August, 2009

I have to post this before the library closes in 10 minutes. The cable company can’t install my internet until Aug. 26, so until then my use is limited to the library hours and what I can do from my Blackberry. I hope to put up pictures later this week.

My first day was a fairly routine first day for a job. I filled out paperwork, set up my computer/e-mail and familiarized myself with the newsroom. I would KILL for one of the messed-up Macs from the Missourian newsroom. The machine on my desk is a severely outdated Dell PC. It doesn’t even have a sound card, so I had to use another computer to watch the company’s sexual harassment videos online. My desk is actually two desks at a right angle with mini cubicle walls. The desks are empty now. I need to find some decorations to make it mine. The city desk was moved recently, so everyone else is adjusting to a new desk too.

The reporters and editors I met were friendly and welcoming. It seems everyone has Midwestern roots. I wonder what they thought of me. I was grinning like an idiot the whole day, just happy to be back in a newsroom.

After lunch, the assistant city editor took me to a few schools to introduce me to the principals and follow up on potential leads for stories. On our mini-excursion from the office, we found out that a junior high that had some flooding over the weekend. So I got to write (a 6-inch brief) on my first day. And I have two things to look into tomorrow. And I have a stack of press releases to sort through and add to my calendar. And I get to start a blog.

And I have hundreds of business cards. They have a cowboy on them.

The vacation in Rockford came and went and now I’m in Wyoming.

Mom and I left Rockford before 8 Wednesday morning. We decided to take I-90 because the scenery isn’t as mind-numbing as I-80. Construction in Minnesota and a purple-cloud thunderstorm in South Dakota slowed us down, but we made it to Rapid City, our planned stop for the night.

On Thursday afternoon we arrived in Casper and picked up the keys to my new place. It’s small — one bedroom basement apartment, narrow bathroom, one entrance. But it will work for me. I’m very close to downtown and only about 1.5 miles from work. Once I’ve fully unpacked and decorated, I’ll post a few pictures.

I already met the owner Felicia who was super friendly and helpful. Her mother lives on main floor of the house but left for an open-ended trip to the east coast. Tomorrow we drop off the truck in Cheyenne and I drop off Mom in Fort Collins where my sister Sam goes to college. She moves in that day. I passed (or failed?) my drug test yesterday so I’m all set to work on Monday.

Nervous. Excited. Anxious. I should be: I’ve been waiting for this for two months (or even longer depending how you look at it.)

I’m gone, up in Illinois now and already procrastinating all the cleaning/sorting/packing that needs to be done.

Most of my stuff was packed by Friday so I could fully enjoy my last day. It started with one last run in Audubon Park and smoothies from my smoothie lady at Smoothie King. Then it was a mimosa toast and goodbyes with the family.

It wouldn’t be a weekend in Louisiana without a festival so it made sense to head down to the French Quarter for the Satchmo SummerFest music festival. Fit in a lot of lasts there: last New Orleans Moonshiners show, last Abita, last snowball, last crawfish.

Afterward was cocktails/apps with the roomie’s friends and White Linen Night, an annual street party with art galleries, food and beverages.

Rachel’s friend works for American Institute of Architects, which had a bicycle car to promote the annual DesCours architecture installation. I got to fulfill a childhood dream and steer it. At age 8, most girls wanted a pony. I wanted a quadracycle. I used to steal the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog as soon as it came in the mail and drool over all the cool and totally unnecessary gadgets.

If I stretched my legs, my feet reached the pedals

As has been the story all along, I came with friends but ran into people I met down there and people I didn’t even know were in town. My aunt called it “the Louisiana luck:” how things have fallen into place since I moved down there. Research, freelancing, volunteer work, visitors, friends, travel, summer sublet, temp job, full time job, caravaning home with the roommate, perfect timing. Let’s hope it followed me north and sticks when I go west.