The Day I Received My Medical Review Forms

It starts with this: a letter from my Peace Corps representative letting me know that I've been officially nominated and that I'll be receiving my medical review forms shortly. I appreciate the personal message that Jennifer wrote at the bottom, too. Lets me know the Peace Corps really cares about its people and that it's not some huge corporation like college (no offense, Sac State). 

“Welcome to the medical review portion of your application process.”

The “welcome” is a nice touch, but I detect insincerity. At least they didn’t put an exclamation point at the end to drive home the sarcasm. 

More like, “Welcome to the part where most people give up.” 

The guides are a nice touch. Lets me know I'm not the only one who's confused and overwhelmed by all the forms. I've heard horror stories about the Medical Review Portion of the application process, so I'm crossing my fingers that this'll all work out smoothly, but my expectations are low. The first step is to find a doctor and a dentist. The second step, or maybe it's the first, I don't know, is to get insurance to pay for this. Figure I've got all summer to figure this out, and hell, maybe Sac State offers student insurance and I can just whipper-snapper it together in the Fall. Who knows. At least I got the paperwork and that's progress enough for one afternoon. 

The Peace Corps does not encourage smoking cigarettes. 

I worked at the cafe inside of the Sacramento Bee today, covering for Mort. The experience reminded me of my Creekside days, stuffed away in the corner of a big business building, though the Bee was a tad busier. Also Stephanie came to make sandwiches, so I had company, and we caught each other up on our lives. She's finally moving out and getting away from a loveless marriage, which is good to hear. We gossiped about employees and I told her Jenny and I are doing great and that I'm aiming to move out in August on the pursuit of cheaper rent. The customers were well-dressed Bee employees, friendly, patient. It was nice being able to make everything up and play the fool again. I made one decent latte and barely touched the espresso machine all morning, serving mostly drip-coffee and pastries to people in a hurry. The lunch rush was mild. I read the beginning of "Brave New World" and beat a few stages of Cut The Rope, and before long it was 1:00pm and time to leave. I pedaled over to Old Soul in the Alley and dropped off the money. Shaun was there, closing shift, and he shared the news of his Final Show on July 31st, which means he'll postpone his Colorado departure until early August. I said hello to Jessica and Nick and a few familiar customers, then went home to write and nap.

Last night, instead of the bonfire, Jenny and I ate dinner at Kupros. Fancy place. Good food. She drank an Amelie while I sipped a Peroni over noodles, salad and fried pickles. Our first time there and the results were positive. This after heading out into Midtown with no destination and aiming not to spend any money. Woops. Jenny is, and may always be, struggling with the notion that our elders consider us self-entitled and lazy, basing their judgments on their own outdated view of society. So what if not all college grads got sucked into office jobs and government roles? So what if some of us are manning the espresso machines and check-out counters? Not all of us equate wealth with success. We don't forfeit our souls to corporations for job security and benefits like people used to. We're tired of old patterns that have obviously led us into darker days. We'd rather write stories, paint and embrace culture than punch numbers for The Mechanism. "I obviously don't want the same things from life that an engineer does," Jenny says. This we talked about, and more, as the sun set over the Sacramento River and rose in South Korea. 

It's been a strange week. I've felt out-of-it, both physically and mentally. Just downright tired. Monday night's overdose on a brownie really set me back. Tuesday I was still feeling the effects but they wore off in time to make it out to tutoring, which went well enough, though I got stuck grading tests for two hours because the school was under-staffed and Mrs. Coates' needed the help. Later that night I went with Jenny and Nick and Nick's friends Tiffany and Alex to the Pub Quiz at Fox & Goose, but I wasn't very helpful and our team didn't win. Afterward it was dessert at the apartment and a few games of pool at Round Corner. Jenny started her new job at the Sac Co-Op today with training. She also made amazing apple pie on Sunday and bought me new shoes because she's just that awesome. Also when it started raining Wednesday morning as I walked to the corner-market for pancake mix and syrup, she came running after me in her unicorn-rainbow raincoat, hurrying across the intersection with a spare umbrella yelling, "I'm here to save you!" and my heart all but melted. I found out on Monday that Jessica's rent was raised, though even if we still split it 50/50, I'd be saving money on rent. That's still my Plan A for after August, but we'll see. Life has a funny way of showing you one path and leading down another one entirely. Que sera, sera. At least I feel pretty much normal again. A good shower and a nap should wake me from this mental hibernation. I'm excited about the Peace Corps progress. My registration for Sac State is June 7. Stuff's falling into place and it'll be interesting to watch it pan out. 

- Left to Fry