There have been some bumps since getting here, but I feel like, and am hoping, that we are clear and set to go now. Things seem to be going our way.
1. I have a job
2. Kayla's got an interview and others interested
3. Kayla gets to go to culinary school and starts Friday and it will not break the bank.
4. As of about 30 minutes ago, we sold the car.
So far I'm enjoying my job. I was a bit iffy at first but now that I've gotten a little more comfortable and the people I work with have gotten a bit more comfortable with me, I'm enjoying it. It's not glamorous and I don't know if I want to do it long term, but I can stick around for awhile at the very least. Who knows where it might lead.
We had a good time there last Friday. Not only was there a potluck party for lunch as a going away party for somebody leaving the company, but then it was also "Ops Appreciation Day", which meant that, for the first time, I got to drink on the job. Crazy! They had cases upon cases of booze, great food, and a live band all right there at the office in the courtyard. Overall, my day at work on Friday was pretty fantastic. My coworkers were even going to take me out to a bar after work to buy me a drink to celebrate the completion of my first week. Unfortunately, fate intervened and while walking I said "hold on, let me go grab my bike." If you've been keeping up with the blog, you know where things went from there. To summarize...stolen bike.
While I wish it hadn't happened, I like to try to see the positive and I do see one way in which the bike theft helped. I had many small things that had really just been frustrating me over the past few weeks. I know Kayla had expressed concern about it a few times because my temper had been a bit short when these little things would crop up. It's not like me to get frustrated so easily. When the bike got stolen, I think it put all of those little things into perspective. What is a broken bike light, or a hard to set up router compared to a stolen $500 ($600 if you count the attached accessories) bicycle. After the bike got stolen I really didn't have any explosion of anger, just more of a "sigh...are you f'ing kidding me." Ever since then I feel like I'm back to my positive self not letting the little things get me down. Life is great. We're finally here in the city living our dream. I've got Kayla, the cats, Justin back home, and of course my great family. Miss any of you who are reading this =).
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
A stroke of luck -Kayla
I was getting a little frustrated- what with everywhere I went not hiring. I've been to probably 20 places, put in AT LEAST 10 applications, and today I got a call about an interview. It was funny because I had actually put in the application just 2 hours before. It's amazing what kinds of jobs you cannot get with two college degrees. It's not like I'm looking for a job as a rocket scientist. I just want to be a barista, or at least work at a bakery; I don't even need to be the one to do the baking just yet. Anyway, the interview is at 3 tomorrow at Sweet Sensations Bakery. The woman sounded genuinely interested, so I'm really hoping I get good news tomorrow. I went to another place today, Cafe Selmarie, where I had turned in an application on Friday. They were hiring on Friday, but when I went back in today, they had stopped doing interviews. This was frustrating, to say the least.
Also, good news on the car front. I've been here with the car for over a week now and the only time I have driven it was to take it to get washed so we could show it to people. That being said, we currently have four interested people and we just posted the car yesterday. We really hope to be rid of it soon. It's stressful to think of it sitting on the curb outside; it could get side swiped, broken into, or suffer the same fate as Nick's bike (stolen).
Plans for this weekend! We want to go to the Lincoln Park zoo which is a very easy bike ride from us. We also plan to take a little time to go to the beach right next to that zoo. The city is amazingly convenient. Let's actually hope that these plans might be interrupted by my having a job.
-------Interlude to show someone car-------
Aaaaaaaaaaaand the car is sold. It goes on Thursday. That was easy.
Also, good news on the car front. I've been here with the car for over a week now and the only time I have driven it was to take it to get washed so we could show it to people. That being said, we currently have four interested people and we just posted the car yesterday. We really hope to be rid of it soon. It's stressful to think of it sitting on the curb outside; it could get side swiped, broken into, or suffer the same fate as Nick's bike (stolen).
Plans for this weekend! We want to go to the Lincoln Park zoo which is a very easy bike ride from us. We also plan to take a little time to go to the beach right next to that zoo. The city is amazingly convenient. Let's actually hope that these plans might be interrupted by my having a job.
-------Interlude to show someone car-------
Aaaaaaaaaaaand the car is sold. It goes on Thursday. That was easy.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The consequences of living in a bike friendly city- Kayla
Nick's last post is no longer true; we have officially been "robbed". We weren't held at gunpoint, but Nick did lose something extremely valuable: his bike. Friday, after he had gotten off work, I got a call from Nick who proceeded to say "my bike is gone". Apparently we should have gotten better locks for our bikes. Rope locks just won't cut it. It has to be a U lock. We filed a police report, but bikes around here go missing all the time, so the chances of anything coming from it our miniscule. Nick and I went to the nearest bike shop to see if they bought used bikes hoping that the thief would have been stupid enough to sell it near by. The guy at the bike shop said that they didn't buy used bikes for that reason, but that we had obviously been hit by a professionals. We thought it was weird that the bike had been taken in broad daylight right in the middle of a VERY busy street, but apparently it was the work of someone who knew what he was doing. Apparently, stealing bikes is a job for some people. They can walk up to a bike that has a rope lock on it, flip out a cutter and be on our bike and gone in less than 10 seconds. Great. Where there are lots of bikes, there are professional bike thieves. The owner of the bike shop had a used bike, old but okay looking, sitting right on the floor for $175. He said he would hold it for us until 12 the next day so we could think on it. He even told us that if we paid cash, he would take care of the sales tax and $175 was all we would pay (underhanded I know, but still nice of him).
The next morning, knowing that he would never get his bike back, and really wanting to go on the bike ride we had been planing on for quite some time, Nick decided to go buy the bike. After buying the bike, we went home, packed up la picnic lunch, and went for a long bike ride along Lake Shore Drive. We had a ton of fun and it was great being so close to the lake. Did you know that we have a beach not far from us? If we head directly east, we will run right into a beach. Talk about convenient. The ride itself was great. Here are some pictures:
As you can see, we had a really good time and saw some really neat sites. All in all, it was about a 10 mile round trip. It probably took us around 50 minutes to ride from our place to Navy Pier, so it wasn't that bad. The best thing: flat! It wasn't a tough ride at all since there are no hills in Illinois. All went really well until we got a little past Navy Pier when Nick said "did I just get a flat?" Indeed he had. Apparently the city is trying to break him in. We found a bike shop that was pretty much right across the road, but with Lollapalooza going on, the street was blocked off and we had to go quite a bit out of our way to get across the road. At the bike shop we had a guy tell us that both tires were shot to hell and that the other tire would soon go. So, after getting a new tube and tire for Nick's bike, it was back to Ravenswood and Easy Riders, the bike shop that sold us the bike. We, thankfully, made it back without the other tire going. The guy who sold Nick the bike gave him a refund for the tire and tube, put a new tire and tube on the other wheel free of charge, and put on new break pads, also free of charge. We couldn't ask for a nicer guy; he was really great about it. I think he felt bad for our predicament. We will surely be going back there for all our bike needs in the future.
A few updates: I do not yet have a job, but there were several leads including a couple at bakeries. AND I go to orientation for school this Friday at 1! Look forward to getting lots of photos of the yummy things I bake at school!
The next morning, knowing that he would never get his bike back, and really wanting to go on the bike ride we had been planing on for quite some time, Nick decided to go buy the bike. After buying the bike, we went home, packed up la picnic lunch, and went for a long bike ride along Lake Shore Drive. We had a ton of fun and it was great being so close to the lake. Did you know that we have a beach not far from us? If we head directly east, we will run right into a beach. Talk about convenient. The ride itself was great. Here are some pictures:
As you can see, we had a really good time and saw some really neat sites. All in all, it was about a 10 mile round trip. It probably took us around 50 minutes to ride from our place to Navy Pier, so it wasn't that bad. The best thing: flat! It wasn't a tough ride at all since there are no hills in Illinois. All went really well until we got a little past Navy Pier when Nick said "did I just get a flat?" Indeed he had. Apparently the city is trying to break him in. We found a bike shop that was pretty much right across the road, but with Lollapalooza going on, the street was blocked off and we had to go quite a bit out of our way to get across the road. At the bike shop we had a guy tell us that both tires were shot to hell and that the other tire would soon go. So, after getting a new tube and tire for Nick's bike, it was back to Ravenswood and Easy Riders, the bike shop that sold us the bike. We, thankfully, made it back without the other tire going. The guy who sold Nick the bike gave him a refund for the tire and tube, put a new tire and tube on the other wheel free of charge, and put on new break pads, also free of charge. We couldn't ask for a nicer guy; he was really great about it. I think he felt bad for our predicament. We will surely be going back there for all our bike needs in the future.
A few updates: I do not yet have a job, but there were several leads including a couple at bakeries. AND I go to orientation for school this Friday at 1! Look forward to getting lots of photos of the yummy things I bake at school!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Life in the Windy City- Kayla
As Nick said, so much is going on. The city experience has been very interesting. My first evening here, I attempted to meet Nick at work and proceeded to get absurdly lost; don't worry, I was eventually found. Nick told me to "stay where I was" and then proceeded to find me- thank goodness for his great sense of direction.
Cleaning has been even more fun. For those of you perusing my Facebook, you've probably seen my many status updates complaining about the state of our kitchen. I'm pretty sure that we were spoiled in Columbia, as it is standard practice to clean a place after the previous tenants have vacated. Apparently, this is not the case in Chicago... Imagine that you are in a cave. Now imagine that all the stalactites you see are made our of grease; this is what I found hanging from our stove knobs and the bottom of the stove door. There were other deposits of this sort all over the counter where it starts to curve upwards. My days so far have mainly consisted of painstaking cleaning. It's happening. After carefully cleaning the oven yesterday, we had our first experience with a broiling drawer, as our oven is gas. We proceeded to make the best hamburgers I have ever had, along with some fantastic french fries made from potatoes that I chopped up myself. It was the best meal I've had in a long time and a great way to celebrate our new life together. I can see why people in the city eat so late, though. By the time we went to the store, after Nick got off work at 6, rode our bikes home, and prepared the meal, it was 8pm. So, we managed to not stick out too badly since we ate dinner like city folks.
The job search is on. I spent this morning patrolling Lincoln Avenue searching for any place that was open. I figured this makes sense since I plan to go to school 2-6pm. Barista and service jobs at breakfast places seem to be a perfect place. Unfortunately, I haven't found any bakeries in this area. I know that I have two college degrees, but it just seems to make sense to look for something in the food service area since I plan on going to culinary school, and since I probably won't be holding that job for long; Le Cordon Bleu says that they try to place new students in restaurants after they start schooling.
On the school front: I went today to see what my financial situation looks like. It looks as if we will be able to cover it, but not without taking out some student loans (in my name only). They aren't super hefty loans, but they would probably take 5 years to pay back. That isn't that much in the grand scheme of things though. I know that I'm comfortable with doing this- I really want to go to school- but I need to wait until Nick gets home to make sure that this is okay with him.
Cleaning has been even more fun. For those of you perusing my Facebook, you've probably seen my many status updates complaining about the state of our kitchen. I'm pretty sure that we were spoiled in Columbia, as it is standard practice to clean a place after the previous tenants have vacated. Apparently, this is not the case in Chicago... Imagine that you are in a cave. Now imagine that all the stalactites you see are made our of grease; this is what I found hanging from our stove knobs and the bottom of the stove door. There were other deposits of this sort all over the counter where it starts to curve upwards. My days so far have mainly consisted of painstaking cleaning. It's happening. After carefully cleaning the oven yesterday, we had our first experience with a broiling drawer, as our oven is gas. We proceeded to make the best hamburgers I have ever had, along with some fantastic french fries made from potatoes that I chopped up myself. It was the best meal I've had in a long time and a great way to celebrate our new life together. I can see why people in the city eat so late, though. By the time we went to the store, after Nick got off work at 6, rode our bikes home, and prepared the meal, it was 8pm. So, we managed to not stick out too badly since we ate dinner like city folks.
The job search is on. I spent this morning patrolling Lincoln Avenue searching for any place that was open. I figured this makes sense since I plan to go to school 2-6pm. Barista and service jobs at breakfast places seem to be a perfect place. Unfortunately, I haven't found any bakeries in this area. I know that I have two college degrees, but it just seems to make sense to look for something in the food service area since I plan on going to culinary school, and since I probably won't be holding that job for long; Le Cordon Bleu says that they try to place new students in restaurants after they start schooling.
On the school front: I went today to see what my financial situation looks like. It looks as if we will be able to cover it, but not without taking out some student loans (in my name only). They aren't super hefty loans, but they would probably take 5 years to pay back. That isn't that much in the grand scheme of things though. I know that I'm comfortable with doing this- I really want to go to school- but I need to wait until Nick gets home to make sure that this is okay with him.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
So Much Going On-Nick
Many things to be happy for at the moment:
1. Kayla is now here (just finishing her second full day in the city.
2. I now have a job
3. Despite what everybody back home might fear about the city we have not been
a. burglarized
b. mugged
c. spit on
d. blown up by aliens while attending a "Welcome to Earth" party atop a skyscraper
I was most worried about the fourth one, but apparently those parties only happen when there have been legit alien sightings and there's a giant ship hovering over your city.
Anyway, back to the job. I got called up last Thursday in response to a Craigslist ad I had responded to. They said they were calling from Guaranteed Rates, a mortgage company and that they were hiring for an entry level position at their company. We went through the normal "Are you still interested"-"Why yes I am" routine, I had an interview 45 minutes later because it's only about 7-8 blocks from our apartment, and then an hour after that I had a job.
So here's the basics of the job: I work in what primarily seems to be the shipping department. I think I've also heard it referred to as the "Post-Closing Department." I go through the loan paperwork that has arrived and check it into the computer system and distribute it to where it needs to go, and basically just make sure that all of the paperwork gets to where it needs to go and is all done by the time it needs to be done. That's my job in a nutshell. It mostly involves a lot of data entry and lugging around piles of files (rhyming horray).
Well that's pretty much it. We've only had two days here together, but Kayla and I are loving the city. It's so nice to be able to bike to work and everywhere else. I'm so close that I can ride my bike home and eat lunch with her and then ride back afterward. If we want to go to the store we can make a 10 minute walk to the store or a 3-4 minute bike ride. If we want to go out on the weekend-there's about 100 places in walking distance to choose from, if not more. We won't even try to guess out how many places if we take the train. Basically the city so far gets about an A in my book.
1. Kayla is now here (just finishing her second full day in the city.
2. I now have a job
3. Despite what everybody back home might fear about the city we have not been
a. burglarized
b. mugged
c. spit on
d. blown up by aliens while attending a "Welcome to Earth" party atop a skyscraper
I was most worried about the fourth one, but apparently those parties only happen when there have been legit alien sightings and there's a giant ship hovering over your city.
Anyway, back to the job. I got called up last Thursday in response to a Craigslist ad I had responded to. They said they were calling from Guaranteed Rates, a mortgage company and that they were hiring for an entry level position at their company. We went through the normal "Are you still interested"-"Why yes I am" routine, I had an interview 45 minutes later because it's only about 7-8 blocks from our apartment, and then an hour after that I had a job.
So here's the basics of the job: I work in what primarily seems to be the shipping department. I think I've also heard it referred to as the "Post-Closing Department." I go through the loan paperwork that has arrived and check it into the computer system and distribute it to where it needs to go, and basically just make sure that all of the paperwork gets to where it needs to go and is all done by the time it needs to be done. That's my job in a nutshell. It mostly involves a lot of data entry and lugging around piles of files (rhyming horray).
Well that's pretty much it. We've only had two days here together, but Kayla and I are loving the city. It's so nice to be able to bike to work and everywhere else. I'm so close that I can ride my bike home and eat lunch with her and then ride back afterward. If we want to go to the store we can make a 10 minute walk to the store or a 3-4 minute bike ride. If we want to go out on the weekend-there's about 100 places in walking distance to choose from, if not more. We won't even try to guess out how many places if we take the train. Basically the city so far gets about an A in my book.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
"Operation Lonely Week Pt. 2"- Kayla
I'm sure that at seeing the title of both of our posts, some of you are gagging. Fortunately, I don't have it nearly as bad as Nick. Yes, he does have the kitties, and all the furniture, but I still get Justin and Jessica to pass my time. I also have a lot of cleaning to do and I get to help them move, so that will pass a lot of the time. Combine that with the fact that this is the last week of my job and I have to close SEVEN desks, it makes for a week that will most likely pass very quickly.
So, ruminations on the move: it went pretty smoothly considering we went across two states. We unfortunately had forgotten to pack quite a few small things making for the last hour of the packing process a little chaotic- a special thanks to Nick's mother for helping us navigate this potentially disastrous, rookie mistake. There was only one box of "random, almost forgotten stuff" by the end of the packing process, so it could have gone worse. We also failed to properly stack the boxes in the back of the truck because we were too scared that they would fall; wrong. We ended up almost unable to fit everything into the truck; we actually had to put a lot of things in the Quijas' van. A lot of stuff ended up in front of the stuff that was going to my dad's so the unloading at his place was a little rough. A special thanks to my dad for letting us stay with him at the last moment. This made everything so much better, including the amount of stress on the poor cats.
I'm glad to announce that the cats are adjusting well (for those of you who care). There was only one point in the drive in which I thought my cat was going to throw up, but neither of them did; they also refrained from peeing in the car, so despite the panting and freaking out, they did pretty well.
It is strange to be here on a blow up bed in a house that's been my home for 1.5 years, but it's exciting to know that I'm one step closer to moving my life to Chicago. And thank GOODNESS we are done with that move. It was a very hectic day that would have been impossible without the help of family and friends. A special thanks to Justin and Nick's dad for making the 30" couch fit thorough the 30" door of our apartment; I think some sort of voodoo magic was involved here. Also, a special thanks to Jessica for letting us steal Justin away from her for a whole weekend, especially since we took him a whole night early. Overall, very successful, smooth move.
So, ruminations on the move: it went pretty smoothly considering we went across two states. We unfortunately had forgotten to pack quite a few small things making for the last hour of the packing process a little chaotic- a special thanks to Nick's mother for helping us navigate this potentially disastrous, rookie mistake. There was only one box of "random, almost forgotten stuff" by the end of the packing process, so it could have gone worse. We also failed to properly stack the boxes in the back of the truck because we were too scared that they would fall; wrong. We ended up almost unable to fit everything into the truck; we actually had to put a lot of things in the Quijas' van. A lot of stuff ended up in front of the stuff that was going to my dad's so the unloading at his place was a little rough. A special thanks to my dad for letting us stay with him at the last moment. This made everything so much better, including the amount of stress on the poor cats.
I'm glad to announce that the cats are adjusting well (for those of you who care). There was only one point in the drive in which I thought my cat was going to throw up, but neither of them did; they also refrained from peeing in the car, so despite the panting and freaking out, they did pretty well.
It is strange to be here on a blow up bed in a house that's been my home for 1.5 years, but it's exciting to know that I'm one step closer to moving my life to Chicago. And thank GOODNESS we are done with that move. It was a very hectic day that would have been impossible without the help of family and friends. A special thanks to Justin and Nick's dad for making the 30" couch fit thorough the 30" door of our apartment; I think some sort of voodoo magic was involved here. Also, a special thanks to Jessica for letting us steal Justin away from her for a whole weekend, especially since we took him a whole night early. Overall, very successful, smooth move.
Begin Operation "Lonely Week"-Nick
The move is over and it's all here. The last two days have been some of the craziest that I have experienced. It's hard to believe that 48 hours ago I was carrying some boxes down in the house in Columbia that I've inhabited for four of my happiest years. Now I'm in Chicago moved in and unpacked (mostly). Now I begin a lonely week here by myself, with the cats of course, until Kayla finishes her final week of work and heads back.
The move went pretty smoothly overall. It's never easy to drive a moving truck 420 miles, much less into a very crowded city. There were bumps, but we made it safely and in good time. A big thank you to Kayla's dad for putting us up for the night on Friday. We were originally going to get up before the crack of dawn on Saturday, drive to St. Louis and drop some furniture off with him, and then proceed on to Chicago. Instead, we drove to his place Friday night, unloaded, and then crashed there. That put us two hours closer and we had the furniture that he is storing already unloaded.
We got here around 12:30pm and were unloaded about an hour later and unpacked by the end of the night. I can't thank my parents or Justin enough for all of the help they provided. Without them, I'm not quite sure how we would have managed the whole operation. It gave me the chance to say goodbye to them as well. Well, not so much goodbye as a see you later. Sad day.
Anyway, I took some pictures of the place. Unfortunately I only had my laptop to take the pictures with as Kayla has the camera back in Columbia as well her her Iphone, so the pictures aren't the best quality. We'll post some more later.
The move went pretty smoothly overall. It's never easy to drive a moving truck 420 miles, much less into a very crowded city. There were bumps, but we made it safely and in good time. A big thank you to Kayla's dad for putting us up for the night on Friday. We were originally going to get up before the crack of dawn on Saturday, drive to St. Louis and drop some furniture off with him, and then proceed on to Chicago. Instead, we drove to his place Friday night, unloaded, and then crashed there. That put us two hours closer and we had the furniture that he is storing already unloaded.
We got here around 12:30pm and were unloaded about an hour later and unpacked by the end of the night. I can't thank my parents or Justin enough for all of the help they provided. Without them, I'm not quite sure how we would have managed the whole operation. It gave me the chance to say goodbye to them as well. Well, not so much goodbye as a see you later. Sad day.
Anyway, I took some pictures of the place. Unfortunately I only had my laptop to take the pictures with as Kayla has the camera back in Columbia as well her her Iphone, so the pictures aren't the best quality. We'll post some more later.
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