toodling around

so...i got a job! it's with malcolm pirnie, "fiercely independent" environmental consultants, in Berkeley. i am stoked! (and this is after missing the first phone interview due to a misplaced phone number, my shirt splitting in the back while dressing for the interview, sweaty armpits, and arriving late for the in-person interview due to bay area traffic...totally jinxed and i still got it. unbelievable!) i'll be working as an environmental engineer, saving the world. really, this gig rocks. the company culture is ideal. the actual work is ideal. the compensation is really good. this office even has a "FUN committee"...yes, capital F-U-N...AND they have giant basket of chocolate when you walk in, which includes dark chocolate. priorities, you know? can't wait to get going with my new career! (wow, am i really looking forward to a j-o-b?!) i start mid-August, so will toodle around until then. still trying to figure out what to do with that free ticket. still really interested in visiting Marcy and Zach since i don't know when i'll have another chance to head over. AND Sean's in Italy for the summer, and traveling with him is always an adventure. seems like an ideal time...but i need to decide soon.

at the moment, i am in WA. chilling with the pugs. jazzy now howls like a werewolf. actually just drove in a few hours ago. such a looooooooong drive. ugh. my parents are in the middle of packing up and putting everything in storage. i am really, really homeless. it's a weird feeling. i have no permanent address. i am sleeping amidst boxes. everything in my life is so unsettled now. i spent the past week in the bay area, at the Fostino's. it was fun! they had a graduation party for me, so i got to see everyone.

life is awesome. i was riding fremont older last week and thought back a bit, specifically three years ago which is almost to the day when i left nanosolar. i think about everything that's happened since then. it's a long list: traveled for a couple months in europe/africa, learned to bartend and then actually bartended for real cash (on the beach, no less!), got my graduate degree, worked at the US EPA (my dream), finished a master's thesis that's made a great impact, fell in love and got my heart broken for the first time, reconnected with a number of family members, and raced my mountain bike...AND learned to downhill. i also tried online dating, lived in santa barbara and santa cruz, took an avalanche/snowpack course, and gained a lot of focus. i've become intrigued with feng shui and nearly obsessed with myspace. scary. i've met a ton of new people, somehow managed to grow the relationships with my oldest friends, and SWORN OFF ROOMMATES FOR LIFE.