Today I went down to Portland on a whim. Really, it hadn't been planned before about 10am today that I would do it. But Dad and I looked at a house and hung out with folks and had coffee and it was generally awesome. More than one person I ran into gave me a flying hug. :) I took the Amtrak Cascade line back up north for the first time in my life. It was just about uneventful, though I had to screw my courage to the sticking point and whatnot. Traveling alone is all scary and stuff! The worst part of the trip was when google maps gave Matt bad directions to the station, so he got all frustrated and I waited in the rain. (Honest! I had fun!) But I think I handled today and all of its attending chaos far better than I would have 6 months to a year ago.
Day 9 Gratitude:
Good stories to tell.
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
esteeming oneself
At the moment I'm sort of employed; I'm working a temporary job for a construction company with no definite end date. So far I've only worked three days for them, but I still feel like a fish out of the water. Their filing system is out of date and needs serious remedial help, so I spent a chunk of time today getting familiar with what should and shouldn't be there. I was mostly doing it for my own benefit, since I'm going to be working with this system consistently and feel pretty outclassed. My supervisor walked into my shared office this afternoon and exclaimed about how neat the filing section was. "Wow, Vera! You're really on top of this! You just charge right in and do it without waiting around!"
Right then it sunk in that I'm doing a good job. I've spent the past few months sitting in a little hole feeling bad about myself for various reasons. Suddenly I find myself in a position to be making somebody else's job much easier and she really appreciates it.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm awesome!
Right then it sunk in that I'm doing a good job. I've spent the past few months sitting in a little hole feeling bad about myself for various reasons. Suddenly I find myself in a position to be making somebody else's job much easier and she really appreciates it.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm awesome!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Seattle
Holy crap, I just moved to Seattle. Ok, "just" isn't quite the right word. Matt and I have been here a little over a week. The first few days we were here the basic getting stuff unpacked and wrangling of pets kept us occupied. We're still not completely unpacked. The house is beautiful and bright every room has a massive window (or four) that keeps the whole house well lit even on cloudy days. The weather hasn't been perfect, but it's nothing to complain about. The neighborhood is lovely and quiet, except for the occasional playing child.
So here's the thing: I'm terrified. I just moved away from a city that I'd grown to love over the past six years. I had just reached a point where I felt I could drive just about anywhere and not get too lost. Suddenly I find myself in a city whose traffic I despise and whose layout is so completely foreign as to make my head spin. For the first few days we were here I found myself getting panicky when we left the house. I got scared when we just took the dog for a walk, but when we hopped in the car for a quick trip to the grocery store, I would watch the scenery rush by and take me further from things I recognized.
The other day I went grocery shopping by myself. The drive itself wasn't so bad; I was concentrating enough on driving Matt's truck (which is a difficult task) that I couldn't get too wrapped up on the distance from home. I grabbed a cart and checked my list to see what I needed. The map at the door showed me where to find food items, so I got rolling. I was halfway through the vegetable section when I felt that panic again. The whole place was completely foreign and so very familiar at the same time. I thought about the grocery store that is near our old place in Portland and how it took me a while to get used to it. I will probably never shop there again. There is nothing familiar about things that used to be routine. It's a different store in a different state filled with people who are Washingtonians and not Oregonians who can clearly see that I don't belong there.
I decided not to panic. Instead I bought my groceries and went home. I felt triumphant when I got back. I beat the grocery store monster! And we made a nice dinner at home.
It's been six years since I last moved to a new state. Last time I did I tried to convince my parents that it was a bad idea and I shouldn't go to college after all. I'm handling it slightly better this time, I think? But here's hoping that the grocery store feels familiar soon and I can settle into a comfortable routine to keep my head on straight.
So here's the thing: I'm terrified. I just moved away from a city that I'd grown to love over the past six years. I had just reached a point where I felt I could drive just about anywhere and not get too lost. Suddenly I find myself in a city whose traffic I despise and whose layout is so completely foreign as to make my head spin. For the first few days we were here I found myself getting panicky when we left the house. I got scared when we just took the dog for a walk, but when we hopped in the car for a quick trip to the grocery store, I would watch the scenery rush by and take me further from things I recognized.
The other day I went grocery shopping by myself. The drive itself wasn't so bad; I was concentrating enough on driving Matt's truck (which is a difficult task) that I couldn't get too wrapped up on the distance from home. I grabbed a cart and checked my list to see what I needed. The map at the door showed me where to find food items, so I got rolling. I was halfway through the vegetable section when I felt that panic again. The whole place was completely foreign and so very familiar at the same time. I thought about the grocery store that is near our old place in Portland and how it took me a while to get used to it. I will probably never shop there again. There is nothing familiar about things that used to be routine. It's a different store in a different state filled with people who are Washingtonians and not Oregonians who can clearly see that I don't belong there.
I decided not to panic. Instead I bought my groceries and went home. I felt triumphant when I got back. I beat the grocery store monster! And we made a nice dinner at home.
It's been six years since I last moved to a new state. Last time I did I tried to convince my parents that it was a bad idea and I shouldn't go to college after all. I'm handling it slightly better this time, I think? But here's hoping that the grocery store feels familiar soon and I can settle into a comfortable routine to keep my head on straight.
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