Thursday, June 25, 2009

Ready to move, ready to move!

How excited am I to move this weekend?! So excited! This ----------------------------------> excited! That being said, I haven't begun to box up the items we have here in the house. One reason being that after we do the major move, we still have to sleep here for a week because in-laws are going to be gone and we're watching the dog. But still, if I don't have a job by next week, I'll probably be spending a good chunk of the day over at the apartment, unpacking. Maybe I can persuade Jess to put some of our Ikea stuff together on Sunday. I just can't forget that we need to remember to grab my dresser from here. It's the only large item we have here that needs to be moved in the truck...I'll just have to leave a couple changes of clothes here to make up for it.

I realized yesterday that I've read three more books and haven't written their synopsis (what's the plural on that?) yet. I'll need to get on that. But not today. Today I'm headed over to Velvet's to meet up with mom so we can hang out and mom can cut my hair. Isn't it funny that when hair is cut short, it needs to be trimmed more than when it's long? I'm not rocking a mullet by any means yet, but we're going to Oregon in July and the back of my hair is starting to bug.

Haven't heard anything back about the job yet. eBay called two days ago off ask if I would like to begin in their class, but I'm going to Oregon and it would be in the middle of the training session, so I asked them to please sign me up for the *next* time they start a group. Trying to hedge by bets, see. I want the job out by the airport, but in case I don't get it, maybe I could fall back to eBay. But keep fingers crossed about airport job. It's not actually AT the airport, just near it. They engineer and manufacture airplace/jet parts.

We're on the lookout for a cheap 120 gallon aquarium. We want to consolidate our various tanks into one, and Jesse can build the stand for it, so we're just looking for the aquarium right now. Oregon had *tons* of large tanks on the cheap, but Utah has more of an aquarist hobby nature, so good deals get snapped up quickly. We could potentially pick up a tank in Oregon, but we'd need to rent a trailer to get it home, and that would make it a wash for an savings we could have received.

Ok, so today I need to hit up Costco and the liquor store. (Liquor store to get boxes...I pretty much don't drink anything with alcohol these days.) I hope Costco has flats of nectarines for sale! I've bought a couple from Albertson's and oh my goodness, they are divine!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Homemade sushi!

Jesse and I just attempted our first-ever attempt at homemade sushi, and all I have to say is...YUM! Definitely not professional grade, but sooo good. We bought the nori wraps, wasabi, rolling mat, sashimi-grade tuna (which is frozen so we're probably going to thaw it and use it in a couple days), hot sauce, and dried rice at the Japanese market, and then bought the crab, sesame seeds, pickled ginger, scallions, soy sauce, ready-to-steam rice, sushi vinegar, and avocado at a grocery store.

We bought more rice that was ready-to-steam because I hadn't eaten yet and we needed something in a hurry. We put it all together when we got home (thank you YouTube how-to videos!) and the hardest thing about it was the rice. When they call it sticky rice, they are not kidding! So, it's definitely a learning curve, but even if the rolls didn't look great they still tasted fantastic and really hit the spot.

The rolls we made used the crab (bought in a can from Costco), hot sauce, cream cheese, avocado, scallions, and rice. Neither Jesse nor I like lots of rice, so it was very nice that we could control the amount put in the rolls.

We're kind of kicking around the idea of maybe just renting again for awhile. We could probably find some cheapy apartment, but we're still debating on whether or not we should wait until I get a job. I went in this morning for an interview at a placement agency, and she said she would send my résumé to the company who is hiring. Hopefully I hear from them soon...

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Soy confundido

I just *do not* know how this all is going to end up. I'm so frustrated with the job market right now, and I'm getting very anxious to be out on our own again, and everything is just getting all jumbled up together and it makes me unhappy. Our friend was our realtor and decided today he couldn't do it anymore (it's only been about 2 weeks) because Jess and I like to offer low to begin with, and I think he thought we are more trouble than we're worth or something. So, now we're out a realtor, and I'm thinking that maybe it's a sign because I still don't have a job yet.

You know, if the economy is in as much trouble as it appears to be, I don't understand why prices haven't really fallen to match the times. I'm talking consumables and whatnot. You'd think that with half the nation out of work, prices on rent, houses, food, etc., would all tumble. And I know that many people would say that housing has fallen, but I don't think it's fallen enough. How do people living on single-person incomes do it?! I'm seriously considering working at a fast food restaurant, and a part of me is like WTF...why did I spend $40k to get a flippin' degree then?! And, as much as I don't want to look down on those in the fast food industry...I feel like I'm better than that. Which isn't fair, I realize, because if there wasn't anyone to work the chains, how would I get my chicken nuggets?

I have another interview tomorrow, with another job placement agency. They'll then send my application and résumé to the employer, and all of it just seems like a big waste of time. Why bother with the middle man? How much more work would it be to scan every app that came in instead of letting someone do it for you? Talk about a money-saving opportunity.

I'm very antsy right now. Sometimes Jess expresses a dislike for his work, but all in all I think he's lucky he has something to do all day. I know staying home might seem like it's glamorous, but I don't have a kid yet to occupy my time, and rattling around with the in-laws day in and day out can be tedious. You know, I like them, you act different when your around others, want to make at least kind of a good impression, and I'm tired of being "on" all the time. Even when I'm just roaming around in my PJs or whatever. I don't want to have to talk with someone if I'm not in the mood.

*sigh* Man, I'm depressed.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Freegans

Have you guys heard of the freegan movement? It's pretty neat and it could make a big impact, but at the same time, dumpster diving kind of weirds me out. Anyway, Lisa Ling did a documentary on it, and then went on Oprah to talk about it. You can read an article on freeganism here.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Time for a real blog

Jesse and I are pretty excited; we're putting an offer in on a house tonight! It's a house that is going to need a TON of work, but from what we saw the bones appear solid so mostly it's updating and cosmetic work. Built in 1915, near 3000 sq ft, on .20 acres...asking price $54k. Which, of course, we're offering less than that. Can you imagine?! We keep coming up with ideas about where we want to put things, and how we would like to remodel. We would like to immediately take out a line of credit, or a second mortgage based on the future value, so we can get to work on repairs. Anyway, the house has a lot of potential, and I hope this time everything works out.

I've had a couple job interviews lately, didn't get one of them, still waiting to hear back on the other. Told Jesse that if we get the house, I'll start looking for fast food jobs. Not that I want to be a fry cook, I'd try to get into some kind of management program. It seems like fast food is a pretty stable environment, people are still eating it. But I don't want to apply at a Wendy's or whatever until we have a house in Ogden. I'm not about to drive 40 minutes one way just to make $7/hr. As I don't particularly relish the idea of working fast food, please keep your fingers crossed that something else will work out.

Other than that, it's about all that's going on right now. Same old, same old. I get to see Velvet and the girls quite often, which I'll miss if we end up moving to Ogden, but I think we'll still get together from time to time. After all, I keep having to remind people it's not as if we're moving to Wyoming. Although, Wyoming is only about 75 miles away from Ogden. I have a feeling we'll go there not infrequently for the lotto tickets.

The Hammer of God - Karen Miller

The Hammer of God is Karen Miller's final book in the "Godspeaker" trilogy. Rhian, newly instated as the rightful queen of Ethrea, has trouble at home and abroad. Petty dukes defy her right to rule and refuse to swear allegiance to the crown. The Mijak threat grows by leaps and bounds, and Rhian's treatied trading nations don't like being dictated to by a woman. Zandakar, Empress Heket's banished son, has sworn to protect Ethrea against his own mother and brother, but can he be trusted?

I read through the second and third book very quickly, interested to know the outcome. Again, this is a recommended read.

The Riven Kingdom - Karen Miller

The Riven Kingdom is the second book in Karen Miller's "Godspeaker" trilogy. It focuses on new characters before it blends in with the old. Princess Rhian is quickly an orphan, left in the vile clutches of Prolate Marlan as a ward of the church. Marlan is fixed on having Rhian marry his idiot nephew, thus ensuring Marlan to become the real brains behind the kingdom. But Rhian was brought up alongside her father's knee, and will do whatever it takes to protect herself and her kingdom from the Prolate's machinations. Meanwhile, a simple toymaker is about to become the kingdom's greatest protector (albeit in a support capacity) not only against conniving men but also against the growing Mijak threat.

I thought the sequel was as well done as the first book and would recommend this series.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Empress; Karen Miller

Empress is the first in the Godspeaker trilogy. It is centered around a slave, Heket, in a land where the God's power is felt and exercised on a daily basis. Bought as a slave, knowing she was meant for greatness, Heket is a study in resiliance and belief. Will she be able to scourge the world of demonic influence, or will she submit in a land where man's word is might?

I really liked this book and intend to read Karen Miller's other work. It's pretty lengthy and took me a few days to get through it, but the story and situation was interesting enough that I had to keep coming back to find out what happened. Leaving the end of the book in cliff-hanger formant ensured that I will pick up the next installment.