Blane asked me to prom!

I have been unhappy at my job for a while and lackadaisically searching for a new one. I had worked with a friend on creating a better resume and had started on a list of job leads but hadn't done much else. I knew I had to work harder and in a more organized fashion to get a new job, but the rest of my life kept getting in the way and it didn't happen.

I was even dressed for the prom when I got the news

Then at April's SVTC Happy Hour, I ran into a friend who got excited that I was on the market and had me send him my resume. This led to a phone screen by his boss and then an in-person interview, which I was pretty sure would lead to a job offer (sometimes you can just tell).

Two business days later, I went to work and was told my contract wouldn't be renewed past the end of this month. I said "Oh." My supervisor looked at me funny, but what I was thinking to myself was, "Good thing I went on that job interview."

MacBoy has a job!

A real one. He's going to deliver pizza for Pizza Hut. He likes to drive and he likes pizza so I think this is a good job for him.

He may now need to give his car a tune up. It's been a while.

MiniMac is a High Schooler

I think this where I'm supposed to say "I feel so old!" Except her being in High School doesn't make me feel old. (Other things do but not that.)

On the other hand, it does freak me out a bit. Mostly because she's going to a traditional High School now and so there is homework and Back-to-School Night and grades and getting ready for college. It all seems so vital somehow and like any second now we can make a decision that will screw things up.

One thing Mr. Mac and I told Mini-Mac when she said she wanted to go to this school was: This is your idea so you have to make it work. We aren't going to nag you about homework, keep track of your tests, or otherwise do the work for you. I anticipated some adjustment and drama over having to deal with these things but [knock wood] so far, so good.

And I can't stop myself from working about the homework and the tests even though it drives Ms. Mini a bit crazy. I think she's said "I know, Mom" about 50 times this week alone.

She's thrown herself into school activities too. She's a member of the color guard and signed up to do the Freshman Skit for starters.

She's not doing the Fall play though. Says the school's theater is lame and the play is lame. She's got callbacks with PPF for their Christmas play. She's being considered for two parts. So she'll do that instead.

We also told her, if she decided to go to public school, that this was it for a year. No whining two weeks into the semester that she wanted to go back to DVS. Well, she's not whining that she wants to go to DVS. Instead she's whining that she wants to go to Irvington. They have an arts magnet program and I told her to apply last year and she refused.

Which isn't stopping her from driving me crazy, nagging me every day to call them and figure out how to get her in there sooner than next year. Sigh.

Want a free RV?

We have been unable to get anyone from those "we'll take your car in any shape" places to take our RV. They don't do RVs. So ours sits in the driveway doing nothing.

Want it? Just come get it and it's yours.

It's 33 ft long and about 27 years old. It runs but didn't pass smog the last time we had to do that. It's had work done on it since then but it's still unlikely to pass smog.

So it's not really good for traveling around the country. But it would work for sitting on a plot of land until you build something on it. Or as a spare bedroom if you get a lot of guests. (We use it for that now but don't get enough guests to justify the space it's taking up in our yard.)

It's got a bathroom with the toilet separate from the shower, a bedroom with a queen bed, a kitchen area and a seating area with a pull-out couch and two armchairs. The stove, microwave, fridge and ice maker all work. It's got A/C but I'm not sure it works in the bedroom.

Basically, if you want it, come get it. As is. No guarantees.

There is no war on Christmas

Seriously, there isn't.

That's because Christmas has never really been about Christ. It started as a minor holiday. For early Christians, the big deal was Christ's resurrection, not his birth. The birthday was no more important than any random Saints days on the calendar. It was celebrated around the time of the Winter Solstice for a number of reasons, none of them having to do with anyone thinking this was the actual birthday of Jesus. It was mostly about the Winter Solstice and people celebrating that already so it made a convenient for Christians to have a holiday they could celebrate around that time too.

RV is now fixed?

So MacFIL has come and gone. He and Mr. Mac spent yesterday replacing things on The Behemoth. Now we have to try her out on a veyr short, local trip. We're thinking of going to Del Valle next weekend as MacMadame had a Tri Clinic there on Saturday and an Open Water Swim on Sunday, both there.

Will The Behemoth make it one piece? Stay tuned!

Family visits

MacFIL is finally making it up our way. I think Mr. Mac has a day full of RV repairs set up for him. I like my idea better: come to my triathlon on the Wine Country and go out to dinner after. Doesn't that sound like more fun that sweating over a hot RV trying to figure out why the engine keeps turning off while we're driving?

We're not scheduled to do any family stuff until this Fall after that. My mom is coming up in Sept and I'm going to San Diego in October. Then, Nov. is my Ironman and I'm hoping some of my relatives will show up for it so I have people to cheer me on. Thanksgiving is right after so we're thinking we'll stay south and head to SD for Thanksgiving or maybe we can talk some people into going to the Grand Canyon for a Thanksgiving away from home instead.