Mission. Accomplished.

Well. As you've probably guessed from my absence here, I've been busy. Yes, that's right - this unemployed girl is unemployed no more! I start my first real world job January 5th. How about that? Pretty crazy huh? The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind. I actually had, not 1 but 2 job offers; one with a brokerage firm in downtown Boston and one in a youth staff position with Royal Caribbean. Now as some of you know, I've been talking about working on a cruise ship for a couple years now. And yet, without hesitation I found myself gravitating towards the more responsible, grown-up job. What gives? Well, in the words of Inigo Montoya, lemme esplain. 

The cruise ship position is a 7 day a week, 10 hour a day position with a five month contract. Those are loooong hours working with little bratty kids on vacation. I would be living in a 10x10 room with another person. I'm an only child - I'm used to having my space, thank you. Yes room and board are accounted for, but the wages are still piddly. But the biggest downer, I realized, was that after that 5 mo contract, unless I signed up for a second contract (fat chance), I'd be back where I started - living at home and looking for a job in a horrendous employment market. 

The brokerage firm, though not where I initially envisioned myself, is a small company that employs mostly young people. I was surprised to find that it had a fun, youthful vibe. They go out together after work for drinks, baseball games, you name it. And they bring their friends. In terms of relocating, what better network could you ask for? And being part of such a small firm, I would be learning a ton about the business. So if it turns out this stuff does interest me, it's a terrific foundation.

I got a call the day after the interview with the offer. Holy crap - things happened fast! So then I had to find an apartment. I spent last Sunday in the city with a friend of mine who came as my moral support and sounding board. We went all over, spent hours on the T, but the last place we looked at was just beautiful. The girl who would be my roommate was friendly, and more importantly - she seemed pretty normal. She travels a lot for work, so I'd have the place to myself a lot of the time. Let me tell you about this place to myself: soaring ceilings, exposed brick, structural beams, open floor plan with an island in the kitchen (with dishwasher - hallelujah!), a and a freakin' baby grand piano. No joke. Got a call the next day to say that I got the apartment. I'm getting used to this instant gratification business. 

But honestly, things have just spun around since Thanksgiving. I now have a job and an apartment in the big city. And the nice bonus about starting after the holidays is that I still get to go on my Florida vacation with my family. Leaving this afternoon. Gotta go pack! Check ya later! 

PS: yeah... I know this post isn't as finely crafted and witty as some of my better work, but I had a lot to catch you up on! So get over it :)