Life is better when you've secured employment.

You all should just watch out because I work as an economist for the IRS now. I will be learning about tax policy, laws, and regulations. Yahoo! The job will be a lot more fun than it really sounds =).

Thank heavens I started job searching earlier. While I had a job only being out here for 2.5 weeks, I applied for this job 3 months ago. People, that is how slow the job process is for a federal position. Moral of the story: don't quit your job now if you want a goverment job!

To make matters slower, now that I have the offer, I have to get fingerprinted, they will run a formal background check, and a tax check. There is no drug test. Does anyone else find it suspicious that I must have impecable taxes, but could be totally strung out on cocaine or a meth head? Who can talk about tax law then?

It has been a good day.

House Pics

My "vintage" bathroom sink.
Notice the swans on the shower doors, beautiful!!!
My new folding table desk. Notice all the cords. I only have one grounded outlet in my room so that's a challenge....
Yay for built in shelves and drawers, because I don't have to buy furniture! Notice that my curtains look like Waterford Table Linens.
My shelf and fan. The door to the right leads to the attic, which is finished and is two entire rooms with walk in closets.
Lastly, my twin bed. How I miss my queen pillow top at home with 600 thread count Marshall Field's Hotel Sheets. My nightstand is an empty Rubbermaid container. It's all class for me.

Really, I am so close to the metro, which is sweet. It took me awhile to get used to the fact that everything here is so old when you come from a house that was built a mere three years ago, but now I am starting to like the house (plus let's face it, I can't afford the 350 square-foot studios in the nearest apartment--they are $1450 a month!!!). I like to use a particular object in our house that describes the entire house. In the dining room, there is a beautiful chandelier. When the last light burned out, someone decided to put a regular lightbulb instead of a matching one. Classic.

Crazy OC

Apparently French people love "The OC" which, in France, is called "Newport Beach". The fact that Phantom Planet, the band that sings the theme song to the show was going to be at AU basically excited the living daylights out of all my French pals. Of course, we headed right over to the concert. After some ridiculous technical difficulties and having to wait 2.75 hours to hear this song, everyone loved it, of course! The funny thing was that I would guess out of everyone there, it was 85% Freshman, and seriously, I felt so old at times. Remember how young you looked when you started college? They looked like they were 12 years old.

During the day I had orientation from 9:30-4:30. Quite long! I decided to take the metro and the shuttle, and it ended up taking 45 minutes to get the 1.13 miles from my house to campus. Ridiculous. I will be driving next time.

Class starts in three days. Oy. A great majority of the people getting their masters in economics are foreign students, I met one from Russia and one from Kazikstan (sp?). So it was good to meet new peeps. There was another econ student who also studied singing, so that was nice to see. There were a lot of PhD students too. I can't imagine leaving college and starting a PhD in Econ without professional experience.

My interview with the IRS went very well. I think they had two more people to interview and they interviewed some before me as well, but there are four positions open, so hopefully things will turn out okay. Working for the government means they pay for your transportation (yes!) and you also get flexible work, so if I want to work four, ten hour days, I can have a day off every week if I want, yeah! Hopefully stuff will work out. I should hear at the end of next week, so let's keep our fingers crossed!

I also took my placement test to work at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). It was pretty hard, but I managed. The worst part about the day was the fact that I had my interview in the afternoon so I had to wear my suit all day. When it is 90 degrees out and you are wearing long sleeves, I thought I would die, but somehow I made it (whine whine!). The funniest part of the exam was that it was proctored by a old black guy who was missing a number of front teeth. They told us to wait for the test proctor, and all of a sudden this guy comes down in old blue pants and a dirty t-shirt and starts telling us the rules of the exam. He just kept making himself laugh. It was pretty funny.

It's my last week of freedom before school starts!!!

Back to school, Back to school

Today I realized how annoying tourists are, but it is just something I will have to get used to. I shouldn't expect tourists to know that if you are only standing on the escalator, you stand on the right side so people can pass you on the left. I should know that tourists are going to take pictures of the metro stations as if they are some sort of public transportation novely. I also should expect them to be very loud and obnoxious in general. Yes, that is what I should expect.

Today when I returned home to check my email, I got my first glimpse of some assigmnments I have for class coming up. One of my profs is very tech saavy and the course website Blackboard lists everything we need for the class. One was the problem sets as well as syllabus. When I loked at the math problem set, a deep sinking feeling occured in the pit of my stomach reminding me how long it has been since I have done calc, and my calc book from college was not one of my prized possessions that made it with me to DC. Right now I am feeling VERY freaked out and kind of panicy. Hopefully I am just not used to her symbols and all of this homework will make perfect sense once class starts on Monday. Hopefully. Or, better yet, I will find someone who hasn't taken calc since me and find a bestie.

Either way this panic better subside!!!

Single to Mingle

Interesting Info According to CNNmoney.com
City Rank, % of Population that is single:
1.Bloomington, IN58.2%
2.New Brunswick, NJ54.6%
3.College Station, TX54.3%
4.Ames, IA52.5%
5.Iowa City, IA52.0%
6.Cambridge, MA52.0%
7.Somerville, MA51.3%
8.Boston, MA50.4%
9.Berkeley, CA50.3%
10.Champaign, IL50.2%
11.Davis, CA49.6%
12.Gainesville, FL48.7%
13.Boulder, CO48.4%
14.Washington, DC48.4%
15.Ann Arbor, MI48.4%
16.Tallahassee, FL48.2%
17.Athens-Clarke County, GA48.1%
18.Greenville, NC47.6%
19.Lawrence, KS47.1%
20.Jacksonville, NC46.9%
21.Camden, NJ46.6%
22.Minneapolis, MN45.8%
23.Syracuse, NY45.6%
24.Kalamazoo, MI45.5%
25.Santa Cruz, CA45.3%

There are a few interesting questions that this data brings to light. The first being Bloomington, IN. What is going on there? Bloomington is first by an astounding 3.6%. When all the other cities are relatively close it seems interesting that so many are single there? When taking a look at the statistics closer, you see that the average price of a home here is much lower that the national average, the purchasing power is greater, meaning that the cost of living is relatively good in this town. Only 27% of the population here is married, and 7.0% are divorced. The crime rate is slightly higher. It is all very interesting.

But I digress.

The fact that Washington DC is 48.4% single is pretty stellar. I couldn't find on the website how they classify people as single or "eligible"; I mean I obviously don't want to be dating a five-year-old or someone that has been divorced 2+ times. Either way, there should be some hope for interesting relationships in DC. It is one of the most educated places in the US, so there are, relatively speaking, less stupid people (sans the girls that work at the movie theater in Chinatown).

Cheers to the singles on the mingle!

Metro Adventures, to Huntington and Beyond!

Well, obviously there are new adventures to be had every day, but the reality is starting to settle in because every day life her eis an adventure when compared to good 'ol Minnesota!

Today my plan was to again, not do the list of things I should do, and just go out and find stuff. I decided to go to Pentagon City, a portion of town I had not been so far.

Let's just say the the Washington Area Metro Transit Association (WMATA) felt the need to remind me that riding the metro is a privelage and not a God-given right. Okay.

I hop down to the Van Ness metro station after eating a banana along the way from my house to the metro. When I get down on the platform, they start having overhead announcements about track maintenance and loss of communication between the trains. Great. 10 minutes later, a train came. Ten minutes is longer than usual, but I could deal. I rode my way into Metro Center to transfer to the Yellow line to take me to Pentagon City. There were gobs of people with luggage ready to go to the airport with me, also on the Yellow line. It looked like a train hadn't come in awhile. Continous overhead announcements reminded me that there was track maitenance and the yellow and red lines were sharing a track. Five minutes pass. Ten. Twenty. Twenty Five. Thirty minutes later, me and a frickin zip code of passengers crowd onto the train. When a train usually comes every 4 minutes and waits 30, chaos is bound to occur!

So I made it to Pentagon City alright, after sitting my whom I can only say must be related to Bob Marley, but was kind of hot. So, that was good. I shop around the area and see what is there, and I found my beloved Macy's, my first department store since leaving beloved MF. It was great.

The time came where it was time to get back onto the train again. I stopped in the middle of downtown, went to Starbucks, read the paper, and boarded the red line to head back up to Van Ness. Little did I now there was a Jerry Springer-esque fight going on in the metro car I had to pick. Since it was too late for me to get the hell out, I had to listen two a group of two teenagers, a boy and girl, and their entire posse, yell at each other about some sort of relationship that I really didn't understand. I am serious people, imagine being in a car or train and have people yelling. It was insane. All those white-collar hill staffers didn't even know what to do. I couldn't turn my iPod up any louder for fear of being deaf the rest of my life.

And so, I finally made it home. Just another day in DC I guess. I better just wait until the real work starts.

The District is Your Oyster

Filling the days with giddy exploration is pretty fun. I like to tell myself that I am on "vacation" although that really means that I am not employed or in school yet. And, as my DC friends are not actually in DC right now, I have a lot of time on my hands.

Yesterday I aimlessly walked around downtown for 7 hours (two of that was spend in the movie "Step Up") and just discovered things. After I got my metropass, I just went shopping, found a coffeeshop, attempted to eat at the Chipotle in Chinatown for two hours but there never was a seat open anytime I walked by, and most importantly found a Bed, Bath & Beyond. Here is an excerpt from my favorite conversation in DC so far:

Girl at Selling Movie Theater Tickets: $7.50
Me: I hand her $12.50 with a bright shining smile.
Girl: Why you give me dat?
She is thrusting the two ones back in my hand.
Me: I gave you that so I could get an even $5 back.
Girl looks at coworker who does nothing as there are about 15 people in line
Girl: We don't do that here.

So, if anyone needs proof that DC public education is complete and utter crap, here is yet another example. I now have five one dollar bills to prove it.

Today my French roommate Charlotte and I went shopping at the fancy stores in Georgetown. I learned that the French regulate when stuff can go on sale in retail shops, and it can only happen one time in the Winter and one time in the Summer, which Charlotte and I think is complete crap. Lucky for her, she thought everything was so cheap and was pumped to get a pair of flip flops at American Eagle for $27.50. It really was endearing. I also discovered a store that is based in Spain that I now love, it is called Zara's. It is stellar! I think it will become one of my favorite specialty stores, which I can now shop at because I finally got my Giant and CVS savers cards today and am on my way to great deals (yeah right).

The good news on the job front is that I am interviewing for an Economist position at the IRS. Yes! How creepy and cool would it be that I could work for the IRS? Yeah! I must brush up on my interviewing skills before, however. I hate interviewing, but in a sense it is like riding a bike. Hopefully I will not have forgotten any of my rehearsed answers since last time.

Survival of the richest...

Well, it has been an expensive day. Initial runs to Target and the grocery store tend to be expensive, and doing it all in one day was even more so. Luckily, I now have all the necesities of live, including food, so it's all good.

Let's call this next section: What I learned in Washington DC, Day 2:
-Giant, the newly expanded grocery store near my house validates your parking. You park underground to go to the grocery store!
-Giant does not have bagged cereal, SUCK!
-Giant does not have Dannon Lite and Fit Vanilla Yogurt, DOUBLE SUCK!
-Groceries here are circa at least 33% more expensive than in the Midwest. Minnesota is so cheap, people!
-My shopping sprees at Target are over, FOR REAL. The Target is probably 25 minutes away from my house (probably 8 miles but endless 4-way stops through Georgetown)
-If you had filthy heathens living in your house before you who never cleaned the bathroom, it will take three separate scrubs of the tub to make the rinse-water not be black with mold and mildew. GROSS. I am insane about being clean EVEN MORE!
-From the moment I said "flatware" I was known as the house mom. It is probably true, but my only justification for being the "house mom" is that I like things clean, is that such a crime?

So all in all, I have survived another day! Tomorrow it is off to get a metro pass and skip around my neighborhood until I have it memorized.

Beware

After 20 long hours with just the Accord, me, shit loads of tolls and "travel plazas", I have arrived unscathed here in DC. It's quite amazing, really, because I was sure I was going to go insane in the middle of Chicago, Indiana, AND Ohio, but somehow I persevered. Things I learned whilst driving:

-Never, EVER, EVER in a grillion years drive through Chicago on a Friday during rush hour while there is construction. It will take you four hours to go 100 miles and you might shed a few tears.
-Have lots of quarters for those damn Illinios tolls if you are not smart enough to get an iPass ahead of time.
-Broadway soundtrack take up a lot of time and you can re-live the story in your head, so it will be just like watching tv, only better because you are driving so that is multi-tasking!
-Don't go 4.5 hours without stopping, your legs and back will hate you later!
-Snacks are key because your meal options will include the following: truck stop hot dogs (shady but good for an emergency meal), McDonalds (who wants to eat that when you are driving the whole day? BARF), Panera (a good option, but takes too long), Roy Rogers (no comment), or Sbarro. I don't about you people, but if I am driving, I don't want to eat anything, let alone anything greasy no matter how good it is in other instances!
-Don't fill your car up so much that if you are on an off ramp, your CD case comes crashing down on you!
-When you get "conditioning shampoo" at a Super 8 Hotel, it doesn't really condition, so you better have separate conditioner....
-Ohio and Indiana are the two more boring states that exist. There are no big cities along this 531 miles stretch of road. All there is are expensive tolls with shady looking attendants. Creepy!

So here I am in my very own room in my house in DC. I can't really judge any of my roommates right away, except Tyler, the 30 year old has more movies than anyone I have ever met. It is insane!

Moving, for me, is traumatic, as many of you know I am not really all that good with life altering changes, and there are challenges to be had (ie right now I have no food but do not know where the grocery store is! THAT will be fixed tomorrow). You just have to get new things, which is what I am going to be telling myself for the next few weeks.

Until next time, I am sleeping on sheets that are new and haven't been washed. For me, this is an accomplishment!!

Ahh, I already feel better!

After one long week of happy hours, going out to eat, plays, reunions, and bachlorette parties, I am finally getting ready to move! I had a great time this weekend (sans the eating at Bubba Gump at the MOA) and it was great to see most of the people I wanted to see before I left for DC. It was one giant high school reunion, but hey, it was nice to catch up on everything.

I even got to have about 5 sips of my favorite drink at "The Independent" in uptown (shark tank) and spend some time with friends of the recent and past (but still pals).

I am actually going through my closet and getting rid of all the clothes that are too big. While this is a good thing, I am sad becaue I like all of those clothes. On to better options!

The good news is that I have an interview in DC a week from Tuesday, shortly after I will arrive there. It will be great that I can start out interviewing with a job I think I would really like. It is especially for graduate students and is at the Department of Commerce. Hopefully the crazy job searching will pan out.

Off to commence with the cleanage.

Well, my last day at MF was yesterday. Sad, really. Mydiscount is gone, I no longer have to ride the bus, and I never have to worry about the season-to-date sell throughs of various glassware or table linens ever again. It is a bittersweet reality.

I have to pack up my stuff in the next 7 days and then head out. Holy cow! I have an interview in Washington DC on August 15th, which is a Tuesday, so I know that I will at least have to be out there by then, so it looks like I will be leaving next weekend. INSANE!

Tonight it Jon's fringe show, "Johan Santana's Perfect Game", and after the fringing festivities follows the "Triple Threat Celebration Night" at the Independent in Uptown, which is basically my favorite uptown venue, minus the surprisingly unprivate bathrooms. I guess I'll just have to get over it!