I've not been at all posty lately, have I? There's not been much to post about, really. Without school or work the days all seem to flow together. Most mornings are spent studying, penghuin and I often watch a couple of episodes of one of the three television shows we're watching, we make dinner, and we play a lot of Text Twirl on Facebook. Those are the things that make up the framework of my day, and things like cleaning and laundry and errands and reading fill in the rest. Except for the part with no paycheck and the part where I've yet to meet very many people, it's not bad.

I have a library card now, and it fills me with joy. I've put quite a few books on hold, mostly by Val McDermid, who writes the series that Wire in the Blood on BBCA is based on. I've also put the first season of Farscape on hold because penghuin has promised to watch it with me. I'm looking forward to that. I love the show so much and I'm hoping that he will, too.

I think I'd like to take some classes. Cooking, photography, knitting, beading. Probably a squillion more, too, if I spend some time thinking about it. That will have to wait for the job, though, and the job will have to wait for the licensing.

I've sent in my registration for the MBLEx, which is the national exam required by the State of Oregon. After that it's a CPR class, and then the Oregon Board exam. I'm incredibly nervous about all the testing, but I've been studying a lot and I generally test very well, so I'm hopeful that I'll pass the first time I take them and won't have to shell out astronomical sums of money for retakes. Because really? The point is to be making money, not giving it away.

I'm so looking forward to actually working as a massage therapist. I really miss it. I knew I loved it and that it was good for me, but I don't think I fully realized what it does for me until now. I miss the feeling of energy combined with calm, and the feeling that I'm making a difference in someone's day. I want that again.

I so have no idea where I'm going with this. I'm not even entirely sure where I started with it. So. Have some rambling incoherent entry, my little FriendBots, and enjoy. Or something.

Happy weekend.

Oh, sweet shrieking Jesus. penghuin has built additional shelves for my shoes, and they are glorious. I've arranged all of my shoes on them. And there is room for more.

Today is a very good day.

This entry formatted for buscemi's Bullety Listy Thing viewing pleasure.

My schedule is full of fun today. I don't know how my poor little heart will stand the excitement.

• Study.
• Clean the kitchen. Because dear god.
• Study.
• Clean the bathroom. Because dear god. Again.
• Study.
• Do laundry.
• Study.
• Try to find places for all of my things that are still placeless.
• Study.
• Maybe bake cookies. Not a chore, as I actually did the work last week or the week before, so all I have to do is put blobs of dough on a baking sheet and heat them.
• Study.
• Tidy the living room.
• Study.
• Possibly hoover the entryway and the stairs. This depends on my level of motivation. I would not place large bets on this actually happening.
• Study.

The studying is because I really, really am not ready for the MBLEx without it, and I'd like to actually work as a massage therapist, which I cannot do without having passed the exam. Woo. The cleaning is because I so have not been doing any of that this week due to migraine ick and then migraine hangover. And also laziness. There has definitely been some of that, too.

My inner tantrum-throwing two-year-old was rebelling against the studying thing until I looked through the DVDs that katiebea sent me when I was sick. I hadn't gotten through all of them, and I'd forgotten what was there. One is the optional DVD that is part of a textbook/flashcard/DVD set. I have the textbook and the flashcards from school, but didn't have the DVD. And the fantastically fabulously superawesomely wonderful thing is that that is on the list of recommended study materials for the Oregon licensing test and also for the MBLEx. So I can watch the DVD, then back up that information in my brain with the textbook. And possibly talk penghuin into quizzing me with the workbook and flashcards. Yay! Thank you again, katiebea, for being a wonderful person, and also for being a wonderful person who is my friend. And please thank your mom for me for also being a wonderful person. Oh! And the anatomy and physiology book she lent me? That's one of the recommended texts, too.

Good lord, what an incoherent paragraph o' rambly mess that was. Migraine hangover is still overhanging, it would appear. At least it's just my brain swimming through Jell-O (lime, murnkay) and not actual migraine pain. Because I can do without any more of that for quite some time, thank you.

And now, studying. Oh, the joy. How much do you wish you were me, my little FriendBots? You know you're envious. It would be impossible to be anything but.

Oh my god, I love Brad so much. He just gave me a copy of Grim Fandango, which I haven't played in forever, and which makes my heart bouncy with joy. Yay!

Oh. I just lost the game. Poo. At least I have the satisfaction of having taken you all down with me. That is some consolation. I am, perhaps, not a good person.

I found out today that I did not get the job I interviewed for last week. I'm both disappointed and, not exactly relieved, but okay with it. Disappointed because I think the office environment would have been a good fit for me, I know I could do the job and do it well, and the money was not bad. Okay because dear god, the commute.

Also in the okay category, I found out I'm eligible for an unemployment extension, so at least I'll have some money coming in while I continue to look. That lowers my stress level considerably. It also means that I'll be less likely to take something that is clearly a bad fit (although that wasn't the case with this particular job) or that pays far below the appropriate level for the responsibilities and skills required, just to have an income. And that is a good thing.

So. The search continues.

I had to put yesterday's job interview off until today, so today was interview day. I think it went really well. I liked the interviewer, who is one of the owners of the company, and I think my personality would be a good fit for the office. I know I have the skills and experience to do the job well, and I think it's work that I would enjoy, as far as office work goes. And the pay is higher than I originally thought, which doesn't hurt at all. The three and a half hours of commuting per day is still painful, though. Eee. But, it would be a paycheck, which is, you know, good. And the commute would give me plenty of time to study for the MBLEx, which I need to take as a requirement for my massage therapist license. I should know Monday whether they'll be calling me back for the second round of interviews.

In the meantime, I shall spend my time hoping for large piles of cash to fall from the sky and land at my feet. Preferably in nice Coach and Kate Spade bags, as my current favorite purse is all beat up.

I have a job interview on Thursday for an admin assistant position. The woman I talked to on the phone seemed very nice, and the company seems well established and a place I could be okay working, based on what I've seen on their web site. The downside is that it's not terribly nearby, and it pays considerably less than I'd have made in a similar position in Minneapolis. Of course, everything adminish here seems to pay considerably less than similar positions in Minneapolis, so I have to take that into account. So the lower pay I can live with. The distance is the potential issue. Then again, I'm one of god knows how many people going in for a first-round interview, so there's no sense getting too worried about commute at this point, really. At the very least, I'll have an opportunity to practice interviewing and I'll have an idea of an area that's too far away for me to commute to for less than a squillion bucks. But on the other hand, it could be fabulous and I could end up with a job that will make me as happy as an admin job can. And wouldn't that be nice?

I just spent two hours filling out a staffing agency's online resume and application form. Two hours. You know what's coming next, don't you? Oh yes. The information was all lost when I clicked "Submit." All three times, in two different browsers. The only thing I accomplished in those two hours was to make my preferred user name unavailable should I ever feel masochistic enough to try registering with them again. Christ almighty, people. If you build yourselves up in part as a techie staffing agency with web developer superstar candidates, perhaps you should see to it that your web site actually works.

I hate them so hard.

I'm going outside to smoke now. And to consider flinging myself from the porch.

O hai.

I'm in Portland now, and settling into my new home. Do you have any idea how much stuff I have? I didn't, until I began trying to find places to put it all. Dear lord. I think I'd need a house twice this size to do an adequate job of it. I'm slowly getting it under control, but the slowly part is incredibly frustrating. I want everything to have a proper, logical place, and I want that to happen right now, thank you very much. Other than the utter chaos of unplaced stuff, though, I am loving it here. So are the cats, which makes me so happy. Even Eddie is happy. He has actually been sitting on my lap for scritchins, and most of the time he puts himself there. He really likes penghuin, and will happily lie there for scritchins from him, too. And Linus adores penghuin, too, so yay for that. It's good to see both of my cats appearing to be happy and even sane. Woo!

You know what I am not enjoying? Poverty, my little FriendBots. I am not enjoying poverty. I have tried it, determined that I do not like it, and would very much like to try something else now. Employment, for example, sounds like a good alternative. I would like some employment now, please. I can't work as a massage therapist yet because I'm not yet licensed, and I can't become licensed until I find a job and save up the money for all the testing and fees that go along with it. So I'm looking for office work. Fourteen years of Office Space as my life, and I'm right back where I started before massage school. Ah, well. I've already had a couple of calls about MT jobs, so I'm confident I'll be able to find work that does not crush my soul after I'm licensed, so that makes the prospect of eight different bosses, Bob, a little more bearable. I've applied to several temp agencies and will continue to do that until I find something. I just wish I could speed things up a little and actually find a job that brings me joy. And a nice paycheck. That would add considerably to the joy.

I miss my friends from school, especially my school BFF, Madison. My computer has been all assy and also virusy, so I've not been in regular contact with anyone since I've been here. I wish I could import them all for a day and have a party or something.

Speaking of friends, my high school BFF, Lisa, found me on Facebook last week. I'd been looking for her for years, and out of nowhere had a Facebook message from her in my inbox. Yay! I have to admit to being freaked out about her leaving her phone number for me, though. It's not that I don't want to talk to her, or even that I don't want to talk on the phone. murnkay can tell you that I will happily spend five or six hours at a time on the phone. But I so, so, so hate having to be the first one to call (which is one of the reasons I will never be the one to ask someone out because oh dear god the phone call), and I so hate the uncertainty and awkwardness of those first few conversations when things aren't easy and comfortable and familiar yet. Ick. So, like a terrible friend, I have not called. And because the computer is so assy, I haven't done much on Facebook other than play Bejeweled. So Lisa probably thinks I'm avoiding her or that I am a total flake. Not that I'm not occasionally a total flake, but this is different. This is social ineptitude. Sometimes it is difficult to be me.

One of my friends is going to Iraq for several months next week. Because I am me and worrying is what I do, I am worried about him. And, quite selfishly, I will miss him. You know that part earlier about wanting to gather all my school friends in one place? I want to gather all my friends and family in one place and have them all nearby. Make my life easier, my little FriendBots. Move to Portland. That would really cut down on the plotting and planning I'll have to do when I take over the universe. Thanks.

• 03:19 recommends that you avoid slicing your finger whilst in the process of slicing lemons. Nothing good can come of it. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

• 01:07 I love my life. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

• 20:52 Have been attempting to download anti-malware stuff for 3 hours. Cut self with glass from broken oil bottle. Am outside with cloves and ... #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

• 18:13 says to Minnesota, Im in ur airplane, leavin' ur Cities. Kthxbai. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

This is my last post as a resident of Minnesota. I am currently taking a break from taking out the last of the trash and packing the last of my things, and I'll be taking my computer apart and boxing it up for shipping soon. Then it's off to FedEx to ship it, and then to the airport. I'll be on a plane at 6:45 going first to Seattle and then to Portland and my new home.

Today is a beautiful, clear, sunny day in Minneapolis, and I am so glad. I've loved living in this city, and I'm pleased that it will be as beautiful on the day I leave as it was on the day I arrived. I'll miss the four gorgeous seasons, the lakes, Uptown, my school, and the friends I've made here.

What I will not miss is being a squillion miles away from penghuin. I am so excited about moving in with him, about not having every visit marred by the knowledge that it will end soon and I won't see him again for months. I'm so ready for this.

I'm ready, too, to start a new part of my life. A new city, a new career, and a million new possibilities. New friends to be made, new places to discover, new things to see. Somewhere in Portland is my new favorite restaurant, my new favorite coffee shop, my new favorite vintage clothes shop, my new favorite place to go to daydream, my new favorite people-watching spot. I'll find my new favorite out-for-a-walk path. I'll find my new favorite grocery store, my new favorite way to my new job, and my new favorite place to go to do nothing in particular.

The funny thing about this is that new things terrify me, usually. This time, there's a little of that, but there's so much more excitement than nervousness. I have friends there already, and that makes a huge difference. I can't wait to hang out with the_xtina and her Josh, and to get to know him better. I'm looking forward to spending time with wingedegeria and getting to know her better, too. And I'll get to be with my Linoceros again! Crazy Eddie and I have missed him terribly. On the bright side, Crazy Eddie has become incredibly cuddly since Linus has been gone. I think he's decided that I'm the only kitty left to cuddle with so he might as well make the best of it.

And now I am getting all sappy and emotional, so I shall go take out more trash. It is difficult to be sappy while throwing out fish sauce and half-empty jars of Nutella.

• 12:00 has just clocked out at school for the last time. I'm officially finished now. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

• 08:00 is missing Brad and Linus and is counting the days until the third of May. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

O hai.

I haven't been terribly updatey, have I? This is because I have been very busy with school. And WoW. But my weekend has started, I am taking a break from my Giant List o' Things To Do, and here I am.

So. Have I mentioned lately that I love my life? Because yes. I love my life.

• My weekend started three hours ago.
  
• I have a phone date tonight.
  
• Brad will be here tomorrow.
  
• I'm packing my apartment up.
  
• Brad's driving it all to Portland.
  
• I'll be finished with school the last day of April. (-ish.)
  
• The next week I pack up my crazy cat and fly to Portland.
  
• To live there.
  
• School is awesome.
  
• My friends rock.
  
• My family does, too.
  
• I have lots of caffeine.
  

It is good to be me.

• 18:43 is pretty sure Theo Huxtable is sitting across from her on the train and wishes she could take a pic without being obvious. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

• 17:24 has absolutely no doubt, after her first day back on the clinic floor, that this is what she should be doing with her life. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

• 08:13 is going to be on the clinic floor today for the first time since returning from med leave and is both excited and a little nervous. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

I just washed the dishes and cleaned out the fridge, and then took out the trash and recycling. And then I wanted to turn in my quests for XP. Oh, how I've missed World of Warcraft.

• 15:38 is on her way to her graduation. Yay! #
• 22:38 A man on the bus this evening asked me if my hair color is natural. IT'S PURPLE. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

stegzy: Curry. Mushrooms are vile, loathsome things created by Satan.

arachne: Absolutely! I'd love it.

murnkay: There's always room for Jell-O!

platypus: Absolutely adorable and fabulous in every way.

aphiorogue: Oh, definitely! You have no idea how much.

wurmwyd: Right?! Must have been awful.

the_xtina: It cannot be soon enough. Nothing definite, but as soon as I can manage.

glittertrixie: I wanted to keep at least a small portion of my soul intact. It's working!

x_spagg_x: I'm not sure, but I'm fairly certain he doesn't give them.