jinx!

I jinxed Sal!

I wrote that sad post about lonely old Sal, and now he has to quit work because (surprise!) his dad is ill and he has to live with him and be his full-time caregiver.

Sal's life does not QUIT with the sad-making.

On the plus side, Sal gave me half of his chicken BLT last night. The bacon was delicious.

Also! One week until new apartment move-in! Well, technical move-in. I won't really be living there until after the weddin' day.

Salogna

Meet Sal. Sal is a lonely 30-year-old who works for his brother's landscaping business. He used to have a girlfriend, but she dumped him when, after seven years, he refused to propose marriage. At night, Sal works at a local college as a secretary, hoping that it'll allow him to take a few more classes for free. Someday, Sal would like to be a big-time business man. For now, Sal answers the phone in a professional and pleasant tone and brings in tootsie rolls for his coworker.

Sal makes me sad.

Sal also kind of freaks me out, especially when he confirmed my half-joking suspicion that there might be "spirits" dwelling in the building.

5 things to do when you have nothing to do (workplace edition)

1. get a list of to-do's from a supervisor or co-worker. it always feels good to have a task, and doing it well means you might get some brownie points. not to mention it makes the time go by faster.

2. check the supply closet. everybody hates doing it, and, while nobody will notice that you've restocked the paper supply or filled some empty staplers, the workplace will run smoother and be more enjoyable.

3. consider redecorating. if you have some down-time, try downloading a calendar template online and plugging it in with important work or personal dates. add fun pictures or colors. print and post in your cube or office. you'll feel like you did something worthwhile, because you did...it's all in the name of remaining organized!

4. wash away the grime. run through a list of people who have touched your office phone, keyboard, desk, stapler, or pens. consider disinfecting said items. seeing you do this may inspire others to do the same, and if you're not all healthier for it, well, at least you get the satisfaction of seeing all the dirt that got lifted off the number pad.

5. give a warm hello. record, or re-record, your voicemail greetings. if you can, make yourself smile while doing it--people will notice how nice you seem, without ever meeting you.

all i want is a room somewhere...

3 second update: found a new job or two, car broke down, wedding in three months, looking for a decent apartment.

It's the last bit that has me apprehensive.

I think looking for a nice apartment in an area you like for a price you can afford is just downright difficult. Now, if I were looking in Dover, or Portsmouth, or somewhere cool, finding an apartment would be a breeze. But I'm looking in Nashua, Manchester, and some surrounding towns. I'm looking for something under $1,000. And I'm looking for two bedrooms. This means I'll either be living in some crime-ridden area, or living in some rural town with terrible cell-phone service.

And we're kind of picky.

The hardest part is that I don't really want it until September 1st, maybe October 1st. I can't help looking now, though, because I feel like I need a finger on the pulse of current apartment-renting trends! It makes me ever so much more eager to start looking in real life, but I know it's useless, because all the places that are advertising now want to get someone in there ASAP.

I'm sick of CraigsList. At least for this purpose. It's the same people over and over again trying to rent their same crappy apartments ("NEWLY REDUCED!!!!" "W/D HOOKUPS!!!" "1 MONTH RENT FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!"). We saw only two places we were really interested in, and when I called, both had been rented already. So, we'll see how it all goes, but I think that finding a place to live that both people feel they can call home is going to be the hardest thing yet.

Retraction!

So, in a previous post, I noted that Pete said our potential wedding DJ sounded a little tooly on the phone.

Well, we met with DJ Greg in person, and he was AWESOME. Like, awesome. We're so happy with our choice; we didn't meet with anyone else about prices or selection because he's so cool. So cool, in fact, that when I mentioned a song he didn't have, he downloaded it on the spot from iTunes (which cost him money, you know) before we even booked him. He also met us a lot closer to home (right in Manchester), and he was very understanding and excited about everything.

So, what I'm trying to say is: Sorry, Greg! Before we met, I had faith in you despite Pete's analysis, and after we met, we decided that Pete's analysis was absolutely totally wrong, and that you were the perfect DJ for us. The end.

Other news: October 30th draws nearer, and we haven't done much more planning. Not that there's really all that much to do. I think today I'm going to email the lady from the Pelham Inn and see if we can get our pies warmed up before they serve them (it's something that's been weight heavily on my mother's mind).

I'm applying for a job today in Canaan, NH for English teaching. I think I've been using the presumption that I will hate high school teaching as a mask for the real reason I've been putting off applying to more teaching jobs: I'm afraid. Afraid of failure, afraid I'll hate it, afraid of parents, and mostly afraid of the students themselves. But, I had a long talk with myself the other day, and here's what it boiled down to: did you hate your job when you taught at UNH? No. Do you hate your job now? Yes. Now to build the courage to mail that application. :)