Pretty good week thus far
Mar. 4th, 2009 07:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thrihyrneI have good news to report! I've even been able to IM more often with Callum, and he noted, to his shock, "An optimistic Kristi! For two days now!" :D
A few of the pretty cooling events of this week:
♛ Phone conversation with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wolfiekins!
♛ Two phone conversations with a friend formerly known as hapendfro here on LJ!
♛ Baby sweater project- nearly done!
♛ Dentist visit! But my second-ever cavity, too. :(
♛ Fun hair cut! For $10! Photos at some point…
♛ Good workout again today (step aerobics followed by Pilates), and while there, saw a fellow person in class looking at an index card and doing recognizable Irish step-dancing moves. I asked her where she took, and it turns out she and her son are members of An Daire Academy of the Celtic Arts. She brought me a card, so if I get really ambitious, on top of choir and free yoga twice a week (perhaps; each Saturday for sure) and everything else, I could go and take Irish step dancing again.
♛ The big one: I accepted a position with the Portland Opera. It is part-time, though I should be able to work between 30-40 hours on any given week, closer to 40 while we're in campaigns, which we have coming up soon. I'll be a regular, part-time employee, which means that I do qualify for benefits: the opera will pay 54% of it, I'll pay the remainder, and I'll qualify for that as of May 1st. So it's not totally ideal— it's not full time, I have to pay for half of a monthly insurance premium. On the other hand: the economy sucks, this is a place that prefers to promote from within and they do think this position (which is rather malleable, actually) can be expanded to full time at some point, and it's an environment I'm very familiar with and where I'll actually use my skills. It's certainly better than being as underemployed as I have been, and it's a very positive way to be affirmed. So that's pretty cool.
Between the job, choir, and an okay living situation (though one which will need to change before next winter, so this spring probably I'll keep an eye and ear out for a place closer to the opera that is heated :P ), I don't feel nearly as unrooted here as I'd been feeling in recent weeks. I'd been thinking quite candidly that if I didn't have a full time job or something pretty close to it by this summer, it would be time to go elsewhere. I didn't know where, but it seemed that perhaps this Grand Experiment™ in moving somewhere I'd never visited and didn't know anyone and then the economy fell apart had come to its end. So perhaps I'll have a bit of longevity here after all. I do find myself obsessing somewhat about my license plates and driving. I must say that I've noticed a lot of really stupid/crazy/inconsiderate drivers in Portland of late, and I realize that I blend in now that I don't have Virginia plates any more. I really liked having such different plates. Now I have my Thevina plates in my room. I'm definitely going to save at least one.
Bottomless thanks to you for enduring my periods of ennui and self-doubt. It's pretty tremendous to be feeling not that!
A few of the pretty cooling events of this week:
♛ Phone conversation with
wolfiekins!♛ Two phone conversations with a friend formerly known as hapendfro here on LJ!
♛ Baby sweater project- nearly done!
♛ Dentist visit! But my second-ever cavity, too. :(
♛ Fun hair cut! For $10! Photos at some point…
♛ Good workout again today (step aerobics followed by Pilates), and while there, saw a fellow person in class looking at an index card and doing recognizable Irish step-dancing moves. I asked her where she took, and it turns out she and her son are members of An Daire Academy of the Celtic Arts. She brought me a card, so if I get really ambitious, on top of choir and free yoga twice a week (perhaps; each Saturday for sure) and everything else, I could go and take Irish step dancing again.
♛ The big one: I accepted a position with the Portland Opera. It is part-time, though I should be able to work between 30-40 hours on any given week, closer to 40 while we're in campaigns, which we have coming up soon. I'll be a regular, part-time employee, which means that I do qualify for benefits: the opera will pay 54% of it, I'll pay the remainder, and I'll qualify for that as of May 1st. So it's not totally ideal— it's not full time, I have to pay for half of a monthly insurance premium. On the other hand: the economy sucks, this is a place that prefers to promote from within and they do think this position (which is rather malleable, actually) can be expanded to full time at some point, and it's an environment I'm very familiar with and where I'll actually use my skills. It's certainly better than being as underemployed as I have been, and it's a very positive way to be affirmed. So that's pretty cool.
Between the job, choir, and an okay living situation (though one which will need to change before next winter, so this spring probably I'll keep an eye and ear out for a place closer to the opera that is heated :P ), I don't feel nearly as unrooted here as I'd been feeling in recent weeks. I'd been thinking quite candidly that if I didn't have a full time job or something pretty close to it by this summer, it would be time to go elsewhere. I didn't know where, but it seemed that perhaps this Grand Experiment™ in moving somewhere I'd never visited and didn't know anyone and then the economy fell apart had come to its end. So perhaps I'll have a bit of longevity here after all. I do find myself obsessing somewhat about my license plates and driving. I must say that I've noticed a lot of really stupid/crazy/inconsiderate drivers in Portland of late, and I realize that I blend in now that I don't have Virginia plates any more. I really liked having such different plates. Now I have my Thevina plates in my room. I'm definitely going to save at least one.
Bottomless thanks to you for enduring my periods of ennui and self-doubt. It's pretty tremendous to be feeling not that!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 03:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 03:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 04:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 04:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:06 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 07:36 am (UTC)nice to 'see you smiling'.
*hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:32 pm (UTC)(((warm hugs))) back to you as well.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 07:58 am (UTC)Hugs.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:33 pm (UTC)(((hugs)))
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 08:24 am (UTC)and congrats on the opera job (which i think i neglected to say earlier).
[*runs off*]
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:34 pm (UTC)(((hugs to you and your busy self)))
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 01:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 02:06 pm (UTC)Apart from that, what a wonderful post. I'm so glad things seem to be falling into place.
*hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:38 pm (UTC)Yes, I'm so glad to have such a positive post! It definitely has improved my outlook on a variety of topics.
(((hugs, my friend)))
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 09:41 pm (UTC)*pouts*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:28 pm (UTC)Portland water doesn't have fluoride, so I sometimes request a fluoride-painting of my teeth like little kids get for cavity prevention. In my completely anecdotal experience it has worked.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:40 pm (UTC)What a great idea about the painting! The dentist I went to did do a fluoride treatment at the end, with gel-like stuff and a drool cup, just like I had as a child. I had a flashback to my childhood dentist (happy memories, for the most part) when I put the stuff in my mouth, lol.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 05:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 06:22 pm (UTC)What would I do without my Thev?? And, I'm so glad you are feeling more up.
*HUGS*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-05 06:56 pm (UTC)You don't have to do without me! I'm not going anywhere that I know of. ;) It does feel good to be more positive. Hopefully it will even carry me through my least favorite season, spring. Blech.
((((HUGE HUGS))))
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-06 01:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-11 09:25 pm (UTC)♥
Awesome Opera job, too! :D