"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

a decent place to live
March 31, 2002 - 6:21 pm

i'm tired though. i didn't get much email, which is kinda a bummer. i didn't get any phone calls. somehow i keep thinking perhaps you'd call or write.

where to start with the trip? just the highlights. i broke one of the cardinal rules of road trips, well business related road trips anyway. i got off the highway at about 10pm on thursday looking for a fastfood place to grab a bite to eat. the sign said 4 miles. the rule is if you can't see where you're going from the exit, get back on the highway and try a different exit. i decided to take the 8 mile round trip journey. it was an odd road. it was three lanes all going north. i guess the south lanes were on the other side of the hill. i saw the mcd's and it was on my left. i moved to the left most lane and saw too late that you had to exit from the right, go under the road to get there. i zoomed on by. i got off at the next exit, about 3 miles down the road, and found out that there was no reentry. there was no sign for where the south bound highway was and no road to get back on the north bound lanes. it took me about thirty minutes to find a place that had a sign of use to me. now i know why that rule exists.

i got to edinboro and stopped at a stop light. when i stepped on the gas and my car went to shift from 1st to 2nd there was a pause and then a 'clunk' and it shifted. i don't drive a manual and knew this to be a bad sign for an automatic. i had about an hour before my interview and, since i know the town well, i drove to the chevy dealer. i explained my situation. he was sorry, but he wasn't sure if they could look at my car today. i reexplained my situation and asked for a loaner, saying i could leave my car overnight since i _could_ stay with a friend. i added that i was to be in pittsburgh saturday afternoon for easter with my family. he said he could squeeze in a diganostic test at like 1:30. my interview was for 11:30, so this would be fine...provided my car didn't die.

i called my friend at the company and told her what was going on. she laughed. she's like that. i thought it was kinda funny to. i debated stating at the interview that they had to hire me since my car was broken and i couldn't leave. i think they would have laughed. i say they because i faced five people, like a firing squad.

the interview went well. i think i'd really like working there. i found out later, unoffically through my friend, that two of the groups wanted to hire me and she was to find out which of four grups i liked. of course she told me what was up and i told her which of the two i thought i'd like.

after the interview i drove back to the chevy place, all this time i'm in my suit, very dressed up for this town. as i'm waiting for the service door to open i'm talking one of the worker guys. the door opens, i shift from park to drive and it does the 'clunk' thing. the guy says 'that shouldn't happen. no that shouldn't happen at all.'

i was not comforted by his words.

i drove in and they started to do their thing. i waited an hour, reading my book and wondering how much this would cost and getting read to be very pissed since the car is only one month old.

there was no charge, i was happy. it turns out one of the sensors that controls the shifting wasn't feeling well. they gave it some medicine and it felt all better. my car shifts correctly now.

i looked at two apartments. i didn't like either of them. well one was ok. i'm really not liking my car. not that it had a little issue, but the cost of it. it's going to be a three year albatros around my neck. with a car that cost like 100 less a month, i'd be looking at much better places. such is life. i choose it and now it's mine.

if i'm offered a job and since i have that insight i do, i'm going to push for the highest amount they offer. i've based things on maknig the 'middle' of the pay range...and my life would be happier if i was at the higher end. most people they higher are right out of college. i do have experience and a good recommendation.

i dunno. i'm bummed i wasn't offered the job when i was there. i'm actually a tad more annoyed than bummed. with two days notice i drove 8 hours for a one hour meeting. i was back at the place, in street clothes (i changed in the campus library just for fun). anyway, i was back at the place at like 4 since my friend was going to go with me to look at those two apartments. she knew where they were and had set up the appointments. as she left, she told her boss she was going with me...both of us hoping her boss would say she wanted to talk to me. her boss was on the phone and just waved bye.

oh well. it would have been nice to walk in tomorrow, hand in my letter at 8am...and see how things shake down. now it's going to be ackward. she might call me on my lunch hour...or after work. probably after work. once i tell her yes, i feel compelled to turn in my notice..it'd be kinda wierd going to lunch and coming back in with my notice in hand. i don't like turning it in on a tuesday..since i'm going to give two weeks..that's just ackward. jobs should be offered on a friday and accepted on a monday, with notice going in that monday too.

i'm not feeling half as happy as i wanted to be.

the drive back was boring. though the fast food i've been eating caught up with me. i don't normally eat greasy burgers n stuff. i'm not a food snob, i've just been trying to cook my own food or heat premade stuff. so anyway, i had to stop at a perkins. i felt much better after that.

what else. i stayed at my friends, drank beer with her husband...played with her kid, who is eight....and i knew when she was three. that was odd seeing her. after her kid went to bed, we watched poltergiest and drank more beer. i think we finished a case with her only having one since she's pretty sure she has another bun in the oven.

i don't normally drink that much beer. it was like being in college. that fits cause it's where i met both of them.

what else. my parents were...quietly disapproving and yet supportive of this idea.

the only part of it i'm worried about is finding a decent place to live.

i'm tired. i'm really wondering if i'm ill or something. not just this weekend, but in general i've not been feeling to spiffy or full of energy. i'm always thirsty..even if i drink tons of water. a whole list of little things. i dunno.

i think i'm going to take a nap now and worry about if i have clean clothes for tomorrow tomorrow.