First and foremost, I have a job. It isn't a job that I want to have for the rest of my life, but it is a stopgap measure. At the unemployment office a month ago they were encouraging people to take a job, any job, in order to make it throught the recession, hoping it doesn't hang on too long. Then, with the disasters in New York and Washington, D.C., and the second disaster of the stock market sinking like a rock, I figured I'd better take a job that had been offered to me before and was offered to me again this week. I'm going to be producing the number one morning show in town. Producers (like Roz on Frazier) are the ones that run all the commericials and music and make sure things run on time and the news comes at the half hour and hour, etc. I'll also run the board for the show. The job is more of an entry level position (although it shouldn't be because an experienced jock knows a lot that an entry level kid won't know), but with it and the other part-time things I was doing I'll add up to about 3/4 of the salary I was making earlier in the year with potential for more from a couple of other little things. The main advantage, as I see it, is having benefits and health care and a salary to keep things stable and keep me from getting too depressed. The biggest disadvantage, and, if you know me you know how much this pains me,

the job begins at about 4:45 each morning!! I went ahead and accepted because I figured, even a "real" job in the "real" world would have me getting up at 6 or 7 or a time that sounds unbearable. How much more unbearable will 4 a.m. be? We'll soon see. I have done morning shows before but never one that was this early.

I've trained on the job for two days and already I've seen many things I don't like about the job I'll be doing and the people I'll be doing it with. I am determined to stay quiet and in the background as much as possible.

Another good thing that happened this week is that I finally sold my old car. I've had it for six months longer than I've wanted too. Last week I got it reinspected and wrote the price and my cell number on the back window and I drove it when I working at the mall and just got it out and visible. I had a couple of calls and then finally one wanted to come drive it and he had the money the next day. He was the first guy in the whole six months that actually came to see it and drove it! I'm so glad to get a little bit of money from that car and to have it gone. I loved that car but I've moved on with my life now . . .

Another wonderful surprise of the week was finding out that one of my dear friends from Dallas has moved to Austin. I read her e-mail and was thrilled but even more ecstatic when I looked up the address and found she lives on the SOUTH side of town and only about 10 minutes from me. Being a Dallas girl with Dallas tastes I expected that they would have chosen to live on the north side of town or Leander or Pflugerville. But, she's down here with the Bubbas. She is, after all, from Lubbock so maybe she does belong here. We were the kind of friends that were wonderful companions and loved to jabber and run errands together and just hang out, but we've never been good e-mail buddies. Now that we're both here I hope we can hang out again. Of course, she's got two kids and that can always get in the way of things, but, then again, my 4 a.m. job is going to get in the way of a lot of things, too.

Mark is off on tour for ten days and I miss him already. It may be good for me to be able to adjust to this schedule this week while he's gone. I can sleep whenever I need to and get into some sort of routine without worrying about him or having to be interrupted when he comes in at 2 a.m.

I am also still working the mall job. Not because I really want to anymore or need the money but they need me and they are good people that I want to keep in good contact with. My future jobs may be with them in other avenues, who knows. Meanwhile, if you need any wonderful vitamins and weight loss products, come see at my kiosk at Highland Mall. Or e-mail! I'll get commission. ([email protected] the link on the left still doesn't work and I've tried to get it fixed)

So, to summarize, I am employed, I have money from the car sale, I have another friend close by, I am wired from lack of sleep and excitement about the first "real" day on the job (tomorrow) and I miss my husband.

And I'm late to the mall...