2012

2012 is over.  Thank goodness...this was one awful year.  I hope that 2013 is better.

Overheard

I have to make a confession: I've been sitting at Panera listening to a group of older men and women talking for about an hour and a half.  At first it was just two older gentlemen.  Now a few more men and a couple women have joined them.  Their conversation has been fascinating.  It started with politics and found that my political leanings are very similar to theirs...I wonder what that means.  Then the conversation between the two men moved to what money they are leaving for their children when they die.

Now, let me clarify, when I say older I don't mean as old as my grandparents.  This group appears to be in their mid to late 60s.  Definitely not an age group I would expect to be talking about wills and leaving money to kids.  I was shocked about the amount of money they were thinking about leaving.  Quarter of a million left in a trust vs the same amount left in monthly payments.  Ways to avoid paying the money to an ex-wife.  How their sons are stupid putzes; but how it's okay because they are still young.

At this point they've moved on to speaking about the hurricane and how they've never seen a storm like it before and the damage that has been done to the community.  They are having a serious conversation but it's clear they know each other very well.  Making jabs at one another and talking about each other's families.  They have copies of the local "Our Town" magazines from all the local towns.

I hope that one day I have a group of friends like them.  I hope that I have a group of people that I can sit with at a coffee shop each week and catch up about life, the town, the world, and talk about real stuff with.  I wonder where I'll be then...what I'll be like...who my friends will be....

Maybe I should sit here more often :)

Sandy

I've been through hurricanes in my life, having lived in Mississippi and Virginia.  I've even been through a hurricane as a rezlife staff member while I was at MWC, hurricane Isabel.  Isabel was a lot worse on campus at Mary Wash than it was here at Centenary...but the overall devastation wasn't as widespread or intense overall.  When I lived in Mississippi I was so young I don't remember what the aftermath was.

It's strange to watch the local news, which is from NYC, and see the absolute devastation.  My staff and students are faring well enough considering some of their homes were destroyed or that their neighborhoods are completely under water.  A lot of people here are just numb now from watching the news, almost like it was after September 11, 2001.  So much coverage.  You don't want to watch but you can't stop.  Even the people who aren't from the shore are very upset because that's where they all spent their summers growing up and now it's gone.  Being a person who doesn't have a "place" I can't imagine what that would be like.

I feel guilty for being exhausted.  I feel guilty for wanting to go back to "normal" (although being so new I don't know what that is yet).  I've been so lucky.  I have electricity and although my heat was out for a few days it's now back on.  I was able to shower.  I've had food.  I do feel blessed.  I couldn't have asked for a better outcome for the campus.  I still just feel like I need a few days to recover...

Hurricanes, Fires, and Alcohol...oh my

I've been working for 13 days and have already had once suicidal resident, an actual fire, vandalism with human feces, lots of alcohol violations, fights, two students removed from campus, two on contracts, 8-10 room changes, 3 students sent to the hospital, a title 9 investigation, and now a hurricane.  Not what I expected in my first two weeks.

Talk about trial by fire.

I'm not unhappy...just slightly overwhelmed.  Missing my friends.  Missing that sense of home.  Missing the freaking internet (currently in the office) and cable.  Missing my church.  Missing wearing jeans and flip-flops (These people have a prejudice against denim.  Not cool.  I can't even wear a nice denim skirt.).

This morning when I woke up I had no idea where I was.  I seriously couldn't remember where I lived and where I was sleeping.  Maybe because my dream was about me moving?  In the dream I had moved into a house on a base and one morning about a month after I moved in a family came into my house (22 people, I remember that clearly, grandma, cousins, everyone) and were fighting with me about how they had been promised this house.  I couldn't get them to go away.  I called security, the housing office, showed them paper work.  They didn't care.  I was about to jump out my window when I woke up (in the dream, not real life.  That would be scary).  It was very strange.  But then again, if you know me at all, you know I always have strange dreams.

Well, I'm gonna head out of the office towards my house.  My kitties miss me :)

The first two weeks

I've been in New Jersey for two weeks.  The first week I spent moving in with the help of my mother, my grandmother, and some family friends.  This past week was my first week at work.  It's been a long and busy two weeks.
I have decided I own far too much stuff.  Yet, I've had to go to the store an insane amount of times to buy more stuff.  Moving is never easy or cheap.  Inevitably (can't believe I spelled that correctly on the first try) you don't have what you need and have too much of what you don't. I purchased laundry machines yesterday...it was almost like buying a car.  Something I need and want yet don't want to spend the money on.  I know that I will be so happy when I am able to go to the basement and do laundry instead of wasting time and money at a laundry-mat.
I don't have internet at the house yet.  It's not an ideal set up.  I'm hoping that the school can figure out how to get the network to work there because I don't have the money to pay for internet myself...and since they want me to have it for work I think they should provide it.  I already had to pay for a personal cell phone so I might have to live without internet if the school can't get it to work.
Well, I have to go.  I popped into Panera but I have to go by the office today and get a bunch of other stuff done as well.  Just wanted to post an update.    

The time has come...

I've spent the day packing and getting ready to leave for New Jersey.  I'm still not sure that I feel it's real yet.  Guess it will feel real tomorrow when I sleep in my new apartment!

It's Official!

It's official: I passed my background check and I am now the Director of Residence Life at Centenary College.  I will be heading up to Jersey on Monday, stuff gets there Wednesday, and I start work on the next Monday.

Life is so strange.  I've been applying to jobs for 9 months.  I applied to 170 positions.  Had 8 on campus interviews, turned down two on-campus interviews, and did over 30 phone interviews.  I've been so frustrated.  It has felt like I was putting so much time and effort and money into applications and interviews and getting nowhere.  Many of the institutions didn't even bother to follow up with me after I interviewed with them.  Then, all of the sudden, in the last two weeks I've been offered three jobs!  One of the jobs was at an institution which I was less than impressed with but turning the job down was hard.  I knew I would be miserable but it was a job offer and I felt like I was taking a huge risk by turning it down.  Then the situation with Centenary was frustrating because they took so long with the background check and reference check process (who offers a job before they check references?).  The other job... uh...that's hard.  I loved that school just as much as I loved Centenary.  The people there were so amazing...and the job is less responsibility than the one at Centenary...but the pay isn't really enough to live on so I'm having to turn them down.  I hate it because they really were amazing.   But I think that New Jersey and Centenary is where I'm supposed to be.  

I'm nervous because this position has a lot more responsibility than anything I've done before.  I do have a professional staff to work with though, which I think will make a huge difference.  The staff seemed great and I'm excited to get to know them.  I'm excited for the challenge.  I'm excited to see what can happen...

Well, I should go start packing but I think I'm going to read for a bit.  Packing can wait :)