And the internship begins

I have been an intern for exactly 2 week s now and it's been a great start. Of course all the initial orientations and training are a little boring but you gotta go through it, unfortunately I still have another site that I haven't started at yet, so I will have to do it all again soon. The good thing with not starting the other site yet, is that it has provided me the opportunity to work everyday at my other site which has been helpful and has made me feel more comfortable there right away. I have already been to the county jail twice in order to conduct 1370 evaluations, which are basically evaluations on people who are possibly incompetent to stand trial. I love it and have never done them before so it's definitely a new experience. Going to the jail is quite an experience and something to get used to but I know I picked the right field for myself because being inside the jail in the infirmary didn't really phase me, I actually enjoyed it!! Everybody has been super nice and helpful, like the office staff and our supervisors. The other 3 interns are really nice and I'm looking forward to getting to know them and working with them over the next year. Bonzai and I have pretty much got a good routine down, so I'm glad there hasn't been any problems with the transition. I do feel bad when I leave him in the morning because he's just cooped up in the apartment by himself all day but I do come home at lunch and I'm pretty sure he sleeps the entire time I'm gone, so I guess he's not that deprived!

This weekend is the first weekend in awhile that Bonzai and I have actually stayed in Bakersfield so it's been nice to get things organized and cleaned up around the apartment. Last weekend we went to Fresno and then back to my dad's since Vinny had a race near my dad's house. Friday night we got into Fresno and Bonzai had a play date with his buddy, Ozzy, a french bulldog. Then on Saturday, Vinny and I took Bonzai on his first trip to PetSmart, wow, did he enjoy that. He barked at the dogs in the doggie day care and every other dog he came in contact with. He also was super excited when any of the employees came up to pet him. He was pretty spoiled that day, he got 3 new toys and 2 packs of bones, treats at the checkout and then he got to hang out at Starbucks! The good thing is that we were actually able to get Bonzai into his harness, even though it took 3 of us to do it!! But since then I have had no luck with Bonzai letting me get his harness on him for his nightly walks. The next step for him is obedience school!

Recap of the last 2 weeks

After I got Bonzai I did a search on the internet to see if there were any dog clubs in Bakersfield that I could join since I had heard about different dog breed groups in Fresno. Well I found one, so myself and Bonzai are apart of a Pug Group in Bakersfield!!! Laugh if you would like I know that it sounds kinda crazy but I thought that it would be a great way to meet people and to also find out about all the good dog spots (vets, groomers, kennels, etc). Bonzai and I have lived in Bako less than a month and already he has been to a meetup at the small dog park (where he was surrounded by 24 other pugs) and a pug pool party!!! He is by far the smallest and youngest at this point!! All the pugs are so cute, kinda plump and their owners couldn't have been any nicer!!





Bonzai isn't that good at doing the doggie paddle yet, but he likes taking over the raft!


And when he's over the pool, he's over it!!

I took a few road trips over the last few weeks the first one being down south to spend time with my old roommate and to go to Disneyland for free on my birthday!! Then I just went this last weekend to camp on the beach in Pismo with some friends to celebrate a friend's birthday. Not to mention the 3 hour drives I have done to go home for things that got left behind in the move. I have had to do some paperwork, drug tests, and other stuff to prepare for my internship which luckily starts Monday woohoo!! I'm so excited to start working because I have been extremely lazy lately and unproductive. I'm definitely a schedule type of person and prefer to be on a schedule most of the time otherwise I just keep putting things off. Other than that I am enjoying life in Bako so far and eager to start work and get a paycheck!!

An official resident of Bako

I finally made the move to Bakersfield as of July 5. The 3 hours of driving and unloading the Uhaul at 4pm in the sweltering heat was such a joy. Thankfully I had my mom there to help me unpack and decorate my new place and I had Bonzai there to entertain me and be a pest. He did not enjoy being put in his crate while we unloaded the Uhaul and he let me know by barking and howling (his new thing). I already felt as if I was going to be evicted my first day there due to my usually well behaved pup. As you can see from the pics Bonzai was quite a help in the unpacking process by climbing on top or into boxes and inside of cupboards!!

I actually really like my apartment, I mean it's no Dominion Courtyard Villa like in Fresno, but it's a decent size, in a nice area and close to pretty much everything I need. I have had to adjust to taking Bonzai outside on a leash everytime he needs to take care of business especially since I have had the luxury of just opening the sliding door into the backyard for him! I only got to spend two days at the apartment before heading back north to Modesto to bring my mom back but I'm actually looking forward to going back and enjoying having my own place, even if it is in Bakersfield!!

I'm back in the 209

After a long and exhausting weekend of moving I am officially living with my dad back in the 209. Let's just say that moving is one of the most tedious and annoying things a person can do. I honestly should be a professional at moving since I have moved 7 times in the last 8 years but clearly I'm not since this moving process turned into a nightmare. I really didn't think I had that much stuff, but then when I started to pack stuff it was as though it was never going to end. Towards the end I just wanted to throw things away just so that I didn't have to pack anymore and worry about making room in a vehicle for the stuff. So obviously by this point cleaning my apartment became one of the last things I wanted to do since I knew that I still had tons of work to do at my new residence like unpacking and making room for all of my stuff. To make matters worse I have to go through the moving process again in 3 months!!! Hopefully the move to Bakersfield will go smoother since it will have to be done at one time and I don't really plan on unpacking too much while I'm at my dads, just the essentials.

Okay, so now that I am done venting and throwing myself a pity party, hehe, I can mention the good news. I think I have found a pug puppy and hopefully will be able to bring him home on Friday!!! I'm so excited but feel so unprepared because I haven't bought any puppy supplies yet, even though I have been shopping online for everything I will need and comparing prices at all the different stores. The good thing is that I'm on spring break this week so that I have the time to get myself organized at my dad's and shop for the puppy. The bad thing is that with everything I have to do my break is going to fly by and I still have to do some schoolwork unfortunately. On another good note, after almost two months of not having a laptop since mine decided to completely stop working, FedEx showed up today with my brand new laptop! So far I love it but getting the wireless internet configured, and putting the programs I need on it are kind of a hassle but once it's done it should be all good.

So now I have no reason not to keep my blog updated!! And hopefully pics of the puppy soon!

March is flying by

So this month is super busy for me. I have class 3 weekends in a row which is never fun but one more weekend to go after today and I will be done with classes forever (hopefully!)! The class I'm in currently is extremely boring but we are in a computer lab so pretty much the whole class is doing everything else but pay attention. I actually am sick of the computer at this point because I was browsing the internet for about 7 hours yesterday!!

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays and for the last two years I have celebrated by participating with some friends in a Pub Crawl in Sacramento. It's always a lot of fun and unfortunately because of my class schedule I won't be able to go this year, which is pretty depressing since I have yet to finish the pub crawl....I almost did last year, I made it to bar 18 out of 21 but then had to head back to the hotel and pass out after puking in the bushes outside of the HardRock Cafe!!!

On top of having class on the weekends I am also rushing to move out of my apartment and get my stuff to my dad's house before the 23rd, so thankfully my mom is bringing my sister to help me pack up all the little stuff this week and she is going to become the maid too, and help me clean up that place once my stuff is moved out! Hopefully the move goes smoothly and then it's on to searching for a pug puppy and maybe a quick trip to Florida for spring break to visit my aunt, uncle and adorable cousin.

The wait is finally over!

The last 3 months of my life have been consumed with waiting to find out where I would get an internship and at last the wait is over.... I'm moving to Bakersfield! I'm not super excited about moving to Bakersfield but it's only for a year and I am sooo grateful that I got an internship site and that it pays!!! It's only 2 hours from Fresno, and 4 hours from my family so it could have been a lot worse like across the country but fortunately it's not. I'm also excited to finally have my own place and because I will be all by myself I'm finally going to get the puppy I have been wanting, a little fawn pug named Bonzai! I feel like I am crashing from an intense anxiety high that I have had for the last few months, so I am alleviated, excited and mentally tired. My life is going to be a little crazy and full of commuting for awhile since I don't start my internship until August and my lease is up at the end of March, I will be moving back home with my dad April-mid July to save some money. So that means I will need to commute back to Fresno 3 or 4 days a week for work until the end of May, but I would rather spend a little bit more in gas then rent, utilities, etc. Well I feel like I am about to start the next chapter in my life and I am soooo close to finishing this whole professional student process that I just feel like the next year of my life is going to fly right by! Oh I almost forget the other bonus of my soon to be new residence...I will be closer to Disneyland!!

My relationship with religion

I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent young woman however, when it comes to the topic of religion I am pretty much clueless. My parents were both raised Catholic but they never imposed these beliefs on me growing up. I did attend Catacism (bascially bible study for children) but I unfortunately did not make it to 1st Communion, I was a Catacism dropout by the young age of 7. Needless to say that was the end of my ties with religion. Although I have attended church with my grandma and mom for the various holidays, marriages or funerals, I myself have never thought about attending church until recently. I have gone back and forth with my thoughts and beliefs on whether or not I believe in God but I think that I have finally come to the conclusion that I do believe. So, I decided to go to church last Sunday with my friend Ashley, to just check it out.
The church is based on Christian beliefs and is pretty casual, much different from the masses in a Catholic church that I had been accustomed to growing up, but very similar to the church that my mom has been attending. The first 15-30 minutes of church was music which was cool but that is when my mind goes crazy with thoughts like "can they tell I'm new here cuz I'm sure I stick out", "why are these people raising their hands up to the sky", "I don't understand this song", and on and on. But then the pastor started the sermon and I loved it, although the topic was a continuation on a series he had been doing on how to be a loving and spiritual husband, he was very entertaining and engaging. The pastor incorporated various passages from the Bible but did it in a way that was easy to understand and made sense. He also used real life examples that were funny and very true of most people. All in all it was a good experience and I'm glad I went but I definitely left church with a ton of questions, poor Ashley! I feel that I struggle with religion because I am in a field that is based on science, research, and facts whereas religion is faith and belief which is difficult for me to comprehend since I am a person who always want to know why things are the way they are. My intentions are not to become a "holy roller" but to become knowledgeable on a topic that is completely foreign to me and to figure out my own beliefs. Religion is a topic that commonly comes up with my clients, which also makes me feel that I need to have a better grasp in order to help or understand my clients better. Well I guess this will be my insightful, serious and indepth post for this month!!