In which I’ve made a decision.
House hunting has not gone well. I don’t think there’s a single 4- or 5-bedroom house for rent in the entire county, and even if there is it won’t be in the right school district.
I’ve received no follow-up offer from my ex-employer, and none of the other local jobs I’ve applied for in the past couple of months have gotten me even so much as a nibble. In fact, the only interest I’ve gotten in the past six months has been from out-of-town jobs.
Yesterday I secretly decided that I would move to Washington state at the end of September, if only I can somehow afford to get there.
Within an hour of making this tentative decision, my boss offered me more work. Right out of the blue. There was no effort on my part at all – he and I were chatting and he said he’d give me more hours if I needed them. I’ve asked for more hours before and never got them and suddenly, there they are.
So, there’s my sign, folks. I know spontaneous fucking support when I see it.
Grandma’s already offered me a spare room; all I’d need would be enough money for a tune-up and gas and motels for the three-day drive out there. Once I arrived, she’d probably feed me for a couple of weeks while I got myself employed at some trendy bistro or at the local ISP or something. Hell, I could start a computer business on the side by simply printing up some posters and business cards, ’cause it’s not like I’m not totally fucking qualified to install NIC cards and remove spyware and set up wireless LANs.
Walla Walla is another small town, true, but I love it and it’s only four hours from Portland so I could go spend weekends at my brother’s for excitement. It’s a college town. The coffee is way better. The weather is awesome. After I saved some money I could easily move back to Portland, if I wanted to.
I’d see aunts and uncles and cousins more frequently. (Sure, they’ll all insist on calling me ‘Shelly,’ but whatever. Family is always a trial.) I have the feeling I’d have more of a bug up my ass about being an actual productive member of society while living with a woman who was still bowling league, volunteering at the museum, and taking underwater aerobics into her late 70’s.
It feels good. I like it. I’m gonna do it.
Update: Now my mom’s gone and said she’d lend me a credit card to use for travel! I’ve been struggling here, but now that I’ve decided to leave I’m getting all the help I could possibly want. Wow.
Just… wow.
Next week I’ll pay off the loan I took to fix the jeep. The week after that I’ll give notice at work, and get the rest of my shit from the farm. The week after that I’ll go to grandma’s birthday – the plane ticket my aunt bought me is non-refundable so I might as well use it. The week after that I’ll come back, get the jeep tuned, and load up what little I will have decided to keep, and… leave.
I’ll probably spend a lazy week or so at my mom’s in Wyoming, and arrive back in Walla Walla on or very near my birthday, which I will choose to view as auspicious. I’ll job hunt, and live in my favorite house in the whole wide world as Halloween draws near, and watch the leaves change. I’ll be ‘home’ for the holidays.
Maybe Grandma and I will even make cranberry cordial together, like we did years ago.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
*woot*
Go West Young(ish) Girl!!!!
Otay! -m
I don’t get any of yer tags: Bindu, lump, rabies, vaccinations, vet…
Anyway: sounds good. Good luck! -k
Tags corrected. I somehow got my browser to save that set of tags so they always show up. -m
Wow… now that is one helluva decision, Mushlette. Sounds like you have a good support system out thataway, too. Best to you, sweet!
T’anks, hon. -m
I’m both excited for you and sad. Even though I haven’t been down to see you, the chances of me ever seeing you diminish with each mile you put between you and Iowa. Shit, I can hardly haul my butt to town.
Anyway, congrats!
Sucks you had to miss that awesome divorce party! -m
Dude, Mush – this post has the happiest/most content vibe to it that I’ve ever encountered on your blog. I’m so happy for you that things are falling into place, and not just because you’re moving out my way. (hehe!)
Yay for making decisions!!!
At the VERY least, I know I’ll have to be in Seattle next June. If I don’t meet you before then, well, just put it on your calendar: “Coffee (or beer, depending on your nursing sched!) with Mush, sometime in June ’08.” WHEE! -m
I think the universe is speaking loud and clear on this one, Mush. Go, and thrive. It’s time. Best of luck.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been exhorted to ‘thrive’ before. I dig it. 😉 -m
I love when the Universe tells you you’re pointed in the right direction.
Me too. I haven’t been feeling any of that in a long while. -m
Dude… AND you will totally have a laptop to blog all about your travel at every wifi hotspot along the way. Plus, 2 iPods for double the tune storage and battery life on the road!
Life is good.
Fuckin’ A, man! Road blogging! If only I [a] liked driving, and [b] could get paid for it! -m
Congrats on making a life changing decision. Let’s hope that WW is not the vast wasteland for you that it was the last time you lived there.
This time, I won’t have that crazy little boyfriend’s weird karma to deal with. Plus, if it’s impossible to get by I’ll just go to Portland. -m
congratulations on making the decision, one way or the other. it’s always nice to have things settled and have a direction to go in. that’s such a happy making thing. 🙂 who knows, maybe we’ll win the lottery and i’ll apply to a university in washington state to do my master’s degree 🙂
Dude, school in WA would be kick ass. Do it! Win the lottery! Poverty’s highly fucking overrated anyway. -m
Grrl. I’m so happy for you 🙂
It’s all gonna work out. *woot*
Aw, you commented TWICE! -m
Suckage for us, but probably good for you.
‘Us’? ‘Us’?! You barely live here yourself! (You can come visit me in the Great Northwest next time you get itchy feet. MICROBREWS, dude.) -m
Your grandmother is going to be 85 on her birthday this September. First Aunt and I want to grow up just like her, but she is and always will be healthier than either one of us. Whereas First Aunt and I have inherited the arthritis (various forms) and can have some really bad days, grandmother has never had anything; has all her original parts and has only been hospitalized for having five children. I think that’s something to brag about. Oh, you forgot to mention that she still drives and mows her own lawn. The woman is an absolute inspiration.
The Arthur sucks, and grandma kicks ass totally, but somehow *I* got some dumb gene that’s making my hair thin already. The whole species is going straight downhill, man. -m
You. Sound. So. Happy.
I think you know you’ve made a good decision. Congratulations! I can’t wait to read about it. 🙂
*snoopy dance* -m
Omg.. If that doesn’t mean that things are falling right into place, then I don’t know what is.
I’m so happy for you, Shelly! {Hugs}
Gah! Shelly! You had to do it, didn’t you! -m
“Coffee (or beer, depending on your nursing sched!) with Mush, sometime in June ‘08.â€
–(hehe) I’m writing this in my Franklin Covey right now!
🙂
I FREAKIN’ LOVE YOU! -m
Is The Mom, our MOM!?!?! Can’t imagine who else would know that…
Yes. This entry has comments from BOTH OF OUR PARENTS. It’s all I can do not to explode. -m
Wow. I go east, you go west. Crazy. Looks like our meet up won’t happen just yet. Very sad but glad things are looking up for you babe.
Yes. I just had to go and be UTTERLY FUCKING RANDOM. But I feel so much better. *smooch* -m