I’ve hesitated to officially post that I got a job because I’ve been waiting for all the paperwork to be finished. The process has been taking forever. And, in fashion with all the drama that is my life of recent, I had a potential problem with the drug test that was giving me serious anxiety. No, I don’t do drugs, in case you wondered. But I do, on occasion, eat a poppy seed muffin which can sometimes show up on a drug test as opium (not something I normally think about).
During my interview process, I was two bites into such a muffin when it occured to me that I probably shouldn’t be eating one in case the company asks me to take a drug test. I threw the rest of the muffin away and two days later the company did indeed offer me the job and ask me to take the test. ARGH! The anxious agony of it all. I made note to the nurse and to my boss but still I had to wait. Six days I’ve had to wait. But I learned today that the drug test was ok and my background check went ok as well. (Luckily the crimes I committed in Australia didn’t show up…JUST KIDDING!).
So, I start my job tomorrow. Now to catch everyone up on what it is I’ll be doing. The official title is door greeter. Something I never dreamed I’d be doing and up until living in the inner city, never saw a need for one. Many of the apartment buildings in Seattle (as well as many other large cities, I’m sure) have a concierge and a door person. These individuals help answer questions from people looking for apartments, collect packages for residents, make note of issues in the apartments, coordinate people moving in and moving out… a variety of functions. Since all the residents and visitors come and go primarily through one entrance/exit, the door greeter can be a pretty valuable person to have.
The position I accepted is at a building a block away (perfect location!) and I’ll be working primarily Sat and Sun with an additional few hours during the week, off and on, for a total of 15-20 hours a week. The pay is decent and will allow me to save a little and hopefully get some health insurance in the next month or so. I’m relieved, to tell you the truth. It’s been intense looking for a job and (ironically? fortuitously?) the only people that responded to my many applications and resumes is this one. And it’s the best fit and the best location and the best hours. God is good and I’m very thankful.
As for other news… I just finished a two week course on writing. It was a good refresher and prep course for starting my graduate level writing. I won’t lie, it’s still pretty scary. And at times I feel like I’m back in 7th grade learning how to put a sentence together and ending up with waaaaay too many commas than necessary. I enjoy crafting sentences with impactful words. But you get me in the middle of a 4-page paper and I’m drowning. It’s not pretty. But the class helped me gain a few new tools and helped me exercise some of my writing skills. Socially, it was great. There were about 30 of us in the class so I feel like I got a 2-week jump on getting to know my fellow classmates. There will be about 90 of us in the incoming class so there’s many more I’ll be meeting next week.
Speaking of next week, that’s when school officially starts. And what a week it will be!
Here’s my schedule:
Monday (9/1) – Labor Day, day off – my last one for awhile
Tuesday (9/2) – Orientation (10am – 3pm), Hermeneutics Class (7pm – 9pm)
Wednesday (9/3) – Orientation (11am – 3pm), Interpersonal Foundations (4pm – 6pm)
Thursday (9/4) – Orientation (11am – 3pm), Vespers (6pm – 8pm)
Friday (9/5) – All day student-led tours of Seattle; Student-hosted dinners in neighborhoods around Seattle.
Saturday (9/6) – Convocation (10:30am – 12:30pm), School Picnic (1:30pm – 3:30pm)
Sunday (9/7) – Work at my new job
Monday starts my regular schedule which will be classes Monday – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be used for study and reading with the possible few extra hours for work. Saturday and Sunday I work.
As for my general adjustment to Seattle, it seems to be coming along. I feel more and more comfortable with my surroundings. Going to the grocery store is still a strategic challenge and getting to a Target or such store requires coordinating with someone who has a car. But all in all, I’m enjoying Seattle. Oh yeah, an I expect to have calves of steel by Christmas what with the near vertical climbs I’m doing on a near daily basis walking two and from school. That whole 6-block transit distance is deceiving when you don’t see a 3-dimensional map. Oh well. It’s good for me so I’m not complaining… or at least not complaining too loudly.
I miss you all. There is a chance I may be coming home for Christmas but it’s still in the dreaming stage right now. I’ll let you know if it becomes more a plan and less of a dream. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I need each one of them.
