Lately life has been a strange mix of beautiful and suck.
I had a really great interview last Monday with a nonprofit that is located 3 blocks from my house. THREE blocks. I could walk to work every day. Plus I'd have insurance. Actual insurance. These are dreams of mine. A job where I'd be doing something good (in this case taking care of a kitchen in a nursing home); I'd be getting paid every two weeks (without fail...no excuses or exceptions); I'd have real health insurance (which I still desperately need and am still too poor to afford); and I wouldn't need a car (which would be helpful as I currently don't possess or have access to a car). They said they'd let me know at the end of last week if I had the job or not, but I've heard nothing at all else. I actually called them on Monday, but it was a holiday so no one was in the office. I called Tuesday and gave them a couple of extra numbers to try getting a hold of my last employer with (as she is notorious for not having her phone on, with her, charged, or checking her messages), but they said nothing at all about the position. If I haven't heard back tomorrow, I'm calling again. I need a job, and I had really hoped this one was the answer to my prayers.
The thing is, if it's not, I have a couple other places to apply, and a nice woman with a mutual friend put in a good word for me with her boss at another local business here in town. It is also within walking distance. I am, as I said, frustrated, but I'm also not without hope.
An old family friend recently asked me if I might be interested in tutoring/babysitting for her grandson who, as it turns out, is autistic. Having a younger brother with Asperger's, I think this might be a challenge I could handle. The only challenge will be trying to find a way to and from the house. Thankfully they're close and it appears I can make my own hours. I'll be contacting her before the week is out to see if I can have a trial day with the little boy to see if he will let me work with him. If he does, I will hopefully have found something I can do, at least part-time to keep me afloat for awhile.
I've also taken a renewed interest in baking and cooking. I'm honestly looking forward to the cooler weather (fall has always been my favorite) if for no other reason than I'll be able to turn the oven on and work in the kitchen without feeling like I'm going to die. I will never be a summer person. In the past couple of weeks I've made a couple of cheesecakes (one which I made up using leftover experiment cookies as my crust), some cookies, and pie. In the process of trying to completely unpack (yes, finally), I found all of my cookbooks, and I'm beginning to think I may have to start trying out recipe by recipe until I go through all the things I've collected over the years. It will be a good way to get rid of stuff I'll never use again and hopefully find some new favorite dishes for the family.
On top of this, I've been creating notes all over the place about books to write. God only knows what will come of that, but I've got a couple of really good ideas for kids books. If I can get myself to hold still and type some of this up (or scribble it out on paper or at the typewriter), I might have something else to try and publish. Plus I've started trying to pull together poetry I've written over the years. I may have something to try for there as well.
Beyond all of this, I have found myself, once again, grateful to have the library across the street. I have been checking out books and reading everything. I'm finally going through the last of the books that I own but have never managed to read. I may actually finally have everything read through by the end of the year. It won't even take that long if I don't find more work soon.
Like I said, it's a mix of beautiful and suck. At least, through all of this, I have good people on my side hoping and praying right along with me. I am not sure what I want to do or where I'll be in the next year, but I continue to hope that I'll be smart enough to greet it as it comes and enjoy where I'm at in the meantime.
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