Today proved interesting for a multitude of reasons.  I spent a hefty part of the morning on the phone to our ISP trying to get the connection issues ironed out.  Then I took apart the wiring from the lone phone jack (what kind of house has only one phone jack?) through the kitchen wall, into the basement, up again through the floor in the room where the computer is.  Re-ran all that cord and reset the router.  Lo and behold, I'm connected.  Checked the phone, that works too.  I told the parents skanky old broken cords would screw up the signal.  I told them it could be interfering with the filter.  I told them broken things don't work as well as good things.  Well, look who's right.  The phone company is sending out a tech tomorrow.  I feel kinda bad that I did his job already.  Oh well, never hurts to have someone double check it.

This afternoon was interesting for a different reason.  My brother's part of a short-term exchange program with a school in Germany.  Last year he was over there for three weeks, this year we have one of his German classmates here.  He's a nice kid, not scared of the dachshunds like the last exchange student we had (but that one was scared of everything).  He likes my mom's chickens and he brought us all a little gift.  Which is where we come to the stereotype.  I know they say Americans all love food.  I guess we do.  He brought us big bags of gummi bears and boxes of chocolate.  Wine for my dad, candy for the women, and a sports jersey for my brother.  We went predictably gaga over the candy, and I felt like a walking bulls-eye. :P  He brought the gummi bears in a little German flag style purse thing, which is really kind of cool.  I'm excited to have him here, reminds me of a friend I left in Indiana (but German), and he reportedly loves video games.  Always welcome with me. 

Now that the last "big change" is over, hopefully I'll get to settle in a little bit.  I'm looking for jobs with career possibilities now.  Officially.  No more mucking around with Starbucks and dead end secreterial work.  Get me something that adds meat to my resume and will point me in the direction of a job I actually want.  Determination, here I come.

Just watch me eat those words when someone offers me decent pay to teach their pet poodle sign language. :roll: *sigh*