Terrible horrible no-good very bad day

So this morning I woke up and let my dog leave my room because she was whining. My roommate had just left for work, so when I left my room about 30 seconds later I was the one who found the dog, eagerly wolfing down..wait, what IS that in my roommate's doorway? Cat vomit? Why yes. Yes it is.

And wouldn't you know it, my day didn't get much better.

I found out I didn't get a job I'd interviewed for because I had less experience than the other candidates. I had a job interview at a retail giant (let's not name names here shall we) and although I was offered a job, I am still disappointed about the one I didn't get. About two weeks into the job search, I really started to miss my stable, like-clockwork, 9-to-5 desk job. And so that is what I have sort of been hoping for. Because, I don't know, I just don't do change very well.

Anyway, I leave my job interview to go take my drug test and I spend about 20 minutes circling the same block trying to figure out where I go take it. And I can't find it anywhere so I decide to go home and look at a map online. I also drink about half a gallon of water just to be sure I'll need to go when I get there.

And I finally find the place, park, and get there...10 minutes after they stop running tests. So I have to come back in the morning. SWEET. (No wonder I can't find a job, right? I can't even follow directions so WHY WOULD YOU HIRE ME?)

So my full bladder and I headed home to wallow in self-pity until my roommate came home, at which point I may or may not have been sort of a bitch and taken it out on him. By the end of the night, though, we were playing Pandemic II (we were so close to winning! We got everyone but Peru) and watching The Office. So I guess he forgave me. Which was nice of him and hopefully not just because I usually make his dinner.

So let's hope that one of the jobs I found tonight pans out, or that I am able to survive a year of unpredictable scheduling before going back to graduate school, or that I can just CHILL OUT for a little bit and let the chips fall where they may. Hopefully, everything will seem a little bit better in the morning. Right now? This has been my least favorite day of unemployment.

Wondering

if I should feel a little sheepish because right after I posted that thing about the weather, it totally rained for a good five minutes. And my roommate and I just stood there and watched, because FIVE WHOLE MINUTES of rain was just about the craziest thing that has happened since we moved here.

Denver: Month One

Here are some things I have learned now that I have been in Denver for a month (and two days).

My dog cannot stop barking. She barks while she carries her toys around, and while she is eating. She will bark at anything. She just barked at thunder. She barks at the huge golden retriever that lives upstairs and the pekingese that lives across the hall. She barks at any person who walks by our patio door. She loves to bark at the cat. Sometimes, if she is sort of snoozing on the floor and she thinks that someone is maybe about to walk by our apartment, she will growl without even so much as lifting her head. So that has been a lot of fun. I was starting to feel bad for the frequency with which I was forced to smack her little nose, I bought a little spray bottle to squirt her every time she barked. But it didn't really work and she ended up chewing the nozzle off a few nights ago. So I have scrapped that idea and will spend the rest of this evening Googling different ways of saying "make my dog stop barking all the effing time."

Speaking of thunder, which is making the dog bark right now, it has rained only three times since I’ve been here, and none of those times would I call an actual rainstorm. Even now, as I write this, the weather channel tells me that this is the weather:



And according to any map, my apartment complex is right there under all that green. However, it is not raining outside, only thundering. So I have come to the conclusion that my apartment is in some sort of weird part of the city that just can't be rained on. In fact, Two of the three times it has rained I have been downtown (how convenient!), and the third time we were driving south to Colorado Springs. So we weren't even home. Isn't that strange? I bet it is raining across the street right now. Luckily it is NEVER humid here, so I will not be complaining about the lack of good thunderstorms.

In other news, I have been watching my roommate’s X-Files dvds in preparation for the premiere of the new X-Files movie, which I will be attending at 12:01 am this very evening. Why would I do such a thing, you ask? Maybe because of my roommate and his love for Mulder and Scully, but probably because by watching an entire season in the last three weeks I have jumped some kind of nerd-line and I have now crossed into ultra-nerd territory. So I will probably have to start liking Star Wars a little bit more. I already know how to write HTML code and enjoy watching documentaries. So really I suppose this was something just waiting to happen.

I like giraffes best, though

This morning before it got unbearably hot (it's 97 degrees right now), my roommate and I went to the Denver zoo. Because we are unemployed. Well actually because his job hasn't started yet and I am unemployed.

But that is neither here nor there. I was excited to take some pictures with my new camera, so there is a set up on flickr.




I am only telling you this because THIS picture, the one of these PENGUINS, is my favorite, and I wanted you to know that I have nothing against penguins anymore. Not a single thing, unless they were rendered with computer software and exploited by Hollywood. Look at how photogenic these guys (gals? I don't know) were.

Wow, I am lame.

"Loren didn't go with you to Mile High?"

"No, she doesn't like Dave Matthews Band, so she boycotted it by staying home and watching X-Files all day."

The problem with being a female

"I'm taking my computer to the Genius Bar at the Apple store today, and I need to wear something smart. So the people helping me don't think I'm an idiot."

"Okay."

"So, should I wear my green dress or my pink dress? I think the green one says 'I know my way around a computer' a little bit better."

"Yeah, the green one. It's strapless, right?"

"No. I said I wanted to look smart, not easy."

Wondering

if my dog will ever get along with my roommate's cat. My guess is no, but truthfully the cat is completely justified in being completely annoyed because FRANCIE. YOU BARK AT EVERYTHING. And sometimes nothing. IT HAS TO STOP.

Too much cuteness was a dangerous thing

Last night I did something incredibly stupid and I am having a hard time not being mad at my dog about it.

This is really unfair of me, and I keep trying to remember that. I had been thinking about leaving her with my parents when I moved out, but in the end I decided to bring her and so far it has been a great decision. Except for the fact that, as predicted, she is falling in love with my roommate and will shortly be wondering, "why does that mean girl always make me sleep in her room at night, when clearly I would rather be with my favorite human?"

But she really has taken to the new environment pretty well. She doesn't freak out at the sight of another dog (as much) anymore, and I'm pretty sure she likes our walks in the park across the street. She's also gotten into the habit of waiting at the front door when she needs to go out, and looking at me like, "don't you know I need you right now?" at which point I stop whatever it is I'm doing because THAT LOOK, it is adorable.

Last night, we were watching Lost dvds and every fifteen minutes the dog was standing at the door, giving me THAT LOOK. So we'd pause the show and I'd go stand outside with her while she did nothing. Except try to chase birds and sniff around in the grass.

This happened about four times. By the fifth time I was super annoyed but what if THIS TIME was the time she really meant it?

Well, it wasn't, so I pulled the leash to turn around and go back inside. There was more slack in it than I realized, and I lost my balance and tripped over the curb in our parking lot, twisting my ankle. And today? It really, really hurts. I don't think it's anything serious (and let's hope not, because the insurance plan I have right now, between jobs, is called the "Daredevil Plan," and not because it provides extensive coverage for people who like to get hurt. I am not kidding), but it is uncomfortable enough that I have been staying off my feet today.

So it isn't Francie's fault. I know. But it's never been so easy to find a scapegoat for my clumsiness.

Maybe he's tricking me

Sometimes when I am feeling upset, it makes me feel better to bake something. I have a very specific memory from the summer before I went to college: I was upset (probably about leaving), and I was having a hard time falling asleep. By 4am, I had baked a cake, a pan of lemon bars, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

And I didn't eat any of it. That's another effect of my stress, when I'm anxious I don't eat. So my family really won out in that situation.

Trying to find a job has been pretty stressful, so during the last few weeks I have been baking a lot again. Unfortunately, the stress of job searching has been compounded by the stress of trying to figure out how to bake at a high altitude. Which hasn't been too bad: I've been pretty successful with everything I've attempted. But my trusty chocolate chip cookie recipe, it just won't turn out right, no matter what I try. (Did you realize that there are so many things to tweak up here?)

But you know who I think is really winning in this situation? My roommate. And I'm confused, because he eats everything I make, but then, the next day, he's got the last three cookies in his hand and he's all, "I think you need to try again. You need some more practice."

Happy Independence Day!

From last year's fireworks. I'm not sure how I'll be celebrating today (maybe some grilling? And an America-shaped cake?), but hopefully it will be worth remembering as my first 4th in Denver.