Then I moved into a new place and got a lease.  I thought I could use that to prove my residency.  Nope!  By that time, the DoL had changed their requirements and leases were no longer accepted as proof of residency.  But then I got laid off.  I filed for unemployment and began getting mail and checks from the state government every week.  Perfect!  Finally I would be able to prove my residency since, you know, the state is giving me money every week.  Obviously I'm a resident, right?

Nope.  I went into the DoL yesterday armed with multiple letters and check receipts from the WA state employment office.  I don't get actual checks for unemployment because I can't actually deposit them in this state until the end of the month (because Chase is stupid, but that's a different rant).  So I use direct deposit like any normal human being.  When I went up to the counter to get my license and when I gave the man my direct deposit "pay stub" from the state, he said that wasn't enough and I wasn't a WA state resident.  I pretty much lost it.  After a year and a half of dealing with this, I was couldn't believe that even though I was clearly getting unemployment checks from the state, they still wouldn't consider me a resident.  I nearly started crying.

Whether it was the near tears or the I somehow convinced him that the pay stub was sufficient, the guy behind the counter said "let me see what I can do."  He took all the needed information, I passed the eye exam thing, and then he went into an office in the back.  When he came out, he completed the paperwork and told me to wait over by the other wall to get my picture taken.  I thanked him for all that he had done and he said in a very harsh tone "Well, it's wrong."  Okay then, let me just get out of here before you change your mind.  Wow!

So in the end, I was able to get my WA driver's license even though I still apparently can't prove my residency.  And you would think that is where the whole thing ends, right?  Haha, no.  See, in WA you get your driver's license and your license plates at two completely different places.  Don't know why, but that is how they do it.  So I went to get my WA license plates.  The process was painless, the woman behind the counter was great.  I told her my story and she got a good laugh out of it.  I paid the needed fees, she handed me my plates and that was that.  I ran a couple more errands and then headed home to put my plates on my car.

It was raining when I got home, like it had been for most of the day, but only lightly.  My car gets parked outside, but since it was only raining lightly, I decided to put the plates on where it was instead of trying to find some cover.  Unfortunately, over the course of time it took to get the CA plates off and the WA plates on, the rain started to come down harder and harder.  By the time I was finished, it was pouring rain and I was pretty much drenched.  But that was okay.  My day was done; I could go inside, get into some warm clothes and be lazy.

If only.  As soon as I got into my room, I noticed a voicemail on my phone.  It was the licensing office.  They had accidentally given me the wrong plates.  Of course.  I laughed really hard.  So I trekked all the way back to Seattle (from my home in Woodinville, it's about a half hour).  When I got to the licensing office, the woman apologized profusely.  I assured her it really wasn't a big deal and more just amusing really.  She went to the auto shop next door to get one of the guys to come take the plates off my car and put the new ones on.  All the guys were on their lunch break.  So, despite her insistence that I stay inside and not go back out into the rain, I helped her switch the plates on my car.

Once everything was done, she asked me to come inside and wait by the front desk while she went into a back office.  When she came back, she pressed $10 in my hand and told me that normally they have some Starbucks gift cards, but they were out and I should go get myself a coffee because I was so sweet and wonderful.  I told her no way and tried to give it back.  I think we "argued" over this for at least a solid minute.  In the end, she wouldn't let me give it back.

So all in all, I was wet, cold, bewildered, and amused, but I got a free coffee and I finally had my WA license and plates.  And I'm still laughing about it.  =)

The reason I haven't been able to do that is because I don't go to work anymore.  On August 18th, the company that I was working for had a handful of layoffs and I just happened to be one of them.  I was a little annoyed by the suddenness of it.  The company had just secured a huge contract that was supposed to save everyone's jobs.  Apparently not.  In the end, however, I was esctatic.  I was never happy at that job.  Now I was out free and clear and I even got a little bit of severance.

For the past 2 months, life has been pretty relaxed.  Unemployment is really quite fantastic.  I do have some pretty good job leads and will likely be employed by the end of the year.  But in the meantime, I'm enjoying the opportunity that I have in front of me.

Created by The Oatmeal

1.  Why do I still have the same insecurities that I had when I was 15?  I'm a frickin adult now.  Shouldn't the last 10 years of life experiences have at least made me a tiny bit more secure about things?  Apparently not.  What the hell?  When I was younger, I used to look at adults and think they had everything so together.  So not true.

2.  Why do I keep going back to the same people looking for support?  Years and years of experience should have taught me long ago that those people will never offer the support I'm looking for, but I still look to them for it.  What on earth is wrong with me?  I know they aren't supportive, they've never been supportive.  What the hell am I doing?  Furthermore, when am I finally going to learn that the only person who is ever going to be fully supportive of me is me.  When push comes to shove, the only person who is ever going to look out for me is me.  I know this, so why don't my actions reflect this?  wtf

Okay, I'm done ranting.  Carry on.

However...as of today, I have lost 15lbs.  Fuck. Yeah.  I do still have quite a long way to go to get to my final goal, but this is a pretty good marker.  I now weigh the same as I did when I moved to Orange County in October of 2006.

I'm very proud of myself and I spent about 5 minutes dancing around in the bathroom after I weighed myself this morning.  Of course, the dancing around isn't anything uncommon, but still!

Woohoo!

So this morning, I got up and started trudging my way up the stairs to go the bathroom.  I noticed that the door to the downstairs living room was closed.  A little odd, but I figured Jason had decided to sleep on the couch down there since the upstairs is insanely warm.  A little bit into my routine (contacts in, running clothes on), the thought passed through my head "Oh, I bet Shadow is downstairs with Jason.  I should take Shadow running with me."  Because, you know, it makes a huge difference which ROOM Shadow is in (don't judge, you try forming coherent thoughts at 4:45am).

So I find Shadow's lease, but there is no collar attached to it....okay.  I grab the spare lease and collar set.  Then I go to get Shadow.  Unfortunately, when I opened the door to the downstairs living room, Shadow thought I was an intruder and started barking and growling.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks there is a murderer (Sylar) in the garage.  I told Shadow to shush, but it had already woken Jason up (oops!  sorry).  He muttered something, which I'm sure was "fuck you," but I grabbed the dog and closed the door.

So the run was pretty uneventful at first.  The morning was still pretty warm (70 degrees at 5am...really?  wtf?) and very muggy for Seattle.  Everything was going along fine until Shadow saw a bunny.  There was a little bit of trying to yank me into the bushes, but he recovered pretty fast once I told him "no."

And then Shadow saw it.  He saw it well before I did.  On the other side of the road from where I was running, standing on someone's lawn there was...a deer.  Shadow started barking up a storm and veering for the other side of the road.  I looked over and the deer was just staring at me.  I'm pretty sure she had been staring at me for a while, but a few moments after Shadow started barking she took off.  Still, there was a deer!  So cool.

About another half mile into the run, Shadow tried to trip me and that wasn't fun.  Other than that, nothing else exciting happened.  I only did 2.15 miles on a 9:30ish pace.  Not terrible, but I've got a ways to go.

BUT THERE WAS A DEER!

1. Start playing piano again.

2. Start learning French

3. Don't die on Hood to Coast

"Love.  I put my faith in love.  I followed where it led.  To my personal circle of hell.  It has not worked out well.  I wish that I were dead."

It needs to be noted that this is how I felt the last week of April, not now.  Now I feel great and I'm really incredibly happy.  However, I don't plan on making that mistake again.  I'll put my faith in something more tangible....like stainless steel.  =P

I'm Not That Girl (from Wicked)
Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl

Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl

Every so often we long to steal
To the land of what might have been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in

Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And Heaven knows
I'm not that girl

Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl