Bachelorette Pad?

I've been moderately settled for the past week or so. At least as settled as I can be. Since my parents moved to Texas and got rid of a whole mess of furniture, I had to start from scratch with the whole moving thing. We looked at the price difference, and when it all came down to it, it was cheaper to go new rather than ship the few possessions I have 1500 miles north. We went on vacation, John came along and a few days later I found myself back in my car, this time trucking 1500 miles in the opposite direction, stopping in new places, making better time and hoping...praying...that this decision I made is the right one.

I haven't once said, "man, I could be in London right now." I take all of this as a sign that I'm doing something right here.

This being said, I still feel like my life is on hold right now. I have this college degree that I'm not using, which isn't to say that I tried. From here to D.C. there's nothing for people with bachelor's degrees and little to zero experience in public relations and journalism...the two fields I feel most qualified in. Politics aside...the economy right now is shitty...and even I (liberal....) didn't believe it until I experienced it. Non-Profits typically hire people of my status...but...when people don't have the money to donate, the non-profits don't have the money to pay a salary. So, I took my B.S. in Mass Communications with me to the outlet mall in Hagerstown. Monday, I start at L'eggs Hanes Bali Playtex...as a bra saleswoman and breast measurer for 10-25 hours a week. It doesn't seem bad, the management seems cool, and the hours should be flexible enough that I will be able to (God willing) substitute teach in Washington County. The TB test on my arm says I'm good to go with that application, as well.

I read somewhere (I think it was "Cosmo," and I hate to admit to that) that the early-to-mid-twenties are the hardest years, emotionally to get through. I was skeptical until my first night alone in this house. Before I go on let me say that this house is amazing. I have three floors of hip-townhouse to myself to decorate and live in however I please. My current lack of cable while I wait for dish approval hasn't been as terrible as I originally thought, thanks to a boyfriend who works at a video store. It's just...dark and quiet when no one is around. I've put a few night lights in a few key outlets and have taken to singing to myself when no one else is around. Cooking is another monster. I've managed to work a few recipes into my diet that are easy to prepare for only one person, but rotating three types of chicken breasts gets old pretty quickly. I'm a work in progress, and am attempting something with ground beef next week (without the assistance of my mother). Mostly, though, I never realized how ill-prepare the suburbs made me to live on my own. I thought tackling laundry at a young age was a pretty big feat when I started college and realized only a few people knew what they were doing in that arena.

My mom is a stickler for loading the dishwasher, it's her Tetris. Growing up, she would never let me load the dishwasher, so I know I'm completely inept at doing so...and am probably wasting gallons upon gallons of water not being able to load it properly. I also discovered the huge issue in new-house-water-saving toilets. I've learned a few tricks, though, thanks to the friendly building supervisor who came in, poured a trash can full of water down my clogged toilet and saved my life.

It's frustrating, but all this time alone and time to "express myself" could eventually end up being good for me...besides I start classes again in January. I didn't think I'd miss school as much as I do.

But it's going to be just fine I think. As a "twenty-something," I suppose this is exactly what I'm supposed to do...screw up big time, figure out how to fix it and learn some sort of deep lesson about myself in the process.

We'll see...