They've Arrived...Dum Dum Dummmm

I wish that I was really technically savvy so that I could have some great space alien theme music going for this post, but alas I'm not. So, you all will have to pretend that you hear scary screams and Martian screeches as you read this next sentence...

They've arrived!

No, I haven't had an out of world experience or been beamed up to some flying saucer. I've got new neighbors. Neighbors of the upstairs variety...

Those of you that have been reading for any length of time or know me personally will understand why this calls for scary space alien music. I hate neighbors. I know, I know...that makes me sound horrible and well when it comes to noisy neighbors I guess I am. I had a horrible experience in college with apartment living so I guess I'm once burned twice shy. Neighbors were the one thing I had capitalized in the con column of moving to an apartment.

When I first moved in, the apartment above me was empty. I prayed that it would stay that way, but apparently God sees this as a trial in patience. At first I thought it was just this older woman, but since I've seen a man and a teenage girl going in and out. The man and woman hold hands and the girl calls them mom and dad...what are the chances they are just helping her move and they won't actually be living there?

I've tried to be understanding, patient, nice, but darn it...they sound like Sasquatch up there! There is much stomping and banging. Some might say I'm over-reacting, but when my friend Nina was here the other night she heard it too. I swear, sometimes I just look at the ceiling knowing that it is about to come crashing down on my head at any second. The only good thing...they seem to go to bed at a reasonable hour so my sleep isn't being disturbed...too much.

I went to bed a little early last night so I laid there, praying my ceiling fan wouldn't fall, and thought of ways I could ask them to walk softly. Maybe I could gently remind them that they lived on the second floor which meant there was someone below them...you know in case they forgot. Or maybe I could go up and say that I'd heard them moving in and slip in that it sounded like they were making their furniture from scratch. Of course I'd bring along a cake or something to take the sting out of the words. Maybe I could call the cops...loud walking in apartment 907 Officer.

But then I get realistic...no one called the cops, made tacky comments, or brought me a cake when I moved in. And I did my share of hammering. Also, no one complains when I get on to Toby about biting...which is fairly often. So, I'll probably just bite my own tongue and buy some new ear plugs. Besides...how long can it take to get settled into a new place right?

***I know this was a total rant post, but my blog so I get to rant!***

Yes...Still Alive

I know...way to long between posts! You'll just have to forgive me.

First, thank you all for the congratulations. I am very excited to say the least about my new position. It is exactly what I wanted and I'm looking forward to being in a new positive environment. Please keep praying and sending good thoughts as it isn't "final" yet. The principal went on a week long in-service retreat (to Vail, CO...yeah...) and did not get all the paper work to HR yet. She told me today that she will be taking it to HR tomorrow. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I'm on a deadline. I'm still under contract with HISD and will be locked in after July 11 so while I'm confident that it will all be resolved I'm still nervous. I can't wait to as someone put it, "tell her to shove it." Anyway, enough of that. Y'all understand how I feel about my current principal.

Now, on to the move. Everything went so smoothly. I'm telling you, movers are worth every single penny! They had me packed up, moved, unloaded, and were on their way by 11am last Saturday. There were only two of them too. Like I said...worth every cent.

My mom stayed with me the past week to help me unpack and decorate my new apartment. I don't have any pictures now, but I will soon. I love it! It feels like home and I have more space too. Which for a girl like me is always a good thing! My mom and I worked at a steady pace and while everything was in its place when we left yesterday we were worn out. Moving isn't for the faint of heart!

Now, I'm in Abilene. I'm here to visit with my parents for a couple of weeks. Also I'm having some dental surgery done. I'm having all my wisdom teeth out next Monday. There are four of those suckers. One has behaved and is just ready to be pulled. Two are impacted and laying sideways. And one is flush against my jaw bone. I have a feeling this won't be an easy removal as my oral surgeon said, "You'll be cussing me the next day." Yeah...I can't wait.

Other than all that, I'm doing well. Toby is growing like a weed and he is so adorable. Of course I'm sure all pet parents think their pet is the most adorablest (yeah I think that is a word...) but y'all...Toby really is the most adorable kitty! I'll have to post new pictures of him too. Unfortunately, he isn't getting along with my parents cat. Compared to Toby, Dex (whom I love and adore too) is a huge honkin' thing. When he bares his teeth and growls (cats can growl...who'd have thunk?) he is down right scary. So the transition hasn't been totally smooth for Toby and Dex. They have 15 more days to get it right though!

I was catching up on some posts today and I just want everyone to know that while some of you have some really big stuff going on I always appreciate that you take the time to stop by here and leave a comment for me. It isn't a big secret that I haven't been happy with my lot in life for the last several months, but I feel so much better and at peace about things. I'm hoping to return to my normal self (blogging self included!) soon. I hope that y'all are doing well and taking care!

Another Applicant

Know those dating site commercials where the people say how great they are, but then a big white REJECTED sign pops up over their face...I know how they feel.

I heard back today from the lady that I interviewed with last week. While she appreciates my interest they have decided to recommend another applicant for the position. I am a little disappointed, but I suppose that is the way of things. As my mom is fond of telling me, "If it doesn't work out then it wasn't meant to be."

With that still in mind, I went to another interview yesterday. I think it went as well as it could. They are supposed to make their decision today so I suppose I won't have long to wait.

I'm trying to keep in mind the fact that just because I'm not chosen it doesn't mean I'm a bad teacher or there is something professionally wrong with me. (Thanks for those encouraging words Jersey Girl!) And it isn't like the last time I went on the job hunt. I am still gainfully employed. I'd just like to be better gainfully employed. It is a process...I know.

In other news, I found out that the reports about the apartment complex weren't exactly true (always nice to talk to the local police to clear things up). Every place is going to have good points and the not so good points. So, I'm still moving. In 17 days...I'm going to be so busy.

I know I haven't made the rounds lately, but I really appreciate you guys that still come by and leave words of encouragement! That means so much. Y'all have a great weekend!

On The Hunt

I again tackled apartment hunting today. I thought (well still mostly think) I'd hit the jackpot on the third complex. My "demands" were met...ground floor, price range, dishwasher, etc. The apartment was clean and everything seemed to be well maintained. Of course knowing the importance of not taking the first thing that comes along, I went ahead and kept looking.

I should stop here and give a huge shout out to my cousin who came with me. Thanks Amanda! Your insight was helpful!

Okay, so we looked at about four more. I still thought the best place for me was Apartment Three. I went back and filled out the application and left a deposit. I was still feeling comfortable with where I'd chosen. It is on the "good" side of town. My good friend lives across the street. Everything felt right.

Well, on my way home, my mom calls and tells me to look online. She had stumbled across some stuff that didn't sound so...right. Now, I know that not everyone is a satisfied renter, but the handful of ratings that were listed about this property weren't good. So, now I'm sort of worried. I mean I know looks can be deceiving, but that deceiving?

I called my friend that lives across the street and she was a little surprised to hear about the problems. I called the police department in an effort to find out about the safety and crime associated with the apartment complex. Unfortunately, I have to wait until Monday to talk to records. Also, Monday I'm supposed to hear back from the complex about the application status. I'll be sure to be asking about the laundry list of complaints.

So, while I'm not ready to say stop the presses, I am in need of a little bit more information. Seems I'm doing a lot of waiting lately. In case you can't tell...I hate waiting. Yeah yeah...I know all about a virtue called patience...

A Renter's Paradise

I love my little rent house...I really do. Some days I love it more than others, but overall it's great for me.

And then there are days like today...where it's "charms" are simply more than I can handle.

It started this morning, I had set my alarm for 5:25am so I could get up and shower, go through the morning routine, and still get to school early. Well, 5:25 rolls around and I wasn't ready to get up so I made the sleepy decision to switch to the second alarm setting and get up at 6:00am. I rolled over after what seemed like a pretty long snooze to discover it was 6:31am...where I'd set the alarm the last time. Okay...that's not really the house's fault but I'm trying to make a point. Great...just great.

So, I'm stumbling around in my bathroom trying to get the shower part of the morning over with as fast as possible. I wouldn't be surprised if I washed my hair with Zest body wash and used Pert on my body puff. Now this is a key part of the story...the water knobs turn one way and the shower knob turns the other way. Got it? Well, I turned the shower knob the wrong way and the 1970s shower knob fell apart in my hand. Great...just great.

Finally...rushing on my way out...I couldn't get the front door open. Nope...wouldn't budge. I finally pulled and it came open. I think it's swelled in the door frame...is that even possible? If you couldn't tell...I'm not going to win the Miss Handy Woman award. And I hate that little sucky sound it makes when it closes. Great...just great.

Thankfully, my day at school was so busy that I didn't have a lot of time to worry about my charming house.

I came home and remembered that in my haste this morning I'd forgotten to set the air back down. I'm new to central heat and air. Anyway, it was hot so I kicked off my shoes and was stripping off my shirt on my way to my bedroom. I pull the shirt over my head and look down...right before I step on a HUGE cockroach. I swear...that thing had to be an inch and a half long! It was on it's back with it's creepy legs flailing in the air. (I get the shivers just thinking about it.....eewww.) Anyway, I ran back to get my shoes on and put my shirt back on because I'm opening the back door to toss it out instead of flushing it. I run to get a paper towel to pick it up. I come back...and it's gone! That huge, creepy cockroach is crawling around my room somewhere.

I was flipping out. My father takes care of the bugs...not me. I was carefully lifting the covers on my bed, picking up clothes from the floor. Finally I spot his cockroachy butt near my closet. Forget the kind part of me that was going to set him free....I'm stepping on his butt and flushing him. (Sorry to all of you reading who like to be kind to nature...but I'm not kind to nature...especially when it's in my house!) Well...at least I can sleep easy. This may not sound like a house problem, but it is...how did it get in my house?!

Anyway, I'm armed with a new shower knob (though how to get it on is a little concerning) and Raid so tonight should be charm-free.

Uhmm...I really could use all the advice one might have to offer about putting on new knobs. I'm just saying.

Sensitive Little Thing

I'm never going to burn down my house. Well...I should say that I'm never going to burn down my house without knowing it. I won't because I have the most sensitive little smoke detector ever!

Now, most of you have read my tales of cooking. I'm not really great at it even though I really like cooking. I'm used to a few curls of smoke and maybe a few scraping off a few patches of burnt, but I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen.

Until lately.

Oh I still like the idea of cooking, but a few things have put a damper on it for me. One...the vent fan thingy above the oven went out. Some might argue it wore itself out sucking all that smoke out of the air. Anyway, it's out of commission. I still open it but the suckage isn't there so it doesn't really provide the desired result. Two...did I mention these really sensitive smoke detectors that I have? They go off all the time. They go off when the food is just done...not burned...just done. I'm waiting of the day when they go off when I pour milk on my cheerios. Three...I hate electric stoves. I can never get the tempature right. I'm sure that contributes to the burnt factor. I usually get things too hot.

Anyway, I'm going to try the toaster oven...can't really burn stuff up in there...can you? So, if you see a big cloud of black down in the south don't panic. It's probably not a wild fire or anything like that. I'm probably just trying my hand at cooking!