Date: 2015-12-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It has been almost four months since I finished my hike. As always, it seems so distant. I was in the post office the other day, wearing my jacket with my 2000-miler patch, and someone saw it and started a conversation with me. I miss it. I haven't had the chance to get a good hike in lately. It's been more than a week. UNACCEPTABLE. I am hoping that on the morning of Christmas Eve, I'll be able to squeeze one in. It's freakishly warm out lately, PERFECT HIKING WEATHER.In other news, I AM LEARNING ALL KINDS OF NEW SKILLS LATELY.Today, I mortared bricks into a wall and screwed a piece of plywood into the ceiling. I have also been using an air compressor gun chisel thing to chip mortar out of an old brick wall, which I must admit is oddly satisfying. I have also nailed shingles onto a roof, mixed mortar, transported sand, and helped construct a little rain shelter thing. Life is very interesting.I have been helping my neighbor work on his old farmhouse. Hooray, I'm employed! It's only part-time, but that's good... it gives me time to job hunt and waste time on fun things. My pants are caked with lime and my lungs are full of cancer-dust (just kidding, I wear a mask). I might get to smash up an old floor next week. Tonight, after my nightly ration of M&Ms (and a Christmas cookie or two...), I am working on the job search. SO MUCH FUN, RIGHT?!A few of my recent considerations have been:- Interpretive Specialist at Baxter State Park- Librarian (my mom has been working in the library since I was in elementary school. I used to ask her to bring home stacks of books to pick through during summer vacation)- LEGO model builderSeriously, I think working for the LEGO group would be AWESOME. Jim and I used to wander the clearance aisle of Walmart looking for discount sets. My LEGO advent calendar is sitting on my top shelf, presented for all to see (and by all I mean me, the only person who ever goes in my room) along with my three other decorations. I WILL NEVER ABANDON MY CHILDHOOD. All of those jobs do sound fun, though. Basically I still have no idea what I want to do but I'm finding some options, at least.Happy holidays!! Soon Red Panda will be Rotund Panda, rolling around in the crumbs of all of the Christmas cookies. I am thankful for my messy, educational, cold, wet, job, and my kind neighbor. I am thankful for Christmas cookies and M&Ms (last Friday, I had my amazing classic meal of pizza and M&Ms and I only felt a TINY bit guilty about the gluttony).I am thankful for a home, a place to stay. I am thankful for time with my mother, and my pizza fairy, and my father. We went to a John Denver Christmas concert with Cindy over the weekend. I almost cried as it hit me how nice it really is to be home. I've missed my family. I am thankful for time with family. I have been trying, these last couple of weeks, not to worry too much about the job situation and spend more time with my family. That's what the holidays are for, right? Soon they will be over. Life is too short to spend ALL of it in my bedroom, anxiously browsing the internet for some job, ANY job I might be qualified for.It all works out in the end, right? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for January 6th