hello, Time, it's been a while

I'm sitting here at home ... on a Sunday, which is strange - considering the past few Sundays have been spent at Macy's ... working a 12 hour shift from 7 AM to 7 PM because they know that I'm one of the few who is willing to stay longer than usual to "push out." ("Push out" means taking the racks of merchandise to their respective departments.) My last day at Macy's was Thursday (five months to the day that I was hired ...). It was an interesting run, to say the least. They took a chance on me and, for that alone, I am grateful.

I have mixed emotions about leaving. I knew that it was time and that, honestly, it was unhealthy for me (emotionally, physically*, etc). I did like being busy though - despite the fact that it kept me relatively exhausted, where, in order to function at my morning job, I'd have to ingest energy drinks.

What am I going to do now? Well, look for another job. I still have a job - and I could probably just run on that one alone for a while. The downside is that my degrees remain on the back burner. And, on that note, I can segue into point #3 from the previous post ...

On a bit of a whim, I took the GRE. I didn't really give myself much time to study or second guess my decision. I just did it. I won't get my scores until November (because they revised the test and the scoring scale). But, according to the estimated score range based on the old scale that they showed me at the end of my test, I did relatively well ... exceeding the minimum score requirements for the majority of criminal justice doctoral programs. I'm not sure if I'm going to go for my PhD, but I like the idea that the option is on the table ... for 5 years, at least (which is how long my scores are good for).

In other news, I think I'm going to surrender my California driver's license this week. I've been here for 10 months; I think it's time that I give in. *le sigh* I just miss California ... Texas has yet to grow on me.

* I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I keep losing feeling in both hands, fingers and, sometimes, forearms. This usually occurs when I'm doing something like writing, washing my hair ... talking on the phone. Every once in a while, pain is involved, as well. One doctor said that it may be carpal tunnel; other people have told me that it's more likely from my elbow or my shoulder. Either way, I do need to get it checked out ... and now I have the time to do so. The doctor I saw also said that my grip was weak for someone my age ... which is odd considering I've always had relatively strong grip.