Cold front

The weather is about to turn cool cold, so I guess I'll get to experience fall.  I've never been one of those people to bemoan a lack of seasons.  Many of my friends and acquaintances in California complain that the state only sees two-three seasons: warm, hot, and, maybe, cool.

I never really felt the absence.  I love the orange, red, and gold leaves brought on by a cold snap, but my favorite season is late spring/early summer.  Bring on school breaks, summer camp, bright evenings outdoors, ice cream, and the Fourth of July!

It has been an unseasonably warm October here in OK, just like the summer was unseasonably cool.  It was 86 degrees on Monday and 75 today, but tomorrow we aren't going to break 60!

Oh dear...and I've already started wearing my leggings under my dress pants and jeans.

Odd, part 3

Continuing my series on weird Oklahoma, I have a few more observations to share with you.

Oil derricks. Oklahoma pumps a lot of oil, so oil derricks are everywhere.  I've seen derricks in grocery store parking lots, in the field surrounding our new church, and even at the State Capitol (the only state capitol with a functioning oil derrick; they are very proud of this).

Driving.  Oklahomans are very bad drivers.  People who say California has bad drivers have obviously never been to Oklahoma.

Tribal license plates.  Oklahoma is home to many different Indian tribes, each of which is actually a sovereign nation.  Each tribe has a unique license plate design.

Sidewalks.  Where are all the sidewalks?  Do they take them in during the day?!

Overalls.  Many men wear overalls here (though definitely not everyone).  When Amos and I go somewhere, I keep track of the overalled men I see; the highest score so far is three.  Amos says that we will be seeing more because the cool fall weather is coming.  (Amos and I went to the state fair back in September; I saw a grampa wearing overalls AND a fanny pack!)

Ma'am.  I work at a university now, so I get called ma'am several times a day.  It throws me off every time.

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Part 1
Part 2

Hi-ho, hi-ho

Time to dust off the Nalgene and the glass lunchware; I go back to work tomorrow!  It's been a nice seven months off.  Tomorrow I'll get up at 6:00 am, leave by 7:30, drop Amos off at 7:50, get to work by 8:05, start work at 9:00, get off work at 6:00, get Amos by 6:20, and get home by 6:30.  It is going to be a loooooong day.

This morning I made these pancakes (before church!).  For lunch I made quick enchilada bowls.  Tonight I'm making chicken piccata.

We have a few muffins and a box of waffles in our freezer, and leftover pancakes, some vanilla yogurt, and two dozen eggs in our fridge for breakfasts. We have windmill cookies, three kinds of pudding, and pumpkin pie for lunchtime desserts.  We have a few choices for snacks, and we have several dinner options ready be whipped up (hopefully quickly).

I think I'm ready as I'll ever be, at least in the food department, if the rice will just cook...

Cleaning

One thing I will not miss about this apartment is the cigarette smoke that wafts in periodically.  I also will not miss the "gargoyles," aka pigeons.  The little varmints can have our porch back in about three weeks, when we move to our new place!

Amos and I put down a deposit on a small townhouse only a few blocks away.  We would prefer to live in a little house in a small town to the west, but this will be fine for now. :)  The townhome has two stories and a little nook under the stairs; I'm hoping that we can get a papasan for the nook.  (I was going to get a papasan many months ago from Craigslist, but just as Amos and I were leaving to pick it up, the lady woman texted to say her husband wouldn't sell it to us after all!)

Anyway, I have started to clean our current apartment so that we will have less to do when we actually move.  So far I've bleached the bathtub and shower, wiped down the kitchen cabinets, cleaned the grease vent (might need to do that again later :P ), packed up our DVDs and books, scrubbed the oven, dusted the ceiling fan, and started on the refrigerator.  My latest audiobook, Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery, just finished, so now I need to find another good one in order to keep up steam!

Pistol Pete

Pistol Pete; via wikipedia

Two and a half weeks ago, I interviewed for a job at Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City. I dressed up in my professional clothes, drove over to the small campus, and did a good job answering all my interviewers' questions, in spite of a cold.  By five o'clock that same day, I had a new job!  No more substitute teaching! Yea yea yea!!!

I'll soon be working at the school's testing center as a clerk, proctoring exams, recording results, working the front desk, etc., but for now, I am waiting on my background check!  The dumb thing was hung up on Los Angeles County, last I heard.  Oh well.  I am thankful that I have this job and that my supervisor is as anxious for me to start as I am!

Soon I'll be working at an extension campus of one of the top schools in Oklahoma (the main campus is in Stillwater).  OSU's colors are orange and black, their team name is the Cowboys (or the Pokes), and their mascot is an ugly little guy called Pistol Pete.

I am very thankful for the way that God provided this job for me...and I hope I like it! :)