A few days ago, Matt printed off about 25 copies of my resume and I went searching for a job. I ducked into a whole bunch of shops and restaurants and asked, "are you hiring?" I eventually found my way downtown, where I walked into an ice cream shop that hired me on the spot. Neato. Take that, economic downturn and high unemployment rates! I have a job. Granted, I haven't started yet, but I will soon. I'm going to be making $9 an hour as an ice cream scooper. Awesome.

My job search/wander also led me to a cute little massage place that's going to need a receptionist soon. So perhaps that'll pan out in a couple months, and that'd be great because then I would be getting paid more to be sitting down.

Welch officially moved out of the house, which opened up a lot of space in the basement. I've been cleaning things up, and I think the space has a lot of promise. I'm excited. I cleaned the stairs! They'd been caked in dirt and grime, and now they're clean. It's a bright new day.

On Saturday, I called the PRAXIS people and scheduled an appointment to take the computer-based test on Tuesday. Yes, that's yesterday. I woke up early and walked myself to Howard, where I sat in a cold room and answered a lot of simple questions. At the end of the test, the computer told me that I'd passed the reading and the math sections. I won't find out about the writing section until after the test folks grade my essay, but I'm not worried. (The PRAXIS isn't like the SAT or the GRE-- it doesn't really matter how well you do as long as you pass. It's a qualification for teaching, not an admissions criterion.)

After taking my test, Matt picked me up and we went off to Everlasting Life, the best vegan soul food place ever owned and operated by a cult. They have soft serve ice cream! It's awesome. I had a swirl of vanilla and carob, which was absolutely perfect.

After lunching, I dropped Matt off at Dulles. He's in Europe (Vienna, to be specific) and will be for two weeks. It's his first time out of the country! Can you believe it?

Tomorrow, I'll be getting on a plane to St Louis, and from there the whole family is going to Alton, Illinois. It's family reunion time. I'm a little worried about leaving my garden for the second weekend in a row (I mean, really, I need some quality time with those weeds!) but I'm sure it'll be nice to see everyone.