The job search

One challenge that has presented so far has been finding a job. Being a fairly small place, it is not teeming with employment opportunities outside of labor and a few random industries. I have had some luck off the bat and hope that the positions offered are worth while because after this round of searching the next round is going to require a lot more creativity.

This afternoon I went to an interview at gold's gym for a personal trainer spot. I think the job is a lock, but it's a sales and commission based position. So the company could really care less about who they hire. Either you come in and make sales or you don't get paid. They win either way. That is the main reason I haven't been to interested in corporate gyms and one of the main drawbacks at the UFC, people were always trying to sell you on something. While I understand that, it gets old fast and not really what I want to be doing. But if the experience can help lead into the blending if mental and physical health then it would be a good experience. Have to wait until the follow-up interview.

The second promising lead is with the boys and girls club. They have a great program coordinator position available and an interview the Monday after thanksgiving. That position would be way better long term, but if it doesn't come through then personal training may be the best in the short run.

Finally I am set to take the police exam for openings in the Pasco police department Dec 4. That one I go back and forth on, but figure it is with trying out. I have been studying a little and think I am ready for the psych eval at least. From the news recently I know that you always resort to deadly force. So on all the multiple choice I got that one ready. And the physical section will be easy. So at least it will be an interesting day.

In the midterm I need to find things to pass the time. I am looking for a Chinese tutor. There is a larger Chinese population than I was expecting so I am hopeful there. Other than that winter is killing a lot of options. Time to get fit and clean the shit out of the house. Half-marathon anyone?

Thanksgiving in Richland

So now we have a house, a decent amount of furniture and have had our first houseguest. This week will be thanksgiving and the first time that I have not cooked a bird in 7 or so years. I am actually looking forward to enjoying the meal. Usually by the time I am done cooking I want to eat anything so it will be a nice change to see it from the other side again.

Marina is starting to settle into her job, although with the first week of orientation and the second cut short by a holiday, i think it will still be some time before she really gets into a flow at work. Next month will be cut short again, but then it should start in earnest. I however, am still looking for work.

Things are moving slowly on that front, but it seems that it is starting to get somewhere. I have an interview tomorrow at Gold's Gym and another next Monday for a position as a Teen Program Coordinator at Boys and Girls Clubs. So will have to see what comes of those. I would say that I am happy to not be working, but unlike Hawaii, in the winter here there really isn't much to do. I would try to spend more time at the gym, but even the martial arts here are not as popular as other places that I have been and finding classes that run all day has been a challenge. But one way to distract myself while searching for work is playing with our new dog, Ashley.

We adopted Ashley from the shelter last week and she has gone in today to be spayed. We know very little about her history, although from her behavior I would guess that she had a rough go for a while as she can be very timid around people. overall she is very friendly with everyone, althouhg we are going to have to work on the jumping up on people. A good size (38 lbs) and while we dont know her age, young probably between 1-2 years. She is working on basic commands, sit and stay would be good and they are coming in pretty quick, only a couple days and she is starting to sit before be asked when coming in or before getting the ball thrown. 

Time to pick her up from the vet, more to come.

Settling into Richland

We arrived last week in the Tri-city area of eastern Washington and have started to settle in. We went through a mad dash to try and secure housing before our placement at the guest house for PNNL was up. After getting a feel for the area and figuring out that we wanted to try to be closer to Marina's job so she could bike to work freeing up the car when possible we decided that north Richland was the place to be. We ended up moving on a duplex with a decent size yard. However, like all the properties we saw, it was bare, included no washer or dryer. There was also the fun of waiting to find out until the last minute if our application was approved because of several complications. First the credit check got held up because the job for Marina had not technically started so we had to prove that we could actually afford the house. Then once that was cleared it was veteran's day, so the background check was delayed another day. But it was resolved with 24 hours to spare. So as soon as we were approved to move in there was another mad dash to get furniture in the weekend before Marina starts work.

There are still many things needed to make the house more comfortable. We are going to be testing out amazon as there are at least 20 plus packages set to arrive in the next couple days. It will be like 8 days of Christmas except at this rate it will likely run for more than 8 days... but our kitchen will be fully stocked before we know it.l

The other thing that we have been trying to do, now that we have a place, is get a dog. Which has proven a lot harder than we thought. There are plenty of dogs for adoption, but finding one the right size and temperament has been tricky. The ones that we have seen and really liked were of course snatched quickly by other assholes who also liked the amazing dog. Part of the problem was that in our excitement to find the right dog we started looking before we had a house and didn't know if we would be dealing with breed restrictions (most apartments have all kinds of restrictions and Kennewick has restrictions on pit bull ownership). Now we are checking the lists to see what comes in so we are ready to swoop in a get the best dog possible before anyone else.

Time to run... have to run and get an air mattress for our first guest coming one week after we moved in...