The verdict is...

budget cuts! I have become a victim of budgets cuts. Not my current job, thankfully, but the prospective position. It is currently on hold pending budget reallocation. There has been a 10% cut across the board on their budget and they are holding off filling that particular position until they come to terms with the budget. I am ok with it. When the time is right we will get our chance. I was very fortunate to have positive contact with the individuals in charge of things there and I can only hope that when the time is right they will get back with me. I will be watching their website for any changes.

Another week about to begin....

and I still do not know where I stand with the new job prospect.

I am also at odds with the idea of being closer to my extended family. I have only told two members of my family, by now I know a couple more know by now, but I am beginning to wonder if its what it is what it is cracked up to be.

I took a step. I have applied for and feverishly gone after a position back in my hometown. I have a couple of friends who have been very happy at the prospect of me and my family coming back into town on a permanent basis. My father was genuinely happy when I told him. My sister, who would be living about 5 hours from me, was happy.

Reality bites.

My step-sister, of only 20 years, is being written about in the city newspaper. An article about her and breast cancer. She is fast approaching her 5 years in remission anniversary. This is cancer awareness week so it makes sense to highlight a positive outcome. Its an awesome thing. The problem... no one told me. Not even a mention of it. Why?

The first thought - its just me. No big deal. She doesn't want to know, she isn't involved, she doesn't care. Wrong on all accounts. They don't know me.

That is one thing I keep trying to remind myself. They don't really know me. I have been away for 20 years next year. I didn't grow up in my Dad's home. I shouldn't assume.... they do that enough.

I am confused.

Moving?

To move or not to move.... are we going to be given the chance to ask the question?

I am originally from the midwest. K from the east coast. we were both brought to Texas through the Navy, but we are happy to have had the chance because we met each other and have a great relationship.

We have been thinking about making a move for a very long time. When there has been an opening in other places, we really take a look to see if we should try to move.

Recently a position has come open in the town I grew up in. I have applied for the position. I have had some contact with the district and we are looking at the what ifs. We are not jumping up and down, whooping and hollering. What we are doing is taking a wait and see stance.

Wait and if... then what? Scary words.

A new opportunity...

There is a position open in the school district I attended as a child. In fact, it is at the high school I went to. We are seriously considering moving if the position is offered to me.

I have received two emails regarding the position already, one from the Executive director of HR and the other from the principal of the high school himself. I had emailed my letter of interest and my resume to him. I let him know that not only am I an a alum, but so is my father and several other family members.

One of the driving forces behind the move is that it would take us to a state in which K and I would have the full rights that come with being married. I would be able to provide her health care, we both would be able to not worry about what if the other ends up in the hospital, we would both be legally listed on the forms for our kids at the schools. Another force is the feelings of instability for us here. Recently it has been pushed to the forefront how unequal we are here. A same sex couple (a lawyer and a judge), in the next town over have been out into the limelight because of their relationship. It has been published that they have been together for 3 years, that they live in the same home, own no property together, yet call each other their partner. The lawyer was forced to resign her position because it was being argued that there was a conflict of interest because of this relationship. The fact of the matter is that there are several married couples who are never investigated for this and yet when the lawyer excused herself from a case involving her partners parents suing the city because of an accident with a city vehicle she is investigated for a possible conflict of interest. This is so wrong.

I work in the school district. K is working on her masters degree, but will be in a school district as well. Do we need to worry about this? Should we even have to worry about this? The answer is no - but we still do. We have to worry about stupid shit that "legally" married couples do not have to worry about.

Moving won't "fix" any problems, but moving to a state in which we are legally protected will sure make fighting stupidity easier.