The Low-Down on the Small Town

So Friday I had my job interview.

Because of where the job interview was (about 3 hours away from me), and because my interview was scheduled for 8:30 in the morning (gross), my mom and I decided to drive down the night before and stay in a hotel. My older brother came to stay with my grandmother and my mom and I headed down. We had an enjoyable trip, and I think it was nice for my mom to have the opportunity to get away for a night. Plus we got to see an area of the state we hadn't seen before. So we got there and ate at a Mexican place and then went and checked in to the hotel. And we just relaxed. We turned out lights around 10:30 and within about 5 minutes, my mom was out. I didn't sleep all that well, and then when she woke up at 5 in the morning, I woke up too. I tried to go back to sleep. I mostly failed. My alarm was set for 6:30 so I could get ready and we still had to drive another 45 minutes to where the actual location really was. So at about 6:15, I heard my phone. At first it registered (in my somewhat comatose state) as my alarm. But it turned out it was 3 texts from Lea in succession. Hahaha. So I was up at 6:15 for sure. And so I went down to the hotel lobby and ate some raisin bran and then came back to the room to start getting ready. My mom and I drove north 45 minutes after checking out of the hotel. We got to the library. And that is in a one-horse town for sure! It didn't even have a stop sign that I could see. I got nervous at first, because I was the only one there! Turned out my interviewers who were coming from the service center were late. I was really starting to get nervous, because I was worried that maybe I was supposed to have gone to the service center for the interview and that I'd gotten the information wrong! And man oh man, that would have been a long way to go to be wrong. But they showed up. And I interviewed. And I think the interview went well. The library is adorable. Right up my alley, really. I'd be supervising 2 other people if they were to offer me the job. Smaller than Ashford, though. Smaller collection (though it is a shared collection, so that changes things a bit). I got a lot of those "what would you do if..." questions. Or "where would you go to look for this if a patron wanted it..." I also had to come up with a program for families based on a book they handed me, and I had to explain to them what I would do. So anyway... I think the interview went well. I am one of 5 candidates they interviewed. But the truth is... I probably won't take the job if they offer it to me. It is just too much in the middle of nowhere. And it turns out this Nilla Wafer is not a one-horse town kind of gal. I don't care to live in Seattle. But I sure need more than a gas station without an attendant that only takes debit or credit and therefore only has outhouses for bathrooms (ask my mom). The job really appeals to me in so many ways. But I could never be happy 40 minutes away from any real city in a town where everyone knows my business and I know everyone else's (these were the interviewers' words, not mine). And I'm not saying I know they will offer it to me. I'm just saying I am pretty positive I will turn it down if they do.

After the interview, we headed back. A long story ensues here that I will not share, but basically, the clock was ticking and my boss at the library was expecting me back there if I made it to the library where I work before the end of my regular shift. You see... They paid me for the day whether I was interviewing or driving or doing my regular job -- but only between the hours of 9:45 and 1:45, as that is my regular shift. My interview, which started and ended before 9:45, didn't even count. And so, I ended up getting back to the library with an hour and a half to work -- in heels and my interview suit. Fun. During the drive back in, we stopped for a potty break (and to get some food) and this is where I discovered I had put my nylons (or pantyhose, hose, or stockings ;)) on backwards. The really sad part about this is that I had already peed at the library before my interview, and I didn’t notice this at that time. (Is that TMI ;)?)

So that was the day. Very exhausting, and by that evening, I was bushed. I’ve spent the weekend resting, hanging with friends, and laughing. Last night I hung out with Lea and her family. And I learned a new term. Probably a made-up one, but funny. Right up there with “wacka-wacka.” Zeeba-zaba. This is a person who speaks English, but you need subtitles to understand them. Hahahaha.

And tomorrow, if things swing the way I’d like them to, I may have the opportunity to see someone I haven’t seen in 10 years! One of my Young Women leaders from Panama is in the area with her family and I might be able to spend the day in Olympic National Park with them. Even if I cannot, though, Ladonna assures me they will not leave the area without seeing me, even if only for an hour or something. So how cool is that!?!