I embarked in Bakersfield for the dreaded ride home, compliments of good ol' Greyhound Bus. The first leg of the trip was a 2 hour ride to the downtown Los Angeles terminal to transfer to the bus that would take me to Phoenix. During the ride, I had a pair of seats to myself and thought about the previous week, in between chapters of a book I'm reading, by Patricia Cornwell.
The first few days, it seemed like all Cameron and I did was argue. That made for a rough "vacation", at least the beginning of it. We came to some sort of understanding the last couple of days, and those were the ones that lingered as I traveled down Interstate 5 in the dark.
I anticipated this trip, since the first week we had left Bakersfield. Leaving my "little girl" behind and my family that had never been more than a couple of hours away, was really difficult for me. I had been missing them the entire time. At least that was what I thought drove my occasional tears and feelings of loss. I think what I'm really afraid of is change. When you see someone on a regular basis, the little changes that take place become part of daily life. But when time passes and these changes happen without your knowledge, they become huge. I don't want anyone to change, I want to be able to know that they will always be there, just as I left them.
Of course, that's not possible, and not fair to those I leave behind. This trip was more of a reassurance that even though I'm several states away, I can always go home. The hard part is understanding and accepting that it will never again be like it was last week, just as last year was not like the year before. And next time I visit, it will be different. I can no more hang on to the notion of the world remaining static, than I can water in my hands. Is this more of that "growing up" stuff?
The connection to the east-bound bus was daunting. Arriving at the station, I disembarked and headed to the appropriate door to await my next ride. Well, I easily found the door, but the hard part was finding the end of the line. It seemed like at least 3 bus loads of passengers were waiting with their baggage and I wondered whether they would have multiple buses or if I would be stuck in the station until the next available one pulled in, about 3 hours.
While waiting, I had an interesting conversation with the gentleman in front of me. He was quite talkative, and with little prompting, shared his exploits from the past 4 days with me.
He's a tractor-trailer delivery man. (I hadn't caught the actual job title he uses.) If a company needs one delivered to point B from point A, they call the company he works for and he goes and picks it up and drives it to its destination. Intriguing line of work. Well, it turns out that the massive storm in the Northwest caused some considerable snow and ice problems on the roads in the Portland area. Since the budget didn't allow for this sort of natural disaster, the Oregon roads department wasn't going to clear any roads or even lay down sand/salt. This made for interesting road conditions, such as 6-8 inches of ice with large "potholes" in it. Describing his harrowing travels along these roads, with a tractor/trailer, made me glad to not be driving around.
He, also, informed me that he recently found out that the divorce he thought he had 21 years ago, was never finalized. Of course, that would be a shock, but apparently his "ex-wife" had remarried. She apparently never filed the final declaration, but enjoyed taking most of their assets. I would not want to be in his shoes.
It's getting late, but I have more tales to tell. I'll add part B tomorrow.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Eve and All is not Well
It started out so easy. We would go to my parent's for Christmas, taking a week from our insane schedules to relax and visit. Unfortunately, that's not how it turned out.
Cameron has been trying to fix my motorcycle so I can have some sort of transportation to take me to and from work, besides the bus. Of course, my bike has had ideas of its own and has been very uncooperative in this endeavor. More things seem to keep popping up that need fixing and that has taken all of his free morning hours. Needless to say, it's still not feeling too well.
Speaking of not feeling too well, Cameron found himself on the verge of pneumonia days before we were supposed to leave. Since my bike has been so time-consuming, and he's been feeling so terrible, he hasn't had time to work on getting his bike ready for the trip to Bakersfield.
So, since he knew it was important for me to see Madeline and my family, he suggested I go on without him, via Greyhound, and he would stay behind to recuperate and get the rest of the wrenching done. Riding a bike with a questionable tire, in windy winter conditions, with a chest cold, for 9 hours, just didn't seem like a wise option.
Fast forward, several days and here I am, wishing I had insisted on renting a car and bringing him here with me. I miss him terribly and he's home alone and miserable. This will not be a repeated performance in the future. All I can do now is try to bring some Christmas home for him and hope that will soothe his battered soul. I'm afraid I haven't had as good a time as hoped, either, due to knowing how upset and lonely Cameron is.
Tomorrow will be a nice day, with most of the family getting together and hanging out. I'll probably do most of the cooking and such, unless Dad arm wrestles me for the job. I think I'm going to need to take a long walk, or get on the treadmill for a while to get rid of the extra calories from the day.
On Friday evening, I'll head back to Phoenix and my lonely family. Cameron says the animals have been more needy and I guess I should be glad that I'm missed. It just makes it harder to be away.
Cameron has been trying to fix my motorcycle so I can have some sort of transportation to take me to and from work, besides the bus. Of course, my bike has had ideas of its own and has been very uncooperative in this endeavor. More things seem to keep popping up that need fixing and that has taken all of his free morning hours. Needless to say, it's still not feeling too well.
Speaking of not feeling too well, Cameron found himself on the verge of pneumonia days before we were supposed to leave. Since my bike has been so time-consuming, and he's been feeling so terrible, he hasn't had time to work on getting his bike ready for the trip to Bakersfield.
So, since he knew it was important for me to see Madeline and my family, he suggested I go on without him, via Greyhound, and he would stay behind to recuperate and get the rest of the wrenching done. Riding a bike with a questionable tire, in windy winter conditions, with a chest cold, for 9 hours, just didn't seem like a wise option.
Fast forward, several days and here I am, wishing I had insisted on renting a car and bringing him here with me. I miss him terribly and he's home alone and miserable. This will not be a repeated performance in the future. All I can do now is try to bring some Christmas home for him and hope that will soothe his battered soul. I'm afraid I haven't had as good a time as hoped, either, due to knowing how upset and lonely Cameron is.
Tomorrow will be a nice day, with most of the family getting together and hanging out. I'll probably do most of the cooking and such, unless Dad arm wrestles me for the job. I think I'm going to need to take a long walk, or get on the treadmill for a while to get rid of the extra calories from the day.
On Friday evening, I'll head back to Phoenix and my lonely family. Cameron says the animals have been more needy and I guess I should be glad that I'm missed. It just makes it harder to be away.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
On Going Home for Christmas
I've been looking forward to seeing everyone at Christmas. I miss the family terribly, especially since this is the first time I've been this far away for so long. I know living away from everyone will get easier with time, but for now, 6 months has seemed far longer.
Cameron hooked up with a couple of local bands when we first got to Phoenix, but it turned out they just didn't have their stuff together. Lots of indecisiveness and being vague as to what they would be doing next made it not worth the effort. At that time, he was going to have a gig during Christmas week so I was going to fly to California and he would join me later.
Well, since the band thing went awry, we are now looking at other options. Rental cars are pretty expensive and so we're currently planning to hop on the bike for the trip. I got a backpack carrier for Tuesday, and the cats will do fine with an extra litter box and lots of food and water. The bike needs new tires and servicing so that's our main focus. At least the money put into the bike will carry over to regular use when we get back.
Ah, the car. It's still sitting in limbo and there's no estimate as to when we will arrive at a decision as to its fate. Probably won't even consider it until after the holidays.
My bike is coming along slowly. Without a garage to work in and less daylight hours, our time is somewhat limited. Add to that exhaustive classes and my bizarre work schedule, it's hard to get much done at a time. We are making progress, though. It will be fantastic to have my own transportation again. I'll definitely be needing some sort of saddlebags and/or tailbag for the bike in order to pick up groceries and such.
I'm starting to look for other work, or at least something extra to bring in more money. With the cutbacks at the store, they have reduced everyone's hours. So, instead of almost 40 a week, I'm getting almost 30. It's just not enough. I've found several possibilities, but that, too, will probably be best taken care of after the holidays. It's hard to take time off at a job you just started.
Phoenix does seem to have a winter, though not as definitive as Albuquerque's. We've had some cold breezy days and chilly nights/mornings. A pronounced difference from the days in the upper 70's just last month. It makes for cold rides to and from work.
I can't help but wonder where we'll go after he graduates. BMW has dealerships all over the world and there's only 2 campuses in the US that train certified mechanics for BMW. Apparently, most graduates have a job waiting for them when they leave MMI, so I guess we'll know some time next summer. I haven't really decided what I want to do after he gets situated and it's my turn to get some new training. I think where we move to will have a great influence on my choices, depending on what is available and our general situation at the time. What lies ahead in the coming months is totally up in the air. The only sure thing is his school, as sure as that can be, anyway.
Cameron hooked up with a couple of local bands when we first got to Phoenix, but it turned out they just didn't have their stuff together. Lots of indecisiveness and being vague as to what they would be doing next made it not worth the effort. At that time, he was going to have a gig during Christmas week so I was going to fly to California and he would join me later.
Well, since the band thing went awry, we are now looking at other options. Rental cars are pretty expensive and so we're currently planning to hop on the bike for the trip. I got a backpack carrier for Tuesday, and the cats will do fine with an extra litter box and lots of food and water. The bike needs new tires and servicing so that's our main focus. At least the money put into the bike will carry over to regular use when we get back.
Ah, the car. It's still sitting in limbo and there's no estimate as to when we will arrive at a decision as to its fate. Probably won't even consider it until after the holidays.
My bike is coming along slowly. Without a garage to work in and less daylight hours, our time is somewhat limited. Add to that exhaustive classes and my bizarre work schedule, it's hard to get much done at a time. We are making progress, though. It will be fantastic to have my own transportation again. I'll definitely be needing some sort of saddlebags and/or tailbag for the bike in order to pick up groceries and such.
I'm starting to look for other work, or at least something extra to bring in more money. With the cutbacks at the store, they have reduced everyone's hours. So, instead of almost 40 a week, I'm getting almost 30. It's just not enough. I've found several possibilities, but that, too, will probably be best taken care of after the holidays. It's hard to take time off at a job you just started.
Phoenix does seem to have a winter, though not as definitive as Albuquerque's. We've had some cold breezy days and chilly nights/mornings. A pronounced difference from the days in the upper 70's just last month. It makes for cold rides to and from work.
I can't help but wonder where we'll go after he graduates. BMW has dealerships all over the world and there's only 2 campuses in the US that train certified mechanics for BMW. Apparently, most graduates have a job waiting for them when they leave MMI, so I guess we'll know some time next summer. I haven't really decided what I want to do after he gets situated and it's my turn to get some new training. I think where we move to will have a great influence on my choices, depending on what is available and our general situation at the time. What lies ahead in the coming months is totally up in the air. The only sure thing is his school, as sure as that can be, anyway.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Alot of Water Under the Bridge, and a Few Boulders
It's been awhile, actually over a month, since my last post.
It got kind of crazy for a while there, and I guess I'm beginning to pull out of slump. You see, first my car started acting like it wasn't going to make it to work, let alone back again. So, I stopped driving it and Cameron had to take me to work. That sometimes meant spending several hours hanging out at a cafe nearby until it was time for my shift to start, or for him to get out of class to pick me up. If I worked 3 to 9:00, he had to drop me off at 12:30 so he could be at school by 1:00, leaving me with a couple of hours to kill. It gave me time to get some computer work done, like writing and such.
Well, that worked out fine for a couple of days, then my laptop got stolen out of the breakroom at work. It does little good to have a combination lock on a door if no one closes it. Hard lesson learned. Fortunately, our renter's insurance covered the laptop as I use it for work, namely writing. It took a few days to get the check and a few more to find a good deal on a replacement.
I'm having a harder time dealing with the lost thoughts and ideas that were stored on that piece of hardware. Naively I hadn't backed up my files, so I lost everything.
Of course, the information is in my head and can probably be regurgitated into something, perhaps better than the original work. But part of me was in that. The beginning of my book was there and in that were my deepest emotions and fears from that first day of "the accident". I laboriously expelled them into the laptop so I could finally let them rest, let myself rest. Someone took that away from me, robbed me of that peace. This weekend I'll start again, perhaps from more of a distance, and this time they will be backed up and safe from harm.
Oh, about the car. Two days after the laptop was stolen, I decided to try to drive the car to work. We were in serious need of groceries and I figured it would make at least one more trip. Well, I was wrong. On the way home from the grocery store, after a late shift, the car suddenly lost power. I was able to nurse it into a parking lot a few blocks away from the store. Unfortunately, I had no cell phone, since it had been in the laptop case when it was stolen, so I walked to a Walgreen's to use a payphone. I really missed my phone. The payphone was very dirty and I had such a poor connection that I could barely hear Cameron when I called him.
Long story short, we eventually got the car picked up by AAA and towed home, groceries and all. The final destiny for the car is yet undetermined. In the inter rem, we have pulled my motorcycle out of storage and Cameron has been hard at work doing repairs. It was damaged about a year ago and never fixed. I'm not sure when it will be ready for me to ride so, since I don't want a replay of the laptop theft, I'm getting a lot of reading done. It's nice, in that sense, since I don't take the time to read much these days, though that may change. I've gotten through several books that I had gotten a couple of years ago, but left on the shelf.
Wow, I just checked the time and it's almost midnight. I hate working the closing shift since it takes me a while to unwind, making my final bedtime late. So, good night and with laptop now in hand, I'll return to more regular postings.
It got kind of crazy for a while there, and I guess I'm beginning to pull out of slump. You see, first my car started acting like it wasn't going to make it to work, let alone back again. So, I stopped driving it and Cameron had to take me to work. That sometimes meant spending several hours hanging out at a cafe nearby until it was time for my shift to start, or for him to get out of class to pick me up. If I worked 3 to 9:00, he had to drop me off at 12:30 so he could be at school by 1:00, leaving me with a couple of hours to kill. It gave me time to get some computer work done, like writing and such.
Well, that worked out fine for a couple of days, then my laptop got stolen out of the breakroom at work. It does little good to have a combination lock on a door if no one closes it. Hard lesson learned. Fortunately, our renter's insurance covered the laptop as I use it for work, namely writing. It took a few days to get the check and a few more to find a good deal on a replacement.
I'm having a harder time dealing with the lost thoughts and ideas that were stored on that piece of hardware. Naively I hadn't backed up my files, so I lost everything.
Of course, the information is in my head and can probably be regurgitated into something, perhaps better than the original work. But part of me was in that. The beginning of my book was there and in that were my deepest emotions and fears from that first day of "the accident". I laboriously expelled them into the laptop so I could finally let them rest, let myself rest. Someone took that away from me, robbed me of that peace. This weekend I'll start again, perhaps from more of a distance, and this time they will be backed up and safe from harm.
Oh, about the car. Two days after the laptop was stolen, I decided to try to drive the car to work. We were in serious need of groceries and I figured it would make at least one more trip. Well, I was wrong. On the way home from the grocery store, after a late shift, the car suddenly lost power. I was able to nurse it into a parking lot a few blocks away from the store. Unfortunately, I had no cell phone, since it had been in the laptop case when it was stolen, so I walked to a Walgreen's to use a payphone. I really missed my phone. The payphone was very dirty and I had such a poor connection that I could barely hear Cameron when I called him.
Long story short, we eventually got the car picked up by AAA and towed home, groceries and all. The final destiny for the car is yet undetermined. In the inter rem, we have pulled my motorcycle out of storage and Cameron has been hard at work doing repairs. It was damaged about a year ago and never fixed. I'm not sure when it will be ready for me to ride so, since I don't want a replay of the laptop theft, I'm getting a lot of reading done. It's nice, in that sense, since I don't take the time to read much these days, though that may change. I've gotten through several books that I had gotten a couple of years ago, but left on the shelf.
Wow, I just checked the time and it's almost midnight. I hate working the closing shift since it takes me a while to unwind, making my final bedtime late. So, good night and with laptop now in hand, I'll return to more regular postings.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Venier Caliper Days
This evening I had one of my "why me, why us" moments. It was brief, but still made its appearance; something that has been more frequent these days.
Why do we always seem to take the bumpiest, longest "road" to get anywhere? Where are the easy routes, and why are they so often obscured from our vision? Aren't we all using the same map, or are some people gifted with the latest and greatest, while the rest of us muddle through with outdated information and blurred print?
I think it's because we, Cameron and I, need to take the time to understand our surroundings and digest where we've been. There are lessons in each mile that we didn't learn the last time we came through these parts, but ones that we can now figure out if we put our heads together. Sometimes the lessons are painful and the routes run through old scars of past trips. Rather than breeze through the rocky terrain, anxious to move ahead, we stop and discuss other potential, perhaps more scenic, routes through the same locale.
Cameron is finished with the theory portion of his training. Today he spent several hours learning tedious details and methods for using a "venier caliper". It is used to measure engine parts and other things that relate to the motorcycle. (I have to admit that as he told me about it, my mind stuck on the name of the device, mulling it over in my head, as he was relaying the more technical information about it.) Anyway, he spent the better part of today's 5 hour class studying about this instrument, only to be informed, in the end, that it is considered an antiquated device which has been replaced with a digital version that does much of the work for you. Without this knowledge of the outdated caliper, would he appreciate the value of what he has to work with today and in the future.
The long way around, the rockiest path, the faded map; in the last 3 1/2 years I have learned more about me, and about relationships, than I had in the previous 44. Our combined knowledge and experience, mixed with a lot of collaboration, has gotten us through deep potholes and up sheer cliffs. I'm learning to appreciate the past and to understand how it got me to where I am now. The map is getting a little clearer and the road ahead is a little smoother.
Why do we always seem to take the bumpiest, longest "road" to get anywhere? Where are the easy routes, and why are they so often obscured from our vision? Aren't we all using the same map, or are some people gifted with the latest and greatest, while the rest of us muddle through with outdated information and blurred print?
I think it's because we, Cameron and I, need to take the time to understand our surroundings and digest where we've been. There are lessons in each mile that we didn't learn the last time we came through these parts, but ones that we can now figure out if we put our heads together. Sometimes the lessons are painful and the routes run through old scars of past trips. Rather than breeze through the rocky terrain, anxious to move ahead, we stop and discuss other potential, perhaps more scenic, routes through the same locale.
Cameron is finished with the theory portion of his training. Today he spent several hours learning tedious details and methods for using a "venier caliper". It is used to measure engine parts and other things that relate to the motorcycle. (I have to admit that as he told me about it, my mind stuck on the name of the device, mulling it over in my head, as he was relaying the more technical information about it.) Anyway, he spent the better part of today's 5 hour class studying about this instrument, only to be informed, in the end, that it is considered an antiquated device which has been replaced with a digital version that does much of the work for you. Without this knowledge of the outdated caliper, would he appreciate the value of what he has to work with today and in the future.
The long way around, the rockiest path, the faded map; in the last 3 1/2 years I have learned more about me, and about relationships, than I had in the previous 44. Our combined knowledge and experience, mixed with a lot of collaboration, has gotten us through deep potholes and up sheer cliffs. I'm learning to appreciate the past and to understand how it got me to where I am now. The map is getting a little clearer and the road ahead is a little smoother.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sadness
I'm having a hard time lately. I've never been so far away from my family for so long before. I miss being able to call my mom for a spur of the moment lunch date when I'm out running errands or just need a break from the normal happenings of life. I miss seeing my daughter in the morning, all sleepy and sometimes grumpy, but huggable, just the same. I sometimes wonder who took care of who more.
I know part of this is that I'm making my travel plans for a Christmas visit. It brings up memories and reminds me that it will have been about 6 months since seeing everyone when I make it back there. I think another part of my rawness is the replaying of events from the accident. It's made my psyche a little more delicate.
Today was the hardest day that I've had for a while. I just got done with a week and a half stretch with no days off and fatigue that leaves me focusing on getting off my feet and trying to get a decent night's sleep. Today I rested. Of course, that's a relative term since everyone has their own idea of what is restful.
My plan was to stay off my feet to rest my knees, which are acting up and making the 8 hour shifts at a cash register barely tolerable the last hour. I was going to do more writing, since I can sit in the LazyBoy and keep my feet elevated. Instead I thought about my holiday visit. I called my daughter and we chatted for over an hour. Then I let some tears come. Well, I snuffed them out fairly quickly, it does so little good to cry. There is nothing to change, no misdeeds to regret, no one to fault. Life is doing what life does, maintaining constant movement and motion in a forward direction.
In Albuquerque, I connected with people that felt almost like family. Their company was soothing to the sadness and loneliness I was feeling from the initial departure from our old home. Here, in Phoenix, everything is superficial. I can't seem to find anything soothing to calm my sadness. I exchange pleasantries with neighbors and chat with co-workers, but the connection only lasts as long as the conversation, then it's gone.
Deep down I wonder if part of my observations of others around me is due to a fear of getting close to anyone again. It's so painful to tear away from relationships. Since we're only here a year, is it worth trying to cultivate such friendships? And who knows where we will end up after Cameron's training is completed? It would be nice to have an idea in advance so I can start to get to know the area better. My moving to Phoenix was sort of spur of the moment so there was little known about the place when we left. I had lots of time to research about Albuquerque so it was already familiar to me when we arrived. I guess I need time to get to know where I'm going in order to begin to establish a relationship with it early on. Maybe Phoenix would have seemed less foreign and impersonal had I had time to get to know it first. Time will tell.
I know part of this is that I'm making my travel plans for a Christmas visit. It brings up memories and reminds me that it will have been about 6 months since seeing everyone when I make it back there. I think another part of my rawness is the replaying of events from the accident. It's made my psyche a little more delicate.
Today was the hardest day that I've had for a while. I just got done with a week and a half stretch with no days off and fatigue that leaves me focusing on getting off my feet and trying to get a decent night's sleep. Today I rested. Of course, that's a relative term since everyone has their own idea of what is restful.
My plan was to stay off my feet to rest my knees, which are acting up and making the 8 hour shifts at a cash register barely tolerable the last hour. I was going to do more writing, since I can sit in the LazyBoy and keep my feet elevated. Instead I thought about my holiday visit. I called my daughter and we chatted for over an hour. Then I let some tears come. Well, I snuffed them out fairly quickly, it does so little good to cry. There is nothing to change, no misdeeds to regret, no one to fault. Life is doing what life does, maintaining constant movement and motion in a forward direction.
In Albuquerque, I connected with people that felt almost like family. Their company was soothing to the sadness and loneliness I was feeling from the initial departure from our old home. Here, in Phoenix, everything is superficial. I can't seem to find anything soothing to calm my sadness. I exchange pleasantries with neighbors and chat with co-workers, but the connection only lasts as long as the conversation, then it's gone.
Deep down I wonder if part of my observations of others around me is due to a fear of getting close to anyone again. It's so painful to tear away from relationships. Since we're only here a year, is it worth trying to cultivate such friendships? And who knows where we will end up after Cameron's training is completed? It would be nice to have an idea in advance so I can start to get to know the area better. My moving to Phoenix was sort of spur of the moment so there was little known about the place when we left. I had lots of time to research about Albuquerque so it was already familiar to me when we arrived. I guess I need time to get to know where I'm going in order to begin to establish a relationship with it early on. Maybe Phoenix would have seemed less foreign and impersonal had I had time to get to know it first. Time will tell.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Book
Today I started writing the book. The one a mentioned earlier about Cameron's accident. It's been close to a year and a half, but my memory holds on to it like it was yesterday. This is going to be a tough endeavor. As I write, tears well up and I have to stop periodically to gain control. Perhaps this will be a kind of therapy for me, to finally tell my story, to lay it out for everyone to see, to no longer hold onto it in case the need should arise to share it.
Work has been exhausting and I often spend my off time sleeping. I'm in the middle of a week and a half straight with no days off. Hourly positions are a pain that way. I can't get a straight 8hour day/5 day work week for anything. At least not yet. In order to get 40 hours this week, I'm covering for a couple of people who wanted time off. Since they're students, the chunks of time are only 4 and 6 hours. I can hardly wait for Friday. Saturday we're going to a motorcycle expo that is here, in Phoenix. It'll be nice to do something non-work related.
Cameron has taken up a lot of the household duties so I can focus my free time to working on the book. There's isn't a set time to have it finished, but perhaps the end of his school year would be a good goal. Any longer and it will be lost in the files of other unfinished works. At least I have a reason to finish this one.
I'll keep you posted as to my progress. I have an early shift tomorrow so I'd better get to bed.
Work has been exhausting and I often spend my off time sleeping. I'm in the middle of a week and a half straight with no days off. Hourly positions are a pain that way. I can't get a straight 8hour day/5 day work week for anything. At least not yet. In order to get 40 hours this week, I'm covering for a couple of people who wanted time off. Since they're students, the chunks of time are only 4 and 6 hours. I can hardly wait for Friday. Saturday we're going to a motorcycle expo that is here, in Phoenix. It'll be nice to do something non-work related.
Cameron has taken up a lot of the household duties so I can focus my free time to working on the book. There's isn't a set time to have it finished, but perhaps the end of his school year would be a good goal. Any longer and it will be lost in the files of other unfinished works. At least I have a reason to finish this one.
I'll keep you posted as to my progress. I have an early shift tomorrow so I'd better get to bed.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
First of the Dog Days
Last night was my first evening working at the pets hotel at the store. I learned a few things, such as some duties are best left the the younger kids, and I have more of a dog allergy than I thought.
Hmm...maybe this isn't the best area for me to work in.
It started with a chat around the front desk followed by a test that I had to get 100% on. It was preceded by a lengthy manual about safety procedures and proper hotel maintenance. The test was only about 30 questions and a fellow associate conveniently did some paperwork right next to me while I quickly went through the test. She acknowledged my correct answers and made a noise if I considered an incorrect one. It's funny, they all took the test this way or at least had someone go over it with them after they finished, but before they clicked the "send" button to head it off to corporate. Thus, everyone gets 100%. Whatever!
Next I was given a frequently interrupted tour of the facility by the assistant manager. They are capable of housing a lot of dogs there. There's over 120 kennels and some had multiple family members in them, as well as about 25 cat cages. There's rooms designated as the potty rooms for "walking" the dogs in (they have drains in the floor so they can be disinfected and washed down) 3 big rooms for the "doggie daycamp" play areas, and a training room.
Since I had been called in to help with the unexpectedly large volume of guests that had come in, I performed a little bit of every duty, except front desk. I cleaned kennels, did laundry, hugged anxious animals, and assisted in the doggie daycamp room for small dogs. That's where I found out that I can't handle being in a room with about 20 dogs, all clamoring for attention and playing, without having a sneezing fit or breaking out with hives. I did OK for the first 1/2 hour or 45 minutes, but after that, it was uncomfortable and a half hour later I had to leave the room. I was then given the job of cleaning food bowls. It seemed like a never-ending flow of stainless steel bowls that I scrubbed out under hot water and then loaded into a sterilizing machine, similar to a dishwasher. I don't understand why they don't just use a dishwasher, but I guess someone decided this was best. I don't know how long I was at the dishes, but my back was killing me when I finally reached some point at an ebb in the flow and stopped. It was a good time for a break anyway.
The rest of the evening was spent checking on kennels/guests, looking for messes to clean up or animals that looked stressed. It was nice to spend time with them and pet them or pick them up to hold them for a while. The one on one or sometimes two on one time worked out fine for me, I guess the intensity of so much DOG in one room at once is just too much. Actually, the kneeling and bending and up and down, etc. was a little much too. Of course those muscles will get stronger with more use, but at the end of the day, I was sore. Sore and exhausted.
I had today off and mostly rested. I've been told that this time of year is the worst for allergies in Phoenix and I believe it. I've been sneezing for the past 2 weeks and last night's infusion of intense dog had done me in. My sinuses are not happy and so, in order to stave off any potential lurking bacteria (sinus infection) I listened to my body and took a long nap. I feel a little better tonight and will be back at work tomorrow morning. I have no idea what part of the store I'll be in since I've told them to put me anywhere so I can get the most hours. I think the best mix would be to do half a day of cashiering then work in the hotel. Last night's 7 hours was a bit much.
Next weekend we're going to bring the Suzuki motorcycle out of storage and fix it up so I can ride it again. It got crashed last winter and we haven't gotten around to fixing the last few things that are messed up, as well as lowering it so I can flat foot it. I stopped riding it because it was too tall for me and frequently, when I stopped it in a parking lot on uneven ground, it fell over because I couldn't catch it. That was embarrassing and usually broke off one of the hand levers, making it undriveable until it was replaced. They are cheap pot metal, for some reason, and stick out just enough that they catch the brunt of the impact when the bike falls over. Since the bike is top-heavy, it's hard for me to pick it up, too.
The repair and subsequent riding of the bike is because the car I'm driving is making some unsettling noises that make me not trust it to make it to my destination. I think it's the transmission going out and the repairs to the bike are cheaper than getting the transmission fixed. Since I need reliable transportation to go to work to make the money to fix the car, fixing the bike first seems to make the most sense. That way I won't drive the car any more than necessary and it can limp along until it can get some attention. It's about 12 to 15 miles to work, so that's potentially about 180 miles less a week. Besides, since Cameron is getting back into the music business, he'll need the car to take the keyboard to practices and gigs. (It's kind of difficult to carry a full-size keyboard on a motorcycle, though I have come up with some creative thoughts : ) on how to do it.)
I can hardly wait until this year is up and we find out where we'll be heading to next. There are BMW dealerships all over the world and the students at MMI frequently have jobs waiting for them before they graduate. I hope that is the case with us. It would be a nice change to have employers offering jobs, instead of us going hunting for jobs. Most likely, if we stay in the US or Canada, I will be able to just transfer to another store in the city we move to. I don't really know what I want to do with myself after he gets into his position. We've talked about me going back to school or pursuing some other course, but I guess that will come to me in time. I have lots of ideas and interests, but little direction as to how to make them happen. Again, we have time to see what unfolds, I just have a little trouble with the patience for waiting for that to happen.
I really miss everyone. I miss family in California and the "family" that started to form in Albuquerque. Here, I feel like one of the multitude of workers that inhabit the area. Everyone has their "bubble" that they keep around themselves that keeps others at arm's length from them. I've met some really nice people, but none offer the genuine warmth that I received in Albuquerque. Perhaps they just take a little longer to warm up to someone. With the holidays approaching, this may all change as people get in the mood for gathering and celebrating. Again I'm faced with that word that haunts me: PATIENCE. Ugh! It will eventually beat me into submission, but for now, it escapes me at the worst times, when I need it most, then hangs around afterwards to taunt me, fingering its nose at me.
As usual, I'm writing this before I head off to bed. A good night's sleep may bring me some of that elusive stuff I need so much of these days...
Hmm...maybe this isn't the best area for me to work in.
It started with a chat around the front desk followed by a test that I had to get 100% on. It was preceded by a lengthy manual about safety procedures and proper hotel maintenance. The test was only about 30 questions and a fellow associate conveniently did some paperwork right next to me while I quickly went through the test. She acknowledged my correct answers and made a noise if I considered an incorrect one. It's funny, they all took the test this way or at least had someone go over it with them after they finished, but before they clicked the "send" button to head it off to corporate. Thus, everyone gets 100%. Whatever!
Next I was given a frequently interrupted tour of the facility by the assistant manager. They are capable of housing a lot of dogs there. There's over 120 kennels and some had multiple family members in them, as well as about 25 cat cages. There's rooms designated as the potty rooms for "walking" the dogs in (they have drains in the floor so they can be disinfected and washed down) 3 big rooms for the "doggie daycamp" play areas, and a training room.
Since I had been called in to help with the unexpectedly large volume of guests that had come in, I performed a little bit of every duty, except front desk. I cleaned kennels, did laundry, hugged anxious animals, and assisted in the doggie daycamp room for small dogs. That's where I found out that I can't handle being in a room with about 20 dogs, all clamoring for attention and playing, without having a sneezing fit or breaking out with hives. I did OK for the first 1/2 hour or 45 minutes, but after that, it was uncomfortable and a half hour later I had to leave the room. I was then given the job of cleaning food bowls. It seemed like a never-ending flow of stainless steel bowls that I scrubbed out under hot water and then loaded into a sterilizing machine, similar to a dishwasher. I don't understand why they don't just use a dishwasher, but I guess someone decided this was best. I don't know how long I was at the dishes, but my back was killing me when I finally reached some point at an ebb in the flow and stopped. It was a good time for a break anyway.
The rest of the evening was spent checking on kennels/guests, looking for messes to clean up or animals that looked stressed. It was nice to spend time with them and pet them or pick them up to hold them for a while. The one on one or sometimes two on one time worked out fine for me, I guess the intensity of so much DOG in one room at once is just too much. Actually, the kneeling and bending and up and down, etc. was a little much too. Of course those muscles will get stronger with more use, but at the end of the day, I was sore. Sore and exhausted.
I had today off and mostly rested. I've been told that this time of year is the worst for allergies in Phoenix and I believe it. I've been sneezing for the past 2 weeks and last night's infusion of intense dog had done me in. My sinuses are not happy and so, in order to stave off any potential lurking bacteria (sinus infection) I listened to my body and took a long nap. I feel a little better tonight and will be back at work tomorrow morning. I have no idea what part of the store I'll be in since I've told them to put me anywhere so I can get the most hours. I think the best mix would be to do half a day of cashiering then work in the hotel. Last night's 7 hours was a bit much.
Next weekend we're going to bring the Suzuki motorcycle out of storage and fix it up so I can ride it again. It got crashed last winter and we haven't gotten around to fixing the last few things that are messed up, as well as lowering it so I can flat foot it. I stopped riding it because it was too tall for me and frequently, when I stopped it in a parking lot on uneven ground, it fell over because I couldn't catch it. That was embarrassing and usually broke off one of the hand levers, making it undriveable until it was replaced. They are cheap pot metal, for some reason, and stick out just enough that they catch the brunt of the impact when the bike falls over. Since the bike is top-heavy, it's hard for me to pick it up, too.
The repair and subsequent riding of the bike is because the car I'm driving is making some unsettling noises that make me not trust it to make it to my destination. I think it's the transmission going out and the repairs to the bike are cheaper than getting the transmission fixed. Since I need reliable transportation to go to work to make the money to fix the car, fixing the bike first seems to make the most sense. That way I won't drive the car any more than necessary and it can limp along until it can get some attention. It's about 12 to 15 miles to work, so that's potentially about 180 miles less a week. Besides, since Cameron is getting back into the music business, he'll need the car to take the keyboard to practices and gigs. (It's kind of difficult to carry a full-size keyboard on a motorcycle, though I have come up with some creative thoughts : ) on how to do it.)
I can hardly wait until this year is up and we find out where we'll be heading to next. There are BMW dealerships all over the world and the students at MMI frequently have jobs waiting for them before they graduate. I hope that is the case with us. It would be a nice change to have employers offering jobs, instead of us going hunting for jobs. Most likely, if we stay in the US or Canada, I will be able to just transfer to another store in the city we move to. I don't really know what I want to do with myself after he gets into his position. We've talked about me going back to school or pursuing some other course, but I guess that will come to me in time. I have lots of ideas and interests, but little direction as to how to make them happen. Again, we have time to see what unfolds, I just have a little trouble with the patience for waiting for that to happen.
I really miss everyone. I miss family in California and the "family" that started to form in Albuquerque. Here, I feel like one of the multitude of workers that inhabit the area. Everyone has their "bubble" that they keep around themselves that keeps others at arm's length from them. I've met some really nice people, but none offer the genuine warmth that I received in Albuquerque. Perhaps they just take a little longer to warm up to someone. With the holidays approaching, this may all change as people get in the mood for gathering and celebrating. Again I'm faced with that word that haunts me: PATIENCE. Ugh! It will eventually beat me into submission, but for now, it escapes me at the worst times, when I need it most, then hangs around afterwards to taunt me, fingering its nose at me.
As usual, I'm writing this before I head off to bed. A good night's sleep may bring me some of that elusive stuff I need so much of these days...
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
First Day
Well, today was my first actual work day and I spent it at the cash register. Wow, it's been a long time since I did that. It was fun, for the most part, until the last hour. My back started hurting so I was counting the remaining minutes. I'm looking forward to the cross-training, that will give me more hours and insurance, as well as changes of scenery on a regular basis. The people at the store are very nice and most of the customers were great, so it was a good day.
Cameron's gotten into a second band so will be playing keyboard with 2 bands and dropping the job at the vacuum cleaner store. I think he'll be much happier doing that and it will be nice to have the music back in our lives. I've missed it, even though he's been practicing off and on since we moved, it isn't the same frequency as when he's actively involved in a music project. The adjustment in hours will help, as well, since the intensity of his classes made it tough to maintain such a long work/school day.
I'm thinking about trying to do more commercial writing. I was looking over the blog from Cameron's accident (http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/camsgirl/t1178002800) and pondering the possibilities for using it in a book. Cameron has blog entries, as well, and perhaps combining them with earlier reflections on motorcycling to create something...it's just the what that escapes me. It's a new idea so I'll let it simmer a while and see what comes of it. If something good can come out of all of this, I can't say it was worth the heartache and physical pain/anguish, but at least doing something with all of it might ease some of the destruction that it caused. I hate how thinking about it still swells my throat and makes my eyes well up. Maybe this will be good therapy.
I'm, also, looking into some of my earlier writings and thinking about revising them and testing the waters of the periodical world. I've written some human interest type articles and started a few stories (I'm good at that, it's the finishing that is hard) that were begun when I was at a lull in my general goings-on, but stopped working on them when I got busy. I think it's time to blow the dust off them and see what I can do.
Looking at the time, I think what I can do right now is head in the direction of bed. I start at 9:30 tomorrow and go till 4:30. It's a long stretch at the register, actually the same as today. I need a good night's rest.
Cameron's gotten into a second band so will be playing keyboard with 2 bands and dropping the job at the vacuum cleaner store. I think he'll be much happier doing that and it will be nice to have the music back in our lives. I've missed it, even though he's been practicing off and on since we moved, it isn't the same frequency as when he's actively involved in a music project. The adjustment in hours will help, as well, since the intensity of his classes made it tough to maintain such a long work/school day.
I'm thinking about trying to do more commercial writing. I was looking over the blog from Cameron's accident (http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/camsgirl/t1178002800) and pondering the possibilities for using it in a book. Cameron has blog entries, as well, and perhaps combining them with earlier reflections on motorcycling to create something...it's just the what that escapes me. It's a new idea so I'll let it simmer a while and see what comes of it. If something good can come out of all of this, I can't say it was worth the heartache and physical pain/anguish, but at least doing something with all of it might ease some of the destruction that it caused. I hate how thinking about it still swells my throat and makes my eyes well up. Maybe this will be good therapy.
I'm, also, looking into some of my earlier writings and thinking about revising them and testing the waters of the periodical world. I've written some human interest type articles and started a few stories (I'm good at that, it's the finishing that is hard) that were begun when I was at a lull in my general goings-on, but stopped working on them when I got busy. I think it's time to blow the dust off them and see what I can do.
Looking at the time, I think what I can do right now is head in the direction of bed. I start at 9:30 tomorrow and go till 4:30. It's a long stretch at the register, actually the same as today. I need a good night's rest.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Finally, A Job!!
After close to 4 weeks, I've finally gotten a job. It's entry level, but I think I'm going to like it. It's with Petsmart, which is located all over the US and Canada so once Cameron is done with school I can transfer to other locations. I'll be cashiering in the regular store and also working in the pet hotel part of it. I love the animals and the hotel lets me play with them and interact a lot. The starting pay isn't spectacular, but will get us through the year and then we'll see where his work takes us.
Other big news, Cameron got hired on as keyboard player for a local band. I think they're called The Eleventh Hour and they play a wide assortment of styles. Since they have a sax, horn, bass, drum, and keyboard players, they can handle just about anything. They have a woman doing vocals that has a beautiful, clear voice. When Cameron was auditioning, there was a guy auditioning for male vocalist, as well. He was great, but apparently they wanted someone with more experience doing duets and harmonizing. They practice every Sunday so I made myself available to work then, since we wouldn't be able to go on any long rides that day.
I'm seeing more of Phoenix, especially today, since the store I'm working at is located in an area called Paradise Valley. It's a 25 minute drive through a very nice part of town with custom homes and unusual restaurants/shops. It's on the other side of the hills (definitely not mountains like in Albuquerque) from where we live so I take surface streets that skirt around them. It would be a much shorter drive if not for the hills. The place where Cameron will be going to rehearse is in Gonzales, which is just south of Tempe. Tempe is south east of Phoenix. Everything runs together here, like LA, so it's hard to tell where one town ends and another begins. The skyline is much lower than LA. There aren't as many highrise buildings clumped together in a downtown area. They are mostly scattered and not nearly as tall, at least what I've seen so far. Most of the residential areas remind me of the San Fernando Valley with ranch-style homes and that non-descript look about them. That's why it was so nice to see the Paradise Valley area. It redeemed Phoenix a little, but I still miss Albuquerque a lot.
The people of Paradise Valley are nicer, friendlier than the area we live in. In our part of town, it's like LA with everyone just looking forward and not acknowleging anyone around them. It's very impersonal. When I was walking into the Petsmart store for my interview, someone said hello to me in the parking lot and another smiled and nodded at me when I went through the door. I even had a driver give me space to merge into her lane when the lane I was in was closing due to construction. It all sounds so minor and common place, but when it's not there, you miss it.
There is another MMI student living downstairs and to the back of us, that I met recently. He and his wife are here from someplace back east (the place escapes me at the moment), and they have 2 dogs. One is a small to medium german shepard type and the other is a miniature chihuahua. Both are very friendly (I am still amazed at the friendliness of the chihuahua) and anxious to meet Tuesday. Unfortunately, they were a little too anxious and scared her. I'm hoping she'll get used to them so she can have some friends. She's still so traumatized from the dogs in the neighborhood we were in, in Bakersfield. They were all so mean and would charge her when she tried to make friends. There was a very polite and easy-going poodle mix dog at our place in Albuquerque that she was beginning to make friends with so I know there is hope. It will just take some time and being with the properly behaved (ones that follow dog ettiquette such as all the sniffing and introductions before charging up to someone) ones that won't scare her away before she has a chance to get to know them.
Well, it's getting late so I'd better put this to bed so I can, as well. More later...
Other big news, Cameron got hired on as keyboard player for a local band. I think they're called The Eleventh Hour and they play a wide assortment of styles. Since they have a sax, horn, bass, drum, and keyboard players, they can handle just about anything. They have a woman doing vocals that has a beautiful, clear voice. When Cameron was auditioning, there was a guy auditioning for male vocalist, as well. He was great, but apparently they wanted someone with more experience doing duets and harmonizing. They practice every Sunday so I made myself available to work then, since we wouldn't be able to go on any long rides that day.
I'm seeing more of Phoenix, especially today, since the store I'm working at is located in an area called Paradise Valley. It's a 25 minute drive through a very nice part of town with custom homes and unusual restaurants/shops. It's on the other side of the hills (definitely not mountains like in Albuquerque) from where we live so I take surface streets that skirt around them. It would be a much shorter drive if not for the hills. The place where Cameron will be going to rehearse is in Gonzales, which is just south of Tempe. Tempe is south east of Phoenix. Everything runs together here, like LA, so it's hard to tell where one town ends and another begins. The skyline is much lower than LA. There aren't as many highrise buildings clumped together in a downtown area. They are mostly scattered and not nearly as tall, at least what I've seen so far. Most of the residential areas remind me of the San Fernando Valley with ranch-style homes and that non-descript look about them. That's why it was so nice to see the Paradise Valley area. It redeemed Phoenix a little, but I still miss Albuquerque a lot.
The people of Paradise Valley are nicer, friendlier than the area we live in. In our part of town, it's like LA with everyone just looking forward and not acknowleging anyone around them. It's very impersonal. When I was walking into the Petsmart store for my interview, someone said hello to me in the parking lot and another smiled and nodded at me when I went through the door. I even had a driver give me space to merge into her lane when the lane I was in was closing due to construction. It all sounds so minor and common place, but when it's not there, you miss it.
There is another MMI student living downstairs and to the back of us, that I met recently. He and his wife are here from someplace back east (the place escapes me at the moment), and they have 2 dogs. One is a small to medium german shepard type and the other is a miniature chihuahua. Both are very friendly (I am still amazed at the friendliness of the chihuahua) and anxious to meet Tuesday. Unfortunately, they were a little too anxious and scared her. I'm hoping she'll get used to them so she can have some friends. She's still so traumatized from the dogs in the neighborhood we were in, in Bakersfield. They were all so mean and would charge her when she tried to make friends. There was a very polite and easy-going poodle mix dog at our place in Albuquerque that she was beginning to make friends with so I know there is hope. It will just take some time and being with the properly behaved (ones that follow dog ettiquette such as all the sniffing and introductions before charging up to someone) ones that won't scare her away before she has a chance to get to know them.
Well, it's getting late so I'd better put this to bed so I can, as well. More later...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Classes Start Monday!
Today was orientation day at MMI, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. I hadn't been there before so it was interesting to see the campus and some of the staff. They did a good,professional, presentation, putting the parents in attendance at ease from the initial fears of leaving their "young ones" in Phoenix. I spoke with several that felt so much better about making their trips back home, wherever in the US that might be, next week.
It's fascinating to look over the variety of in-coming students, both their ages and style of dress. It ran the gamut, though the majority looked fresh out of high school; clean cut "all-American" mid-western to liberal facial piercings with, what looked like, self-cut hair. There were a few of us "significant others" and several pairs of parents. The rules, strict dress code included, were stated very directly and with no gray areas. I think that was the big deal-closer for those parents; high expectations and no-nonsense policies. I can hardly wait to see the changes in these kids after their 12-18 months of training is over.
After the presentation, while Cameron was going through the line of stations to pay his materials fee, and get an ID and shirts, I chatted with a couple of the student services people about employment-for me. They have a couple of openings at the school that sound like a good fit, and I was directed to apply on line. Cool! There was, also, a career fair at the school in the afternoon for students and their spouses.
Well, the career fair was really geared toward the students. Part-time jobs that utilized the male ability to lift heavy objects were the dominant options. Full-time with benefits? Hmm..."we'll take a copy of your resume and see if anything comes up." OK, at least I went and didn't spend the rest of the day wondering if that perfect job was sitting there, waiting for me.
Speaking of career fairs, there's one this Saturday at the community college. I've applied on line for 2 postions there, but was sent an email telling me it would take at least 4 weeks to process my application! That's before anyone even gives me a call for an interview. So, hopefully, this Saturday I can get some face-time in with the human resources department.
It's funny. Most of the job postings I have applied for have been through internet companies that host want ads. Of these ads, many specifically say to NOT call the company. So how do I pester them into hiring me? Phoenix is home to MANY call centers and corporate offices. It's getting past their initial "nets" that is posing a challenge for me. "We'll call you if your application meets our desired qualifications." Yes, can you tell I hate job hunting?
Ah, bringing my stress levels back down to a reasonable level, we are settling in nicely. There are still a few boxes unpacked, mostly for a lack of homes for the items they contain. This apartment is larger, but lacks some of the storage the other one had. I'll get creative one of these days and come up with a solution, but for now, they sit here and there and provide nice hiding places for the cats to nap in.
I've been watching the positioning of the sunlight on the balcony. I'd like to plant some vegetables out there, but the pots would need to be moveable in order to catch the light we get. I specifically asked for an apartment that would be out of the afternoon sun, so this one is more limited than many here. I'll probably look into the flat, wheeled, stands for pots. That way I can move them about to ensure adequate exposure. Since we're only planning on living in Phoenix for the length of his school time, I don't want to start any perrenials. It's highly frowned upon to take live plants across state lines as they can transmit insects. So, veggies it is! And maybe some annuals, who knows? Perhaps if I get some flowers going, the hummingbirds will start coming up to the feeder. I have yet to get any customers.
It's getting late and tomorrow's another day. I'll let you know if anything comes of my continued endeavors for employment. Good Night!
It's fascinating to look over the variety of in-coming students, both their ages and style of dress. It ran the gamut, though the majority looked fresh out of high school; clean cut "all-American" mid-western to liberal facial piercings with, what looked like, self-cut hair. There were a few of us "significant others" and several pairs of parents. The rules, strict dress code included, were stated very directly and with no gray areas. I think that was the big deal-closer for those parents; high expectations and no-nonsense policies. I can hardly wait to see the changes in these kids after their 12-18 months of training is over.
After the presentation, while Cameron was going through the line of stations to pay his materials fee, and get an ID and shirts, I chatted with a couple of the student services people about employment-for me. They have a couple of openings at the school that sound like a good fit, and I was directed to apply on line. Cool! There was, also, a career fair at the school in the afternoon for students and their spouses.
Well, the career fair was really geared toward the students. Part-time jobs that utilized the male ability to lift heavy objects were the dominant options. Full-time with benefits? Hmm..."we'll take a copy of your resume and see if anything comes up." OK, at least I went and didn't spend the rest of the day wondering if that perfect job was sitting there, waiting for me.
Speaking of career fairs, there's one this Saturday at the community college. I've applied on line for 2 postions there, but was sent an email telling me it would take at least 4 weeks to process my application! That's before anyone even gives me a call for an interview. So, hopefully, this Saturday I can get some face-time in with the human resources department.
It's funny. Most of the job postings I have applied for have been through internet companies that host want ads. Of these ads, many specifically say to NOT call the company. So how do I pester them into hiring me? Phoenix is home to MANY call centers and corporate offices. It's getting past their initial "nets" that is posing a challenge for me. "We'll call you if your application meets our desired qualifications." Yes, can you tell I hate job hunting?
Ah, bringing my stress levels back down to a reasonable level, we are settling in nicely. There are still a few boxes unpacked, mostly for a lack of homes for the items they contain. This apartment is larger, but lacks some of the storage the other one had. I'll get creative one of these days and come up with a solution, but for now, they sit here and there and provide nice hiding places for the cats to nap in.
I've been watching the positioning of the sunlight on the balcony. I'd like to plant some vegetables out there, but the pots would need to be moveable in order to catch the light we get. I specifically asked for an apartment that would be out of the afternoon sun, so this one is more limited than many here. I'll probably look into the flat, wheeled, stands for pots. That way I can move them about to ensure adequate exposure. Since we're only planning on living in Phoenix for the length of his school time, I don't want to start any perrenials. It's highly frowned upon to take live plants across state lines as they can transmit insects. So, veggies it is! And maybe some annuals, who knows? Perhaps if I get some flowers going, the hummingbirds will start coming up to the feeder. I have yet to get any customers.
It's getting late and tomorrow's another day. I'll let you know if anything comes of my continued endeavors for employment. Good Night!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Settling In
It's taking a little time to get settled into life in Phoenix. The place is much like LA in terms of traffic, attitudes, and hungry, monster-like, engulfing of surrounding communities into one large rambling mega-city. It's hard to tell where one ends and another begins, but one thing becomes certain, the closer you get to Phoenix, proper, the more congested things get.
Cameron scored a part-time job doing small engine/appliance repair in an area that, as far as the map was concerned, was a nice 15 minute ride from home. Well... in the afternoon/evening-say around the hours of between 3 and 5 o'clock-it's actually closer to an hour from home. I experienced it first-hand yesterday when I paid him a visit to deliver a stool I found for him to sit on while he works. The business he's at is in a shopping center area so, in addition to the regular rush-hour traffic, there's the shopping traffic, as well. Luckily, I chatted it up with a guy at the pizza place next door and found out a way around the brunt of the snarl of traffic. It saved us about a half hour of travel time.
My job hunting results have not been so fruitful. Many, many applications/resumes have been put out there, but not so much interest. There have been a couple of phone interviews that put me on a waiting list until the next round of hiring occurs, though I have no idea when that will be-don't call us, we'll call you. To make it more difficult, most of the internet postings request no phone calls. OK...how am I supposed to follow-up? It's frustrating, but there are 2 job fairs next week, one at the school Cameron is attending, the other through Career Builder (one of the major employment listing services used in the area). Ah, a chance for some face time!
The high temperatures were a hard slam to the body for the first week. Going from the 80's of Albuquerque to the 105+ of Phoenix made it difficult to get motivated to do much. The last few days have cooled off a little-99 to 101-so it hasn't been quite so intense. The evenings are cooling down, now, too. Thank goodness for air conditioning!
The apartment complex we're in is huge! I don't remember how many building or units, but each building is 3 stories high, we're on the second floor. There have been quite a few things that need fixing and the maintenance guys are fantastic. Out of curiosity I asked one of them how old the complex is and they said it's 30 years old. No wonder there's so much to repair. The management is systematically refurbishing the place and bringing it up to current code. Our place has a great floor plan, but there are structural things about it that make me wonder if I'll wind up in the downstairs apartment one of these days. Small sags in the floor, here and there, and the amazing ability of little 12-pound Tuesday, running across the the livingroom floor, making the whole place shake, definitely makes one wonder. So...I spoke with one of the guys that is doing the refurbishing project and when I told him about the floors he strongly recommended that I inform the maintenance person. He said it's amazing what people have been living with and not reporting and the only way to get it fixed is to notify management. Very true, luckily, the woman in charge of maintenance is very understanding and offers immediate solutions. This conversation ocurred after office hours so I'll talk with her on Monday. It'll be interesting to see what transpires as a result.
Speaking of Tuesday, she's still having a hard time with taking walks around this place. First, there's the stairs. Her poor little legs can handle about 2, maybe 3, trips up and down and she's done. If I take her out more than 3 times, I can plan on carrying her up the stairs to come home. The other big problem is that there is no size limit on the dogs that live here. She's so afraid of anything much bigger than she is that if she even sees a large dog in the distance, she does an about-face and makes a bee-line in the opposite direction. That makes for anxious walks and many delays in "taking care of business". There's, also, lots of people around here so there's a lot of distractions and sudden noises to add to the situation. I'm sure she'll eventually get used to it, though.
We haven't taken any motorcycle trips yet-too hot for me. I'll go out one of these days and take a few pictures of the complex so you can see what it's like. They've done a wonderful job on the outside of it, I thought is was a pretty new development when we first got here. From our bedroom, looking out the big sliding door, it looks like we're in a treehouse. There's a large eucalyptus tree outside and we're at the midpoint of the branches. It gives a nice shady feel to the place. I put the hummingbird feeder up, but so far haven't had any guests. Perhaps I should put up a "free food" sign! I'm going to pass on the regular feeder while we're here. It would be pandemonium on the balcony with doves and pigeons trying to eat and the cats jumping up on the wall to get at them. Not a good situation!
Well, that's about it for now. We're continuing to do this one step at a time, so we'll see what the coming week has to offer.
Cameron scored a part-time job doing small engine/appliance repair in an area that, as far as the map was concerned, was a nice 15 minute ride from home. Well... in the afternoon/evening-say around the hours of between 3 and 5 o'clock-it's actually closer to an hour from home. I experienced it first-hand yesterday when I paid him a visit to deliver a stool I found for him to sit on while he works. The business he's at is in a shopping center area so, in addition to the regular rush-hour traffic, there's the shopping traffic, as well. Luckily, I chatted it up with a guy at the pizza place next door and found out a way around the brunt of the snarl of traffic. It saved us about a half hour of travel time.
My job hunting results have not been so fruitful. Many, many applications/resumes have been put out there, but not so much interest. There have been a couple of phone interviews that put me on a waiting list until the next round of hiring occurs, though I have no idea when that will be-don't call us, we'll call you. To make it more difficult, most of the internet postings request no phone calls. OK...how am I supposed to follow-up? It's frustrating, but there are 2 job fairs next week, one at the school Cameron is attending, the other through Career Builder (one of the major employment listing services used in the area). Ah, a chance for some face time!
The high temperatures were a hard slam to the body for the first week. Going from the 80's of Albuquerque to the 105+ of Phoenix made it difficult to get motivated to do much. The last few days have cooled off a little-99 to 101-so it hasn't been quite so intense. The evenings are cooling down, now, too. Thank goodness for air conditioning!
The apartment complex we're in is huge! I don't remember how many building or units, but each building is 3 stories high, we're on the second floor. There have been quite a few things that need fixing and the maintenance guys are fantastic. Out of curiosity I asked one of them how old the complex is and they said it's 30 years old. No wonder there's so much to repair. The management is systematically refurbishing the place and bringing it up to current code. Our place has a great floor plan, but there are structural things about it that make me wonder if I'll wind up in the downstairs apartment one of these days. Small sags in the floor, here and there, and the amazing ability of little 12-pound Tuesday, running across the the livingroom floor, making the whole place shake, definitely makes one wonder. So...I spoke with one of the guys that is doing the refurbishing project and when I told him about the floors he strongly recommended that I inform the maintenance person. He said it's amazing what people have been living with and not reporting and the only way to get it fixed is to notify management. Very true, luckily, the woman in charge of maintenance is very understanding and offers immediate solutions. This conversation ocurred after office hours so I'll talk with her on Monday. It'll be interesting to see what transpires as a result.
Speaking of Tuesday, she's still having a hard time with taking walks around this place. First, there's the stairs. Her poor little legs can handle about 2, maybe 3, trips up and down and she's done. If I take her out more than 3 times, I can plan on carrying her up the stairs to come home. The other big problem is that there is no size limit on the dogs that live here. She's so afraid of anything much bigger than she is that if she even sees a large dog in the distance, she does an about-face and makes a bee-line in the opposite direction. That makes for anxious walks and many delays in "taking care of business". There's, also, lots of people around here so there's a lot of distractions and sudden noises to add to the situation. I'm sure she'll eventually get used to it, though.
We haven't taken any motorcycle trips yet-too hot for me. I'll go out one of these days and take a few pictures of the complex so you can see what it's like. They've done a wonderful job on the outside of it, I thought is was a pretty new development when we first got here. From our bedroom, looking out the big sliding door, it looks like we're in a treehouse. There's a large eucalyptus tree outside and we're at the midpoint of the branches. It gives a nice shady feel to the place. I put the hummingbird feeder up, but so far haven't had any guests. Perhaps I should put up a "free food" sign! I'm going to pass on the regular feeder while we're here. It would be pandemonium on the balcony with doves and pigeons trying to eat and the cats jumping up on the wall to get at them. Not a good situation!
Well, that's about it for now. We're continuing to do this one step at a time, so we'll see what the coming week has to offer.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
As the Phoenix Rises...
Hello Phoenix!
And hello 106 degree days...
OK, thankfully there's air conditioning and a nice apartment to come home to.
Obviously, we made it here, despite the mechanical setback, and are slowly turning our warehouse-like abode into a home. I'd say about 1/3 of the boxes are gone and the rest are slowly finding their way into the appropriate areas to be unloaded and cast aside with the rest. Due to the sudden introduction of stairs to our daily routine (2nd floor apartments can be a pain, literally), our unpacking has been slow. Arthritis and past injuries made the moving-in process especially exhausting. We have lots of books, need I say more?
This coming week I will be contacting the many companies I've applied for jobs with and see what develops. I had a group interview with the Phoenix Art Institute, but it turned out to be just a sales job, with high quotas. Another company has interviewed me by phone for 2 positions and I am awaiting further contact for a face to face interview. Needless to say, job prospects are much better here, than Albuquerque.
Speaking of Albuquerque, I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of days ago, expecting to be back there. We've only been here a few days so it will take time to adjust to the new surroundings. I do miss the place, though, actually, both the place and the people.
So, here's to new places and more friends. Look out Arizona, the Weckerley's are here!
And hello 106 degree days...
OK, thankfully there's air conditioning and a nice apartment to come home to.
Obviously, we made it here, despite the mechanical setback, and are slowly turning our warehouse-like abode into a home. I'd say about 1/3 of the boxes are gone and the rest are slowly finding their way into the appropriate areas to be unloaded and cast aside with the rest. Due to the sudden introduction of stairs to our daily routine (2nd floor apartments can be a pain, literally), our unpacking has been slow. Arthritis and past injuries made the moving-in process especially exhausting. We have lots of books, need I say more?
This coming week I will be contacting the many companies I've applied for jobs with and see what develops. I had a group interview with the Phoenix Art Institute, but it turned out to be just a sales job, with high quotas. Another company has interviewed me by phone for 2 positions and I am awaiting further contact for a face to face interview. Needless to say, job prospects are much better here, than Albuquerque.
Speaking of Albuquerque, I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of days ago, expecting to be back there. We've only been here a few days so it will take time to adjust to the new surroundings. I do miss the place, though, actually, both the place and the people.
So, here's to new places and more friends. Look out Arizona, the Weckerley's are here!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Gallupping Toward Phoenix
Last week was a little insane, getting ready to move, both physically and emotionally. To take a break from all the tension, we decided to treat ourselves to a visit to the Albuquerque Bio Park.
The park is a combination of botanical gardens, aquarium, zoo, and a unique chain of very use-specific lakes. The lakes are designated for radio-controlled boats, children's fishing, adult fishing, catch and release fishing, etc. The aquarium is small, but interesting-they have some really nice jelly fish exhibits. A small train connects the aquarium and botanical gardens with the zoo and lakes.
Lacking the physical ability to see everything, we chose our favorites; the aquarium and the zoo. The aquarium took only about 30 minutes to walk through, though we could have taken longer if we had little kids to "experience" the exhibits. It was interesting to see a couple of real seagull-like birds perched at the end of the stingray/shark exhibit. I found it kind of strange that they had that exhibit in a shallow tank that was easily reached into by little hands, though it was not a hands-on display. There was a docent present at one end, but as the picture shows, a little girl was persistent about dipping her fingers in the cold salt water.
The aquarium and zoo are about 3 miles apart, so the 20 minute train ride made sense. Besides, how often do you get the chance to sit in a small-scale cattle car, pulled by a bio-fuel driven little engine?
The zoo is my personal favorite and so I took over the camera duties. It's a fairly small place, but was plenty for my knee to handle. (It was still a little sore from a previous, all-day ride to the Taos area.)
Check out the wrestling polar bears and the bizarre little snow-crested...somethings (I have got to start carrying a pad to write the names of animals, etc. on!)-they are a type of marsupial. Only about a foot or so tall, they look like some kind of fantasy warriors-really cool. We were, also, lucky enough to arrive just at giraffe feeding time, so I was able to get some good face shots. That's one advantage of the smaller zoos. Often the animals are closer and there's more hands-on activities.
Here's the link to the slide show from our little excursion.
A little bit rested, we resumed packing the following day. By Saturday night, our place looked like a warehouse and the animals were all freaked out. Their condition only worsened Sunday, as items were carried out to the u-haul, and the place was emptied of its familiar contents. We had a problem with the truck, though. Torn between which size to reserve, we, of course, chose one that was too small to hold all our stuff and both motorcycles. Being a holiday weekend, there wasn't another truck to be found, so it was decided that Cameron would ride his bike and I would drive the truck with the trailered car.
Cameron started loading the truck, first thing in the morning. It's funny how people seem to scatter when someone they know needs help moving. It looked like we might have to load the truck ourselves, something neither one of us was up to.
We've been so fortunate to have fantastic neighbors. (Tim and Kyla, both just starting to explore their lives, both as new parents of a rambunctious chocolate lab puppy, and as adults in the world of work and college.) They saved the day by helping us load the truck and keep an eye on Tuesday, who wanted to stay near all the activity; hanging out with the "pack".
It was an exhausting day, so the four of us wrapped it up with a delicious meal at a highly recommended steak house. Before the meal was over, we were invited to have dessert at Kyla's parent's place. I had wanted to meet her parents for a while, at least as long of a while as you can have when you've only been someplace for a couple of months! Well, her mom is just as friendly and warm as she is; it was a really nice evening-a much needed change of gears.
It's times like this that make it so hard to leave this place. Albuquerque has a warmth that is hard to describe. At every turn, there are people I want to pull into my life as friends and they quickly take root in my heart. Leaving her parent's place, that familiar knot caught in my throat and I had to pull myself back from the sadness of leaving all this. Hugs goodnight, and goodbye, since we were planning on leaving early in the morning, and the day was over.
This morning, we set about to finish the remaining odds and ends that needed to be taken care of before we vacated our apartment. Cleaning the refrigerator, stowing the last items in the truck, finding more that had been forgotten about, etc. took much longer than expected, of course. Thus, our early morning departure turned into an early afternoon one.
Since we didn't want to deal with the car trailer until the last minute, we picked it up on the way out of town-I drove the truck and Cameron drove the car, we had left his motorcycle at the rental store earlier. With the car loaded on the trailer, we started our new journey.
Our rocky start got a little rockier about 2 hours down the road. With Cameron following behind me, to make sure I had the trailer and truck under control, I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw him briefly waver on the freeway. Shortly after I looked again and he had pulled off to the side of the road, though was still moving. I continued a little further to a wider part of the shoulder and stopped, concerned about what was happening.
Well, his throttle cable had broken, causing him to lose any ability to accelerate. Luckily, we were only about a quarter of a mile from Gallup, NM, so I called the auto club for a tow truck (I'm so glad I opted for the motorcycle coverage) to take the bike to a nearby hotel parking lot so we could figure out what to do next.
That brings me to now. It's late and Cameron's asleep, but I needed to get this, "down on paper" so to speak, before there are any more additions to this adventure. The plan, so far, is to contact a BMW dealer in the morning to find out about getting a new cable. We'll probably leave the bike at the towing company's yard (they offered to store it for a minimal fee), go on to Phoenix to unload, then return for the bike once the part arrives. We're still 6 hours from our destination so that will entail at least an overnight trip to accomplish.
I will write more as things evolve.
The park is a combination of botanical gardens, aquarium, zoo, and a unique chain of very use-specific lakes. The lakes are designated for radio-controlled boats, children's fishing, adult fishing, catch and release fishing, etc. The aquarium is small, but interesting-they have some really nice jelly fish exhibits. A small train connects the aquarium and botanical gardens with the zoo and lakes.
Lacking the physical ability to see everything, we chose our favorites; the aquarium and the zoo. The aquarium took only about 30 minutes to walk through, though we could have taken longer if we had little kids to "experience" the exhibits. It was interesting to see a couple of real seagull-like birds perched at the end of the stingray/shark exhibit. I found it kind of strange that they had that exhibit in a shallow tank that was easily reached into by little hands, though it was not a hands-on display. There was a docent present at one end, but as the picture shows, a little girl was persistent about dipping her fingers in the cold salt water.
The aquarium and zoo are about 3 miles apart, so the 20 minute train ride made sense. Besides, how often do you get the chance to sit in a small-scale cattle car, pulled by a bio-fuel driven little engine?
The zoo is my personal favorite and so I took over the camera duties. It's a fairly small place, but was plenty for my knee to handle. (It was still a little sore from a previous, all-day ride to the Taos area.)
Check out the wrestling polar bears and the bizarre little snow-crested...somethings (I have got to start carrying a pad to write the names of animals, etc. on!)-they are a type of marsupial. Only about a foot or so tall, they look like some kind of fantasy warriors-really cool. We were, also, lucky enough to arrive just at giraffe feeding time, so I was able to get some good face shots. That's one advantage of the smaller zoos. Often the animals are closer and there's more hands-on activities.
Here's the link to the slide show from our little excursion.
A little bit rested, we resumed packing the following day. By Saturday night, our place looked like a warehouse and the animals were all freaked out. Their condition only worsened Sunday, as items were carried out to the u-haul, and the place was emptied of its familiar contents. We had a problem with the truck, though. Torn between which size to reserve, we, of course, chose one that was too small to hold all our stuff and both motorcycles. Being a holiday weekend, there wasn't another truck to be found, so it was decided that Cameron would ride his bike and I would drive the truck with the trailered car.
Cameron started loading the truck, first thing in the morning. It's funny how people seem to scatter when someone they know needs help moving. It looked like we might have to load the truck ourselves, something neither one of us was up to.
We've been so fortunate to have fantastic neighbors. (Tim and Kyla, both just starting to explore their lives, both as new parents of a rambunctious chocolate lab puppy, and as adults in the world of work and college.) They saved the day by helping us load the truck and keep an eye on Tuesday, who wanted to stay near all the activity; hanging out with the "pack".
It was an exhausting day, so the four of us wrapped it up with a delicious meal at a highly recommended steak house. Before the meal was over, we were invited to have dessert at Kyla's parent's place. I had wanted to meet her parents for a while, at least as long of a while as you can have when you've only been someplace for a couple of months! Well, her mom is just as friendly and warm as she is; it was a really nice evening-a much needed change of gears.
It's times like this that make it so hard to leave this place. Albuquerque has a warmth that is hard to describe. At every turn, there are people I want to pull into my life as friends and they quickly take root in my heart. Leaving her parent's place, that familiar knot caught in my throat and I had to pull myself back from the sadness of leaving all this. Hugs goodnight, and goodbye, since we were planning on leaving early in the morning, and the day was over.
This morning, we set about to finish the remaining odds and ends that needed to be taken care of before we vacated our apartment. Cleaning the refrigerator, stowing the last items in the truck, finding more that had been forgotten about, etc. took much longer than expected, of course. Thus, our early morning departure turned into an early afternoon one.
Since we didn't want to deal with the car trailer until the last minute, we picked it up on the way out of town-I drove the truck and Cameron drove the car, we had left his motorcycle at the rental store earlier. With the car loaded on the trailer, we started our new journey.
Our rocky start got a little rockier about 2 hours down the road. With Cameron following behind me, to make sure I had the trailer and truck under control, I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw him briefly waver on the freeway. Shortly after I looked again and he had pulled off to the side of the road, though was still moving. I continued a little further to a wider part of the shoulder and stopped, concerned about what was happening.
Well, his throttle cable had broken, causing him to lose any ability to accelerate. Luckily, we were only about a quarter of a mile from Gallup, NM, so I called the auto club for a tow truck (I'm so glad I opted for the motorcycle coverage) to take the bike to a nearby hotel parking lot so we could figure out what to do next.
That brings me to now. It's late and Cameron's asleep, but I needed to get this, "down on paper" so to speak, before there are any more additions to this adventure. The plan, so far, is to contact a BMW dealer in the morning to find out about getting a new cable. We'll probably leave the bike at the towing company's yard (they offered to store it for a minimal fee), go on to Phoenix to unload, then return for the bike once the part arrives. We're still 6 hours from our destination so that will entail at least an overnight trip to accomplish.
I will write more as things evolve.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Still Here, and A Trip to Los Alamos
Yes, you're at the right place. I found an easier to read template that works very nicely, so switched to it.
Well, the countdown is continuing...we load the truck in a week and make the 6 hour drive to Phoenix the next day. I dread packing everything up again. We've been doing a little sorting and purging here and there, but I've put off getting boxes until next week.
Maybe that's cutting it a little too close, perhaps I'll make a token cruise of the area behind the mall today and see what I find. Cameron went for a long ride today and I opted to stay home. We just did a grueling 12 hour ride a couple of days ago and my knees just can't take that kind of abuse anymore. (I'll post about that ride in the next entry, still trying to catch up to current activities.) It was a painful last 3 hours.
This entry is about our ride to Los Alamos with a friend of ours. He's the one who picked up, stored and brought back, Cameron's motorcycle after the accident. That's who you'll see the back of in most of the pictures. He took us on a long and very interesting ride through some absolutely beautiful parts of New Mexico. I took lots of pictures of the scenery because it kept changing. One minute we were in typical high desert, the next in mountains, the next in red clay canyons; it was incredible.
We met him at his house, that was conveniently not far from ours, and headed north. It was a great day for a ride, though there was a possibility of rain along some stretches of our route. The sky was scattered with clouds the entire day, which I loved, and only added to the gorgeous surroundings.
We were on the bike for most of the day, except for a couple of fuel stops and to eat lunch in Los Alamos. Los Alamos was not as I had expected. (I wish I had taken more pictures as we drove through the section of downtown on the way to the little place we had lunch.) It's a small city, nestled in pine-covered mountains. Since we were traveling on a Sunday, most businesses were shut down and the place was pretty quiet. It would be interesting to visit it on a weekday to see what the general population was like and how busy it is.
What made it different from a typical mountain community was the presence of the laboratory complex. The entrance to its secured boundaries was also the route to a popular ski area. In order to get to the mountain road we were to head back on, we had to pass through guard gates. They just waved us on through, but I wondered what it would be like during ski season. There were a lot of gates, but it seems like it would still get congested. After passing through the gates, everything seemed like a normal road toward the higher mountains, until unobtrusive buildings started appearing to our left. There were signs designating sections and building numbers. The long gaps between buildings, made me think that was the end of it, then more would appear. They were not hidden, necessarily, but they weren't advertised, either. Painted the natural colors of the surroundings, made them easier to ignore (if one wasn't fascinated by their presence). They were not fenced and there were no apparent barriers, though I'm sure the place is well covered with cameras and other devices. After a while, we passed through a smaller row of guard gates, only about 2 as it was a narrow road. I guess it's so they can lock down the facility if needed. It's strange how it is so accessible the rest of the time.
The rest of the ride took us through canyons, mountain pastures and on and off of local reservations. The red rocks and green grasses in the pictures were as striking as they appear.
Follow this link to the slideshow.
Well, the countdown is continuing...we load the truck in a week and make the 6 hour drive to Phoenix the next day. I dread packing everything up again. We've been doing a little sorting and purging here and there, but I've put off getting boxes until next week.
Maybe that's cutting it a little too close, perhaps I'll make a token cruise of the area behind the mall today and see what I find. Cameron went for a long ride today and I opted to stay home. We just did a grueling 12 hour ride a couple of days ago and my knees just can't take that kind of abuse anymore. (I'll post about that ride in the next entry, still trying to catch up to current activities.) It was a painful last 3 hours.
This entry is about our ride to Los Alamos with a friend of ours. He's the one who picked up, stored and brought back, Cameron's motorcycle after the accident. That's who you'll see the back of in most of the pictures. He took us on a long and very interesting ride through some absolutely beautiful parts of New Mexico. I took lots of pictures of the scenery because it kept changing. One minute we were in typical high desert, the next in mountains, the next in red clay canyons; it was incredible.
We met him at his house, that was conveniently not far from ours, and headed north. It was a great day for a ride, though there was a possibility of rain along some stretches of our route. The sky was scattered with clouds the entire day, which I loved, and only added to the gorgeous surroundings.
We were on the bike for most of the day, except for a couple of fuel stops and to eat lunch in Los Alamos. Los Alamos was not as I had expected. (I wish I had taken more pictures as we drove through the section of downtown on the way to the little place we had lunch.) It's a small city, nestled in pine-covered mountains. Since we were traveling on a Sunday, most businesses were shut down and the place was pretty quiet. It would be interesting to visit it on a weekday to see what the general population was like and how busy it is.
What made it different from a typical mountain community was the presence of the laboratory complex. The entrance to its secured boundaries was also the route to a popular ski area. In order to get to the mountain road we were to head back on, we had to pass through guard gates. They just waved us on through, but I wondered what it would be like during ski season. There were a lot of gates, but it seems like it would still get congested. After passing through the gates, everything seemed like a normal road toward the higher mountains, until unobtrusive buildings started appearing to our left. There were signs designating sections and building numbers. The long gaps between buildings, made me think that was the end of it, then more would appear. They were not hidden, necessarily, but they weren't advertised, either. Painted the natural colors of the surroundings, made them easier to ignore (if one wasn't fascinated by their presence). They were not fenced and there were no apparent barriers, though I'm sure the place is well covered with cameras and other devices. After a while, we passed through a smaller row of guard gates, only about 2 as it was a narrow road. I guess it's so they can lock down the facility if needed. It's strange how it is so accessible the rest of the time.
The rest of the ride took us through canyons, mountain pastures and on and off of local reservations. The red rocks and green grasses in the pictures were as striking as they appear.
Follow this link to the slideshow.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Santa Fe is great for shoppers
About 4 weeks ago, we rode up to Santa Fe for our 3rd anniversary, to see what the place was like and see the showing at one of the museums.
We went by way of highway 14, known as the Turquoise Trail, which winds its way around the back side of the Sandia Mountains from Albuquerque. We've been up and down the lower part of it several times to visit one of our favorite local spots, the Lazy Lizard, or to traverse the side road that leads to Sandia Peak (over 9,000 feet),but hadn't been farther than that. The weather was threatening at times, with some moderate rain around Cedar Crest, but we had drier conditions the farther north we went.
Our first stop was in a little former mining town called Madrid (the accent is on the beginning of the name) which has stayed alive by becoming a haven for local artists of many types, and a great food stop for the motorcycling community. Everyone kept telling us to stop at the Mineshaft Tavern, so we did and were greeted by the shiny chrome of several motorcycles and their friendly, but impatient, riders. It seems the place isn't open for breakfast so we had about a 20 minute wait for it to open for lunch.
No problem, there were quite a few interesting-looking shops nearby so off we went to explore their wares. The usual assortment of touristy "gift-ware" was at one shop, so we passed that one up and moved on to one that really caught my eye. They advertised tapestries and textiles. Inside, the place smelled faintly of incense, and a woman of uncertain age stood next to a rack of colorful fabric. She explained that everything was hand woven by members of the community who had participated in a weaving class that she had taught last year. Beautiful wraps and ponchos of different styles hung on numerous racks about the small shop. There was also a rack of colored, hand spun, yarn. Some of the dying was done using berries or other natural coloring agents. I took a card, promising to purchase a wrap at a later date. (Since they aren't created in a third world country, the prices fit the beautiful workmanship.)
By the time I finished oooing and awwing over the racks of pretty things, it was time to enter the Mineshaft Tavern. We had eaten a late breakfast so weren't particularly hungry, so we ordered sodas and some of their homemade salsa and chips. The inside of the restaurant/bar was like stepping back in time. There was a long wooden bar and all the tables, chairs and walls were wood. In the "front" of the large room was a small stage where we were told they have live music performances.
After this brief stop, we hit the road to finish the ride to Santa Fe. It was a scenic ride and the weather held for us, providing nice cloud formations along our way. Once in Santa Fe, at least the portion I saw, didn't impress me all that much, except for the architecture of the older buildings, which were built after the Pueblo style. The newer commercial buildings we passed upon first entering town did their best to cheaply fake it, which winds up looking cookie-cutter-like and artificial. (I guess they succeeded)
We went in search of the Plaza, the main center of museums and cultural encounters, where the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is located, our ultimate destination. The plaza consists of a plentitude of shops and small galleries scattered along several blocks, a great place to unload lots and lots of cash. The buildings in the Plaza, whether newer or older, all resonated with the Pueblo influence. Great care had been taken, here, to blend the style of any newer structures with the surrounding ones. On a less-busy day, it would be a nice place to quietly stroll and contemplate, but since we were there on a weekend, it was filled with the tourist crowds. An interesting area of the plaza was a stretch of sidewalk, along the side of a long building, where native Pueblos, Navajos, perhaps others, are allowed to sell their wares. There's actually a sign designating that stretch of sidewalk as their sales territory. One right after the other are there with their handiwork displayed on tables or cloth on the ground. In my personal opinion, that's where I would prefer to spend my money. It was interesting to hear them explain the methods they used to make the items. I was dismayed at the low numbers of customers along this narrow strip of the plaza in comparison to the commercial stores.
The museum was inconspicuous and off to the side of the plaza, not what I would have expected for a tribute to someone who is so famous in the area. They were running a showing of Ansel Adams prints alongside O'Keeffe's paintings. In some instances, they had captured the same images since they had travelled to the location together for that very purpose. The differences in their views of those images was really interesting.
After getting our fix of O'Keeffe and Adams, we grabbed a bite to eat at a burrito restaurant, that was recommended by a woman who was outside the museum and playing with her grand-daughter, that's owned and run by the family of one of the local chiefs. It was an order at the counter and wait until your number is called kind of place, and the food was excellent.
Pleasantly full, we got back on the bike for the ride home. We planned to take the 41 back since we hadn't been that way before, but had trouble locating it. So, we headed back the way we came, besides, its a nice route.
Follow this link to a captioned SLIDESHOW
We went by way of highway 14, known as the Turquoise Trail, which winds its way around the back side of the Sandia Mountains from Albuquerque. We've been up and down the lower part of it several times to visit one of our favorite local spots, the Lazy Lizard, or to traverse the side road that leads to Sandia Peak (over 9,000 feet),but hadn't been farther than that. The weather was threatening at times, with some moderate rain around Cedar Crest, but we had drier conditions the farther north we went.
Our first stop was in a little former mining town called Madrid (the accent is on the beginning of the name) which has stayed alive by becoming a haven for local artists of many types, and a great food stop for the motorcycling community. Everyone kept telling us to stop at the Mineshaft Tavern, so we did and were greeted by the shiny chrome of several motorcycles and their friendly, but impatient, riders. It seems the place isn't open for breakfast so we had about a 20 minute wait for it to open for lunch.
No problem, there were quite a few interesting-looking shops nearby so off we went to explore their wares. The usual assortment of touristy "gift-ware" was at one shop, so we passed that one up and moved on to one that really caught my eye. They advertised tapestries and textiles. Inside, the place smelled faintly of incense, and a woman of uncertain age stood next to a rack of colorful fabric. She explained that everything was hand woven by members of the community who had participated in a weaving class that she had taught last year. Beautiful wraps and ponchos of different styles hung on numerous racks about the small shop. There was also a rack of colored, hand spun, yarn. Some of the dying was done using berries or other natural coloring agents. I took a card, promising to purchase a wrap at a later date. (Since they aren't created in a third world country, the prices fit the beautiful workmanship.)
By the time I finished oooing and awwing over the racks of pretty things, it was time to enter the Mineshaft Tavern. We had eaten a late breakfast so weren't particularly hungry, so we ordered sodas and some of their homemade salsa and chips. The inside of the restaurant/bar was like stepping back in time. There was a long wooden bar and all the tables, chairs and walls were wood. In the "front" of the large room was a small stage where we were told they have live music performances.
After this brief stop, we hit the road to finish the ride to Santa Fe. It was a scenic ride and the weather held for us, providing nice cloud formations along our way. Once in Santa Fe, at least the portion I saw, didn't impress me all that much, except for the architecture of the older buildings, which were built after the Pueblo style. The newer commercial buildings we passed upon first entering town did their best to cheaply fake it, which winds up looking cookie-cutter-like and artificial. (I guess they succeeded)
We went in search of the Plaza, the main center of museums and cultural encounters, where the Georgia O'Keeffe museum is located, our ultimate destination. The plaza consists of a plentitude of shops and small galleries scattered along several blocks, a great place to unload lots and lots of cash. The buildings in the Plaza, whether newer or older, all resonated with the Pueblo influence. Great care had been taken, here, to blend the style of any newer structures with the surrounding ones. On a less-busy day, it would be a nice place to quietly stroll and contemplate, but since we were there on a weekend, it was filled with the tourist crowds. An interesting area of the plaza was a stretch of sidewalk, along the side of a long building, where native Pueblos, Navajos, perhaps others, are allowed to sell their wares. There's actually a sign designating that stretch of sidewalk as their sales territory. One right after the other are there with their handiwork displayed on tables or cloth on the ground. In my personal opinion, that's where I would prefer to spend my money. It was interesting to hear them explain the methods they used to make the items. I was dismayed at the low numbers of customers along this narrow strip of the plaza in comparison to the commercial stores.
The museum was inconspicuous and off to the side of the plaza, not what I would have expected for a tribute to someone who is so famous in the area. They were running a showing of Ansel Adams prints alongside O'Keeffe's paintings. In some instances, they had captured the same images since they had travelled to the location together for that very purpose. The differences in their views of those images was really interesting.
After getting our fix of O'Keeffe and Adams, we grabbed a bite to eat at a burrito restaurant, that was recommended by a woman who was outside the museum and playing with her grand-daughter, that's owned and run by the family of one of the local chiefs. It was an order at the counter and wait until your number is called kind of place, and the food was excellent.
Pleasantly full, we got back on the bike for the ride home. We planned to take the 41 back since we hadn't been that way before, but had trouble locating it. So, we headed back the way we came, besides, its a nice route.
Follow this link to a captioned SLIDESHOW
Here We Go Again!
This is just a quick note to everyone. I'm still getting all the pics together of our adventures here, but wanted to fill you in on a new twist to the Weckerley escapades:
On Sept. 1st, we're both moving to Phoenix, AZ. The original plan was for him to rent a room there while he attends motorcycle mechanics school, and I would stay here and work, especially since we have a 12 month lease. Well, the employment situation here is pretty rough and I haven't gotten hired for any of the plethora of jobs I applied for. Also, we checked into the rent for a room in Phoenix-$400! Need I say more?
Our manager is very understanding and is letting us out of our lease, if we pay an extra month's rent. But she says that if she rents the unit out soon she'll refund the extra rent. So, I guess it's going to be goodbye, at least for now, to our new friends and the 80 degree with cool breezes, summer days here; and hello to 106 degree days of Phoenix. The saving graces to all this? A much nicer apartment (of course the rent is a little higher than Albuquerque), better employment prospects, and Cameron doesn't have to travel back and forth to see me.
So back onto the emotional roller coaster, I was just settling in and feeling at home, it's time to begin pulling up those roots that had started to dig in and move on to our next big adventure!
Oh, I'll email everyone the new address and, thankfully, I hadn't made the final changes on our phone number so that will be done when we get there.
On Sept. 1st, we're both moving to Phoenix, AZ. The original plan was for him to rent a room there while he attends motorcycle mechanics school, and I would stay here and work, especially since we have a 12 month lease. Well, the employment situation here is pretty rough and I haven't gotten hired for any of the plethora of jobs I applied for. Also, we checked into the rent for a room in Phoenix-$400! Need I say more?
Our manager is very understanding and is letting us out of our lease, if we pay an extra month's rent. But she says that if she rents the unit out soon she'll refund the extra rent. So, I guess it's going to be goodbye, at least for now, to our new friends and the 80 degree with cool breezes, summer days here; and hello to 106 degree days of Phoenix. The saving graces to all this? A much nicer apartment (of course the rent is a little higher than Albuquerque), better employment prospects, and Cameron doesn't have to travel back and forth to see me.
So back onto the emotional roller coaster, I was just settling in and feeling at home, it's time to begin pulling up those roots that had started to dig in and move on to our next big adventure!
Oh, I'll email everyone the new address and, thankfully, I hadn't made the final changes on our phone number so that will be done when we get there.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
First Things First: Getting Here
U-Haul trucks look much smaller inside than you think they are. It's amazing how much we can cram into them, sometimes it's actually far more than we really need them to hold.
Our moving day was harrowing, at best. Exhausting, hot, nerve-wracking, frustrating, scary, dirty, fortunate (for some neighbors), patience testing, and did I already mention exhausting? ***Keep in mind, when packing a truck for a long-distance move, put your prized possessions, your must-haves, into the truck first.*** This could have been a very hard-learned lesson, except for the fact that it turns out those must-haves that we had to leave behind (see fortunate neighbors), haven't been must-haves after all. I think the only thing we've really missed is TV. Yes, the big screen TV, actually the little one, too, got hastily donated to some neighbors in greater need of them than us. Dressers, who needs them? The large clear plastic tubs that I packed our clothes in work fine. Besides, where would we have put them when we got here?
Scaling down, a pretty mild term, from a 3 bedroom, 3-car garage home, to a 750 square foot 1 bedroom apartment, sans garage, is a magical process. One often best undertaken blindfolded! Looking at the remaining boxes of odds and ends that actually made it here, we realize they, too, could have been left behind and not missed. It's funny how few "things" you really need to have to function quite well on a day to day basis. I guess they call that minimalism.
I'm actually quite late in posting all this since we made the move over 5 weeks ago. There's been a lot happening and I'll try to catch you up over the coming few days. In the meantime, here's some pictures of our multi-day trek to our new home.
Our moving day was harrowing, at best. Exhausting, hot, nerve-wracking, frustrating, scary, dirty, fortunate (for some neighbors), patience testing, and did I already mention exhausting? ***Keep in mind, when packing a truck for a long-distance move, put your prized possessions, your must-haves, into the truck first.*** This could have been a very hard-learned lesson, except for the fact that it turns out those must-haves that we had to leave behind (see fortunate neighbors), haven't been must-haves after all. I think the only thing we've really missed is TV. Yes, the big screen TV, actually the little one, too, got hastily donated to some neighbors in greater need of them than us. Dressers, who needs them? The large clear plastic tubs that I packed our clothes in work fine. Besides, where would we have put them when we got here?
Scaling down, a pretty mild term, from a 3 bedroom, 3-car garage home, to a 750 square foot 1 bedroom apartment, sans garage, is a magical process. One often best undertaken blindfolded! Looking at the remaining boxes of odds and ends that actually made it here, we realize they, too, could have been left behind and not missed. It's funny how few "things" you really need to have to function quite well on a day to day basis. I guess they call that minimalism.
I'm actually quite late in posting all this since we made the move over 5 weeks ago. There's been a lot happening and I'll try to catch you up over the coming few days. In the meantime, here's some pictures of our multi-day trek to our new home.
Monday, July 21, 2008
A beginning
Studying human and animal behavior has always been a hobby of mine. I people watch, observe different species, and read about the meanings of all those subtle cues, contemplating their validity with a sometimes conflicting viewpoint.
Philosophy, why do we do the things we do? What drives people in one locale to behave in one way, when similar individuals behave totally differently in another region? Is it beliefs, geography, or a result of a certain energy that a place exudes?
Since our arrival in Albuquerque, NM, I have encountered nothing but absolute friendliness from locals. Unless you want to count the bizarre behavioral shift that occurs once they get behind the wheel of a vehicle, then all bets are off. I've been honked at for not moving fast enough at a light more times than I care to think of. What's especially funny is that, for the most part, the general population obeys the rather low speed limits. So what are they perceiving to be in a hurry for?
Before embarked on this leap of faith adventure, we were like those that dig for gold on land that really holds no riches. We kept digging and digging, getting deeper into the gaping hole that we thought held such promise, only to find ourselves bankrupted by the experience-emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially. Fear of missing that glimmer of what might be held in the earth, a salvation of sorts, we forced the issue and pressed on.
Then, along comes a ladder from somewhere above the hole. We decided to trust it to hold our weight so we could climb out of the dark pit we had made for ourselves. Almost from day one, we have met a succession of amazingly wonderful people who have given us one more rung to climb on and led us to the next one, too. Following the direction that this chain of people has led us is becoming increasingly inspirational. They bend over backwards to help us and offer genuine friendship and assistance. The energy in this place is extremely positive-perhaps it's the mountains that we live so close to, or the strong native American influence that permeates the city. This is a healing place and as we climb each rung, the darkness eases and sunshine from the top of the hole is warm and inviting.
Trusting in ourselves and our inner strength is daunting, but I'm slowly learning that I'm much stronger than I think I am and by not forcing the outcome of my actions, truly amazing things can happen.
Philosophy, why do we do the things we do? What drives people in one locale to behave in one way, when similar individuals behave totally differently in another region? Is it beliefs, geography, or a result of a certain energy that a place exudes?
Since our arrival in Albuquerque, NM, I have encountered nothing but absolute friendliness from locals. Unless you want to count the bizarre behavioral shift that occurs once they get behind the wheel of a vehicle, then all bets are off. I've been honked at for not moving fast enough at a light more times than I care to think of. What's especially funny is that, for the most part, the general population obeys the rather low speed limits. So what are they perceiving to be in a hurry for?
Before embarked on this leap of faith adventure, we were like those that dig for gold on land that really holds no riches. We kept digging and digging, getting deeper into the gaping hole that we thought held such promise, only to find ourselves bankrupted by the experience-emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially. Fear of missing that glimmer of what might be held in the earth, a salvation of sorts, we forced the issue and pressed on.
Then, along comes a ladder from somewhere above the hole. We decided to trust it to hold our weight so we could climb out of the dark pit we had made for ourselves. Almost from day one, we have met a succession of amazingly wonderful people who have given us one more rung to climb on and led us to the next one, too. Following the direction that this chain of people has led us is becoming increasingly inspirational. They bend over backwards to help us and offer genuine friendship and assistance. The energy in this place is extremely positive-perhaps it's the mountains that we live so close to, or the strong native American influence that permeates the city. This is a healing place and as we climb each rung, the darkness eases and sunshine from the top of the hole is warm and inviting.
Trusting in ourselves and our inner strength is daunting, but I'm slowly learning that I'm much stronger than I think I am and by not forcing the outcome of my actions, truly amazing things can happen.
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