Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Day 6: Walking the Plank(s) of the Harbor

The clock read 6:51am. "Here we go again," I thought to myself, "might as well get up and start my day."
Lahaina Harbor

Just like every morning, texting the Hubby for some morning chat starts the day. Conversation kept steering itself to long-term housing prospects here on the island. This gave me something to occupy my time before heading out on the job search again.

I browsed Craigslist for jobs and apartments. I made a list of places to go today to apply for jobs and another list of places I've already applied so I would be sure to stop in for followups. I found what might have been a great apartment. After sending the link to The Hubby to see if he liked it as well, I called to get more info. Nobody answered, so I left a message.

Still thinking about the housing situation, I remembered the realtor referred to us by one of The Hubby's customers. I called her up. Unfortunately, she was on a different island today but asked that I call her back at the same time tomorrow morning.

House searching not going well, and phone calls not reaching those I'm trying to call, I decided to get started with the job search instead. I hit Lahaina Town by foot again, walking up and down both sides of the street multiple times, going in and out of places. I applied for new jobs and checked on the status for those where I already had apps in.

Warren and Annabelle's needs hosts. I felt good about my prospects there after completing my application and talking to someone. The Pioneer, the first place I thought about working when The Hubby first told me we could move to Maui. A small shop called Sand People. Cheeseburger in Paradise, which was the first place we ate in Lahaina when we came on vacation and seems to always be busy. The Lahaina Pizza Company. If I don't score a job soon, I may end up having an application in at every business in town! The hiring manager at Bubba Gump's returns to work tomorrow, so perhaps I'll get a call from them in the morning...

My phone rang and I reached for it, hoping it would be someone about a house. Instead, I looked down at the screen to see the caller ID informing me the vet's office in Vegas was calling. Slightly nervous - this call could potentially derail all of our plans - I answered the phone. The test results for the pups' blood work came back from K-State. The pups passed their tests and got the go-ahead to move to Hawaii! I dashed off a text to The Hubby to let him know.
Cheese pizza from Jay's Place

Wandering around near the Banyan Tree, I realized I was hungry. I walked across the street into a multi-level area called the Wharf Cinema Center. I found a small pizza bar called Jay's Place - Pizza Pasta and Subs. I ordered a 8" cheese pizza - tasty! It was made to order, not frozen. While I ate, I talked story with the bartender who only moved here 10 months ago from Texas. Nice lady, but then again, everyone seems so nice here.

After lunch, I hit the road again, applying for more jobs, following up on others... and window shopping. My interview at Sunglass Hut wasn't until 5:00, and I thought it made no sense to walk all the way back to the apartment only to have to walk back into town. I just took my time wandering around, enjoying myself. I discovered a small shop called Village Gifts and Fine Art, located on the Baldwin House property - lots of hand crafted stuff in there for sale! I talked story with the lady working there for a while. It turned out she has not lived on the island long either, around 10 months or so. She suggested I come around later in the week and talk to the curator, who would maybe give me a couple of days work. She also hinted there was a chance that the curator would be interested in buying some of my hand-made goods to resell in the shop - exciting! It felt good to talk to someone here in Maui with whom I had something in common.

Since I was already there, I decided to take a tour of the Baldwin House. My timing was bad - they were just about to close the doors. As a consolation prize, I stopped for a keiki-sized pineapple gelato. So refreshing! It turned out they were hiring so I made application at the gelato place, too.
Honu shirt - I want!

With more time to kill, I continued browsing shops for sundresses and cross-body bags. I added a few more dresses to my ever growing list of potential after-i-have-a-job purchases. Then, I spotted an amazing yellow shirt, made of Batik fabric, with a honu design, and so soft! I snapped a photo to show The Hubby, and so that I would remember it later. I spied some very comfortable looking "husband chairs" in the back of a shop and sat for a bit to people watch.

Finally, the time for me interview drew near. I made my way to Sunglass Hut and introduced myself to the manager. 2 other people arrived - group interview, I discovered - and we got started. I felt comfortable during the interview. Every casino interview seems to be a group interview, so I have lots of practice. I hope I did well enough to get a call back.

The law of averages should kick in soon, I imagine. One of these job leads needs to pan out. While I would prefer to not work at all - who really wants to work - I'm already starting to feel that uneasiness one gets when they're unemployed and looking. Besides, I now have the addresses memorized for my last 3 jobs as well as my high school and colleges. These are things that should not be committed to memory!
Sun setting behing palm trees

After my 5pm interview, I returned home. I glanced up and saw the sun starting to sink behind a row of palm trees. I grabbed the camera. Passing into the apartment complex, I noticed plumeria blooms - so fragrant - and again grabbed the camera. I'm getting better at finding things to take pictures of on my walkabouts.
Plumeria blooms near the apartment

Reaching the door to the apartment, I rushed right past the 2 packages on the doorstep. Going back for them, I realized they were the ones I had been waiting on the most, the ones The Hubby shipped! The first, not really from him, was from my girlfriend back in Indy that he forwarded. The second contained all of the bike gear we bought at REI just before I left the mainland. Now I only need for the bike lock The Hubby ordered off Amazon to show up so I can start riding my bike places!

I threw together some ramen - no add-ins this time - and texted with Ding Dong...err, I mean The Hubby. Honestly, though, who takes the sheets and blankets off the bed and packs everything in the house forgetting that he will need them for the next two weeks at least?!? Ding Dong might be an appropriate moniker ;)

My day ended as it has the past few nights, with episodes of Grimm until I fell asleep.

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