All things misc.

I woke up this morning, and my google blogstalker feature was inundated with new posts from my various subscriptions. I dove in and read everybody, and then felt guilty for all of the neglect my blog has seen since... well, last fall. It's a silly thing to feel guilty about, especially since there are no clamouring audiences waiting anxiously for my next words. There is only me, wishing I had the patience or energy to sit down and write, since it's something I enjoy so much. (And a few kindly readers who pop as well. Hi! And thanks!) However, I'm better at guilt than I am at writing, so it often wins out and I guiltily indulge in reading everyone else's new thoughts while leaving my own blog untouched.

So today - a miscellaneous update post (also known as an excuse post). Some people aren't fans of the random topic update type of post, but it's one of my favorites. The only theme to my blog is me, and those of you who know me personally will agree that the long-winded-random-strings-of-stories-with-no-point posts are closest to what real life with Mandi is like. (For better or worse...)

Anyhow, away we go!

This weekend we had our housewarming open house. It turned out to be a pretty good party, and it was fun to have people over to our (mostly unpacked) house. We netted six or so bottles of wine plus two of champagne - I'm going to have to have people over again to drink all the wine they brought this time. Interestingly, the party seems to have worked - it feels so much more like home now that we've had our friends over. Maybe the walls absorb the happiness and the laughter and the little kids' joyful shrieks, but somehow the energy feels different. Maybe it's all perception. Whatever it was, it worked. This place feels like home.

We moved into this house three weeks ago yesterday. It's gone by quick, mostly because I've kept busy with lots of little repairs and improvements. I painted the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom (twice for the bath - didn't like the first color), done small electrical and plumbing fixes (leaky faucets and toilets), patched nail holes and drywall and all sorts of other little odd jobs. I really enjoy that type of work - there is a real satisfaction in standing back and seeing something that works because I fixed it, or that looks good because I put a lot of time into the details of patching or painting it. It's kept me busy and distracted from the fact that I am jobless and broke...

...but -- I have an interview tomorrow! Wish me luck - it's at the hospital where I really want to work, and for a job that isn't overnights! If the position I originally applied for is still open, it's a 3-11:30 evening shift. I had sort of reluctantly resigned myself to the fact that I would have to work 12 hour shifts overnight (7p-7a) as a new graduate nurse, but I just really don't want to. I worked nights at the post office years ago, and I had a really difficult time with the sleep deprivation. Granted, I worked part time there (midnight to 6am, about three days a week), but I also worked at a department store, taught clarinet lessons two days a week, and went to college full time. God, to be twenty again... I only managed that schedule for about six weeks before I quit the night job, but these days I imagine I could survive for about, oh, 48 hours before I went completely berserk. Anyhow, evenings sounds lovely by comparison. Cross your fingers for me!

Okay, I'm off to unpack all of my nursing books so I can get started on studying for my boards. I finally set my test date (March 11th) and now that there are a finite number of days between now and when I'll sit down to the exam, I'm feeling the pressure to crack some books. Yay!

But before I go, one more thing:

Happy birthday to my wonderful brother-in-law Emilio!