Here's the deal

For a while, I've refrained from blogging to keep from feeling like a complainer. I also didn't want to talk too much about stuff that I wasn't sure we wanted to put "out there" just yet. But I'm done with that now.

We've been in North Carolina for 5 months now, and I've learned 1 important thing. I am an Austinite. North Carolina is perfectly fine. But no place, IMO, is Austin. And I don't want to live anywhere but Austin.

Here's another thing I have learned. I don't like the games industry. Truth be told, I discovered this bit of info way back when we lived in Dallas (LOL!). But I'm not the one with the career and I'm not out there winning any bread. So I try to be very understanding about Cass's career desires and never get in the way of him doing what makes him happy. BUT I think that finally Cass has decided that he's not a fan of the games industry either.

So where does that leave us? We don't have any idea. We're looking into our options right now. If a change is to be made, it will happen by the end of January. He's got certain things in his contract that make it so. If change doesn't happen by January 31, then we are stuck within the terms of the contract for 18 more months. We can do it. We'd prefer not to, but we can.

In the meantime, I looked into a graduate program at UNC back in November. It's Molecular Diagnostic Science, and it's a mostly online graduate degree with a 6 month clinical rotation. I would start it summer 2010, and finish it in fall 2011. So it's an 18 month masters degree program with no thesis writing. Sign me up. Actually, I sent in my application yesterday - in case we end up sticking around here for 18 more months.

I also found out that they have a similar program at the UT San Antiono Medical Branch. Just sayin.

So there we are.

9 lines about 2009
(1) Turned 37
(2) Dealt with high blood pressure and meds
(3) Went off of blood pressure meds
(4) Went on a cruise to Ireland
(5) Cass's company was sold
(6) Cass took a new job
(7) Still have a house on the market in Dallas
(8) Luke is having a better school year in 1st grade (thank God! - see #2)
(9) Trip to London!

I don't know what 2010 will bring. At least this first month should be interesting!

Things I've learned

- I miss driving on the interstate.

- All the crazy news stories happen in North Carolina.

- When you enter a parking lot in Cary NC, you better plan to go back out the way you came in. There are no alternate exits.

- They have red light cameras here - and they WILL send you a ticket in the mail.

- It's not a real ticket though. They've hired some company to collect the fines, and the city gets part of them. No legal stuff involved.

- I don't like the spider web arrangement of the roads here.

- You better look both ways, then look again a second or third time, before you dare to turn into traffic. The curves and hills make it hard to see.

- My Dad pointed out that there aren't many convenience stores and/or fast food restaurants here. I'm sure Cary has some kind of restriction on them (like they do on everything else).

- I still can't find my way to drive through the Crossroads.