And now, a job!!

Oh, friends... life is coming together. I feel happier today than I have in seemingly forever. My new employer called this morning and told me that I got the job. I had applied at the Cat Hospital of Austin (cathospitalofaustin.com) and I've been nursing that relationship for well over a week. I sent a resume first, then went in for an interview, then went in for a second "working" interview. The working interview, I think, was designed to weed out the faint at heart. I arrived for my shift and she said "ok, we're doing a neuter and declaw on a cat." I won't go in the gory details, but she didn't give me any room to be faint-hearted. I watched that whole double-surgery, which (by the way) was completed in less than 10 minutes. This was last Tuesday, the 16th. At the end of my shift she thanked me and said that she was doing working interviews every day that week, so she'd let me know at the "first of the week." Eeegad... more waiting. So on Monday they arrived bright and early to a message on their answering machine from me, saying that I am looking forward to hearing from them and that I'd really like to work for them. On Tuesday I got a call from Dr. Percival (KIM Percival, ironically) to tell me that she's just getting a hold of my references, but she'll be in contact with me soon. She called me this morning to tell me that she wanted to offer me a job. She said that she had gotten a good feeling about me from the beginning, and so had her partner, and then when she talked to Wagville, Julie's words were "I'll pay you to send Kim back to California." God Bless Julie Shine. She is pretty much the entire reason I got the job. So to work I go tomorrow, to discuss specifics, and to start my first day at Cat Hospital of Austin. Yay. I'm uber-excited.

Life in Austin has been fun as well. Tonight I do a gig with Mandy Lauderdale (mandylauderdale.com) who is a terrific cabaret performer, and our dear friend. We do Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy together and we have a great time with it. It's been years since I've really sung; actually it's been since the summer of 2003. I'm out of shape and out of practice, and my ear isn't as good as it used to be, but it feels great to be back on stage again, if only for one song.

Steven and Michele are here in Austin. Some of you know that Steven was our musical director at Lincoln Amphitheatre for two of the seasons that we were there, and it has been our absolute pleasure to get to know his wife Michele better. I think she's something like a wood sprite. She's little and cute with big brown eyes that could entice you into doing anything, and on top of that, she's a gem of a human being. We are so blessed to know them both! Michele is teaching grade school now (I think grade 3?) and is getting rave reviews from her supervisors. I can only imagine the outstanding memories her classroom children are going to have of her.

Okay, so I must go now. My dear husband is taking me to Joe's Crab Shack for lunch for DUNGENESS CRAB, my favorite! We're celebrating my new job, and his new potential jobs. He has a bar full of people downtown pulling for him, because he's been hanging out with him and of course they think he's a great guy. I'll update that as things become available.

Yay, Universe!