I am a slacker

The past two weeks have been crazy.  With a capital "C."

First, we finally got Anthony's official orders, right before Thanksgiving.  So he was able to plan the pack-out of our house in Lima and we are now scheduled to arrive in Mexico on Monday, December 7th.  So now I'm running around most days trying to change our address everywhere and make sure everything is settled enough that I can live without internet for a few days if forced.

I also turned 30.  I don't have any major concerns about the number, but it's kind of a big deal.  I was worried I'd have to spend it alone, but it turns out that some very special people live in the area (or in a neighboring state) and were willing to make the trek out to delight in some New Moon entertainment (Go Team Jacob!  Right, Mel?) and turn my home-cooked dinner plans into a dance/karaoke party.  The only thing missing was a handful of male go-go dancers, some half-naked Native American werewolves, and Anthony, Grace, Maggie and Pookie.  (I love you Christy, Mel, Aurit!  And I thoroughly enjoyed guest appearances by Estee and Eric!  Although I am still wondering about Eric being in the bathroom with what sounded like five of his closest friends when we called...)

My birthday weekend was made all the more special by a romantic hot-air balloon ride with da' Momma.  Okay, so it wasn't romantic, but it did totally ROCK MY SOCKS OFF.  Because there is nothing quite like floating in a tiny basket 3,000 feet above the ground.  And since we were ballooning over Sunderland, MA, which is within spitting distance of Northampton, MA, I totally gave a shout out to Celia and her Masshole peeps.  What up, Schiffman family?!?!!

And my birthday commentary wouldn't be complete without a big KISS to my sweetie for gifting me a new Canon Powershot G11 camera, to replace the Canon Elph I had finally managed to destroy by hiking to Machu Picchu with it in the rain.  Let's see how long I can maintain this Canon in functioning order.

Of course, if you're American, you also know that Thanksgiving just occurred.  And if you've ever met me, you know what an enormous event in my life the annual Thanksgiving festivities are.  First of all, there's the food.  I like to eat, and I LOVE to eat Thanksgiving food.  Like I've said before (and will say again), any holiday based on food, food, and more food, is tops in my book.  Best idea ever.

Thanksgiving is also the only time of year that I get to see my relatives on my mom's side of the family.  And getting my family together is always an interesting experience.  My Uncle Dana comes from the Vineyard with his boyfriend Hyung, a case of Martinelli's cider, and his ex-boyfriend, my Auntie Thomas.  Auntie Thomas, of course, brings the stuffed artichokes from whatever little place in Boston that makes the closest thing to Nonnie's stuffed artichokes.  This year, my cousin Ilana and her husband, Scott, drove up from North Carolina and staid over.  AND we had San's brother, Binaya, and sister-in-law, Sarita, along with his friends Uma and Logan.  Of course, what we didn't have was San, who left for Nepal about two weeks ago.  So it was the usual smorgashborg and UN-themed event that we seem to have these days.  Never a dull moment.

Now things are quieting down again and I am just trying to make sure everything is ready for us to go to Mexico.  Of course, Anthony is the one who has the most to do, with packing up the house and transporting the pets, but I do what I can from here to help.

And that, my friends, is what you missed.

Stuff and things and stuff

Judging by the number of emails I've received lately asking about Mexico and my status with the pre-employment process for the Foreign Servcie, I think y'all could use a general update.  So here it goes.

It took a while, but Congress just recently granted Anthony a language waiver for the Nogales posting.  In State Dept. language, he scored a 1+/3 in Spanish (speaking/reading), but the post requires a 3/3.  Apparently, the State Department used to have the independent ability to grant language waivers, but Congress found out that waivers were being granted willy-nilly and began to wonder why they were giving the department all this money for language training, if they were just going to send unqualified officers to every post.  So they took on the granting of language waivers.  Now a congressional oversight committee looks at all requests and State must provide a really compelling reason why a position is being saved for someone without the requisite language skills.  So I like to say that Congress is a HUGE fan of Anthony's.

With the language waiver in place, the paneling committee was finally able to meet to discuss Anthony's placement this past Friday.  It shouldn't be any surprise that they paneled him for Nogales.

The one hurdle left to cross is the receipt of actual, official orders.  Since Anthony can't make any travel or move plans without them, the orders are kind of important.  So he's spent the last week doing the following: a) trying to get access to a newly developed system that allows him to enter the required information; b) trying to get his direct supervisor access to the same system so the information Anthony entered can be approved and sent to HQ; and c) waiting for his career destruction development representative in DC to sign off on the information that Anthony entered and his supervisor approved, so that the official orders can be drawn up.

I know that a lot of people disparage the government because of the bureaucracy and the red tape, and usually this derogatory commentary annoys me (this is fodder for a much larger discussion that I'm going to avoid at the moment), but in this case, I don't understand why so much time has to be wasted just to get a piece of paper.  The process is new, I understand that, which means that there is a learning curve for all involved, but aside from that, it seems like the whole process wasn't well thought out.  Why does every employee need access to this system?  Doesn't it make more sense to train a smaller cadre of people in the use of the system, rather than just deploying it and wishing everyone luck?  It took Anthony 2 days and many phone calls to even find the right person to grant employees access to the system.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Anyway, if we luck out, Anthony may get his official orders today.

As for me and my job prospects, I'm waiting.  I mentioned previously that State's Foreign Service process goes a little something like this:

1. register for the Foreign Service Written Exam
2. take said exam
3. pass said exam and get invited to complete essay questions online; submit essays
4. if essays are up to snuff, get invited to take the Foreign Service Oral Assessment
5. take said exam
6. pass said exam and start pre-employment paperwork
7. get worldwide medical clearance
8. get top secret security clearance
9. pass suitability review
10. get placed on list of eligible hires according to your oral assessment score
11. get hired!
12. breathe a huge sigh of relief

I've also mentioned that at any point in the process, you can fail (which means you have to start the whole process all over again, if you are particularly determined to do so).  Right now I'm in the clearance stages.  I've submitted my medical paperwork, but as of Tuesday, no nurse had been assigned to review my case.  I was informed to call back in 3-4 weeks.

In terms of my security clearance, many of you have already had a stake in the process, as security investigators have contacted and interviewed you already.  I have also had my security interview.  The only thing I am aware of that is still outstanding is the security investigation report from Peru (yes, Anthony, I'm looking at YOU).  I will probably call next week to get an update on my file.

If I had to make a guess, I would say that I am still 1-2 months away from having my clearances - after I get my clearances, my case goes through a final suitability review.  This review is a closed and relatively non-transparent process so I can't really say what goes on there, but I know that it's State's last chance to get rid of someone they don't feel is qualified to be a FSO, despite their ability to get worldwide medical and top secret clearances.

Basically, ask me again around Christmas and I may have more positive news.  (The really nice thing is that once I get on the list of eligible hires, my score is so high that I am confident I will be invited to the next training class!)

In the meantime, I am still submitting job applications.  Because eventually, this girl needs a paycheck and some freakin' health insurance.

And that, my friends, is that.

Delightful

I can't say that I was ever a huge fan of Julia Childs, but I remember her distinctly as a background to the early part of my childhood.  (I also distinctly remember the SNL skits done in imitation of her, which were absolutely brilliant.)  It wasn't until I saw the movie Julie & Julia that I actually discovered how tremendous a personality she was.  Which is clearly what led me to read her book, My Life in France.

Unlike the other biographies I've read lately (Eat Pray Love and The Geography of Love), My Life in France isn't self-indulgent, nor is it prescribing a way of life and being that is so inaccessible to most (unlike the authors of those other books, Julia and her husband lived on a modest government income and actually WORKED for a living).  Even better, it introduces you to a woman who is so completely accessible and so passionate about life that you wish you had known her when she was still alive (Julia Childs passed in 2004).

One of my favorite things about the book are the words she uses to describe things: Twaddle! being my favorite.  She was such a no-nonsense, self-deprecating, deeply talented, self-aware, and FUN woman.  I definitely suggest you take the time to know her better.

Girl has got some bad(ass) hair

On Friday, I decided I had lived long enough with the last bad haircut I got at a salon in DC this past September.  It had grown out to the point that it hung around my face limply, doing nothing and looking sad.  So I went online to Naturally Curly, looked up salons in the Clinton area, and found one that had received good reviews for curly/wavy haircuts.  I called, made an appointment for that afternoon, and went.

And this is what happened:

Now, the cut itself isn't bad, but I haven't had hair lifted so highly off my head since that one Halloween where I went to school as a mad scientist and my hair looked like I had stuck my finger in an electrical socket.  The only reason my hair was actually bigger that Halloween is because it was about 6 inches longer overall.  My hairdresser had given me such a bouffant on Friday as to be worthy of a leading lady on Dallas.

I think I am finally giving up on the idea that I can find a good hairdresser wherever it is that I find myself in the world (don't even get me started on the one-cut wonders that people the salons in Lima, Peru).  It's time to go long and layer-less (or nearly so) - at least then, I can sweep the mess up into an untidy ponytail (a feat denied me by a series of too-short haircuts over the past year).

Just for fun

So, what did I do this weekend?

I fell down a flight of stairs.

That's right, you heard me.  I. Fell. Down. A flight. Of stairs.  It was like something right ouf of a comic, like Tom & Jerry or Looney Toons.  The carpet on the second floor was wet from a shampoo-ing and the stairs are a nice slick wood.  So, as I stepped on the second step, both of my feet went flying forward and I landed on my backside and flopped-y flopped down the next few stairs to the landing.

Today I have an enormously ugly and not all that painless black and blue on my tush.  I'd post a picture, but that would be TMI.

Bookworm

Since I've been in MA, I've had a lot of time to go to the library and read a number of books.  The most recent book I read was Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, which is essentially a memoir chronicaling her life during the year after she divorced her husband and traveled to Italy, India and Indonesia to find herself.  While I was reading it (and sometimes remembering one of the other books I've read this month - The Geography of Love, yet another memoir about one woman's romantic love and it's loss to cancer), I realized that there is a reason why I generally don't like memoirs.  They feel incredibly self-indulgent and selfish to me, because the authors are generally saying, "This is my life.  And it's so interesting, or relate-able, that people are going to want to read about it."

Which of course, reminds me of all these things we do to keep in touch these days - Facebook, Twitter, and yes, even Blogger.  So many of us are so completely wrapped up in ourselves that we put our whole life and all it's intimate details online for just about anyone to see.  It's a delicate balance to use these powerful tools to keep in touch with family and friends (or to cultivate new ones), but to still keep a part of ourselves private, or to not sound like an egomaniac.

It is why many times my Blog is not really that personal.  I don't think the "internets" need all that private information about me and my loved ones.  I talk about what I do, but not generally about how I am feeling or what I am thinking.  I also try to keep the details of what is happening to my immediate family out of the picture entirely - I have no authority whatsoever to talk about their lives here.  And I know that is what separates me from real writers, who let it all hang out for everyone to see.

I also do what I can to keep my internet content from being easily found.  I am not really looking for an audience, but am hoping to keep in touch with the people I have come to know over the years and really care about.

I think that sometimes we all get carried away with our ability to communicate so effortlessly through the power of technology that we forget how important physical presence and privacy really are.  Writers like Elizabeth Gilbert show us that living in the moment, laughing, crying, eating abundantly, drinking wine with friends, etc., etc. - these are the necessities of life and make it worth living.  But where she fails to captivate me is by throwing it all out there, making her life and her emotional story the example for us to follow.  It must be exciting to be on that journey of self-discovery and growth, but it seems (yes, I'll say it) arrogant to think that everyone on earth should read about it and know her on such a personal level.

Of course, I am projecting my own discomfort onto her.  The book itself is quite lovely; it has been translated into so many languages and purchased millions of times so there should be no question about the validity and captivation of her story.  BUT.  I find it a really interesting psychological case study, I suppose.  Essentially, she is making money by selling stories about her most intimate experiences in life.  In the end, she and I are very different people, with different ideas of growth and privacy.

Unseasonable

About a week ago, we got our first snow of the season here in MA, which is kind of ridiculous since then it was still a few weeks until Halloween.  Even more ridiculous when you consider the fact that I arrived in MA at the end of September to mid-seventies temperatures and only weeks later it was snowing.  And even more ridiculous when you know that the fall leaves are still on the trees.

All that being said, it is nice to remember the snow, since right now it is raining buckets and buckets, with strong winds blowing the leaves to the high heavens.