October already?

Man, that's hard to believe. Despite being jobless for three and a half months now, the summer, in its own way, really did fly by. Ohio falls tend to be really glorious affairs...sunny, brisk, and full of flying colors. It reminds me, though, that winter is definitely coming, and they're as gray and blah in all the ways that summer and fall are not. I have a suspicion that I have some mild Seasonal Anxiety Disorder...I tend to get more morose sometimes in the winter months. Ironic, in a way, considering that I have a really high resistance to cold temperatures. I freely admit that it comes in handy in the upcoming season. :)

The job hunt continues on, with at least a couple of possible leads now. I was in Lima last Wednesday for an interview at the Ford Plant; the job itself would be as a life-skills trainer for the plant workers, sponsored by both the union and Owens Community College. The pay would be excellent, I'd get to go back to teaching after a fashion, and it'd be sweet to relocate to Lima with a job in hand. The interview itself went really well--well enough that they called me Friday and asked me to come back in on Tuesday to do a teaching demonstration. Now, however, I have to think of something to teach.

I also had an impromptu brief interview at the Lima YMCA, for a position that's opening up by the end of the month. I think it went well too, and it'd be something I'd be happy doing as well. As always, the fingers are crossed...

Tomorrow I go to Toledo for a second interview with The National Exchange Club. I applied for the Director of Club Development position, which would mean (if I got it) that I'd essentially help set up new Exchange Clubs nationwide, and shore up existing ones. The clubs themselves are civic-service organizations, the likes of which I've been involved with since I was 18, and I'm qualified for it. The worry, however, is that I'd have to be on the road traveling more than I'd actually be in this area itself.

My concern is twofold. First, I'm terrified of flying, so god knows I'd be a wreck about having to do that on a regular basis. Second (and this is the big one), I really don't want to be always on the go. I've developed into a homebody over the past few years, and cheesy as it may sound, I'd rather stay around here with Becky and my friends than live out of a suitcase again. Weighted against these is the fact that, well, I need a job. Needless to say, my fingers are REALLY crossed about the two Lima positions.

One downside to the fall is that Groovemaster's slow season is coming. I keep my chops fresh by practicing damn near everyday, as well as learning new songs or working on music of my own, but I'm hopelessly addicted to playing onstage. As I'm 95% sure that I'm relocating to Lima now (regardless of what happens with the positions I mentioned in the preceding paragraphs), I've heard that there's an open blues jam every first and third Wednesday that I'm itching to get in on. Just...something that'll let me play out. Groovemaster will always come first, of course, but the playing jones is something I can't deny at times.

October also means that I'm probably done with outdoor diving till spring. The ingrained cold water-sissy in me is telling me that I'd rather not freeze my arse off, and I'm inclined to agree with it. Becky and I did get invited to an underwater pumpkin carving on Oct. 28, but I think even she's starting to reconsider it.

Yesterday, Andy and I went to see BGSU get beaten by OSU. Makes for a unique fan experience, I can tell you, balancing my life-long fanaticism about OSU against the school that I got all my degrees from. In the end, though, especially since I'm pretty sour about BGSU not hiring me for all the positions I applied for (not to mention not even being considered for the AD position at my old office), I was fine seeing OSU win 35-7. Besides, it was nice to go on a road trip again with Andy, something we haven't done in a while...it was good to chat and catch up more again. Now, if we can only convince the Beckys to go to BotCon with us someday...

...and Columbus traffic sucks my ass, I can tell you too.

Songs I've been grooving to:

The White Stripes: "Seven Nation Army"
Dubconscious: "Under the Weather"
Elliot Martin: "Dreadnaught"
Gorillaz: "Clint Eastwood"
Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Simple Man"
John Brown's Body: "Full Control"
Jah Works: "Fear of a Dub"
Fastball: "The Way"
Red Hot Chili Peppers: "Blood Sugar Sex Magik"
George Clinton and P-Funk: "Flashlight"