Long Time, No Blog

Time for a little update...

Since the last week of August, I've been temping for Anthem Online College. When I first started, there were eight temps. Anthem had recently purchased a new learning management system called ANGEL, which is similar to Blackboard and WebCT. Our job was to reformat all course content in order to establish them in ANGEL. We reformatted assessments, user-tested instructions (this is what the student sees when they are “learning”), upload learning activities, etc. Because there were eight temps, we learned each little procedure, one by one. Eventually, some of us started to pick up on the big picture of ANGEL…

In late September, the eight temps were cut to four. We continued formatting courses, while some people excelled and some did not. A few weeks ago, the four temps were cut down to two – and I’m one of them. You could call me a System Administrator. You could also call me a Product Developer (the product being educational information). Because I found this job through a temp agency, I can’t be hired without Anthem paying a buyout price. Thus, I must work 1,000 hours to eliminate the buyout so Anthem can hire me outright...

In February, they are obligated to make me an offer. At that point, Product Development wants to snatch me off my current team (the ANGEL Learning Management System team). They would like to hire me in as an Instructional Designer. I would mainly be writing and editing curriculum; however, I get the feeling they’re grooming me to be their in-house style guru – someone to help teach and enforce whichever style they commit to, which will probably be Chicago Manual of Style. I would be salaried with benefits. I’m just not so sure I can make it on this hourly, temp B.S. until then. We’ll see how long my credit line can survive…

In other news, Coop and I are enjoying our exploration of Arizona. Although he’s been here for almost two years, he never really found a “playmate.” We’ve been to the Grand Canyon. For Coop’s birthday, we went to Fossil Creek Canyon in Strawberry (Payson, AZ), which turned out to be a slight bust in the fun department, but we almost walked into a rattlesnake and almost drove over a six foot long “tree” snake. Fun! We went out a farm in the middle of nowhere, east of Tempe for Alice Cooper’s haunted house at Halloween (The Nest). This past weekend, we went to the Phoenix Art Museum for the grand opening of its’ $40 million renovations. The opening exhibition is a set of Ansel Adams photographs from the University of Arizona archive. Coop and I both drooled over one of our favorite photographers…

Speaking of photographers, for photos of Fossil Creek Canyon and of my impromptu trip to San Diego for 24 hours with a long lost friend, check out my Flickr account: | Road Warrior |

Tempe is quickly becoming our Detroit. We saw four shows in five weeks: Massive Attack, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Roger Waters and the Deftones. (If I even began to tell you about the Roger Waters show, this blog would become a book!) In late November, I have tickets to go see Imogen Heap and also Calexico. Coop and I are attempting to get tickets for the Suns v. Cavaliers game in mid-January. Every which way you look at it, our weekends are full of movies, music, culture, nature and plain old fun…

For T’Giving, I’m cooking my first very own dinner. Coop’s planning to spend the night so we can get up at the crack of dawn to have Bloody Marys and watch the parade. We’re going to attempt a full meal: turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, and my famous homemade croutons and Caesar dressing. I’d love to try my hand at baking a pie—I’ve assisted a few times with my mom—but, I can’t really afford to invest in the kitchen accessories you need to be a successful baker. In the end, I’m hoping for a decent meal, plenty of booze and a day of great football games…

For X’Mas, my parents are coming down here. Coop and I are going to rustle up a real tree and I believe my ornament collection is on its’ way, via a huge, heavily insured package. It will be delightfully special to decorate my first tree, as this is the first time my ornaments have (1) been separated from the Keefer family collection and (2) are in my possession on my tree in my apartment. I can’t wait…

As for Dante, when I first moved in, he was VERY bad! Because of my work schedule, he was inside all day. Because of the 100+ degree August heat, he refused to go outside even when I was home. Therefore, he started peeing on the carpet and eating things. He’s got more attitude in one paw than most dogs have in their whole body! Anyway, once the weather cooled down a bit, Dante got comfortable with the environment. Now, he stays out all night, walking the perimeter and fighting like a mountain cat and comes in during the day. Usually, on Sundays, we both lounge on the couch for our day of rest. He’ll be three in March and, even though I’ve sometimes considering getting rid of him, he’s growing up to be a wicked cool cat. Dante, the crazy kitty is finally “at home” in Arizona…

Well, I think this “little” update should suffice. Hope you all are happy and healthy and enjoying your respective corners of the world!

View from road, #3
Originally uploaded by | Road Warrior |.

The Death of Habeas Corpus

It is VERY important that you watch this.

This, the most scathing, well crafted and delivered indictment of President George W. Bush's erroneous, fear-mongering and unjust leadership of this country.

And I urge you to pass it along. And wake up.

A life less ordinary -OR- A lesson in youth

Cliffs, #3

For all of you who still have youth on your side, take an example from my recent escapades to remind yourself that: (1) your life should be fun and spontaneous until the day you decide you're an "adult"; and, (2) don't ever take true friends for granted. There's always a reason some people stay in your life. Some of you know my buddy Mike Sullivan. For those who don't...

I grew up in Pittsburgh with Sully. He was one of the Three Muskateers (me, Sully & Chatham). He was the first love in my life. Then, he moved to Florida. As time passed, we stayed in touch - through changing phone numbers, apartments, houses, cities, etc. Occasionally, we'd lose each other, but always reconnected. And so it went. Drunken answering machine messages. Surprise phone calls. Postcards. We just never got our shit together and to visit. Fast forward to Friday night.

Went out with Coop on Friday. Had an awesome Italian meal and bottle of wine. Went to see The Departed (which I had very low expectations for, but had to go see on the principle that it's a Scorsese film - was very pleasantly surprise to watch a beautifully filmed, incredibly violent, plot-twisting flick). Got home around midnight. Soon after, I get a phone call. It's Sully.

He just got back from three weeks in New Zealand and had stopped through San Diego to hang with his little bro, Ryan. Mike didn't realize that Phoenix is only five hours away. He tried to convince me to jump in the car, but I said no. As soon as I hung up the phone, I knew that I had to go. Fate had finally crossed our paths. This was the closest we've been to each other in 10 years. I showered, brewed coffee, packed a backpack and jumped in my car. So, at 2:00 in the morning, I was goin' to Cali.

A mug of coffee, a Diet Coke and a handful of No Doze later, I was well into the trip. I drove through the night, not seeing any of the beautiful landscape; however, at one point, I had the moon in front of me and the sun behind. Ryan lives, literally, where Interstate 8 ends, in Ocean Beach. I arrived at 7:00 in the morning and snuggled down on couch for a cat nap.

Yesterday, we partied in the morning, went out for burritos, went cliff rapelling/beach hiking, watched the sunset, had a jam session with Ryan's band, checked out USC's campus, drank 45% alcohol vodka from NZ, went to a party that got busted, smoked with some dudes from Portugal, slept for three hours and got Mike to the airport on time this morning. Ryan, and everyone else, was greatly impressed that the Road Warrior had even shown up, let alone partying for 24 hours straight without slowing down.

Right now, I'm freakin' exhausted, attempting to keep my eyes open long enough to watch the Steelers v. Chargers game. Consequences of taking this trip? NONE. So I'm tired; I'll go to bed early. So I spent some money I didn't have on gas; I'll be frugal next paycheck. A spur of the moment, five hour drive through the night to San Diego, to see Sully for the first time in ten years made perfect sense to me.

There are only two kinds of people in this world: people who do and people who don't. I do.

Out of place

For the complete set of photos, visit my Flickr photo set: Sunset Cliffs, San Diego: Fall 2006

World Trade Center

Went and saw World Trade Center last night. Need to articulate how I feel - if there are words for it...

If I had faith in any pairing of entities to make a 9/11 movie, it would would Oliver Stone and Paramount. Having said that, the movie itself exists regardless of who made it. Generally, WTC was rated a "B" movie by most critics. When I got home from the theater, I read some of the reviews and I felt like I needed to defend the movie when, before, I expected to hate it. I know Hollywood isn't the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the best way to honor those affected by 9/11; however, I think Hollywood got it mostly right this time.

WTC is about two PATD (Port Authority Transit) officers who volunteered--with a few other officers--to go into the first tower and evacuate. They did not yet know why the tower had been hit; and they had no idea that the second tower went down as well. After they are trapped in 20 feet of collapsed rubble and all but the two officers are dead, most of the movie presents these officers as they are: underground, bleeding internally, confused and close to death. Most critics slammed Stone for this portrayal - that the film focused on the rescue workers perspective too much.

Here's my argument: How could Stone have made a movie about the 3,000 people who died? How could he have paid homage to each one of the police officers, firefighters, families, and children? What kind of movie would that have been? I estimate it would have been an awful, awful movie. One that had no attention span; no devotion to honoring the victims and survivors of 9/11; no real focus on either the evil that spawned these terrorist actions or the goodness that came through in every person who helped that day and following weeks.

The two PATD officers featured in Stone's movie were numbers 18 and 19 of ONLY 20 survivors pulled out of the rubble. They are not only survivors, but they represent the countless police officers and firefighters and medics who joined together in an awe-inspiring rescue effort. Their effort has more love, valor and compassion in its first few moments than President Bush could EVER hope to capture in the non-existent memorial. It has been almost five years since 9/11. What have we done? Somehow, our search for Osama has become a "freedom fight" for democracy in Iraq. Don't get me wrong - every in this world deserves to be free - EXCEPT BIN LADEN. And what of the crater in the middle of New York City where there was a promise for a memorial? I'm sure the citizens of NYC and the families of 9/11 don't need an empty eye sore to remind them of what happened that day.

I am afraid that Stone and Paramount have opened the floodgates for many 9/11 films to come. Stone's movie was not a great movie, but it was good. It worries me that not all future films can be good. I am scared of a Toby Keith-ish, knee jerk, kill 'em all action flick staring some inane, sugary Hollywood boy-toy. World Trade Center was a simple storytelling plot. It was not glossed over with any of Stone's typical film inclinations. It did not feel awkward. Although I was not emotionally prepared when I walked into that theater last night, I'm glad I did. I needed to remember how terrible I felt that day, how sad I was.

Critics of World Trade Center have said it's too early to make this movie. Yes, Stone did wait ten years before he made Platoon, but an entire generation of people who opposed Vietnam had not yet forgotten what this country went through. Sadly, it seems the generation of Americans who experienced 9/11 have already forgotten what it felt like to watch that plane flying where it shouldn't have been; to see the devastation unfolding before our eyes on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, and every news channel in the world; to see the number of deaths continue to rise; to see mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers repeating 'Missing Persons' information for days afterward; to feel sick each time the President attempted a strong and unwavering facade; to hear Peter Jennings say, Call your family. Tell them that you love them. Do it now.

Goin' to California

Mom and I got up last Thursday, had our coffee, packed our bags and were off to Cali for Topher and Emily's wedding. For those of you who may not know, Toph is on of my three older cousins. We headed to Burbank to spend the night with family friends of ours - the Lydeckers. Made it in about six hours. Had some drinks by the pool and waited for my poor Dad. He had to fly on the WORST day in recent history to fly. He showed up at the airport three hours before his flight, which was delayed another three hours. This "no liquid", anti-terrorism thing is understandable; I don't mind preventative measures to keep us all safe. It just seems to me that the essence of terrorism is that it is unpredictable. As soon as we ban all liquids from airplanes, they'll think of something else, I'm sure. Anyway, Dad was supposed to arrive at 8:00 pm, but didn't get in until midnight. Ann sent a pimpin' Lincoln Towncar to pick him up in style.

Friday, the parents and I hung by the Lydeckers' pool, which was cool and free of chlorine, unlike my apartment's pools. It was so nice to not have anything to do, even just for a few hours. We ordered some lunch, repacked AGAIN and drove to Marina del Rey (near Venice Beach / Santa Monica). Relaxed for a bit and we we off to the rehearsal dinner, open to any family in town early. Dinner was at the C&O Trattoria in Venice Beach. Yummy Italian, family-style meal. After hours party was at a club called The Warehouse. Was so freakin' hot, I almost had a panic attack. Instead, I had a few Cape Cod-ers and called it a night.

Saturday, my mom wanted to sightsee at Venice Beach. I just couldn't bear being on my feet all day and shopping and talking and walking and burning out in the sun. So, my dad and I decided to hang by the pool and do absolutely nothing. Just what I needed after the move in. Arnold Swarzenegger was at breakfast at our hotel! I'm guessing his security guards scope out places that are small and easy to control. I suppose a breakfast nook at an average hotel is such a place. Incidentally, my dad is totally, unquestionably, absolutely bigger, scary and more authoritative looking than the Governator. Anyway, after a few hours at the pool, we started getting reading for the wedding.

The Keefers clean up pretty damn nicely. We looked our very spiffyist. Everyone at the hotel packed into a HUGE tour bus and went to the wedding, which was at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana. Topher is the Food & Beverage manager for the club. The wedding ceremony was beautiful, short and sweet - outside on a putting green, overlooking all of San Fernando Valley - performed by a friend who had done the Internet ordainment. Lucy, Toph's golden retriever, was the ring bearer and ran down the aisle when they called for the rings. Before dinner was served, there were two magicians, trays of champagne and killer finger foods. Dinner was incredible, as were the shelves of free wine - of course, with Topher as the manager, I wouldn't expect anything less. We ate and danced and drank the night away, grabbed a few "to go" bottles of wine and partied on the return bus trip to the hotel.

Pretty much passed out, got sick, had some alcohol insomnia and woke up with a wicked bad hangover. Had brunch with Toph and Emily at the Marriot brunch - delicious, mmm. Almost decided to stay the night and recover, but finally got the gall to jump in my car and drive back to Arizona. Was too tired and sick to think about being sad - had to say goodbye to my parents. Made excellent time (5 and 1/2 hours) and crawled into bed early. Got my car detailed this morning. Loaded up on groceries. Did some laundry. Unpacked my toiletries for the last time in a while, I hope. Now I'm here for good ... and am trying to recover from the seemingly endless miles that have unfolded in front of the Road Warrior and her trooper of a car. More to come...

Move In

Okay. Lots to catch up on...

Friday the 4th, mom and I drove from our hotel in Glendale to the apartment. I signed the lease, did the move-in inventory and we did a few small errands. We bought only the essentials: cleaning supplies and bottled water. Filled out a maintenance request, grabbed some dinner and decided to just relax at the hotel.

Saturday, Bogey and his huge friggin' truck showed up. Getting the tractor trailer through my security gate, around the corner, past the parking spot overhangs, and backed up to my door was an incredible feat in itself, but Bogey turned out to be one wicked good driver. Me, Coop & my mom busted our tails and got that sucker unloaded in less than an hour! For me, a skinny kid and a mom with bad knees, I was impressed. This left me with a mountain 'o boxes in my living room. Mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon diving into unpacking. We burned out quick and headed back to the hotel early evening.

Sunday, we took Dante to his new home so he could start to adjust. We did some more miscellaneous unpacking and decided to head to IKEA to buy the furniture I needed in order to continue unpacking. IKEA is in Tempe about 25 miles away. With list in hand, we parked at the 20+ acre store and walked into a Swedish pandemonium. Granted, having everything I needed in one spot was a godsend, the IKEA experience quickly sapped my energy. After much browsing, debate and wandering around, we decided on three Billy bookcases (2 tall; 1 short) and three Aneboda dressers (1 tall; 1 short; 1 bedside table). On the way back from IKEA, we decided to go look for a pullout couch. Having to go back to the hotel every night prevented us from spending full days at the apartment and my mom (and future houseguests) would need something to sleep on anyway. Didn't find anything I liked that wasn't suede and was in our price range.

Monday, we took a gamble that we'd find a pullout bed and checked out of our hotel. Turned out to be a great idea. Got all three bookshelves put together. Organized and alphabetized all my books and movies - would you expect anything less from me?! Stayed up pretty late. Tuesday, we unpacked all day, finished emptying all of the remaining boxes, went to Target for the fourth time in a week. Basically, we wanted to get as much as possible finished so Wednesday could be dedicated to picture hanging, knickknack distributing and wedding preparations. As far as Monday and Tuesday were concerned, just imagine lots of fast food (my mom's addicted to Baja Fresh now), tons of trash to take out and an apartment that got WAY worse before it got any better.

Wednesday, we spent six hours hanging art - I have shitload of paintings, prints, photographs, diplomas, shadowboxes, and artwork. We also made a side trip to Lowe's, where we picked up some chairs for the patio and a few plants that can survive this kind of weather. Took a short dip in the pool - by the way, pools in Arizona are like swimming in a cup of tea. Not at all refreshing, but wet nonetheless. Showered up just in time for Coop to stop by after work. We cracked open the first official bottle of wine in my apartment (Smoking Loon Syrah) and then headed out for a real meal. Had some very tasty steaks and more wine. My mom got all weepy in the parking lot saying goodbye to Coop. We went back to Target, AGAIN, for three things we had forgotten. Back to the apartment to pot my new plants, paint our toenails and pack for the wedding.

Phew! What a week that was. I could NEVER have done it without my mom! I would have stared at all the boxed, hoping that just looking at them long enough would make them go away, and then I would have had a panic attack. Instead, I now have a very cozy apartment, filled with new, beautiful and comfortable things. And, since I have a kick-ass pullout couch, you're welcome here anytime you need a place to stay - or you just want to come visit. I feel like I've spent a large part of my life visiting other people in the places where they live. Now it's your turn to visit me!

I am now an official resident of Avondale, AZ. YAY! :)

P.S. I'll post photos my apartment on the blog as soon as I'm done cleaning and fiddling with everything.

P.P.S. For anyone I've sorely neglected, be it via phone or email, I'm sorry. Since they day I left Sandy Pond, the chaos hasn't stopped. I'm hoping to be totally settled in and working at a job by the end of the week...

P.P.P.S. Got an email from the ASU Foundation people. Said they are "gathering key members of their team" and they'll "call with dates and times." Sounds like Steve was right - I'll have to go meet the development folks and will probably have to take some writing tests. I'll keep 'ya posted...

Road Warrior Stats

AHHHHHH! Finally off the road. This Road Warrior was getting mighty tired of warrioring the road. My brain is a blurred mushy montage of cars, people, landscapes, hotels, gas stations, and bad fast food. My neck, spine and lower back are tight, numb and tingling all at the same time and I still feel like I'm vibrating from driving. Dante has definitely become a pro travel kitty. He doesn't freak out at the traveling itself - it's that he can't be with me the whole time. I remedied his occasional outbursts of bitching and moaning by covering his carrier with a blanket. He was like a parakeet, asleep and quiet each of the three days of travel.

Nothing major or life-changing to report; however, at my last gas stop in Flagstaff today, a trucker walked up to me while I was checking my oil and pouring some in. He said, "Darlin', you're the first Carol I've ever seen who knew how to open her hood, let alone take car of her vehicle." Quite the compliment from a big, burly truck driver. Not entirely sure what "Carol" stands for; I hope it's "Cutie" and not any other "C" words. Anyhoo, there's not much to think about for 2,000 miles and you all know how Type-A I am, so here's the numbers for the road trip:

Miles driven: 1,975

Day One - 683 miles; 10 hours, 45 minutes; averaging 63.5 mph
Day Two - 557 miles; 8 hours, 30 minutes; averaging 65.5 mph
Day Three 735 miles; 10 hours, 30 minutes; averaging 70 mph

Gas Guzzling: 99.1 gallons, averaging 20 miles per gallon
(Pretty good for an SUV packed full of crap...)

That's it for now. Expecting to unpack the moving van on Saturday afternoon sometime. Perhaps I'll post photos of the new place. Cheers!

First 2,000 miles
Originally uploaded by jahpoetess.

P.S. The photo is actually after the first 2,000 miles of my summer road trip last year...

Hazy, Hot & HUGE

So, I'm in Ohio right now, on campus at BGSU, sitting in the library computer room with a broken air conditioner and sweat rolling down my back. After a few days in typical Midwest weather--hot AND humid--I can honestly say it's worse here than in Arizona. I used to laugh when people said, "Oh, but it's a 'dry' heat," but I'll take dry over dripping any day. Before I get too sidetracked, let me back up...

I spent my last week at Sandy Pond with Sharon, her 4 1/2 year old daughter Lily, and (BG) Chris. We made it to the beach every day except the last and I ate my last haddock and salt potatoes at Tad's. I had a tremendous amount of emailing, phone calling and miscellaneous errands to do, which partially sucked; however, I did find out that the guy from ASU called my references. YAY! That means:

(A) He has my resume;
(B) he has my work samples;
(C) he has a completed HR application;
(D) and, he called my professional references.

Don't want to get my hopes up, but this is sounding very positive. We'll see... The week ended on a sour note with rain the last morning and my gross underestimation of how long it would take to pack all my crap. Oh well.

Chris and I left Saturday and drove tandem back to BG. We made excellent time, even in slightly aggravating traffic. And, like a mother ship returning home, once we got through Cleveland, Chris started driving 90 mph and stopped using his turn signals. Damn Ohio drivers. We parted ways on 75S and I headed straight for Brian’s. After one post-road trip beer, I curled up in his air conditioned bedroom and rested my eyes. Woke up, dawdled a bit, showered and eventually headed out on the town with Ballmer. Caught some Jah Messengers at the Fishbowl. We both brought our A game to the pool table and had a great start to the night. Headed over to Brewster's, where Ballmer DJed for the rest of the evening. Jenna was waiting there for me. Got all caught up, liquored up and wandered home after last call.

Woke up Sunday, was very briefly lazy, then went to Bob Evans with Brian. Met Chris at the storage unit, where we unpacked my car and poked through the unit. We packed and re-repacked anything we could. It was miserably hot and humid, so after two hours, we called it quits. Went back to Brian’s, had a cherry ice pop and a flashback to my childhood, showered and picked up Chris for dinner at El Vaquero's. We were both hungry, tired and quiet. I wish I would have had my thinking cap on because it didn't occur to me until I pulled into his driveway that I had to say goodbye to Chris - maybe for good. Who knows? He might actually make it on his first airplane trip someday to come visit ... or, I'll never see him again. I suppose the ball's in his court. Went back to Brian's, sipped on my lovely new coffee go mug and waited for Pinkelman to show up. When she did, the night exploded with memorable events:

- Sarah smacking me in the head to "kill a mosquito"
- Carving our names into a picnic bench at Howard's
- Ballmer conning Kamikaze's to sell us a whole case of beer
- Plotting to and successfully tackling Brian on the grassy knoll

*** NOTE: When attempting to take down a large, healthy Serb, keep these things in mind:

1. Go for the side opposite to his dominate hand.
2. Direct one attacker to the knees and one to the hips.
3. Take your glasses off first and keep your head down.
4. In the morning, if you've forgotten what happened last night, examine your body for bruises, grass and other material evidence of a fun time had by all.

Anyhow, woke up this morning at 7:30, with less than 4 hours of sleep--still drunk--and headed over to the storage unit to meet the moving truck. Although I was nauseous, sore and sweating bullets, I'm glad we were up early before the sun had a chance to torture us mid-hangover. Ballmer, Brian and I got that muther packed in an hour and a half. Hell yeah. Power to my peoples. Couldn't get home fast enough to crawl back into bed and get a few more hours of recharge. Once noon rolled around, our bodies ached for a greasy remedy. Chowed down some Burger King, showered up and started my pre-trip errands. Now, here I am again, sweating my ass off in the library computer room. I'm leaving tomorrow, wicked early, for my 3-day journey to Arizona. I'll keep ya posted if my hotels have Internet and I'm not totally wasted from driving. TTFN.

A New Horizon

Today was a relatively big day when it comes to the Arizona situation. First, my apartment lease is an official done deal - I get the keys on the 4th. After all the chaos and drama and paperwork and bullshit, I have a beautiful, safe place to live. If you wanna check it, here: Aventura. Just click on "Virtual Tour." Second, I got another email from the ASU guy. To date, he's requested and received: my resume, professional references and a group of work samples. Today, he sent me an application. I'm getting a good feeling :) Third, I'm totally basking in the pleasure of spending my last week at Sandy Pond with two of my favorite people: Sharon and (BG) Chris.

The only downside to today was finding out that I need a new muffler and a timing belt, which will cost a pretty penny for sure. Although, finding out now is a whole hell of a lot better than my car blowing up in the middle of nowhere, Missouri, halfway to Arizona. Dante is LOVING being an outside cat; Mother Nature has been gracing me with a last few beautious days at the camp; and I'm so so so close to my life settling down: and apartment, a job and a fresh start are on the horizon...

Sunset, #3
Originally uploaded by jahpoetess.

115 Degrees of Separation

Last Sunday (the 16th), I left for Arizona. A friend of mine had some Southwest frequent flyer miles to burn and gave me a free ticket to go scope out an apartment and do some interviewing. Anyway, first I had to drive three hours to Buffalo, where I left my car at a friend's house instead of pissing away major cash on long-term parking. Then, I had to wait in the "C" line for Southwest. That meant I was in the last group of people to get on the plane. So, I crammed myself between a mom (with two very polite, good with flying kids) and a guy who kept offering me bagels. Five hours and a shitty snack pack later, we touched down in Phoenix. I took a shuttle to the car rental place, where I met a crazy woman who needed a cigarette, but instead had to deal with me. They didn't have the car I reserved, so I ended up with a nice little pimped out Mazda-6. Three freeways and a few frantically smoked, post-flight ciggies later and I was at Coop's apartment.

The week was divided into three: shmoozing, hanging with Coop and apartment hunting. Monday morning, I did some miscellaneous errands: got an iron and board for Coop ('cuz I needed it and he's a bachelor), bought groceries (the kid had water, butter and various frozen crap), and went to meet with a car/renter's insurance broker. Tuesday was a big day. Got all gussied up in my polyester pants and sweated my way through a few different meetings and interviews.

SIDENOTE: I submitted my resume for a development writing position at the ASU Foundation in late May. The week before I left, I called and called and called and no one responded. I was pretty frustrated.

I decided to walk right into ASU and ask to speak with the woman who hadn't returned any of my phone calls. I make it there safe and, of course, she's in a meeting. I begged the receptionist to call someone--anyone--and she did. She told me the position had already been filled. Shit, man. I was about to leave and thought to ask her one more time if I could see a person face-to-face. As she picked up the phone, a guy walks by and she says, "Steve?! This is Chelsea." To make a long story short, he felt it was rude to simply send me away, so he invited me back to his office for a chat. Essentially, he mini-interviewed me for three different jobs. YAY!

The day continued with a meeting at HomeBase Youth Services. I had a phone interview with them a few weeks ago. After seeing the office and touring the grounds, combined with my little-to-no experience in government grants, I think I'll pass on the whole deal. Next, I went to the United Way to meet with a contact through my aunt Dana. Although I don't necessarily agree the UW, the guy was awesome! He gave me a whole bunch of new contacts to call for possible job opportunities. At the end of the day, I still had no job but I had a lot of positive hope.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty boring. Got caught up on some freelance work. Attempted to brave the AZ in August sun. Made a crapload of phone calls. All of a sudden, it was Friday and time to find an apartment. Coop had the day off and was a trooper, coming along for the ride. I had done some searching on apartments.com but, upon inspection, I had chosen properties in some slightly shady neighborhoods that didn't peak my interest. It was a 115 degrees outside and, by the end of the day, our brains were leaking out of our ears and I still hadn't found an apartment.

Here's the deal: in Arizona, there are only two ways to get a lease approved - (1) you can show a hire letter or (2) you can verify a certain amount of income/savings. By Saturday morning, I was so discouraged, I actually began to consider going back to Ohio for a year. Well, Saturday ended with me signing at a place called Aventura, a sister property of where Coop lives. Saw Clerks 2--fucking hilarious--did some laundry and went to bed. Woke up at 5-freakin-30 in the morning. Got lost and drove around in circles. Returned the rental car. Got in the "A" line for Southwest. Was the first person on the plane. Got the stretch your legs, bulkhead seat. The plane was 15 minutes early. Drive back to Buffalo was without much drama ... all this and I'm typically a VERY unlucky traveller. Phew!

Plans

Here are my plans for the near future:

July 24-28 Last week @ the Keefer camp - sniff, sniff.
July 29th Back to BG. Party with my homies. Sleep on Brian's couch.
July 31st Pack the moving truck: "You Pack, We Move." Pray everything fits.
August 1-3 Ohio to Missouri. Missouri to Texas. Texas to Arizona.
August 4th Move in. Sweat all day. Collapse.
August 5-9 Get settled. Explore with Mom.
August 10th Drive with Mom to LA for Topher & Emily's wedding.
August 13th Back to Arizona by myself.
August 14th In Arizona for good!

More to come...

Arizona

Hello all! It's been really difficult keeping everyone in the pipeline about my relocation to Arizona. So, I've decided to do a mini-blog. I hope to post before, during and after the move. Keep checking back for news about how things are going.

--Chelsea

Arizona-New Mexico border
Originally uploaded by jahpoetess.