(no subject)
Apr. 14th, 2007 05:37 amI decided to follow ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
adelefiz's advice and call Ashford today (well, technically yesterday, but meh) instead of waiting until Monday. But as luck would have it, I got a call from their HR recruiter not an hour before I was planning to call. Funny how that always seems to happen to me. I'll worry myself sick over something, and at the last second it'll turn out great.
They want me to come up on Tuesday for a second interview. Needless to say, I'm excited and happy about it. After that, it shouldn't be long before I hear one way or the other. I was a little miffed to learn that the job won't actually be on campus, though, but at a new enrollment center a few miles away. It's not too big a deal, I just don't think the city bus goes too close by. Then again, walking five or six blocks each way won't kill me and will probably do me good, and I should be able to afford at least a crappy car by the time winter rolls around again. I was also happy to learn that the school offers nighttime bachelor programs for working adults, so it looks like I'll get to attend class after all. That's a huge relief, considering I still need close to 30 credits and I only have one semester left on federal financial aid.
I know it's premature to be counting on this before it actually happens, but all I can think about is moving up there and starting to be an actual productive member of society (well, at least somewhat). I'm even planning to face my driving paranoia and get a car, as I made obvious by my car comment above. It's not like I'm planning to spend my entire life in Iowa in a dirty factory town of 30,000, but for the time being it seems like a step in the right direction. I'll be making decent money, get good experience at a university to put on my resume, and have a chance to get my degree from a private university for free. Also, they have a campus in San Diego, so if in the future I do decide to move to SoCal, I'd have an opportunity through that alone.
I'm still planning on attending graduate school. Ashford offers an MBA for adults that coincides with their adult bachelor's program, so if the job goes well I'll probably go that route. I can't see the sense in paying for a master's degree elsewhere when I can get it there for free. I do hope to move and attend a good school for my PhD, of course, but in order to do that I'll need a steady income, which I'll be able to get at Ashford.
As to the social aspect...I've never been that good at it. Honestly, I tend to stay home with my writing, my books and my 200GB+ of tv and movies rather than go out, but I'd like to change that, if only a little bit. In a huge step for me, I answered a personals ad on Craigslist (yeah, I know...go ahead and mock me) from a guy that sounded nice. I'm not planning on marrying him or anything, but we've spoken by email a few times, and he does seem like a nice guy. We share a lot of the same interests, and he's talking about taking me to Illini games this fall since he's got season tickets. I'm not sure I want to be his girlfriend, exactly, but I'm not ruling it out. In all honesty, it's been so damn long since I've dated someone of either gender that I've pretty much forgotten everything anyway. Still, he seems to actually want to hang out and get to know me, so that's a plus for him. I like shy people, and he definitely fits that description. I have to admit it was weird contacting him since I'd never really done that before, but so far it seems to be working out. And at least this way I sort of know somebody in Clinton before I move up there.
As to the political climate up there (read: general acceptance of homosexuality) I have no idea so far. I'm hoping the town itself is pretty accepting, but judging by the sheer number of churches (there's seriously one on every other corner) I'm not holding out too much hope. The midwest as a whole, when not talking about the bigger cities, is pretty conservative, so it definitely wouldn't surprise me if Clinton isn't exactly the best town in the nation for gay people. Hell, Moline kinda sucks in that area, and the Quad Cities is a hell of a lot bigger. So I'm not exactly sure what it's going to be like up there, but I'm holding out a little bit of hope regardless. Granted, being bisexual certainly has its advantages, but I'm in no mood to deny the fact that I'm attracted to women. Hell, I vastly prefer them to men. And no, I don't plan on keeping that a secret from the guy I'm talking to; I just have to find a way to ease it into conversation somewhere. Lol, this is gonna be awkward as hell. I can see it now, me being run out of town by a horde of old religious folk on their Rascals, like George in that Seinfeld episode. I'd have to make it across the river at 5mph. Fun stuff.
I'm a tad tipsy from the little bit of celebration I had at some local bars last night/this morning (there are five of them less than two blocks away...this would be such a great apartment for a drunk). Since I normally don't drink at all, I was a total lightweight and am still buzzing from 2 Jack and Cokes three hours after I left. Haha, I suck. Anyway, it's 6am, the birds are chirping and I'm going to bed.
adelefiz's advice and call Ashford today (well, technically yesterday, but meh) instead of waiting until Monday. But as luck would have it, I got a call from their HR recruiter not an hour before I was planning to call. Funny how that always seems to happen to me. I'll worry myself sick over something, and at the last second it'll turn out great.They want me to come up on Tuesday for a second interview. Needless to say, I'm excited and happy about it. After that, it shouldn't be long before I hear one way or the other. I was a little miffed to learn that the job won't actually be on campus, though, but at a new enrollment center a few miles away. It's not too big a deal, I just don't think the city bus goes too close by. Then again, walking five or six blocks each way won't kill me and will probably do me good, and I should be able to afford at least a crappy car by the time winter rolls around again. I was also happy to learn that the school offers nighttime bachelor programs for working adults, so it looks like I'll get to attend class after all. That's a huge relief, considering I still need close to 30 credits and I only have one semester left on federal financial aid.
I know it's premature to be counting on this before it actually happens, but all I can think about is moving up there and starting to be an actual productive member of society (well, at least somewhat). I'm even planning to face my driving paranoia and get a car, as I made obvious by my car comment above. It's not like I'm planning to spend my entire life in Iowa in a dirty factory town of 30,000, but for the time being it seems like a step in the right direction. I'll be making decent money, get good experience at a university to put on my resume, and have a chance to get my degree from a private university for free. Also, they have a campus in San Diego, so if in the future I do decide to move to SoCal, I'd have an opportunity through that alone.
I'm still planning on attending graduate school. Ashford offers an MBA for adults that coincides with their adult bachelor's program, so if the job goes well I'll probably go that route. I can't see the sense in paying for a master's degree elsewhere when I can get it there for free. I do hope to move and attend a good school for my PhD, of course, but in order to do that I'll need a steady income, which I'll be able to get at Ashford.
As to the social aspect...I've never been that good at it. Honestly, I tend to stay home with my writing, my books and my 200GB+ of tv and movies rather than go out, but I'd like to change that, if only a little bit. In a huge step for me, I answered a personals ad on Craigslist (yeah, I know...go ahead and mock me) from a guy that sounded nice. I'm not planning on marrying him or anything, but we've spoken by email a few times, and he does seem like a nice guy. We share a lot of the same interests, and he's talking about taking me to Illini games this fall since he's got season tickets. I'm not sure I want to be his girlfriend, exactly, but I'm not ruling it out. In all honesty, it's been so damn long since I've dated someone of either gender that I've pretty much forgotten everything anyway. Still, he seems to actually want to hang out and get to know me, so that's a plus for him. I like shy people, and he definitely fits that description. I have to admit it was weird contacting him since I'd never really done that before, but so far it seems to be working out. And at least this way I sort of know somebody in Clinton before I move up there.
As to the political climate up there (read: general acceptance of homosexuality) I have no idea so far. I'm hoping the town itself is pretty accepting, but judging by the sheer number of churches (there's seriously one on every other corner) I'm not holding out too much hope. The midwest as a whole, when not talking about the bigger cities, is pretty conservative, so it definitely wouldn't surprise me if Clinton isn't exactly the best town in the nation for gay people. Hell, Moline kinda sucks in that area, and the Quad Cities is a hell of a lot bigger. So I'm not exactly sure what it's going to be like up there, but I'm holding out a little bit of hope regardless. Granted, being bisexual certainly has its advantages, but I'm in no mood to deny the fact that I'm attracted to women. Hell, I vastly prefer them to men. And no, I don't plan on keeping that a secret from the guy I'm talking to; I just have to find a way to ease it into conversation somewhere. Lol, this is gonna be awkward as hell. I can see it now, me being run out of town by a horde of old religious folk on their Rascals, like George in that Seinfeld episode. I'd have to make it across the river at 5mph. Fun stuff.
I'm a tad tipsy from the little bit of celebration I had at some local bars last night/this morning (there are five of them less than two blocks away...this would be such a great apartment for a drunk). Since I normally don't drink at all, I was a total lightweight and am still buzzing from 2 Jack and Cokes three hours after I left. Haha, I suck. Anyway, it's 6am, the birds are chirping and I'm going to bed.