Non-Profits RULE!

I actually have some good news to impart. Good news hasn't exactly been abundant lately, so we'll take whatever we can get! Anyway, I got my one year anniversary raise from Maine Preservation today, over a month before my actual anniversary date. It's only an extra $1 per hour, but hey, it's a floundering non-profit, so I ain't going to complain! Plus last year at this time I was making $2 less per hour than I am now. Good deal if you ask me.

And the other piece of good news is that Victoria Mansion has already asked me if I can cover the site manager position! It's not till April, but they wanted to give me plenty of advance notice. I guess the Mansion is having an event the last weekend of April, and the guy who took my job isn't starting till the first week of May. Thus, they need me to help out. They didn't mention anything about what was going on with the second site manager (which is the gift shop manager), but I'm thinking that maybe they want me to get some experience. I have training for the job about 2 weeks prior to the event (scheduled before I knew I would be doing the event), so that's good. It's something, right? I didn't think they would need me, despite the fact that they asked me to be the on-call site manager, but I ain't going to complain that this dude can't show up till after the event is over :-)

Nothing new with Erik. I'm the only one that has a "dramatic" life ;-)

Whatever!

Not much to report, but I figured I should post something so that the horrible job debacle posting isn't still at the top of your screen :-) I'm over it now, and decided to take the on-call position. I've been in this industry long enough to know that you don't burn bridges with anyone associated with museums. While they sort of did that with me, I'm not going to do it back to them. The bridge may be rickety at the moment, but I'm sure that a construction crew will be called in soon to restore it back to its original form :-) I have three training sessions in April for the position, so after that is when I'm truly on-call. I haven't told Maine Preservation about any of this yet, but I don't think it's going to effect them anyway.

Erik had his first Coast Guard drill weekend. He is VERY glad to be back in. I dropped him off and picked him up over the weekend, so of course I went on the base. Erik and I both have id's, but I still found the whole thing very lax! Granted, I know that it's only 1) a Coast Guard base, and 2) in Maine, but I had Dos in the car with me when I went to pick him up, and no one cared! I joked about how I could have been part of a coup and I was bringing Dos in to blow up the place or something. Sigh, those silly Feds ;-)

In other news, I've started studying for the GRE's again. D-Day is set for April 15. Let's see if I finally go through with it.

An Apology

As some of you may have noticed, a previous blog about me getting a job at Victoria Mansion has been pulled. That's because it came to my attention that I had been led to believe that I had the position, when I did not. The position ended up going to someone who use to have the job, has some time between now and when he starts his Ph.D program. So of course they rewarded him for his past efforts by giving him his old job back. As someone pointed out, you should never think you have a job until you have it in writing. I guess she was right. But given my past experiences, I have always been offered jobs over the phone or in person, without having signed anything until way after the fact. Call me naive that this job was mine I guess. I feel betrayed, but what can I do. They have offered me an on-call position, meaning I would do the job they originally offered me but on an on-call basis, but I haven't decided what I should do. One year from now Old York will be over, and I will have half a job at Maine Preservation. If this guy does indeed go on to his Ph.D program, then I was told that the job would be mine (again, in my mind). While I'm not going to bank on that, the appeal is definitely there. I have some thinking to do. Several people have told me to find out how much they are willing to pay me for "on-call" and then make my decision from there. We shall see. But I am sorry for misleading people into thinking I had the job.

Score!

Some news, finally! I have scored a talk/interview with Victoria Mansion for the Site Manager position! For those of you who don't know, I worked in their giftshop on Sundays during the holidays, so I got to know the staff and volunteers pretty well. So when I saw the Site Manager position posted online, I had to go for it! The funny thing is that I know the girl who is/was in the position, so I'm wondering what happened/is happening with her. Anyway, it's another part-time gig OF COURSE since it's my life, however it would replace one of my jobs that I haven't been happy with lately, plus I would manage some of the operations of the house which would be so cool. It's obviously not totally a done deal, but I'm very excited that I at least have an interview. So be thinking of me 4pm on Friday!

A curator and a registrar walk into a bar...

I'm probably the only one that will find these funny, but I had to share.

You might be a museum professional if:

You find yourself compulsively levelling picture frames in restaurants and department stores.

Your first thought is that a mime in the park is a collection manager who has absentmindedly forgotten to remove their white cotton gloves.

You obtain a "non-profit" status for your home.

You take notes while watching Antiques Roadshow.

You think $40,000 a year is a lot of money.

Your co-workers quiz each other to see who can identify more accession numbers.

You arouse anxiety in museum security staff because you pay so much attention to the anti-theft devices.

You pay more attention to legibility of the labels than the contents of the cases.

The United States Coast Guard is a military, multimission, maritime service and one of the nation’s five Armed Services.

Not a ton to report, but I figured I had to do a special posting just for the occasion - Erik finally has his first drill scheduled with the Coast Guard!!! Woo hoo!! He's reporting for duty President's Day weekend. About f-ing time if you ask me. I'm planning on hopefully going down to Boston that weekend, but we shall see. Some of you may recall the last time I tried to go down President's Day weekend - I ended up bailing since I had to spend almost $400 to get the brakes on the car replaced. Dumb.

Sushi in Portland

All I have to say is that I hope that I get sushi the next time I visit y'all in Portland. And some crab Rangoon. yumm.

xoxox to all the Riders and Happy New Year's.

Yo, 2006! With a special post-New Year's addition of Karla's Tales...From the Gym!

Happy 2006 everyone! The consensus so far is that everyone thought 2004 sucked, that 2005 was a transition year back to some good for once, so that means 2006 is going to rock! Let's hope we all agree come December of this year.

Anyhoo, New Year's Eve was a fun time in the Rider household. Uno and Dos came over and Erik made the best Asian spread this side of the Mason-Dixon line! We had 5 courses of yummies, which included pot stickers, crab rangoon, and spring rolls (store bought, not going to lie) which ended with homemade sushi and homemade green tea ice cream. Sushi was a first for Erik, but he has been dying to try it, and he did very well for his first shot at it. He stuck to California rolls since they seem to be the easiest.

So 2006 doesn't seem to be much different so far, but holy crap, the gym is another story my friends! This is the first time I have ever had a gym membership, so I have never really witnessed the post-New Year's mad dash to get fit. The gym was beyond packed, to the point where I swear it had to be a fire hazard! I parked in timbuktu and had to wait for a treadmill. There was a line of people at the counter, frantically trying to sign up for a membership. The gym was full of people practically squeezing into their spandex, obviously not seasoned gym people who should KNOW that spandex was not made to look good on about 99% of the population. It was insane! Erik tells me that the average gym boom lasts for about 3 weeks of the New Year and then peters out, so if I can make it another few weeks, I'll be able to enjoy what use to be with the other diehards come February :-)

Can't you feel the love tonight!

I don't think any words are necessary ;-)

I'll Have What She's Having!

Happy Holidays from Karla, Erik, Puddy, and Miss Portland. May your holiday include plenty of kitty crack :-)

Mmm....Update

Hi all! Just giving a quick update since I feel like I haven't done that in awhile:

Erik FINALLY got his Coast Guard uniforms, so now he just needs to track down the person who will schedule him for his drills.

We attended the Maine Preservation holiday party a week and a half ago. It was actually held at Victoria Mansion, my third job. They decorate the house every year for Christmas, so it was an absolutely gorgeous place to have a party.

We have health benefits again! They kind of suck (amount taken out of Erik's paycheck, copay, etc.) but I guess it's better than not having anything at all. And now I'm discovering the joys of having an HMO (can you read the sarcasm?).

We went down to Newburyport a couple of weeks ago for Vivian and Stefan's apartment warming. It was great to see the gang, and to finally meet some people that I had only heard about.

That's it for now!

Karla's Tales...From the Gym! - A Tale of Two Gyms?

Okay, this just adds to the weirdness of the gym - there are two of the SAME gym on the SAME road! I figured out a different way to get to the gym I had been going to originally and thought I had entered the twilight zone when I saw the "Planet Fitness" sign on the wrong side of the road. Huh?!??!?! I decided to check it out, and when I questioned the woman at the front desk as to how this gym was different than the one that I could literally see down the road from there, she said no difference, just smaller. Huh?!??!?!

Well, one thing I do have to say, even though it's smaller, there are always parking spaces and always equipment available when you want it, unlike the other location. Why this other location hasn't caught on is a mystery to me, but I ain't complaining! In fact, I actually like this location better! Less freaks, more normal looking people, it's great! But I still don't get it!!

Five Hundred, Twenty-Five Thousand, Six Hundred Minutes

So Erik and I went to the movies for the first time since we've been married. We tried to figure out what the last movie we saw, and we think it was the first Lord of the Rings. So if you know what year that came out, than that's the last time we went. I don't know what Erik's excuse is, but I don't see the point in paying $10 to see something that you can rent on Netflix later for a lot cheaper.

Our change of heart came about when we realized that the Nickelodeon theater in town does $5 movies on Tuesdays. Pretty sweet deal! Although I went back and forth about what I wanted to see, I finally settled on Rent. I figured it was the one movie that would be better on screen than on TV. I thought it was good, but in my opinion, if you haven't seen the stage version, I'm not sure if you'll like it. However, Erik never saw it on stage and he liked the movie, so maybe I'm full of crap. We think we're going to go back next week and see Walk the Line.

Karla's Tales...From the Gym! - Girlfriend?

Different dude, same dumb t-shirt concept - will these guys ever learn????

Got Turkey?

I know it's last minute, but if anyone is going to be in Maine, Southern New Hampshire, or the North Shore of MA tomorrow and wouldn't mind a 60 minute trip, please come up to Portland! We are stuck in Maine since the landscaping company that Erik works for plows in the winter, and we are supposedly suppose to have a storm tomorrow, even though they are basically calling for rain along the coast. Since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I'm still planning on cooking a bird and all the fixings (even though I just did that a few weeks back), so if anyone wanted to stop by, they'd be more than welcome!

Karla's Tales...From the Gym! - I Love Freshman Girls?

Reason number 53458950 to hate the gym - You're on the treadmill, minding your own business, when a short male in his 20's walks past wearing a skin tight t-shirt that reads "I Love Freshman Girls (see exact t-shirt above). Said male has man boobs (those ain't pecs, ladies). Struts around like he's all that.

For more info, please refer to reason number 3242340 to become a lesbian (that's for you, Dos) :-)

Karla's Tales...From the Gym!! (MUHAHAHAHAHHA)

So for those of you who don't know, I obtained a gym membership for the first time in my life the other day. To keep the record straight, I hate gyms -loooaattthhh gyms. However, this year I decided that I didn't want to go a whole winter with only running on weekends if the weather happens to be nice. I still haven't lost the 10 pounds I gained last winter. Anyway, part of Erik's Coast Guard bonus paid for my all of my initial fees and all that at the most gym-like gym in town. Gym-like gym you ask? Think of the typical gym environment, and that's this place. It's called Planet Fitness, and you probably have one in your state if you live in New England. At $20/month, I couldn't pass it up despite the facilities gym-ness. Gym-like pretty much boils down to buff guys who think they're all that, girls who think sportsbras are shirts, and marathoners who decide to run on either side of you when you're on the treadmill, making your 10 minute, 42 second mile look like your running at a sloth's pace. Anyway, despite the fact that I want to gag everytime I go in there, I have miraculously been inspired to write about it in a little blurb I like to call "Karla's Tales..From the Gym!" which I plan on posting whenever something wacko happens when I'm there. My next post is the inspiration for this. Enjoy, and feel free to comment with your own crazy gym stories!

New Rabbit Cage!

Yes, our lives are this boring. And yes, I know, I still haven't given the full update on the Turkey Party. So sue me! I'll do it tonight, you crazy people :-P

Anyway, got this for $5 at the flea market. SOOOOO much more attractive than the other piece o'crap cage. I told Erik that we'll probably come home one day and find the cat sleeping in it. Oh well :-)

Turkey for me, turkey for you!

Well, the third annual Turkey Party appears to have been a success! Thanks to everyone who trekked up to Portland and contributed to a feast fit for a king, and a special thanks to all the Turkey Party virgins who are now Turkey Party experienced (you know who you are).

Below are the pictures I took. If anyone else has some they would like to contribute, you know where to find me. And for those who were unable to make it, stay tuned for a more detailed description of what went down.

Ridiculous

Well, apparently I have a white swollen spot on the back of my eye that's causing a shadow in my vision. I woke up Monday morning and noticed that my left eye had a dark spot on it but that it wasn't effecting my vision. When it hadn't gone away by Tuesday morning, I decided to very reluctantly call the eye doctor since we have no health benefits. Went to the doc yesterday, and that's the conclusion he came to. He started to worry me when he called in the retina specialist, but I guess he just wanted a second opinion. Anyway, apparently it can be caused by a blood vessel that has either slowed down or has become blocked. It has gotten better since Monday, which the doctor attributes to the fact that the blood vessel is healing itself. I have a follow-up next week to make sure things are still a-okay.

Apparently it's not anything to worry about at the moment, however he did bring up the point that's it's odd that someone of my age and health would have something like this. Anyway, as usual, I will keep everyone posted!