Baltimore & Bubba

I got a job! I got the job, in fact. In a few short weeks, I'll be moving to Baltimore to do business development work for a NGO. I'm some combination of overwhelmed, excited and completely clueless. Clueless in that I know very little regarding Baltimore as a city and am somewhat blindly navigating the waters of apartments. I feel like perhaps I need to start watching The Wire, because so many people have referenced my living it soon. Awesome. Drug dealers. To the very few of you I know in Baltimore (what, like all three of you?) who have received frantic facebook messages, thank you for your understanding, compliance in answering my ridiculous questions, and patience.
It's amazing how quickly things can change. Just last week, I was getting antsy that the Barnes and Nobles at the mall hadn't called me back. I was wondering where I'd have to move and when, and then all of a sudden I'm given a job and POOF! Decisions are made for me. (Well, at least I have a vicinity to live in and don't have to worry about what part of the country to look at anymore.)

The Baltimore skyline is lovely. It truly is. Moving to a more sizable city with a younger population is something I'm actually really looking forward to. Comedy clubs, yoga studios (for more than just the gentle yoga for arthritis classes) and all those other things that come with a city larger than 100k are all something I am so excited about. I'm so excited about my job; I am so lucky to be given the opportunity to work in a field I am passionate about. I know so many people don't have that privilege and I consider myself one of the lucky few.

I'm still going to miss this town, though. I drove to my old office today to say hello to my old supervisor and past coworkers, and it started to hit me how soon I have to leave. A beautiful skyline can never replace the mountains. I'll just need to visit regularly to get my healthy dose of topography and southern hospitality.

Also.
Remember my complaints about day dreaming about my imaginary dog and what dog parks we'd visit? I wrote about it when I complained about job hunting. A few months ago, the indie station here (101.5 the music place!) was discussing their Pet of the Week on my drive into work, and they mentioned a basset-beagle mix named Bubba. The first thing I did when I got to work was check this dog out. Here is his profile on the site. They have a much better photo than anything I do.

I knew I couldn't adopt him. Not on a poverty stipend. And it KILLED me. So I would check back every few weeks to see if he was still posted on the website, because it's a no-kill shelter, and Bubba is there until he gets adopted.

I got lunch with a friend today, and on the way back I passed the shelter. I thought to myself a very dangerous thought. I thought, "I have a job. I can afford a dog! I should just go meet him. Maybe he's too high energy and I won't want him anyways."

So in I went. As soon as I saw him in his little cage, I knew I was a goner. While all the other dogs were barking and freaking out, little Bubba just sat in his corner, thumping his tail. No bark, no bouncing around. Just a happy, adorable little tail wag.

They let him and I play together for half an hour or so, warning me not to approach his face quickly and to be gentle. The volunteers speculate that Bubba was abused before coming to the shelter. Many families have come in and looked at him, and he's growled at small children (or even teens, they said) that have tried to snuggle up to his face too quickly, turning them away from this little guy. So I sat in a chair and held my hand out for him to sniff. By the time I left, he was flipping over for his belly to be rubbed and shoving his head under my hand for him to pet.

He doesn't bark. He's a lethargic little dog. He has little stubby basset legs and beagle eyes. He slips around on linoleum floor because he has bad traction and it's adorable. And I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM. He reminds me so much of my brother's dog when he first got her. Gah! Fate! But, nothing's for sure until I have a place to live. It's so tempting though. Seriously, click the link to his profile, because that picture does so much more justice than my iPhone ones. It was hard to get a picture of him while he was wiggling so much.

They lowered the adoption fee for me. This is killing me. I might have to adopt him. He's so darn cute, and just the sweetest, most wiggly little guy.

Oh my. Job, apartment, puppy. A lot is changing.