At work again, listening to "Cold Bread" by Johnny Flynn on Pandora (a song which is a bit eerie and monotonous and calls to mind a Depression-era street bum, droning on while waiting for his cold bread at the soup kitchen, but which nevertheless earned a thumbs-up click from me). This week has been busier than recent ones, but now it's another boring Thursday, so I find myself in blogworld again.
It's August (dear god), and times will soon be a-changin' for this gal. I am in the process of hunting for apartments in Seattle, which I have been doing for at least a month now. I plan to move the second week in September, as I have orientation for my grad program on the 18th, and my dad and stepmom will be coming to help me and the little bro move before that (he's off to undergrad at Western Washington). They have already taken it upon themselves to purchase a laundry list of new-apartment items for me, which is awesome. Gotta love being spoiled! As far as apartment-hunting goes, it's hard to tell where I'm going to end up until I actually go up and check these places out. It seems most of the apartments in my price range ($700/month or less) are either in First Hill/Downtown, and therefore are smaller, older places with no parking, or in the suburbs north and south of Seattle, and therefore require a bit of a commute. Most of the hip, young neighborhoods that people talk up, like Fremont and Ballard, don't have anything available in my price range (I assume, because they never show up in my internet searches). I'm finding that it's generally a challenge to find places that are good value for the money, unless a major compromise is made (like distance from campus or price for pets/parking/utilies/etc.). Anyway, I'm sure I'll find something that works for me, but all the unknown factors at this point are just stressing me out.
I'm excited to start my program and excited to move on to something new and different, but I'm also naturally apprehensive. I've always been moderately resistant to change--which is tempered by the fact that I'm pretty adaptable to it once it happens--so it's a bittersweet feeling for me. I'm really not looking forward to having to start the job hunt all over again (another thing I'm in the process of doing, as of this week). It feels like I just went through this. And lo! I did. About eight months ago. I've applied for two administrative assistant positions so far: one at Seattle U and one at Cornish College of the Arts, but it's looking like there are few entry-level positions like this in the higher education sphere that are actually part-time. There's a plethora of full-time positions, but I fear that will just be too much to handle with a full-time graduate courseload. But, I've been told that Seattle is miraculously brimming with jobs for students right now, despite the overhanging economic crisis. Hopefully that's true! I just might have to go outside the higher ed. realm.
So, until my big transition, I'm trying to live it up and enjoy what's left of my summer (Um, didn't it just start? Thanks, Pacific Northwest). Just went camping last week on Government Island with a group of friends, and that was a good time. A backpacking trip to one of the Sisters mountains is still in the cards, as well--date TBD. And then on the 27th there's my going-away party with all the Firstenburg peeps--so sweet of them to do that for me! I hate being the center of attention, but if yummy appetizers, party games, and booze are involved, I think I'll manage. In many ways I'm quite relieved and ready to be leaving my job at the community center, but I'll definitely miss all the people who have made working there totally worthwhile (you know who are!).
It's been a great year off from school: relaxing, rejuvenating, fun, frivolous, and other alliterative adjectives. I've had some rough times here and there, with some major changes, but overall, it's been everything I hoped it could be. To anyone considering going straight to grad school after undergrad because of some fear of losing motivation--think again! It's worth it to take at least a year off, and if grad school is the right option for you, it'll happen. We all need a break to refresh ourselves in a holistic way. I am now ready to get back into the swing of academia (for the most part) because working two part-time clerical/customer service jobs alone just isn't sustainably fulfilling for me. I'm also craving the constant mental stimulation that school always offers, even though it's stressful at times. I get too bored without it. But, hey, no regrets on this much-needed respite! Until next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment