Unemployed. No likey.

Just when you think you're safe, unemployment strikes.
Friday started out like any normal Friday. I got up, went to work, did a couple massages. Everything was fine.
Went to a bookstore with Amanda and Matt, then went to meet Chrystie and Preston for dinner. While heading for the restaurant, Matt ran into a buddy of his. While he chatted, I called in to work to see when I should be at work the next morning. My first appointment started at 9 A.M., with another around 11. Not a bad start to the day, and would probably get a walk-in or two.
Still no warning.
After dinner we went to a Halloween play at the Off-Broadway Theater. Amusing, but not as funny as last year. After Amanda and Matt dropped me off I logged on my 'puter and started chatting with a buddy. Realised it was getting late and I hadn't bothered to take my phone off silent mode or check for messages. By this time it was around 1:30 A.M. I saw my manager had sent some texts just minutes before. Odd for that time of night, but I figured someone was either sick or had a child come down with something and Ben was trying to get their shift covered for the day.
Nope.
He was texting those of us who were supposed to work Saturday morning to let us know not to drive to work, for he had just found out from the owners that Breathe Day Spa was no longer operating. That's right, I was given 7 whole hours notice that I was out of a job. Over TEXT MESSAGE. No blaming Ben at all, he's a good manager and trying to do the best thing. But the owners, for all their money and fancy-schmancy cars, seem to be lacking in the class department. No one had any idea at all this was coming. NONE.
So there I was, middle of the night, just found out that my job of almost 4 years that I totally loved was *poof* Gone. At this point I set feminism back a few years by calling Josh and crying at him 'til he invited me over out of pity, then cried at him in person for the rest of the night. He put up with my weepiness very well. Listened to my whiny venting, saying nice supportive things. Even earned himself some brownie points by telling me I looked pretty (with a straight face) even though I had been crying for hours, with all the accompanying facial swellings, discolorations, and discharges. Must have been the alluring Charlie Brown Halloween flannel pants and ratty, stained t-shirt. Think I might keep him around a while.
Saturday from about 2:30 A.M. on involved watching lots of '30 Rock' DVDs and Transformers 2 (which was really, really, bad. And not in the amusingly bad way. Just. Plain. BAD.) through leaky eyes and occasional bouts of sobs. I did drift off for a while, woke up around lunchtime. More brownie points for going out and picking us up some lunch before I thought it was time to go home and try to face the real world.
The e-mail from the owners of the spa didn't answer many questions, either. Basically, they are declaring bankruptcy and were advised by their legal whatevers to shut down the spa to stop incurring expenses. Last Friday was supposed to be payday as well, yet no one got paid. Now we all have to file for back pay and hope to get some of the money we earned the last 1.5 pay periods. I understand running a business is difficult. But something tells me it takes a little something special to take a popular and well-established spa and run it into the ground after it's been around for 10 years (we just celebrated the anniversary earlier this month). What really gets me is that they didn't bother to warn us lowly employees, not even the managers knew anything was wrong.
So there's my sob story. I'm filing for unemployment, and with the number of spas in this area I'm not too worried about finding a new job. Hopefully soon, so I can find a nearby apartment. I was struggling to afford this one even when I had a job and was looking to move pretty soon. But at the moment not sure where I'll end up so put that on hold. I'm sad to see Breathe end, and I already miss all my co-workers. I'll keep this updated and hopefully soon will be reporting I found a new job.

It was (is) a dark and stormy night

One of these days I'm going to stop doing things I know I'll regret later on. Staying up late. Eating large amounts of food containing large amounts of sugar. Not cleaning my room (don't tell Dad.) Finding creepy stuff on the Internet that will have me jumping at every sound the rest of the night. One of these days, but today is not that day.
I have mixed feeling on the whole supernatural/ghost/haunting thing. I'm sure most of what's out there is over-exaggerated if not downright fake. But what fun is not believing any of it? So I've been having a grand old time this evening, freaking myself right out reading 'real' ghost stories people have submitted on websites,listening to EVP's, looking at spooky pictures, etc. It is almost Halloween, might as well indulge my curiousity. All the time knowing full well what a wussy I am and that I'd regret this fun later.
While I was thus distracting myself, I would occasionally look outside to see the wind blowing the trees around. Then the dark clouds rolled in. Then night came. Welcome to later. So now I've gone and gotten myself in full-on creeped-out mode, I'm alone in my apartment, and every once in a while the wind gets a good gust up and literally howls around the corners of the building. Even when the wind itself isn't making ghoulish noises, it's scraping the tree branches against the apartment wall and rustling the leaves to make soft, chattering sounds.
Here in my room with my light on and TV keeping me company it's not so bad. But the walk to the kitchen for dinner felt long tonight. Through the dark living room, wind and trees causing moving shadows across the walls, hearing eerie stormy sounds. Even with distracting myself and thinking about other things, my heart was beating harder than necessary for such a short trip. Who needs to pay good money for scary movies and haunted houses? All I need is the idea that maybe, possibly, something could be out there (or in here!) and my own apartment seems foreboding. Add a little inclement weather and I can get a heart-pumping, what-the-heck-was-that-noise?!? rush going to rival anything I get at a spook alley. My logical mind tells me I'm safe and secure and tonight is just another night and you're a grown woman, for heaven's sake! The part of my brain where my inner child lives tells me the scary things are just waiting for my light to go out to slip from their hiding places. So we compromise, I'll be sleeping with my T.V. on tonight. . .
. . . . and feeling silly and regretting this blog in the morning, I'm sure.

It's fall, but I'm not complaining. Much.

I'm never sure what to put in my blogs. I assume most of my readers are my lovely family who I talk to on a regular basis anyway so mostly I don't want to be redundant. I'm not making any promises that I'll start writing on a regular basis, cuz I've promised that before and it has yet to actually happen. So I'll just do this one blog and see what happens after that.

Summer was fun and went by way too fast, as it does every year. I turned 28 during my very first trip to Lake Powell. I can definitely see how people get addicted to going down there, it's beautiful! I didn't get to try wake boarding like I had planned, but discovered I do have a natural talent at boat lounging.

I ran another half-marathon at Disneyland over Labor Day, and training took up a big chunk of my summer as well. It's a good thing I enjoy it :-) This year my Dad, Amanda, and Matt participated too. It makes it more fun when other people are sharing the same experience. I think I'm making this an annual tradition, anyone who wants to join me is more than welcome! I promise it's much more fun than it sounds.

I'm still working at the spa, and it's still slow. Not sure when this recession thing is supposed to end, but I'll be very glad when it does. Until then I'll try to just be happy that I have a job that pays enough to keep the bills paid and buy me my food I love so much. And occasional clothes and shoes. I seem to be developing a shoe fetish that is kept in check by the fact I can't afford to indulge it very often.

So now it's fall, and I'm trying to not be so whiny about the changing weather. I caught myself complaining and noticed how very ANNOYING I sounded! My whining isn't going to make it any warmer, and I'm not willing to move to a different climate. Therefore, I'm trying this year to take it all in stride and enjoy the changes for once. The key word here is try.

I'm looking forward to Halloween and just finished a playlist for my iPod. Turned out to be 8.1 hours long and 129 songs. Who knew I had such a dark side? Haha. I signed up for a half-marathon in Provo on Halloween morning, and am trying desperately to get my shift covered so I don't have to work afterwards. My costume this year is Lois Lane. I almost feel like it's cheating to have such an easy costume. My date for the evening will be dressed as Clark Kent/Superman (basically business clothes with a superman t-shirt showing through).

And that segues nicely into a whole new subject. It seems I have myself a boyfriend. Still feels weird to use that particular term, though. I usually refer to him by his name, Josh, or as 'the guy I'm seeing', or simply 'my guy', it sounds more natural that way. Boyfriend. Boyyyfriiieeennd. Totally weird.

Yes, this is the same Josh from previous posts. We've been dating for 9-ish months now, which more than doubles my previous record of 4 months for longest-running relationship. He's a cutie, very outgoing and social, and likes me despite my tendency to be shy and socially awkward. Best of all, in the last 9 months he has managed to not tick me off, make me cry, or mess with my head and cause paralyzing insecurity. Something no guy yet has been able to accomplish. I'll tell ya, it's a nice change from previous experience!

So that's it for this blog. Catch y'all later.