Parked

I'm drinking some sugarless chai from Trader Joe's. The idea is that with unsweetened chai, you can sweeten it to your own taste, and this seems like a great idea except that the chai itself tastes sort of...muggy. Maybe I just put too much in. Since it says three teaspoons and comes with a tablespoon-looking measure, that's quite possible.

I have an interview for next Friday. It made me so happy that someone at least thinks I'm worth talking to. This would not be the ideal job, but it wouldn't be bad and it would be a short commute. I was contemplating reapplying to the place that was interested in me last fall before it understood I was serious about needing to work from home most of the time, but it would be a two-hour drive and I'm stuck in Toledo, like it or not. I mean, I'm doing it willingly; but I'm still a little surprised about not being able to move where I want to.

Eric and I have been house-, dog-, and fish-sitting for his mom while the rest of the household is away for most of a week, and yesterday everything--being constantly in the house where it's dog-hair-covered and small and cluttered and there's no room for me; taking care of the dogs, who have been trouble and a half; having not much to do in the evenings when he's raiding online and I'm away from my quilting and my own computer; being called on to fall into a fairly traditional women's role by Brenda and Edith and at the same time being told that I should be either making Eric do more or (jokingly) leaving him; feeling unable to buy things or, more importantly, contribute to our financial planning yet because I still don't have a job; feeling more distant from my parents than I used to; being frustrated with some of Eric's habits and my own responses to them--got to me and I spent some time blubbering into Eric's shoulder. (My God, that's a long sentence.) We talked about things and then took the dogs for a walk in the local park, and I feel better. I don't say the interview doesn't make it easier to feel better. But it's nice to be able to talk about my frustrations with my best friend, even when the frustrations are closely linked to him.

On the other hand, Bev has subscribed me to Martha Stewart Weddings. We were talking about wedding planning and she confessed, "I signed you up for a wedding magazine," and I said, jokingly, "Oh, something like Martha Stewart Weddings?" without realizing that there actually was such a magazine, and she said, "Well, yeah. I was looking through them and most of them were just ads for dresses and stuff, but the Martha Stewart one had actual ideas and favors to make and things like that. Though I feel kind of bad that you suggested it as a joke now." Hurting her feelings aside, I'm ridiculously pleased with this. I was never interested in wedding magazines for the very reason that I thought they were all dress ads, but a more crafty one might be fun, and more importantly I love that she thought to do it for me. I've really needed someone to be excited about this for me, because Eric and I are both feeling that most people are thinking we're being too precipitate, and she's being exactly what I needed as usual. I can't wait until we're done in Toledo (i.e., when Eric's schooling is finished) and we move out to Portland. That's still the plan. It's what makes me more or less content to give up job possibilities in order to stay in the Toledo commuting area--that and a guy who, when the dogs have crissed and crossed ahead of us, always raises the dog leash over my head rather than waiting for me to raise mine over his.