The Hiatus is Over
This is my first post in about three months. I have been an extremely busy, to say the least, but I think the madness is finally over. To sum up my activities since the time of my last post:1. Job searching in Indianapolis. Didn't find what I wanted, but in the meantime, Jackie finishes her MPH and gets a position at UTMB, Galveston, TX.
2. We pack our bags, and realize that the moving truck alone will cost us $1,100. Everybody freaks out.
3. I put in my notice at Noble of Indiana ,and starting looking for a job in Galveston, TX. I have been with Noble for 4 and half years, and was looking for something else anyway. Regardless, everybody freaks out again.
4. I tell my long-standing D&D gaming group and all of my other friends that we are moving away. This is the toughest part.
5. We move to Galveston, TX the weekend of GenCon in Indianapolis. It's also the weekend of my Fantasy Football draft. I miss both of them and wonder why the fates are exceedingly cruel.
6. Galveston is a very pretty town, but the unemployemnt rate is 12%. I have alot more trouble getting a decent job that I thought. I settle for being a waiter at Willie G's Seafood and Steakhouse. For now, the status of my resumes and job search are still pending, but the career of a Circus Clown becomes more appealing, as I know how to juggle and can make a balloon dog.
7. I play a single D&D session at the only local gaming store in town. I make a 6th level Wizard to suppliment the party's needs and am ready to roll. They're a very nice bunch of mid 20s and early 30s guys, but after the inital session I am able to pick up a Staff of Power and a couple of other high powered magic items. For those of you that don't know D&D, this is like playing chess against a computer opponent, only you're allowed to convert all of your pawns to queens before you start playing. In addition to many, many other problems, I have to say it was not very fun. With my regards, I told them that work will interfere with future sessions (which is true) and bowed out. I haven't played since, but I have hopes for a new game, as I am still organizing something in Clear Lake and trying to get a day job with stable hours.
8. Hurricane Rita hits, and I spend last week in a hotel room watching cable and trying to find an internet connection. Everybody REALLY freaks out. Not only that, the Austin City Limits festival was going on, and I was in the same city as both the Black Crowes and Widespread Panic. I just missed them. . . sooo close!
9. I am working today. This is the first Sunday in over ten years where I have had to work. I am not religious or anything. . . but it is Football season!
Well. . .
On a positive note, despite this post, things have definitely turned a corner. For one, I would not have writen this long bitch session if I didn't feel like things were ready to get better. I'm finally over the culture shock of a Gulf Coast town and all that it entails, and am narrowing in on a new job.
I feel very good that Jackie is doing well at UTMB, and I rest easy knowing that I'm doing everything I can to support her. Our life has been like an afterschool special entitled "Jackie and Chris Move to a New Town," and it's good to know that I'm with someone who understands my needs, and vice versa.
As for things to come. . . in November, I'll be travelling to Virginia for D&D with my old high school group, a yearly tradition for us. This year, I'll get to show off my first published article in a gaming magazine (the first of many, I hope). Plus, just for fun, I've decided to take the GRE, just to keep my options open. What's next?
Well work beckons, so it's time to put on my tie and apron and go sell some crab cakes. Nanu, Nanu. . . and all that.
posted by Chris W. @ 9:10 AM
