a lenten vortex has sucked me in

okay, so my hours were scaled back at work which is why i have been frantically retooling my resume and job hunting and not blogging! our huge contract didn't come through and may be delayed until november. eek!

well, truth be told, *last week* i was frantically job searching. This week I have an interview and have sort of gone on autopilot and figure that i will reengage afterward. in a case of coincidental hilarity, in my international political economy(IPE) class, we have been discussing labor practices the world over and how some countries, like asian ones, might provide more longterm security in exchange for you having to be completely obeisant. american companies might make it seem like you are a part of their family by choice, but they can fire you at will. not that i've been fired, i should be getting more hours next week, but still.

in the meantime i've been selling stuff on ebay--and of course the only frickin thing that won't sell is this horrible sandalwood scented wooden fan i got as a gift from my national security students in taiwan. that frickin fan and my old boss are like two of the only things that make me vomit in my mouth just at the thought of them. that smell, that god-forsaken smell of sandalwood incense stinking up the stairwells and sidewalks of taiwan. ohhh, hey i think someone has just bid on it! woohoo! one cent! yes!

in juxtaposition, something adding greatly to the quality of life of the julie and her family is the tradition of saturday breakfast at einstein's bagels. lauren and mom started it when laur was the only one living at home and she and mom would get bagels every saturday. when our bagel place mysteriously, and without any warning whatsoever, transformed into an ice cream shop, we had to find a new place. and now any number of hartle family and friends can be spied at 8:45 at the einstein bagels. last weekend we had corinne+luke+owen, Lauren+michelle, gpa+gma smith, gpa+gmakathy hartle, mom and me. it felt warm. you know, like steel magnoliasish. conversations all around and baby being passed from person to person. jennifer+zach+carson can also be found joining us from time to time. i'm soooo lucky.

i have also been able to shuttle my father to and from the airport as he goes around the country training honda personnel how to be cool. speaking of cool, im now in my living room staring at the ceiling fan that our alcoholic electrician has failed to show up and install for two days, to our chagrin since global warming has given us temps in the 80s and 90s this past week. i got a nasty nasty sunburn out hiking last weekend.

in better news, i found a kickass trivia night downtown which charity and i and a bunch of my coworkers are attending tonight for the second time. this is a special st patrick's day edition. it isnt as flashy as our previous pub trivia in taiwan, but just as fun, and you don't pay to be in it, they just give you free gift certificates if you win 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. pub trivia is just fabulous. if you ever need to bond with people you don't know very well, i highly suggest you seek it out. i'm pretty sure that they must exist at english and irish pubs in every big city.

well, adieu until next time, which will be God only knows when. happy Lenten season and Easter. what are you guys doing for lent? i've started attending my church's lent bible study and sunday school. i'm really loving getting to know the people at my church better, we've got some really stellar people that i have never met before. my pastor's wife is such a fabulous sass; an excellent mix of sarcasm and sincerity; a woman who installs car seats and helps with child safety, a bilingual 2nd grade teacher, etc. we are all very different which makes it interesting because our conceptions of God aren't the same, except in a few critical areas, natch. i was going to do some sort of self-flagellation, you know, denying myself something i love. i was very close to trying to abstain from all unnecessary spending until i realized that i couldnt tell the difference. so i really need to meet with someone to draw some kind of budget...and, you know, boundaries! eek. this saturday i will be found at a celtic prayer retreat and in the evning i will be found eating corned beef and cabbage with the family hartle. happy st patrick's day!