She Walked Away

Finally!

There are no words to describe my relief and to express my excitement to share with you that

I HAVE A NEW JOB!

If you check my previous post, you'll see that I interviewed this morning for a job far outside the description of anything I ever imagined myself doing. I start my new job on September 10th, so I have work to do in preparation. I won't post details until after I have started and have a feel for the day-to-day responsibilities.

My dogs and my cats can rest easy that their food supply will not be broken. They can trust me when I tell them that they are - as they should be - meant to be with me to live out their natural lives.

5 years of art school and 2 years of graduate school. 9 months of job searching. I have learned to live on very little income and my job might change that for the better. I plan to get a handle on my finances and my house, look into a new car by the first of the year, and put money aside. It's not that I'll be making obscene amounts of money - far from it - but reliable income will be a very welcome change.

One extravangance that might not wait though, is a new pair of shoes. 40 hours a week not working in the arts or in a library (or even academia), would be much more enjoyable with happy feet. My feet will be happy in these:

I'll wait as long as I can.

It's not me, it's them...

This week I got two definitive rejections from two potential employers. One was a library job (sort of) and I was actually relieved not to get an offer. The place looked like a snoot-ified pressure cooker, and I had more than mulled over taking that job and being miserable until I could find a better one.

The second rejection came late today from a company that fell outside the description of anything I imagined myself doing for a living. That company consisted of lots of busy, happy people who seemed really content to be working. I was confident I could do the job - Renaissance Woman that I am - but I was really attracted to the environment and looked forward to an offer. I was really disappointed to be turned down.

This past Monday, I attended an orientation session to substitute teach for a school district. It's an option - not an attractive one - to keep me under a roof that's not my car for a while, but I'm very worried.

This coming Monday I have an interview for another job that I never imagined myself doing. I find the job description interesting, and one that I can quickly learn and do well. It is another opportunity to pay the bills, but would allow me to still have a life and be able to paint and relax when I am not at work.

I'm okay with work being work and my life being my life. One makes the other possible. Wish me luck. I need to be able to keep the critters fed, and I am hopeful about Monday. I have delayed applying for my substitute teaching license and required background check (I would need to sub a day or two just to break even on that investment, actually, but it would cover me for subbing in two different school districts) until after my interview Monday.

I'll be painting in the morning tomorrow with the phone off. I plan to meet my parents in the afternoon for a movie and dinner. Sunday I plan to clear out the front porch as studio space for winter painting. I can't make any investment in materials, so it's just going to get a purge and a scrub for now. Hopefully, I will be working soon, and I hope to set aside something every month to invest in converting my garage to a studio by spring or summer. I had dreamt of that before, but never imagined a job search to be heading into month 9 with no offers.

Every no gets me closer to a yes. That's my story for now, anyway.