One of the first things I did upon arriving in DC is apply with a few temp agencies. There are loads of agencies that specialize in legal work in the DC area and there are even more attorneys that are unemployed. Also, there are firms and companies that are looking for temporary workers because they are cheaper. Gotta love this economy!
So today, I got my first contract and I start tomorrow. I am relieved. Although I have a nice little nest egg that I am prepared to live off of for the next while, I have been feeling rather uneasy about the finiteness of this sum and the added income takes the pressure off. And I'm getting bored and need a change of scenery. I will most likely hate this job, as it will be document review of some sort and possibly the most tedious task that a lawyer could be asked perform. However, the beauty of temp work is that it pays alright and won't last forever.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
christmas stocking in August?
That's right, because I'm a planner and I'm also obsessive like that. So I realized that I left y'all in the lurch. A while back I had just gotten started with my tale of funemployment when I pulled a to be continued and then got all caught up in the wonders of the golden arches before finishing my story. I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats wondering what happened next and how I got from Fairbanks, Alaska to Washington, DC (er Springfield, Virginia, rather). And well I'm going to tell you, eventually.
When I left off I'd just sold my uncooperative car, packed my bags, given away half of my belongings to good will and boarded a plane for Salt Lake City. Well as you may or may not know, most flights from Alaska to the lower 48 are red-eyes. I don't know why this is so but it means that the airports are bustling between 11pm and 2am give or take an hour. So after doing battle with the lady at the Frontier counter, I checked my 4 bags and proceeded to sneak on the rest in my over sized carry-on's. I was so exhausted that I had little trouble sleeping on the plane and before I knew it I was waking up as we approached Denver. And then from Denver to SLC I flew on the smallest plane I had ever been on - this is where I put in my plug for Dramamine, it's my miracle drug.
Back in SLC it was sort of like my whole Alaskan experience was just a dream... but maybe that's just because I had just seen inception and had lost my spinny top toy along the way....hmmm. Anyway, it was good to be home and especially nice to have all my sisters at home (or near home, at least). There was lots of good shopping and eating and crafting to be had.
Finding some time on my hands I embarked on a project, Christmas Stockings. And as with all good projects, this project was booth pertinent and useful but required careful planning. Our family's stockings were seriously dated and as we recently grown in number it seemed like a logical time to make new ones. We set out for inspiration at the local fabric stores. And I fell in love with this lovely cream wool (see previous posts about my obsessions with wool). It's a fabulous herringbone weave and like I said I love it. We took it home and washed a couple times in hot water to thicken it up a bit and paired it with corduroys and Christmas prints. We have plans of embroidering them but we haven't gotten that far yet.
I'm sad that I didn't think to take pictures, 'cause they're pretty darn cute even unfinished, if I do say so myself. But as I've said before, I'm just not a picture taking, documentative type of blogger - I'd say I'd work on it, but nah, I probably won't.
When I left off I'd just sold my uncooperative car, packed my bags, given away half of my belongings to good will and boarded a plane for Salt Lake City. Well as you may or may not know, most flights from Alaska to the lower 48 are red-eyes. I don't know why this is so but it means that the airports are bustling between 11pm and 2am give or take an hour. So after doing battle with the lady at the Frontier counter, I checked my 4 bags and proceeded to sneak on the rest in my over sized carry-on's. I was so exhausted that I had little trouble sleeping on the plane and before I knew it I was waking up as we approached Denver. And then from Denver to SLC I flew on the smallest plane I had ever been on - this is where I put in my plug for Dramamine, it's my miracle drug.
Back in SLC it was sort of like my whole Alaskan experience was just a dream... but maybe that's just because I had just seen inception and had lost my spinny top toy along the way....hmmm. Anyway, it was good to be home and especially nice to have all my sisters at home (or near home, at least). There was lots of good shopping and eating and crafting to be had.
Finding some time on my hands I embarked on a project, Christmas Stockings. And as with all good projects, this project was booth pertinent and useful but required careful planning. Our family's stockings were seriously dated and as we recently grown in number it seemed like a logical time to make new ones. We set out for inspiration at the local fabric stores. And I fell in love with this lovely cream wool (see previous posts about my obsessions with wool). It's a fabulous herringbone weave and like I said I love it. We took it home and washed a couple times in hot water to thicken it up a bit and paired it with corduroys and Christmas prints. We have plans of embroidering them but we haven't gotten that far yet.
I'm sad that I didn't think to take pictures, 'cause they're pretty darn cute even unfinished, if I do say so myself. But as I've said before, I'm just not a picture taking, documentative type of blogger - I'd say I'd work on it, but nah, I probably won't.
Friday, September 24, 2010
All's well that ends well
Day 2 of fall and I'm getting the distinct impression that it is fact getting hotter and not cooler here in Virginia. I know I've migrated significantly southward but I sort of thought that I'd still be in the Northern hemisphere, where, you know, we all are supposed to be getting ready for winter. So yes, it's hot here and it's made me a tidge cranky.
But things aren't all bad here. Earlier in this week I was fortunate enough to join my friend Kellee, who just happened to have an extra ticket, to see the Shakespeare Theatre Company's, All's Well That Ends Well (AWTEW). I'm pretty sure, that she told me we were going to see Much Ado About Nothing, one of my all time favorites (right up there with King Lear and A Mid-Summer Night's Dream). So I was a little confused when on our way to the theater I kept seeing posters for AWTEW. However, I was not disappointed with the performance. It was really well done. And not all that familiar with AWTEW, I quite enthralled trying to figure out how it was all going to work out. Though I think the audience was in the general opinion of, "What exactly does Helena see in this dude Bertram?"
The theme of the play is, as you might be able to guess, is: all's well that ends well. And it has lead me to wonder... is that really true? In the end, is all that matters is the results? Does process only serve the end? At the end of the day (or maybe I should say, play), I don't know whether to happy for Helena that she successfully tricked her beloved into having her or appalled by self-serving manipulation of the jerk that she allowed herself to fall in love with.
Alas, tis but a silly story. And all this typing has made me seriously thirsty - gonna go get me a super-big gulp before I pass out from exhaustion.
But things aren't all bad here. Earlier in this week I was fortunate enough to join my friend Kellee, who just happened to have an extra ticket, to see the Shakespeare Theatre Company's, All's Well That Ends Well (AWTEW). I'm pretty sure, that she told me we were going to see Much Ado About Nothing, one of my all time favorites (right up there with King Lear and A Mid-Summer Night's Dream). So I was a little confused when on our way to the theater I kept seeing posters for AWTEW. However, I was not disappointed with the performance. It was really well done. And not all that familiar with AWTEW, I quite enthralled trying to figure out how it was all going to work out. Though I think the audience was in the general opinion of, "What exactly does Helena see in this dude Bertram?"
The theme of the play is, as you might be able to guess, is: all's well that ends well. And it has lead me to wonder... is that really true? In the end, is all that matters is the results? Does process only serve the end? At the end of the day (or maybe I should say, play), I don't know whether to happy for Helena that she successfully tricked her beloved into having her or appalled by self-serving manipulation of the jerk that she allowed herself to fall in love with.
Alas, tis but a silly story. And all this typing has made me seriously thirsty - gonna go get me a super-big gulp before I pass out from exhaustion.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
An Ode to McDonald's
I learned to love McDonald's while living in Finland. I had previously looked upon the golden arches with total disdain and turned up my nose to their greasy mass produced food. But in Finland, I found comfort it's the sheer Americaness.
Today, I found myself on the verge of a melt down - my brain was in a tizzy, I just couldn't cope with the enormity of the issue at hand, I could feel my breath getting faster and shallower and I knew it was time to get out of the Barnes & Noble and find another place to work on my job search.
I found my way to a McDonald's - which by the way, had wi-fi - Hallelujah! And as I sat down with my cheeseburger, fries and diet coke (all for less than $4.00), I began to find my breath again. Ahh McDonald's, no matter where I go, there you are. And maybe that's what's so comforting about McDonald's after all. Consistency. Be I in Rome, Turku, Krakow, White River Junction, Verona, Fairbanks or Springfield - McDonald's has always been there - a place to sit with an icy cold Diet Coke and collect my thoughts.
Today, I found myself on the verge of a melt down - my brain was in a tizzy, I just couldn't cope with the enormity of the issue at hand, I could feel my breath getting faster and shallower and I knew it was time to get out of the Barnes & Noble and find another place to work on my job search.
I found my way to a McDonald's - which by the way, had wi-fi - Hallelujah! And as I sat down with my cheeseburger, fries and diet coke (all for less than $4.00), I began to find my breath again. Ahh McDonald's, no matter where I go, there you are. And maybe that's what's so comforting about McDonald's after all. Consistency. Be I in Rome, Turku, Krakow, White River Junction, Verona, Fairbanks or Springfield - McDonald's has always been there - a place to sit with an icy cold Diet Coke and collect my thoughts.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Greetings from Springfield
Springfield, Virginia, that is. That's right, I did it. I moved to Virginia. And I am so glad that I did.
It's been over a month now since my job ended and since then I have been living up the funemployment. I spent my first week of funemployment packing and tying up loose ends in Fairbanks before flying south to SLC.
The largest of those loose ends was my car. I had to unload it before I left and it seems that I had the least desirable car in Fairbanks. Turns out, nobody likes little cars with standard transmissions in Alaska. Or at least, they aren't willing to pay much for them. After accepting that I was going to take a big loss on the car and dropping the price considerably, I was finally able to find a buyer. No sooner had I found said buyer than my car decided that in protest it would overheat on the highway on a Saturday evening. Why do cars always break down on Saturday night? [grumble, grumble]
Well, all's well that ends well and I was able to sell my car and all my stuff packed just in time to catch my flight home. (Special thanks to my dear friend Melanie who helped me clean and got me to the airport - you're awesome!)
to be continued...
It's been over a month now since my job ended and since then I have been living up the funemployment. I spent my first week of funemployment packing and tying up loose ends in Fairbanks before flying south to SLC.
The largest of those loose ends was my car. I had to unload it before I left and it seems that I had the least desirable car in Fairbanks. Turns out, nobody likes little cars with standard transmissions in Alaska. Or at least, they aren't willing to pay much for them. After accepting that I was going to take a big loss on the car and dropping the price considerably, I was finally able to find a buyer. No sooner had I found said buyer than my car decided that in protest it would overheat on the highway on a Saturday evening. Why do cars always break down on Saturday night? [grumble, grumble]
Well, all's well that ends well and I was able to sell my car and all my stuff packed just in time to catch my flight home. (Special thanks to my dear friend Melanie who helped me clean and got me to the airport - you're awesome!)
to be continued...
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