I Got A Job!

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted on this blog. It's been a very full 2 months though. I'll start with the exciting news that I have a new job. And it happened just as I said it would - it just fell into place without my doing anything. I did apply for several jobs online (tutoring, editing, etc.) but never heard anything back. I also had a free consultation through the Redwood City library on updating my resume. In the meantime, I continued doing mortgages (I've closed two now and am working on two more) and started working part-time for Carla's friend Edwin who has an estate sale company. Carla and her whole group of friends work for and with Edwin (some get paid, some just volunteer because they don't need the money) and I kept hearing about the great times they had and the wonderful finds they would bring home for either nothing or next to nothing. Carla would even bring me things that she thought I would like. Then Carla had surgery on her right hand beginning of February and couldn't work at the sale Edwin had that month. I offered to help out in her place, which I did, and I loved it and was happily surprised and thrilled when I even got paid for it. I brought a whole bag of things home with me, and even sold my fur coats that the estate sale company I had used had not been able to sell. I liked working there, and they liked having me work there, and so I have been added to the group. I'm at the bottom of the list and so only get to work when someone else can't make it, but that's ok. I've worked at one other sale (last weekend) and also sporadically in between sales helping pack up and unpack boxes.

The JOB, though, is something entirely different. A friend of Liza's (Liza lives across the street, is Carla's closest friend and hosts the Poker Night parties once a month) is the executive director of a non-profit agency that helps abused and neglected children. Her name is Vickie and the agency is called Child Advocates of Silicon Valley (www.BeMyAdvocate.org). Their bookkeeper suddenly quit two weeks ago and Vickie was desperately searching for a replacement and Liza recommended she call me. I started there a week ago Friday. The only negative is that it involves a commute - it's 22 miles away in Silicon Valley and I have to take the horrible 101 Freeway to get there. But I get to pick my hours, so I've been going in around 10-10:30 and leaving at either 3:30 or 6:30, so I avoid the busy commute times. Even if I did travel during the rush hours, I would be able to drive in the commuter lane because I have a Prius. I'm working part-time, about 3 days a week, and I love it. It's a bit challenging, because I only got to spend 4 hours with the person I'm replacing before she left. It's a little bit of hit or miss. But I like the people, and I've always liked bookkeeping, and I like having a job and going into an office. It's funny, because this is exactly what I was doing 32 years ago when I met Elson. I'd quit my corporate job and had my own freelance bookkeeping company with several small businesses as clients. I hope to eventually add some more clients that are located closer to home. I don't know whether this will be a permanent position. Vickie was very open with me that they might end up outsourcing it. I'm just enjoying it while I have it, and it's serving the great purpose of allowing me to refresh myself in this field plus learn to use the software that everyone seems to be using these days. It was all done manually 32 years ago.

So, my life consists of the job in Milpitas, working on loans, working estate sales, exercising when I can, seeing friends, seeing Trish and spending time with Carla. We became really close when she had her operation. I spent a lot of time with her, helping her, doing things for her, etc. She had just started to recover the use of her hand and to become active again when she started experiencing debilitating pain in her back and legs. I'm not going to go through the whole story, because it's a long one and very upsetting, but the upshot is that her doctors were wrong when they told her it was not related to her cancer (she'd been in remission from multiple myeloma) and that it was sciatica. She wasted two months going from doctor to doctor and trying all kinds of pain medications. She finally had an MRI 10 days ago that isolated a tumor and they rushed her into a 10 day treatment of radiation. They knew they had blown it. We got copies of the CT scan and bone survey she'd had done in December and it mentioned the probable connection to her cancer on both of them. Her last radiation treatment was on Thursday. I accompanied her to the appointment, spoke with her doctor, and then took her out for a celebratory lunch. She leaves on Wednesday for England to attend a wedding and spend two weeks vacation. She certainly deserves it.

I know everyone wants to know what's happening with the divorce. Well, Trish accompanied me to a free workshop in Redwood City on doing your own divorce and I left with the paperwork partially filled in. I'm working on finishing it now. Elson has chosen not to accept early release to a halfway house because he heard how horrible they are, and is now applying for early release in July to home detention. A law was passed in February of this year authorizing early release to homes for prisoners of non-violent crimes once they've served 75% of their sentences (that would be July 15 for Elson). Hopefully they will accept an apartment near Deja as a suitable home for this. I speak to Elson about once a week. He has accepted the divorce, takes full responsibility for what went wrong in our marriage, and we have very civil conversations. I still care about him, always will and want nothing but the best for him. I know it's going to be very difficult for him once he gets out. I know it's not my problem (as everyone keeps telling me) but that doesn't mean I'm not concerned. I'm glad that his kids have been so supportive and will be there for him when he gets out. Deja visits him once a month and has brought Roxy (age 19)twice, Charlton visits as often as he can and has brought the boys (ages 10 and 15) a couple of times, and Kent has visited from Sacramento several times with Kristopher (age 14).

I still love my apartment. I finally unpacked all the CDs and not only did they fit on the racks that I brought, but there's room for more! I play my music often - sometimes on the PC, sometimes on the iPod on the special mp3 speakers I brought with me, sometimes on the CD player, and sometimes I just listen on my headphones to the iPod or my cell phone. Music is still a very important part of my life. The garden is starting to bloom again and the wisteria is starting to grow back on my balcony. Carla has given me several gorgeous bouquets of flowers from the garden to put in my apartment. I've started to cook again, beginning with Larry Negri's recipe for Dijon chicken. It was delicious. I made it for Trish one time when she stayed with me. I'm looking forward to working my way through Larry's recipes.

The MS is about the same as the last time I wrote. My legs get tired after I walk around 20 minutes, so I can't do too many errands at one time. I still haven't gone back to the way I was before the infamous hot tub incident, but I'm not as bad I was the two months after it.

That's about it. Life is good. I don't stress about things anymore, I go with the flow as they say, and let things happen. And they do. In a good way.