What a Difference a Day (Or Two) Makes

Since I wrote last, I found a job! I'm starting at Chick-fil-A on Friday. It's not an office job, and I'm still in fast food, but it's something I'm well-qualified for and easy to do for just a year or two. I think in a way it's a step up from McDonald's. No offense to McDonald's--it's a good company and the largest restaurant chain in the world--but Chick-fil-A starts out with a different philosophy. The corporate mission statement is "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." That means they require a higher standard of conduct from their employees and they work harder to help build and grow their employees. They're also careful about who they hire. They actually called my references. I don't think I've ever had an employer actually do that! So, I am once again employed. I was told that they'd be able to match the salary from my previous job, also. So, I should be able to cover my bills. Also, all Chick-fil-A's are closed on Sundays, so I will never have to worry about my job interfering with church. (As soon as I find a church, that is. There are about 30 within five minutes of my house--not an exaggeration. Actually probably an under-exaggeration!)

I also now no longer have an Ohio driver's license, registration, or title. It's all been changed over to SC. It feels kind of weird. I've only ever had an Ohio license. Now it's gone. Kinda' sad. But, moving on. Before I could get all that I had to pay my yearly property taxes on the value of my vehicle. That cost me $139.85! Then I had to go to a different office on the other side of town to actually get my license and registration. All told it cost me $205 to get everything transferred over. Isn't bureaucracy lovely? Thankfully, the registration is good for two years and the license is good for 10. (Yes. I'll be nearly 40 before I need another one; if I stay in the south that long.) However, the expensive part, the property tax, is due yearly. Of course!

Tomorrow I need to get a local bank account. No one likes out of state checks. Then, Friday I start work! No more lazy free days. But, a paycheck is a good thing!

What a Day!

Today, I started by hanging pictures in my new apartment, balancing my checkbook, and unpacking more boxes. So far, so good. Then I headed out to buy groceries and ran into trouble. I was trying to get money at the bank to buy them with (Aldi's won't take credit cards or checks.) when I totally blanked and forgot my PIN. So, the machine ate my card. I went in to ask for it back and the girl said she had to ask her supervisor who was at lunch. I came back an hour later to be told that they couldn't give me my card because it was from another bank. They have to destroy it, and my bank (in Ohio) has to give me a new one. I called my bank, and they said that'd take seven to ten days. By then, I plan to have opened a new account down here and closed my account in Ohio. So, in the meantime I'm stuck without a debit card. Thankfully I still have checks and a credit card. But, back to Aldi's. They were holding my groceries for me while I tried to get cash. Yes, I'd already shopped because I was planning to use my debit card in Aldi's. But, I couldn't do that without a PIN. So, I had to go back to Aldi's and tell them to put the food back. Then I called Jared, and he let me write him a check in exchange for cash which I took to another Aldi's and finally got my food. Added to that mess is that Greenville streets are not straight, so when you think you're parallel to some other street, you're not. And, the streets randomly change names all the time. I keep getting lost. Whew! Hopefully, the rest of my tasks for the week won't be this stressful!

Next on the agenda is transferring my license and registration to SC. And of course, still job hunting. Jared is getting me the contact info for a new Chick-Fa-Lay that's just opened here. They are hiring and advertising on campus. That would be nice because of their no Sundays policy. We shall see.

Update on My Life

Hmm. I guess it's been a while since I posted anything. Okay, so it's been over two months since I posted anything. It's been a busy two months. I've been working to figure out which Grad school to go to. The one I wanted to go to (and which was recommended by Bibles International staff for the area of Bible translation I want to go into) will not accept TRACS accreditation. Everyone (including TRACS) is baffled by this refusal. Lots of appeals are going on, but it will all be too late to help me. So, instead I am looking at the University of South Carolina in Columbia for a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics.

However, the cost of the program will be greatly reduced if I become a resident of South Carolina. This requires that I live there for a year and/or have a full-time job in the state. So I am in the process of moving to South Carolina. In fact, I'm moving tomorrow! (It works out well this way because my brother Zak is starting college at Bob Jones University, so I can caravan down with the rest of my family.) I'm going to live for a while in Greenville because a friend of the family offered me a really good deal on an apartment, but eventually, I will be moving to Columbia. Please pray that I'll find a temporary (full-time) job in Greenville and that all the steps of my application process will go smoothly. I'll write next from South Carolina.