Ch-ch-ch-changes

I had a job interview Monday, and I felt pretty good about it when it was all over. Now it's the lovely waiting period, as they interview all the other people who want the job, too. And again, the skills tests were a joke. Apparently 90% of office workers are idiots, because the tests I've taken are so simple that I can't believe that they're some sort of qualifier for even an entry-level position. And this was not an entry-level position.

Believe it or not, I actually think this company's business is neat-o, and would like to work there. I was told that it would be 1-2 weeks before they contact any short-listers, so I have my fingers crossed. And my toes crossed.

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There have been a lot of life transitions going on lately, not only in my life but also in my friends' lives. On the one hand, there's been loss, the most recent being the mother of my friend J. I feel so strange about it, and I never even knew the lady. I guess that, with my own freaky half-acknowledged grief going on, I don't know how to feel about someone else's loss.

And on the other hand, there's new life coming along. My friend Cat is pregnant after like, one month trying. Yeah, yeah, I know; one of "those" people. But I thank God that there are some people out there who DON'T have to go through the hell that is infertility!!! I'm very excited to have another little one joining our strange extended family.

Cat, bless her heart, was a bit apprehensive about telling me she was pregnant, and enlisted our mutual friend Cheri as a go-between. Silly kitty! As if I'd be upset over someone I love getting a cool present like a Kogojira.

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I babysat my nephew Miles for a few hours today, and I am a puddle of warm, melted sugar after having a newborn cuddled against my chest. Smelling that little place on his neck by his shoulder. Feeling those tiny fingers curling around my own. Heck, even now I feel nostalgic about having the scent of curdled formula on the sleeve of my shirt after an unexpected spit-up incident; it's been a long time since I had that smell on me. Although I admittedly like older kids better, there IS something about teeny babies that's very sweet.

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It's always a little weird to me, how few of my friends had any exposure to babies before they had their own. And then there's me, the woman with no children, who actually knows about them. I grew up with a close relationship to my younger cousins, and helped to care for most of them. An older cousin lived with us when I was in high school, and she got pregnant and had a baby. Believe me, when you're 17 and there's a newborn in the house, you get a fast and thorough education on childcare because you're a built-in alternative caregiver; I knew about colic and teething long before I lost my virginity. And then I was a nanny/nurse for a year to a newborn, for a married couple who were friends of mine. The irony is never lost on me that, as a non-parent, I'm assumed not to have any "real" knowledge about kids, when I actually know quite a bit.