Working Girl

Coincidentally, I got my first paychecks for both the SAT prep job and the TCEQ job today, so I am on an income high! Huzzah!

Sorry I have been blog MIA lately. Working 40 hrs/wk really takes up all of your blogging time. Also, I have been making lesson plans for my tutoring job, so it has been really nuts around here.

First, TCEQ is pretty good so far. My boss and everyone in my group seems really nice, so that bodes well for me. I have a cubicle, which isn't too bad of an adjustment since that's what I had when I worked downtown. Also, it is MUCH better than my ridiculously loud office at Channelview, so I am not complaining. The only sucky thing is that there's no lunch bunch, so I sit in my office and read or work on SAT stuff during lunch, which is stupid. It makes me miss the gals from One Houston Center, and our gossipy funny lunches. Boo.

I am trying to make friends, but have yet to make significant progress. I try to chat but am a little awkward about bothering people, since it's hard to tell who is working on something really important or not. I did get asked to be on the division softball team (Lord help me) so that's something. I will let you know how that turns out.

As for the job, as far as I can tell, I will be drafting the state plans for how we will comply with air quality standards. Seems like a bunch of reading and editing, so hopefully I will like it once I get started on an actual plan. I think I will be good at it.

In other news, we also had a pre-construction meeting with our house builder, and it looks like we are all set to start construction on July 10th. Oddly enough, July 10th is my darkest day, but maybe this will help to distract me and/or associate something good with that day. 

In wedding planning news, I became sort of crazy-efficient during my last week of what my mom calls my "engagement vacation" and got lots of stuff done. We found an officiant that we really like. His name is Sam, he is a Presbyterian pastor, he loves biking and rock n' roll, and the bumper stick on his car says "God Loves Everyone...No Exceptions." He was quite a find.

Also booked a florist. I tried to avoid this, but January isn't exactly the best time for flowers, so to get the look I wanted, this was the best bet. I also couldn't imagine doing flowers myself or getting my family to do it. At any rate, they are ridiculously expensive, so I can't really get as many as I want, but will try to make do. I told Aneil we can just throw rose petals and jars of M&Ms on some of the tables to save some money. Ha. The bouquets will have hydrangeas and orchids and irises and roses. I am so excited about them!

Also, Aneil is the best fiancé ever. He really took over the wedding favor project and the seating arrangement project. They will be seriously awesome.

Went and saw "Up" again. Still cried. A lot.

Aneil is watching "Lost" from the beginning, so I watch with him. Forgot how laaaaame Ana Lucia was. Boooo!

Saw Jenny Lewis when she was in Austin. Her voice and stage presence get better every year. Love her. Hate her. Love her.

This weekend should be awesome. Heading to Lake Charles for "Red, White, Blue, and YOU!" festivities. Fro is bringing his roommate (who is really cool) and allegedly we will see our friend Brandon. Plus I will have Aneil in tow. Mom is making pork roast on Friday and Jason is making steaks on Saturday, so it will be a meatza feasta. I am trying to brainstorm potential patriotic movies to watch and have come up with "Independence Day", "The American President", "National Treasure", and "Ghostbusters II" due to its use of slime to animate the Statue of Liberty. Am I missing anything essential?

This week I love peaches, red-haired chanteuses, and getting paid. 

Love to all and love to America!

Diamonds on the soles of my shoes

Hi lubs!

Much news.  First, I have too many jobs, and sadly have to give one up.  I am keeping the SAT teaching gig, because starting in August I can do that one in the evenings.  Also, my boss informed me that I will get to tutor a National Merit hopeful starting this month, so it should be fun and less overwhelming than teaching an entire class.

The big news is that I got a bona fide full time job at the TCEQ, working in the Air Quality division, which I start on June 22.  I am really excited about getting paid again!  And oh joy, health insurance!  Also, the job seems to be tailor made for my weird skill set, so I am looking forward to starting.  Will keep you posted on highs/lows of new career.

I have to give up the KMFA volunteering/internship, much to my dismay.  I hoped to work out an early bird schedule at TCEQ such that I could spend the afternoon at the radio station, but they are making me stick to 8 to 5.  It has been fun, and the people are really nice.  I have become obsessed with Vivaldi and the tofu sandwiches at Wheatsville Co-op in the short time I have worked there.  I am not sure public radio is for me, though.  The non-profit pace is a little too slow, or something.   Too many years of optimizing everything for profit has ruined me.  In the meantime, if you lub classical music, tune in to 89.5 FM or become a member or volunteer like I did!

Last night I went to volunteer orientation for Camp Fire Boys & Girls!  As some of my older friends might know, I was quite the little CF girl back in the day.  (My mom can tell you stories of having to sell hundreds of boxes of candy.)  Houston doesn't have a CF council, but Austin does, so I decided to volunteer.  My original intent was to be a Club Leader (i.e. have my own little group and meet with them every week) but I am worried my current multi-job schedule may be too much for that.  Luckily, there is a perfect job for me...Club Events Coordinator.  I basically get to make calls and set up large events and organize registration and advertising.  It sounds really fun, and I am very excited about it!

In the meantime, there is tons of activity in the Naik/Ewing household.  We are building a house in Mueller!  Our floor plan is called the "Oasis" and is apparently the top choice amongst single old ladies, so it really fits in with the Golden Girls aspect of my personality.  Sadly, no room for a lanai, but we will have an adorable front porch.  We are currently in the throes of home design 101 and we have lots of meetings and home depot trips to do.  Hopefully we will begin construction the first week of July.  We are crazy excited about the new house and have already started bickering about things like countertops and paint colors!  Like a real life married couple!  Ha.  

Alecia took me to Ikea yesterday to get ideas from their showrooms, and I found some color combos I really like.  Also, Ikea has terrific window treatment ideas, so it was really fun.  Luckily, I only have to obsess about home design for a short time before construction starts, then we are locked into what we choose.  I guess then I only really have to worry with paint colors and all the glorious little paint cards I brought home from Home Depot.  

Wedding planning is moving along at a snail's pace.  Aneil has been working diligently on the wedding favors (yes, we are freaks and are already making favors) and I think he has that planned for most of the weekend.  Concurrently, we took a dance lesson in an effort to improve our surprisingly terrible slow dancing technique.  Apparently I try to lead all the time (imagine that) and Aneil wiggles around too much.  We made an attempt at a box step with turns and I think we are going to take a few more lessons next month.  Our instructor, Darren, is the cutest ballroom dancer I've ever encountered.  He is small and British and looks eerily like Tim from "The Office."  Before he met us, he was sort of mortified by our First Dance song, but once he was convinced that we were being ironic he was totally on board.  He then spent half our lesson showing us funny music videos on youtube and entertaining us with stories.  Plus he loves "Freaks and Geeks" so he is automatically a winner in our book.  It was a shockingly fun and fast hour.  Can't believe I was dreading it so much beforehand.

I opted to go with the Austin Cake Lady for the wedding cake, because I fell in love with her Mexican Vanilla w/ Bavarian Cream filling.  (Get excited, everyone!)  Aneil was a lil annoyed that I sort of just wrote her a check and was like ok done and done!  But I mean, I was in a cake-daze, it was that delicious!  So I partially blame the cake and I partially blame the fact that I am only slowly getting used to making joint decisions.  Marriage is hard, y'all!

Okay, so lots of stuff going on, but if you know me well, you know that this is the pace that is most comfortable for me.  I am feeling more like myself and am excited about all the goings on!  I will be better about photos in my next post, but it is too much of an ordeal for today.  Much love to all!

xoxo.