So, the sofa people got their stuff together-- so hopefully I'll have a couch by the time the in-laws visit.
Since we finally got some money, we went to Macy's and purchased the cookware from our wedding registry which no one got us. Don't get me wrong-- we got some cool gifts-- but we also got every inexpensive $5 item on that list as well.
Since we bought the big set (we're starting from nothing) they gave us a bunch of free stuff as well. So what started as one heavy box Charles could carry turned into a mountain of boxes that we probably should have enlisted some help bringing out to the car. I'm sure it's always a moral boost for the employees to see a young couple walk out with their mountain of purchases, only to deposit them in the car and walk right back in. Hey! I wanted to look at handbags.
So, now we have the tools necessary for frying an egg. We were able to go to the grocery store and stock up on produce. Our fridge looks like it belongs to a health nut-- hey, we're in California now!
Talking about health nut... The place we got lunch a few days ago actually printed all the nutrition information for the food we ordered on the receipt.
After sitting around for a week, I started wondering, didn't I get a job? Whatever happened to that? So I went to the bank and bugged the manager, and then the next day, suddenly all of my paperwork is through. After interviewing me to death, they still want me to come in and verify that I am who I say I am.
So, I'll start work on July 9th. Until then, more video games!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Still Sitting on the Floor
Our sofa was scheduled to arrive on Saturday. I cashed in some of my stocks to afford it-- and the check was currently lost in the mail, so my parents graciously loaned us a little money so we could get our sofa.
I called the furniture store on Friday, made sure the sofa was paid for and confirmed that it would indeed arrive the next day. Cool. We wait Saturday morning, waiting for sofa, and I call the furniture store and ask when the sofa will arrive so we can be sure that we're home. Hmmm, you're sofa isn't on the truck to be delivered today. In fact, we have no idea where your sofa is. I talk to the manager and he tells me that he doesn't handle this kind of thing and I should talk to the sales rep who sold us the sofa, but she's out all weekend. Can he have her call me first thing on Monday?
I call the sales rep late on Monday since no one called me and she claims that she just sold the sofa, and it's her managers duty to line up the sofa delivery. I assured her that the manager had no idea where our sofa was. So, she wants to talk it over with her manager, and can they get back to me first thing Tuesday.
And it's Tuesday. Yet again I had to call the store later in the day. Since neither the sales rep nor the manager want to take the fall or even fix this, she said she'll talk to the general manager of the furniture chain, and she'll call back first thing tomorrow.
So, if we don't even know where the hell our sofa is tomorrow, Charles and I are going to the furniture store personally (and perhaps just steal the floor model).
I had withdrawn some money from my stocks to pay for said furniture. Of course my finance guy lives in Missouri and had troubles spelling our street address (not totally his fault-- our road name is Spanish, but he got the number wrong as well which I am a little mad about). So, the check he mailed to me got returned to him. After a few more phone calls he sent out another check this time to the correct address.
Charles and I play the waiting game for a few days, fervently checking the mail 4, 5 times a day. That's odd. We're not getting any mail at all... A quick stop (read two hours) at the post office, and we found that the carried had been holding our mail. So we came home with a wedding album, tons of insurance papers, bills, etc. And the next few days we get our debit cards (YES!) and then the check.
The second I have money in my hand I run to the bank to deposit it, and the teller informs me that since my account is 'new' (switched from Georgia to California) I can't touch my money for 2 weeks. just cause! hahaha. I went home and got Charles as backup and we went back for a quick stop (read two hours) at the bank and got the hold taken off of our money.
So now we have money and no sofa. I thought it was suppose to be the other way around...
I called the furniture store on Friday, made sure the sofa was paid for and confirmed that it would indeed arrive the next day. Cool. We wait Saturday morning, waiting for sofa, and I call the furniture store and ask when the sofa will arrive so we can be sure that we're home. Hmmm, you're sofa isn't on the truck to be delivered today. In fact, we have no idea where your sofa is. I talk to the manager and he tells me that he doesn't handle this kind of thing and I should talk to the sales rep who sold us the sofa, but she's out all weekend. Can he have her call me first thing on Monday?
I call the sales rep late on Monday since no one called me and she claims that she just sold the sofa, and it's her managers duty to line up the sofa delivery. I assured her that the manager had no idea where our sofa was. So, she wants to talk it over with her manager, and can they get back to me first thing Tuesday.
And it's Tuesday. Yet again I had to call the store later in the day. Since neither the sales rep nor the manager want to take the fall or even fix this, she said she'll talk to the general manager of the furniture chain, and she'll call back first thing tomorrow.
So, if we don't even know where the hell our sofa is tomorrow, Charles and I are going to the furniture store personally (and perhaps just steal the floor model).
I had withdrawn some money from my stocks to pay for said furniture. Of course my finance guy lives in Missouri and had troubles spelling our street address (not totally his fault-- our road name is Spanish, but he got the number wrong as well which I am a little mad about). So, the check he mailed to me got returned to him. After a few more phone calls he sent out another check this time to the correct address.
Charles and I play the waiting game for a few days, fervently checking the mail 4, 5 times a day. That's odd. We're not getting any mail at all... A quick stop (read two hours) at the post office, and we found that the carried had been holding our mail. So we came home with a wedding album, tons of insurance papers, bills, etc. And the next few days we get our debit cards (YES!) and then the check.
The second I have money in my hand I run to the bank to deposit it, and the teller informs me that since my account is 'new' (switched from Georgia to California) I can't touch my money for 2 weeks. just cause! hahaha. I went home and got Charles as backup and we went back for a quick stop (read two hours) at the bank and got the hold taken off of our money.
So now we have money and no sofa. I thought it was suppose to be the other way around...
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Beach
Well, we've lived here in Santa Barbara for almost a month, and today we finally did it. We went to the beach. It wasn't an intentional venture-- we were taking a walk around the block and turned onto a new road, and then BAM, ocean. Only about a half mile walk. Wow. Since we were just out walking we weren't prepared to play in the sun, but we did have sandals that promoted walking up to the surf. The water was COLD. Also, there was a lot of kelp. Enough that some of the college folk brave enough to go in the water were using large chunks of the stuff in some sort of kelp war. Don't you love college?
Since the spring semester has ended, most of the student have left leaving most of the apartments/frat houses empty. I would relish in the peace and quite-- but the management companies for all these buildings are using the summer as their opportunity to renovate (read construction). So there's lot of loud equipment and loud workers to make up for the noise deficit. The fraternity next door is getting a new roof. But the old roof needed to be ripped off first. I am confident that about 90% of the old roof ended up on top of our car. So Charles moved the car over 20 feet into the corner of the lot where it would be safe from construction cast off. Then the plumbers came to fix a problem in the apartments upstairs and promptly blocked us in, and took our assigned parking spot. So there are 3 cars in the lot-- ours being blocked in, one plumber blocking us in, and the other plumber in our spot. The rest of the lot is empty. Oh well. Since we couldn't go anywhere, we decided to take a walk, and then found the Pacific. Not a bad day at all. :-)
Since the spring semester has ended, most of the student have left leaving most of the apartments/frat houses empty. I would relish in the peace and quite-- but the management companies for all these buildings are using the summer as their opportunity to renovate (read construction). So there's lot of loud equipment and loud workers to make up for the noise deficit. The fraternity next door is getting a new roof. But the old roof needed to be ripped off first. I am confident that about 90% of the old roof ended up on top of our car. So Charles moved the car over 20 feet into the corner of the lot where it would be safe from construction cast off. Then the plumbers came to fix a problem in the apartments upstairs and promptly blocked us in, and took our assigned parking spot. So there are 3 cars in the lot-- ours being blocked in, one plumber blocking us in, and the other plumber in our spot. The rest of the lot is empty. Oh well. Since we couldn't go anywhere, we decided to take a walk, and then found the Pacific. Not a bad day at all. :-)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Had an Interview
Well, I finally got some call backs after my job search. I had an interview today with Bank of America. I thought it went well. And then they called me back and said I got the job! Woohoo. Then, later that day they called again. I'm sorry, the salary I quoted you earlier today was incorrect. We want to give you MORE money. I win. I'm excited that I'll be making money, meeting new people, and finally have a regular schedule. Plus, the bank is super close to home. I could ride a bike to get to work.
I dig drag my old bike along with me to California, but I'm seriously considering buying a new one. I didn't have a bike lock to keep it safe-- bike theft is a real problem here-- so I just kind of left it outside. I figured it would be OK. Well, 2 weeks later it got stolen. Then a few days after that it magically return. So I'm guessing maybe it isn't worth to much. And the bike shop down the street has a really cute pink model...
I also schedule an interview with Starbucks, but seeing as they won't pay me as much as the bank, I may decline.
Other then that-- My stock guy called me up to say the money they sent me in the mail was returned. He had the address wrong. So now I guess I have to wait even longer to get furniture. And cookware. Charles is doing an excellent job cooking with the resources he has. We have beautiful flatware, plates, wineglasses, and one pot. Yep.
He cleans the dishes too. He's such a sweetie.
I dig drag my old bike along with me to California, but I'm seriously considering buying a new one. I didn't have a bike lock to keep it safe-- bike theft is a real problem here-- so I just kind of left it outside. I figured it would be OK. Well, 2 weeks later it got stolen. Then a few days after that it magically return. So I'm guessing maybe it isn't worth to much. And the bike shop down the street has a really cute pink model...
I also schedule an interview with Starbucks, but seeing as they won't pay me as much as the bank, I may decline.
Other then that-- My stock guy called me up to say the money they sent me in the mail was returned. He had the address wrong. So now I guess I have to wait even longer to get furniture. And cookware. Charles is doing an excellent job cooking with the resources he has. We have beautiful flatware, plates, wineglasses, and one pot. Yep.
He cleans the dishes too. He's such a sweetie.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Hot on the Job Trail
I'm applying for a teller position at Bank of America. But since they have been a little sluggish in corresponding with me, I've hit the retail stores, papering them with my resume.
Everyone seemed very interested in hiring me, but no one has actually called back. I applied at a luggage shop that had a help wanted sign displayed out front. I chatted with the older women working there while one of them fought with the printer trying to get me an application. They were trilled that I wasn't looking for seasonal work and promised that they'd totally call.
I also applied at Victoria's Secret. A store discount might make something there affordable. The manager said they were desperate for new employees, and could I start Monday? But first I had to complete a telephone survey and swear I didn't do drugs. of course, no one knew the extension # I needed for the phone survey, so I patiently waited while a few of them ran around the store. What was that number? What number did you get when you applied here? After 30 minutes and calling corporate headquarters, they figured it out. Then they asked if the wages I requested where negotiable. I'm not sure I want to work with that group of airheads for less then $10/hour. I still did the telephone survey, just to be safe.
I also applied to Starbucks, Forever 21, somewhere else-- I sure filled out a lot of applications.
And then after all of that I get a call from Bank of America asking to schedule an interview, cause they want me. Thank goodness.
Everyone seemed very interested in hiring me, but no one has actually called back. I applied at a luggage shop that had a help wanted sign displayed out front. I chatted with the older women working there while one of them fought with the printer trying to get me an application. They were trilled that I wasn't looking for seasonal work and promised that they'd totally call.
I also applied at Victoria's Secret. A store discount might make something there affordable. The manager said they were desperate for new employees, and could I start Monday? But first I had to complete a telephone survey and swear I didn't do drugs. of course, no one knew the extension # I needed for the phone survey, so I patiently waited while a few of them ran around the store. What was that number? What number did you get when you applied here? After 30 minutes and calling corporate headquarters, they figured it out. Then they asked if the wages I requested where negotiable. I'm not sure I want to work with that group of airheads for less then $10/hour. I still did the telephone survey, just to be safe.
I also applied to Starbucks, Forever 21, somewhere else-- I sure filled out a lot of applications.
And then after all of that I get a call from Bank of America asking to schedule an interview, cause they want me. Thank goodness.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Post makes me Postal
We bought a sofa. We still need to pay for said sofa. And ship said sofa. But I assure you it does exist and will one day materialize in all of its 'cactus' glory (that's a color) in our living room in 2 (ish) weeks.
Today we toiled with the Postal Service. Realizing that we'd have important things arrive in the mail, we went to the local post office and asked if we could have our mail put on vacation hold, so that our mail wouldn't arrive in our locked (we have no key) mailbox. We figured we could pick up the mail at the post office and avoid harassing our land lady about the mailbox key while she vacations for the majority of the month.
Our plan was flawless. We went to the post office this afternoon to pick up our first crop of mail (i.e. bills) and find that even though we filled out all the correct forms and turned them in, the vacation hold was never actually put on our box. But the postal worker assured us that if we caught our mail carrier, we could get our mail (for the day).
Discouraged, we decided to get into our mailbox no matter what it took. So I grabbed the hammer...
We went to the lock smith; made a copy of the car key (one is not enough). Asked if there was a way to open the mailbox without said hammer. For a hefty fee, we would come personally and open it. OR, we could wait for our mail carrier... and bust the lock out ourselves, bring it in, and he would replace it for $8.50.
Since it's already 4 pm, we feel a little defeated. We make plans to camp out next to the mail box all day tomorrow so that we can catch the carrier, get our mail, and bust out the lock. When we arrive back, just down the street is the mail carrier's truck, headed away. I jump out of the car and chase down the truck, flailing arms and all.
After catching up with the truck, our local mail carrier fixes the ails of the day. He comes back to the mailbox, and we get our mail, finally use the trusty hammer to remove the old lock, and say many thanks to the only helpful postal worker we've met thus far.
And of course, on our door is a note saying that we missed a package. But if we go back to yon friendly postal office!
So we go back to the post office...
And back to the locksmith...
We ran into the same guy working the counter at the post office that we had before.
Charles: We just had so much fun coming here the first time, we had to come again!
Me: Yeah! We'll be back here tomorrow!
In reality, hopefully we won't have to go back for a few days. Although we do need to remove the vacation hold.
Today we toiled with the Postal Service. Realizing that we'd have important things arrive in the mail, we went to the local post office and asked if we could have our mail put on vacation hold, so that our mail wouldn't arrive in our locked (we have no key) mailbox. We figured we could pick up the mail at the post office and avoid harassing our land lady about the mailbox key while she vacations for the majority of the month.
Our plan was flawless. We went to the post office this afternoon to pick up our first crop of mail (i.e. bills) and find that even though we filled out all the correct forms and turned them in, the vacation hold was never actually put on our box. But the postal worker assured us that if we caught our mail carrier, we could get our mail (for the day).
Discouraged, we decided to get into our mailbox no matter what it took. So I grabbed the hammer...
We went to the lock smith; made a copy of the car key (one is not enough). Asked if there was a way to open the mailbox without said hammer. For a hefty fee, we would come personally and open it. OR, we could wait for our mail carrier... and bust the lock out ourselves, bring it in, and he would replace it for $8.50.
Since it's already 4 pm, we feel a little defeated. We make plans to camp out next to the mail box all day tomorrow so that we can catch the carrier, get our mail, and bust out the lock. When we arrive back, just down the street is the mail carrier's truck, headed away. I jump out of the car and chase down the truck, flailing arms and all.
After catching up with the truck, our local mail carrier fixes the ails of the day. He comes back to the mailbox, and we get our mail, finally use the trusty hammer to remove the old lock, and say many thanks to the only helpful postal worker we've met thus far.
And of course, on our door is a note saying that we missed a package. But if we go back to yon friendly postal office!
So we go back to the post office...
And back to the locksmith...
We ran into the same guy working the counter at the post office that we had before.
Charles: We just had so much fun coming here the first time, we had to come again!
Me: Yeah! We'll be back here tomorrow!
In reality, hopefully we won't have to go back for a few days. Although we do need to remove the vacation hold.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Relocated to So Cal
It doesn't feel like I'm as far from Georgia as I am (although that 5 day drive made it feel real). Perhaps the constant phone calls with parents and friends, mostly parents, keep Charles and me feeling connected.
After finally setting up all of our utilities (I use to take hot showers for granted) I don't think I can afford myself. Thus I have started 'the job search' (which started with buying adorable interview clothes). I applied for a job at Bank of America. I figure banking has great opportunities for advancement, so it's OK if I start as a peon. I checked Yahoo- jobs (a horrible listing, don't use it) and found that Las Vegas is in need of teachers for their public school system. 3000 teachers. :-O No, I didn't add an extra zero. And there so desperate for teachers, their only requirement is that one is ABLE to get a teaching certificate, certificate not actually required. Nice. But I don't think I want to move to Vegas. I don't think I want to move ever again. I'm going to stay in our little appartment forever. I'm sure we could raise a family there. We could keep the first kid in the kitchen, the second in the closet...
My favorite thing about married life so far-- the company. I have the best companion by my side always. It's pretty cool. And he can't run away :-D If anything, having Charles is the best thing going on right now. That and the prospect of having cable.
mmm, TV.
After finally setting up all of our utilities (I use to take hot showers for granted) I don't think I can afford myself. Thus I have started 'the job search' (which started with buying adorable interview clothes). I applied for a job at Bank of America. I figure banking has great opportunities for advancement, so it's OK if I start as a peon. I checked Yahoo- jobs (a horrible listing, don't use it) and found that Las Vegas is in need of teachers for their public school system. 3000 teachers. :-O No, I didn't add an extra zero. And there so desperate for teachers, their only requirement is that one is ABLE to get a teaching certificate, certificate not actually required. Nice. But I don't think I want to move to Vegas. I don't think I want to move ever again. I'm going to stay in our little appartment forever. I'm sure we could raise a family there. We could keep the first kid in the kitchen, the second in the closet...
My favorite thing about married life so far-- the company. I have the best companion by my side always. It's pretty cool. And he can't run away :-D If anything, having Charles is the best thing going on right now. That and the prospect of having cable.
mmm, TV.
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