Kennel Fridays!

Here are the dogs I played with today:

Emma: http://http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15626073

Roscoe: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15626077

Charlie: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15626078

Rex: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15626099

Emma is very sweet, Roscoe is very loyal, Charlie is extremely playful and Rex is loving and has been at the kennel for three weeks.

These dogs are looking for loving homes!

Volunteer Efforts

This week, I started volunteering with No More Homeless Pets, an organization that helps homeless pets find homes through adoptions, fostering, etc. It's such an amazing organization and I'm thrilled to work with them!

I started with simple office work, and today I spent my morning helping in a kennel where some of the dogs are kept. There were only three dogs today, an older medium sized dog named Rex, a pitbull mix puppy named Phoebe, and some kind of mini-poodle named Mitch.

Rex was playful and has apparently gone through a major transformation. He came to the kennel baring his teeth and growling, but with training has become a friendly, fun dog.

Phoebe was just a pup who didn't quite understand what I was doing with the ball I was throwing and wanted to go inside after five minutes.

Then Mitch. There are specific instructions to go slow with Mitch. When I arrived, he was huddled in a corner and refused to move. After playing with other dogs for a while, I came inside and he hadn't moved. I entered his kennel and still he didn't move. He came from a family in Duchesne County and no one knows what they did to him to make him terrified of people. It's heart wrenching.

I sat in his kennel with him, trying to get him to respond, but he merely kept his head down. But I stayed with him and gave him all the attention and love I could. He still didn't move.

This is exactly why I am so eager to get into the animal field. I want to help them, I want to rehabilitate them and help the ones who need it most. It's disgusting how some people could abuse their pets this way, and Mitch deserves a wonderful home with a loving family. He just needs some help first.

I cannot wait to go back next week.

How Exciting!

So, I did both of my options. I filed for unemployment (I'm officially a statistic!) and filled out the FAFSA, a bit late, but still waiting for student loans. I may apply for a privatized student loan, but who knows.

At any rate, my moving process has semi-officially begun. I'm moving down to Phoenix in June, which is WAY sooner than I anticipated. It's exciting and terrifying at the same time. Luckily, I have so much family there that I know I don't have to worry about being homeless. My friend Emily and I will move in together in August, but until then I need to find a job and start setting up residency.

I kind of sprung it on Zack though. I should have been more careful but instead I ripped the band-aid off. We're both dreading being apart. It certainly will be hard living in a different state. I'm not too social though, so I am pretty sure I'll be a shut in. I'm also saving up for a new laptop with a webcam so we can Skype. If anyone would like to donate to that cause...

In other news, Emily and I are going to Coachella this April! MUUUUUUUSE is going to be there, I'm more than crazy excited! We have a camp spot for the three day music festival, it's going to be so stinky and fun!

For Real This Time

Who knew trying to sort out your life to another state was so stressful?

I'm trying to figure out where to go for a student loan to get me through the summer while I transfer to Mesa Community College. I'm walking the line between "do I file all this unemployment paperwork?" and "do I just get a student loan and save my job search for AZ?"

I'm also trying to see how their veterinary technician program works and if I can transfer to a 4-year school with the associates degree in veterinary technology.

I'm watching a show on Animal Planet right now called Underdog to Wonderdog and it has me in tears. TEARS.

Along with everything else, I'm trying to grip the reality of leaving Salt Lake, my parents house, Zack, and moving to a new city.

This is all very new and very sudden, but it feels like the right thing to do.

A Difficult 2010

So far, my 2010 has been nothing but stress. I may develop an ulcer by July if this keeps up.

I practically lost my job today. I hadn't worked since December (the 17th to be exact) and I even filed for unemployment. I found out through a third-party system that I "probably" won't come back, which is completely unfair. I was left hanging for three weeks and never properly let go. So my job search continues. Which sucks because I arranged my school schedule this semester around my 10:30-5:00 schedule, so I have a class at 8:00 in the morning and another class at 7:00 in the evening everday.

Since I decided to go into a veterinary technology program, I've been looking around at different schools in Utah that could offer me such a program. They're all crazy expensive and I'd wind up paying off student loans until the end of time. Utah apparently doesn't think of the animal lovers
So my second mama Linnea suggested I go to a school in Phoenix that offers a veterinary technician program (most likely a community college) for much cheaper.

I really want to live abroad for a while, even if it is just Phoenix. Particularly Phoenix because I want to be closer to family, and I already have friends down there I could live with.

So...I don't know. It's all very, very, up in the air right now, but it's looking like a huge possibility.

BUY MY STUFF, BOOK EDITION

Hey everyone, I am looking to sell some stuff, not only to make some money but to clear up some space in my house. This list is specifically books, you might recognize some from required high school reading lists. Some books are used-used (they have highlight marks, pen, etc.) and some have never been touched (The Twilight you see listed is BRAND NEW). Some are also text books. If you see anything, message me (Or call/text 801-913-2394) and we'll sort something out!

1. Wicked – Gregory Macquire
2. To Air is Human – Bjorn Turoque
3. Tuck Everlasting – Natalie Babbitt
4. The Third Policeman – Flann O’Brien
5. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green – Joshua Braff
6. Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
7. How To Shoot A Movie and Video Story – Arthur L. Gaskill
8. The Ultimate Improv Book – Edward J. Nevraumont
9. Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer
10. I, Robot – Isaac Asimov
11. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
12. Snow Falling on Cedars – David Guterson
13. Cash – Johnny Cash
14. Desert Solitare – Edward Abbey
15. What My Mother Doesn’t Know – Sonya Sones
16. “…That Is The Question,” Answers From The Humanities (2nd edition)
17. Contemporary Moral Problems – James E. White
18. The Hero Project – Robert and William Hatch
19. Nutrition for Dummies – Carol Ann Rinzler
20. Introductory Algebra (SLCC edition) – Miller, O’Neill, Hyde
21. Start Your Own Personal Training Business – Enterpriser Press and Tom Weede
22. Panorama (2nd edition, Spanish Text PLUS CD’s) – Blanco and Donley
23. Serenity Comics (#1, #2, #3)

How to Deal

These are things I am learning to deal with while I try to find a job and triumph over this fall semester:

-How to live the frugal way. Since I have no free income, it is hard to see my paychecks go directly to bills.

-How to live without an iPod. My iPod died on the last day of my vacation to Ireland, and it's been difficult to get by without my music handy.

-Starting from scratch and letting go. My external hard drive was stolen, which had (what feels like) my whole life in 120 gigs.

-Walking. My feet are getting better, but worse at the same time. I don't have that shooting pain up my heel anymore, but now I have an all over pain in both heels.

-Being physically fit. I'm working hard to get into shape, not just for the benefits but so I can feel better about myself.

-Pushing myself. Whether it be socially or physically, I'm trying to not be such a social hermit.

-Patience and rejection. It's hard to fill out so many applications and not see results.

-Asking for help. Sometimes you just need to know when to ask.

-My jealousy. It gets in the way more than you'd know, and I'm trying to put my feelings aside in order to appreciate the things I do have and can control.

-Self esteem. I don't have a lot of it, but I think it'll show up soon.

-Responsibilities. I'm trying a lot harder at school and at home. I'm trying to make more face time in both places.

-Figuring out my passions. The thing that makes job searching difficult is I have no idea what I really want to do. Also, I have no experience in anything. If I could sit around all day writing, that would be perfect. Alas, I am not a successful writer. Yet.