Consider time officially bought. Or something like that. Former coworker is now a roommate who doesn't suck, so that's worth something. Move-in will take place sometime between Thursday and Friday night. Rent is reasonable, considering I'm unemployed and all.

The plan is this: Move in this week, see how things go. Deadline to find a real job is the end of October, I think. At that point, adjust, react, move on, things like that.

The good:
- Fantastic dude.
- Nice, clean place.
- DirecTV, equipped with NFL package.
- Cheap.
- Potential to be there beyond October, if a real job is found.

The bad:
- Packers fan, making Bears watching difficult on those frequent "both teams start at noon" days. (Crap. It's 1 p.m. here. What'll I do in the mornings?)
- Lack of internet access, though it seems there's dial-in (!) capability, and, therefore, at least some possibility. (There's a coffee shop with wifi down the street, and that might just become "kill an hour of midafternoon time" home base.)

Related:
I arrived back in the Ring Fingernail on Monday night, driving through pouring rain for nearly six hours. It was a pretty crappy drive. I asked the R/DS for his plans: "I'm leaving Monday." That's this Monday.

Now his lease (the one in which we're Rs) is signed through the end of next month, so he was kind of hoping that I'd take it over for him as I figured things out. (Before either of us got the shaft, of course, we were both angling for ways to get me out, basically.) I returned home from the future roomie's place this evening, and I mentioned that I'm getting out. He was pissed.

But he's got no reason to be pissed because a) Let's be honest, neither one of us plans to do favors for the other, and b) He's got all the furniture. Without his stuff here, my possessions include a stereo, a TV/VCR combo from 1998, my CDs, a chair in a bag, and those snap-together waffle blocks for storage. Also, my Atrevete! poster (I don't know how to do accent marks), and the printout immortalizing my 207 in bowling from April.

- - - - -

About finding a real job:
It's both extremely frustrating and extremely liberating when one's qualifications for a real job are, again, "pays actual money," and not much more.

The amount of jobs that qualify, in a "city" of about 5,000, truly isn't that large.

I don't know a lot of people here, but I'm doing my best to hit them up for jobs. Thursday's list of need-to-contact people include three ushers and a ticket holder who also graduated from NU. Wednesday's contact list included a former intern's boyfriend, because he's employed and says his company "is always hiring," for whatever that's worth.

I sent out one resume on Tuesday.

The radio station that aired our games has some sort of opening, so maybe they'd listen to me. I'm not sure if I want to contact them, to be honest. Also, I may want to completely avoid the broadcasting thing, even from a office/sales kind of level. Get in or get out, right? I probably should contact them, though.

Basically, on both Tuesday and Wednesday, I've woken up about ten, gone for a run, spent five hours trying to be productive, accomplished between one and three productive things (where a company-specific cover letter and resume, plus an emailed resume are equivalent to three things), and then made dinner. I've done much of this work in my underwear, which is a pretty badass way to spend a day.

- - - - - - - -

On this morning's run (it was up to six miles, which is just ridiculous), I got some pretty bloody nipples. How does one deal with this? Are there creams one can purchase? Bandaids? A manssiere? I need help!

This morning's run was in mid-50's temperatures and a slight rain. Not particularly good running weather. My current route takes me from home, to a local mile-long track, back home. I arrived at the track, and there was some older woman in a red jacket actually applauding someone running by. I entered the track, and ran in her direction. "What's going on?" "Senior Games!" "I hope I'm not in the way." "You're not, and you're doing great!!"

For the record, there were three seniors on the course, and I was totally faster than all of them. I did not, however, receive any applause when I ran by the finish line. I'm hopeful that it was the weather that kept people away, because three competitors in the 5K seems like a small amount, even for the Senior Games.

- - - - - - - -

Stopped by the office today to return my company phone, and to say some hello/goodbyes to coworkers. Of course, a bit odd to be back, and odder when I saw Husband Owner, who hadn't had the decency to be around when I was getting "laid off." ("Shitcanned.") A handshake on the way in, a "Thanks for having me" and a handshake on the way out, and that was about it. I did not get sucked into one of his patented 45 minute conversations about nothing, so that was nice.

The other awkward moment came with Wife Owner, to whom I returned my company phone. "One thing we've missed about having you here," she said, "is your ability with our email newsletter." Clearly, she wanted me to help her with something, because I had created a bitchin' email newsletter on what turned out to be my last day. I noticed that she hadn't been able to get it out yet.

Rather than helping, though, I continued the conversation. I think we moved onto this weekend's Michigan-Notre Dame game, then I walked out.

Shortly thereafter, in another coworker's office, the email newsletter thing was mentioned again. I started to explain it, because it's really easy, and she (the coworker) said, "I don't want to have any knowledge, because I don't want to have to do it." (That's the spirit!) So I'm making conversation, and I'm walking out, and I'm feeling (ever-so-slightly) guilty about the newsletter thing, but then I reconsider: "The thing is, it's a completely idiot-proof program. But, then again..." and we share a giggle, and I'm off.

Altogether, a pretty good stop-by. I was there a total of about 90 minutes or so, though the first 45 were spent visiting with just one former coworker in the merchandise store. I didn't swear at anyone.

Our semi-trashy receptionist was really thrown off when I said that I was hanging out in the Ring Fingernail looking for "an adult job." She thinks I'd have great success in the "adult" industries, for the record. Or perhaps she was just tending to my fragile self-esteem.

- - - - - - -

I'll probably be less interesting now that I'm unemployed, I just realized.

- - - - - - -

My older brother called last night, and we wound up talking for about an hour. Not really about much, but it was pretty great. Maybe we've been missing something for the last few years (five years? decade? longer?), and maybe we're both realizing that. Or, more likely, he just wanted to confirm that the character on Arrested Development was indeed named "Bob Labla." (Say it five times fast. It's pretty hilarious.) I then proceeded to blow the late-season, "HBO won't take us? Then it'll have to be Showtime!" joke, though he might not remember when he finally gets to watching it.

- - - - - - - -

I'm pretty geeked for the weekend and a bit beyond.

I think Friday will be moving day.

Saturday:
Listen to the Cats
Drive towards Ann Arbor during ND-Michigan
Hang out, perhaps even with Rico. (This is the first he's hearing of it.)
Drink.
Join Nemo as he returns from the Cats' shellacking of EMU.
Eat Bell's pizza.

Sunday:
To Comerica Park! Watch the Tigers not-blow it, hopefully.
Perhaps watch the Bears-Lions game on TiVo?
Return to the Ring Fingernail

Monday:
Three hours South of the Ring Fingernail, to see The Mountain Goats! The Mountain Goats! I'm so happy at the chance to see The Mountain Goats! I think it'll be a solo trip, and I think I'll probably drive about 14 hours from Saturday afternoon through the wee hours of Tuesday morning, but I think all events will be worth it.

After all, I'm unemployed.

- - - - - - - -

I'm in the process of trying to convince a coworker to see Wilco at the beginning of October in Lansing. (If you're in the area, you should come, too! It'll be awesome.)

I made a bitchin' CD, culled from this year's setlists. I think, being that she likes good music, she'll be convinced. (Being that she likes good music, though, she should probably know about Wilco by now. But all aren't as cool as the average RHH reader, I don't think.)

1) I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
2) California Stars (w/Billy Bragg)
3) Theologians
4) Heavy Metal Drummer
5) Airline to Heaven (w/Billy Bragg)
6) Hummingbird
7) Gun (Uncle Tupelo)
8) Forget the Flowers
9) A Shot in the Arm
10) Misunderstood
11) Via Chicago
12) War On War
13) Handshake Drugs
14) I'm The Man Who Loves You
15) Kingpin (can you believe they play Kingpin!?)
16) New Madrid (Uncle Tupelo)
17) Monday
18) Passenger Side
19) I'm A Wheel

It's a pretty great set, because they're a pretty great band. It's easy to forget how great they are.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Tina's initiated the E2 Music Experience. ETwEX, and I think it'll be pretty awesome. Perhaps more later.

- - - - - - - -

Toni Kukoc retired in the last few days. He's one of my favorite players ever. By virtue of his NBA career-length, and an All-Star Game Appearance, and a Sixth Man Award, and three championship rings, and the fact that he was the first crucial European on a championship team (Have they're been any others? I can't think of them offhand. Schrempf never won a ring, Nowitzki hasn't, nor Gasol. Anyone? Nesterovic?), there's a case for Kukoc as a Hall of Famer.

He won't make it, but he's pretty important to the face of NBA basketball. Not Jackie Robinson, but Roberto Clemente, or something.

- - - - - - - - -

I watched Katie Couric today, my first (likely only) time catching her on the CBS Evening News. I don't like her, because it's tough to trust someone who spent two decades interviewing movie stars and runaway brides and things like that. You lose your "hard news" credibility at some point, don't you?

It also makes it tough to trust her when they try to sex her up for the geriatric male audience (at this point, the target evening news audience, of course). At least once, rather than sitting behind a desk, she was actually sitting, I kid you not, on top of the desk. It was about the most uncomfortable shot I've ever seen, though I'm sure Harps will try to adapt it for his personal use soon.

Today's signoff: "I'll be back tomorrow. I hope you will too." It was pretty weak. How about, "They're paying me 40 million bucks for this. Humor them, won't you?"

- - - - - - -

My fantasy baseball team, first place throughout the season, is rapidly losing it. Travis Hafner is out for the season. Roy Halladay was pulled from his last start on Saturday, and I chose not to use him this week. He'll take his next turn as scheduled, but it's too late for me. I outthought myself, starting Jeremy Sowers instead of Danny Haren. Haren tossed a three-hitter against the Twins today, while Sowers lost to the Royals. These are the semifinals, and I'll have to win the consolation round to at least turn a profit. I'll never write about fantasy baseball again.

- - - - - - - -

I had preexisting plans to purchase TV On The Radio's Return to Cookie Mountain yesterday, so I did. It's okay. It's more a credibility purchase, because there are a lot of hipsters to impress up here. For show, I should've bought the vinyl.

I also wanted to purchase Mew's Glass Handed Kites, but had to special order it. (Probably could've ordered online, but then I couldn't use my Borders Reward Card. Duh.)

The Mew CD unavailable, I wanted to purchase at least one other item. I'm getting paid through the end of the week, after all. In advance, I was thinking about Yo La Tengo's CD, but that wasn't on sale. (Maybe I'll buy it when I get my 10 percent off Personal Shopping Day!)

So then I thought about M.Ward, because I had seen him with Bright Eyes several years ago and because reviews for the most recent one were very good. So I picked up the CD, and then kind of wandered through the various listening posts. (It was during the normal work day, and I'm unemployed, so I had time to browse.) I noticed that M.Ward was on a listening stand and, 30 seconds in, I realized that I wasn't really feeling it.

So I changed course, and grabbed the CD by Phoenix, It's Never Been Like That. I did not test it on a listening stand, choosing to just take a flyer. For the record, it's awesome. They could call themselves The French Strokes, which would both describe their songs, and be a totally awesome band name.

I guess that's it.