sitting out the dance

Well everyone, I am no longer employed. This past Friday was my last day to play with the TAKS test, and now I'm taking an unscheduled "vacation" until I find another job. I suppose I should have found a job sooner, but they didn't let anyone know whether they would still be working there until last week, the same week that our current project ended. So a last moment notice doesn't leave one with much time to make other arrangements. Fortunately, I still have the bowling tournament to support me for a few more weeks, which should cover my bills for now. Also, I applied for unemployment, which will further help me survive financially for the time being.

So now I get the benefit of sleeping in during the week, and having a (hopefully very short) break from work while I look for something else. Send all positive thoughts, prayers, and so forth my way as I certainly need them.

As I think I mentioned before, ideally I'd like to find a job I can work evenings/nights and stay home with Baby E during the day while Mommy V works. The trick is finding one that will cover my share of bills & expenses, but I'm optimistic (as usual) about my chances. I'm trying to be patient about it.

Other than that, there's not much news to tell. I FINALLY made it out to a show over the recent holiday weekend to see Denton's mighty Brutal Juice here in Austin. I went alone, as it was an outdoor venue & Mommy V doesn't need to be surrounded by secondhand smoke, but I had a good time all the same & it was good to see them again, especially since for all intents and purposes they're broken up. Tomorrow night I'm seeing Screaming Females, next week I'm seeing Sage Francis, and beyond that any other shows will of course depend on whether I have the money and/or a job by the time they roll around.

We DID order tickets to see the Pixies here in Austin in late September, and we're determined to make it to the show...the trick there will be finding a sitter for Baby E. Surely someone will be kind enough to watch him/her for a few hours while we take a night off to see Doolittle played in its entirety. Surely.

And I guess that's all for now. I leave you with a recommendation: go to your local bookstore, or visit Amazon, or head to the library and pick up any book by Joe Meno. Any of his novels will do, as they are all more than worth the time spent reading them. I just (this afternoon) finished his latest, The Great Perhaps, and I'm still reeling from it, pondering it, feeling its impact inside me. It's an amazing work about, well, many things, but primarily the choice between fight or flight, as seen through the experiences of a family of five in 2004. I'm a big big fan of Meno's work, and I'm trying to share it with the rest of the world...so yeah, go pick that up.

OK then...