Those titles could apply to so much in my life lately. The election, where I just couldn’t believe my eyes as the map filled up more and more with red (I think it’s fair to say it’s pretty obvious I’m a liberal.) But more than that… about 3 weeks ago, I packed up a U-Haul and loaded my car onto a transport trailer and drove it 450 miles from Page, AZ to Albuquerque. Had I ever driven a U-Haul truck before? NO! Was it the smallest one they have? NO! (The smallest one can’t handle the auto transport, I found out.) Had I ever towed anything before? NO! Sure, why the hell not learn how to do both all at once and drive all day with two dogs and a cat inside it? What could possibly go wrong?!
[For the record, I’ve used U-Haul before – it was always just another family member who drove it while I drove a jammed-to-the-gills car in front of them. Also, in case you were wondering where two of the other cats were, they were with my friend Jordan who drove ahead of us with his car. To ensure he stayed my friend afterward, I gave him the two least likely to cry the entire way – Callie and HoneyBun. Max the Diva rode with me and yep, he was pretty talkative for about half of the trip. Sigh.]
So, um…yeah. I moved to a new city without having a job lined up. Had I ever done something I felt to be so risky in my life before? NO! Stability is very important to me – a phobia of mine is ending up being homeless. And in Albuquerque, there are quite a few homeless folks. So at a lot of intersections, I would see the signs they were holding up and thought, oh my God, what happens if I can’t get a job? Now I have all these animals to feed and I can’t let them down. I’ve promised them that they will always have a roof over their heads.
The first night, I saw a roach in the apartment. And then a few more. Um…yeah….I super freaked out. I am a pretty clean person and have been neurotic about making sure my food has been cleaned up and put in plastic bags or jars ever since. No dirty dishes for me. I’m told that they are common in these parts, and especially in the southern end of town where I live because it’s a student section. My friend Jordan said I will just have to get used to them. Say what?! No matter how clean you are, if your neighbors have them, you likely have them.
So now, every time I get up in the morning I do the check to see if there are any I can squish, or stomp. And yes, I am getting used to this new normal, but I still keep saying out loud, “six months til the lease is up and we are out of here!” By the way, it’s not like there is an infestation of them like you hear of in horror stories, but the fact that they are here skeeves me out, so I’m definitely going to find a new place to live come June 1, if not sooner. It’ll just take some hard work and lots of questions to folks I will meet as to where I can move and where I can find someplace that will allow me to have my pets. I’ve already started asking around and plan to take some drives to other parts of the city, with Morgan in the back seat of course!
Well, a week to the day after I moved here, I had a job offer. Actually, two. And two days later, I had a phone call from the city of Albuquerque about an animal handler position I had applied for. One job only paid minimum and no benefits, but it would have involved working with cats and doing a lot of cat adoptions which really interested me, since it’s something I did a lot of on a volunteer basis back in Boston. But ultimately, the job I took is full time, with benefits, and it’s a closer commute, and the pay is better. I’m still not going to ever become rich working with animals, but it’s a wage that will allow me to support myself and my fur family, and that’s important.
Now, as many of you may recall, part of the reason I moved to Albuquerque is because of a vet technician program at one of the community colleges. I wanted to establish residency in NM as fast as I could so that I would only end up being considered an out-of-state student for the 1st of 5 semesters. Well, here’s the good news…(as if getting a job wasn’t already cause enough for celebration!) So, my job is working as a vet receptionist at what they call a hybrid hospital. There is the General Practice side, where I will be working, and there is an emergency side, as well as many specialties covered such as oncology, acupuncture, etc. One of the benefits that they provide is a break on the tuition to Penn Foster and its veterinary technician program. Also, because they have partnered with Penn Foster, I can do the externship that is necessary to complement the online school, with the hospital where I am working. And, the cost will be about 1/3 of what it would cost me to attend the local community college, and I can do the course work on my own schedule. To me, these are all pluses. The program at the community college is small, so when classes are offered, there is usually only one section, so there wouldn’t be so much flexibility in terms of scheduling for classes. With online, I can do it at 4 a.m. if I want to.
Once I knew I had a job, it helped me to relax a bit.With the election results and my not knowing if I had a job or not, I found that my stomach had been clenched for two or three days. It was clenched or tight for so long that even my back started hurting. So after I knew I had a job, and had a few days until I started, I let myself play a bit of tourist. I went to the Botanical Garden and might be going back after Thanksgiving because they decorate it with a bunch of Christmas lights and I think it’ll look really cool. And you guys know me, where there are animals, I will find them. They have a very small farm at the botanical garden so I spent some time with this beautiful steer, and hung out with him for a bit. I scratched his head and part of his back/shoulders for quite a while, and he didn’t move away so clearly he liked it! I felt so bad for him – he was there all alone. (Sorry for the bad quality of the photo.)
I’ve also joined a gym – Planet Fitness, so it’s only $10/month and it’s super clean and well taken care of. And yes, there is even some “eye candy” for me to watch while I’m dying of boredom on the treadmill! 🙂 And they have all these Open Spaces here in Albuquerque, so I’ve taken Morgan on walks at four of them so far. (The Aldo Leopold Forest is my favorite trail so far.) It’s a great way to be out and about, getting fresh air, and some exercise at the same time. Plus, it walks the “crazy” out of Morgan, lol. She gets so tired that I can get some work done when we get home!
So again, sorry for the long silence between blog posts. I have actually had this post written for about a week now but had problems attaching pictures (i’ll explain how I am getting internet for my computer in a later post) and then I had a problem with my chromebook. But it’s up and working now – I’ve jut given up on adding the pics!
I’m going to be writing a post shortly about how I plan on tackling the debt I’ve accrued over the past 17 months after having quit my well-paying job to work for much less money. I love my new job – the people I work with are great, the clients are also for the most part. (You’re never gonna find perfection at the work place.)
As always, if you have a comment or suggestion, I’d love to hear them in the comments below!
Chasing Simple Dreams 
What a joy to read all your good news!!! All animals everywhere are no doubt rejoicing! ;->
Virtual hugs,
Judie
Thank you, Judie! You are always so supportive of me!
If you sprinkle boric acid under the kitchen counter and in corners where the animals won’t get it you might lessen the roaches. It works.
I’ve put borax in the places in my cabinets where I only have cleaning supplies (I’m literally not using all my cabinets because they freak me out so much), and it does seem to be working! Another person told me to pour CLR down the drains, and I’ve done that with some progress. I read online that if the cats don’t digest a lot of it, it’s ok. But I’m still being cautious. I put some under the fridge as a precaution. And I’m going to spray peppermint oil mixed with water in other places too because I understand they don’t like the smell. Thanks, Marilyn!
You also need to see if there are any unhatched eggs under the counter. They are oblong and stick to the wood. If they have hatched, oh well. It will take time as they clean themselves and ingest the borax. I hope it works. I live in South Fl and we use that to get rid of them. Do not bring a bag of potatoes in your place before taking them out and inspecting for critters. Do not or keep paper bags in the unit as they feed on them.
Dania, I will definitely look for those! yes, I have been using the baits and other traps to kill them by making them take the poison back to the nest. I have been keeping all of my food in ziploc bags or jars, and I don’t have any paper bags. I have one box in my closet, but I think I need to get rid of it. i’ve heard that they like clutter and paper, so I’m doing my best to keep both of those at bay. I wash dishes that I use to prepare food before I’ve even eaten the food. They skeeve me out so badly!
I’ve put borax in the places in my cabinets where I only have cleaning supplies (I’m literally not using all my cabinets because they freak me out so much), and it does seem to be working! Another person told me to pour CLR down the drains, and I’ve done that with some progress. I read online that if the cats don’t digest a lot of it, it’s ok. But I’m still being cautious. I put some under the fridge as a precaution. And I’m going to spray peppermint oil mixed with water in other places too because I understand they don’t like the smell. Thanks, Marilyn!
If you sprinkle boric acid below the sink under the counter and in corners you might lessen the roaches. Put it where the animals won’t get it.
Terri, it’s so good to hear from you. I was beginning to worry about you. Thanks for taking the time to update your status. Congratulations on your move and your new job.
Hi Jerry,
So sorry I have worried you! It’s been a hectic three weeks, for sure. For that first week, until I found something, I just didn’t feel comfortable focusing my efforts on anything other than finding a job. And thank you, yes, i am really liking the new job!