One year on

It’s my Oneth or my W’onth (NZT)………depending on how you view the world. I have arrived in a new and wonderful place; unexpected, challenging, uncertain, new, fun and full of possibility. A year that began with drama and unexpected hurt, characterised by bad behaviour and dishonesty, ends in optimism, delight, genuine happiness, a commitment to honesty and trusting my instincts, underpinned by a deep desire to live out my own personal dreams. These are the things I am celebrating:
- having the courage to live the dream, my dream; it is more than I could ever have anticipated
- the privilege of family, here and in New Zealand; it’s not until you ask that you know how much you are loved
- the privilege of longstanding friendships and the discovery of new friends (here and in NZ)
- writing the book and being determined not to blink from the choice, even on those days I so desperately want to
- letting go of the “things”
- never letting the drama get in the way of my celebrating my mothers 70th in Vancouver, winning my greencard, getting my masters and turning 40 – 39 was a big year; it’s not easy to step around the past and honestly celebrate the immediate when your inclination is to dwell, particularly when you are struggling to make sense of your world. I did step past it…….thanks to my family and friends (old and new)
- knowing I am in the right place, doing the right thing and that my future is here
- strangely and delightfully giving up eating myself (minds out of the gutter)…….I have cuticles……..I no longer gnaw on my fingers…how strange, it is a habit I have had since I was 8 years old
It’s been a helluva year but I’ve no regrets - alright maybe that one girl from San Fran I didn’t email back - oh well in the scheme of life that’s not bad and in the scheme of the last year……more a chuckle than a tragedy.
One thing I would change (although no longer feel personal angst about) – that I’d had the energy, the courage and emotional fortitude to really celebrate and say my goodbyes to the friends I was leaving behind, in body if not spirit. I’ll catch-up with you all in the end and trust that the good people hang around anyway.
Drinks are on me……..it’s a cheap round and expires in 24hrs (just as well – have you ever enjoyed one of my family get togethers………..nothing cheap about that!).

Sorry Telecom.......

Wow - if I was a Telecom shareholder I'd be pissed.........bet the new CE and his cronies get more than that in bonuses this financial year! It's but a drop in the bucket for the big boys. Go Shareholders association I say.
I've been following cave man as it's coincided with this...........these are the things that "entertain" my little populist, mainstream media self!

You have to wonder

The US Army is offering a "quick ship" bonus of $20k if new recruits will go to basic training within days of being accepted, rather than wait six months! The scary part is the recruiting targets are obviously really aggressive - one assumes that the "quick ship" then translates to quickly outta here and off to Iraq and Afganistan. I expect the next scandal will be "substandard recruits graduate basic training".
I have had a somewhat fruitless week - not really concentrating on much. Did go for a couple of nice walks with two woman I have met. One ending in a cafe on the beach where there was a group of about 20 ukulele players having a blast singing and strumming away. It felt all very "tropical island holidayish".
I've been looking into bike gear as well. Now well I don't consider that I am anything other than average height and hands and feet the appropriate size, motorcyle boot manufacturers have a different view. Karen and Brice has some excellent advice about this stuff as they have been touring for 20 years...........no wet feet for them nor clothing that isn't waterproof, and they've tested it in some conditions I hope never to find myself in. Obviously boots are really important but there are limited ranges in women's sizes and mine in particular! Also there's a difference between a riders boot (ie you're up front) and a passengers boot. Mostly about additional padding for gear changing. It looks like I am going to have to go for a BMW boot - label queen to the end I guess as the other better brands don't have my size and Karen and Brice assure me they have never had wet or cold feet! With my gimpy foot I can't really afford to have it get cold........and it is the one I change gears with. I have also resigned myself to the fact I will have to get my riding gear custom made - no way am I going to find anything off the shelf. Investigatings fun and the only thing I really need for the bike course in October are the boots. I could wear other boots but figure I have to get them anyway. Any excuse really.
Initial round of responses from publishers is good - more to come (I hope).
Much thinking and investigating going on around work (nothing re. FA job) as I watch the bank balance quietly bleed itself dry.

Vegemite and cheese sandwich

Happy happy happy, joy joy joy..............I miss sausage rolls too...........I don't care if it makes me a peasant.........you come live on the other side of the world and can't find any of your comfort food!

Back from San Fran

Had a lovely time and really enjoyed meeting Robyn. Was somewhat shocked to discover that her and H have been together for two years and this is really the first time I have actually sat down and been able to chat to Robyn.......met her first at the website launch and then the lesbian ball in Auckland, neither of which provided much room to get to know one another - oh and she did remind me (without judgement) that I had also met her once when I was terribly hungover (does that sound like me.........alright not so much these days, did make me cringe a little though, personal angst nothing more). I guess I have been gone nearly a year so didn't get that much opportunity to meet her before. It was lovely to chat in an animated, rapid fire kiwi way. We wandered around the shops abit and went to MOMA - which wasn't that great as they didn't really have much on show and nothing particularly interactive. Still there were some nice gems including this. When you stand in the centre of the beam of light it's like you are cut off and disembodied heads and shoulders float through the light.......very cool.

Now this was very interesting.....well known, not that I knew it. "Indigo Blue" has around 18,000 items of blue cotton work clothing, folded and stacked on a "floating" steel platform.
At one end of the platform there is an old wood table and chair. A volunteer sits silently at the table, erasing pages of a book: "International Law Situations," a Naval War College publication pertaining to legally defined land and water boundaries. Originally completed in Charleston's if you are interested you can read more here. Just the sought of thing that appeals to me!

The Jazz bar proved to be a winner. We had a quick meal before then qued to get in - just as well we had tickets it was sold out. Robyn pointed out that the set up reminded her of NY, I thought so too. As we qued we could see them setting up the seating and tables (there was an early 7pm show, we went at 10pm). They have these tiny little round tables that you sit at, order a drink and the show gets underway. The woman at the door liked our accents so we got to sit at the front. A woman in the que took a shine to Robyn, which was very cute...........although Robyn was casually indifferent I have to say. Anyway Kim Nalley sang for around an hour and a half and was fantastic. Very engaged with the audience and told a little of Nina Simones history. I'd go back but think you need to pick the performance as the performance is the focus, so you have to be in to it.

Other than that at 6pm I found out my bus was fully booked so went back to the hotel I'd stayed in (which also proved to be an excellent choice, right near Union Square, clean and safe......combined with cheap). Nice man (I think he was Malaysian - I couldn't quite pick his accent but he was very friendly) at the desk remembered me, noted that New Zealand was where Lord of the Rings was made and gaven me a discount on a discounted room and one away from the traffic. All very nice. Caught the 630am bus back to Santa Cruz. Speaking of Greyhound, if you do come to the US and feel inclined to bus between cities (it is very cheap) it will be a "cultural experience". I've seen and heard the oddest people while busing! The worst part is the really really awful bus stations - guess that's why it's cheap.

San Francisco

I'm feeling like a blogging fiend this week, but have realised I'm not actually saying much about what I am doing. Well, happily, I am off to San Fran for an overnight stay on Saturday. Helen's g/f, Robyn, is in town for one night and I am to be the entertainment. Well she's probably more than able to entertain herself, so she's really my entertainment and a little touch of NZ! She wants to go and see some gallery's which is easy and is interested in Jazz. I've done a bit of hunting and booked us into Jazz at Pearls, which is described as a Jazz Club - no jeans or baseball caps allowed (that's what they say so I hope it is true). Best thing is on the night we are going Kim Nalley sings Nina Simone. Nope I don't know who Kim is............apart from the fact that she is described as "a winner of the prestigious "10 Most Influential African-Americans in the Bay Area" award, and this show is a must and a rare tribute." I've decided to trust the critics. I do know who Nina Simone is. Anyway it's all just a bit of a punt....if it's bad I won't be alone and if it's good all the better.
I'm off to sit my drivers license written test this week so that I can book a practical. Glad I read the road code; got some different rules here. I've also been looking at a possible rental for Michelle when she gets back from NZ ('tis very cute, I like it alot).
Funnier yet I have been doing some "email networking" and chatting to a woman in Maine who works at a Carnival. I am now so much better informed about the life of a "Carnie" than I could ever have imagined. I really do like this chatting to complete strangers; why do you suppose I never felt able to do it in NZ? Don't answer - I already figured it out for myself........I already figured out a lot of things about who I wasn't being in NZ! There is something remarkably nice about arriving somewhere with no history and arriving in such a big arse place so that if ever I create a history I want to escape I can just move on!

Gramarphiles

And spelling........"Eats, shoots and Leaves". I know I know I know. There are spelling mistakes and gramatical errors in abundance in the blog - you are mostly too polite to say. I am, as we know, neither a grammar nazi nor a spelling freak.........it's a wonder I ever got employed as a consultant........let alone keep readers here where the spelling and grammar is all to hell. Shut up about the grama and the spellink - well mostly you do. I can hear you even if you don't say it. Mostly when I post I don't care to edit that much. That's the point; the first thing I write is close to the last thing you get. Sometimes I read back and cringe too. But really, when I chatted to you face to face I didn't always get it right then either...........it's free flowing. Sometimes it is enthusiasm, I am thinking faster than my fingers can type.......that's just dumb. For the book I take more care (and I have my little grammar Nazi but a breath away)........that's the point........for the things where, really, it might matter.......I take more care. I love being able to write when there is no book deal pending.....no academic qudos to be gained......no one to care, but me. But then really I want a book deal and academic something.........so that's not all quite true either!

Iraq for beginners

I found this quite interesting. It's called "A Fight for Iraq: A Regional Power Play". Put together by MSNBC it's a relatively short piece on the geopolitical drivers behind Iraq. It explains Iraq itself and then looks at the countries around it. It's not long but if you've got an interest in understanding what's going on in the region it's worth a look. I know it's simplistic and perhaps people more in the know could pick holes - still I thought it was good.......or maybe I just haven't been paying attention and all this is old news to everyone else (quite possible!). It's not about the US at all, and only briefly, towards the end trys to explain why it's difficult for the US to pull out.

Random distractions

I've been playing around with creating a may of My USA. I've put a permanent link on the side but what it displays is all the places I have visited..........visited being a lose term. I have passed through more but have chosen places I have either stayed overnight or spent a reasonable day sightseeing eg Chicago. It's a work in progress and those in the know won't be surprised that much of my US experience to date reflects where K & B have lived! Still there are some "self generated" locations and when I get the bike I'll be able to add even more!
These are the things you can do when you are an unemployed writer!

The day of reckoning

I've been given the nod........it's time to throw the dice and discover if anyone will publish this book. Draft chapters to be sent by the end of the week, several more to be withheld. It's a winner or a loser, to be published or not. More may be required to convince. I'm ready - complete defeat, I hope not............for the first time NZAlien and My Book find a meeting ground. Let's hope or believe both will briefly merge. I seldom accept defeat in the first round....unless I see it as something not worth fighting for. Games on.

Social networking

Well I just don't remember being this confused in NZ.....maybe I didn't care.......but here there are multiple channels for connecting on line. Three quick and easy ones, blogging (clearly my medium of choice), face book........and MySpace. Right then, I chose the blog so that everyone I already knew could keep up with what I was doing. It never occured to me that anyone I didn't know might want to keep up with what I was THINKING..........But apparently it's big here. I've been asked several times if I have a MySpace page. Ummmm no.....seems weird to me. I suppose in someways the blog is the same, except those of you that are reading don't identify yourselves to one another. Well it's all about me - I'm fine with that. I haven't bothered to do enough research on MySpace vs Facebook (secretly thinking it's all in the marketing anyway). I kinda like the bloggers I find - I've surfed into a few MySpace pages and never really thought about Facebook. I guess if I wasn't a blogger (who chose a host who makes it too scary for most to comment) you could all now race in with your opinions. Oh the host I chose wasn't intentional by the way, it was just the first host I came across when I thought having a blog was a good idea - see you all think I am much sneakier than I am sometimes. Anyway I guess that's the difference. Blogging is a little "one way", unless you take the big leap offered by Blogger. Although I could, like the other sites, make my blog private - but then that wouldn't seem to be in the spirit of the thing (at least for me). And I invited some people to read it who may or may not be actively taking up the offer - it would seem rude to now push you away - even if we no longer have contact and I don't have your email address (and you don't have mine). Actually when I reflect on it I think I like just putting up what I think. It's all about me me me...........those of you with my email address let me know what you think (okay sometimes some of you are too polite). Those of you without have to leap into cyber space with me to let me know - few have and that's okay too. Some of you are among the "secret readers" - I've got a counter, I know you are out there. Actually I put the counter on when I went throuh a moment of insecurity many months ago - thinking that no one cared anyway so I'd just stop blogging entirely. The numbers kept going up, I felt gratified, ego satisfied (I really don't care to know everyone that might be reading - unless you think it's important - I just cared that someone was reading and it might be the same small group checking in..........I just cared someone was reading and I wasn't just talking to myself - I now have my book blog for that) so I've kept going. I like that my family read it and I find it hugely funny and ironic that the friends (and family too) probably know more about my life on a daily/weekly basis through the blog than they ever did when I was in NZ. That's my random thought for the day. If you are bored with me go to the header and click on the "next blog" and see what other people are thinking.........avoid the porn (or enjoy it if you have a mind), check the photos on the pages you can't read because they aren't in english (unless I have secret bilingual readers.......that's a nice thought, but I don't think my blog is nearly interesting enough to hold the interest of "random stranger"). Sometimes the "next blog" is good, that's how I found Odd Spot - I've found others too, keep clicking.......there's a whole other world out there!

In sum

Today I took up the somewhat dubious, but no less entertaining, opportunity to summarise my life since Office Cadet School. The class is putting together a DVD of photos etc etc. It's fascinating to see what everyones been doing and how we've variously transformed from 21 years ago! In the spirit of total transparency this is how I described the last 21 years of my life:
"After graduation and two somewhat dull years as a Transport and Catering Troop Commander I left the Army in 1989 and went to Victoria University of Wellington. After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Women’s Studies I spent time working as a community newspaper journalist and wondering what to do next! Through a series of events I re-enlisted in the Army in February 1994, as a Specialist Officer in public information. I spent six months as the Assistant Public Information Officer (Army) – working for Bernie’s father, George. Then through an even more bazaar series of events I deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as the Public Relations Officer for the First New Force to deploy as part of UNPROFOR. Eight months later I arrived back in New Zealand having grown up a lot and generally looking for something new to do. I went back to my role as Assistant Public Information Officer (Army) and left the Army, again, in 1996 to take up a role in Treasury as the Assistant Director Communications, where I was involved in selling airports and the like. Was then head hunted into the Communications Director role at the then Ministry of Commerce, which we subsequently transformed into the Ministry of Economic Development. Somewhere in there I completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration.
I leapt out of the public sector and into Fletcher Challenge in Auckland as the Communications Manager for Fletcher Building, just as they were pulling Fletchers apart. Ultimately joined the ranks of the redundant and got employed as a Communications Consultant for Sweeny Vesty in Auckland. Got lured, somewhat foolishly, from there into Fonterra and, with some relief got made redundant. I returned to Wellington, set myself up in my own consultancy while I completed a Masters in Diplomacy and Trade from Monash University in Australia.
Ultimately my dream has been to come and live and work in the USA so I entered the green card lottery and got selected. Arriving in the USA in September 2006 I lived on a Ranch in New Mexico for seven months and now reside in California. I have an online military museum dedicated to women who have served (www.bracketsw.com) and I am planning to buy a touring motorcycle by the end of the year. Currently I am writing a book and wondering what to do next. To say I am a restless soul would be an understatement! Along the way I have travelled a lot, drunk a lot, eaten well and fallen in and out of relationships. Right now happily single and content to keep it that way."
Okay to be fair it naturally has a professional focus. Still it more than amused me to think about what I had done over this time. Can't say I've dwelled long anywhere and those of you reading, who were involved in various phases, could add your own colourful potraits I'm sure! Nice to have a sense of no regrets - that in itself would seem to be an achievement worth celebrating.

Forgiving Dr Mengele

I watched this movie last night. It "...tells the story of a shocking act of forgiveness by Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor and the firestorm of criticism it has provoked.....
Eva and her twin sister, Miriam, were victims of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele's cruel genetic experiments--an experience that would haunt them their entire lives." Eva is an amazing woman and the movie provides an unexpected insight into the ongoing challenges Jewish people face around how to acknowledge the truth of what happened while still needing and wanting to move their lives forward.
Nazi Germany and the Concentration camps have always held a particular interest (that word seems a bit lame given the magnitude of what happened) for me. When I was eight or nine I watched the WWII documentary that was among the first to show exactly what happened. It had some very graphic footage and it stayed with me - probably a good reason why it was on at 11pm at night! Then in the third form as part of Social Studies we studied the Nazi's. None of the other classes did and given I was, at the time, in the less than stellar academic class, it surprised me that we did. Perhaps that is what has driven my ongoing fascination with war, things military and people's experience of both!

Road trip'n day 3

This the final chapter.........landed at 10.30pm and managed to choose a good place to stay for the last night as well (whew). Oddly more expensive than the first one but more like a "motel" - first is best! Feeling like a little sweaty sow - 4am to 11pm, including walking several miles in very humid conditions, does take it's toll - had a quick shower, accepted there was nothing to eat (or more correctly nothing I was prepared to eat), guzzled a little warm water, sat back to relax. Feeling wired so watched the Food Channel (I really do like those competitions....sorry Tee for all that mocking a while back). Woke up earlish and headed for my bus. Oh yes that is when it got a little complicated. Some concert or other was happening in San Jose so my 35min walk turned into over an hour 10 while I tried to figure out how to get around the road blocks! Finally made the station and waited for the bus. You know one thing I got out of the whole trip was how very very differently people treated me when I was wearing a business suit versus my casual option. Those that would talk to anyone still do...........those that have how you look matter....didn't. I had some of the oddest interactions with men - honestly. Randomly at the airport, when wearing the suit (okay and makeup, it's a job interview to be an FA and I kinda like the whole deal).......men chatted to me! Really in the scheme of things men never do chat to me unless I invite it. Perhaps that's the real change, these days I just welcome any random stranger chatting - even the very odd - it makes for a much more interesting world and as long as I am surrounded by other people offers no real danger to my well being! Anyway that aside, lovely to be home, see flattie and Goldfish and be in my wee bed again. Oh and here's one of those random coincidences - the little silver "bean" in the previous post - one of the flatties friends who came over yesterday was working in Chicago when it was made. She had an office looking over the Park and watched them construct the framework......then just as it was to be finished "they" put covers all around it so no one would know how they got it to look the way it does! No matter the outcome I feel like I've had quite a grand adventure and made the most of the whole deal!

Road trip'n day 2

Got up at 4am after a not very good sleep - always hard to sleep when you have to get up that early. Anyway at the airport 5amish. WOW place was packed. Glad I got there when I did. Delightlfully found myself sitting in the exit aisle so had ridiculous amounts of leg room. Ened up sitting next to a United staffer (risk analyst) and had a nice time talking to her. Predicatably fell asleep for around 2hrs of the four hour flight. Spent the rest of the time reading Harry Potter. Took a taxi from the airport to town. Chicago architecture is amazing but the traffic was terrible. And I didn't know that there is this very fab waterway complete with "draw bridges". Anway went to the interview......all of half an hour......it's a screening interview so won't know for a while. Seemed fine and the interviewer was very nice. They are hiring several 100 FAs. Guess I'll just wait and see. Money is well less than fab.......still I'll just roll with it for now and see what happens. Of course such a short interview left me with several hours to fill in before flying back. Asked some guy on the street if he was from Chicago and what could I do for a couple of hours. I was wearing a business suit so am fairly confident he didn't think I was a hooker. He recommended I hop on a yellow water taxi and cruise down the river for 2 bucks....so I did. Got chatting with a woman who recommended I get off at the Maganificient Mile. It's the shopping mecca for chicago - easy to ignore the shops but the garden display was quiet fantastic. Walked down to the water works which, so the story goes, was one of the very few buildings that survived the Great Fire in 1871 - people used it as one of the few landmarks to try and find their homes. Taxi woman also mentioned the Millenium Park so having tramped the mile I walked to the park. Now that was very cool with some great artworks. The Kapoor Sculpture was particularly interesting and had dozens of kids flocking around it.

Flew out of Chicago at 8pm and got back to San Jose around 1030. Long day but I did enjoy myself!

Road trip'n day 1

Okay because my life is so deadly exciting……and I have time to kill (in a hotel in San Jose) I thought I would take everyone on my little journey to Chicago.
Started with realising I needed to book accommodation either side of the interview day (Wednesday) because I was flying out on a 6am flight and not back until 10pm same night…….no public transport. So dutifully booked on-line, checking prices and hotel reviews (bed bugs not required).
Day 1 going to San Jose from Santa Cruz. Nice start. I thought I would get the Greyhound bus but the very nice man at the counter said that if I walked across the road the Highway 17 bus left in half an hour (as opposed to an hour) and only cost 4 bucks (not a hard choice). Of course that meant I didn’t actually know exactly where the bus would stop in San Jose (only an hour away) relative to my hotel (not paying for a cab if I can walk)……………oh well, train station – can’t be that difficult.
Next delightful moment – got off the bus, checked with someone in the train station, started walking in the direction of my hotel and ta dah – it was literally 5mins away. People very very nice, check into GIANT room with jacuzzi, telly……..all three of which I don’t have at home, free wireless (well that’s pretty standard most everywhere here) and king size bed………next step wake up call 4am tomorrow…………..

Job interview and other stuff

So it's been an interesting week! I had the most fantastic breakthrough in writing, managing to peel off an entire chapter in a day. I've left it a few days and re.read it - I like it.
I've also been preparing for the FA job interview. I really do like the sound of the job and do get that it's not exactly an easy choice. Still I'll take the interview practice, test out the new me with a new view of the world. I've decided to let go of that "too many people and I'll die" view of the world I had. I just need new ways of getting downtime. I'm happy to let go of those little boxes I created around myself - it does open up a whole new set of possibilities. Of course flying out to the interview is a little complicated. It's a one day turn around trip and there is no shuttle service for the times I am flying, which means a night in San Jose either way. I've only ever driven through SJ and it doesn't look particularly interesting - they bill themselves as the only city in Silicon Valley.......as a consequence they seem to have turned downtown into a concret jungle - but I might be being uncharitable given I've never even walked down the main street. I'm on a 630am flight so needless to say I am staying close to the airport, although its not a very big city anyway.
Went out and had pizza and beer with a local woman I met here and we might be going hiking in the Santa Cruz hills at some stage. She has lived here for a while so is very much a local and knows alot about Santa Cruz. It's a bit like Nelson, it seems the money coming in is, in someways, changing the community and not all for the good.
I pre.ordered Harry Potter so have been reading that. I've avoided any of the publicity about it so as not to ruin the story.
Best yet I've enrolled in a motorcycle safety course. They provide the bike and the helmet so that's good. It's not until October - I don't think there are any other classes before then as it is summer break here. It does give me time to do the written test and, finally, get my California drivers licence. When you move into a state you always need to get a licence for that state (not that I have one at all) so it's about time I got my act together. Not thinking about buying a car at all.........very committed to the bike as I'd like to do the touring thing and maybe join a club of some sort. Nice to meet people with like minded interests. Brice has pointed out that the Harley's come with a ready made family - that's quite achieveable but, as I said to him, I'm worried about how often they breakdown. I have not a mechanical bone in my body and being stranded in the middle of nowhere (okay probably with access to a tow truck) doesn't hold much appeal. Not sure I am a harley girl anyway but have been looking at this. No not in white before you ask and I would get it fully kitted with windshield and saddle bags. It's very affordable and I don't look like a midget on wheels........yes my feet can sit flat on the ground. It's classed as a "starter bike" and seems to be one lots of woman get. Read a review from a woman who was 5" and she was very enthusiastic saying once she got more confident the weight isn't a problem at all..........these things are important if one isn't to be seen dropping the damn thing.......as one woman said she did - but she had forgotten to put her feet down at the lights. Apparently not as rare as you might think, for men and woman.
Weather here is fantastically hot and endlessly sunny - no summer showers here to cool the afternoon.
Anyway one way or another it's going to be a big week!

dixie chicks - goodbye earl - musci video

Okay this has been a personal favourite for along time - if you are at all shocked you should stop reading the blog!

dixie chicks not ready to make nice

More You Tube - if you don't know the story behind this video.......find out!

Home again home again.....

I’m back in sunny SC having left sunny NM – honestly temperatures around 100. I have had such a wonderful 10 days. I really do love the ranch. The ranch is looking very green, saw lots of hummingbirds (fascinating little birdies), one very large pink snake (eeeeow), prairie dogs and the unsual assortment of other beasts. Was back in my little yellow house and Renee and Kate had put flowers in a vase and food in the fridge! Peter’s 80th was sweet. Just a couple of hours at his house and I got such a lovely welcome from him. It was on the 4th of July so I spent the day with the Burn’s family. After Peter’s we went to the rodeo. I’ve never been to one before. This was a kids competition and I was shamed at how tiny some of them were on those big horses – horse riding not being my favourite thing!! Went back to the ranch for dinner with the Burn’s (Renee’s parents came too) then we headed to the shooting range to have fireworks. Great fun. Eddie and Renee’s kids (3 in total) are great and (unlike home) we actually held some of the fireworks in our hands while we set them off. Even having competitions to see who could hit the targets – very Harry Potter like.
Spent the next few days working with Renee and generally hurtling around on the four wheeler. Karen and Brice arrived home on Sunday and it was just great to see them!!!! They are both tired and working hard but full of life. Brice took me into Sante Fe on their motorcycle – very beautiful BMW touring beast. I looked at bikes and talked to B a lot about what would be good, would work for me etc etc………I think I’ve chosen one so now have to get both my car and bike licence.
…..I’ve also got a job interview………you know how life is sometimes planned, carefully put together and rolls out in stages…….well this isn’t like that! I got this idea in my head that being a flight attendant might be fun, flying around, seeing the world. Well United are doing a big recruitment drive so I completed an online questionnaire, now I’m off to Chicago for a half day interview later this month. Apparently it’s just cheaper to fly everyone to them. They don’t actually know that much about me as the questionnaire was more about ethics and values than anything else. While I still maintain I am only slightly below average height (averages smaverages) I do just sneak in at being able to reach up to 82inches. Anyway the whole things a riot, I am feeling strangely competitive about it and compelled to give it a go. Does anyone else think it hilarious that the only interview I’ve actually been invited to is in something I have no background in? This is, of course, all part of the grand adventure – if it’s meant to come together and be the thing I do it will, if not, mov’n on to something else. Oh it’s also a little like being in the Army – at the end of the six week training I could end up anywhere as you are “posted” to the airport you will be based out of!