Progress, Slow but Sure

In my desperate attempt to find employment, I sent out an email. It was a fairly mass email - it included everyone who has been in or involved with our parish choir since the invention of email. Well, not quite, but almost. It was, more or less, a "take pity on me and hire me" type of email. In it I offered to babysit, house sit, clean, do office work, food and bev work, sewing, etc. And in two days, I've heard two things! Within a half an hour of sending it out, I heard from a woman who owns a company who can potentially give me work and from a retired general who needs his garage cleaned. I haven't heard from the lady again, but I just got back after three hours of manual labor. It felt good, especially after I was given some money. I go back tomorrow to plow through more junk. (I would just like to take this time to note that I am eternally grateful that I am NOT a pack-rat. I mercilessly throw things away) And then, on Saturday, my music teacher has hired me and several other of her students to paint the interior of her house. In addition to all of this, a friend of a friend needs some alterations done. Between all of these things, I should be able to put some decent money in the bank!

The other response I got from the email was not quite as happy. The man, a retired Admiral, isn't able to give me any work, but he offered his prayers. (I wonder - he was the team leader of the Blue Angels at one point - do angel's prayers count more? ;-)) Then he mentioned that he knew Dr. Dillon. They were friends and had gone to seminary together. He asked that I say hello to him from him. It almost made me cry to do it, but I had to respond that Dr. Dillon had passed away. I was able to send him a link containing information about the accident and such, but I hated to tell him that way. Dr. Dillon touched so many people... more people than he probably ever imagined when he was alive. I guess he knows now, though...

An Untimely Demise

A good friend from school came down here to visit me this weekend. We had a lot of fun - we went and saw a chick-flick (The Proposal, which was very cute, btw), went to Mass downtown at OLR where she got to see one set of her many aunts and uncles and eight smallish cousins, went swimming, had a picnic, went boating on a lake, and watched another chick-flick (Miss Congeniality). I was so happy to see her! I miss all of my wonderful friends at school incredibly... she was a dear for trekking down here to see me!

She seemed to enjoy her visit (if actions and words are honest indicators), despite an unfortunate event. An event which stopped time itself - or, at least, an instrument which tells it. Her timex, left on a chair outside while we were swimming, met its end. The culprit? Our 10 year old Golden Retriever, Wanda. She, apparently, ate the entire band of our guest's metal watch. We have since recovered a small fraction of the band, hidden in a corner of our yard, but 90% of the item still remains missing. Thankfully, our guest was not upset, but she was greatly amused by the incident.

Dogs certainly do keep life interesting...

Munchkin Mania

The past week and half has been utterly crazy! On Tuesday last, our aunt and two small cousins arrived from SJ for a visit. It was tiring. Small children in unfamiliar environments aren't the easiest to keep happy, entertained, or just plain safe!



But, eventually, six a.m. Saturday morning arrived. The clan headed back to SJ with a couple of additions - my sister and me! We spent from Saturday until today (Friday) riding around the Bay Area visiting all sorts of family. We took the train to our grandmother's once, but other than that, five of us squashed into a medium-sized Volvo. It would've been fine with three normal sized adults. But when you add a ginormous car seat and moderately sized, but inconveniently placed booster seat into the equation, fitting into the middle seat is an art!



It was, despite the slight inconveniences encountered, a lot of fun! But I'm glad to be home :)

Job update

In case anyone is wondering, this is my job situation at present:

I am "employed" by the temporary agency. This means, if they have any opportunities available which I am qualified for, they will call me. It's a rather hazardous thing... I could get no work or I could be offered work that I cannot accept due to prior engagements (physical therapy, for one) It's a game of "hurry up and wait"

The second thing I just applied to today. There is a lady nearby with six month old twins who wants a part-time, helping hand. This would be very similar to what I did with "my babies" just last year. This is the PERFECT job. I would love the work, it's close to home, and the hours allow me to work around my physical therapy schedule. I can only hope and pray that she likes me and hasn't filled the position already!

The Saga of the Shoes

Shoes have always been something which have caused me trouble. My sister, being the easy, amiable, and simply person that she is, was always able to be fitted out with shoe from Payless. Thus, when I became old enough to need shoes, my mother assumed that the bargain-priced shoes would be sufficient for me as well. Alas, much to her discomfiture, those shoes would not do. In fact, they literally dissolved from around my little girl feet. My feet followed the rest of me, true to form: hard to satisfy and the bargain deal never works out.

Well, years later, my physical therapists have urged me to get good shoes. My first really good pair of running shoes was bought five years ago. We went to the shoe store which specializes in finding the perfectly-fitting shoe. The prices run a little high, but it's worth it for the amazing service. But again, I needed new shoes. My new PT took one look at my shoes and declared that I need new ones. So, Mum and I went on Tuesday to the sports store. Unfortunately, one hour and twenty pairs of shoes later, we had not found anything that fit me. I have what I call duck feet - very narrow heels and absurdly wide toes. Shoes are not generally made in this triangular shape. It was a frustrating and fruitless effort.

This afternoon, though, the saga came to an end. Dad and I drove 45 minutes to the good shoe store. The close branch, which we had made the previous purchase from, had since closed. But in retrospect, the drive was worth it. I walked in the door, showed the nice salesman (and no, that is not a contradiction of terms) my perfect, but old, shoes, told him about my feet, told him my size. He walked into the back, pulled out a pair of shoes, I tried them on and TA DA! another pair of perfect shoes! It was as easy as pie... maybe easier!

Breakdown of PT, day 2

So, it has officially begun. My first of the appointments that will be part of my schedule for the next month or so is over. The events of the day:

~ My foot and ankle muscles are really, really, really, REALLY tight. But my ligaments are gone
~ Was introduced to "The Stick." I know it sounds like a medieval torture device, but it's this really cool massage thingy. Pretty neat, actually.
~ Discovered sanitizer makes towels like sandpaper
~ Flexible joints make stretching one's muscles correctly difficult
~ PT, when you're an "adult", is all about doing things that make you look like an idiot

Aren't you jealous? :P

Breakdown of PT, day 1

I had my first physical therapy appointment today for my feet and ankles. This is what I was told, summarized in bullet points:

~ I walk too fast
~ I'm too young for this kind of thing
~ My ligaments are pretty much gone in my ankles and my muscles are super tense to compensate
~ I would fall over every step I take, but you can see me compensating dramatically
~ My right foot is still swollen and "mad at me"
~ I don't have any range of motion problems except the excessive kind
~ I'm a loosey-goosey girl all 'round

Yay! I have a whole four weeks to fix these things!!! (save the first and last ones... the first really isn't a problem and the last is just something I'll have to deal with permanently) This will add a bit of excitement to the summer :-/