Still Discovering

I've spent all week "discovering" McKeesport.

And despite the rundown branch, the mean customers and the fact that I had a security guard sitting right across from me watching every move the other employees, customers and myself made, I actually had a fantastic work week.

It was a short commute (15-20 minutes? Max?), the employees were so helpful and nice to me and we weren't too insanely busy. Plus, since we are in the ghetto, referrals aren't as big of a deal so that was less stress on me.

Cause, you know, they don't really have money to invest.

Spinning the wheel, taking chances.

Went on a 2nd date with a law student named Rory tonight.

A+ for him tolerating my nagging desire to play games and drink at Dave & Busters all night. I was ridiculous (RIDICULOUSLY) cranky/upset going into the date for other reasons I won't go into right now (plus I had worked for 10 hours), but I came out of that place with the biggest smile on my face. Even though Rory kicked my ass at many of the games -- though I DID hit 1,000 tickets on the WHEEL! And he didn't. Just want to point that out.

Afterwards, we went to Eat N Park and I didn't get home until about 2 a.m. I was exhausted at work the next day but you know what - every single yawn was worth it.

...And I'm not just saying that because he gave me all of his tickets either.

Can you point out the... idiot?

I'm not even going to tell you how long it took me at work today to realize there was a step-flusher next to the toilet.

It's almost as embarrassing as it was taking this picture.

Discovering McKeesport

I am working at another new (to me) branch this week. I was dreading going to this branch all weekend, because everyone I had talked to prior to going into work today had told me I was going to hate every second of it.

As I drove over the McKeesport Bridge and saw the large "Discover McKeespor" sign, I realized McKeesport wasn't a place I really wanted to discover.

Grandma Gone Wild

Tonight, my Grandma showed me her new toy.

Grandma: So a man came from the state and said they owed me $1600 - you know, cause I'm old. And they asked me if there was anything I needed and I told them I just hate climbing those steps to go down into the basement. And now look! I have a chair that rides me up and down. And it only cost me $100 out of my own pocketbook! Imagine! Never having to climb stairs again!

She then showed me how it worked.

Three times.

Finding My Way

Huge, out-of-this world family argument tonight I can't even begin to go into. Just know it started with me taking a bath and ended with me being "worthless" and a "disappointment."

Luckily, people come into your life just when you need them most. And someone I needed most was there for me at 1:30 in the morning when I couldn't bare to stay in my house any longer.

I had to find my way back to my house this morning, but the journey home was a lot easier than the journey there. And because of him, I was able to sleep and find peace before I had to return "home."

LaLa's Secret Diet Tip

At a Chinese Buffet, one must always look for healthy options. Thats why LaLa has come up with her top-secret buffet diet tip of the day:

1) Fill plate with delicious foods you crave.
2) Pile on all kinds of fatting foods you've been meaning to try.
3) Go back SEVERAL times.
3) Throw ONE apple slice onto the plate. Call it even.

Ditto is a Jackass = Happy Birthday Jesus?

I went to Overly to look at Christmas lights with my cousin Tonya, her husband Rich, their kids Kyra & Trent, my Aunt Carol, Uncle Bill, their friends and my dad.

The highlight of the night, besides the Oooing and Ahhing from Trent, was the fact that next to the manager scene they had a live donkey... with the sign "Ditto is a Jackass" next to it.

I think Tonya & I laughed for a good ten minutes.

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaankful!

Reasons I Was Thankful Today:
(In no particular order!)

Gage
Laken
Liam
Trent
Kyra
G-Love
Kelli
Amy
Jarion
Tonya
Rich
Aunt Carol
Uncle Bill
Aunt Betty
Becky
Mark
David
Lauren
Mom
Dad
Angelo & Elaina (Uncle Bill's Friends)

A house filled with noise, food & love.

The best Thanksgiving I think I've had since I was a kid.

OMG SOCIAL LIFEEEEEE!

MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!
MY FRIENDS ARE HOME!



...God, have I missed LaLa and Miles.

....PURPOSE!

Nothing like seeing a fabulous Broadway production downtown to make you feel alive again.

Yes, I realize how homosexual that made me sound.

But seeing Avenue Q -- filled with so much quest for PURPOSE, HUMOR about everyday life and MEMORIES that stir up with me during certain songs, really put my life into perspective.

. . . . . . .

PRINCETON:
I wish I could go back to college.
In college you know who you are.
You sit in the quad, and think, "Oh my God!
I am totally gonna go far!"

ALL:
How do I go back to college?
I don't know who I am anymore!

. . . . . . .

It's okay to stumble along the way.

I'm not the only one struggling out there.

Neeeeeeeeeeeext!

Back to work, behind the line.

With every customer, a new experience.

Suffice it to say my training is going well but I can't imagine this being my life. I look at the women next to me -- two of them who have been doing this for six years -- same branch, same window, same job -- and shudder.

I need to find my purpose.

Goodbye, Fall

Except for this one tree in the middle of Mt. Lebanon, I'm pretty sure fall has ended in Southwest PA. I know the calendar begs to differ, but everything around us is so dead. A far cry from the beautiful blue skies and palm trees of Tucson.

...Which means winter is coming.

I'm already too cold.

It's No Secret

...that I love PostSecret.

Frank Warren, the creator of Postsecret.com was in Pittsburgh with the guys of FOUND Magazine to give a talk on his special project.

I laughed, I cried, I saw myself in displayed secrets.

It was nice to be in a room of strangers and feel so connected to them. Honestly, if anyone could bring peace to the world, I'm pretty sure Frank Warren has the best shot.

Things I've Learned About Dating

...Boys like to eat.

A lot.

My First Branch

Today was my first day of branch training, at a branch about 35 minutes from my house.

I was extremely nervous going in today, I won't lie, but the minute I got there I knew I would be okay. Maybe not "okay" experience-wise but at least I could tell my supervisor would be an excellent one to work for. I pretty much attached myself to her hip for most of the day, but the other women were really welcoming.

I just need to take it day by day. And try not to get robbed.

So first day down, four more to go...

Class Dismissed

Today was the last day of teller training for the bank.

Over the 7 business days we've been trained, I've come to ADORE the women I was trained with. Honestly, when I started this training I thought I would hate every single second of it... little did I know I'd be blessed to be locked up in the training room with such outgoing, eccentric characters. Seriously, I adored and laughed my ass off with EVERY single one of them. I couldn't have ASKED for a better group.

We could seriously have opened a comedy club. I laughed until I cried.

And Jerry, our instructor, is definitely going to miss us.

But my first day out in a branch is tomorrow.
Here's to not getting robbed on the first day!

Don't Even Ask

Apparently the babies brought their stomach virus with them across the state line when they visited on Sunday.

Literally ALL I did today was throw up every half hour from 6 a.m. until almost 3 p.m. I've never been so sick in my entire LIFE. It was horrific.

Which means.. I missed my 6th day of training with the bank. Which puts me behind a day. Which is a semi-big deal because I already had a three-day weekend to help me forget whatever I had learned the week before. Now it was a four-day weekend of forgetting.

However, I doubt my training instructor would have held my hair back while I processed practice transactions, so I guess I made the right decision when I stayed home.

Hello, Mattie

Today at Target with Candi, I passed a ton of HELLO KITTY stuff in the $1 bins at the front of the store.

I love Hello Kitty and every time I see it I can't help but think of A) How much I loved my Hello Kitty stationary and B) How much Matt hated my Hello Kitty stationary.

I also can't help but think of how much more often I heard from Matt when we were writing letters back and forth while I was at school rather than being a quick 40 minute car trip away.

Yes, Matt. I blogged about how much you are ignoring me.

And I KNOW you have TWO tests on Thursday. But everyday is NOT TWO-TESTS-THURSDAY! CALL ME!

Surprise Visit

Today, G-Love and Cousin Amy brought the BABIES up for a surprise visit today! So I got to spend the afternoon with my favorite Quinton, Laken & Liam.

You could tell Laken was in all his glory this trip.

This was right before he slapped G-Love in the face....

...but AFTER he threw a temper tantrum in the brand new Sephora in South Hills Village Mall.

He's almost three. These terrible twos should be over soon, right?

Ourlikes.Blogspot.com

So, the website I've been doing freelance marketing for - Ourlikes.com - now has a blog.

That I have to blog for on a semi-regular basis as part of its marketing.

It's not linked on my links section on this blog, but if you are bored...
http://ourlikes.blogspot.com

I promise it will get more interesting. Sooner or later. Maybe.

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry...

I honestly didn't mean for this blog to become the chronicles of a dating life, but whatever. There's nothing else to do in Pittsburgh when all of your friends are in other cities or busy with school and (until recently) you've been unemployed. I need some reason to leave the house.

Date #2 with Yet-to-be-Mentioned Boy was my most recent reason to leave the house after I got home from my first week of being employed. We didn't do anything too exciting -- but the first thing on the agenda was a trip out to Westmoreland Mall where he needed to get a new cell phone.

Yet-to-be-Mentioned: Shit. I forgot it's Friday night.
Me: ...So?
Yet: That means the mall is going to be infested with preteens.
Me: Haha! It can't be that... holy shit.
(Mass number of hoodlums working their way through parking lot towards mall entrance. So bad it's to the point where we can't even get his truck through to park.)

We walked into the mall, only to realize that Christmas had literally vomited all over Westmoreland Mall. VOMITED. It was... the most intense thing I have ever seen. I felt like I was a living, breathing part of some overly hyped Christmas movie starring Tim Allen.

Christmas music was BLARING from the speakers like we were at a rock concert, not a decent-sized mall north of Pittsburgh. People were EVERYWHERE... you couldn't walk without physically hitting someone. Eventually after much squeezing and pushing and pulling - we were able to make it to the Sprint booth, where two employees looked like they'd rather be shot in the face then spend one more minute in this huge, Christmas explosion.

Me:(yelling) What is going on???
Spring Guy: (yelling) Didn't you hear? Santa Claus arrived.
Me: You're KIDDING. All of THIS because of THAT?
Spring Guy: They had MARCHING BANDS playing earlier. MARCHING BANDS!

Working Class

This is the sign I ride under every single day as I enter the building my training is being held in downtown from the T station underground. There is an underground passage way from the T that connects our building to the T stop, plus another building.

I would have loved to have posted a cool picture of the building, but like I said, I don't go outside from 6:45 a.m. when I get on the T, until about 6 or 6:30 at night when I get off at my home stop. So I never actually SEE the outside of the building.

But trust me, its lovely.

Ready, Set... COUNT!

Ready, Set... COUNT!
Originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate2

Today was our first official day of "training" I guess. The past two days have been nothing but listening to policy and security procedures. Blah blah. You might get robbed, don't freak out, blah blah.

Luckily, there are 7 women in my training class who I adore, so the time passes quickly. I honestly never expected to laugh as much as I have this week, surrounded by these women.

Even more exciting? One of those women graduated in 2003 from a high school that neighbors my high school's school district... and ALSO went to the University of Arizona the SAME years I did!

Instant friends. All we've done recently has been discuss Tucson obsessively... which has made us both incredibly homesick for it.

So I guess the job... so far so good.
It's not my life's calling, but it will suffice for now.

Commute

Commute, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

When I get on the T to go to training downtown, its dark outside.
When I get off the T after a long day, its dark outside.

In fact, the only sunlight I've seen the past two days has been when I'm riding across the river to downtown Pittsburgh and I can see the sunlight hitting the buildings. As I leave downtown that night, I can see the light fading away in the distance. I can't imagine how people do this for years. Its depressing.

I'm also not used to this whole "hour and 20 minutes" commute thing.

Nope. Not one bit.

New Places, Friendly (Known) Faces

New Places, Friendly (Known) Faces, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

Today, I started my training downtown for bank telling.

I was ridiculously nervous. I didn't sleep well last night, woke up way too early this morning, got to the T station far to soon, caught an earlier trolley... and ended up downtown (what I thought) was 45 minutes before I was to start.

Then I realized my paper said 8:30 instead of 8 a.m.

Which meant I had an hour and 15 minutes to kill.

But other than that... the day was okay. We only stayed til 2:45 instead of 5, which was good. It was a little overwhelming to be starting at so much paperwork for 6 hours, so I was happy to leave, despite the missed hours of pay.

You know, already I think I'm torn between loving it and hating the job. I think the "loving it" comes from the fact that I haven't worked in three months and if I sit still for another moment longer I may just explode. But its hard to sit there and realize you aren't utilizing the degree and tools you've worked so hard to obtain....

Speaking of sitting, I felt like I was going to have a "first day of school, who am I going to sit with at lunch" moment. But luckily, I randomly text messaged my old coworker and friend Jess (who I havent seen in two years!)... and not only does she work downtown - but she works for the same bank I work for! So she met me for lunch!! And she's planning on meeting me for lunch for the rest of my training...

So not only do I not have to worry about feeling like a loser all week, I actually have something to look forward to each day -- reconnecting with an old friend. :)

What Drives Your Life? ...Money!

What Drives Your Life, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

So my mom bought me The Purpose Driven Life book last Christmas, and I never got around to reading it.

Week after week, my mom would nag me to start it. Finally, as pathetic as it sounds, she knew I was short on cash and offered to pay me $25 to start reading it.

I read the first chapter... and back onto the shelf it went. I just haven't had time to read lately, especially for a book I don't really have an interest in reading.

Well, my mom owes me some money that she is now holding hostage until I start reading the book again. So I finally sat down to read Chapter Two... only to see a $10 bill fall out.

Apparently she put that in there weeks ago.

Puppy!

Puppies!, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

The point of this blog is to remind everyone of how cute Jasmine is.

The end.

And... It Starts

And... It Starts, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

Today was the first day I had to sit in the car and wait for the frost on my windshield to defrost before I could back out of the driveway.

Something tells me I'm not in the desert anymore.

Cuddles To Last

Cuddles To Last, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

I did NOT want to put Gage Michael down this morning.

Kelli even gave me some more time and let herself be a few minutes late for work so I could get some extra time in with him. I think she understands how sad I am to say goodbye each time. It's not like I hide it well.

But there we were again - at the door. He cuddled his face into my neck, before I finally told him he had to go to Hope's, his babysitter.

"Cuz Kahwee, you go to Hopey's too," he asked.
"No I can't. I have to go home," I told him. "Give me a kiss."

Then he did his infamous Gage Michael "MWAH!" kiss, complete with sound effect, before I handed him back over to Kelli. Then, like a stereotypical and somewhat pathetic movie, I watched them drive away before I dragged my feet around the apartment, collecting my things to put back into my duffel bag.

And before I knew it, I was back in Pennsylvania.