Whew!

After weeks of interviewing and worrying about the fact that "good jobs" are really hard to find here, I got an offer today from a financial institution similar to the company I worked at in Ohio. I accepted the offer.

I have a couple of other interviews scheduled for other companies during the next couple of weeks and I think I'm going to keep the interviews -- just in case I get a better offer. Networking and all that.

I'll be working in the collections department for personal loans but it doesn't seem that bad. A lot of point and click type stuff. I sat with someone during my second interview and he had been with the company over 7 years and loved his job. During the 30 minutes that I sat with him, he didn't get one person on the phone. He said that it's soft collections -- no threats or anything -- lots of listening and suggesting ways to come up with the money and trying to get a promise for something/anything.

The company seems decent -- it's a reputable company with offices all over the world. There is room for growth and development. The location where I'll be working is about 15 minutes from my home, across from a shopping mall, lots of restaurants, and a movie theater. It's a good location.

They met the salary I was making at my former company in Ohio and they also have bonuses and incentives. Most of the collectors bring home between $500-$1000 a month in bonuses/incentives once they are fully trained.

I start December 10 and will be in training for 4 weeks. Training is 8-5, M-F. Then, my regular schedule will entail working two days a week 8a - 6p, two days a week noon - 10 pm and then 8a -12p on either Friday or Saturday. The Friday/Saturday thing alternates every other week. One week, I'll work 8-12 on Friday and have Sat/Sun off. The next week, I'll have Friday and Sunday off and work 8-12 on Saturday. I like the idea of having Fridays off.

Benefits kick in one month after the start date so that means I only have to pay for COBRA for one more month, December.

I've already met my supervisor and most of the people I'll be working with and everyone seems nice. My supervisor seems like one of those no BS type of guys -- no games, straight-forward.

After my 90 day probation, I'll be eligible for incentives/bonuses and time off. Each employee gets 22 "time off" days to use in a calendar year -- as personal days, sick time, vacation days, etc. The company is closed on "regular" holidays like Mem. Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. We get paid for those days. Sometimes, they have other days off as "management" determines.

We get paid every other Friday so I'll get a paycheck before the end of December. Yeah! I can't tell you what a huge relief this is for me.

Now, hopefully my health will improve because I'll be getting back to a routine, collecting a regular paycheck and able to enjoy living here without worrying that my money will run out before I find a job and apartment.

Thank you to all of you who have offered constant support and positive thoughts. :)

http://www.fridgewatcher.com/

It has been a month and a few days since I left Ohio. I called my former apartment complex early last week to get an idea of when I'd get my deposit back and left a message for them to call me back.

A few days later, I hadn't received a response so I called again and this time got a live person.

"Hi, this is Beverly, I moved out a month ago and was just wondering when I can expect to receive my deposit," I said to the woman who answered the phone. Teresa.

"Um, what unit?" she asked.

"2503," I responded.

"2503?" (insert mumbling and papers being shuffled) "I just hung a notice on your doorknob letting you know we hadn't received this month's rent," she said.

"Well, I gave more than 30 days notice in writing and turned in all of my keys, parking pass, pool pass and forwarding information when I left on the 5th," I said.

"Hmm. Did you have a final walk through with Anthony before you left?" she asked.

"No. The rental office was closed and I had to leave so I dropped everything in the night deposit box," I said.

"Oh, here it is! It looks like Anthony just put your envelope in your file," Teresa said. I could hear the ripping of paper, like someone opening an envelope.

"Well, here's the thing," she continued, "Anthony quit and left a huge mess. I'm trying to weed through everything and to be honest, I didn't even know you moved out. I just put a late rent notice on your door and was getting ready to start eviction proceedings. I need to do a walk through and check your file to see what kind of deposit you paid and deduct damages. It'll probably be another month or so."

"I don't understand why I'm being penalized for your company's mismanagement," I said, "I guess I'll just have to call the Ohio Landlord Association and ask them for advice. I think they'll probably be interested in knowing that I've been gone a whole month and no one even noticed."

Teresa sighed. "I'll try to get in there sometime this week to look at your apartment. Call me back in a couple of weeks. I really do have a ton of things to weed through. Anthony left a huge mess.Now I'm going to have to look through files and see if we have other move outs that I don't know about."

"Fine. I'll give you two weeks," I said.

I have a feeling I won't be seeing that deposit anytime soon. I also think it's funny that despite the "mess" that Anthony left, she was pretty quick to hang a late rent notice on my door and to start thinking about eviction (it was only the 5th of the month) but had no clue that I was gone. You'd think that at some point the apartment manager would think, "You know, there has been no activity in 2503 for weeks. Maybe I'd better check on it." I mean -- every Sunday, someone hangs a thing on the doorknob with the weekly sales ads for grocery stores. Surely, at some point, she drove by and saw them hanging there, days after Sunday.

Maybe I'm giving them more credit than they deserve.

I really thought that moving to a place that has such beautiful scenery and more sunny days in a month than Ohio had in a year that I would NOT experience depression as soon as we did that "daylight savings time" thing that causes it to be dark by 5:30 p.m.

I was wrong.

OK, I guess I should admit that the "depression" was setting in before the time change but the early sunset seems to be making me feel worse.

I've been here a month and my life hasn't really changed that much from what I was doing in Ohio. That depresses me. Sure, I have the Chesapeake Bay right outside my back door. Sure, I do have warmer temps and more sunshine. Sure, I can walk to the beach.

But... life, in general, isn't all that exciting. I'm unemployed, living off of savings, have no friends nearby, and pretty much sit here each day watching daytime tv and cruising the net job hunting.

My hyperventilation syndrome has reverted back to the way it was before my doctor diagnosed me and put me on anti-anxiety meds. Once I get an attack, I'm pretty worthless for several hours. I don't even realize that it is happening until the side effects start to happen -- the dizziness, the headache, the numbness in my fingers and toes, the chest pains, the nausea, the indigestion, etc.

I know it's because I'm scared. All of you who are proud of me for taking a risk and making my dream come true are probably going to be disappointed and think I'm some sort of fraud, but... things aren't quite what I expected.

I miss my old job and the security of a regular paycheck. I miss my friends. I miss having people to talk to everyday. I miss the routine of going to work, checking my mail, watching tv, etc.

I apply for jobs every day and have been on several interviews. The "good" jobs -- I get rejected. The not so good jobs, I get rejected. I honestly didn't think it would be this hard to find a job but I guess a lot of people move here thinking the same thing. I may have a college degree and a steady work history, but it just isn't anything that people are advertising for. I don't know how many times I've wished during the past few weeks that I had some technical degree or specialized skill. Although I have my retirement money to tide me over, I can't relax and enjoy the time off because I worry that January will become February and February will become March... and I'll still be looking for a job and depleting my savings.... then May will be here and I won't have a job or apartment and will have to move out of the beach house and won't even have the money to move back to Ohio... and to be honest, I don't think I can make that trip again.

We had some pretty rough weather last week as a result of a noreaster and I didn't know what to expect. The wind was rough and all of my neighbors had metal shutters on their windows. I called the realtor and she never called me back. The sunroom is all glass and I have no shutters. There were times I thought for sure that the windows were going to blow inwards. I was scared and worried... and pissed off that the realtor didn't respond and wished that I had someone here with me who could reassure me that I was going to be safe.

(sigh) I needed to vent. I called a friend and tried to tell her how I was feeling but she didn't totally understand. "You'll be ok," she just kept saying. That doesn't help me feel better. I'm a worrier. I need to know that I AM going to find a job by the end of the year -- a good job with steady pay similar to what I was making in Ohio and benefits. I need to know that I'm not going to wake up broke in a few months and have no safety net, no back up plan, no one to hold my hand... and it definitely doesn't help that the sun goes down so early and all I want to do is sit here and cry... or sleep.

Thanks for letting me vent.

On a brighter note, in one year, we'll be free from the reign of Bush.

This blog will probably fall into the "tmi" category but I was telling the story to a friend today and she said that it was too funny to not share with my blog/blop friends.

My mom sent me some money for my birthday. I did the responsible thing and opened a checking account with the money so that I could have a local bank. (The bank I had in Ohio doesn't have branches here and although I can keep using it to buy things with my debit card, I can't use it to cash checks, etc.)

Then, on Monday, I was driving down a major street here and saw this store called "The Love Shack". For some bizarre and unexplained reason, I impulsively pulled into the parking lot of the store and went inside, as brazen as you please. I'm a grown woman. I have... needs. Part of me did it just to test myself. Part of me did it because I tossed out my last "bob" (battery operated boyfriend) before I moved because I kept having these "fears" that the movers would drop a box and out it would come and I'd be mortified that total strangers would see it. (Although, I have no problem telling total strangers that I had one, obviously.)

The store was your typical "adult" store -- movies, clothing, etc. When I walked in the door, the store was empty. A young man, mid-twenties, kind of attractive, came out of the back room and asked, "Can I help you find anything?" (Typical sales associate speak.) I said I was just looking and thanked him. (Typical customer speak.) I went to the back of the store where they had the battery operated things and started browsing. I had nothing specific in mind and once I started looking, realized I had no clue what I really wanted, or how I much I wanted to spend. But... I had spent a fair bit of time browsing and didn't want to just leave the store and have the clerk think I was some weirdo who got off on browsing in adult stores. I mean, if you go into the place, you are obviously looking for something specific. It's not like being at the mall and wandering into Bath and Body Works. At least, in my mind, I felt compelled to buy something.

So, I picked up something small and pretty ordinary. Less than $20. I boldly walked to the cash register.

The young man came out and asked if there was anything else I needed. I said no.

"All sales are final," he said, "Do you want to see if it works before you leave?" My eyes had to do that cartoon thing and I felt a bit of a blush forming. It seemed like such a forward thing to ask. Did I want to see if it worked?

"It's a gift," I stammered. The guy shook his head.

"No, I meant, put batteries in it and make sure it works," he clarified. Whew! No boomchicka moment. I had this real quick vision for a moment of a cheap porno. "Miss, do you want to make sure it works?" the young stud asks and then we disappear behind a curtain with my toy and giddy expressions on our faces. I was pretty embarassed that I misunderstood.

"Oh, yeah. Do you have any batteries?" I asked, trying to rebound. He nodded and put them into the toy. Then, he turned it on and handed it to me to show me that it worked. I quickly touched it and nodded. He put it into the box.

"Oh, do you have a gift bag?" I asked casually, trying to further emphasize that the toy wasn't for me. He looked at me like I had asked him if he wanted to go back and see if the toy worked.

"We don't sell gift bags. You're the first person who has ever asked," he said. I quickly nodded and handed him my debit card and then left as soon as the sale was done.

The words "do you have a gift bag?" kept ringing in my head as I drove home.

So much for being a suave adult who can boldy go where she hasn't gone alone before. :)

I've been stressing about the "what if" of finding a job down here, worried that I won't find one before my money runs out.

Although, technically, I can financially support myself for a few more months of unemployment, I'm still experiencing my "hyperventilation" stuff and part of me thinks that it's because I *need* to be working, bringing in money, in order to feel safe.

So, I started to look for jobs about a week ago. I interviewed with a temp agency and did well on their "tests" (typing, computer, etc) but they just don't have anything in my salary-range right now. I even applied for a call center job for a major insurance company, thinking I'd be a sure thing for them, but got a rejection letter instead. THAT threw me for a loop because the call center job was my "safety" job -- the job I figured I wouldn't even have to really try to get. Guess they are pickier than I thought -- or maybe they looked at my resume and thought I'd probably just quit on them after I finished the 10 week training program.

A few days ago, I saw an ad on MONSTER for an "event promotion/entry level marketing" job. I've always wanted to work in event promotions. Awhile back, I worked for an agency and part of my job involved coordinating training, attending conferences, recruiting people, training people, representing the agency at meetings, etc. I really enjoyed that part of the job. Meeting people, organizing things, etc. So, I applied for the job and they called me the next day and asked me to interview. I checked out the company online and they seemed like a legitimate event promotion company. They mentioned working for major national clients and charities, promoting the agency and charity's goals, etc. In my mind, I saw myself going to various events around Virginia Beach, helping out, passing out literature, freebies, etc. Maybe even racking up a few free "promotional" items myself and meeting lots and lots of people. Getting paid to have fun.

On Tuesday, I met with the president of the company -- an overly cheerful person who raved about how wonderful his company was and how he was looking for an energetic, friendly, motivated, go-getting kind of person to represent the company in the public and spread the word about their clients' goals. He asked me what I thought his company did and I told him the above things -- meeting people, passing out stuff, promoting things, etc. He told me I was dead on and invited me to a second interview. He said that the second interview involved helping out an actual event and he asked me if I was interested. I said yes. He gave me some literature about D.A.R.E and told me that the event was for them.

Like a dork, I read the literature and even looked at the DARE website to get an idea of what might be going on. DARE is about drug abuse resistance education, led by members of law enforcement. I thought we'd be going into a school or something and helping the law enforcement officers. Maybe passing out things to the kids. Doing role play.

I realized two things on Wednesday:

1) I'm not ready to go back to work.

2) entry level "marketing" jobs are just "sales" scams

I had to get up fairly early in order to get ready for interview # 2 for the marketing job and it was incredibly hard to get moving. Aside from the mornings I got up early to move here, I haven't really had any kind of set bed time or wake up time. My body wasn't ready for the alarm clock.

The second interview was a complete nightmare. I got there at 9 and there were about 7 other women in the lobby -- none of them looked particularly "professional". We got to watch this "motivational" video and the people on the video used phrases like "growth potential" and "earning potential" and "unlimited potential" and "be your own boss" and "incredible opportunities to own your own business." My gut instinct told me to run but the masochist in me wanted to find out "more".

Then, after the video, the president came out, all perky, and asked us all if we were in a good mood and ready to go and made us respond by yelling. He did one of those "I can't hear you" type things until we yelled that we were in a good mood. I was thisclose to leaving but again, I was curious.

So, he introduced me to "Bill" (names have been changed), his "top" trainer, who was this older guy in his late 50s/early 60s with white hair, bushy eyebrows and that "used salesman" kind of look. I can't explain it. He just looked like someone who would try to sell me a car he knew wouldn't run.... and not regret one moment of it.

"Bill" told me that we were going to be travelling together to the "DARE event" and that he'd show me the ropes and then if he felt I was a good fit, would bring me back to the office for my third and final interview. When we walked out into the parking lot, I asked him where we were going and if I could meet him there. "Oh, no, we drive together." Then, this military-looking guy joined us.Bill introduced him as Steve, a trainee, who would be going with us. I asked again if I could drive myself "just in case" andBill pretended like he didn't hear me and ushered us to his car. By this time, it was something like 10:00 a.m.

When I got into the car,Bill handed me a piece of paper that said things like "you will spend the day observing employees excelling in their career...." and that by signing the paper, I acknowledged that I would not be entitled to any portion of commissions of sales made while I was observing. I signed the paper. What the heck, right? I had a good feeling I wouldn't be making any sales myself. The word "commission" sent up another red flag. Selling things? At a promotional event? The naive part of me thought that maybe it was stuff like you'd see at concerts or whatever -- souvenir type things.

We drove for awhile -- a good 20 minutes -- and I asked, "Where exactly are we going?" He said, "FedEx Kinkos in Chesapeake." (Chesapeake is a VB suburb -- about 25 minutes away.) I asked if someone from DARE was going to meet us there. He said, "We are DARE." I said, "No, I mean, an officer or sheriff." He said, "No. We represent DARE." (Now, keep in mind, eventhough I sensed "sales" were in my future, part of me still believed we would be helping DARE with their mission -- educating people about drug abuse.) I said, "Are we qualified? I mean the DARE website said that the officers go through training." Bill said no more. So, I tried to ask questions about pay, hours, benefits and he kept changing the subject, saying he wasn't allowed to talk about that stuff. He kept feeding me the "I love my job". "My job is fun." "I love meeting people." Etc. Steve asked me questions about why I moved here, etc. It was a fairly awkward ride. I was trying to memorize the roads and streets and trying not to wig out about the fact that I foolishly got into a car with two total strangers and had no clue where we were going.

We arrived at this shopping center and I thought we're actually going INSIDE the fedex kinkos store but instead,Bill drags this folding table onto the sidewalk and sets it up. He then places a "DARE" banner on the table and sets up an assortment of low-budget toys, books and "educational" materials on the table. There are a few items about "drug abuse" and "stranger danger" but mostly... just really cheap looking puzzle books and toys. He then puts out an old fashioned credit card machine and a hand full of DARE pamphlets. Suddenly, the light bulb goes on in my head. These people are those people I avoid like the plague when I'm out because I don't totally believe that the "charity" they represent really gets the money they make. So, the cynic in me rears its head and starts questioning Bill about profits and price point and how much goes to Charity etc. As I suspected, not much actually goes to the charity. Then,Bill proceeds to tell me how to "judge" people and decide how much I think I can get out of them... and point out that I'm not allowed to say "for sale". I have to emphasize that in "exchange" for a "contribution/donation", the person gets to take away one of the toys, books, etc.Bill also pointed out that no price is printed on any of the items and that it's up to me/them to decide how much the item should go for depending on the person standing at the table. Blah blah blah.

I got to watch them try to "get donations" from several people and then got to hear their disparaging comments about the people as they walked away and I knew that it was not anything I'll ever want to do in this life. In the course of a couple of hours, I discovered that they are not allowed to sit down or leave the table unattended at any time. I discovered that they are given X number of items at the beginning of the "Event" and that at the end of the day, they are not allowed to return unless they've reduced inventory by a certain percent.Bill said sometimes he has had to "buy/donate" things himself but he said he didn't mind because he was donating to charity and if he wanted to, he could try to re-use it later for pure profit. I got the distinct impression that they probably overprice things and pocket the difference. Sales. I know. It's just not for me.

So, I told Bill, "Look, this isn't for me." He tried to change my mind by touting all of these great reasons to have the job. I said, "Look, I'm really not interested in standing here all day trying to sell things to people and letting them think the money is going to charity when it isn't." He said, "Well, that's your call." Then, I asked him if he'd take me back. He said no. I thought he was joking. He said, "Seriously, no. You signed a piece of paper stating that you'd observe the entire event and this event isn't over and if I leave, I lose income." I said, "Steve is here. Surely you can run me back." He said, "No. If you want to leave, call a cab. Take a bus. Call a friend. Or you can find some place to hang out until I'm done and ride back with me." I said, "I don't even know you and I don't feel safe hanging out with you all day. I think I'll call the police and explain that you've lured me out here and see what they have to say." He just shrugged and said, "They won't care. You came willingly and I'm not preventing you from leaving." I said, "I don't have any money for a cab or the bus. You know I don't have a job and just moved here." He said, "It's not my problem." I said, "Seriously, you can't just be a nice person and take me back?" He said, "I'm not leaving."

I went inside the Fedex store and freaked out a little in the restroom, cried a little. Asked the clerk if what they thought a cab to VB would cost and they told me that it would be hard to find a cab that time of day who would be willing to drive back and forth between Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. I tried to think of people to call and of course, there was no one. My heart was racing.

Then, I decided that I was going to be a b*tch.

So, I stood right in front of the table and every time a person approached and they'd start their sales pitch, I'd interrupt and tell the "truth" -- how much profit they get, how much the item was worth, how much the charity would get.Bill got mad.Steve looked at me like I was crazy. The people would walk away.

Finally,Bill said, "Ok, fine, I'll take you back." As we approached his car, I took note of his license plate and had my cell phone in my hand, ready to dial 911 in case he turned into a freak.

He took me back, totally silent the entire drive. What a nightmare!

I think I'll stick to my temp agency and just wait it out a little longer.... and enjoy sleeping in.... maybe buy some lottery tickets.

I can't believe I've been here a week already. I've logged on a few times to blog about the week before I got here and the days since I've arrived but I don't know where to start.

The week right before I left Ohio was pretty stressful for me. There was just so much to do and it seemed like I was going to run out of time and energy before I even got in the car to come here. It didn't help that my "hyperventilation" episodes seemed to increase in frequency the closer I got to the move-out date. When I get one, it can take several hours for me to feel "normal" again.

Thankfully, my friend Mandy had made a major dent in the packing and cleaning and then my friend Janelle showed up the Tuesday before I moved to help, too. Still, we were running around like headless chickens right up until the minute we left.

The guys who showed up to load the UHAUL were fantastic. They were young, energetic, friendly and fairly attractive. They had the UHAUL loaded within an hour and we were on the road a couple of hours earlier than I expected. Janelle rode with me for a couple of hours in case I had an episode. We stopped in my former stomping ground Marietta, Ohio for lunch. Janelle switched over to ride with her husband Todd and I moved Molly up to the front seat. Molly was not happy to be in her crate but eventually accepted her fate and took a nap.

We arrived in Beckley, WV - the estimated halfway point - around 3:00 p.m. I took a nice cool shower and Molly found a spot on the carpet to roll around on for several hours. Janelle, Todd and I had dinner at a local Applebee's and then I crashed by 8:30 p.m.

We were up and on the road by 6:00 a.m. on Sunday. It was quite spooky to be driving that early in the morning. The roads were empty and it was dark, foggy and perfect for a horror film. The scaredy cat in me crawled along, about 10 miles under the posted speed limit, because I just couldn't see the road in front of me and to make matters worse, Molly was particularly unsettled and kept howling and crying in her carrier. I couldn't get reception on my cell phone either. After the sun came up, I felt a little better but Molly kept on yowling.

About halfway in, I asked Janelle to drive for a little bit because I just wasn't feeling that great -- my head was fuzzy and my chest was hurting. To top it off, poor Molly had a urine incident in her carrier and she hovered near the opening, looking whipped. I reached in and tried to rearrange her blanket so that she wouldn't have to sit in pee for the remaining few hours. I sat in the backseat with Molly and she calmed down and eventually fell asleep.

In Richmond, Janelle picked up her car at the airport and I was back on my own.

The rest of the trip went pretty quickly because I knew I was less than 1 1/2 hours from the beach.

We arrived at the beach house around 12:30 on Sunday and, surprise surprise, the key the realtor sent wouldn't work. I had to call her to come let us in. Molly sat in her crate crying and I was annoyed because it was pretty typical, considering how flaky the realtor had been up to then. She came, unlocked the door, gave me a key, turned on the A/C, rattled on about having an open house, told me that the beat up car andfishing boat in my yard belonged to a friendly fisherman who used to live thereand then took off.

The "unloaders" showed up around 1:30 -- and were the complete opposite of the guys who loaded my truck. I had reserved two men for two hours. Instead, one man showed up with his three kids - who had no experience with moving/unloading. They didn't know how to treat things with care or how to maximize the space in the small room I was cramming all of my "not being used for awhile" stuff. I had to stand in a doorway, trying to scarf down a sub from Subway (because I hadn't eaten all day) while telling the boys where to put things and then following behind them to make sure that they did it right. The "father" eventually came in and I told him that the kids had no clue how to pack a room, so then he had to rearrange stuff. I'd hear him outside "lecturing" the kids on how to carry things, etc but he did not impress me. I felt sorry for the poor kids who got dragged along with Dad on their Sunday.

While they were unloading, I also got to meet my next door neighbor Denise and her two dogs, Charlie and Brooklyn. She was very nice.

Janelle and Todd left soon after the unloaders and I took a shower and just sort of sat in the sunroom staring at the mountain of boxes waiting to be unpacked and wondering just what I had gotten myself into. I eventually got dressed, took a walk on the beach, and then hopped in my car and dashed across the street to the grocery store conveniently located there and got some bottled water, fresh fruit and breakfast stuff to tide me over until I could find a better, nicer grocery store.

The next day, I met "Robert", the old fisherman who used to live here, who still has "rights" to the property for commercial fishing purposes. He told me to not be alarmed if I hear him and his "boys" on the property in the middle of the night. He also extended the "invite" to join them sometime. I also had another chat with Denise about living there.

So - each day since then, I've been adventuring -- exploring -- trying to get acclimated and finding time to walk on the beach. I'm still having "hyperventilation" episodes which wipe me out - especially whenever I start to think about finding a job. On Thursday, I pulled a muscle in my back moving some furniture and I've been having trouble with sitting and moving, so I've been spending a lot of time lying on my back, slathered with Ben Gay on top of a heating pad, trying to get the kinks out of my back. I'm still stiff and if I'm not better in a couple of days, I'm going to see a "holistic chiropractor".

I have an interview with a temp agency tomorrow (Tuesday). I figure I'd better try to find something before the "good jobs" are gone and my money runs out and all that's left is Santa's Elf or something.

The "fun" part of the move is finding new stores and learning how to navigate the streets from "memory" instead of Mapquest. I'm trying hard to not look like a tourist, but I think my standind on the beach every afternoon, camera in hand, is pretty much a sure fire sign that I'm "new".

I haven't met many other people but for the most part, everyone I've encountered is nice. The realtor stopped by on Saturday to check on me and to show me how to turn on the heat when I need it. Then, the owner of the house stopped by to say hi on his way to a wedding. He was very nice and showed me how to turn off the water to the outdoor shower in case it drops below freezing to keep the line from freezing and bursting under the house.

I've posted some videos at MySpace and tried to post them here but I had trouble getting them to upload. So, please, if you have MySpace, feel free to check out the videos I've posted there. Every day, there seems to be something new at the beach to photograph.

I tried to mount a camera to my dash so that I could drive around and show my friend Mandy what things look like here, so close to the beach, but the dash jiggled too much for the video to be clear enough to share.

I love the beach. It doesn't quite feel real that I'm here. I don't want to work but I know I need to. I wish I felt better. I really expected to get here and bam, all of my health problems be gone. Guess it's gonna take some time. The first few nights here were lonely --- and very very quiet.

I had trouble sleeping because I didn't know what it's like to sleep in a place where the only "sound effects" are crickets chirping and waves splashing. I'm used to sirens, loud music, yelling neighbors, gunshots, etc. I had to turn on my television and set the sleep timer so that I had some "noise" to fall asleep to. Now, I'm doing ok.

Now, my back is aching so I'm gonna go watch some tv.

Some photos until I blog about the weekend!

loading the Uhaul on Saturday:

Molly - sassing me for locking her in the kitchen during the loading of the Uhaul:

Molly marking her spot on the carpet in the motel on Saturday night:

Early early Sunday morning, just entering Virginia before sunrise:

First glimpse of water as I get closer to VB on Sunday:

On the highway, approaching VB:

Approaching the house:

The side door and view:

Molly wanting out:

Molly making herself at home:

Public walkway to the beach, near my house:

My Flinstones Toes in the sand:

How clear the water looks:

Bright sun, near sunset:

Sunny reflection on wet sand:

View from deck, Monday morning, pre sunrise:

Just a quick blog to let you know that Molly and I made it safely. I'm still recuperating from the long drive and as soon as I have energy, I'll update y'all (I am a Southerner now) with the details of the trip and some photos. :)

I can't believe I'm finally less than a week away from moving to the beach. It took forever to get here and, to be honest, there were several times during the past few months that I didn't think it would happen.

But, perserverence and all that...

This will probably be my last blog from Ohio and before I move.

My friend Janelle arrives on Tuesday and I have several "last minute" tasks to complete before we leave on Saturday, the 6th.

I'll try to check in when I can, but... the next time I write a blog, it'll probably be from the beach-facing sunroom of my little beach cottage on the Chesapeake Bay.

I'm just a little excited. :)