Ch-ch-ch-changes... In 2002 I discovered Portland, Oregon. Wonderful little city with quirky people who would say "hello" to strangers on the street, nice weather (to someone who grew up in Wisconsin), lots of strip bars, reasonable rents ($495 for a 500sf apartment in town), and a live-and-let-live vibe.
Unfortunately I didn't realize the mid '90s was the peak and 2002 was the tail end of things for Portland. Now there's lots of taxes, lots of homeless, insane rents, constant protests, needles on the sidewalks and more and more taxes and rules. I've known for at least 8 years that I should leave, but when you're in the Columbia River Gorge and the sun hits Mt. Hood just right... It makes everything worth it.
Well it is getting unavoidable. After realizing my second "dream job" wasn't going doing anything but making me miserable because of the management at all levels in the company, I left. Spent quite a bit of time just unwinding and getting my head back together. I did zap off a couple online applications in my line of work for Boise ID and Charlotte NC around the start of the year but never heard anything back. The online system was a bit annoying too, in that you couldn't submit a cover letter which really is what fleshes out the resume and sells the position.
Anyway, today was time to get the ball rolling again in earnest so I started with the companies in my industry. Logged on to the aforementioned site and my "dead" apps show as still active, with one having a status of "set up phone screen" and one with "under review". Unfortunately both those updates are from January so I'm not sure if that means they're dead or not. And they've done a very good job of making it impossible to contact any humans directly. They control the interactions completely.
****
What else is going on? Lately I tend to wake up around 4:30am. Today I decided to just roll with it and got out of bed around 5--that way I could get away with a lunchtime nap without feeling like a slug. I took my dog for a walk--or maybe she took me, because I kind of let her pick the route. She wound up taking me to a house she would visit when she would escape while I was at work. This is the second time she's done this on a walk. Stay at home Mom, 2 cute kids, and a couple smaller dogs. They love my dog and when the youngest saw her on the sidewalk, they all came outside. They're looking for a dog if I'm willing to let her go. I love my dog, but she's a handful. She probably takes up at least 20 hours a week--to the point where I can't have a job and a life and a dog--I've got to pick 2 (maybe only 1). Having a whole family would spread out some of the attention she would get. And she's a working dog--she needs a job. So on these days I've been home, she just lays around and looks bored until her 2 walks a day. If she was with this family, she would be responsible for protecting them (I need a lot less protection than they do, I think). And if I let her go it would certainly make moving to another state easier. Although right now I've still got a cat that poops the minute you load her into a carrier and put her in the car. I don't relish the idea of driving across country to the aroma of cat poop. So that's where I'm at. A little bit Hamlet, a little bit Puff the Magic Dragon, knowing I need to make a change, but not quite ready to make it.
In an hour or two The Dog goes for another walk and if she takes me to their house again, I plan to let them have her. Otherwise I'll sleep on it and decide in the morning.