Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Pennsic, Job Interview, the Crim

The last couple of weeks have been filled with firsts; my first Pennsic, my first road race, my first adult bee sting. Oh, yeah, and a job interview.

First, Pennsic. I had an incredible time! I fenced in four battles, three tourneys, and who-knows-how-many pick-ups. I met a lot of really cool people, went to a couple of parties, bought a new fencing dagger, took a few classes, hung out with friends, and spent time just relaxing. Eight nights of camping, and seven days without driving, watching TV, or surfing the internet. I had SO much fun, I'm already counting down to next year (less than 48 weeks!). For more details, check out my Livejournal post.

This past Friday I had an interview for another position in my company. The job would involve more responsibilities (though the specifics haven't been decided yet), possibly a different work schedule (the specifics are still up in the air), and possibly less pay (again, specifics to be determined). It's the Mystery Job! I know where it would be, and what *some* of the minor responsibilities would be, and that's about it. So, why am I applying, you might ask? Well, it's closer to home, it's more responsibility, which theoretically should be good for my career, and the contract my company has to run the fitness center at the auto plant where I currently work will most likely not be renewed. Job security is a good thing, and getting this position would mean more job security than I currently have. And to be quite honest, I'm starting to get bored in my current job. I think more responsibility would not only be good for my career, but also my job satisfaction. Hopefully.

Also a mystery, how I actually did in the interview. The two people who interviewed me were completely stone-faced; reading their reactions to my responses was like trying to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs without the Rosetta Stone. My coworker is also applying for the job, and her interview is tomorrow. I'm quite nervous about my chances of getting the job, especially since my coworker has been with the company nearly three times as long as I have, and has a Master's degree. We'll see how it goes.

This past Saturday, I competed in the 8K walk at the Crim festival of races in Flint. Fritz, his mom, his brother, and his brother's SO also competed, Fritz in the 10-mile run, and his family in the 5K Family Walk. I had a goal of finishing in an hour and fifteen minutes, at about a 4 mph pace, and ended up beating my goal by almost five minutes! My final time was 1:10:19, a 14:09/mile pace. I was ecstatic; it was my first road race ever, and I beat my goal!:-) Congratulations to Fritz for achieving his goal of beating last year's time, and to his mom, as this was her first road race as well! The only negative part of the race experience was getting stung by a bee while waiting for Fritz's family to finish their race. On the bright side though, I now know for sure that I'm not allergic to bees. (The last time I was stung was when I was a kid, and while I wasn't allergic then, allergies can develop over time.)

I had such a great time doing the Crim, that I'm already looking for another race to do. Right now I'm tentatively looking at the Quest for Breath 5K Run in October, but that will depend on what the job situation is at that time. Stay tuned...

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Sad News

Most folks have heard this by now, but for those that haven't... Fritz and I have broken up. It was an amicable split, and we plan to remain friends. I think the world of him; he was my best friend as well as my boyfriend, so I very much hope that will be able to happen. The absolute worst thing I can imagine is us being "friends-in-name-only," exchanging pleasantries when we see each other at practices and events, but otherwise not interacting at all. I've never been able to maintain a friendship with my other ex-boyfriends, though admittedly, none were even remotely worth it. Fritz most definitely is. Hopefully we'll be able to break that cycle. He's loaning me some things to take to Pennsic, so I think that's a good sign.

I am doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, very sad, but healing. I'm actually more addicted to cardio exercise than ever, the endorphins are VERY therapeutic.