mi ujsag?/what's the news?

So I've known about this for a while, but I wanted to wait until it was officially announced -- I am now permanently employed! My job before was temporary and only supposed to last until June, but earlier this month I was offered a permanent spot as a case manager. I'll be doing follow up services for people after they've completed programs at their JobLink Centers. It's a nice change because I'll have regular contact with these people --and I'll get benefits! Sometimes it's hard, though; I had a woman cry to me over the phone last night because it's just so difficult to find a job.

This job really is a blessing, because I've really been debating about grad school. Last year I just didn't really feel right about it, but this year I became intrigued with ECU's online Masters degree in World Literature. I was trying to decide how I could manage teaching with grad work when my supervisor asked me if I was interested in working permanently. Perfect! So against all odds I will be in Nash County indefinitely; who could've predicted that one?

So life is good!

In other news, Kathy and I took a trip to San Antonio! I don't have any pictures now that I don't have a camera, but if you're friends with her on facebook, check out the album. San Antonio is a very cool city. I highly recommend the riverwalk; it's full of ambience, people-watching opportunities, and TexMex food. We also really enjoyed seeing all the Spanish Missions - although we both were disappointed that the Alamo was crowded with extremely loud, obnoxious tourists. I really miss the relative quiet of Europeans. We got a great deal through orbitz and stayed at a Sheraton with a great location and incredible beds. Kathy declared the pillows coma-inducing! I was also pleased that we were able to successfully navigate San Antonio in our rental, although we were forced to call Mom to ask for mapquest directions back to the rental place at one point; we made it back with minutes to spare. And we just barely made our flight back. We had a fast connection when we stopped in Houston, so I knew we'd have to move quickly -- and I made a novice traveler mistake. I failed to doublecheck the gate number. After we made it all the there, I noticed that instead of Raleigh, the gate was for Guatemala City. Guatemala sounds cool and all, but I didn't have my passport, so we had to book it. And naturally the gate was in another terminal. In fact, it was literally the gate the greatest distance from our original one. We made it just as they called our rows for boarding. Whew!

Also, if you're traveling out of Raleigh and need to park, don't use the airport parking. Use this instead; it's amazing.