Eh...

I am a child holding a green balloon at an amusement park. It's a cloud free day and the smell of hot dogs and cotton candy lingers in the air. Each day, each job, each degree, and each relationship is a new ride that I anxiously wait in line for, thinking it will be the biggest and best…until the next one comes along. And on each ride, there are ups and downs.

In my non-metaphorical life, I hate roller coasters and I typically avoid amusement parks. Yet there is no escaping the ups and downs that go along with them, and yesterday was a definite down.

It's not that it was an awful day. It was just one that was busy and full of challenges and mistakes.

Life for me is moving at light speed these days and in a hop, skip, and a month, I went from teaching English in Japan to living in Worcester and diving head first into a busy new job. It's all going okay and I've even managed to find a friend that I really connect with and a new love interest. But, I'm feeling overwhelmed and tired.

I know that things will slow down as I continue to get more settled, but in the meantime, I need to remember that I'm not Superman. And if the lack of six-pack abs and the ability to fly doesn't remind me, hopefully I'll at least be able to pace myself a little better and apply the brakes on all of the pressure I have been putting on myself.

Here's to "glass half full" days and blind optimism. And here's to hoping that today will be one of them.

Worcester = Antartica

It is freezing here. I mean, seriously sersiously freezing.
I miss living in the desert where it was warm all year and I could wear my flip flops everyday.
And since I also miss living in Japan, here is a haiku about the cold:

Worcester is so cold
Icicles hang from my nose
Outside: I don't go

Okay, so I'm no Walt Whitman. But, normal words just can't express how cold it is here.

Other than turning into a Chris-cicle, things are good. I'm in the midst or RA training now and running on very little sleep (which begs the question of why I'm writing a blog now instead of going to bed)

I met my staff today and they all seem great. I'm very excited to work with them this semester, and the adreneline of meeting them will make up for the sleep I'm not getting during training.

Once things settle down after training, I really think I am going to be very happy here. In the mean time, I just need to keep reminding myself to take it day by day.

Okay, now I'm off to bed. Today was truly a roller coaster of highs and lows (mostly from being so tired), but it ended on a really high note. So here's hoping that tomorrow is a good one.

Introducing Will

So in yesterday's blog, I mentioned how big and relatively empty my apartment is and that I feel a little lonely in it.

Well, a few minutes ago, I discovered that I am not alone here afterall. I have a MOUSE in my house :(

His name is Will and he is a cute little grey mouse with tiny little ears. Is he a boy mouse? Your guess is as good as mine. But he made his first appearance while I was watching Will & Grace, so it seemed appropriate.

I've also decided that he grew up in Massachusetts, is a Democrat, and is hopefully an only child.

Does anyone know how to get rid of mice in a humane way? It seems so cruel to get those old traps that break their necks.

Worcester or bust!

Moving sucks! There's no other way to say it... It just sucks.

Late Tuesday night, I arrived here in Worcester and spent the next day unpacking and doing my best to get settled as quickly as possible. The apartment itself is amazing. It's a 3 bedroom, with 2 porches, hardwood floors, a faux fireplace, and tons and tons of closets. It's overwhelmingly big for one person, so I'm definately going to have to get a pet or a butler or something so that it doesn't feel so lonely.

I already started my new job on Thursday, and we had a 2 day overnight retreat at an amazing bed and breakfast in Newport, RI. I'd never been to a bed and breakfast before, and I must say that as far as first days at a job go, this was a pretty luxurious and enjoyable one.

I really like my coworkers and supervisors, and I think that I will get along and become friends with them very easily. Clark, my new university, is very different from the department I'm coming from at UNLV, so it is going to take a lot of getting used to. It's not different in a bad way, just in a different way.

Things are moving super fast.

I was doing really well readjusting and getting over the jetlag and culture shock while I was spending the holidays at home with my family. And it was definately nice to be taken care of by somebody else for a change. But once Tuesday came, I was suddenly faced with moving to a new place, getting settled, and starting a stressful new job in a matter of days.

I'm handling it okay, and I'm sure that I'll be much better once I get trained at work and finish getting settled in my apartment. But in the mean time, it would definately be nice if things would slow down a little. (Seeing as how winter training starts Wednesday night and opening is next weekend, I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon haha)

Definately aside from getting settled at home and at work, a high priority is making friends and developing a social/support network here. I really need that right now. (along with a serious shopping spree at IKEA to finish decorating)

Well, I'd better get back to setting up my apartment. Just wanted to give everyone an update.
Wish me luck with everything.