I did well on the tests and interviewing process, but that doesn't mean i'm going to start working on Monday. My references have to fill out a form that I mail to them and then they have to mail it back. Isn't that nuts?! The rep I spoke with today said there are tons of positions at Microsoft and seemed pretty positive about being able to place me there. Thank goodness I have unemployment.

I have an interview tomorrow for a customer service rep position at Speakeasy. I don't think I'm going to go. I really don't want to do customer service again for a 24-hour call center. Plus, it would be a step backwards. I don't want to go that far backwards. I also don't want to work weekends.

It's cold here.

Good news: I'm going to hook up with Stine tomorrow and she's going to take me to her theater group so I can find a costume for the Halloween parties this weekend. Yay! Tony still doesn't know what he is going to be. Maybe something as simple as Mr. Clean. It's not easy coming up with costumes when you have no money.

According to Rob Brezsny, I'm supposed to dress like a relative for Halloween this year:

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You have two biological parents,
four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents. You wouldn't
be you if it weren't for those 14 people. The legacy they
bequeathed you played a major role in determining your talents
and flaws, your predilections and aversions. And this is a perfect
astrological moment to get to know them better. In fact,
deepening your connection to your family's history will provide
crucial clues as you seek to reinvigorate your tired old
perspectives on long-running dilemmas. Are you brave enough
to mutate your understanding of where you came from and
where, therefore, you belong? Halloween costume suggestion:
the ancestor who fascinates you the most.

I have an interview/testing with the agency that works with Microsoft in filling their administrative positions at 1:30 today. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I don't know how well I'm going to do on the PowerPoint since I haven't used it in a couple of years, but I'm going to read up on it before I go.

It was supposed to rain all day today, but instead the clouds just hovered and made it very dark here. It was nice.

I got an email & call about a job as an employee relations rep. I do not have experience doing this, but something made the Volt rep contact me. We are going to talk more tomorrow morning. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I went over to Tony's last night and made stuffed red bell peppers. Chris & Amanda came over and we watched "The Whale Rider". Very good movie.

Not much else is going on here :-)

I carved a spider into my jack-o-lantern. It's pretty nifty.
The fashion show was fun. I'll post a link to pictures once I receive it.
Sunday I was TIRED. Didn't do much of anything except worry about Jenn & Duncan. I knew that there were fires in S. Cali, but I had no idea how close they were to J&D. It is so scary.

I posted some pictures that Tony took at the Arboretum. You can go look at them here.

There isn't much else going on right now. It's supposed to get really cold here this week. I hope I stay warm enough. I'm buying my tickets for Florida today. I'll come up with the money from somewhere.

Last night, we went over to Chris' to watch a couple of scary movies. The first was called Audition - it's Japanese. It was scary enough, but not nightmare-giving scary. There was one part that scared Tony so much that he hurt my hand from squeezing it so hard. Wussy ;-) The second movie, In the Mouth of Madness, wasn't scary. At all. It was pretty stupid like most American horror movies. We recently watched The Eye - it's Chinese. That was pretty scary. Are we watching all of these scary movies to prepare for Halloween? Maybe. I dunno.

We are going over to Teresa's tonight for a pumpkin-carving party. I honestly can't remember the last time I carved a pumpkin. I hope mine doesn't turn out awful. Tomorrow is the fashion show - I have to be there at 3:30 and the show doesn't even start until 10. It's going to be a long day and might be quite tiring, but I think it will be fun. I'll be modeling for Xenoware - I won't know the outfit until the show. Sunday will probably be a lazy recovery day because, you know, that's what Sundays are for.

I've been rearranging my apartment and trying to settle in more. Might as well make use of my time! I also got my unemployment form in the mail today. I'm pretty sure this means I qualify. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me. It would relieve the stress of feeling like I have to find a job ASAP.

I haven't gotten any responses from the resumes that I have sent out so far...I know it takes time. I mean, I've gotten emails for things I have no interest in whatsoever like selling cars or becoming a financial advisor. How am I qualified for either of those jobs? Whatever. The job market is less than desirable, but we all know that. I am trying but feel like I should be trying harder. But, I really don't want to take a crappy job out of desperation.

I just received this week's Free Will Astrology. The beginning of the email starts like this:

We here at Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
want to know
if you're willing
to push hard to get better,
improve your attitude,
grow your devotion to the truth,
fuel your commitment to beauty,
refine your emotions,
hone your dreams,
face your shadow,
cure your ignorance,
raise your IQ,
and soften your heart,
even as you always accept yourself
for exactly who you are
with all your so-called imperfections.

And my horoscope:

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I confess to have fallen prey to a
sin that has become widespread: overusing the term "sacred." To
my credit, I haven't sunk to the vulgar depths of New Age
hucksters who offer workshops in "sacred e-mail marketing" or
"sacred dog-walking." But still, I want to be more spare in
invoking the term so that on those rare occasions when I do, you
will be appropriately awed. Like now, for instance. I predict you
will soon be roused to reverence by a visitation that fits the
description given by Phil Cousineau in his book, *The Art of
Pilgrimage:* "If you aren't trembling as you approach the
sacred, it isn't the real thing. The sacred, in its various guises
as holy ground, art, or knowledge, evokes emotion and
commotion."

OK, world. Show me something sacred.

This just seems too wrong to be true. Why do people think that this is OK? I don't care what age the person is, s/he should know that doing something like this to an animal is wrong.

I had a nice, mellow weekend. On Friday, I took a little walk around Wallingford to take some pictures of the trees starting to change. You can see them here. Last week, it was very windy out and still was on Friday, but it wasn't raining. Friday night, I went over to Jose's so we could exchange TMBG stuff. We both lamented on how it was likely we aren't going to be able to go to the show in a couple of weeks since we are both jobless :( It happens. We'll just have to catch them next time. However, if I am gainfully employed by 11/2, we are so there. Friday was the first night I went to see Jose's new place and it is HUGE! He totally scored on finding a sweet place. He pays $45 a month more in rent than i do and his place is easily 3x the size of mine. And, it has a washer and dryer! *sigh*

Saturday and Sunday were warm and dry. On Saturday, Tony and I went for a motorcycle drive to the arboretum to take pictures. There were several people there to do the same. We had his camera - I'll have to find some time to get on his computer so I can add those pics to my gallery. That night, we went to Teresa's to hang out.

Sunday was a mellow day of not doing much. That's what Sundays are for, no?

It started raining again today. Heavy rain for this area. It makes me feel all cozy.

Where did all of my cookies go? I hate it when they disappear when I don't delete them.

It's very windy here. Yesterday, it rained hard (for Seattle) most of the day. Fortunately, it stopped enough for us to walk down to The Crocodile to see Edward Ka-Spel of the Legendary Pink Dots. Interesting show. It rained a little on us on the way home.

Tuesday, I went over to Teresa's after she got off of work. I made us some dinner and we watched the television. My week hasn't been too eventful. Spending time on the computer looking for jobs and posting my resume to job websites. It seems to take a lot of time.

It's so sad. I'm ready to get a job so I can spend money again. I am such the consumer and it makes me feel guilty. I mostly want/need new clothes. I really don't have many clothes for the weather up here. I spend much of my internet browsing time window shopping. Sad, sad.

I rearranged my room yesterday to get my bed out from under the windows. I could feel the cold air on my head at night. I'm still not done...I want to set up one of the corners for art projects. I think I'm going to move my dining table into my bedroom until I can afford a new table for art stuff. More stuff to buy.

Yes, I am a consumer but I'm not proud of it.

Both of my kitties are trying to sit on my lap again. It just doesn't work so well.

Friday night, Tony, Chris and I went to see Fatal Peril - it is the production that Lyam is/was in. It ended this weekend. UMO ensemble does a variety of avant-garde theater such as clown work. It's hard to explain, but it was unlike any theater experience I had ever had. The dialog was minimal yet the story was extensive. It was haunting and enthralling and I thank Lyam for giving us his last comp ticket so we could afford to go :-)

Saturday flew by as usual. I think I did productive stuff or something like that. Saturday night, I picked up Teresa and we met Tony and Chris to do a little bar hopping. We ran into some other people at Mercury and all ended up back at Tony's for a late-night party of sorts. Much silliness ensued and was fun as always.

Sunday was a very lazy day. Had brunch with Chris and Tony at Julia's on Capital Hill. I love me some brunch. And then, I ended up with a belly ache for a good part of the day so Tony took care of me cause he's a sweetie like that. We watched Buffy and that will usually always make me feel better. I chose not to go out to a birthday celebration since I wasn't feeling well.

It rained for a lot of this weekend and stuff. We had some really high winds on Sunday and that was pretty exciting. But, it seems that many spiders have taken refuge in my dry household. I am OK with a couple, but this many weirds me out. Plus, I've been finding those weird bites on me again. I think I'm going to have to do a little eviction later today.

it's been a few uneventful couple of days, so not much to write about. i baked another quiche for Angel night at Tony's last night. Stine & Lyam came over which was cool and Chris bailed on us even though it was his idea to have Angel night at Tony's. I just don't know if I can get into this show like I did with Buffy. After Angel was over, we watched the musical. Ah, it was wonderful.

It rained lots today and my manager turned on the heat so my apartment is nice and toasty. I kinda wish I had some control over the temperature :p

Yahoo! News - Polls: Davis Out, Schwarzenegger Wins Oh shit.

Have I mentioned how in love with this city I am lately? Fall is on its way and the leaves are starting to change. I will take pictures when the change is in full-force. I'm laying in bed yesterday afternoon resting for a bit and just listened to the lovely rain. I went for a walk a bit ago and went down to the park to sit on the hill and read a resume book. The wind was blowing so hard that it made it very difficult. Plus, the book didn't have what I was looking for, but the sit in the park was nice.

My kitchen sink has been clogged for days now. I finally got some Drano crap, but it hasn't done a lick of good. The bad thing is that Screech likes to drink the water that has been sitting in the sink.

Oh- another gross Screech story. I come home the other day to find that he had ripped open the bag of litter and decided to eat some. Not only did I have to clean up a bunch of litter, but I also had to clean up kitty vomit. Although the litter is made out of corn, it isn't very digestible.

What is a girl supposed to do with a crazy cat?

Pictures from the party at Chris' house. I did not take these pictures and they are not edited. There are pictures of panties and boobies and girls kissing and all-around silliness.

On Sunday, Chris, Tony and I went to a gallery showing of one of Tony's friends. Her and her boyfriend recently got back from Tokyo and New York where she had showings. Here's the website Tony built for her. Later in the day, we picked up Teresa and went to go see Spellbound. Teresa and I have been trying to see this movie for a couple of months now. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like documentaries, go see it!

Saturday night, I decide to make this quiche from a recipie in Vegetarian Times. I go to the store and buy the ingredients - one includes flour. I get home, unload the groceries, and leave the little bag of flour on the counter. When I get out of the shower, I find the bag ripped open and flour everywhere. I'm pretty sure it was Screech since I couldn't see flour on him if I tried and Persephone was clean. At least he left me enough to still make the quiche (it was a hit!) I have a very strange cat.

What happens when you try something new and different? Sometimes it's good, other times it's not so good. On Thursday, Tony gives me a call and asks if I want to go see the Blue Man Group on Friday. His friend has some free tickets and has offered some to us. I said sure...why not. Later we find out it's in Auburn. No big deal. Friday rolls around and now we are thinking that we prolly don't want to go. We contemplate giving away the tickets, but decide to go when we find out that Chris is also going. We drivedrivedrive over the mountains and through the woods until we get to this amphitheater. We weren't dressed for an outdoor show. It was kinda chilly and the place smelled like cow manure. We meet up with Chris and some other people, get our tickets and go in. There were opening bands...we waited in line for bad coffee through one band's complete set. The show finally starts and, well, it sucked. It was a bad "rock" concert or whatever. Needless to say, Tony, Chris and I took off about 20/30 minutes into the show.

The nice thing about that night: the fog was thick and heavy. Driving wasn't so fun, but the city was gorgeous. We got back to Tony's house where we met up with Amanda and watched "Identity".

Amanda, Tony and I went to Mae's for brunch this morning. Oh, how I love that place. It's just plain yummy.

Why I love Rob Brezsny:

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Today and every day, five million
lightning bolts will flash between earth and sky somewhere on
our planet. At any given moment, two thousand thunderstorms
are raging. While you may not be in the literal presence of one of
these elemental outbreaks in the coming week, Aries, I believe
you will channel a similar kind of energy: You'll be fiercely and
tenderly alive with the blended force of primal fire and water.
This doesn't necessarily mean you'll careen out of control; you
may be able to express the booming power in its most
constructive form, cleansing and clarifying everything you
touch.

What kind of thinker are you? Take a little quiz and find out. I am apparently Interpersonal:

Like to think about other people, and try to understand them
Recognise differences between individuals and appreciate that different people have different perspectives
Make an effort to cultivate effective relationships with family, friends and colleagues

Like interpersonal thinkers, Leonardo had lots of friends and contacts, and was a popular figure at the Italian court. Other Interpersonal thinkers include Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, William Shakespeare

Careers which suit Interpersonal thinkers include
Politician, Psychologist, Nurse, Counsellor, Teacher

And if you are really bored, take another quiz. This one is a personality test. I took both of these quizzes last night and don't recall the results on this one.

I find these quizzes on my friends' livejournals/blogs. It's a fun little source of entertainment.

My last day of work was filled with scurrying to finish reports that Joe requested the day before and making sure everything was updated and instructions written. Right after I finished working, I started to get ready to go over to Stine and Lyam's house and also talked with Dad & Carolyn. I didn't get to hear too much about the Panama Canal cause 1) they were still tired from the trip and 2) this was the first time I had the opportunity to tell them my job sitch. After talking with them for a little bit, I finished getting ready and headed out for the night. I knew I needed to surround myself with friends that night or else I'd just sit around and feel sorry for myself.

Wednesday was weird...stayed up late the previous night because I could and slept late on Wed. I woke up feeling like I was supposed to be doing something...oh yeah! Working! Duh. Anyway, since Tony is also recently unemployed and has free time, he took me to a vegetarian restaurant close to the U-District. Very yummy! There are so many more places to eat veggie in this city compared to L.A. Afterwards, we went to Trader Joe's. It's important to eat at home when on restricted funds. After buying lots of food, I took him home and came home for a nap before hanging out with Teresa.

Teresa and I have been trying to see "Spellbound" for months now. We go to the theater to see it and it just left. Well, last night we were going to go see it and I had the theater all wrong. It was at this theater in the UD last week, but apparently left this past weekend. Since I do not remember the name of the place, when I looked online I assumed it was at the same theater. I was wrong. D'oh! We didn't get to see it last night, but it is still showing at the cheap theater in Shoreline. So, this Sunday, we are so there! I figure we just weren't meant to pay full price for the movie. And now, $3 is a lot better for me than $9. Since we didn't go see the movie, we went back to her place and watched Tivo'd Sex in the City and ate popcorn.

It was a good way to spend my first day unemployed.

Today, I write up different versions of my resume and look for jobs. Later today, Tony and I are going to the Seattle Art Museum to take advantage of the free admission. The first Thursday of every month, they let you in free. We also may go down to the Pioneer Square Art Walk. It's good to find the free/cheap stuff :-)