Tomorrow...

I sign my lease!

Which is good news not only because I can start moving, but also because my mother and I had a deal that if I start making progress on this whole getting my life together thing, SHE will start making progress on QUITTING the cancer sticks.

Also? I have one solid interview, and one pending interview for next week. Both for the position of TSS.

Weeee!!!!

Baby Steps Lead to a Crib

Slowly but surely, progress is being made.

After packing up an entire room last Tuesday I came down with some fierce kind of cold-allergy-business that knocked me out for the week.

It was a combo of this nastiness plus shouting over music while out with my friends on Friday night that has me without a voice today.

For some reason I felt that Day 1 without a voice (Saturday) was the best day to get down to business and call all my potential future landlords to see if I could look at the apartments that they listed on Craigslist. They all probably thought their potential future tenant was a little old lady...or man...

Anyway, because it was the weekend, I left many many raspy-voiced messages, but I did get a few real people on the line. One was available to show an apartment on Sunday! The apartment was great and I e-mailed him later that day to seal the deal. They're e-mailing me the lease to look over, and I'm handing in my deposit tomorrow!

About the Apartment:

It is on the 3rd floor-- a far cry from the basements I've lived in for the past 3 years

LOTS of light/windows

Odd colored walls

In Squirrel Hill, near the major business section and the busline

(walking distance from a yoga studio!!!!)

pictures to come!

Well I'm Not Paralyzed But I Seem To Be Struck By...Step 2

Stepping stone number two is that which guides me into a place to live.

Here's the thing... for quite a bit now my parents have been encouraging (pressuring, convincing) me into the idea of purchasing a house here in Pittsburgh. They think it will be a wise move if I don't plan on leaving for at least 5 years.

So I went to discuss this with a realtor who was a very nice lady. She gave me the number of someone who can get me pre-approved for a mortgage. That wound up pretty fruitless. Although I have plenty of collateral/assets to my name, thanks to various unfortunate circumstances, unless I have proof of income for the next three years, I cannot get pre-approved.

Frick.

So I spent the earlier part of this semester focused on this house-buying business, only to find out it's not possible to without a job, which, as seen in the previous post, is a pain in the pa-toot to acquire.

So now my next move is to start looking for apartments.

I've found the most useful resource in the past to be craigslist. Unfortunately, due to the academic calendar, the apartment market seems to have dried up a bit. Already today I've read 3 e-mails stating that apartments I had hoped to look out were already leased out.

I really want to stay in a central area, not in the middle of nowhere, and hopefully in a safe neighborhood. To be super-ambitious, I want off-street parking, pet-friendly, dishwasher, laundry, two bedrooms and a roof please.

Thinking about everything that has to be done has been unbelievably overwhelming. Sometimes the thought of it makes me feel paralyzed and want to hide under the covers until it's all over. Even though I know I have my parents and family to help back me up, it is still really easy to feel alone.

When I'm almost done with being paralyzed, I either have a meltdown or *do* something.

Both outlets have their own benefits, but doing something proactive like e-mailing a potential new landlord, or revamping my resume gives a sense of satisfaction to go along with a feeling of relief.

My parents have already set a date for movers to come which is April 16th I believe. So today's paralysis relief was going to the liquor store for wine and boxes to start packing up my plethora of crap.

Cheers!

Step 1- Job Hunting

Spring Break is over! The end is near. May 1st. RUN AWAY!

There are a number of stepping stones that lead me across this limbo between pregrad and postgrad. Three major ones are at the forefront of my thinking.

1. Find a place to live

2. Get a job

3. Graduate

Seems simple yes? Not so much. The graduating part will be a breeze, but the rest of it is slightly more difficult.

Let's begin with the employment stone.

A few weeks ago we had a career fair at school where I doled out my resume to a few places. It seems the main positions for a psych graduate in this area is Therapeutic Staff Support and Teacher/Counselors. I went to one table that I had researched already at the advisement of my academic advisor (how bout that!?) The people seemed to really enjoy their work and they asked for my resume, and for me to fill out an application when I got home.

Well... surprise surprise!

I had already done that AND had it with me! So I gave it to them with my resume, and received their information in return. They reacted very positively to that forward-thinking gesture, or so I thought. I haven't heard anything back yet! I'm going to follow up later this week.

I don't think job hunting is the situation to be all "he's just not that into you" so I'm going to keep at it until something is set in stone.

Mama Needs a New Pair of Pants!

Dear Future Employer:

I am writing to inform you of what is in store after you hire me. I will most likely never be seen without some residual cat, dog, horse or rabbit hair somewhere on my person. It's not that I don't care or try it just sneaks up on me! Sometimes from within a sleeve, and other times because I can rarely resist petting a puppy. We may have met today at the career fair. In which case I'm sorry, I think I missed the memo on the skirt/suit/high heel uniform that my co-students were waltzing around in. However, lets take this as a learning experience. If you hire me, I promise to use my first paycheck to purchase some amazing duds. Also, even though I may not be the most stylish of your employees, I can guarantee you that I will work hard and be a breath of fresh air.

Sincerely

Your Future Employee of the Year.