Main Blog

Cathy Grading

My first day situated in Glendale and what do I do? Help my friend Cathy finish grading her students' Latin finals. She had to turn in her semester grades by 3:30pm and needed some assitance. What are friends for. Well, she did buy me lunch. It also felt good to know that I have friends here and I'm not so alone. Besides playing teachers aid, I finished unpacking all my stuff, scoped out a potential gym, and went to Temple at BCC.

Moving home

After a long drive down from Sacramento, I have now officially moved back in with my parents in Glendale. It was very hard to see Gary off, eventhough the situation should be temporary. As soon as Gary is done with school, we plan to find out own place somewhere in LA. I told him I'd really like it if he finished his thesis early and move here sooner. I will really miss living with him. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful and glad to stay with my folks, but I'd rather be living with him. I was sad to leave. As Gary's buddies say "back to FTFing."

Golden Globe win

Yeah! The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has won all the golden globe awards it was nominated for including best direction and best dramatic picture. Yeah!

work outing

Tonight I went out with some of the girls at work, or my old work I should say as Friday was my last day. It was kind of a goodbye party for me - my last opportunity to hang out with my coworkers. We had a nice time and ate some good pizza. I will definitely miss the girls I work with. Although I'm excited about my new job, it is hard to leave what I'm comfortable with. There have been good times along with the bad. But I'll try my best to keep in touch. It should be easy enought while Gary is still here.

Parting

Yesterday I was in LA to fill out tax forms and have blood drawn for my new job at Kaiser. It finally hit me that I was actually going to move. Up until then, the new job and new situation didn't seem real to me. The idea of leaving Sacramento, my cute apartment, my friends, my convinently located local park, my gym, my family, my bike path along the American River, etc., it's all too much. I wish I could take them with me. I will be very sad to leave.

Dim Sum

This morning I went to Dim Sum with my cousins. It is a bit scary to think about what you're eating. I try to stay away from the pork, but sometimes I have no idea what the ingredients are. Especially when the waitress doesn't speak English. The food is pretty greasy too. My favorite are the sesame balls. I could eat about 10 of those. Always an adventure and a full belly at dim sum. Now I think I'll go for a bike ride to help de-grease.

Marin Headlands

Over the weekend, Gary and I took a short trip to San Francisco and stayed overnight at the Marin Headlands youth hostel. Although we got frustrated try to find the place ( we did not follow directions properly) once we arrived we had a lovely time. I'm always suprised at how quiet the world is once you are away from the noise of the city.

Work exile

After giving my notice at work, the atmosphere is so different. Let me give you some background. Considering the office usually has four genetic counselors, and one died two months ago, my departure will hit the clinic hard. And genetic counselors are not so easy to replace. My boss was in shock when I gave him the news - he basically just looked at me with his mouth open. Most of the office staff are happy for me and understand why I'm going. They say they'll miss me, but are glad I'll be going to a better place.

But now I don't belong. All the gossip and chit chat bypasses me. I see littel groups speculating about how who they might hire, how responsibilities might change, etc. But I am not invited into the conversation or even really noticed. I don't count because I won't be there. It kind of feels like I'm invisible. Very strange transitioning between being valued to being discounted.

Job news

As many of you may know, I am excited to anounce that I will be starting a new job as Genetic Counselor at Kaiser in West Los Angeles in February.

Of course, I had planned to move down to Southern California soon. After Gary and I marry, we want to be closer to our families. Also, my new job at Kaiser offers better opportunities for professional growth, better benefits and better pay.

I will be sad to be leaving Sacramento. I have learned so much at my job here, made new friends, and become close to my family up here. I'm also pretty nervous about starting a new job. But it is a great opportunity. Gary and I are excited to so many big changes in our lives.

Holiday photos

Here are some photos from the holidays with our new digital camera.