Today is the second or third snowfall since we have arrived, however this one is more of a dusting and if the forecast holds it should be mostly melted off by tomorrow afternoon. It turns out that the cold spell that hit in November seems to be more normal than we had thought. Many people had remarked that there is usually a cold snap in November and then it warms back up, which so far has been consistent. Today there is about an inch of snow on the ground, but tomorrow is supposed to be back up in the mid-forties. The weather overall has not been that bad, but it is dry and I have found the value of vitamin D supplements. Staying hydrated is a bit of a trick, in the cold consuming water really doesnt seem necessary, but its a lot easier to forget than I would have thought.
The job search has turned fruitful and I should be employed come January. After taking the law enforcement exam (and winning the local test section physical requirements with first place in the 300 of my heat, max sit-ups and push-ups and first place in the 1.5 mile with an 8:40, very happy with that) I realized that the police gig is just not very realistic. Even if I get called in for the second of 4 tests/interviews, there are only 9 spots available and would be at least 6 months to a year before completed the testing and getting the job. However, completing the personal history statement with a 10 year history of residences and lifetime employment history was interesting and put me in touch with some people that I have not spoken with in years.
But this last week has yielded several interviews, some at places that I wanted and others that would at least be money coming in. I was interviewed at the Boys and Girls club for a Teen Program Coordinator position, and had a second interview today, but turned it down because I had already accepted another position. I interviewed yesterday for a position at an employment worksource company, but that didnt really seem like a move up the ladder. So I accepted a position that was offered at Lifeways, a longterm mental health facility as a Mental Health Specialist. The job is set to start in January. The only downside is that the job is in Oregon, which means a 35-45 minute drive each way. But I am hoping that after training I will be able to either work a 4-day schedule (4/10's) or 4 plus day schedule (4/9's and half day in the middle). That would leave me able to still make it to train fairly often and be able to take care of Ashley at least one day a week. But it looks like we are also going to need a second car and a dog walker to make sure Ashley can get out during the days. I am still waiting to see a copy of the employee handbook, but assuming nothing weird is in it, I will be starting work next month. Time to enjoy my unemployment while I still have the time.
So to enjoy the time I am going to be entering a BJJ tournament Jan 10 in Spokane. I will be able to train until the week before full time and then with the training week I will do what I can to be prepped for the tourney. After that I will have to see how much time I have to make it to the gym. I am hopeful that I will be able to get to the weight room in the mornings before driving to work... but I dont know.
Ashley is also coming along well, but we have several things that need work. I am still not sure how long we could leave her in her crate without issues. When she first got here she had some fairly severe separation anxiety and the first attempt to leave in the crate while we were at the store resulted in her shitting the crate... not how I wanted that to go. So I have been slowly putting her in and leaving the house for short amounts of time, but nothing more than 15-20 minutes. But it does seem to be going better. The other challenge is that since we dont have an area to really confine her while we are gone she will find all kinds of things to chew up. Things I dont think to put away because what is the fun in eating a plastic tape dispenser? But slowly we are getting better (it has only been a month) and she is getting more comfortable and less anxious. The trip to the dog park last week went pretty well and working with her on not getting crazy when she sees another dog, but that is a slow battle. While at the dog park it seemed that she was able to maintain a jog to full sprint for the entire time, about, 30 minutes. I have been repeatedly impressed by her stamina. And she still doesnt bark, so that part is nice. The next test will be christmas.
We are going to be heading to Vancouver to spend the weekend with Marina's family. Going to get to see what Ashely does to the house while we are not there... fun times.
The job search has turned fruitful and I should be employed come January. After taking the law enforcement exam (and winning the local test section physical requirements with first place in the 300 of my heat, max sit-ups and push-ups and first place in the 1.5 mile with an 8:40, very happy with that) I realized that the police gig is just not very realistic. Even if I get called in for the second of 4 tests/interviews, there are only 9 spots available and would be at least 6 months to a year before completed the testing and getting the job. However, completing the personal history statement with a 10 year history of residences and lifetime employment history was interesting and put me in touch with some people that I have not spoken with in years.
But this last week has yielded several interviews, some at places that I wanted and others that would at least be money coming in. I was interviewed at the Boys and Girls club for a Teen Program Coordinator position, and had a second interview today, but turned it down because I had already accepted another position. I interviewed yesterday for a position at an employment worksource company, but that didnt really seem like a move up the ladder. So I accepted a position that was offered at Lifeways, a longterm mental health facility as a Mental Health Specialist. The job is set to start in January. The only downside is that the job is in Oregon, which means a 35-45 minute drive each way. But I am hoping that after training I will be able to either work a 4-day schedule (4/10's) or 4 plus day schedule (4/9's and half day in the middle). That would leave me able to still make it to train fairly often and be able to take care of Ashley at least one day a week. But it looks like we are also going to need a second car and a dog walker to make sure Ashley can get out during the days. I am still waiting to see a copy of the employee handbook, but assuming nothing weird is in it, I will be starting work next month. Time to enjoy my unemployment while I still have the time.
So to enjoy the time I am going to be entering a BJJ tournament Jan 10 in Spokane. I will be able to train until the week before full time and then with the training week I will do what I can to be prepped for the tourney. After that I will have to see how much time I have to make it to the gym. I am hopeful that I will be able to get to the weight room in the mornings before driving to work... but I dont know.
Ashley is also coming along well, but we have several things that need work. I am still not sure how long we could leave her in her crate without issues. When she first got here she had some fairly severe separation anxiety and the first attempt to leave in the crate while we were at the store resulted in her shitting the crate... not how I wanted that to go. So I have been slowly putting her in and leaving the house for short amounts of time, but nothing more than 15-20 minutes. But it does seem to be going better. The other challenge is that since we dont have an area to really confine her while we are gone she will find all kinds of things to chew up. Things I dont think to put away because what is the fun in eating a plastic tape dispenser? But slowly we are getting better (it has only been a month) and she is getting more comfortable and less anxious. The trip to the dog park last week went pretty well and working with her on not getting crazy when she sees another dog, but that is a slow battle. While at the dog park it seemed that she was able to maintain a jog to full sprint for the entire time, about, 30 minutes. I have been repeatedly impressed by her stamina. And she still doesnt bark, so that part is nice. The next test will be christmas.
We are going to be heading to Vancouver to spend the weekend with Marina's family. Going to get to see what Ashely does to the house while we are not there... fun times.
Congrats on the job! Would love to hear more about it, as in, what exactly you're going to be doing. If you know. Phil is off the week between Xmas & New Years. Maybe a chat during that week?
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