The Joys of Being Home!!!

When it rains, it poors

Today was not such a great day. It started off good, it really did! Coffee in the morning, some Weekend Edition on the radio, Caley leaving with me so i could drop him off for his ab/back test on my way to work. Then BAM!!!!!!!! I ran a red light. Didn't even see it; the one on Horsetooth and Mason that, for some reason, is hard to see even though it's right in front of you... I avoided the car in the closet lane to me, but hit the one in the far lane directly on her drivers side door and some of the back passenger door. The air bags went off, the car filled with toxic chemical dust and smoke, and before I knew it I was opening the door, and out in the middle of the intersection looking at pieces of the vanny van strewn across the road. I barely got my bearings when Caley was on the phone calling the police, getting things taken care of, making sure I was ok and the other driver was ok and seeing about moving us out of the intersection.

Yeah, wow, not expecting that. It took the police forever to get there. In the mean time we chatted with the other lady who, of all the people to hit in Fort Collins, works at the Honda dealership about a block away from the accident (I was there two days ago getting an oil change...). She was amazingly nice, and totally cool about everything. The officer was too after she arrived. I got a ticket for running the red light, and since it resulted in an accident, I have to go to court on Dec. 17th. Hopefully not to be put in jail for 10 years...and more hopefully not to have a giant fine...

These past few months certainly have been challenging. I guess now I really have no excuse not to ride my bike to work now though.

A brief update on the Job Search

-REI stopped hiring about a week before I applied :( sadness

-I got blown off by some guy who didn't know what he was talking about at Whole Foods, and I should have just asked to see the hiring manager for the department right then and there...but I was sad and overwhelmed, so I did not.

-I went to the "observation day" at Clean Water Action and lasted until about 8pm, at which point I called Caley to come pick me up. I simply cannot bring myself to ask people for money three or more times after they have already said no and their dinner is getting cold on their plates. Bleah. Hopefully won't live to regret this decision when I can't find anything else....

-Since I'm not a student, I don't qualify for a desk job in the NR department...

-A cashier position at Ace hardware sounds like it will only be temporary through the holidays. This makes me sad, first of all that it wouldn't even be full time then, and then that I would miss all of the holidays with family, and then that I wouldn't have a job after the 1st of January.

-Sunflower Farmers market sounded promising, but I haven't heard back from them...probably have to go in today or tomorrow and just check in.

-The biologist position application is in the giant black box of government hiring...no idea who I would even contact about this position, and it sounds like a computer is the one giving me a "score" on compatibility and they only interview the top three scoring applications. BS. So inhuman.

-Starbucks application is in. I have no barista experience, but could definitely learn, and they're another one of those pretty cool companies to work for as far as support and environmental awareness etc. I'll have to ask a friend of mine who used to work there to be a reference :)

-Applied to Jax Outdoor Gear this morning, will drop off a resume to them this afternoon.

-Applied to some babysitting job that pays $10/hr...hopefully I can just get in for a few days to make some food money for January. Caley and I figured out that we can pay rent through January, but then would only have $475.00 combined for living expenses for a whole month...rice and beans anyone?

-Going to apply to Miramont gyms today and maybe some coffee shops downtown.

Wish me luck!

And it Begins!

Yesterday Caley and I joined the team group ride up Rist Canyon for our "1st" training ride of the winter season! I stuck with the group until the canyon started...right around the dirt road they started to pull away. I then did my best to keep the other stragglers in sight, yet at the same time settling into my own pace that I knew I could hold up the canyon. About 5 minutes below the mailboxes my blasted knee started to hurt again! Same one that crapped out in Santa Barbara, same place, everything, BOO. So, I stopped at the mailboxes and turned around to head home. Caley caught up to me at the bottom of the canyon and we rode home together. A few weeks ago, Caley borrowed my seat post, and I put it back not paying that close of attention to where he had marked it...so, we adjusted, and the knee immediately felt better! Hopefully this does the trick. In the meantime I am icing and doing all the right things because I would be soooo pissed if this kept me off the bike any longer than I already have been!!!!
In other news, I have applied to two positions at REI, and I would be soooo psyched if they contacted me for an interview and I got to work there!!! Check out there job website here...it looks totally awesome!!! I still think that I'll take the community organizer job if they offer it to me, just so I have a job for the next month while I continue to look for one with better hours!

-Megan