I hope I exuded enough confidence, but hey my references are good

Saturday was a big day! I got up. Had breakfast. Started laundry to make sure I had a nice work shirt. Went over to Celia's and helped a bit with cat stuff. Did my makeup subtle but nice, straightened my hair, put on slacks and opted for heels. Wanted to look nice and presentable. If I get the job, it isn't super fancy BUT you don't want to show up to interviews like a shlub.

So it's a bed and breakfast I'm applying at. Won't name it by name because of google reasons. But it's in Port Townsend. It's a really nice little establishment! It would be a house keeping position with potential to move up/be diverse. I tried to push my skills at being varied and being on my feet all day and being an industrious worker. I have a little bit of l'esprit de escalier but who doesn't? I wish there could be a short mini interview where I can be all OH AND I MEANT TO ADD THAT I LOVE WORKING FOR PEOPLE THAT VALUE EMPLOYEES, I'LL WORK SO HARD FOR YOU IF YOU DO THAT!! I'm hopeful but there are other people. Hopefully they just like me the bestest.

After PT I went to Seabeck (got some fast food on the way) and hung out there. Driving Ma & Pa to the airport, or rather driving the car back and I'll pick them up some time from now. So I snacked and drew my comic and we left at 7:45ish. Seatac isn't the worst to get to, thankfully it's right before traffic gets awful. I didn't have an AUX cord but my phone was able to play some 99% Invisible episodes loud enough. I parked the car in Seabeck, got in my car and went home. Lots of driving!

And lots of sleeping.

Had a little breakfast, drew a comic, and at 6ish I went over to Celia's. I helped heat up some soup and fed the kitties and then we settled in to watch some television. We started Breaking Bad...and I left after six episodes in a row. But Season 1 Episode 6 is SO GOOD! Once I knew a marathon was going down, I waited to catch that one. So good. And I didn't catch that Ken was in Better Call Saul too! What an excellent cameo.

Now it's late. Now I wait.

All About KB

I jammed my pinky on a mug that I was putting away. Like I dropped it, and caught it on my pinky and it twisted my pinky. Doesn't feel broken, just very badly bruised. I also noticed a weird bump on the back of my left heel, which is the same foot that has been hurting to walk on intermittently. Googling "bump on heel" has incentive me to actually book and appointment with a doctor and get myself looked at. Anyway, on with the show:

Thursday:

Karen's day! Her 29th birthday! Got up nice and moderately early and did my makeup and all that. Hauled out a pile of presents (I went a bit overboard but I kept finding/thinking of good things for her!) and headed out for Bremerton. She liked the Bleeding Heart plant card I made for her (in a different style from my other others, I drew with ink and washed the card when the ink was still drying, so it had an outline of the details). And she liked the scarves and the vase and earrings (which were a gift to me, Laura didn't charge but I would have paid but shhh don't tell Karen) (and it's good she liked them cuz jewelry is hard to pick but they were brass with turquoise colored stones and geometric in style, which I've seen Karen wear). And she liked the freebie mini dishes I got from work which would have been impossible to sell. Six little matching blue and white dishes that were probably lids to something else that has been sold. Perfect for soy sauce/little condiments! Karen's taste in china is blue and white patterning. And the grand finale: she loved the shrinky dink charm bracelet I made her:

Leg milagro, Saint Servatus, and Queen of Wands. Carefully picked. I liked giving gifts, especially when I know they'll be liked. Sometimes I hit a good streak. I'd rather be generous. Anyhoo.

We got sushi! Yum yum. We walked to the shop, as it was a beautiful day for it, and ate plenty. Then back to her place for more chatting. Rob came over around 6, and they left to get dinner with her parents, and as did I. I mean, I left. I didn't join the dinner (though funnily enough they went to Anthony's, where she joined us for my birthday! But Rob was her plus one this time around. I'm fine with that tho, as I wasn't hungry).

Picked up my comics. Yay comics!

Then in Silverdale I swung by Target and got hair dye for when I feel like doing that again, and they had this eyelid primer that is super cheap brand but highly recommended so I got that, and Target...has...IT'S-IT!!! LIKE! The best ice cream sandwich ever!!! I thought it was only in California but no it's in the Silverdale Target! Ahhhh! I got the package and ate one on the way back home and hoped the other two (only sold in boxes of three) survived. They did. I shared one with Celia because It's-It MUST be shared.

Then I retired.

Friday:

Celia is off to Portland for the weekend and I helped keep Corbie distracted while she left. He's less of a wandering doggie these days, so that's good.

I threw on a floral short dress and some shorts and headed south to Shelton to meet Karen & Rob at the skydiving place to provide ground support for them. Karen is doing a 30 Before 30, and skydiving was #1! Brave lady indeed. The place was nice and open. The staff was friendly and let Anna and I take plenty of pictures (Anna and Richard were friends of Rob). I'd like to go skydiving sometime but it's expensive, alas. I mean not the worst but a bit out of my range right now. Karen was nervous but strong and up she went and I stared at the blue sky and then I saw little dots and then those became parachutes and there they were! How wonderful! All of them, in one intact piece. Hurray! So proud of my super friend.

101 was a gorgeous drive today. Sun was out, it was hot, the water was sparkling. There was one truck that was in a ditch. Gotta respect the speed limits, yo. I watered the garden. The carrots are coming up this time, and the green beans are poppin' through. I stood in the canal, up to my bum, and contemplated the beauty of it all.

Then I set up my computer at Celia's and internetted it up over there and kept the kitties company. Sam let me pet him a whole bunch!

Got some work from home to do tomorrow. Will probably try to get a swim in, or at least a bit of basking.

out of Cali to Pulali

And once again I am several days behind because I've gotten lazy!

Job status:

Still unemployed, but I called to say "hey?" and they said they are still interviewing and they'll get back to me early next week.

Packing:

Dad and I got breakfast at 9ish in the hotel. I had the quick pancakes, tea, a cinnamon bun, an egg, and bacon. It was good we got a full rest in before the day and night and days efforts that would occur. We checked out, went to the Uhaul and got the 5x8, and got out of Target with snacks and string at 11:15ish. At the storage unit, the mattress was hauled into the trailer at 11:26am and five more trips up and down later, it was all in the van and trailer! There was room to spare, but it couldn't get too heavy and stuff was packed juuuust right. And at 1:15pmish we headed north to Pulali!

Driving:

Dad did all the driving up, as I'm not currently equipped to drive a towed thing. But I did my best to stay awake and keep him company and rotate out music and podcasts and conversation. I treated him to some snickers and In-N-Out, as it was his birthday! And he was spending it with me! And he even got to fix something when the bolt was rattled off the front passenger's side brake caliper. Just across the border it started humming and thankfully we were close to a rest stop, and the car was driveable and we didn't have to stop on the highway. Dad took the other bolt and moved it to the top, so that we couldn't properly brake in reverse but we could get to a place where we could get a replacement bolt. So good to have a mister fix it for a father, because that could have been damn bad! 9:20pm and a messed up brake? Miles from anywhere (well Ashland was the next city, still).

We drove on into the night and at 1am I made Dad pull into a rest stop for a nap. I used my alpaca as a pillow, like the good old days when I had a stuffed cat plush for a pillow.

I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT CAT.

And we drove on into the sunrise and scooted around Portland and got McDonald's in Olympia and a new bolt for the caliper and got to Pulali in under 24 hours since leaving Santa Cruz. I unloaded my stuff into the garage, pulled a few shirts and jackets for Seabeck use, put some mugs into the main house, and made tea for Dad and I. All locked up, we went to Silverdale and dropped off the Uhaul then Poulsbo to check out some marine stuff and candy. Then back to Seabeck to see mom and get some tasty chicken soup!

And then an early to bed night for us weary travelers.

Wednesday:

Called to see about job status. Slept in. Took it easy. Mom and Dad ran some errands. What else happened? Uhhmmmn. Did I help with something? I feel like I helped with a chore or task or... I dunno.

Thursday:

Helped Dad check the brakes on my car. Took off the wheels, did the measurements, all was well. I torqued the nuts on the wheels myself getting them back on. Felt pretty good about my skills at that skill. It's good to know how to take off your cars tire. Lunch was sandwiches. I felt really tired in the middle of the day. Almost took a nap, but didn't. Picked up delicious Seabeck Pizza for dinner. Mom made smoothies in the fancy smoothie thingy that Nathan got them for Christmas.

I took the Meyrs-Briggs test, and I came up as an ESFP. I'm pretty happy with that analysis. So I'm an ESFP, Ravenclaw, Aquarius...and some other stuff.

caramel by the sea

Spent a lot of the day driving. I don't like the road from Redwood City of San Jose. Too windy. The drive from San Jose to Santa Cruz & Monterey is nice though. Rolling hills, nice atmosphere, warm, not winding. It is a long journey from San Francisco to Carmel, quite the journey considering I was applying for service positions, and not art jobs. But I need interview experience, and if they are willing to talk to me because I show up, then I'm going to show up. Don't want to bumble in the (hopeful) eventuality that a studio will bring me in for a chat.

I printed out some resumes and left at 1pmish. It was a gorgeous day, and the ride was nice. It is an hour from Santa Cruz to Carmel, and an hour and a bit from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.

I applied first to this lovely resort ranch. It had deer and quail and everyone was really nice. They even gave me a preliminary interview! Chatted with Rosie and did a lot better at talking myself up and my strengths than I did with the prop rental company interview. She even introduced me to Clint, who was more in the department of the job I was sort of applying for (I wrote down server, but I'll take what they think I'd qualify most for). Pool server job. Keeping the pool area nice, tending to what people may need. Be outside and on my feet, and in a nice place (the resort is very pretty, did I mention the quail?). Not art job, but could be full time, and if it is full time then that gets me income and I'd move and start being independent. It was a long way to go for something outside of my field, but people within my field are not getting back to me. I need to be more patient, yeah, but...I'm ready to work! I'm tired of mooching, and being in transition.

I've been out of school a year now. A year!

And it is good to get familiar with the Bay Area to Santa Cruz drive. I like SC. Need to hit that place up some more.

Anyway, after that resort, I went to another one, though that was more a hotel. Applied there, but no immediate interview.

I drove to Monterey and had some pizza at a really sketchy place. The sign was really nice, but inside was really...dang. Looked like a front for some other sort of business. They didn't put any effort into maintaining it. Anyway. Wandered around Monterey a bit. Looked for bookstores and pastry shops, but they were closed. Found a watch repair store and he had a battery, so I replaced my watch battery on the spot. I almost didn't wear it today. Good thing I did! Now I have a working watch. Hurray.

From there, I headed back and made super good time back to San Francisco. Two hours is a lot of driving, but at least the roads are good and it isn't rainy and I'm in a car with good ga-oh man, it probably rolled over to 200,000 miles! I need to see if it did.

Got back at 9pm. Feel very tired. Tomorrow I'll apply for more jobs. Just have to keep...doing it. Eventually something will happen.

Seabeck, WA to Medford, OR

My alarm went off at 7am, and I managed to roll out of bed at 8:30. Go me! I showered and got right to packing and sorting and putting things into boxes. Pretty soon all my stuff came together. Art supplies, hair stuff, books, more art supplies. The pile started forming and I started getting worried about if it would all fit in the Prius. Before I piled it all in, I paused to have some tea and Cheerios. It was a lovely sunny day in Washington. Luckily, everything all fit! And I didn't even need to cram or do any major Tetris-oh crap I left my Tetris shelves at home! Oh well. Anyway, it all fit! My clothes, my plastic wheely organizer, my portfolio, my Baticelli, everything! It seems like a lot of stuff, but I'll sort it out. At a little bit before noon, I hugged and kissed Ma goodbye. I got in the Prius, and drove off. It dripped a bit of rain. I topped the tank off at Wild Cat Lake, and vroom off I went. The rain came and went. Near to the Washington/Oregon border, the rain came down really hard. I slowed down, and was very careful, and had the windshield wipers at full. It cleared up in Portland, which was the only place traffic really slowed down. I put more gas in my tank near Eugene. Bought myself a hot dog and a Red Bull as well because I was feeling a bit tired. I listened mostly to The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders; switching to Electric Six or Lady Gaga when I felt like just some music.

I stopped at many rest stops. One past Olympia, one that was 95 miles to Eugene, then one further down I5, then once again 40 miles from Medford. I was originally planning to cross the border and look for a hotel there, but with night came more rain, and I didn't feel like slugging through the dark wetness, so I pulled into Medford, found a Super 8 and got a room.

Oh, it also hailed something fierce around Albany/Salem (I forget). Just really horrible hail. And some of the rain was suspiciously slushy. The Pacific Northwest is really not trying at all to win me back.

Interesting how a hotel room in Oregon has more amenities than the ones in Vegas. Big fridge, free internet, huzzah! There is also breakfast included. So I'll get up, eat, then head out for Redwood City!! Yay! Will fill up the tank before I get back on I5. The snack bag mom packed is only about half depleted.

So close to the Bay Area!

Eight hours on the road isn't that much, but the weather sucked. I think if the weather was nice, and I got an early start, I could have driven a lot more. But when it is dark and raining, guhh.