Dear Diary,
13. Sunday me and the bitches went clothes-shopping. I put myself into their capable hands because, honestly, I don't know what I can wear now. I have an idea of how I like to look, and what is appropriate. Roughly speaking, whether I work with teenagers, or the mentally ill, or both, I try to be as forgettable as possible. They have enough on their minds.
For your entertainment, I'm including some pictures that were taken.
12. I was surprised at what fit me. I felt leggy. I haven't ever felt leggy before. Even when I WAS leggy. I wound up getting a dress, sweater, bustier and skirt from White House | Black Market, and a blazer from BCBGMaxAzria. This jacket is reversible. The other side is fake fuchsia reptile. It's wonderfully tacky. And crazy expensive. I skipped it.
11. I snacked on frozen yogurt and diet coke. It was a full-on girlie day. I don't know what the male equivalent is. Football and snacks? Rugby and raunchy songs?
10. I've started looking at teaching positions again.
9. I do love my job, a whole bunch. However, it pays less than a teacher's job in most states, and I was distressed to learn recently that due to a pay raise, my first raise, which could be as much as three whole percent, won't be available until December 2011. Exqueeze me?
I honestly thought that if I hung in there, I could make a case for a raise sooner than that. Rediculous. I mean, I love that job, but there's lots of fun jobs that you love with crappy pay.
I have race entry fees, and trail shoes and cute running clothes to pay for. In a rough economy, you have to make choices. So, it's potentially back to teaching for now, which I'm good at, have enjoyed and, unbelievably, pays much more money. No hard feelings against the children's hospital, just some advice: maybe the reason turnaround is so high is because they have the lowest pay in the city.
8. Meanwhile, bureaucracy reared its ugly head. I had to jump through so many hoops for HR that my application didn't make it to the principal who was hiring. Remember: this is my old employer. They have my personnel file. But they refused to forward it without 3 new letters of reference and something called a "transcript analysis" form.
I am now permanently bitter towards all HR people. They are evil. They aren't just evil, they ARE evil, As in, you look up "evil" and it says "see Human Resources".
7. I have mixed feelings about teaching again. There's no teenagers at home, so that's nice. I'll be off early enough during the winter to run in the afternoon, while it's still daylight. And summer, well, I'll just have to find SOMETHING to do...6. Sweet Baboo is doing the Duke City Marathon this weekend. I was all, oh! So what am I doing--that half, right?
"I signed you up for the 5K"
"THE 5K??"
He laughed. "You're sharpening now. Just run it at a high intensity."
"Seriously. The 5K?"
"Yes."
I checked my training plan. This is a 20 mile week. 20 miles? How does one do a 20 mile week? So my long run this week is...6 miles? How bizarre. And NEXT week is a 10 mile week. Well...until Saturday, that is.
5. I bought this dress.
4. So I started off this Tuesday by doing my little hopshuffle just before dawn up the switchbacks behind my house and--GODDAMN IT--I turned my ankle. OF COURSE I did. Ow, Ow, Ow. My mother should have named me 'Grace'.I limped home and immediately went to that dark place, where I imagine I gain lots of weight, lose my fitness, and generally become a loser in life.
From a sprained ankle, you ask. Yes.
But then by the end of the day it had settled to a dull ache, and I could walk on it fine, and manipulate it with with my hand. I had finished my 5-hour midterm, and life was fine. I'm fickle that way.
3. I liked this jacket (above). It wasn't in my budget for this trip. Maybe another time. I bought the black jacket to the right.
2. SO, I have some new clothes. It was fun. But before I buy more, I have to go through the pile of stuff that's to go to the tailor.
1. 9 days. And counting. Eep.
...
