"My mind is in a tailspin...

...so much frustration."

Big news: I just figured out how to answer the phone at my desk in my secondary office. Big news...big news.

I also love being the new kid that everyone gossips to. I like all of my coworkers, but they all have hidden (or not-so-hidden) animosity towards one another and tell me all about it. This is fine, but everyone tells me the exact opposite of what everyone else says. It really makes it hard for me to cast my own judgements. But at least it keeps me entertained.

Lastly, I found out this morning I am getting turned into my boss's boss's boss about discrimination against a family. WHAT?! To be completely honest, I have not yet directly dealt with a family, so I am interested to know how I am discriminating against anyone. I'm meeting with the family this afternoon--should be a riot.

Also, I am finding out that it is hard to integrate oneself into a small community. Its like I have the plague or something like that. Which reminds me of a talk I had with T about the plague and the fact that no one wants the plague. ha. Anyway, I am getting frustrated.

And now I have ranted. Whew. But I can still answer my phone!!

"Everyone's famous...

in a small town."

Okay, quick update to make the rest of this make sense:

I moved to Western SD at the end of August to take a job as the 4-H/Youth Development Extension Educator in Haakon and Jackson Counties. I have been working here now for 2.5 weeks and am getting around to meeting people. For those of you from small towns, you may appreciate this.

Kadoka and Philip (the two towns I work in) share a newspaper company meaning that stories that deal with both cities get published in both papers automatically. Nice deal. Well, last week I was finally in town when the interviewer lady (Rhonda) could come interview me. Great. I cleaned off my desk and prepared myself to talk about how excited I was to be working with all the families and whatnot--like an interview for a new person in town would be expected to go.

But no. Instead, I was asked about my life before moving out here for pretty much all of the interview. Now, this makes sense--it allows all these people who have known eachother since diapers and crayolas get to know me a little better. Fair enough; I told her all about growing up on the other side of the River.

Then, towards the end, Rhonda and I were just making small talk. She asked if it was hard coming out here where I didn't know anyone. "Sure, but everyone here is so nice and welcoming, I feel at home already." She then asked if I had left a significant other ont he other side of the state.

Boom. There it was. The infamous "Are you single?" question I've been getting for weeks. But, since I had become accustomed to it I answered that, yes, I was single. She closed her notepad, snapped some pictures, and left. Easy enough.

Fastforward to Wednesday. The paper came out and there I was, taking up a quarter of the front page (above the fold). And, in the 5th paragraph are the words that will follow me everywhere for the next few months: "young, single, and energetic." Wow. Nothing like advertising it to 2 counties!

I love small communities.