Ten-Four, Good Buddy

So today was a great one at my new job! I finally (after a week and a half, haha) "covered a load." This means I talked to a carrier who had a truck available, and negotiated a rate to get a load of freight moved. I got all their paperwork in order, and got the driver on his way! He should be delivering first thing tomorrow morning.

I feel myself warming up to my co-workers, and vice versa. I think we are going to have a fun, positive work environment. I have already learned so much, but I'm excited about all that I still have yet to learn.

...Plus, my boss told some people I met at our parent company that I am a "jewel"! Awwwww!

The Yummiest Lunch Ever

Today I had jury duty, but the trial I was selected for got rescheduled. Yippee! I was free as a bird by 11:15 or so. I called my sweetness to see if he had any plans for lunch. He didn't. Did he have any ideas of where we could go? He suggested the lunch buffet at Terra, the Mediterranean restaurant in the West 7th development-thingy.

Oh. My. Goodness. I was so impressed. Yes, $13 per person is a bit steep for a lunch buffet, but this buffet was exceptional. Everything looked, and tasted, fresh. My plate looked like a gorgeous rainbow of yummy delights. I had...

-Babaghanoush: smoky, eggplant-y, and whipped to a lovely consistency

-Some sort of seasoned pita bread encrusted with herbs

-Tabouleh: cool and refreshing

-Mediterranean salad: cucumbers, red onion, and tomato chunks enlivened by olive oil and lemon juice

-Saffron rice: fluffy and a little poppy (just how I like it!)

-Vegetarian Moussaka: Chickpeas and eggplant in an irresistible tomato sauce

-Spinach: cooked the perfect amount of time

-Roasted vegetables: beautiful and, again, not over- or under-cooked

Would I have gone back for seconds? Yes, had I not seen something on my first trip that I wanted to save room for. It was rice pudding. I have never had rice pudding, and this kind was topped with sprightly green pistachio pieces. It turns out that this dessert sealed the deal for this being my yummiest lunch ever. It was ice-cold. It was creamy. It had a flavor like flowers and honey. It was the perfect way to refresh my palate after a meal on a hot day. I never thought I'd write this sentence, but that pudding was amazing. Some Google-sleuthing leads me to believe it likely contained orange blossom water, hence the floral flavor. It looked just like this pic I found online:

Sweet 'n' Sour

I got 2 bits of news this morning regarding employment, one good, one bad:

1. My "skill set" was not deemed "advanced enough" for a graphic design position I interviewed for. This is kind of a downer, it was at a great company. Plus, I enjoy design. It almost added insult to injury that the HR rep told me she'd forward my resume to their recruiter who hires for "degreed, lower-level positions." Oh, thanks! That sounds great!

2. I got a job offer for a sales position at the freight brokerage I've interviewed at. The fact that you basically build and run your own business is so exciting to me. Plus, the money you can make...yeah. It makes all the things I want to be able to do seem not-so-distant.

So, as I begin my career in commissioned sales on Monday, I'll post a motivating song I heard recently. (I can almost hear one of my students, "Oooh, das ma jay-um!")

Nice.

Just another reason why I don't shop at Wal-Mart. I realize that discrimination isn't the point of the author's article. She was just frustrated that they manipulated their price-matching policy. Neither of these things surprise me coming from the Wal- the manipulation nor the discrimination. Check out Wake Up Wal-Mart for more reasons to steer clear of their "rollbacks." Ugh.

PS: For the record, I buy all my produce at a "Mexican" store. It's cheaper, and better!

Last Day of School

Today was my last day of tutoring science at the middle school. Well, that isn't exactly accurate, because not a whole lot of teaching has been going on in the last 1-2 weeks. It was my last day there, and the last day of school for my students.

Other than the seemingly incessant, "What are you going to do this summer/next year?" questions from teachers and students alike, I was able to forego admitting to myself that, come June 5, I would be sans job again.

But, as I write this, the tidal wave of this fact is smacking me upside the head. I have a couple potential opportunities, but they are just that: potential. Nothing is certain yet. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. I am trying to master "cautiously optimistic."

A handful of my 8th grade girls were crying this afternoon. Two were full-on sobbing unabashedly. I asked their teacher what was up. She said, "Oh, they're just sad they're going to miss each other." As if they're not all neighbors, or texting each other constantly, or all would probably list Myspace as a hobby!

As ridiculous as I found their tears, I later realized that I could relate. We were all forgetting that everything would be ok. We all needed to remember that new things, or changes, can be great things. And we all could use a reminder that God has a plan for each of us.

...Tough realizations aside, my kids taught me a fun new game today called Ninja.

It might sound cheesy, but I'll miss them. All of them. I hope the best for all of them. And I hope I have made even the tiniest positive impression on their lives.

New Photo Series

I've been thinking about this for a while now, but I'm going to finally do my series of photos called I Don't Understand It, But I Love It. It's pretty self-explanatory. I just want each photo to be intriguing both in its image composition and its subject matter. I want it to be a testament to the idea that life may not always make sense, but there's always something in it to appreciate. You can click on them to get a larger view.

Here's the first, One of Two in My Spinach.

And here is The Floor Was Pink, Too.

Busy McChaos

Hi friends! There has been a lot going on in my lil' world recently. Not bad stuff (in fact, all potentially good), just a lot of it. I promise to write a more thorough post soon. For now, I leave you with a song I heard on Sirius last night that gave me goosebumps. It just reminded me to keep that eternal/Biblical perspective, even when my surroundings might be changing. Enjoy!