Re-charged, Relieved

I got back yesterday from a relaxing and mostly sunshine-filled weekend in Melbourne, Florida visiting Julie. I had a blast! The beach was beautiful and calming, the food was great, and the company? Sublime. Julie's condo on the beach was awesome. It boasted a private beach fraught with pretty shells, sand dollars, and blueish-purple man of war jelly fish. And a dead pelican. And that fish from McDonald's Filet-O-Fish commercials. The fish had been washed ashore by the rising tide. Every time I looked at it, it's mouth popped open. I swear I heard a keyboard playing off in the distance. Julie and I tried a couple times to rescue it, and at last successfully got a grip on its slimy skin and tossed it back into the waves.

The next morning, we put together a slammin breakfast with this gigantic sweet red pepper and many breakfast meats, eggs and cheeses. Yummmm. Later, we checked out a restaurant located on the Indian River with the odd name of "Squid Lips." Other highlights from the trip included a visit to Cocoa Village on Saturday that was full of cute little boutique shops and restaurants. There we got a taste of flavored balsamic vinegar from an Olive and Vinegar shop and some gingerbread. In the afternoon, Julie and I made the most delicious red-wine sangria (look at all that fruit!) and nursed it out on the balcony overlooking the ocean amidst the breeze. At that point we spent a good amount of the time trying to figure out which kids belonged to which adults. Yes. Then we took a two-hour stroll along the beach collecting shells and enjoying more of the refreshing ocean breeze.

Fun weekend with a fun friend. It was also great to get away from DC and the woes of unemployment.

But, upon my return things started to fall in place quickly. What a great Monday! I don't think I've said that ever. I had an interview this morning for a five-month job in Chinatown at the American Hospital Association and also found out I have a phone interview with Legg Mason scheduled for Tuesday. My headhunter, who normally only works with direct hire for permanent positions, found the temp job from a client she had been working with already. The job is to fill in for a woman going on maternity leave at the end of May and involves event planning, steady pay that's better than my temp agency's gigs, and other perks. The management supplies fresh fruit to the staff every Tuesday and Thursday, free breakfast on Fridays (and casual dresscode--a perk I have never had at any of my jobs), and free access to a private gym that includes work out classes. The building is beautiful, great views, and houses a staff of about 80.

Well, I got the job! And I celebrated with some frugal work-clothes shopping and a skunky glass of Malbec at home. Good thing I love the taste of vinegar. I am almost 100 percent sure I will commit to the temp gig, which would start May 10, but we'll see what becomes of the other interview tomorrow. LM is in Baltimore, though, which is a deterring factor. While there is always the possibility I could be screwing myself out of a permanent job that comes along during the next five months, the market is still pretty sad, so not likely. And, this temp job could lead me to a permanent job as well. Either way, I am relieved and excited to be almost back on the working horse!