Flashback

A quick but relaxing trip to
Hollywood beach.

Drinking the juice from a coconut in
Little Havana.

Yesterday I returned from a trip to Miami, Florida. It was there that the local mosquito community made off with three-quarters of my bodily fluids, leaving behind several hundred red bumps that itch like crazy. But I didn’t go there just to support mosquitoes; the purpose of my trip was to be a bride’s maid in my dear friend’s wedding. She got married in the evening with lovely weather and an unbeatable backdrop of a setting sun. For better or worse, the days before her big day were crammed to the top with last minute preparations, so there was limited time to enjoy the thong-wearing beach population that I’d heard so much about. Next time.

With the bride on the way to
 her wedding.

Minutes before boarding my flight out to Florida, from the misery of El Paso, I took a phone call that decided where we’ll live next. The course of action preceding this phone call had been to simply apply for any and every job I qualified for (along with a few that I didn’t) and “see what happens next.” There were a few cities that seemed like fun places to live—Flagstaff and Tucson, AZ were two that I was hopeful for. They each have a lot to offer culturally and would be a close enough drive from Las Cruces that moving wouldn’t be a colossal pain. Then there was a comment Joe made a few weeks ago about wanting to be closer to family. Done.  Columbus, Ohio had a surprising number of state jobs available and is home to Victoria’s Secret’s headquarters, where employees enjoy 40% off all merchandise (that’s where I buy my clothes and Joe’s underwear). We also looked into Anchorage, Seattle, and *only as backup* Las Vegas. In each city I applied for as many jobs as I could find, most through the public sector. As part of the process, I sent my prior boss an email letting her know to expect a few calls from potential employers who might be checking my references. She responded with an invitation to resume my old position as an ESL teacher. In Las Vegas.

My ESL class from last year.

Teaching English as a second language is a lot of fun. Measured in weights I would say it could easily pass as five whole tons of fun. That, coupled with harp gigs that have still been coming my way, made Las Vegas seem like the most rewarding option. It would have been fun to get to know a new city, and it would be nice not to crawl back to Vegas every time I leave, something I’ve been trying out since college with a zero-percent success rate. But as it stands, Las Vegas will do the trick. I’m still searching for a full time job, as ESL will only occupy a few evenings a week, but we’re optimistic that the rest will take care of itself. So, at the end of what is shaping up to be a very chaotic month of packing and wrapping things up in New Mexico, we will make the trek back to Nevada and set up shop there. Incidentally, we’re open to suggestions for clean and reasonably priced apartments in Green Valley if you know of any J