Awesome (Belated) News!

On the 13th of November, Drew started his new job! It's a retail position for a company that makes table top strategy games that uses miniature figures. We had been visiting the local store, hanging out and purchasing items to assemble and paint and he decided to go to the cattle call/prelim interview. He's working at the brand spanking new store in Kent and having a really good time. Besides the awesome benefits (medical, vision, dental, tuition reimbursement) I can go hang out in the store and work on my minis. In fact, I was thanked by his boss, the manager, for being there so often. How cool is that? I'm even attending one of their academies where they'll teach me about painting and assembling the miniatures and how to play the game.

My job is going well. I'm keeping busy. I sometimes get frustrated as everyone seems to think I have a better grasp on what I'm doing than I really do. (I often want to yell, "I've been here TWO months. I don't know all this stuff!) I'll take it as flattery. Or perhaps I'm far too good at faking competence. =D

I'm now one week into a three month contract for the job I posted about previously. No major issues as of yet. The job seems to be straight forward and I'm catching on fairly quickly. The person I'm covering for will not be in until my contract ends, so I'll be (kind of) on my own.

My only complaint is the drive. I wouldn't mind spending 45 minutes (minimum) in the car if there was constant movement. The stop and go traffic makes me nearly insane. I'm grateful that I'll only be doing this for three months. If I do find a job in the area, which is possible, I'm getting a lot of search results on Monster, we'll be relocating.

Other than the long drive, all is well. We've had a bit of rain, but not too much. I'm certainly not tired of it yet!

Work Update

A few weeks ago I posted my resume on monster.com and received a phone call from a placement agency. They had a job they thought I might be a good fit for, but it turns out that they needed someone with more technical/journal writing experience.

I was called on Friday, by the same group, about a temp job. It's obviously not my ideal situation, but I need a job and money so I'll take just about anything. If she can get me the max offered it would still be a cut. I was told, though, that the max was likely as I have the skills they need (I exceed the skills, actually).

I have an interview on Monday with the placement agency. As it's a bit of a drive from here, I hope they have me interview with the other place that same day. If they decide they want me, I'd start on the 1st at the latest.

I wouldn't turn down good thoughts and prayers for this opportunity and also for the other, permanent positions I've applied for.

One Week Down

I wish I had more interesting things to report, but I've been mainly busy getting things settled in the apartment and applying for jobs. It was so much easier when all I had to do was walk in some place, fill out an app on the spot and, in many cases, get interviewed (and hired!) right then and there. Now there are cover letters and resumes and emails and follow-up phone calls.

The major excitement would probably be the train ride up here. If you have the time and the cash the train is where it's at. I got a roomette for a total of 336, I believe. The day before I left the rate went up to somewhere around 700 to 800, so make your reservation early.

I climbed aboard the train and was immediately greeted by the car attendant, who handed me a lunch reservation ticket. I started to make my way to the dining car and was stopped by...a porter? Who informed me that there probably wouldn't be room for me and my backpack. So back to the sleeper car to find my room, dump my bags and then make my way to the food. I ended sitting with the lovely lady my mom and I met waiting for the train, and a husband and wife from Connecticut who were also on their way to Seattle. I had a lovely time chatting, though the food was average at best. This would be a recurring theme, great company, lackluster food.

Back at my room I ran into the car attendant, Chris. He apologized for sending me off like that and explained that I looked and acted like I knew where I was going and what I was doing, so he figured I didn't need much help! He then explained how everything worked, where the restrooms were and how the food reservations were made. We also made small talk for a little bit. He was a really nice person and I was quite glad I was on his car.

I was also extremely pleased with where I ended up. You can look at the layouts on the Amtrak website, but to give you an idea, the upper floors are almost dorm room like, room after room (11 roomettes and 4 larger bedrooms, I believe), with one bathroom. The lower level is much smaller. Only 4 roomettes and then the family room at one end and the handicapped room at the other. There are also three toilets and the shower on that level. Due to the fact that there isn't a way to move between the cars on the lower level, the only people that came that way were ones on the way to their rooms or needing the restroom. Consequently it was quiet most of the time. I also read that there is less movement on the lower levels, so there isn’t as much rocking. I certainly had my fill while eating on the dining car, which was on the upper level.

I didn’t have a chance to watch any movies, as there was something to do (typically food-centric) every couple of hours. Breakfast is a first-come first-served deal but lunch and dinner require reservations. Those in the sleeper cars don’t have to pay for food, unless you order any alcoholic beverages with the meal. There was also wine tasting in the afternoons, showcasing wines from the state or states we were traveling through. Having never been wine tasting, I had a really good time. The first afternoon I was sat next to the same couple from lunch, along with a Washington local (she was from Renton, which is just down the street from us, so to speak). She was traveling south when there was a stabbing on the train in the coach section! The gentleman across from us used his iPhone to look up news articles so we could find out a bit more about what happened.

The dining car is usually crowded and loud, so I was pleased to find out that there was yet another amenity for sleeper car passengers, the Parlour Car. There are 5 or 6 booths on the lower level and they offered a smaller selection of food, but it was quieter there. In fact, the first meal I had there I was able to sit by myself! The second I was sat with someone else, but I could have opted to eat alone if I wanted to. Again, the food was much like café food, nothing terribly interesting or terribly good. But it was included in the ticket, so I can’t complain too much. I will say I would have felt very put out if I had to pay the prices they were charging for the quality of food that was offered.

The roomette was cozy but not cramped. I can see that with a second person it could be, especially if you weren’t on good terms with them. =] There are two seats facing each other and a pullout table between. The seats were wide and comfy, and there was about a half a foot between the seats and the door. On one side was the “closet”, basically a hook to hang things and then a pocket of sorts at the bottom. The other side had the stairs to the upper berth, which was great for storing my backpack and purse. (I’ll have to load the pictures from my phone on to the computer and post them. The room photos were the only ones I took.) I had enough room for the laptop on the table and when I reclined the opposite seat, it became the perfect footrest.

I found sleeping on the train no problem at all. In fact, I found napping at any time no problem at all. There were times that I considered skipping meals because I was so comfy. Only issue is, you then have to pay for snacks.

All in all, taking the train was a wonderful experience. After driving and flying I have to say that when I travel back to California, if I have the time and money, I’m definitely taking the train.

Time Flies When Work Eats Your Brain

Update in numbered format. Because I'm all about incomplete thoughts. And poor sentence structure.

1. Only thing broken in the move was a ceramic goblet. Not bad at all. Of course we haven't opened all the boxes in storage. The many, many boxes.

2. My last day of work was Friday. Had a lovely potluck. With Swedish pancakes. With lingonberry butter. Take THAT gluten-free diet!

3. I got almost everything done at work that I had said I would.

4. Was asked frequently if I was excited about the move. My pat response was, "I'll be excited when I get all my work done". Guess what? I'm finally excited!

5. Goodbyes suck. That is all.

6. I'm really excited about the train. I'm not so excited about fitting everything into two (now three!) suitcases. Mom and I went to Linens and Things and picked up some space saver bags. They look like they'll be a big help. Although instead of being able to cram soft items in nooks and crannies, I have big, stiff blocks of clothing. I don't think I thought my cunning plan all the way through...

7. And I'm spent. Today will be packing as much as possible, last minute errands and final goodbyes.

Moving Part 1, Completed

The truck arrived on Sunday. I don't have a lot of details, save that Drew helped unload so that it wouldn't take forever.

Apparently far too many things ended up in the apartment, so the process of unpacking, reviewing, repacking and relocating has been going on this week.

Now, to start shipping stuff from here to WA, so I don't have too many bags on the train...

More Moving Adventures

Drew just called. The moving company is (finally) in Oregon.

BUT. It's a new driver. Our stuff was unloaded off the initial truck, then loaded onto another one, with another driver.

A new driver who wasn't aware that we were going to pay for the remainder of the move with a credit card.

Of COURSE the office is closed, so there's no way for the driver to verify this.

Drew is on his way to the bank to pull cash. The only upside to this is that the old apartment was able to get a new tenant in fast enough that our rent check for August will not be cashed.

I am thoroughly annoyed and cranky about this.