New Beginnings

I'm finally settled in my new home and got my Internet service going. We cleaned for days; the previous owner was a pack-rat and NASTY. We worked for half of the deposit; I think the landlord got the better end of the deal. He should have paid me a deposit. My brother, bless his heart, worked with me for so many hours that I owe him a lifetime of babysitting. Speaking of which, my niece is such a doll. Mom babysits with her M-F now and the baby has brought the life back into Mom's eyes. She seems so happy. This move was good for her.

It was good for me too. I finally got a job. Woo Hoo! I had applied at Tulsa Community College for the lead tutor position at two different campuses. At the West Campus interview, a panel of 5 interviewed me, one of which was the Asst. Dean of Liberal Arts. Last week, on Tues, she called and said that an instructor had to leave, breaking her contract, due to health reasons; she needed a teacher immediately. I reminded her that I only had a BA. She said these were developmental classes and I was well qualified. How could I pass up this opportunity. During the interview I had asked about possible promotions, in which I was told that they rarely hire new teachers, especially English. Well, I am now an English teacher. I teach Writing I, which is called Eng 0923 and meets Tues and Thurs for 1 1/2 hours, and Writing II, which is called Eng 0933 and meets Mon and Wed for 1 1/2 hours. This, of course, is only part-time. I was told that after so many hours of graduate credits were completed, I could advance to Comp I. The only problem is that almost all of the teachers are adjunct, which means I will remain part-time for a very long time. But at least my foot is in the door. Ginny, my boss, said that she can't guarantee that I will be offered a position next term, but two of my students already told me that they want to take my Wr II class next term. I told them to tell my boss. We've only met for a week, but I feel like we've already accomplished so much.

I saw Jack, my ex-brother-in-law, today. He mentioned an old friend's name who we both knew in the SCA. In the SCA, everyone goes by a different name and persona. My name was Ly. Dervilia O'Shannon and I was a Calligrapher from Shannon, Ireland. There is one man whom I wanted to look up when I returned to Tulsa, but I can't remember his real last name. His SCA name was Gest Grimsson and his real name is Tony. Searching online through SCA stuff showed nothing recent, so I wanted to try his real name. Jack said he'd ask around because he can't remember it either. I'm not even sure if he is still around, but I'd like to find out.

They Don't Call It LABOR DAY for Nothing

I had my second interview with TCC today. It went pretty good. I wasn't completely happy with my answers to the scenarios that were given, but I doubt I would ever be, considering how picky I am. They will call next week to let me know if I got the job or not. I also had an interview with TCC on Tues, but with a different campus. The position is almost the same, but not as intense and pays $12.22 an hour. They too will call next week.

Mom and I get the keys to our new home on Saturday. My niece is coming over to help us move, or paint, or both, and my best friend from Dallas, TX is coming up for a visit. It looks like a very busy weekend ahead. I won't be able to have Internet access for awhile, at least not until I get a paycheck. Out here, you have to pay deposits for your utilities to be activated. So paying $625 for rent, $350 for deposit, $120 for gas deposit (stove and water heater), $100 for electric, $60 for water/sewage/trash, and $20 for phone, well that adds up to more money than we have. I'm going to have to harvest the turnips and drain them dry.

Hey Y'all

Well, so many friends from more than one state have been wondering what happened to me that I decided to begin a journal blog. I do have a facebook account, but I'm not exactly sure how that's supposed to work. Here's the 411 on my life:

I received my Bachelor's degree in June, 2007 at Oregon State University. My mother and I, with the help of my visiting 14-year-old niece, had a huge moving sale to sell almost everything that we've collected while living in OR for 5 years. Shortly thereafter, my mother and I moved back to the mid-west area. It was a long, hot journey with miserable, lumpy beds at not-so-cheap hotels, and 130 degree temps in parts of CA and AZ. We took the southern route because I didn't want to hurt my little V-6 engine pulling a loaded u-haul trailer over the CO mountains. We arrived almost a week later, July 7th, and stayed with my brother in Tulsa, OK.

For those who knew I was going to Missouri, well, I visited Springfield, took my gre, even applied to a few positions: one at MSU for the Asst. Director of Student Activities, the other for Events Programmer for the City of Springfield. I really wanted the Asst. Dir. position. I bombed the gre, really bad (stress of moving halfway across the US, trying to find a home, trying to find employment, etc--couldn't concentrate), and didn't have $130 to take it again, so I didn't get accepted into the graduate program at MSU. I couldn't find a decent house for rent that accepted dogs, and wasn't about to give up my dogs. I also couldn't find employment. After much heartache and disappointment, and my brother and sister-in-law wanting us to stay in Tulsa, my mom and I decided to stay. I applied to various positions and checked into the requirements for receiving a teaching certificate in OK. We finally found a house, an adorable 3-bedroom with large dining room and huge fenced yard with pecan trees for only $625 a month. The current renter will be out by Sept. 1st and we will begin our move, which should be easy enough. My grandma gave us a couch, my brother and sister gave us beds, we kept our vintage 50's dining room set, so we have a good start.

I've had two interviews, one with Tulsa Community College for an Instructional Specialist in English, and the other with Rightstaff for a Manuscript Tracking Coordinator with Geophysics. Last Fri, I received the call from TCC for a second interview. This position is similar to what I was doing at the Writing Center at OSU, but much more. It is full-time, tutoring students in a large, round building called the FACET center, conducting orientations for all new English Comp students as well as some minor duties with PowerPoint and Excel. It sounds like the perfect job for me. Starting pay is $13.45 an hour, not a bad start.

I haven't utilized my free time with writing, shame on me. I could have finished the novel about my mother if I had just sat down and typed. The stress of living in limbo really takes its toll on people. Now that things are starting to come together, I should probably get to work. Mom has been babysitting my 1 1/2 year old niece, which keeps her going and cheers her up. When we move, this will become a daily event and, on occasion, she will also watch my 2 1/2 year old niece who lives in Inola.

I think that about wraps up the most important details of the last few months. Now I can concentrate on regular thoughts and ideas for the blog. Miss everyone in Oregon. I especially miss the wonderful summer weather of OR.