Recently in daily life Category

What has happened since I returned from North Carolinian adventures? Well, I haven't suffered horribly from Bojangle's French Fry Seasoning withdrawals since I purchased a 4-pack prior to my departure. This stuff is wonderful, though packed with MSG. I'm sure the MSG is what makes it so delicious.

I've been mostly moping around and coming to terms with the marital woes John and I have been working through. Feeling broken-hearted, along with it being the depth of winter, has created a mood for me that is sometimes dark, dank, and difficult to slog through. It feels like I'm going through a purging process to do away with all of the old parts of me, like The Lizard parts of me.

Another thing that has been consuming me is the wonderful prospect that my days of being an intern are almost over. I will end everything on the 30th--close out my cases, say good-bye to colleagues, and ride off into the sunset. What happens next? is a "to be continued" adventure.

I'm going back out to North Carolina around the 1st of February through the 12th. During my visit I'll meet with a prospective supervisor. I have been working on completing my application for an Associate Designation License. I've updated my resume. I need to write a cover letter that can be tweaked depending on the job. The question that lingers in the back of my mind is, "Am I really ready for the next phase of being a therapist?" which means so much more than working and getting paid for that work. It looks like my next phase is doing more agency work to get my hours in for licensure. I'll still be a grunt, but a paid grunt. And I'll have to put in more hours each week. I have to confess that putting in just 5 hours or so per week is very nice.

The most important thing I've been doing since the New Year is spending quality time with Smee. Upon my return Smee has pasted himself to my chest and we have had long purring snuggle sessions in which we transcend feline-human barriers. There are times where I'm pretty sure I can read Smee's mind and most definitely he can read mine since it is a simple, human brain. His brain is far more complex and mysterious, much more challenge to discern and interpret.

This weekend I took on two foster kitties to tend to. They are making themselves at home with the gang. If the whole therapist career tanks I think I may have a lucrative future as a foster cat parent. I never tire of feline love, swooning and doting on them, catering to their needs and whims. On those days when I just stay in my pajamas and don't bother to brush my hair, it brings me one step closer to being that Crazy Cat Lady that lies not-so-dormant inside of me. Sometimes I do talk to the cats, but mostly I just sing songs of praise to them.

When I'm out in NC there will be more photos and more of everything. We'll be going to The Angus Steak Barn to see what kind of beefy goodness can be found to fill out tummies. Stay tuned for that!

At the end of the block

I awoke this morning to find that the flood waters were at the end of our block! It turns out that a dike either ruptured or that the river spilled over the dike that keeps my neighborhood dry.

I'm literally on an island--I am safe and sound with electricity, heat, cable, and phone. However, my neighbors just across the street from me aren't so fortunate. I've never been THIS CLOSE to a natural disaster, and I feel blessed and sad. Sad because of what has happened to the community and my neighbors, blessed because I have been spared.

The flooding is such a big deal that ABC World News has covered it. I didn't explore very far around the block because there were enough people trying to evacuate, and emergency personnel were doing their job, no need for me to be in the way. I took some pictures and posted them to my gallery.

It looks like from what I can tell that the local Wal-Mart business area has been deluged. This area includes the Home Depot, Michael's, Applebee's, and a brand-new Walgreens that hasn't even opened yet. That isn't the only place to suffer damage--the businesses all along I-5 are flooded. It's surreal. The news says that 40% of Centralia homes have been flooded. I bet that the percentage for Chehalis is greater.

It's going to be awhile before all of life gets back to normal. My heart goes out to those whose lives have been thrown this curve ball.

After John didn't get the promotion in Yakima, I made the suggestion to open up his range of places to relocate. Somehow his inquiries made their way to Albany, NY, although he didn't directly contact them. Earlier this week they asked him to travel out for a face-to-face interview. Then he was contacted to do a phone interview with the North Carolina district. One day before he was to fly out, he was contact by the Philadelphia district wanting to know if he could drive down from Albany to interview on Friday. To summarize, he has had three interviews this week all for east coast/northeast regions.

So far, the results has been that the Philly area is very interested in hiring him, but could not yet make him an offer as information about what kind of offer could be made needed to be gathered.

He is due to arrive home this afternoon with more adventures and tales of his whirlwind travels. He said he'd try to find and acquire a box of Entenmann's crumb donuts.

Meanwhile, I've been exploring the possibility of job opportunities in the respective states. It looks like becoming a licensed therapist in Pennsylvania is down-right evil compared to Washington state. I've yet to determine if Pennsylvania has a provisional or limited license--whoever has designed the state website for Pennsylvania needs to make the information more accessible and clear.

What sucks is that my school required me to have only 150 direct client contact hours. Many states outside of Washington, as I've discovered, require an internship of 300 direct client contact hours. Does this mean my master's degree will be deemed deficient and I'll need to do a second internship if I move to a different state? Most states have laws on reciprocity, meaning if you've been licensed in one state, such as Washington, then you can apply to have the license "transferred" to the new state.

All I know is that trying to figure out this crap makes my head spin, because I may have to take MORE CLASSES depending on what will be honored and transferred. Graduate schools can be very fussy and particular about what they will accept as credits. At the very least I may be required to take a class on the local state laws regarding counseling. ARGH!

I awoke this morning to March Snow. What is different about March Snow? Well, because in all of my years of living in Washington (the state) I've never seen March Snow before. Even Mr. Doo looked out onto the snow with vile contempt. Did someone send a pitiful, grant-me-a-wish letter to the Freeze Miser asking for this winter weather? Did my letter to the Heat Miser get intercepted by Homeland Security because of its suspicious nature? (I knew I shouldn't have made it obvious that the enveloped contained large amount of unmarked bills.) There are 19 more days until the vernal equinox. *Sigh*