilet? Until things warm up, I don't want to risk having the pipes freeze and break. So I went outside and made wee-wee in the grass. Is anyone jealous of my fabulous life yet? Paris freaking Hilton should have it so good.

Continue reading "Purgatory, Day One"

Actually, I think that's just rain. Still, it seems appropriate because I have to leave for Cascade in about an hour. Dad is meeting Matt and I up there and we'll get the RV set up, then Matt and Dad will leave me standing at the window looking forlornly out the itty-bitty window watching them leave.

It reminds me of Family Night at Outdoor School when I was in fifth grade. Up until that time, I'd been to maybe two slumber parties and a bunch of overnights at my grandparents' house. But that was it for familial separation and I was miserable at this week-long camp. I'm not sure why I was so wretchedly home-sick, but I made myself physcially ill over it. My parents and little brother showed up for Family Night, and I basically insisted I was going home with them that night. There was no way I'd be able to stand there watching their tail-lights leaving without me.

The first person I told was my father, who was in complete agreement. Then I told my mother, old Tough Love herself, and she said I was staying there and that it would be good for me to quit being such a baby. In fact, she got my teacher in on this, and they were both trying in their totally constructive way to make me stay. What did I do? As I was sobbing, I punched my mother right in the tits and ran out and threw myself in the car. My father was furious that my mother tried to make me stay. Looking back, (and I realized it even then) it was a miracle they didn't get divorced any sooner than they did.

Anyway, after that sad little story, I'll sign off for the day. I'll be getting back on during the week and updating to let you all know how it's going up there in the hinterlands. And if any of you are Verizon customers and want to chat with me for free in the evenings, e-mail me and I'll give you my new cell number and you can keep me company.

During the outage, I received a very entertaining e-mail regarding this site. Ages ago, I posted about a greedy E-bay user hogging up a bunch of shirts, one of which I was hoping to buy. And in that post, I listed that person's E-bay user name (christinemurray) and said she should rot in hell. So that's the back-story. Here's the e-mail:

hi, my name is christine murray. i am NOT the ebay user that you told to rot in hell. however, that is my name and i am extremely insulted by your comments.

my mother looked up my name on a search, and all she found was someone telling me to rot in hell.

thanks a lot. i hope a long lost friend doesn't try to find me and sees your nasty blog.

christine murray

So I realized that I totally need to print a quasi-retraction here. Any Christine Murrays out there who are not the E-bay user by that name, I do not want you to rot in hell. If, however, you are the one who sent me that e-mail, I'd like to state for the official internet record that I think you are a total wanker. What kind of goombaw would waste their time sending an e-mail out to someone they don't know about something that had nothing to do with them in the first place? Also (officially), if you are one of this person's "long lost friends," maybe this kind of looniness is why you got yourself lost in the first place, eh? And finally, if the only thing this person's mom could find on her name was that post, maybe she should get herself her OWN BLOG where she can say WHATEVER SHE DAMN WELL PLEASES.

Jeez, no blog for a week! There were issues; Blogger took their own sweet time in figuring out the problem. I'm still planning on moving the site, but it looks like I'll at least be able to update now.

I did not get the job I interviewed for. Someone else, already worked for BLM, good qualifications...blah, blah, blah. And that's why I'm returning to Cascade in defeat this coming Monday. My employer wants me back to work now, and I don't think it's a good idea to quit (much as I feel tempted thinking about it). So I'm going to live in my dad's RV for the next month or so, then move into government housing when it becomes available in mid-May. Craptastic, eh? At least I get to work a 4-10 schedule, so I'll be able to spend three nights a week at home. My real home, not my camper home. *cry*

Really, that's the biggest news lately. I hope I still have some readers left after the outage...

Well, I've been trying to post for two straight days a week, and have had no success. I also have no reason to think this post will succeed where others haven't, but you gotta keep trying. I haven't even heard back from Blogger support on the requests for status information I've sent.

Mel is helping me transition to a new site with support by Movable Type, but she's got a lot going on right now with her upcoming wedding and the changes may not be implemented soon. I hate having to apologize to you readers for problems Blogger has created with its instability, but I guess someone has to step up to the plate.

I had a great interview yesterday and I'm hoping to hear good news early-ish next week. You know you'll all hear about it when I know something. (Blogger problems notwithstanding.) Thanks for hanging in there, readers!

I did it! I got the third lesson of my scratcha-frickin' Dreamweaver class completed. And it only took me two weeks to do a lesson that should have taken 30 minutes. I had to reload the software and start from scratch, but it worked. Whew...now I'm only four lessons behind. Hey, you gotta start somewhere.

So I found out that my job interview on Thursday is going to be a phone interview. It's killing me from the nerves because I'm so damned charming in person, and I just don't know if I can adequately charm the interviewers' collective socks off through the telephone line. On the plus side, it does mean that I don't go through a major wardrobe crisis tonight that would have continued on into the wee hours of the morning. That's a plus. And I've got (as my husband refers to it) The Zit That Ate Cincinnati on my cheek. It does detract in the slightest bit from my overwhelming charm. *shrug*

Any words of wisdom for the interview? Would anyone like to share the worst interview question and answer you've ever heard (or even spoken)? Because of his cruel comments about my complexion woes, I'm going to rat out my husband. He was asked in an interview, "If you could be any kind of animal, what would you be?" His answer: "Uh...an elk. 'Cause...they're majestic..." I guess his sheer eloquence didn't intimidate anyone--he was offered the job.

I have a job interview on Thursday! At least, someone called today while I was at the gym and wants to schedule one with me. This is for a job (since they haven't hired me yet, I think I can say) with the Bureau of Land Management as a "Fire Program Assistant," which is a nice way of saying "secretary." I'm hoping the fact that I've been a wildland firefighter in the past will serve me in good stead. That and I can type.

This is the job I'm kind of hoping for. Woot!

Does anyone else reading go to saunas? And if so, do you tend to have really weird experiences in them, or is it just me?

We joined a gym that has both a men's and a women's sauna. Matt says nothing particularly odd ever occurs in the men's. Pretty much every time that I'm not in the sauna by myself, things that I find peculiar happen.

For example, early on I was sitting in the sauna, minding my own business. There was one other woman in there, and everything seemed fine. Then another woman came in and sat down on the bench above me. And she whipped out a bag of granola and an apple and had herself a little snack. In the sauna. With sweaty, partially dressed strangers in there. In fact, she actually dropped an oat or something on my shoulder at one point.

More recently, I went into the sauna and saw a couple of towels sitting on the bench. They weren't in my way, so I sat close to the brazier and started to heat up. Five minutes into the experience, a stark-ass naked older woman (50's? 60's?) walked in with a stack of wet t-shirts. She then hung them on the side of the brazier away from me, but seemed kind of huffy when I didn't move my legs into an awkward angle so that she could hang up her final piece of laundry. She sat in there for a few minutes on the towels (hers? or not?), maybe to make sure that I had no designs on her garments, and then walked out. Judging by the sounds, she headed for the showers and proceeded to cough, hack, and yark up lung butter into the floor of the shower for the next fifteen minutes. Then she came back, gathered up her t-shirts, and I later saw her naked ass just sitting there in the women's locker room.

The whole thing is starting to freak me out.

Life is short. The days are short. And due to stupid freaking Daylight Savings Time, this one has been a whole hour shorter than the one before. Anyone else out there think that it is an idea whose time has come and gone? God, I hate it. I'll hate it even worse when I have to wake up at what two days before had been 5:00 in the morning to go to work.

In other news, Matt and I held an open house yesterday. We are now officially awash in red wine, as most of the people who showed up brought us a bottle. I started joking that now that we had all the vino, we could hold the *real* house-warming and really get down and funky. It was a really good day and tons of people showed up. We got lots of good reviews on the house, and it was nice to see many of my friends from when I lived in Boise six years ago. Those who didn't show up will never be invited to my home again. (Kidding...)

Finally, I've decided my daily schedule is officially wackadoo. The weekends aren't bad, but I don't think I'm getting as much done as I'd like to be. Granted, an hour and a half spent commuting to Emmett several days a week is taking a big chunk out of the day, but I'm also trying to juggle working out, applying for jobs, taking my online class (and I'm still sucking the big one there), and having enough down time to stay sane. I'm afraid I may have to start prioritizing--a position I've never been in before. I suppose finding a regular job should be Priority #1, no? There may be light at the end of that tunnel, as I found out last week that I'm on at least two "short-lists" for positions that I've applied for lately. Fingers crossed, y'all.