Homesick for Oklahoma – Who’da Thunk It?

Man, over a month since the last entry! It hasn’t been entirely my fault, though – the server wasn’t making my home directory available for upload the last two weeks or so. There’s been a bunch to write about, but now at this time of the morning, I probably won’t remember most of it.

The job search is going painfully slowly. I’m not having much more luck than I was while school was still going. I have a hot prospect with a consulting firm in California, but I’m really not sure I want to go to Silicon Valley or the Bay Area. The offer would have to be pretty good to entice me. I’m really hoping for something in Boulder or Broomfield, on the north side of town, but there’s not much panning out in that search. I really need something soon, though – money’s starting to get kinda tight.

I’ve basically given up on the idea of grad school full time. Once my parents pointed out all my other financial obligations – car insurance, medical insurance, etc. – tuition seemed the least of my worries. I can’t really figure out how everyone else pays for it. I had an interview for an on-campus job back there in Norman if I wanted it and could travel out, but I think I stalled too long. I don’t know, though – the pay’s only so-so, they would heavily restrict my grad studies, which would be the only reason to take the job in the first place, and I was kinda non-plussed by their unwillingness to pay my travel when they insisted on a face-to-face interview.

I really miss everyone in Oklahoma. It’s especially hard to not have my friends from church. All my friends here are essentially atheists. It makes keeping my enthusiasm for my faith harder when there’s no support to speak of. It also makes it harder to want to get involved again with my old parish. I’ve been toying with the idea of volunteering as a cantor, since I hear they really need people. That’s a lot of people to sing in front of, though – about 900 at full capacity, or approximately six times what are at Mass at St. Thomas More. It would be a little nerve-wracking.

Dating prospects look bleak (but then again, what else is new?). I don’t have a lot of places to meet women. The ones in the bar when we go to karaoke aren’t really my type, and there’s no one my age really at church. That’s something I’m really gonna miss from the college scene, especially since I didn’t take advantage of it when I had the chance.


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