Here's Where It Gets Interesting

OK, so there are three weeks left of this internship and, sadly, probably not much more than that left of my stay in Chicago. My life becomes this big, gaping black hole after that, until such time as I find gainful employment using all my newly-acquired knowledge and skills.

In the interest of avoiding being sucked into the abyss, I sent out 9 applications during the second week of March, and another 12 about ten days ago. I'd originally only gotten a nibble from Cinncinnati following the March group, and they were very clear that while they might consider me if they decided to go with "new grads," they were hoping to hire someone who is already certified and experienced. Not a problem, Cincy doesn't hold much thrall for me anyhow.

After sending out the subsequent slew, I've been waiting patiently (OK, maybe not so patiently) for the phone to ring, or the inbox to show new mail... One response, from Houston (good hospital, but who the hell wants to live in an armpit like Houston??), for a part-time position. Argh. The maw of the hole gapes wider and wider.

Then, in the last two days, the sun has begun to shine on my world. San Diego wants to "review" my Spanish speaking skills (I told them in an e-mail that I'm functional but not fluent, but I guess they want to really hear me speak it or something). Philadelphia and I played a little bit of phone tag, and we set up a phone interview for next week. Then, while waiting for Philly to call back, Columbus, Ohio called -- and they're going to fly me there for an interview the week after the internship is done. So, from famine to feast, just like that!!

Of course, this means I'm obsessing over things like looking at apartments, gas prices, benefit options, and so on. I really should know better, because the picture isn't getting any clearer. Philly would be the best in terms of being in a big city (and one that I've been to before, although it's been over 20 years), but the hospital is part of Tenet Healthcare, which has been in the news over bribing doctors to refer patients there, some Medicare ugliness, that sort of thing. None of it pertains to this particular hospital, but in this the age of Enron and World Telecom, you've got to wonder how stable the corporation as a whole really is. Columbus looks like a really nice hospital, they've got a GREAT benefits package, apartments seem to be reasonably priced, and I have family there, but the pay is on the low side of acceptable. San Diego is, hands down, the best hospital of the three, but there isn't any indication of what their pay scale is like, and apartments there are CRAZY expensive -- as in, twice as much as what I would expect to pay in the other places. Even if their pay scale is good, I seriously doubt it's going to be twice as much...

So, which do I want most? I don't know!! I'm still sort of holding out hope for Boston, which would offer most of the same positives as Philly but at a better hospital. I'd really like to hear from Johns Hopkins as well... just because it's Johns Hopkins...

And, I'm not faring any better at attempting to distract myself by thinking about another trip to Europe, which I've been saying I want to plan once I'm actually making money again. Can't decide between Spain, Italy, and a meander through Germany, Austria & Switzerland. I've polled the Snotties, just for some more objective input (although you KNOW I'm going to try and entice them to come along!!), and their answers are just about as evenly split as mine... although they do seem to be narrowing it down to either Spain or Central Europe. I need time to get a job and save up some money, so I don't think it's reasonable to plan anything before next fall. Perhaps if I suggested that, for a couple hundred dollars more, we could celebrate Pirate Alice's birthday over there???

Oy, decisons, decisions!!!

Breaking News

I have just received confirmation that my favorite restaurant on the planet has closed. I know it's a tempestuous business, and one of the things I liked about the place was that it was never too terribly crowded... I was fortunate enough to get to eat there one last time when I was here for my internship interview this past November (although Zes would seem to disagree -- I just think she didn't drink enough), but had I known... I would have gotten a double order...

No more Sesame Chicken.

No more Mango Margaritas.

How does one continue on after a blow like that????

Freaks Redux

OK. LaCa has been delighting of late in my puzzled expressions and mutterings of, "You people are freaks," in response to her rampant obsession with all things related to the needle & fiber arts.

Granted, her yarn purchases seem to make her happy in a world that she feels deals with her much more harshly than my world does me. So, I let it go. But I don't get it. I'd even go so far as to say, I don't WANT to get it...

Yes, I understand why Christian needs to be an alpaca herder.

Yes, I understand that the things one makes from said needles and fibers are lovely and wearable and fun. (Although one could argue they might get done a lot faster if not for the breaks taken to photograph the yarn purchases or troll the 'net seeking out the ever-elusive Fibrous Holy Grail...)

Yes, I'm totally down with the fact that she produced a hat for me in a matter of hours for one of my cancer patients, an act of selflessness that will continue to score high on the charts for a long time to come.

But sniffing the yarn? Rolling around in a bathtub of it? Please.

Yeah, I've read the comments to her post, the rationalizations ("you have to rub it on your face, otherwise you'll never know how soft it is") and the character assassinations ("love your yarnless friends, yes, but never trust their judgment"). But I ask you. Are these the people who are going to have to face the consequences of their enabling stances? Imagine the scenario, if you will...


Police Officer: Well, what we seem to have here is a case of self-snuffing. Yarn suffocation. Twenty-two years on this beat, never seen anything like it, myself. Friend who was staying with her says she came home from work, found her like that, with the pinkish-purplish stuff right up on her nose, like some sort of woolen Bozo wannabe or something.

Sister M: It's not wool, it's Jaeger Cashmina.

El Bee: Oh, my baby, mah BAY-beeee. You were staying here with her. You were supposed to look out for her. How could you let this happen?

Sister M: Well, her blog friends said you have to smell the yarn to be able to...

El Bee: (wails loudly)


So, you see? Yeah, where are all these "yarnies" then, huh? Only fun till somebody gets hurt, then they vanish into the ethernet. Yeah. Don't WANT to get it. Want nothing to do with it. Truly.