Oh Great Holy Hells

Well, it's not really a bad thing. It's just things. Lots of things. Lots of big things, actually. To start with....

Influenza News!
There is an interesting cluster of human avian influenza cases in Indonesia. An entire family managed to contract the disease. Only the initial case seemed to have contact with potentially sick birds. The remaining cases cared for or had contact with the initial case. It is unclear just how the rest of the lot contracted the disease. Scientists say it's not a function of human to human transmission, but the WHO is watching closely. Hmmm.... Yet another good time to be an infectious disease person. Which brings me to...

Job stuff
I've officially been offered a job. Quite a nice job, actually. At a good salary. I think the job would be a challenge and quite interesting. The people who I'd be working with seem to be nice, helpful and capable (or at least they seemed so at the interview). I'd be working in public health *and* using my degree and gaining experience so that I can get an even cooler job in the future. It doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

I'm all kinds of freaking out about accepting the job. I haven't actually said I would. There is another job/fellowship thing I'm interested in that would involve moving to Germany (Landstuhl) and working on an avian influenza surveillance program for the US Army. That would be way cool. But I don't think the hiring/interview process will happen fast enough for me to consider it (should an offer even be made), without losing the job offer I already have.

This will be my first professional job in public health. I think I will be able to do the job competently. They did assure me that I wouldn't have to do everything on my own and that I would have help/guidance/assistance. I know they've had trouble keeping the position filled. One person left because the city was too small and the other person left because he was unable/unwilling (their words) to do the job that needed to be done. I don't want to let them down, but most of all, I want to do a kick-ass job. I have incredibly high standards for my own performance and I don't want to fail. Doesn't mean I can't screw up and make errors, but I can't fail. (Not all errors are failures, you know.)

Moving:
Of course, now I have to move. I've not moved to a different state since I was in high school. All those other times, there was a grown-up in charge of things and all I had to do was go along with the ride. Now I'm in charge. I need to find a place to live. I would like to find a house to buy, but I don't think I can find a house to buy before I start my job. I could probably do it, but I don't want to rush in to buying a house and end up buying something I don't like in a neighborhood that's not livable. So today I came up with the brilliant idea (if I say so myself) of renting a furnished apartment for up to 3 months and then use that time to find a house to buy. The only downside to this plan is having to pay rent on two places. I also wouldn't be able to move everything I own until I get the house. I'll have to move the stuff that fits in my car and not much else. Just the essentials and most of that will be kitchen stuff and clothes. I could come back on weekends and move stuff slowly.

For the first time in my adult life, I won't be able to move myself on my own. I have too much stuff and I don't have any friends *there* who can help me move the things I can't carry on my own. I may have to hire a moving company to do the work for me. This is going to be expensive. As a result I can only afford to move once--into wherever it is that I will live for the duration of my tenure at this new job.

Moving things that worry me: mostly the goofy things I own which are difficult to move, like the tiller, motorcycle, loom. And then there's the stuff I've got in storage that will need to be brought over here for the packing/moving. That'll take some time to get done.

Of course, this just brings home the fact that I needed to have weeded out my belongings years ago and gotten rid of the clutter and cruft. Been saying that a lot in the past six months, but haven't done anything about it. Perhaps now I'll get at that a little bit each night. Putting things in boxes to move or to donate or trash. There really are only three choices for disposition now.

Buying a house:
This is probably the part that terrifies me the most. I'm nervous about the job, but think I'll be fine. The house part is the scary part. I want to buy a house that isn't falling down. I don't know how much house I can afford to buy. I don't have much money for a down payment. I'm worried about the associated expenses that go along with buying a house, like mortgage insurance, closing costs, utility set up costs, homeowner's insurance, etc.

I called the credit union mortgage person today and left voicemail saying I had questions about becoming a first-time homeowner. She won't be able to originate a loan for me for a purchase in another state, but she should be able to answer my questions and help me figure out how much house I can afford and if no downpayment is at all doable. I do have questions about FHA loan programs. I may qualify for extra assistance as a first-time buyer.

Next I'll have to decide what it is that I want in a house and on what features I will compromise. I definitely need at least 2 bedrooms (one for me and one for an office/spare). I also require a garage so I have some place to keep my motorcycle and tiller, along with my car. Central air would be nice. Appliances that stay with the house would also be good. I'd rather have a gas range, but would settle for electric for now. A safe neighborhood is quite necessary. I would like to be able to go for walks on occasion and not be afraid to leave my home or be home alone.


I found quite a nice older house in my price range and about 30 minutes from work. It's huge, but looks lovely and it would seem to be reasonably affordable. If anything, it's too big. And it's probably 80 years old. Nice porch and huge windows (which probably leak cold air like a sieve). Bet it's got nice high ceilings and hardwood floors. Probably not entirely sound anymore and unlikely to have much insulation or central heat/air. And I don't think it has a garage. Ok, so probably not the best thing to buy, but it does look good in the picture, don't you think? :o)


Advice from Mom:
Talked to my mom tonight and told her that I have accepted the job. She suggested looking at houses that are 5-10 years old. That would get me a relatively new house which would thus have a good shot at having good wiring, plumbing, roof and HVAC. What completely floored me is that she offered to help me out on the down payment. I didn't expect that in the least. That takes a bit of worry off my mind about getting the whole house thing to work out. She also agreed that getting a short-term apartment first, then looking for a house while I'm living/working in Jackson would be a most excellent plan. She also suggested that I might box up a good portion of my belongings so as to save on the moving expenses. I'll get started on that next week. That will also help me to weed things out.

Making the announcement:
I'll contact my new boss tomorrow and give her the news that I accept the position. I will then turn around and talk to the HR person and figure out a start date. Right now I'm leaning toward July 3rd for a start date

Then I need to call my present boss and let him know. I've decided on the 15th of June as my last day. I'll have to ask if I can use my vacation time after that or if I'll have to cash it out. I would rather take the vacation time all at once and not take the hit on taxes. And the extra money will be nice since I'll go a month at the new job before I get a paycheck. I'll make the official announcement to my co-workers at the shift meeting on Sunday.

As far as telling everybody else I know, my mom/Becky and my sister know. I'll call Dad/Diane tomorrow (it was too late tonight). Then I'll start sending out e-mails.

In other news:
I got a haircut. For the first time in a year. Yes, my ends were a bit frazzled and worn. I will be changing my hairstyle, I think. Get a bit of shape to the cut, perhaps some face framing layers. I really like Heather Locklear's hair when she was in Spin City. Perhaps something like that. But for the moment, at least the ends of my hair aren't like straw any more and everything looks a lot smoother.

Shopping:
I have several gift cards I'll need to use up before I leave town. Like for a massage at BodyWork associates. And Art Mart, the Walnut Street Tea Shoppe, Panera and Pages. At least the Borders gift card can be used online.

I discovered that the new library has a knitting group that appears to meet the 2nd Monday of the month at 6pm. W00t! That'll be a good place to make friends and certainly makes up for there not being a knitting/yarn shop in the area (at least not in the phone book). I'll definitely have to attend the July meeting.

I suspect I may do some serious career wardrobe shopping via the internet. I'll be up at Mom's house for Ryan's birthday in mid-June. I'll try to get some shopping in then. If nothing else, I'll hit the Ikea store and grab some new kitchen stuff, like a small saucepan and maybe some baking sheets. I'm rather looking forward to having a new place to decorate. I think I'll actually decorate too. And with something besides stacks of books, bicycles and balls of yarn.

Other personal growth:
Decided to change some behaviors today. I tend to automatically say no to anything Mitch suggests and often come up with extensive reasons why the answer is no. Then I think about whatever it is and at least some of the time agree that he had a good idea, if not the best idea. He suggested that after I move into the new apt, that I might come back on the occasional weekend and take down more carloads of stuff. I commented that that was completely unreasonable given the distance. Except that, now that I think about it, it's not that far out of the question. So I called to apologize. I did NOT belabor the point and I did not beat myself up about the whole situation. He said thank you and we all moved on.

I think I'm starting to turn into a grown-up. YIKES! On the other hand, the level of panic has decline considerably. That started pretty much as soon as I decided in my head that I was going to take the job. If I hadn't accidentally had caffeinated coffee this morning at the police department, I might be able to sleep tonight.