Wednesday, November 12, 2008

beavers carved into pumpkins


Beavers carved into pumpkins, holding hands in a circle before dinner, snow in October, chopping wood, walking into the woods in my pajamas at 3:30 am, spider bites in the middle of the night, driving fifteen minutes to get cell service, not contacting the outside world for over a week, living in a two room cabin with fifteen other strangers, long underwear not being enough, learning how to play the guitar, the smell of wood stoves, not having internet access when it’s cloudy, going to the bathroom in the woods daily, shooting stars every night, solo hikes around the pond at one in the morning, mice crawling over friends at night, compost, not being allowed to shower daily, smelly roommates who only shower weekly, letting it mellow when it’s yellow, sleep talking roommates, no television, no beer, no sunshine after 4:30pm, no sunshine when we wake, sunshine when it’s snowing, living on a beautiful pond, amazing people, delicious food.

The idea that I’ll soon be a teacher, that we will soon be covered by snow, freezing, that this is only the beginning, I’m going to learn how to use a chainsaw. I miss my dog, I miss my own room, Mom’s cooking, the ability to have the lights out whenever I want, to drive somewhere without someone asking where I’m going or if they can come.

Going for a run around the pond on my lunch break, listening to the snow fall in the forest, hilly bike rides in the morning to pick up my car from the bar, delicious lentil soup and Vermont cheddar cheese, learning new things about new friends, the Milky Way, night hikes to the graveyard, star tipping, pond-side naps in my sleeping bag, sketching trees, the exciting indoor bathroom at the Laundromat, knowing which tree is which, the dreadful hike to the bathhouse, learning to sign, learning to teach, sleeping with a hat on.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

long johns

as i sort items to bring along with me to the park, i find myself committing strange oddities that some might find peculiar.

yesterday i tried on many pairs of long underwear bottoms, happily prancing around the house in different varieties as i continued along with other tasks. my old roommate would have found this to be normal behavior.... my father seemed slightly perplexed. i discovered quite a few winners, and was able to really determine the usefulness for each pair.

i also found myself running errands one day with a headlamp in my back pocket during broad daylight. for whatever reason, it reminded a friend of her needing to put a belt on. lucky i didn't break it.

after being advised to "break in" my heavy work boots, i decided that it might seem a little weird to do that in public. blinds closed, me and the treadmill have been getting some pretty sweet workouts. i've also discovered a few good sock combinations for those babies.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

throw pillows in a black hole

as some may know, i have an affinity for throw pillows. not just because they are a great accent to any décor, they're generally the perfect size and density for sleeping on. and if you're lucky enough to have an extra, they make a great hugger pillow... which for me is absolutely essential in falling asleep. i can't stress that enough.

in lieu of my upcoming living situation, i've decided that throw pillows will be the most practical type of head cushions that a picky sleeper such as myself can have. the issue with throw pillows, of course, occurs when they are never washed. you see, my two most favorite throw pillows are both wonderful suede, which can only be "spot cleaned." this becomes problematic when you're only allowed to shower every other day. actually, it becomes problematic before that, but this really intensifies it's dirtiness. so i've developed a solution to this issue...

homemade pillowcases! upon designing them in my brain, i decided that pillowcases with pockets would be even more appropriate to my minimalist bunkbed lifestyle. needless to say, this crafty nerd was excited. well, five pillowcases and eight pockets later, i'm spent. while the spotted and striped final products are attractive and functional, i'll admit that my knowledge of the sewing machine is frustratingly scant.

with my mother somehow picking up my preference for teaching via "experiental education," i was given only a small amount of instruction and left to self-teach and self-prick my way through the basics. after breaking a two needles and drawing a blood on numerous occasions, i'm now proud of my sewing machine knowledge, albeit still minimal and relatively useless.

now that all's said and done, the pillowcases were still a good idea. i mean, if you're going to teach yourself how to sew, they're an easy starting project. i would recommend holding off on the pockets, however, as they were quite annoying. i'll keep posted on their practicality... i've got high hopes for those babies.

_________________
* amendment to 09/22/08 post: item "e" has been located, so you can stop looking for that one. location: TU ceramics studio. not surprising, since i've been but a ghost there...

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Time to Move On.

I was just humming along to perhaps one of my top five favorite songs (which of course change monthly), when I realized that Tom Petty really gets it. No song means more to me right now... so, albeit cliché, I shall post. I tried to pick a section, but could not.

Tom Petty; Time to Move On
Its time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
Its time to move on, it s time to get going

Broken skyline, movin through the airport
Shes an honest defector
Conscientious objector
Now her own protector

Broken skyline, which way to love land
Which way to something better
Which way to forgiveness
Which way do I go

(chorus)

Sometime later, getting the words wrong
Wasting the meaning, and losing the rhyme
Nauseous adrenaline
Like breakin' up a dog fight
Like a deer in the headlights
Frozen in real time
I'm losing my mind

Its time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
Its time to move on, its time to get going

__________
* Amendment to 09/22/08 post: Item "B" has been located, so you can stop looking for that one. Yes, it was in the car.

Monday, September 22, 2008

where have all of my belongings gone?

after originally beginning to pack things up in June, i've noticed a trend. i'm constantly forgetting where i put things, missing them for a few weeks, or losing them forever.

now that i've moved in, we can hope that pretty much everything that i own is either:

1) in my car (really not a pretty sight)
2) in my parent's basement/crawlspace/attic/garage
3) at my old place in Timonium
4) unfortunately lost forever.


so, if anyone has seen the following, please advise me as soon as possible:**
**this list will be amended as i remember which other items are gone :(

A) gray eddie bauer capri pants
B) bank of america debit card (somewhere in my car, probably?)
C) fuzzy old green zip sweater with the big neck
D) trusty book of "easy" crosswords
E) light green *BPA free* nalgene

ladies and gentlemen, probably mostly ladies, this has been occurring for the past few months, and it's just started to look up recently. had you known me during my tendency toward obsessive-compulsivity with item placement and arrangement (circa 2004-2007), you might be surprised to learn that i've been incredibly comfortable with the whole mess. in fact, i'm actually flabbergasted to realize that i thrive in such disorganization. and while this may seem like an exaggeration (perhaps only a bit), you really should have seen the disarray that was my car last month.

tootles, and don't forget to let me know if you find anything suspicious.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

oregonians are nice


SO, i returned yesterday from the much-anticipated trip to Portland. It was great. Hali's flight was delayed coming from Houston, so I spent a bit of time there on my own, which is always a good time.

While spending a lot of time walking the green streets, I noticed a few things:

1) East coasters such have a tendency to be very rushed, horribly eco-unfriendly, and slightly artificial.

2) The Portland homeless are very, very friendly. They give you tips, don't smell like booze, and seem to be genuinely trying to have a good life. Sometimes they have dogs, and the dogs are pretty cool.

3) Portland is in love with Barack Obama.

4) The public transit system of Portland is amazing. I wish more city planners would visit Portland!


Hali and I had a great time eating thai food and going for a nice bike ride in Washington Park. We also got a little lost, but that's pretty normal for me.

We got in yesterday morning after taking the Thursday night redeye flight. I slept for a few minutes on the floor of the airport, but kept getting annoyed by the loud announcements about leaving bags unattended. After fruitlessly trying to nap all day yesterday, I decided to bite the bullet and just work through it. Had a great time last night at a new bar in Baltimore where a friend of mine works, and for the first time I can remember, I fell asleep on the couch in the same outfit I wore out. I woke up at 7 with a splitting headache, and after taking excederin and falling asleep sitting up, I miraculously woke up at 12:30 pm feeling refreshed and surprisingly not hungover.

Tonight I'm driving up the scenic NJ Turnpike, where I will reunite with Skippy and enjoy a few relaxing weeks in the Double B. It will be so very enjoyable to spend some time with the family, not to mention to have my own bed again.

Yay!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

electioneering

Things going well.

Today I gave my notice at work-- my last official day at the PPM will be September 11th, a Thursday. I guess it's about four weeks, including my vacation to the cottage in 10ish days. The whole idea of a paid vacation is still new to me, so I'm happy to be paid spending time with the twins in Pennsylvania.

Went for a run today with Cait-- probably my career record of a whopping 2 miles. Feels healthy!

Visiting Portland, Oregon in about four weeks; I'll be there traveling with a friend from school, Hali, for five days. Things are going to be happening quickly pretty soon. As of late, happy to be spending time with good friends.

:)