Best. New Year. Ever.

So the Peace Corps gods have been good to me! I've been officially nominated!! Checked my e-mail this morning to the wonderful news that my application has been updated and immediately rushed to find out how. After doing some fist pumps (I promise you these were the complete opposite of those stupid fist pumps the Jersey Shore people do) and doing a happy dance I went to work.

I was not planning on reporting any of this until I learned where I am going (which should be early next week), but well I couldn't contain myself. I especially did not plan on writing this while I have company over celebrating NYE. But they are engrossed in the movie.

So now a whole new set of emotions have over taken me. Before it was anxiety and RAS about whether I would be invited (no matter how many people told me not to worry that I was very qualified, I always thought the worst). Now it is fear and complete scared shitless feeling. What have I gotten myself into? Can I really do this? Am I really qualified? What if I fail? Now the rational part of me says "This is what you have been wanting for awhile now. Cory, you have plenty of experience, much of which will help you greatly no matter what you do. You will not fail because then your sister will win (to those who do not know my sister was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali) and you will be inferior to her. Plus you are stubborn as hell and always find ways to survive." It's just the fear of the unknown which causes the irrational part of me to mentally scream.

So while I have these scared shitless feelings, I am elated beyond belief. I'm going to get to live in a new country, a new culture and learn tons of new things and hopefully teach a ton of new things. I'm anxious to find others that are serving in my country. I'm anxious to try new things, to travel, to eat different things. In other words, I am not focusing on the present anymore (this will no doubt make my boss really happy. I'll just have to work on focusing on work). I don't think my brain has fully wrapped around the idea yet.

So next update will be my new country!

Also, I know I promised a "Best of" blog. I later realized, I've only seen 3 movies this year (127 hours, Harry Potter and True Grit) so I guess those are my top 3 movies of the year. (oh, I did see a great documentary on Netflix called Up Syndrome which is very, very awesome). I bought one new album this year, Kings of Leon Come Around Sundown, so that wins best album of the year (now if only we could get The Strokes to release an album).

Side note: I have found an awesome use of the radiator in my bathroom. The radiator is a long pole extending from floor to ceiling. I have found when it is hot it makes a really great massage beam. By rubbing my back and shoulders on it I am able to relax more. So far no real uses for the radiators in other parts of my apartment, other than making my apartment really hot.

Hope everyone has a very Happy New Year, may it bring peace, prosperity and happiness! Take care all. (my guests are getting suspicious so I must return to hosting duties)

A good Christmas

So went home for the holidays. Nothing really special to report. Had some good times with the family, ate alot and bummed around. But I got the a really good present, not a tangible one, but a good one nonetheless (please note: all the presents I got were awesome). As my mom was driving me to the airport I checked my e-mail on her phone. A change in my application status!! So I went and checked and I do not have any placement holds on my account. I can only assume I am really close to invitation! Whoop!

So you know what would be a great gift for New Years? An invitation.

Back to New York news. In case you have been hiding under a rock, it snowed here. A LOT. Which was a bit of a pain in my travel plans, but nothing I can really complain about. The one thing I want to complain about is the grocery store during snow storms. I will never understand it. Everyone rushes to stock up on food and such. Like they don't live 2 blocks away. I just wanted to buy some tortilla chips, but they are all sold out. Also, Chuck Taylors are not the best snow shoes.

Stay tuned, Cory will unveil her best of next blog (and will hopefully have a Peace Corps update. Yes, I am anxious)

Just one more step before I am out!

So my boss calls me to tell me she texted me. Now some might ask "doesn't your boss know how texting works?" or "Isn't that counterproductive?" Well I would say yes to both questions, but only if you don't know my aversion to cell phones. I don't like them. I didn't get one until I moved up here and my mother wanted some way to get in touch with me. I don't like my phone and it has proven it does not like me. Case in point, not only have some keys fallen off of it, the screen guard popped off, parts of it have chipped away and the back falls off all the time but it now randomly turns off on its own. We have a deal, I won't replace it if it continues to make and receive calls.

But due to my dislike/apathy/not wanting people to be able to get in touch with me at all times, I tend to keep it on vibrate and try not to keep it on me (MOM note: I have it on me whenever I leave the apartment. Just if I'm stationary do I ignore and forget it).

So back to my original story. So I go to check the on call cell phone (where my boss had texted me) and decide to pull out my cell phone too. Less the 3 minutes later I get a call on my phone. It is a 202 number. Now last week I had spoken with Beth, my lovely OMS contact, who had requested some follow-up information regarding a surgery I had 8 years ago and requesting I get a new pap smear (the one I entered with the med review was nearly a year old). So I was not sure why I was getting another call, I had already made an appointment with my dr and had requested my surgery records.

I answer "Hello?"
"Is this Cory?"
"Yes."
"This is Beth from PC OMS. We talked last week. I just wanted you to know that I am going to medically clear you today."
"YAY!:
Cory does happy dance, well I just ran around in a circle in my office which is not very big.
"Are you still there?"
"Oh, um, sorry. My office got a little hectic and I had to get out to hear you." (I was the one being hectic)
"So I'm still going to request that you get a new pap smear, though they might be changing those rules in the future."
"Okay, doing that next week. Thank you so much."
"Thank you have a great day."

I run back to the office high five everyone in sight, which was one person.

I'm MEDICALLY CLEARED!!!! Now just waiting. Well more waiting.

Well I finally reached medical.

This is my second attempt at writing this. Hey, I gave up coffee awhile ago and it was a long night for me.

So after receiving a message from my (most likely) nurse assistant (apologizes if it is the nurse) last week stating she would start my medical packet this week, I gave her a call yesterday.

It was exactly what I thought would happen, while not major and not really time consuming still a pain. I have to get an updated pap smear (the last one was barely under a year when I sent it in), I have to attempt to locate records of a surgery I had on my finger 8 years ago and MH has to look at my seeing a therapist that one time to determine if further steps are necessary. So while I'm running around trying to get a hold of people, it's not due to any medical issues with me. Just getting verification from different doctors.

So my cousin Anna and friend Heidi are in town, which means I will spend the rest of the week eating. I can't wait!

Totally invested

First some Peace Corps news, or rather no news. RAS made me do it. I e-mailed the nurse. She has apparently not gotten to my medical packet yet, due to other applicants. I just wanted to make sure they didn't forget about me.

Went and saw "127 Hours" this weekend (as well as Harry Potter. Which was awesome). I left that movie with a mix of emotions. First off, I LOVED it. The story, the cinematography and the acting was so great that you really feel like you are in the crevasse with Aron Ralston. I would recommend this for everyone to see, really go see it. The end is a bit unnerving to say the least (if you are not aware of Aron Ralston's story look it up), but also cathartic. Really, really good movie.

This has been an odd weekend. I have managed to run into not one, not two, but three exes (luckily all were in good terms)(how odd is this? I live in a city of 8 million people). I was stuck on a train with a guy that hit on me, and when he hit on me I lied to him about where I lived (he lives in my neighborhood, I,falsely, said I lived in Park Slope), this was awkward. We both recognized each other. Then while watching 127 Hours I recognized the producer as someone I have dated. This weekend has been a "This is Your life" marathon of most of the people I have dated here in NYC. I'm a little scared to exit my apartment at this moment to see what else God can throw at me. My luck the stalker I had in Arkansas will show up. I"m not taking any chances. My couch is way to comfortable and forgiving of my behaviors.

What a day

So get up, shower, watch the daily show and head across the street to pick up the other half of my breakfast: an orange (in case you were wondering the first half were some Cheerios). I peel it and put the peel in the trash outside the store. First couple of triangles go down fine. The 4th one ruined my day. No, it tasted fine, it wasn't overly mushy, it looked safe. Little did I know it was harboring a secret. A nasty, evil secret. Some would call them seeds. Now normally seeds and I have a "you go your way I will go mine" type relationship. Well seeds have started a war they do not want to start. This particular seed sent a message, that can only rival the message that the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand sent. Namely, we are about to unleash a dental hell that you have not experienced yet. In non-dramatic fashion, my filling fell out. I screamed. An old lady next to me screamed. Whether or not I overreacted is up to interpretation. I calmed down a bit and went over my situation. Examined the possibilities. 1) "man up" and go to work where I would have to spend at least 2 hours with a client at the welfare office. In pain. 2) go back to my apartment and moan and cry. In pain. 3) go to the dentist. In pain. I chose 3. I called work, and at this point felt a little bit like I was in shock (mind you, after 4 years of braces and braces-like things I am not a fan of the dentist. Plus there is the fact that I have had 2 cavities in my lifetime and both dentists determined they didn't need to numb anything, which was painful. So yeah, I have trouble with the dentist now). I called work and told my boss I wouldn't be coming in as I had, and I quote, "some errands I have to run that coincide with work." I hang up and realize that made no sense whatsoever. I called my co-worker and asked her to remind some of my clients of some things and then hopped on the subway.

Chinatown-dentist. Filling re-filled.

Home

I spend the next 6 hours laying on my couch watching random shows. I watched all of Walking Dead which is so completely awesome words can not express. My extreme love of all things zombie is loving this new show.

I finished up the marathon of Harry Potter that had started over the weekend with my knitting club. Made plans on going to see the movie. I am so hyped for this movie, though upset part 2 will not come out until summer when (hopefully) I will be in Peace Corps. So all NYC peeps, I am leaving it up to you to send me a bootleg copy. On a side note, I am overly hyped for this movie, though maybe not acting on it like I did last year. For those who do not know last year I attended the midnight screening, where I joined friends in line at 8 PM. Yes, I waited in line for 4 hours. To top that, I was literally flying home 3 hours after the movie ended. I went straight from the theater to the airport. I am a geek.

Now I am watching some Law and Order SVU. (I can almost imagine people going "And, why do you think we need to know this?" Well you don't, and I don't really care. I was bored today and felt I should pass the boredom on)

Also knitting like a mad woman, I've finished a pair of mittens, 2 pairs of fingerless gloves and a pair of socks in the past month. Guess what people are getting for Christmas!

No news from Peace Corps

Don't think they know me

Woke up this morning, looked out the window. It is sleeting. I don't know how anyone else reacted to this, but my first thought was "WTF (in reality I actually said the whole thing), it's sleeting!" This was followed by the thought "It's not even Thanksgiving, my God by the time it is really winter NYC is going to be covered in a blizzard." The next thought was "I'm hungry." So I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I volunteer on Monday's at GMHC (Gay Mens Health Crisis, a wonderful agency that serves the HIV/AIDs population. It is filled with wonderful and caring people; clients, staff and volunteers alike. It is also one of the first and biggest of its kind. So if you have come into some money and want to donate to a great cause, check them out). I help out in the kitchen, mainly serving food and talking with the guys. I really love volunteering there, even though I don't think anyone really knows my name. Everyone just calls me sweetie. This causes some anxiety in that if someone calls verifying my volunteer experience, if they don't specifically ask for the curly haired female who works on Mondays no one will know it is me. This is why I talk in the third person and introduce myself to everyone every chance I get. I'm growing on them, even if they think I am weird.

Taking some French lessons in hopes it will help me be a better candidate for Peace Corps. So far I can say hello, goodbye, good evening, good-night, good morning, thank you, please, go to hell and can count to 100. oh, and chocolate. But that I learned from working in the hostel. The french guests wanted everything chocolate so I picked up on that word quickly.

Love Halloween in the city

It brings out the kids in everyone, the stuffy business man reading the Wall Street Journal on your way to work will be the same guy dressed up as Lady GaGa, the uptight teacher will be donning a Wonder Woman outfit. Halloween creates conversations, people stop and talk to each other on the streets, in the subway people strike up conversations with random people. There is laughter and shouting and joy. Of course alcohol assists this, as adults tend to put aside the candy and trade it in for a beer. Halloween makes the city friendly with each other, for at least that one day.

Which makes this Halloween great for me? My friend Scar is getting married in Central Park! I am so excited, but have so much to do on my costume. I'm going as Mother Nature and it looks like the real Mother Nature will do her part, as there is no forecast for rain. Pictures will be included in the next post.

Still no Peace Corps information. Just waiting and trying to prevent RAS. I keep thinking about the Peace Corps in regards to my service. Will my application stand out? Should I have taken French instead of Spanish? Will the extra-curricular activities I have been engaging in the past couple of months help me more? Even though it sounds like I am a bundle of nerves about this, I am not. There is nothing I can really do now that will drastically change my chances. I know I should be invited, I am just waiting for Peace Corps to agree!

Did you know that Kermit the Frog was Eastern European? Yeah, it's ancestors are a tad Polish.

Nicknames through the ages

Jennifer Cory is my given name. Most know me by Cory. Some only by Jennifer. To many this leads to confusion. "Why do you go by Cory?" they ask. "I dunno, always been called that." I respond. "Isn't that a boys name?" some, poor souls, ask. (I have learned to let go of the urge to grab them by the throat and squeeze with each syllable "It is not just a boys name") Others still ask, "Do you not like Jennifer?" (or even worse Jenny). My response is always "No, I have no problem with the name Jennifer, I have just never been called it." Cory is my name, at least my main one. But let us look back to nicknames. I have had many.

Second grade: A boy named Matthew (last name omitted for privacy sake). He called me "meatloaf." I am not sure where this came from. While I do like meatloaf (the food, but do enjoy the singer in the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'), it has never been anything I crowed about. He was either flirting with me, in a way only 7 year old boys are wont to do, or he was a masochist. Either way, whenever I was able to catch him I smacked him a good one.

4th grade: My future friend Lyndsey was not aware of my name, as she had just moved to town. She asked the teacher who the girl with hair like noodles was. Thus the nickname 'Noodles' was born.

6th grade: I had this obsession with wearing red high top sneakers. Loved, loved, loved them! (I have re-created this by wearing my red Chuck Taylors). Put this with my curly hair and Ronald McDonald was born.

10th grade: Hercules was born due to wearing these hippie-dippie sandals all the time (there were a couple of people who called me Jesus feet too)

Same year: My friend Jennifer, upset that I went by my middle name decided that I needed a new one. I was thus christened "Cory Wanda" this later was shortened to Cory W, then even more to "Cory Dub." This nickname lasted throughout high school.

Freshman year of college: Crabby rooster. Works on many levels. In the zodiac I am Cancer, thus the crab. In the Chinese Zodiac I am a rooster, thus the rooster. But the name also came about because I am extremely crabby if you wake me up. That and my ability to pinch really, really hard with my toes

Sophomore year/Disney: Fiery farmer. This is because I was attempting to grow an avocado plant as well as dry out some hot peppers (both would regularly get destroyed during our (nightly) parties.) Fiery, not only because of the hot peppers, but because I managed to blow up our microwave. Yes, while everyone else at Disney compound had the normal issue white microwave. Thanks to my cooking, we had a black one. Definite conversation starter.

Of course I am regularly called 'Sprads', 'Spradley' this leads to confusion as my other siblings respond to this name as well. So I just stuck to the ones that are specific to me (well leaving out 'stinky feet', 'fat girl' and 'PPSW').

Peace Corps News: Dentally cleared. Woo Hooo!! This means I do not have to get my wisdom teeth taken out. Still waiting on medically cleared. Of course by waiting, I mean I have been checking my status daily. Even though I know it is too soon, the hope runs hard. Tomorrow, I will not check my status, that is my new goal.

Sneaking this entry in at work. Just checked my Peace Corps application (I promise I am actually doing work, well after locating numerous videos parodying "Jersey Shore" but after that I worked.) and they have received my medical packet but will not be reviewing it soon as my leave date is more than 4 months away.

It's getting cold outside and I am thrilled. I love bundling up and wearing scarves but am starting to experience seperation anxiety with my shorts and flip flops.

Medical Clearance

Not in. But it's done and I'm shipping it off tomorrow! Everything looks good, at least in my opinion. I've only checked it about five billion times now to make sure all the I's are dotted and T's are crossed. Something will go wrong though. I don't have much luck in that sense.

In other news I'm the boss, with all the responsibility and without the extra pay. Turns out this is the worst type of boss to be. My boss and my co-worker have decided to abandon me to go on vacation. I had originally vowed to have free coffee Thursdays, but I've got too much on my plate to do that. People are just going to have to settle for an 'atta boy Thursdays.

This is just a small stone in my bad week. First the Hogs lose to 'Bama. A game that was clearly marked for destiny if it wasn't for two major screw ups at the end. While making shrunken heads for Halloween parties I cut my thumb, twice. I bit the hell out of my tongue leading it to be swollen twice it's size. I got hit by a car. My clients are refusing to listen to me. It's only Tuesday.

My sister has been in town interviewing with law firms. She is deciding between New York City and Washington D.C. I think she needs to live in NYC, she is thinking it would be better in D.C. I'm collecting a list of reasons why she should pick NYC.

Oh, and my client did not kidnap a baby.

Parent's just don't understand

I moved out of my parent's house in 1999. Since then about every three years (give or take) another sibling has moved out. With each loss of a family member my parents have made improvements on the house. After each child leaves for college something new arrives, whether it is a new living room set, kitchen, cable, etc. They have enjoyed sprucing up and renovating the house that I once lovingly called "home." The home I knew and loved no longer exists. I go home and there is no fighting about which of the 5 TV stations we should watch. There is no fighting about the lack of good seats. There is no fighting about who gets to sleep in a private room. No, instead there is 100 channels, a new leather couch and no fighting (though the last might be because the lack of us all living together). They have changed, man. They have changed.

Peace Corps News: (and by the way, guess where my stuff is getting shipped to. Take that Mom and Dad) Dr. Teets says my stuff is done. Though I fully expect to get to the doctor's office and have to give another two vials of blood. He is requesting to meet with me personally.

All Filler

I've lived in NYC now for over 4 years. Longer than I had originally planned. Of course I never planned on moving up here jobless, homeless and living in a hostel for 5 months (which is a brief bio of my first 5 months living in NYC). So planning isn't my best attribute, but finding ways to survive might be. I'm like MacGyver meets Bear Grylis meets Sex in the City. Just with better hair, no alligator wrestling and no real desire to own $500 pair of shoes. But I managed to "make it" if by making you mean still breathing. Do not get me wrong there are the perfect days. These days are generally in mid-spring/fall time where the weather is perfect, the people are calm, everyone is chill and everything seems right in the world. You can almost feel it in the air, it feels relaxed, even amid the hustle and bustle. The best example I can think of is dusk in Union Square. You have lots of people sitting around watching the skateboarders, bike riders rollerbladers. You have others playing chess. The vibe is just very laid back. I LOVE New York at this time. I love traipsing around NY after midnight with friends looking for food and fun. I love when it first starts snowing. Picnics in Central Park. Food.

But there have been plenty of times that I just groan and think, why did I move here?!? When rent is due and I realize I pay about 3 times the amount for my one bedroom apartment than I did for my two story, two bedroom townhouse in AR. When it rains (nothing survives getting gross). Car alarms. Dogs chained to things. Car horns. The price of pretty much everything. After it snows. The accents. Not connecting. The subways.

New Yorkers are in a hurry to wait. This is a pretty good description. The drivers rush and speed only to get the the stop light. They rush and speed only to spend 30 minutes looking for parking. Walkers (and I am part of this group) get pissed when anyone walks slow, stops suddenly or is in any way/shape/form not walking like they "should" walk. Even if the walkers have no place to go or no real rush. Just pissed off for the inconvenience.

So what will happen if I am not invited to the Peace Corps? Hopefully this is not a question I will have to answer. And it is a question I am working hard to make sure never receives a negative answer. Will I stay in NYC? I'm leaning towards no, but who knows. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, if I was to move away where would I move to? Truth be told I can not think of a place that I really, really want to move to. I have always wanted to live in Maine, but I see that more as a retirement place for me (my dreams of being a lobsterman might just be a dream). I love Boston, but the cost of living is not much different than NYC. So where should I go?

Feeling crafty

My smoking man concert bag. It has hidden compartments to hold a camera. The last Kings of Leon concert I went to, they apparently hired super spies as security, the woman found it in like 20 seconds flat.



One of a pair of mittens that I made. I went on a big mitten kick, but these are probably my favorite.



This is my first sweater hybrid, I used two different patterns. I must admit, I still haven't finished it. Still need to finish the pockets and sew on buttons.



These are a pair of baby booties I made for my co-workers grandson. I think he grew out of them in like a week.

I am currently embarking on getting rid of my HUGE yarn stash. I'm currently working on a pillow. Next will be another pair of socks. I'm still a little gun shy with the particular needles used for socks since I stabbed myself in the leg with them 6 months ago. They've tasted blood and they want more.

Some Peace Corps news. Went to the dentist last week to get my cavity filled. Dentist looks in my mouth examines the tooth and says "I don't think we need to numb you up, it's pretty small." Uh oh. These were the same exact words I heard from the dentist last (and the first) time I got a cavity and painful it was. So I bucked up and prayed that Dentist was not some sadistic, avid Marathon Man fan. The pain from the cavity wasn't that bad, the pain from looking at how much that mouth guard was is a different story.

Also, it appears that I passed my blood work with no major issues.

Haven't yet learned the Cantonese word for pain

But I will. Had my dental appointment today. For the first time in 8 years. Yes, 8 years. I'll let that one sink in a bit. Here I am a 29(!!!) year old professional woman who has insurance and I have avoided the dentist like the plague (or bad breath).
After researching on my insurance website for the perfect dentist, and by researching I mean looking for the one with the funniest name, I finally settled for the one that answered the phone. I was going to Chinatown, so I had to prepare. I downloaded a couple of podcasts designed to teach you Cantonese. I was now prepared if anyone said "hello" "thank you" "good bye" and could threaten to call the police on them. I was ready. Turns out all my research was for nought, no one needed the police called on them.

Remember when I said it had been 8 years since my last dental appointment? Well this was apparently a concern of my Dentist Dr. L. I started to explain that after undergrad I was no longer on my parents insurance, and then I moved and got insurance. Mid-sentence I told him I had no excuse. We discussed Peace Corps and he questioned whether he had to take my wisdom teeth out. I started to like the guy, he seemed as against pulling those things out as I am. It should be said I only had a small anxiety attack when he was doing the exam and said "hmm, that's interesting." Due to his fingers and other incidents in my mouth I was not able to respond "Good or Bad interesting!?!". It turns out he found my baby teeth interesting, before telling me at some point in my life they will fall out. Long story short, I only had one cavity which I will go back in a couple of weeks to fill and have to get a mouth guard due to possibly grinding my teeth in my sleep. And he says I don't have to get my wisdom teeth taken out. Xie Xie.

So now I only have the medical to freak me out and provide numerous anxiety attacks (which is counterproductive to a good health screen).

Side note I have been in a very crafty mood. I discovered how to make paper beads so my apartment is covered in strips of paper. Also working on another blanket. But if one is to look at my yarn pile, there are a lot of unfinished projects laying around.

Meat and Medical

Ah, Meatopia. What part of that word does not sound fantastic. A whole day devoted to the glorious wonders of meat. My day at Governors Island yesterday was filled with the wonderful smells and tastes of this heart clogging wonderfullness. After taking the ferry over, I met up with Geoff and Kirsten for a whole day of...waiting in line for a taste. Despite the long lines, the end result was great. We had pulled pork sandwiches, whole hog with bean and corn salsa, smoked duck tacos, pit smoked beef brisket and a MLT (mutton, lettuce and tomato). Andrew D’Ambrosi from Top Chef (yes just as ADD as on TV), Jonathan Waxman were just some of the celebrity foodies that were in attendance. Great day, great people, great food. This capped my birthday weekend wonderfully!

I have received my medical and dental forms for Peace Corps. Now is the difficult part. Setting up appointments and getting all of the forms filled out (correctly!). Of course my pessimistic (prepare for the worst, imagine complete disaster and hope for the best!) nature assumes that there will be some snag on this process. Well I already hit one. Not a major one, just a kind of humorous one. Well in grad school I saw a therapist. Partly due to stress and partly because we got extra credit for seeing one. Well my honesty made me admit this on my Peace Corps application, so now I have to prove that I am mentally stable enough to serve. This means I have to see another therapist to ensure Peace Corps that I am not crazy. Apparently my professional opinion is a little skewed, as I think I am perfectly fine, despite having diagnosed myself with every disorder in the DSM-IV TR. (I challenge anyone to read the DSM and not see that they fit a lot of criteria for every diagnosis. Apparently I did not listen to my professor when he told us not to read into the book too much as we would end up self-diagnosing ourselves with ever disorder)

So I made a call to a psychiatry office near my job. They set me up with an appointment with a doctor. The problem is this doctor is also one of my client's psychiatrist. When I declined him, I was asked why. I can only imagine what the receptionist was thinking when I said "Conflict of interest." So now I am on a search for a therapist that I have not worked with in a professional way. This leads to a whole mess of insecurities and worries. What if I have some mental disorder? What if the therapist does not think I will be able to mentally cope with the service? What if I am mentally unstable (well, in a bad way)? Again, my worry wart thinking tends to imagine the worst. But now I have an excuse to see a therapist! Now I can be the annoying client!

I will try to feel out the consulting psychiatrist I work with on these issues with extreme sneakiness and subtlety to determine if he thinks I can do this. I will probably butter him up with coffee talk.

I want to be honest with this blog and with my progress towards becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer, so I will write about any issues I have. I will also apologize in advance if I use any curse words, coarse language and touchy themes.

Next: Dental appointment. Hello cavities, good-bye wisdom teeth!

Peace Corps? Bound?

It all started 4 months ago, well if I want to be truthful it started a long time before that, I made the decision to join the Peace Corps. Hopefully.

First I would have to write the essays. Like taking speech class in high school and college I put it off, hoping that maybe Peace Corps would change their mind and the essays would be optional. Like high school and college, they insisted I had to write the essays. So write them I did. Over and over and over again. I passed them around to friends and family. Each person corrected the previous, contradicting each other. So I did the only thing I could think to do. I ignored them (well unless it was a grammar mistake, I’m prone to those).

I crossed my fingers and hit send. Well then I had another part of the essay, laying down my health and mental health status. I was looking good. Hit send.

About a week later I get a packet in the mail, I nearly flew up the stairs to my apartment to get it open and go through. Fingerprinting charts and background check sheet. I filled out my stuff and made plans to get fingerprinted the following day.

Writing the essay was, apparently, not going to be the hardest part of the application. Getting fingerprinted was. I walked the next day to the local police precinct, 30 blocks mind you. And waited, for 3 hours before being told to come back the next morning. Defeated I walked back to my apartment. How hard is it to fingerprint someone?

Well, I got caught up with work and Peace Corps took a bit of a back seat until I got an e-mail from my recruiter. She informed me that I needed to send in the rest of my paperwork within the week. So I had to revisit the fingerprinting. The next morning, after calling the Chinatown precinct, I went and got a money order for $15. Well, it turns out the precinct lied to me, it would cost $16 for two sheets, and they do not take cash. I tried to make poor pitiful eyes at the older chinese gentleman who was fingerprinting me (hey it worked on a speeding ticket I never received). No dice. So I run back to my bank, the lady smiled sympathetically at me but could not waive the $4 fee. She suggested I go to the post office as it would only cost me $1. I go through the back alleys of Chinatown, barely dodging the “handbag, handbag, DVD, DVD” ladies. Left the precinct with ink still on my fingers and a package to mail off.

Two weeks later I set up my interview. It was on Thursday June 16 at 10 AM. I leave my apartment an hour and a half before I have to be there. The train was not working. Great, now the universe, and not just the police department, is working against me. I ran out of the train and got a car service. For $30 they could take me. (writers note: I would like to show how dedicated I am at this point I have spent $35 dollars on unnecessary expenses to complete the application)

I get there, go through the metal detector and meet my recruiter. I’m not good under pressure, oh I’m fine with answering questions and giving good answers, the problem is all of the sudden “um” appears to be my new favorite word of all time. I did kind of push the Health Extension assignment. Let me say the only other interview that was more nerve racking was the one for my current job. I had 6 people sitting in asking me questions at the interview for my current job, she had a laptop.

The next day I got an e-mail. I got nominated! I quickly called family members and my boss. I informed my boss that it was quite possible she would have to find someone new. She was just humored that I was giving a 10 month notice. She’ll miss me, no matter what she says.