Soss the cat is getting up there in years. He's deaf, gets lost in the house, and apparantly has lost all ability to keep himself warm despite his, you know, fur coat. Probably not really on that last one, but he sure acts like it when he pitifully scratches at the covers to be let underneath into a warm cuddly cave of blankets. I usually get roped into his scam and let him under (with a friendly warning if the hubs is a bit bubbly). The other morning I was up and getting ready and Soss was trying to get under the covers, so I helped him out by folding the covers over him. Fast forward nine hours. I got home and tried to find him to make sure he was alive so he would know we were home. Couldn't find him anywhere. He wasn't in any of his hidey holes. So I went back upstairs to our room. I looked at the bed and thought, "surely he got out of the covers?" and started patting around, until I felt a lump. A lump that didn't move when I put my hands on it... Now, this is one of my biggest fears and a sad future reality -one of these days we're going to come home and the cat will have made his departure to the catnip fields in the sky. But luckily it wasn't yesterday. As I braced myself and started trying to figure out how we explain death to Colin, I shook a little harder and a little "meow" drifted up through the layers of covers. Jeezy creezy! The cat had been in the bed all day?! I pulled the bedding back to discover a sleepy and seemingly contented Soss, fur all bed-headed and acting a bit surprised to be woken up and pulled from his nest. A little further examination revealed that yes, the cat had been stuck, and yes, he peed in the bed. But no poop (it's the small things, really). The wet had soaked down and up - so I had to wash everything. Thank goodness we had invested in a good waterproof mattress pad for the "did you know humans sweat a gagillion gallons at night over the course of a mattress' life?" factor. It was hard enough trying to explain to Rob why I was washing all our blankets and down comfortor let alone why the cat was in the bed in the first place. Soss is none the worse for wear, in fact, he wanted under the covers last night when I was reading. I guess senility has it's advantages - no memory of trauma.And to detract attention from my abysmal pet parenting skills...how proud were Rob and I when we discovered Colin writing! his name! on our chalkboard?! Daycare Donna has "school" every day where he does the typical preschool activities. But we hadn't seen him write his name yet. We've been having a lot of "I'm worried about the beav" conversations about Colin's behavior lately, so it was great to have something to really praise him on. 
The mucky, murky, dank atmosphere at my office seems to be sucking out all my creative mojo. Which is horrible. Because I’ve let it happen. I’ve never been one to have a great shield against external forces. When I’m in a happy environment, I’m happy. When I’m in a sad environment, I well up. When I’m in a shitty environment, I can’t get past the poo smell. And man does it smell like poo around here. But there’s a good chance that the universe is about to light a match and clear the air. (wow, poo analogy, times really are tough)I’m in the final selection process for a job that would be (oh my would it be) so perfectly aligned to my elemental jones for the written word that I’m ready to ditch my four-day work week and five minute commute for the chance to take it on. It’s for the Multnomah County Library. As Marketing Director. For the library. Did I mention it’s for the library? That place with all the books? One of the best in the country no less (no, really – ranks number two only after Queens, NY for circulation), for a metro region that passionately loves its library system.
The last several jobs I’ve interviewed for have needed a fair amount of internal bargaining to convince myself that it’s the “right one.”
Nike: Well, no, I don’t want to work 70 hours a week for a company that has a locker room mentality, but I could really see myself doing a great! job there.
TVFR (fire department): Well, no, I don’t think that being on call 24/7 and being in potentially dangerous situations would be ideal, but I could really see myself doing a great! job there.
FBI: Well, true, I’d be part of a Big Brother organization and potentially put myself and my family at risk if I piss off some nefarious element, but I could really see myself doing a great! job there.
But for the library job, from the moment I saw the job description, I haven’t had to do any of that shifty self-deception. It FEELS right. In every step of the interviewing process (two months and counting, if you were wondering) it has been natural to step into the situations presented to me. It will be a challenge, but one that I realize I’ve been preparing for in this current role. It will stretch my capacity, but boredom is one of my worst enemies. I like the people I’ve met, they love what they do. I would have a team to support and who would provide support for me, being a team of one has some distinct disadvantages. I would have a commute, but not too bad, and I’d get to be downtown (love the burbs, but it’s not the most exciting environment). I would be able to channel my passion for reading into telling the library’s story and increasing the public’s knowledge and support of the library’s services. They don’t expect to have a decision for several more weeks. As far as I can gather, I'm one of five or less contenders. It’s hard not to speculate on what’s taking so long – Rob and my best guess is budget. So in the waiting, if you can spare a quick thought, prayer, vibe or mechanism of mojo of your choosing, I’d appreciate it. Just picture me, working for the library, enjoying my work, and supporting my community. Doesn’t it make you smile? I sure am.
