Not a bad week work-wise for me again. I like the new project I’m working on and if all goes well, I’ll have it completed by next week.
And good news for the nation. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.9%, the lowest in nearly 2 years. Not sure what that means since everyone I know who was unemployed is still unemployed …
I also started planning out our mail drops for the AT. That part of the planning process is driving me bonkers. For those who are not AT-saavy, thru hikers often send themselves food packages on the trail, mainly for spots where there are no good grocery stores to resupply. I am just trying to figure out where to do these mail drops. While the guide book and AT community is very helpful, I am still indecisive. I just don’t want us to be restricted by the post office hours (there’s always a chance you will hike into town on Saturday at 1pm right after the post office closes and have to wait until Monday morning to pick up food and trek on). On the other hand, I don’t want us to starve because the resupply store only has very boring choices, like ramen. Decisions, decisions.
As for the unemployment front, next week is a big week. My UE benefits run out (note that I made my 26 weeks of eligible benefits last through week 40!), so I am going into the office to apply for an extension. I am fairly confident I can receive another 26 weeks, but you never know!
Another big event is that I have a second interview for that local, full-time job I mentioned earlier this year. At first, I wasn’t even going to accept the interview because I didn’t want to lead them on, but Mama Fashion talked some sense into me. Yes, we are 99.9% sure we are doing the trail, but there is no actual offer on the table. This is merely another chance for the company to get to know me better and for me to get to know them better. They are big on reviewing old resumes they have on file, so there’s that possibility. And, honestly, you never know how long they may take to hire for this position. For Pete’s sake, I first applied for this job back in November! Anyways, I will give you an update next week, of course.
Y’all have a good weekend. J has 2 concerts lined up for this weekend, so he is a very happy camper. Except that they are in Boston. We went over the map several thousand times, but I still think if he doesn’t get lost, it will be a miracle.
UPDATE: J got lost for more than an hour and explored just about every nook and cranny of Boston. I consider that an accomplishment.
I will email you with a list of a 'must' mail drops, but certainly do not send yourself all maildrops. unless you like to be bored. Don't worry, there will be plenty of good places to resupply!!
Many people don't do mail drops. Merf didn't really plan in advance where she was getting a resupply, she'd just wing it, look ahead for the next week and see where she needed to go.
Trust me, it's not a big deal. Even on the FT we had some crappy resupply options but even then we still ate pretty well. You just choose what you eat. If you don't want ramen, don't eat it!!