A list, which ends up looking like a real entry anyway
1. A 7 AM-2PM, $10/hr, half-day-on-Fridays job that I interviewed for ages ago via my staffing agency may soon be falling into my lap. Which is crazy, because it solves all the current problems I have with this job, namely the world's shittiest hours and a meager $9/hr. If I take this second job, I will be making the exact same amount of money in a 36 hour workweek as I am now, and I can get my life back. Activism, Killeen, maybe even a play or two. Plus, this new job is a temporary April-October position, which in my mind is a great thing. It gives a reasonable timeframe in which to plan a move into Chicago, and the hours allow me to interview/apartment hunt in the city, which won't have to be a secret from my employer because it's understood that my current position will be ending in October. The only downside is that I am having SERIOUS ethical issues with quitting this current job, especially because it sounds like if I'm offered this other position, there is no way I'll be able to give two weeks' notice. And I love the people at Arthur Murray's, Aaron in particular. More on that in a minute.
2. Killeen came to Easter dinner with the fam and blew everyone away. She just fit right in and cracked jokes, shared a lot about herself, and just generally made a wonderful impression. She even got along with my slightly senile great-grandmother, which is a challenge for many of her actual blood relatives. Mom and Dad really like her, which makes me super happy. And Grandma seems to be ok with the idea of me having a romantic relationship with her, which is crazy, because until Sunday she has always talked about me dating girls as a phase, or something that I'll grow out of down the line. The way she interacted with Killeen and then the way she talked to me afterwards was a huge departure from that. In short, an overwhelming success.
3. Aaron and I went to a late dinner after work last night and had one of those spill-your-guts kind of conversations. I know most of his life story, and he knows a fair share of mine. I'm shocked I told him about the suicide attempt in St. Louis, but two weeks into this job I sensed that it was inevitable that he was going to know a lot more about me than I would typically share with someone who has known me less than 30 days. But I'm finding that it's nice to have someone I see regularly who knows and gets that part of me. I have lots of people far away who know those things, and it's great to have all those pillars of support out there. But except for my family, Aaron is the first person in my life here that I've shared that with (I'm not quite ready to scare the crap out of Killeen with that information quite yet), and it's more of a comfort than I thought it would be, now that the initial, "Oh crap, what did I just do?" feeling has subsided. And I'm going to the Art Institute with him and his girlfriend Beth on Saturday, which will be great. But it's another reason I'm going to hate leaving Arthur Murray's if I take this other position. I'm enjoying this friendship with Aaron, and I'll be sad to see it crumble given that he's my supervisor before he is my friend. Boo minus.
4. Sunday plans with Killeen are a-brewing. I think the Shedd Aquarium is in order, as it's her favorite museum in the city and the Chicago Public Library rents out free passes to the Shedd and most other museums in the city. I wanted to have a picnic in Millenium Park, as we're both fairly broke and hate having to spend money on food whenever we hang out, but it's supposed to be cold and rainy, so we'll have to think of other plans. But frankly, I'm just happy to be around her. I can really see this going somewhere, especially if I end up in Chicago. The more I date her, the more I'm starting to factor her into the decisions I'm making about what I want to do with myself in the fall. But I need to remember to keep it one day at a time and not rush ahead. That never leads to anything good with me.
5. My horrible, volatile moods are subsiding! Woo hoo! Work really took a toll on my bipolar issues, but I'm finally starting to level out. I had a sudden revelation that I could, in fact, use the Abilify that Gupta gave me to use as needed when I'm PMSing and going all kinds of manic depressive. This work schedule and lack of social life thing sent me into essentially the same place: severe crying spells, hopelessness, staying in bed all day, and then crazy manic highs. So I started the Abilify again last week to see if it helps, and I'm happy to say that the results so far have been overwhelmingly positive.
6. I finally made it to the gym this morning after almost two weeks! I think I'm finally getting the hang of getting up at a reasonable hour so that I can accomplish things before work. The weird part: despite my long abstention from working out, I have managed to drop three pounds to 153. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but I'll take it! I'd love to see the 140's by summertime. I think I'm going to have to invest in new swimwear!
2. Killeen came to Easter dinner with the fam and blew everyone away. She just fit right in and cracked jokes, shared a lot about herself, and just generally made a wonderful impression. She even got along with my slightly senile great-grandmother, which is a challenge for many of her actual blood relatives. Mom and Dad really like her, which makes me super happy. And Grandma seems to be ok with the idea of me having a romantic relationship with her, which is crazy, because until Sunday she has always talked about me dating girls as a phase, or something that I'll grow out of down the line. The way she interacted with Killeen and then the way she talked to me afterwards was a huge departure from that. In short, an overwhelming success.
3. Aaron and I went to a late dinner after work last night and had one of those spill-your-guts kind of conversations. I know most of his life story, and he knows a fair share of mine. I'm shocked I told him about the suicide attempt in St. Louis, but two weeks into this job I sensed that it was inevitable that he was going to know a lot more about me than I would typically share with someone who has known me less than 30 days. But I'm finding that it's nice to have someone I see regularly who knows and gets that part of me. I have lots of people far away who know those things, and it's great to have all those pillars of support out there. But except for my family, Aaron is the first person in my life here that I've shared that with (I'm not quite ready to scare the crap out of Killeen with that information quite yet), and it's more of a comfort than I thought it would be, now that the initial, "Oh crap, what did I just do?" feeling has subsided. And I'm going to the Art Institute with him and his girlfriend Beth on Saturday, which will be great. But it's another reason I'm going to hate leaving Arthur Murray's if I take this other position. I'm enjoying this friendship with Aaron, and I'll be sad to see it crumble given that he's my supervisor before he is my friend. Boo minus.
4. Sunday plans with Killeen are a-brewing. I think the Shedd Aquarium is in order, as it's her favorite museum in the city and the Chicago Public Library rents out free passes to the Shedd and most other museums in the city. I wanted to have a picnic in Millenium Park, as we're both fairly broke and hate having to spend money on food whenever we hang out, but it's supposed to be cold and rainy, so we'll have to think of other plans. But frankly, I'm just happy to be around her. I can really see this going somewhere, especially if I end up in Chicago. The more I date her, the more I'm starting to factor her into the decisions I'm making about what I want to do with myself in the fall. But I need to remember to keep it one day at a time and not rush ahead. That never leads to anything good with me.
5. My horrible, volatile moods are subsiding! Woo hoo! Work really took a toll on my bipolar issues, but I'm finally starting to level out. I had a sudden revelation that I could, in fact, use the Abilify that Gupta gave me to use as needed when I'm PMSing and going all kinds of manic depressive. This work schedule and lack of social life thing sent me into essentially the same place: severe crying spells, hopelessness, staying in bed all day, and then crazy manic highs. So I started the Abilify again last week to see if it helps, and I'm happy to say that the results so far have been overwhelmingly positive.
6. I finally made it to the gym this morning after almost two weeks! I think I'm finally getting the hang of getting up at a reasonable hour so that I can accomplish things before work. The weird part: despite my long abstention from working out, I have managed to drop three pounds to 153. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but I'll take it! I'd love to see the 140's by summertime. I think I'm going to have to invest in new swimwear!