OMG We're blogging

It’s true. We thought it would be a fun way to tell our stories. And that’s that.

We’ve been in Eugene for close to a month now. After arriving and sleeping off three days of travel we started our job search immediately. Eugene’s unemployment rate is perhaps a hangnail better than Michigan. So we applied for nearly anything and everything. I walked into a coffee shop on our first day of the hunt to inquire about an ad posted on craigslist. The owner had 85 applicants in one and a half days of accepting resumes. And this for a 10-12 hour a week position at minimum wage. Most of the applicants for this position, including myself, were college graduates. My conversation with the owner solidified all of our instincts to be worried. Freaked out, even. Ok, so I don’t like coffee or drink coffee. I could not tell you what the hell a latte is, but when the owner offered me the position I grabbed it. Some income was better than none. And it would afford me the opportunity to write, giving me both the mental space and the literal time.

Michael also found a job within a week. He’s working at the local Frito Lay distributor and sometimes he brings home free bags of potato chips. The work is decent and the hours are great for him, especially once he starts school in September. Our employment situation is actually ideal because we’re making money (always good) while still having the time and flexibility to find our place in this new world.

So, Eugene is a college town. When we go for walks we see remnants of beer pong on the sidewalks. Beyonce and Eminem blare at the most random hours. But this is also because we’re subletting a place close to the University. Too close. In searching for an apartment to call ours (really, for the first time in our relationship) we found dumpy college apartment after dumpy frat house. I was pretty annoying and stubborn about NOT living in some white-walled, gray-carpeted complex. But we’re also on a pretty tight budget. After a few weeks of finding nothing, I mean not one charming place, we started to feel despondent. Or at least I did. Michael is a champ in the glass-half-full department. Then, blamo! A one-bedroom apartment (with an office!) in the Whiteaker neighborhood. Vaulted wooden ceilings, exposed brick, lots of windows (and therefore lots of light). We applied for it immediately and signed a couple days later. Our first home.

We’ve already played by the ocean, went on some incredible hikes, made a few friends, and drank many beers at Moe’s Tavern. So, there are more (interesting) stories to come. Perhaps Michael will even tell you about almost losing his foot.

love from the west,

kt and m