This is what the area looks like where I am tonight. Hmmmm.
As I write this tonight, I’m sitting in a hotel room in a tiny town that I’d never heard of until I found a job ad for this place. I was intrigued by the job and the pay was attractive.
And then I arrived here this evening.
Granted it was dark when I arrived, but I drove through many miles of oil fields, tumbleweeds blowing across my car, and jackrabbits diving for cover as I passed. Apparently, this town is the last vestige of the towns that exist solely for the oil and gas industry in the area. As I drove in, I counted all of one grocery store and a drug store. The motel where I’m staying is the nicest one in town, and it’s reasonably nice– but it reminds me of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. At least it has a bed where I can rest– the drive was over 7 hours long.
Oh– and it was 86 degrees outside when I arrived at 10:30 p.m. The very kind owner of the motel said that this is nothing: in the summer, it rarely gets below 92 degrees at night. Aiyiyiyi!
As I flipped on the tv, the first thing I saw was an anti-meth commercial. Nice. From the looks of the place, I can see why they might need that kind of public service announcement. I checked the schools, and they’re ok, but not thrilling. The college seems to be the best educational experience the town has, and it serves about five different communities, all smaller than this one, where the population is a bit over 5,000 residents. The nearest medical facility (besides the doc-in-the-box) is 45 miles.
I’m right now giving this place two and a half strikes against it. Darn close to three.
In the last week, I happened to see an episode of The Big Bang Theory, in which Sheldon asks, “What’s better than money? Experience points!” I have a strong feeling I’m going to chalk this one up to experience points, count it among my sights along my journey, and politely get the hell out of here as soon as my interview concludes tomorrow. I’d leave tonight if I didn’t need the sleep so badly. I’m seriously considering bagging the whole thing tomorrow, but the little voice (yes, I hear voices…doesn’t everyone?) that I attribute to the Creator spirit in me tells me I need to learn something from this interview. Perhaps it’s simply a lesson about checking the area before I apply for the job.
It is, however, and interesting sight on my journey. And I proved to myself that I could drive for 7 hours solo without a problem. That, in itself, was a victory.
