Current Preoccupations...

You know how TV shows always end their season with a big cliff hanger? Someone dies, someone is pregnant, something big is revealed and.....you are left to get all the answers until the next season!! AHHH! I hate that!
Yet, that is exactly what I did with my last post. I explained in detail what I had planned to do after college, but completely left you wondering: "Wait, what is Jeremiah doing now?"
Fair question. Here it tis...

Life after CC

Immediately after graduation, I took about two weeks off. Most of my friends were still around for about a week or two. I slacked off, celebrated being free from the bonds of the grading system, and also celebrated a couple weddings. Very fun! Then, beginning in June, I went to work...at CC! I actually spent the summer working at CC (Help Desk) and at Josh n' John's Ice Cream. It was actually quite fun, but often tiring. Some days found me at the Help Desk 8am-5pm and then at Josh n' John's 6pm-1am!! Oh boy! I broke up this workaholic schedule with good times with friends who were around. Tuesday bowling, BBQs, movies, hiking, and road trips all became the norm. It was a good summer. A little surreal, but good. I especially loved the road trip that I took at the beginning of August. Went and checked out Vancouver, BC, with a really good friend! Such a fun trip! I could most definitely live in Vancouver! Found an amazing pie shop, a pub with my name (Jeremiah's Pub!), a 55-acre garden, some gorgeous mountains and forests, and a great beach to enjoy sunsets and bottles of wine! Awww...

Then, shortly after returning from Vancouver, I moved out of my C. Springs apartment and moved home. My parents live in a small mountain town called Rye. We're talking about 200 people in the actual town. Oh, and I definitely did not grow up here! So, I don't know anybody. Ugh.

However, it is good to be around my family again. I realized that I spent every summer after starting at CC working in C. Springs. I hadn't been home for more than 3 weeks (first Christmas break) since the summer after my high school graduation! Wow! So, the plan was to live and help out at home while I waited to hear from Americorps. Honestly, my family really appreciated having me around. My father runs his own home inspection business and will often have around 5 inspections a week. My brother is a high school senior and trying to get into CC. He is busier than you can believe! My mother, however, is running her own accounting business AND going back to school to finish up her degree! Jeez! So...there were things I could do. It has been nice to be up in the mountains. Lots of hiking and biking. Plus, all the wood chopping and work on our land makes me feel manly!
So, not too bad. Hang out. Keep busy until Americorps calls for me.

Yeah....well, you read the last post. You didn't? Really!? Well, check it out -- it is a great read. To sum it up, however, I am still waiting for Americorps and could be waiting until February!
Oh dear. Things up in this small, isolated town don't appear that fun anymore. I need something to occupy my time and put a little coin in my pockets! Solution?

Home Energy Audits -- Federal Weatherization Program

So, my father was contacted by this woman (Teri) who runs her own "company" that works with the Federal Weatherization Program and the Governor's Energy Office. Basically, it is a free service for qualifying home owners. A team (my father and myself) come into your home, make some inspections, and then give you tips to save energy and money. We may install CFL bulbs, programmable thermostats, low-flow shower heads, smoke alarm/CO detector, and clotheslines. Also, we inspect the home's water heater, furnace, refrigerator, and quantity of insulation. There is even a program above us that may replace energy wasting fridges and furnaces and install better insulation --- All Free! Very Cool! We also provide some educational materials to help people live smarter and more efficiently. All in the interest of lowering the amount of resources that we use.
We will be starting with families who are on some form of utility assistance and then move from there. I get paid to do this and it only takes about an hour per house. Very good deal!

So, this keeps me busy and helps me save up to replace my failing car....poor thing. She is on her last legs I fear... I would love to find a used hybrid of some sort. Oh well, keep dreaming! Speaking of dreaming...I am also helping to draw up the plans for the passive-solar house that my father wishes to build. Should be a really fun and energy-saving home! Concrete block construction, passive solar heating, wood burning stove back-up, and possibly some solar panels or wind turbines in the future. Yay! I can't wait to break ground! There is even talk of a wine cellar in the plans! ooohh...


So, there you have it. I am living at home, helping out around the house, doing home-energy audits, and helping to plan "The House". Not too bad! I still crave human interaction every-now-and-then and am longing to get out in the world, but I am dealing well! Thanks to a couple friends that allow me to impose on them and their busy lives, I make sure to have some fun and get a healthy dose of culture.

So, that is where i am.
Now, where could I go?