A few days in the life of Me!

I feel like things are settling in now. Finally.

I mean, it's only been a month, but still. I'm starting to really enjoy life here. This weekend I spent Friday working for Microsoft then went out for drinks and a movie with my roommate Mel. Horrible movie, but good company. There was a fire alarm right when it started and they evacuated all 5 floors of the mall we were in. Insane. Firetrucks and everything. By the time we got back up the 5 flights we got a free movie and ours had already started. So, even though "The Final Exorcism" is awful, we did get a free movie out of it.

Saturday I spent the day in the park, where the last post was written. It was a gorgeous day and I walked to my friend Chris's house then to the park about 15 blocks from my house. I brought my GRE books and spent time enjoying the sun and peacefulness of being outdoors in such a pretty area. There was a guy for about 2 hours strumming on his guitar and played some great music, perfect for the surroundings. Only downside was the guy who decided the hills were a perfect place for dirtbike driving. I about stood up and threw something at him, I was so pissed. He was ruining a great day, but he soon left. Then I hurried home and talked to my friend Efren on the way and then my sis for about an hour. I got in my car and picked up Mel, the roomie, to take her to the Mural Ampitheatre where they had an outdoor showing of Star Trek! Efren and Barb met up with us and we had a couple of beers and some popcorn to fully enjoy the experience. It was freezing by the end, so we headed off to a little sports bar and got free beer from pingpong players while we played Cranium. Barb and I ruled the board. It was a relatively easy win, haha. So sorry for Efren and Mel. It was a great night!

Sunday I cleaned up my room and walked to the Ballard Farmer's Market again. This week I went by myself. I went to the gluten-free bakery and got a loaf of bread, some vegan hummus (sooo yummy) and some plums. Then I went to the ritual sushi place and sat with John for happy hour. Miso soup, gyoza and crispy spicy tuna roll. I was stuffed. I took a ton of pictures along my walk, so I can share with you my little neighborhood.

Today I woke up and went to PCC (the entirely organic grocery store) and got some essentials. I got a paycheck in the mail from one day of work at TSS. I should get a bigger check this next week! Yay for money. I got home and did laundry, cleaned the bathroom and waited for my friend Alissa to call to go out for coffee and we walked to a little cafe down the street. It was fabulous. She's a talker though...I love meeting new people.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow though. If I get up early enough I might go to yoga on the lake, then off to my "orientation" shift at Wild Ginger. It's been rated the #1 restaurant of Seattle for the past 11 years and I got a serving job there! It's a pretty extensive wine and food menu. Really easy work though, not a lot for a server to do but tend to their tables. Pretty cool if you ask me. Then when I get back from work I hope I can go to my boot camp class with Mr. Gorgeous! Then my friend Mike is picking me up at 8 to go to a bonfire to meet some more people.

Yay for a completely brand new lifestyle! I feel like I'm fitting in nicely <3

Differences

See, I think this is what I don't get. Everyone lives the lives they lead. People go to their jobs and are unhappy with the life they have. I tell people I moved on a whim and they proceed to exclaim they're proud of me and wish they could do exactly what I did. It's not like this has not been without it's difficulties. I struggle every day. There's still a lot I'm trying to deal with. I just can't understand why I think so differently than everyone else. If I'm unhappy with my life I'm going to change it. Why not? What's stopping you? You're living now. Don't tell me there's obligations. Everyone has obligations. I have responsibilities too, to myself. I need to make sure that my life is leading in the direction I want it to be going. Your obligations will move too. These people that work their 9-5 jobs waiting for retirement are "waiting for their lives" to start. What's wrong with spending your money now on that trip to Europe you've always wanted or the pilots lessons you've dreamed of since you were a kid? You're healthy and alive right now. This is your life.

Risks are entirely about fear. Once you get over the fear of losing, you can conquer anything. Risks lead our lives everyday. They're what make it worth living. Without the fear or the sadness we'd never be able to truly enjoy the moment.

Like laying on a blanket with the sun warming small patches of your body as the sweet melody from the boy strumming his guitar floats across the park in your direction. The serene blue of the cloudless sky looks like the crystal clear waters of the Keys in contrast to the stark evergreen trees standing gallantly above you shading bits and pieces of this perfect little moment around you. Now this, this is life.

Life is easy

Haven't had much to do the past couple of days, so I've been catching up on my seasons of shows. Finally finished Dexter and True Blood, so I'm ready for the seasons. Well, let's say I'm caught up on True Blood.

I finally put up the pictures in my room. I'm not exactly sure how much I like them up. I love being able to look at all my favorite pictures from around the world, but it's almost a little claustrophobic for me. I put a chair in the corner of my room for someplace to read, so now it makes my room feel smaller. I don't know how happy I am with the layout. I'll let it stay for a few days and see if I grow accustomed to it or not.

I've been sort of an insomniac again. I'm not at all happy about that. I've been pretty good since I got here, but last night I had this dream that had me tossing and turning until 1pm. 1 freaking pm! I haven't slept that long since my days off in high school. I did stuff around the house for a little while, but it was raining outside today and I couldn't do anything I had planned on. I had wanted to walk to Kinkos and scan my Food Handlers Permit to send to my job, so I can legally work there. I had wanted to take my GRE books to a park and study outside for awhile. There was so much I wanted to do outside today and unfortunately the rain and cloudy weather made me stay inside.

Over the past two days, however, I have applied to a million more positions. I've contacted labs directly and been pointed in various directions, but I do have a professor willing to chat with me about an upcoming tech position when he gets back from vacation Sept. 7. So that's something at least. Other people are just referring me to more people. It's all about who you know and I'm just trying to get my name out there! Hears to hoping something comes from my efforts. I am in desperate need of a real job though. Whether it be the Wild Ginger, where I happened to have had a second interview Tuesday, or one of these lab positions I have been so desperately applying for.

Made a couple of new friends recently. Started talking to the guy that runs the outdoor film cinemas during the summer. He invited me to come out and meet his friends. I thought that was incredibly nice of him! Then the event manager from Snoqualmie invited me to come out with him. So, I might actually have things to do.

I was actually very upset Tuesday having to go to my second interview. I have found a great gym with a gorgeous boot camp instructor; his name is Josh and he's well-versed in martial arts. He also decided he wanted to kick my butt to see if I'd come back. I wanted to prove them all wrong, that I would come back, but I had to try and get a job instead. Well, needless to say, plans are on for this Tuesday and I can't wait to go and listen to my favorite bands while I work out with Josh again! I swear though, I may end up hating my favorite music at the end of these classes if he keeps it up.

I should probably try to get some sleep. Sadly, I am not anywhere near tired.

Before and After

My life in Seattle consists of this:

EPIC Success in figuring out the bus routes. Yes, you read that right! I did not prevaricate. I had a class downtown at 1pm yesterday. I went online, found the bus I was supposed to take, had the necessary amounts of money with me and I got on the bus just like the Seattlites! I made my way downtown with no problems. The way back was a different story because I was short a nickel, but all in all it was a success.

I work at the Snoqualmie Casino Thursday. I babysit Friday in Leschi (pronounced Lesh-eye). And I work at Chateau Ste. Michele Saturday. Let's get used to the new Native American names here. No more Seminole and Kissimmee. Here in Seattle is a whole different realm of people, haha.

I went to Borders and picked up my GRE study guides. I have my list of words for the day next to me. One of which just happens to be prevaricate. Luckily, I seem to know most of the words on the list, so that's a big help. I don't know if you knew that lawyers are raconteurs with endless machinations to win big. However, when they lose, they almost always become lachrymose. I'm going to rock this, eventually.


If my computer didn't want to be a jerk, I'd have already uploaded before and after pictures of my room. Nevertheless, it is a jerk and I cannot fix it right now. I have 50 words to learn and know and write down! I hope I have articulated well my life so far; I try to be as candid as possible while I imbue the information on you to placate your sense of wonder on how my life is evolving.

Take that Seattle!

I've been in Seattle almost three weeks...WoW

Let's see. I have a job. A home. AND furniture on the way. Take that Seattle! As of two days ago, I moved into my new house in Ballard, Seattle. I live with two wonderful ladies in their late 20s and early 30s, Melissa and Sasha. We have a four bedroom house with two and a half baths. Interestingly enough each bathroom is different. In the basement is the half bath, the first floor has a shower and the second floor has a clawfoot bathtub. It will only be the three of us this next year and we have two twin beds in the guestroom for company (hint hint). Our first floor consists of a bright yellow living room with a blue meditation room just off it. The room gets tons of light throughout the day. We have two gnomes that guard the staircase just in case any unwanted people come in...Our whole basement area is sectioned off. Part of it is the "laundry room" and around the corner you can find the "workout room." Behind the workout area is a large storage area for all the extras the ladies have including, but not limited to, halloween costumes, fake christmas trees, and misc. items. Pictures will be posted once I get my furniture in!

I went for an interview today that went horribly awry, however, I still got the job. I will be working for a staffing company that will send me out with various catering companies for different events. Microsoft is their biggest client! It's only supplementary income, but I will be getting $11.75/hr. with possible reimbursement for travel expenses and it's completely on my schedule. I have some soon to be busy weekends because a few families would like me to babysit for them.

Today I just agreed to buy a queen size bed, 6-drawer dresser and nightstand from a guy in Tacoma for $300. It's about an hour drive away, but I'm going to spend tonight trying to figure out how to get it back to my house tomorrow afternoon. Haha. I don't have a truck and don't readily know anyone with one either! Hmm...any suggestions?

This evening, Melissa and I will be going to dinner with my cousins then off to Rattlesnake Lake in the mountains to observe the Perseid Meteor Shower. I'm so excited. If any of you know me well, I love meteor showers! And I love the stars! The stargazing here, even in the city, is fabulous! I saw more constellations last night standing on my front porch than I ever did standing on my dock in Florida.

Fun fact of the day: I live in a Mormon household.

Bring on the challenges Seattle.

Airplanes and Things to get Used to

My sister gets upset that I don't write in here enough.

Updates on life:

Okay, so I'm having second thoughts about moving into that house now. It's a lot of money for not a lot of space. If you know me, you know I have tons of clothes! I NEED a closet. The house that I'm about to move into has about the size of a small dresser of closet space. I couldn't even put all my dresses in there! Tiny. Not a fan. I loved having the two rooms, but I'm realizing how big of a pain it'll be to try and fit the rest of my clothes...where? The room is so small it would fit a queen size bed and that's it. I'm thinking that's not worth it. To me, at least. So I decided it's in the perfect location and I like the roomie, so I'm searching for a house in the same neighborhood- just less money. I found two places so far that I will be visiting tomorrow. Each of them are, at least, 100 dollars if not more, cheaper than the house I'd be moving into. No kidding! That's over $1000 a year I'd be saving! I know. I shouldn't go through with this place. I'm just so ready to settle into a life here I want so badly for the perfect place to just fall in my lap. Well, if I find a place in Ballard I can still see my favorite roomie AND be in the perfect neighborhood.

In other news, today was the Blue Angels show at SeaFair. It's a HUGE festival where basically everyone in Seattle gets wastyface on their boats and on the beaches and watches the hydroplane races and Blue Angels fly. Not a cop in sight either! I went over to one of my Kappa sister's houses and she lives in a GREAT location! We could see everything perfectly from her porch. We had a keg full of local beer, cans of sierra nevada, rainier and tecate, and mimosas! Huge lunch spread too. People love their fruit here, it's just so fresh. Yum yum yum!
I took some great pictures of the Blue Angels flying!Richard fell asleep after the planes came through...too much alcohol and rainy weather don't mix at parties I've found.

Still been filling out applications like crazy. I need a job to feel comfortable here! I don't want to start planning to do things yet until I have one, so I know I can have the time off.

I do love it here though. The flowers are all so pretty. With very pretty scenery.


More things to get used to about Seattle:

Servers and Bartenders need a LICENSE to serve any type of food or alcohol in a restaurant establishment. I'm going on Monday to a class to pay $40 for my Class 12 permit, in case I get a job at a bar.

You can park on either side of the road facing either direction. Parked on a hill you need to remember the parking brake (I feel like this is going to end badly for me one of these days) and the wheels turned to curb when parked.

It actually does not rain as much as previously thought. Only about 30 inches a year. It doesn't snow much either. However, when it does rain nobody uses umbrellas. People still walk, bike, run in the rain...they just all wear rain gear. Weird.

Most restaurants/bars don't have applications. They only accept resumes.

Shakespeare in the Park is hella popular out here. There were probably almost 150 people in the small venue I went and saw "As You Like It" yesterday. Tons of people were going to "Romeo and Juliet" today, but it was raining on and off (in a light drizzle) all day.

On a non-hazy day, you can almost always see the mountains and the water...it's a cool sight.

Oh yeah, soda is called pop. People drink Squirt-Ruby Red and Coke out of glass bottles. The popular beers are Rainier (like the mountain) and PBR. Fish is the primary food group and everything is organic, like I said before.

Interesting how moving to another city in the US could feel like moving to another country. And I'm loving every minute of it, except for the fact that everyone in the house is sick. I'm trying so hard not to get sick, but they get worse everyday! Ugh...pray that I don't catch a cold my second week in Seattle. This was the first day it rained!! What am I going to do when winter comes?!

Job Search

Being that it's finally Monday and the weekend is over, I'm off on my way to find a job. Since I almost have a place to live, it's about time I find a way to bring in some money that I'm desperately lacking! I'm about to get up and out of bed to go for a quick run.

The weather is SO nice to go running in. I finally understand why everywhere you drive you see people in their workout clothes on the side of the road running; no matter where you are! It's absolutely fabulous.

After the run today I plan on traveling over to Ballard where my, hopefully, future house will be and looking for jobs. I am applying EVERYWHERE! I've already sent my application out over...30 times I think. I need to find a full-time position where I get 10.00 an hour. That's all I need to survive here with the amount of rent I'd be paying. So, that should be relatively easy. Most of the retail shops around here pay a min of 10/hr, so I just need to get hired somewhere! I'd prefer a serving position over retail, but I'll take anything I can get at this point. Wish me luck today on the job search.

Naked Hot Tub Club

Woooo hoooo!

So, I sent Chris a text yesterday telling him that I was indeed interested in his room and to keep me in mind when he was deciding on roommates. He had about eight people come through his house for the two rooms and I absolutely loved him. We talked for almost an hour when we met about nothing in particular. We just instantly got along and we seem to have the same humor because after I left I ended up having 3 missed calls from him and a missed text message. The text said, "Did you call me?" I replied, "No, did you call me three times?!" His answer was, "I just read my call log and it said that I dialed your number four times. I didn't do that. I must have fat fingers, lol" Instantly I decided this is the point where I see what he's like so I wrote, "You know, if we hadn't met already I might call you a stalker." He combats that with, "You don't need to worry about me, I'm a good boy." I was dying laughing. It might not be that funny to anyone else, but I had just met the guy and we were already messing with each other. This will be a fun year.

The house is a little weird in set up and I do promise pictures if the landlord likes me. I got an email from her this morning that we're going to work on the arrangement today. Nice big living room and a very open kitchen. The bathroom is right off the side of the kitchen and it has a clawfoot tub in it! AWESOME! I love those. If you head down the door next to the bathroom you'll go outside and find the laundry room. Then back inside and up the stairs, straight ahead would be my room. It's a little on the small side and has a tiny closet, but it's not like I need much room anyway. Then across the hall from my room is a "sun room." It's more like a small hallway with windows along it that would be considered mine. I can most likely fit a couch and maybe a dresser (to hold all my excess clothes!) and shove a little bookshelf in there. It's a nice little space and will be great in winter to read in or just relax. I'm not quite sure if I just want to keep it as an area if any of my lovely friends wanna come visit (HINT HINT). We have a cute little fenced in backyard with trees all around it, so there's a ton of privacy. We have a deck, two grills and a hot tub.

Let's talk about the fact that Chris just told me about the hot tub and we went inside. However, when my mother came to look at the house he proceeded to explain to her that most of the time people are naked in the hot tub. The type of cleaning system it has does not react well with detergents, so he prefers that IF bathing suits are worn, they must be washed first. However, most of the time everyone just goes in sans clothes. To my mom! And by the way, people are very open up in this area. Nobody's shy about that it seems. He had said it so matter of factly it was hard to doubt that he even thought twice about it! Can you imagine if some guy said that to you in Florida? It'd be just another way to get your clothes off! Here it's...normal. So that's...entertaining. And definitely something to get used to.

Here's to the naked hot tub club.