Short entry today, as it's getting late and I've got to bunk down (bunk up? bunk sideways? I've never really understood that expression) for the night. High anxiety time, for sure. I got in about 1:30 this afternoon, having packed most of my worldly possessions into the back of my car last night and this morning. Todd and I did a quick goodbye. It was strange; I don't think either of us wanted to linger too much on what was happening -- if we did, it might hurt too much -- and so I dropped into my car about 9:00 this morning and did not look back.

I got into town and went immediately to campus. I'm still fuzzy on parking, but there was a visitors' lot open, so I parked there and hoofed it about a half mile to my building. Most of the students had either gone home for the day or were in their second tier of testing, so it was pretty quiet around the office. A few of my co-workers were in the conference room, scoring reading and writing assessments. I got to sit in -- even contribute an opinion or two -- and grade a handful of exams. Sitting there, red pen in hand, listening to the big bells toll the hour outside I got a real sense of rightness. Or, at least the beginnings of it. I could get used to grading exams, seeing students, taking lunch in the quad when the weather turns nice. I don't know what it was about those bells and those exams, but it was the first time since getting here that I felt like I might fit in after all.

We wrapped exams and there didn't seem like there was too much more to do, so I cut out early and went to look at a couple of apartments. The first place I went to didn't give off the best vibe -- even though I'd called ahead of time to let the office person know I was going to be arriving, she still made me wait twenty minutes while she fussed with some paperwork. And then, when I asked her about security in the complex -- I'm a twenty-something female living on my own, after all -- she gave a kind of evasive answer, like "if you're worried about it, call the police and ask where they do the most patrolling." It just didn't seem right. Not that I was expecting a rose petal parade and a statue made of chocolate or anything. But a little common courtesy goes a long way, especially if I'm going to be feeding you a monthly check. It was twenty 'til five when I got out of there and, on a whim, I called another apartment complex in the area to see if they were showing any one-bedrooms. The lady said she had one, but that I had to make it there in the next five minutes because they're only allowed to show apartments up until twenty to five (because the apartments will turn into pumpkins at five o'clock, apparently). I zoomed over there, made it just in time, and got a tour of a much nicer place by a much nicer office coordinator. The rent/deposit was far more expensive than the first place, though, and I put in an application (and $30 application fee) without making a commitment.

Exhausted, I finally checked into my hotel room (nicer than the Days Inn, but still a little shady) and did a little Internet research to see if there were any rental properties in the area. I got a bite and spent a good three hours following it up before seeing it fizzle out. I called my parents, then called Todd, venting to each respectively. After all that, I'm back where I started this morning. I told you: high anxiety. However, I've got at least four more prospects to call in the next few days; one of them is bound to have something that's right for me.

In the meantime, I need to stop fixating on the whole living situation and focus on what matters: doing my job, getting to know my students, and making sure that my employers don't ever get a second chance to regret hiring me.

I don't know how my "short" entry ended up being this long. It's definitely bedtime.