1-30-10

Today is frosty down here in the dirty south: 33 and rainy, sleety, etc. In Rapid City, it's a balmy 18, and I can't get there fast enough. My clutter is going out the door (oh, who am I kidding? it's all in boxes to bring). Thanks to myspace, I've made a few acquaintances. One of my new myspace buddies had a room to rent, and I had spoken to him on the phone before reaching out on myspace. What a small country, myspace. Imagine my surprise: of all the ads in Rapid City Journal for roommates (6) and all the people on myspace (thousands upon thousands) and I cross-referenced!
I've rounded up most of my loose ends, tying them into knots or cutting off the frayed ends. Llllllooooooooooonnnnnnnnggg drive ahead of me and it's comin up fast. I'm starting to get really nervous about the drive, but my new boss found a co-worker to put me up for a couple of weeks while I get my bearings and find my own home. I can even bring my little Sassi, an emotionally disturbed miniature dachshund who is never more than arms length away from me. 
Home. Amid the Black Hills of South Dakota. How strange that seems, coming from South Carolina. My family hails from New York and I always thought I'd go there when I got a chance, but I'll be working on New York St, so it's about the same thing. 
And on my own for a while, too. I'm going to miss my special little guy! But he'll have a Journey to the Center of the Earth type of adventure with family while I settle in and I'll fetch him soon.

Car care--gearing up to head out west!

Got my oil changed by the wonderful men at Concord Baptist Church. They have an oil-change ministry and once every quarter, I get a postcard reminding me to get my oil changed at zero cost to me. They check my radiator and refill my antifreeze, check my lights and blinkers and wipers, horn, tire tread, and, of course, change my oil. The ministry services single parents, elderly and disabled people and they have a permanent list of clients that has over 100 names! That's a lot of people that have well-cared-for cars because of Tim Borsum and the other members of Concord Baptist, that big church on the corner (you can zoom down to street view and actually take a virtual walk around the church!) with the grapevines like Olive Garden.
I am so very grateful for the folks at Concord Baptist, for taking care of my car and having donuts and coffee for me while I wait. I love spending time, talking to all the other families who benefit from this service.

Relocation Guide

Came in the mail today. It shows the main attractions within an hour or so from Rapid City. I'll be 70 minutes from the Badlands, a barren, moon-like landscape. RC is also home of the second and fourth longest caves in the world. And Deadwood is where Data got lost in the holodeck was filmed. There's so much to do, so much to see! I'll never shine if I don't glow. 

AmeriCorps VISTA in Rapid City, South Dakota

AmeriCorps is similar to the Peace Corps except we help people right here in on our native soil. In exchange for my service, I am almost sworn to poverty like a Franciscan monk, but all my needs will be met. I will receive a small "cost-of-living" stipend, a housing voucher, food stamps, insurance and child care. VISTA will even pay a handsome relocation allowance as well as a large sum towards my student loans. I qualify for these government programs because my income while a VISTA is well below the poverty level. I get to go to my own Wigan Pier  and be somewhat homeless in Rapid City for a few weeks while I look for a place to stay and work my new job. And since I work for the government, what better place to begin my new career than under the shadow of Mt. Rushmore?
Even so, the poverty level is so unforgivably low that if I were to receive child support, I would not qualify for child care.
Setback: my cousin in Nebraska, that I'd hoped to stay with on the drive out to RC, will be out of town that weekend so I'm tsol. She'll be in Rapid City about two weeks later, though, so we'll get to meet then. She works for the Salvation Army and suggested I stay at the YMCA :) The weekend I bring Max back, we'll stay with Madeline in Nebraska.
I sorta had a traveling companion lined up but he's been m.i.a. since I gave him the start date, less than two months away. Cold feet, I guess. Which sucks because his mother lives in Missouri and I was hoping to stay there one night on the drive out too. So I may be about to strike out on my own, on my own. And with absolutely no where to stay other than in my car. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend a week in a car with, honestly, so I'm a little less excited to be arriving at my new life on Valentine's Day alone than I was earlier. Well I'll have my little dog, and in a city of over 70,000, surely I'll find someone  somewhere to ease the transition to city life.