Here's a bit more complete an update:
Health-wise, my allergist has figured out that I have what basically amounts to a chronic sinus infection. Three rounds of seriously stupid antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and expectorants and nasal sprays planned: if these don't work, they're talking surgery. In a lot of ways I don't expect them to, since the first one did not (though did improve matters for a time) and this round seems to be making things worse, not better. Tea with honey is my friend currently.
Work-wise, my patience is running on the thin side. Stress-wise, I'm rather through the roof, since I'm also taking a class this semester and it's consuming a large portion of the time I'd otherwise get to unwind during.
Personally, despite all this, I'm doing okay. I'm starting to make plans to move at the end of May, though whether that's local or away from the area is still up in the air. It's about time I had my own space. Part of what makes J such a great roommate is that we stay out of each other's way well, generally, but that has started to degrade over time and is no longer fully the case, enough so that I'm ready to be done. We're still good friends, nothing's changed on that end--it's just time.
To that end, I'm eyeing all my belongings, readying for a purge. Though there's a lot I don't want to lose, just put away so I don't have to move it two or three times, potentially (one or two local moves, then a longer one).
A lot of things are coming to a head in the next three months or less. I'm just hoping against hope that the timing all works out well.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
non-update update
I know, I know: I've been terrible about updating the blog part of this blog. Micro-blogging, though, I can manage pretty darn regularly: round-about once a day. Check the Twitter feed on the right of the blog (the original, not the LJ feed-type-thing) if you really want updates. Warning: they're really, really mundane most of the time.
Monday, December 31, 2007
year in review 2007
As is tradition, my year in review. Hang tight, this'll get long. I'm also doing this really quickly, so it's not terribly edited, just to warn you.
January
Started off with a bang since I worked New Year's Eve at the club job. Fell on a Sunday, after all. Took a few photos.
Pink had crept back into my wardrobe by this point. That's notable for some reason, trust me.
At work, we started planning and eventually got permission to do the site redesign, which was desperately needed. Despite that project, I still had days entirely booked with meetings.
It was a month of busy, as per normal, and enjoying squash, and appreciating that I knew how to drive in snow. Also started yoga twice a week rather than once during this semester. Oh, and there was a birthday and associated celebration.
February
Thankful for my warm down coat. Got a ton of songs (that I seriously dislike) from the club job stuck in my head throughout the month. I eventually made a mix CD of those I could tolerate and those I couldn't, hoping to rid them all from my brain-pan. It worked, eventually.
This month at work we got the weirdest inquiry letter I've ever seen, which became a short running joke: short because the source was so bloody uncomfortable. Obviously a mentally disturbed individual reaching out, but it was so uncomfortable you couldn't help but laugh about it. My grandboss brought it to me while I was in the office of another colleague who has since left the office.
Some choice lines we would spout at each other as we passed in the hallways:
"Conditions are not good."
"I will need fed because I eat and am active."
"I have a felony but it should be removed."
"I do not like female/male integration."
Or our summary, which boiled down to: "I need food."
We also had a call asking if the football coach had any sway in admissions decisions, who was very insistent and kept calling back to try different angles. It seemed to be the month for weird at work.
Developments in yoga: starting to love inverted poses, appreciating Pigeon pose.
March
Grandboss left the office. Sad, sad day. This caused a ton of upset at work, and with me in general. He was absolutely the person I most looked forward to seeing every day.
As a horrible up side, I got a promotion possibly/probably in part due to his leaving. His brother (who also works in the office), also a bit of a cut-up, asked if he needed to address me as Assistant Director all the time now. I told him nothing had changed except actually getting recognition of the things I was doing already. :P
Before my grandboss actually left the office but after the position was posted (because I went for a position, it wasn't just an automatic promotion-type-thing), I went into his office and asked him "do you think I'm qualified for this?" and he laughed at me. Made me feel oddly better.
Found one of the houses I lived in when I lived in Denmark via the satellite view of Google Maps. Also found the church Dad was baptized in. Signed up for Twitter. Ha.
April
80 degrees to snow. Inches of it on Easter, which I took pictures of coming down. Weird weather this month.
Moved offices and had incredible trouble with the new office's desk (which was eventually replaced, thankfully). Had to trot out suits even more often due to even more important meetings: scored a subtle coral-pinstriped one that looks pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Meetings and more meetings and training.
Experimented with beet casseroles. Played with a new hairdo: a French twist kind of thing.
Got the scanned version of my aunt's album from L (thank you!) and uploaded it to flickr.
Attended the Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium, which was generally excellent.
Events at Virginia Tech caused a bunch of conversation at work.
Kept having to take days off at work or lose them, having bumped into the limit of stored vacation days.
My cell phone battery life continued to die, which caused some problems (though much of that was in February).
May
I think this month could best be summed up as OMG WTF BBQ WORK. The last cram of work on the redesign was just overwhelming. I had a ton of codewrangling this month for the redesign and launch of one of our mini-sites: the one for Spend a Summer Day (SASD, as I more commonly refer to it).
The Big Ten Admissions Conference that we hosted happened this month. A few photos here. Quickly thereafter, our Penn State Admissions conference: a few photos of that here.
Listened to a lot of jazz this month as we wrapped up the launch of the redesign, which happened the morning of the second day of the latter conference.
Got new glasses: from pretty severe black secretary glasses to a pair that are a bit more cat eye-shaped, with filigree-type stuff on the edges. I've gotten a ton of compliments on them. :)
Still doing decant circles for the scent community I'm part of this month: I do quit that somewhere along the way, though, and regain the time I dedicated to it, thankfully.
Stormed a lot at the end of this month and the beginning of the next.
June
Penn State Web Conference was excellent this month: some pictures.
There were also a ton of caterpillars out, which of course I took pictures of. Oh, and there was a birthday party in here somewhere.
Started reading a bit more, which was a nice return. Experimented with cooking wilted greens, which ended up really well.
The big event was the visit to Seattle. The conference was incredible there: easily the best I've attended. I'll be looking for it again this coming year, though I don't think it will be in Seattle again (nor could I attend it there again, I don't think, just given how tight budgets are becoming).
Once that was over, hit vacation, staying with college friends in Seattle. Very easy to slip back into old rhythms, though of course things were different: a pair of them had a little girl, for one thing. Played tourist throughout Seattle both alone and with said friends, though easily started eyeing it from the point of view of moving there someday. Both the Ballard and Fremont neighborhoods started looking extremely appealing, though it's far more likely I'd be in the suburbs somewhere, depending on where I got a job, of course. If I eventually moved there, which is still obviously extremely theoretical.
The other big event was the first Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab East Coast Will-Call (this is the scent/perfume community I may have mentioned once or twice) in Hershey. I had also met up with a couple of folks from that community (I say community in the broadest sense of the word, really) in Seattle, who were awesome. But the ECWC at the end of this month was a fantastic event, with people dressing up in the theme and all. These started monthly after this point and I've only missed one so far.
July
Got some awesome shots of the 4th of the July fireworks.
Took a couple days off in July for my birthday and Arts Fest/People's Choice. Good times, though mildly sunburnt. Got a new lens for my DSLR, which I'm still adoring (and using more frequently than the kit lens, I might add).
Got contacted about a company that wanted to use a picture of mine in a documentary.
I think this is the month the replacement for me (writer/editor position) started, and she came on board really quickly. Not a whole lot of training time needed there: she picked things up quickly, and blew through projects quickly, which was awesome and very much needed. The balance of having to manage two people started becoming a bit precarious in here somewhere, though, given that I had my own projects as well.
Concluded the month with another BPAL ECWC, where again, I took some pictures. Oh, and Spend a Summer Day (SASD) started, which were just exhausting.
August
SASD continued. Just no time to do anything in here: too wiped out. Also did a bunch of web application revisions for the College of Arts and Architecture.
Stardust came out, and I went to see it far too many times, which still wasn't enough.
Went to Hersheypark mid-month with a couple friends: definitely an enjoyable time.
Finished the month with yet another awesome ECWC.
September
Kicked off with a great Labor Day eve Sunday night crowd. Got totally backlogged on photo-taking--not all I took that night are up since I've just had more important photos (to me) to crunch and upload than that.
Fall Conference for us, Student Aid, and the Registrar. I took some pictures, but haven't messed with them yet. Had to do double work somewhere in here when revising visit emails. Irritating, but welcome to work. Then again, made headway on various very cool projects as well, so I shouldn't complain.
"Talk Like a Pirate Day" passed again with little fanfare, unfortunately. Though the Libraries did a pirate-themed open house, which was cool.
Finally gave in to the iPhone temptation after the price dropped and my old phone just wouldn't hold a charge.
Ended the month, once again, with a great ECWC, one during which I dragged along S to get our nails done beforehand.
October
Started with Cirque du Soleil with L, which was an excellent performance/experience.
Had a touch of asthma problems this month: a rarity. Resolved in the next month somewhere.
Finally figured out that the noise made during rainstorms right near my head was because the roof hadn't been entirely sealed. They got it fixed, finally.
The HighEdWebDev conference happened this month. Good sessions, good people.
One more very cool ECWC: pirate-themed this time. Dax and S both came with, which was very neat.
Wrapped up with Halloween at the club job, which I only have one shot up of as of yet. Started getting stressed about finishing things before the Hawaii trip in November.
November
Cut my hair back by about seven inches in preparation for being in the water a lot in Hawaii (which didn't really happen, but that's beside the point).
Completely undid a corner of my room so they could fix the water damage while I was away. And by fix, I mean paint over, but whatever.
The Hawaii trip was a mixed bag: mom is doing far worse than I'd thought, but then again, I was in Hawaii. What right did I have to complain? And it was a great experience: I learned to surf, went on a bus tour on one island and a helicopter tour on the other, etc, etc. But seeing mom liked that made me keenly aware of my own health and future. And, of course, concern for her, some of which I'm working on, but we'll see how that plays out.
Still working on the photos from that trip. I'm only about halfway through, but had enough to take with me to show people during the holidays.
When I got back, had to re-do that corner of my room, including taking my bed out of the bathroom, where I'd wedged it for the interim. Changed my comforter cover in the process, from a green to a deep red. I like it; might be changing the sheets and pillow cover to match in the near future.
The rest of November was a scramble to catch up again, pretty much. My maternal uncle was put in the hospital near the end of it, which was another big concern for awhile. Thankfully, all turned out all right. Oh, and yet another ECWC, as per normal.
December
Ended the CSA experience, unfortunately. Still trying to figure out how to replace it.
Divided up my Twitter presences into personal and professional: a necessity after awhile, really. I kind of regret leaving some personal stuff on the supposedly professional version, but not much to be done about it.
Underwent a few all-day meetings of one stripe or another. Again. Major work drama happened this month, drama that I'd rather forget about, frankly. One outcome, though, is the new great staff member leaving--not because of drama. Drama just ensued. There may be major changes on the horizon, and I'm not entirely convinced this is a good thing for me. But it should be an improvement for the office as a whole, and I did volunteer it. We'll see.
Started trying to figure out how to afford a class next semester. Still in that process, to some extent, though I'm signed up and ready to go.
Got a couple pictures from Seattle published in a travel guide. Got a Wii. Left for Wisconsin.
Long visit in the Midwest: saw Dad, B, my paternal uncle (not the one who was in the hospital), and a few friends: H and H, actually. One from my sorority and one from college (yes, those are different. it's complicated). Missed C, though, which I was sad about.
Dad and I sat down and went through my aunt's album to fill in the details, inasmuch as he could remember.
Had a great French-themed Christmas dinner with B's family, as well as our usual Danish-tinged Christmas Eve dinner. I still love fliskesteg. I should really learn how to do it myself.
Did some tech help with Dad's new laptop and GPS unit. Hopefully, got him set up for the marine maps he wanted. (Let me know if you have problems, okay Dad?)
Got some fantastic presents, including new shoes and suits, many of which were very much needed. I felt very much spoiled once I got home and started unloading the car, which was pretty well packed. True, some of it was my own purchases since they've got better shopping out there, but still.
And now, back and trying to catch up again, as well as trying to integrate everything. Space is very much at a premium and I need to get things out of the hallway. To do that, though, I need to make some space. It's a Tetris challenge: I used to be very good at this, back when I worked for the Symphony, but I haven't needed to do so for a decently long time. I'll make it work, though, somehow.
My only regret for December is missing this month's ECWC, but it just couldn't be managed. Can't be two places at once yet, unfortunately. Hopefully they'll invent that soon. Ha.
January
Started off with a bang since I worked New Year's Eve at the club job. Fell on a Sunday, after all. Took a few photos.
Pink had crept back into my wardrobe by this point. That's notable for some reason, trust me.
At work, we started planning and eventually got permission to do the site redesign, which was desperately needed. Despite that project, I still had days entirely booked with meetings.
It was a month of busy, as per normal, and enjoying squash, and appreciating that I knew how to drive in snow. Also started yoga twice a week rather than once during this semester. Oh, and there was a birthday and associated celebration.
February
Thankful for my warm down coat. Got a ton of songs (that I seriously dislike) from the club job stuck in my head throughout the month. I eventually made a mix CD of those I could tolerate and those I couldn't, hoping to rid them all from my brain-pan. It worked, eventually.
This month at work we got the weirdest inquiry letter I've ever seen, which became a short running joke: short because the source was so bloody uncomfortable. Obviously a mentally disturbed individual reaching out, but it was so uncomfortable you couldn't help but laugh about it. My grandboss brought it to me while I was in the office of another colleague who has since left the office.
Some choice lines we would spout at each other as we passed in the hallways:
"Conditions are not good."
"I will need fed because I eat and am active."
"I have a felony but it should be removed."
"I do not like female/male integration."
Or our summary, which boiled down to: "I need food."
We also had a call asking if the football coach had any sway in admissions decisions, who was very insistent and kept calling back to try different angles. It seemed to be the month for weird at work.
Developments in yoga: starting to love inverted poses, appreciating Pigeon pose.
March
Grandboss left the office. Sad, sad day. This caused a ton of upset at work, and with me in general. He was absolutely the person I most looked forward to seeing every day.
As a horrible up side, I got a promotion possibly/probably in part due to his leaving. His brother (who also works in the office), also a bit of a cut-up, asked if he needed to address me as Assistant Director all the time now. I told him nothing had changed except actually getting recognition of the things I was doing already. :P
Before my grandboss actually left the office but after the position was posted (because I went for a position, it wasn't just an automatic promotion-type-thing), I went into his office and asked him "do you think I'm qualified for this?" and he laughed at me. Made me feel oddly better.
Found one of the houses I lived in when I lived in Denmark via the satellite view of Google Maps. Also found the church Dad was baptized in. Signed up for Twitter. Ha.
April
80 degrees to snow. Inches of it on Easter, which I took pictures of coming down. Weird weather this month.
Moved offices and had incredible trouble with the new office's desk (which was eventually replaced, thankfully). Had to trot out suits even more often due to even more important meetings: scored a subtle coral-pinstriped one that looks pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Meetings and more meetings and training.
Experimented with beet casseroles. Played with a new hairdo: a French twist kind of thing.
Got the scanned version of my aunt's album from L (thank you!) and uploaded it to flickr.
Attended the Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium, which was generally excellent.
Events at Virginia Tech caused a bunch of conversation at work.
Kept having to take days off at work or lose them, having bumped into the limit of stored vacation days.
My cell phone battery life continued to die, which caused some problems (though much of that was in February).
May
I think this month could best be summed up as OMG WTF BBQ WORK. The last cram of work on the redesign was just overwhelming. I had a ton of codewrangling this month for the redesign and launch of one of our mini-sites: the one for Spend a Summer Day (SASD, as I more commonly refer to it).
The Big Ten Admissions Conference that we hosted happened this month. A few photos here. Quickly thereafter, our Penn State Admissions conference: a few photos of that here.
Listened to a lot of jazz this month as we wrapped up the launch of the redesign, which happened the morning of the second day of the latter conference.
Got new glasses: from pretty severe black secretary glasses to a pair that are a bit more cat eye-shaped, with filigree-type stuff on the edges. I've gotten a ton of compliments on them. :)
Still doing decant circles for the scent community I'm part of this month: I do quit that somewhere along the way, though, and regain the time I dedicated to it, thankfully.
Stormed a lot at the end of this month and the beginning of the next.
June
Penn State Web Conference was excellent this month: some pictures.
There were also a ton of caterpillars out, which of course I took pictures of. Oh, and there was a birthday party in here somewhere.
Started reading a bit more, which was a nice return. Experimented with cooking wilted greens, which ended up really well.
The big event was the visit to Seattle. The conference was incredible there: easily the best I've attended. I'll be looking for it again this coming year, though I don't think it will be in Seattle again (nor could I attend it there again, I don't think, just given how tight budgets are becoming).
Once that was over, hit vacation, staying with college friends in Seattle. Very easy to slip back into old rhythms, though of course things were different: a pair of them had a little girl, for one thing. Played tourist throughout Seattle both alone and with said friends, though easily started eyeing it from the point of view of moving there someday. Both the Ballard and Fremont neighborhoods started looking extremely appealing, though it's far more likely I'd be in the suburbs somewhere, depending on where I got a job, of course. If I eventually moved there, which is still obviously extremely theoretical.
The other big event was the first Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab East Coast Will-Call (this is the scent/perfume community I may have mentioned once or twice) in Hershey. I had also met up with a couple of folks from that community (I say community in the broadest sense of the word, really) in Seattle, who were awesome. But the ECWC at the end of this month was a fantastic event, with people dressing up in the theme and all. These started monthly after this point and I've only missed one so far.
July
Got some awesome shots of the 4th of the July fireworks.
Took a couple days off in July for my birthday and Arts Fest/People's Choice. Good times, though mildly sunburnt. Got a new lens for my DSLR, which I'm still adoring (and using more frequently than the kit lens, I might add).
Got contacted about a company that wanted to use a picture of mine in a documentary.
I think this is the month the replacement for me (writer/editor position) started, and she came on board really quickly. Not a whole lot of training time needed there: she picked things up quickly, and blew through projects quickly, which was awesome and very much needed. The balance of having to manage two people started becoming a bit precarious in here somewhere, though, given that I had my own projects as well.
Concluded the month with another BPAL ECWC, where again, I took some pictures. Oh, and Spend a Summer Day (SASD) started, which were just exhausting.
August
SASD continued. Just no time to do anything in here: too wiped out. Also did a bunch of web application revisions for the College of Arts and Architecture.
Stardust came out, and I went to see it far too many times, which still wasn't enough.
Went to Hersheypark mid-month with a couple friends: definitely an enjoyable time.
Finished the month with yet another awesome ECWC.
September
Kicked off with a great Labor Day eve Sunday night crowd. Got totally backlogged on photo-taking--not all I took that night are up since I've just had more important photos (to me) to crunch and upload than that.
Fall Conference for us, Student Aid, and the Registrar. I took some pictures, but haven't messed with them yet. Had to do double work somewhere in here when revising visit emails. Irritating, but welcome to work. Then again, made headway on various very cool projects as well, so I shouldn't complain.
"Talk Like a Pirate Day" passed again with little fanfare, unfortunately. Though the Libraries did a pirate-themed open house, which was cool.
Finally gave in to the iPhone temptation after the price dropped and my old phone just wouldn't hold a charge.
Ended the month, once again, with a great ECWC, one during which I dragged along S to get our nails done beforehand.
October
Started with Cirque du Soleil with L, which was an excellent performance/experience.
Had a touch of asthma problems this month: a rarity. Resolved in the next month somewhere.
Finally figured out that the noise made during rainstorms right near my head was because the roof hadn't been entirely sealed. They got it fixed, finally.
The HighEdWebDev conference happened this month. Good sessions, good people.
One more very cool ECWC: pirate-themed this time. Dax and S both came with, which was very neat.
Wrapped up with Halloween at the club job, which I only have one shot up of as of yet. Started getting stressed about finishing things before the Hawaii trip in November.
November
Cut my hair back by about seven inches in preparation for being in the water a lot in Hawaii (which didn't really happen, but that's beside the point).
Completely undid a corner of my room so they could fix the water damage while I was away. And by fix, I mean paint over, but whatever.
The Hawaii trip was a mixed bag: mom is doing far worse than I'd thought, but then again, I was in Hawaii. What right did I have to complain? And it was a great experience: I learned to surf, went on a bus tour on one island and a helicopter tour on the other, etc, etc. But seeing mom liked that made me keenly aware of my own health and future. And, of course, concern for her, some of which I'm working on, but we'll see how that plays out.
Still working on the photos from that trip. I'm only about halfway through, but had enough to take with me to show people during the holidays.
When I got back, had to re-do that corner of my room, including taking my bed out of the bathroom, where I'd wedged it for the interim. Changed my comforter cover in the process, from a green to a deep red. I like it; might be changing the sheets and pillow cover to match in the near future.
The rest of November was a scramble to catch up again, pretty much. My maternal uncle was put in the hospital near the end of it, which was another big concern for awhile. Thankfully, all turned out all right. Oh, and yet another ECWC, as per normal.
December
Ended the CSA experience, unfortunately. Still trying to figure out how to replace it.
Divided up my Twitter presences into personal and professional: a necessity after awhile, really. I kind of regret leaving some personal stuff on the supposedly professional version, but not much to be done about it.
Underwent a few all-day meetings of one stripe or another. Again. Major work drama happened this month, drama that I'd rather forget about, frankly. One outcome, though, is the new great staff member leaving--not because of drama. Drama just ensued. There may be major changes on the horizon, and I'm not entirely convinced this is a good thing for me. But it should be an improvement for the office as a whole, and I did volunteer it. We'll see.
Started trying to figure out how to afford a class next semester. Still in that process, to some extent, though I'm signed up and ready to go.
Got a couple pictures from Seattle published in a travel guide. Got a Wii. Left for Wisconsin.
Long visit in the Midwest: saw Dad, B, my paternal uncle (not the one who was in the hospital), and a few friends: H and H, actually. One from my sorority and one from college (yes, those are different. it's complicated). Missed C, though, which I was sad about.
Dad and I sat down and went through my aunt's album to fill in the details, inasmuch as he could remember.
Had a great French-themed Christmas dinner with B's family, as well as our usual Danish-tinged Christmas Eve dinner. I still love fliskesteg. I should really learn how to do it myself.
Did some tech help with Dad's new laptop and GPS unit. Hopefully, got him set up for the marine maps he wanted. (Let me know if you have problems, okay Dad?)
Got some fantastic presents, including new shoes and suits, many of which were very much needed. I felt very much spoiled once I got home and started unloading the car, which was pretty well packed. True, some of it was my own purchases since they've got better shopping out there, but still.
And now, back and trying to catch up again, as well as trying to integrate everything. Space is very much at a premium and I need to get things out of the hallway. To do that, though, I need to make some space. It's a Tetris challenge: I used to be very good at this, back when I worked for the Symphony, but I haven't needed to do so for a decently long time. I'll make it work, though, somehow.
My only regret for December is missing this month's ECWC, but it just couldn't be managed. Can't be two places at once yet, unfortunately. Hopefully they'll invent that soon. Ha.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
my mother's current state/Hawaii
I'm still processing the trip.
My colleagues have done really well with asking me extra-specific questions like "what was your favorite part?" and "did you go swimming?" But they probably remember that I have a possibly bad habit of being perfectly honest when they ask me social questions: those questions that mostly just fill space like "how are you?" or "how are you feeling?" if you've been sick.
"Well, you know, Bob, it feels like I've been gargling razor blades and salt, but other than that I'm great!" (I don't have a colleague named Bob, nor do I think I've ever felt like that: this was purely for illustrative comedic value.)
My answer to a general question like "how was the trip?" would probably be something like "a bit of a mixed bag, actually. Some great parts and some not-so-great parts." And they'd probably ask further, which would result in a conversation about my mother and how she's doing. Which is to say, not well.
She has Parkinson's, and various other problems, which really add up (if not grow exponentially). And there are some very basic things that we're just diametrically opposed on. Not having seen her for years amplified these greatly. Some of them were minor differences of opinion: she'd continuously buy two Snickers bars in case we were hungry. To me, a Snickers is not a snack, it's a dessert. I started packing nuts instead. She mused one day around lunchtime that "a burger sounds really good." I threw up my hands (even though I was driving at the time) and said "we're in Hawaii! No!"
The health problems, though, and the very basic things she can't do anymore, well: there are very few things that invoke abject terror in me anymore. I left most of those things in childhood, including a fear of bugs and spiders, a fear of heights, and a fear of the dark when I was very young. Seeing my mother in this condition--and thus, myself in a similar situation forty years down the line--did it for me.
I could go so far as to call this a phobia, because there's no real grounding for it. Lots of people have Parkinson's, lots of older folks have trouble getting around. It will probably happen to me as well, if I don't die early. But the totally unreasonable, fight-or-flight instinct in my brain is left screaming at me that I'd rather die early than have that happen. That if I ever get to the point that I need someone to open a water bottle for me, I need to just shove off and leave the world to the younger and fitter.
Totally unreasonable, as I said. But watching my mother struggle to stand multiple times a day was heartbreaking. She used to be taller than me. She's now 5'2". We requested a wheelchair every time through an airport. Just. Heartbreaking.
That aside (and it's a big thing to put aside), I had some great times there. L asked me what my favorite place there was, and I couldn't answer that. The whole place is great--though far too warm for my tastes--but it's the stuff I did that I loved.
I went surfing for the first time--and did actually get up on the board, I might add, because people keep asking. I went on a helicopter tour of Maui, and a bus tour of Oahu that was really quite excellent (reminder to self: write a letter to the tour company about how good guide/driver--nicknamed "Cousin Good-Looking," by the by--was). Lit incense in a Buddhist temple. Found some beautiful, locally handmade crafts. Toured behind-the-scenes at a jewelry factory specializing in rare corals and pearls. Woke to the sound of waves crashing every morning and went out on the balcony of both hotels to watch dawn break. Drove the approximately 620 curves over 59 bridges (46 of them one-lane-only) across the north shore of Maui. Hiked around the rainforest on that side, getting totally bugbitten.
Did not get a tan.
On the up side, that means I didn't get burned, either, and that's a real danger with me.
Now that I'm back, though, still processing. The experience gave me one of those "this means something" kind of feelings, and I'd find it hard to shake, even if I wanted to. But I don't, because it means a happier, healthier me if follow through on it. More on that later.
Also still processing photos. It's a bit of a slog just because there are so many of them. But I'll get through them all. What I've got so far (mostly of the various plane rides, though a couple sneak peeks from hotel balconies) is up here. Stay tuned for the rest.
My colleagues have done really well with asking me extra-specific questions like "what was your favorite part?" and "did you go swimming?" But they probably remember that I have a possibly bad habit of being perfectly honest when they ask me social questions: those questions that mostly just fill space like "how are you?" or "how are you feeling?" if you've been sick.
"Well, you know, Bob, it feels like I've been gargling razor blades and salt, but other than that I'm great!" (I don't have a colleague named Bob, nor do I think I've ever felt like that: this was purely for illustrative comedic value.)
My answer to a general question like "how was the trip?" would probably be something like "a bit of a mixed bag, actually. Some great parts and some not-so-great parts." And they'd probably ask further, which would result in a conversation about my mother and how she's doing. Which is to say, not well.
She has Parkinson's, and various other problems, which really add up (if not grow exponentially). And there are some very basic things that we're just diametrically opposed on. Not having seen her for years amplified these greatly. Some of them were minor differences of opinion: she'd continuously buy two Snickers bars in case we were hungry. To me, a Snickers is not a snack, it's a dessert. I started packing nuts instead. She mused one day around lunchtime that "a burger sounds really good." I threw up my hands (even though I was driving at the time) and said "we're in Hawaii! No!"
The health problems, though, and the very basic things she can't do anymore, well: there are very few things that invoke abject terror in me anymore. I left most of those things in childhood, including a fear of bugs and spiders, a fear of heights, and a fear of the dark when I was very young. Seeing my mother in this condition--and thus, myself in a similar situation forty years down the line--did it for me.
I could go so far as to call this a phobia, because there's no real grounding for it. Lots of people have Parkinson's, lots of older folks have trouble getting around. It will probably happen to me as well, if I don't die early. But the totally unreasonable, fight-or-flight instinct in my brain is left screaming at me that I'd rather die early than have that happen. That if I ever get to the point that I need someone to open a water bottle for me, I need to just shove off and leave the world to the younger and fitter.
Totally unreasonable, as I said. But watching my mother struggle to stand multiple times a day was heartbreaking. She used to be taller than me. She's now 5'2". We requested a wheelchair every time through an airport. Just. Heartbreaking.
That aside (and it's a big thing to put aside), I had some great times there. L asked me what my favorite place there was, and I couldn't answer that. The whole place is great--though far too warm for my tastes--but it's the stuff I did that I loved.
I went surfing for the first time--and did actually get up on the board, I might add, because people keep asking. I went on a helicopter tour of Maui, and a bus tour of Oahu that was really quite excellent (reminder to self: write a letter to the tour company about how good guide/driver--nicknamed "Cousin Good-Looking," by the by--was). Lit incense in a Buddhist temple. Found some beautiful, locally handmade crafts. Toured behind-the-scenes at a jewelry factory specializing in rare corals and pearls. Woke to the sound of waves crashing every morning and went out on the balcony of both hotels to watch dawn break. Drove the approximately 620 curves over 59 bridges (46 of them one-lane-only) across the north shore of Maui. Hiked around the rainforest on that side, getting totally bugbitten.
Did not get a tan.
On the up side, that means I didn't get burned, either, and that's a real danger with me.
Now that I'm back, though, still processing. The experience gave me one of those "this means something" kind of feelings, and I'd find it hard to shake, even if I wanted to. But I don't, because it means a happier, healthier me if follow through on it. More on that later.
Also still processing photos. It's a bit of a slog just because there are so many of them. But I'll get through them all. What I've got so far (mostly of the various plane rides, though a couple sneak peeks from hotel balconies) is up here. Stay tuned for the rest.
Friday, October 12, 2007
drainage
Today, morning greeted me clear and cold, far more like fall than the rest of the weather we've been having lately. The sky was gorgeous, clear sun shining into the landscape with a backdrop of storm clouds that undoubtedly dumped on us overnight--which I, mercifully, did not hear.
If you remember me complaining about not being able to sleep due to the noise of the rain, well, we found out the cause when the paint in the corner of my room closest that noise started bubbling, and the paint on the metal rib of the stud in the corner created a gap from the rest of the wall. I called it into the management, and they found that the contractors hadn't finished sealing the roof. Let me reiterate: they left part of the roof completely unsealed. Therefore, the noise I heard was the rush of water being funneled between the roof and the drainspout and down the wall next to my head.
We've been there two years, and yeah, I could've spoken up earlier, but you'd think they'd have noticed the washed-out spot? But then again, that happens in lots of places where it seems to be sealed just fine: I'm of the opinion that they really screwed up the drainage plan for this place.
In any case. It's fixed, the noise no longer happens, but in order for them to repair the damage in the wall, I'd have to completely dismantle most of my bedroom and move it out of my room. Erg.
Then again, maybe there's an opportunity for them to do that while I'm away. This upcoming trip is too soon: I leave Sunday, return Wednesday. Conference time: headed to Rochester for it. The following one's a possibility, though. Though I'm still not confident in it happening, even though I've got ticket confirmations and such.
Unfortunately, there are a few fires to put out at work before I leave, so I should get to those. Like now.
If you remember me complaining about not being able to sleep due to the noise of the rain, well, we found out the cause when the paint in the corner of my room closest that noise started bubbling, and the paint on the metal rib of the stud in the corner created a gap from the rest of the wall. I called it into the management, and they found that the contractors hadn't finished sealing the roof. Let me reiterate: they left part of the roof completely unsealed. Therefore, the noise I heard was the rush of water being funneled between the roof and the drainspout and down the wall next to my head.
We've been there two years, and yeah, I could've spoken up earlier, but you'd think they'd have noticed the washed-out spot? But then again, that happens in lots of places where it seems to be sealed just fine: I'm of the opinion that they really screwed up the drainage plan for this place.
In any case. It's fixed, the noise no longer happens, but in order for them to repair the damage in the wall, I'd have to completely dismantle most of my bedroom and move it out of my room. Erg.
Then again, maybe there's an opportunity for them to do that while I'm away. This upcoming trip is too soon: I leave Sunday, return Wednesday. Conference time: headed to Rochester for it. The following one's a possibility, though. Though I'm still not confident in it happening, even though I've got ticket confirmations and such.
Unfortunately, there are a few fires to put out at work before I leave, so I should get to those. Like now.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
culture
If I haven't mentioned it (and I haven't), I caught Cirque du Soleil last week when they performed locally. And when I say locally, I mean across-the-street-from-my-office locally.
I'm only now getting a chance to listen to the CD version, which is mostly awesome, though it drops into easy listening territory every once in awhile. The show was similarly good-with-one-caveat: fantastic show, few quibbles there, but the venue really wasn't a good one for them. Seating arrangements were weird, with whole fields of seats left empty, seemingly on purpose, and those seated on the floor itself I hear didn't even get a good view because they were below the stage.
I went with L, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it, despite L forgetting his glasses and me my inhaler when I was having asthma troubles. Just a seasonal deal, kicked in by my allergies: nothing to worry about, but still annoying. Happens every two or three years, but I just up the dosage on my maintenance meds and it usually goes away.
On our way out, a man walking in front of us said to the woman he was walking next to: "There's our culture for the month." L and I were rather aghast.
In a couple weeks I'm heading to a conference in Rochester, and the night I return I'm planning to try to catch Elie Wiesel, hopefully with S. This is all dependent upon getting tickets, which I'll find out early next week. If you're not familiar, I'll quote Wikipedia's first few sentences: Wiesel is a "American-Jewish novelist, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of over 40 books, the best known of which is Night, a memoir that describes his experiences during the Holocaust and his imprisonment in several concentration camps."
I enjoy being in a place with access to educational/cultural events.
And with that, I've got to run. I need to finish putting together some CDs and folded paper cases (I love those things) and possibly run to the store before we get on our way to our game tonight, and we need to beat the release of football traffic after the Iowa game around 5:30 (thanks for the heads-up, L).
I'm only now getting a chance to listen to the CD version, which is mostly awesome, though it drops into easy listening territory every once in awhile. The show was similarly good-with-one-caveat: fantastic show, few quibbles there, but the venue really wasn't a good one for them. Seating arrangements were weird, with whole fields of seats left empty, seemingly on purpose, and those seated on the floor itself I hear didn't even get a good view because they were below the stage.
I went with L, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it, despite L forgetting his glasses and me my inhaler when I was having asthma troubles. Just a seasonal deal, kicked in by my allergies: nothing to worry about, but still annoying. Happens every two or three years, but I just up the dosage on my maintenance meds and it usually goes away.
On our way out, a man walking in front of us said to the woman he was walking next to: "There's our culture for the month." L and I were rather aghast.
In a couple weeks I'm heading to a conference in Rochester, and the night I return I'm planning to try to catch Elie Wiesel, hopefully with S. This is all dependent upon getting tickets, which I'll find out early next week. If you're not familiar, I'll quote Wikipedia's first few sentences: Wiesel is a "American-Jewish novelist, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of over 40 books, the best known of which is Night, a memoir that describes his experiences during the Holocaust and his imprisonment in several concentration camps."
I enjoy being in a place with access to educational/cultural events.
And with that, I've got to run. I need to finish putting together some CDs and folded paper cases (I love those things) and possibly run to the store before we get on our way to our game tonight, and we need to beat the release of football traffic after the Iowa game around 5:30 (thanks for the heads-up, L).
Friday, September 21, 2007
too busy to blog
As a good (online) friend of mine recently stated (hope you don't mind the paraphrase, B): the ironic bit about blogs is that when you've got the stuff going on to blog about, you don't have time to blog about it.
And so it is over here. Keeping myself busy with three yoga classes a week, for starters. And just in the near-ish future, my usual (monthly) trip to Hershey, then HighEdWebDev (a conference which I thoroughly enjoy) in October, then a supposedly-booked-but-I'll-believe-it-when-I-land-there trip to Hawaii in November.
And with that statement, I've got to run. S just came to drop off CSA veggies and invited me over (after a two-hour-long conversation, but that's normal for us).
And so it is over here. Keeping myself busy with three yoga classes a week, for starters. And just in the near-ish future, my usual (monthly) trip to Hershey, then HighEdWebDev (a conference which I thoroughly enjoy) in October, then a supposedly-booked-but-I'll-believe-it-when-I-land-there trip to Hawaii in November.
And with that statement, I've got to run. S just came to drop off CSA veggies and invited me over (after a two-hour-long conversation, but that's normal for us).
Monday, August 20, 2007
photos and Stardust
Finally finished with the Seattle photos. As a bonus, I also finished with my Fourth of July photos (see how far behind I am?). I'm for the most part extraordinarily satisfied with them, which is somewhat unusual for me.
If you haven't seen Stardust yet, go do so. Highly recommended. I'm seeing it again tomorrow night.
If you haven't seen Stardust yet, go do so. Highly recommended. I'm seeing it again tomorrow night.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
yoga, summers, water, mountains, Seattle, work. in (not-so) brief.
I headed out of yoga last night, chatting with S. all the way, after she kindly waited while I talked to our teacher for a bit. She's refreshing: we should talk more, hang out more, but neither of us seem to be able to find the time.
The first bits of a thunderstorm were letting loose: I offered to drive her over to her car, parked about a block away, but she declined since she likes having the walk after yoga. Wish I could think like that, but for me, it's all I can do to get there on time. Stupid work getting in the way of my yoga. ;)
While driving home, I watched the rain evaporate off the blacktop as mist from the heat of the day, and when safely ensconced at home, enjoyed the thunder accompaniment. I love summer thunderstorms. It's foggy this morning, and cool, following the storm. I'm enjoying it very much.
There's a summer dish I've been craving since Monday that Dad used to make every once in awhile: a (from memory) really simple cucumber-and-vinegar dish. I meant to call and ask him about it on Monday, but got sidetracked with mom and planning for a trip we've just scheduled for November. Very exciting stuff, but I'm not going to trust that it's real until I'm on the plane. It's that surreal.
The Google (ha) isn't helping me with the recipe either: all of them have either mayo and sour cream, and I don't remember that at all. Dad, check me on this: it's just thinly sliced cucumber in white vinegar with sugar stirred in, right? And then chilled? Is it that simple, or is my memory just failing me?
Summers are always more than a bit nuts for me: you'd think it would be our down time here in Admissions, but it's not. It's cleanup time for some things, plus Spend a Summer Day prep and the six days themselves, plus the new web app going up each year.
That said, I wish I could get some time away to go see the boats my Dad's captaining these days. Take the new Black Point tour, perhaps. That's one thing this area is lacking: I love the mountains, but the lack of large bodies of water is something I miss pretty regularly. We've got streams, occasional rivers, but no convenient ponds or lakes. But maybe I just got spoiled with that big pond at the last place mom and I lived in Woodstock, then the Mississippi in St. Paul, then of course Lake Geneva.
Water's calming, stilling. The soft grandeur of the mountains here have a similar effect, but it's entirely different in feel. Seattle's were much more imposing, but distant. But their water was much more immediate. The Sound, Lake Washington, Lake Union, Green Lake: I saw almost every one of these regularly while I was there, most of them daily. They're spoiled with water and mountains.
I really need to make a fuller entry and notes about my visit there: I've just been so pushed for time lately, and I keep pushing off commitments, which is a problem. I'm not even finished with crunching the photos from the trip. But I took 3,700 shots, so that's kind of understandable. What I've put up so far you can see here. Oh, and Dad? Check out the Ballard and Nordic Heritage Museum sets. Ballard was originally settled by Scandinavian immigrants, so they have events like "Tivoli Viking Days" (I'm not making this up), and they have an actual, honest-to-goodness and still owned by the family Danish bakery and a bunch of Scandinavian foodstuff grocers, plus a bunch of retirement homes that are named for the groups they were either founded by, or primarily serve--all Scandinavian-based names. And you'll see some familiar items in the museum set. ;)
It's really as if Seattle was making a serious play for my attention: the seafood was exquisite, the sushi was the best I've ever had in my life, plus all this Danish heritage stuff? Sold. Y'know? That's another thing I've missed here: there's a lot of Dutch, a lot of German, a lot of miscellaneous Eastern European, in terms of original settlers, but not much Scandinavian stuff at all. Minor complaints, it might sound, but for someone who wants to keep connected to that community, keep the language I learned in good speaking shape, that's a powerful lack. And a powerful selling point for a place that has it.
Now, I'm not going anywhere for a year at least (I'm in a lease, if nothing else), but I have given it some thought, though not anywhere approaching serious, "how would I do this"-type thought. I've got time enough for that. But even aside from all the college friends who moved out there, I also know a couple that recently moved out there from Madison, so I should have all the practical advice on how to do it right and well if I should need it.
And I have friends there. Not only the college clan, but folks I'd known before only online, who I met when I went and spent two pretty full days with and became almost immediate fast friends. They're some of the most immediately awesome people I've ever met. You know how you start liking people more the more you get to know them? Not these folks. Right off the bat, they were far too cool to be true. But enough raving about them. The point is that making new friends is one of the most scary parts about moving. With Seattle, at least, it wouldn't be as much of a concern for me.
Done raving about Seattle. Dax and L. keep teasing me that everything's better in Seattle, since I keep naming things that are. I've had to chastise them that no, not everything is (I can name a couple things off the top of my head that are distinctly better here: traffic being a big one), it's just that the things I remember best and thus talk about are.
Back to the here and now. I smell like peaches this morning, due to my peachy BPAL Chaos Theory I got last year at this time. I'm really glad I put it on this morning. I tossed on my off-white cardigan, and the danger of leaving cardigans in my office for when I need them is that they start to smell like my office. But that's been the case with every office building I've ever known: they have a building smell, and after all day in it, that building smell will cling. But maybe I just have a sensitive nose.
Yesterday was a day-long meeting about this year's budget proposal. Let me repeat: Day. Long. Meeting. Wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, though. Though I drank far more coffee than I usually do (the usual amount being zero).
I was also by far the youngest one there. I noted it and thought it was weird, but I don't think anyone else noticed. Except for at lunch, where I had mentioned yoga, and then everyone at my table leapt in to describe their various back problems, sciatica, neck injuries, etc. One guy's back had seized and he had collapsed while walking up his block, just laying there until some stranger helped him. Carried him to his truck, drove him to his house, deposited him in his bed. When he still couldn't move, he eventually called 911. Bizarre. Makes me none too keen to get older. ;) But I guess that's a good reason to be starting yoga before I need it for physical therapy or some such.
I'm debating going to classes three times a week rather than my current two. I love it, it makes me feel awesome and I can tell I'm making progress. I'm still amazed at a few things I can do that I certainly wouldn't have been able to before starting (or when I was in that down time before I picked it back up again). It's just a time issue. As is everything, it seems.
Speaking of which, I should really get to it.
The first bits of a thunderstorm were letting loose: I offered to drive her over to her car, parked about a block away, but she declined since she likes having the walk after yoga. Wish I could think like that, but for me, it's all I can do to get there on time. Stupid work getting in the way of my yoga. ;)
While driving home, I watched the rain evaporate off the blacktop as mist from the heat of the day, and when safely ensconced at home, enjoyed the thunder accompaniment. I love summer thunderstorms. It's foggy this morning, and cool, following the storm. I'm enjoying it very much.
There's a summer dish I've been craving since Monday that Dad used to make every once in awhile: a (from memory) really simple cucumber-and-vinegar dish. I meant to call and ask him about it on Monday, but got sidetracked with mom and planning for a trip we've just scheduled for November. Very exciting stuff, but I'm not going to trust that it's real until I'm on the plane. It's that surreal.
The Google (ha) isn't helping me with the recipe either: all of them have either mayo and sour cream, and I don't remember that at all. Dad, check me on this: it's just thinly sliced cucumber in white vinegar with sugar stirred in, right? And then chilled? Is it that simple, or is my memory just failing me?
Summers are always more than a bit nuts for me: you'd think it would be our down time here in Admissions, but it's not. It's cleanup time for some things, plus Spend a Summer Day prep and the six days themselves, plus the new web app going up each year.
That said, I wish I could get some time away to go see the boats my Dad's captaining these days. Take the new Black Point tour, perhaps. That's one thing this area is lacking: I love the mountains, but the lack of large bodies of water is something I miss pretty regularly. We've got streams, occasional rivers, but no convenient ponds or lakes. But maybe I just got spoiled with that big pond at the last place mom and I lived in Woodstock, then the Mississippi in St. Paul, then of course Lake Geneva.
Water's calming, stilling. The soft grandeur of the mountains here have a similar effect, but it's entirely different in feel. Seattle's were much more imposing, but distant. But their water was much more immediate. The Sound, Lake Washington, Lake Union, Green Lake: I saw almost every one of these regularly while I was there, most of them daily. They're spoiled with water and mountains.
I really need to make a fuller entry and notes about my visit there: I've just been so pushed for time lately, and I keep pushing off commitments, which is a problem. I'm not even finished with crunching the photos from the trip. But I took 3,700 shots, so that's kind of understandable. What I've put up so far you can see here. Oh, and Dad? Check out the Ballard and Nordic Heritage Museum sets. Ballard was originally settled by Scandinavian immigrants, so they have events like "Tivoli Viking Days" (I'm not making this up), and they have an actual, honest-to-goodness and still owned by the family Danish bakery and a bunch of Scandinavian foodstuff grocers, plus a bunch of retirement homes that are named for the groups they were either founded by, or primarily serve--all Scandinavian-based names. And you'll see some familiar items in the museum set. ;)
It's really as if Seattle was making a serious play for my attention: the seafood was exquisite, the sushi was the best I've ever had in my life, plus all this Danish heritage stuff? Sold. Y'know? That's another thing I've missed here: there's a lot of Dutch, a lot of German, a lot of miscellaneous Eastern European, in terms of original settlers, but not much Scandinavian stuff at all. Minor complaints, it might sound, but for someone who wants to keep connected to that community, keep the language I learned in good speaking shape, that's a powerful lack. And a powerful selling point for a place that has it.
Now, I'm not going anywhere for a year at least (I'm in a lease, if nothing else), but I have given it some thought, though not anywhere approaching serious, "how would I do this"-type thought. I've got time enough for that. But even aside from all the college friends who moved out there, I also know a couple that recently moved out there from Madison, so I should have all the practical advice on how to do it right and well if I should need it.
And I have friends there. Not only the college clan, but folks I'd known before only online, who I met when I went and spent two pretty full days with and became almost immediate fast friends. They're some of the most immediately awesome people I've ever met. You know how you start liking people more the more you get to know them? Not these folks. Right off the bat, they were far too cool to be true. But enough raving about them. The point is that making new friends is one of the most scary parts about moving. With Seattle, at least, it wouldn't be as much of a concern for me.
Done raving about Seattle. Dax and L. keep teasing me that everything's better in Seattle, since I keep naming things that are. I've had to chastise them that no, not everything is (I can name a couple things off the top of my head that are distinctly better here: traffic being a big one), it's just that the things I remember best and thus talk about are.
Back to the here and now. I smell like peaches this morning, due to my peachy BPAL Chaos Theory I got last year at this time. I'm really glad I put it on this morning. I tossed on my off-white cardigan, and the danger of leaving cardigans in my office for when I need them is that they start to smell like my office. But that's been the case with every office building I've ever known: they have a building smell, and after all day in it, that building smell will cling. But maybe I just have a sensitive nose.
Yesterday was a day-long meeting about this year's budget proposal. Let me repeat: Day. Long. Meeting. Wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, though. Though I drank far more coffee than I usually do (the usual amount being zero).
I was also by far the youngest one there. I noted it and thought it was weird, but I don't think anyone else noticed. Except for at lunch, where I had mentioned yoga, and then everyone at my table leapt in to describe their various back problems, sciatica, neck injuries, etc. One guy's back had seized and he had collapsed while walking up his block, just laying there until some stranger helped him. Carried him to his truck, drove him to his house, deposited him in his bed. When he still couldn't move, he eventually called 911. Bizarre. Makes me none too keen to get older. ;) But I guess that's a good reason to be starting yoga before I need it for physical therapy or some such.
I'm debating going to classes three times a week rather than my current two. I love it, it makes me feel awesome and I can tell I'm making progress. I'm still amazed at a few things I can do that I certainly wouldn't have been able to before starting (or when I was in that down time before I picked it back up again). It's just a time issue. As is everything, it seems.
Speaking of which, I should really get to it.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
not famous, but getting there
So I was contacted by the representative of a production group in New York: they want to use one of my flickr photos in a documentary.
The show is called "Dead Art," and focuses on the art of cemeteries. (This is the same company that produced "Cannibalism: Extreme Survival," on an amusing note.) The episode the shot will be in is about New Orleans. They want the shot because it captures Metairie, Greenwood, and St. Patrick's cemeteries from above.
Done deal. Papers signed, going to get a copy when it's been completed.
The show is called "Dead Art," and focuses on the art of cemeteries. (This is the same company that produced "Cannibalism: Extreme Survival," on an amusing note.) The episode the shot will be in is about New Orleans. They want the shot because it captures Metairie, Greenwood, and St. Patrick's cemeteries from above.
Done deal. Papers signed, going to get a copy when it's been completed.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
dinner tonight
For as uninspired as "Wilted Greens with Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar" sounds, it makes an awesome meal. Especially with just a touch of crumbled bacon. Just smashing.
Reminder to self to tone down the garlic and red pepper a bit next time so you can taste the greens better, though.
Reminder to self to tone down the garlic and red pepper a bit next time so you can taste the greens better, though.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
reading/location, clothing/money, vacation/weather
I've been reading more of late, after having gone months without picking up a book. I mean, certainly, I read every day even without the books, but not reading for the sake of reading, really. So now I've finished Indecent and gotten through all but the postscript in The Natural History of the Senses (and yes, that's a postscript, not an afterword, or so it's labeled).
I think it's the location thing. When I'm at home, there are a million other things to do. All this reading was done either at the club job (it's always a slow start) or at a diner I've been going to with relative frequency of late, mostly due to having errands in that area of town daily for awhile now.
Errands that mostly involve clothing: dropping off donations of my old clothing that I need to purge from my closet, and getting drycleaning and repairs done. Which ran me $100 in one shot, I might add, though that included a few suits and my old North Face jacket which desperately needed a thorough cleaning and some miscellaneous other pieces including a bunch of silk, some of which needed special attention.
It takes money to look professional. It takes money to do a lot of things, which irks me, but what are you going to do and all that.
On the up side, I've got a bit of vacation coming up (finally) after a conference I'm going to in Seattle, and I'll be taking the opportunity to stay there for a bit afterwards. And since Penn State's flying me out anyway, and coming back after that bit of vacation is actually cheaper than when I would have flown back, the flight's covered, at least. Minor victory.
And I scheduled my birthday and the day after off to enjoy Arts Fest. I don't usually take time on either, but I think I'll enjoy having the time for both. And now I'll be able to stop dealing with how I'm going to wedge in the time I have to either take or lose for awhile.
It's been stormy around here: a bit of a relief, actually, from the high temperatures we'd been having. During one of the more violent bouts that I Tweeted, a microburst occurred just a block or two away, taking out power lines and stopping traffic on one of the main arteries that runs beside campus.
And on that note, I have to run: one of my three meetings today starts in a few minutes.
I think it's the location thing. When I'm at home, there are a million other things to do. All this reading was done either at the club job (it's always a slow start) or at a diner I've been going to with relative frequency of late, mostly due to having errands in that area of town daily for awhile now.
Errands that mostly involve clothing: dropping off donations of my old clothing that I need to purge from my closet, and getting drycleaning and repairs done. Which ran me $100 in one shot, I might add, though that included a few suits and my old North Face jacket which desperately needed a thorough cleaning and some miscellaneous other pieces including a bunch of silk, some of which needed special attention.
It takes money to look professional. It takes money to do a lot of things, which irks me, but what are you going to do and all that.
On the up side, I've got a bit of vacation coming up (finally) after a conference I'm going to in Seattle, and I'll be taking the opportunity to stay there for a bit afterwards. And since Penn State's flying me out anyway, and coming back after that bit of vacation is actually cheaper than when I would have flown back, the flight's covered, at least. Minor victory.
And I scheduled my birthday and the day after off to enjoy Arts Fest. I don't usually take time on either, but I think I'll enjoy having the time for both. And now I'll be able to stop dealing with how I'm going to wedge in the time I have to either take or lose for awhile.
It's been stormy around here: a bit of a relief, actually, from the high temperatures we'd been having. During one of the more violent bouts that I Tweeted, a microburst occurred just a block or two away, taking out power lines and stopping traffic on one of the main arteries that runs beside campus.
And on that note, I have to run: one of my three meetings today starts in a few minutes.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Blue Band clips
These came up in conversation with my Dad, so I just want to link them here for him:
This is the Blue Band's version of Thriller that's been watched a ton. They're in "costume," so to speak: this version is far more about the choreography. Their rendition here isn't musically very good at all, frankly.
This version is far too short, but shows them off much better: the players themselves are actually dancing, and it's far more together musically.
Here's one made about all their different fashion appearances not so long ago (though I can't find the one I intended to share, I might add). Other finds: their trombone players just screwing around and doing a pretty good rendition of "Low Rider," a better view of one of their full performances, and the traditional entrance of the drum major.
This is the Blue Band's version of Thriller that's been watched a ton. They're in "costume," so to speak: this version is far more about the choreography. Their rendition here isn't musically very good at all, frankly.
This version is far too short, but shows them off much better: the players themselves are actually dancing, and it's far more together musically.
Here's one made about all their different fashion appearances not so long ago (though I can't find the one I intended to share, I might add). Other finds: their trombone players just screwing around and doing a pretty good rendition of "Low Rider," a better view of one of their full performances, and the traditional entrance of the drum major.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
jazz time
I've had "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" stuck in my head all day.
I've had an afternoon of being stressed out about various commitments, but being efficient enough to get them done. And it occurred to me (because of the song) that if I'm not enjoying them, I shouldn't do them. This is a hobby, not an obligation. Though in this case hobby becomes obligation, especially when either money's exchanged or someone's sending me something in the mail, assuming I'd also be sending them something. But the vast majority of the worst of it will be done after tomorrow.
I'm sure it means something for me professionally too, weirdly enough. I had the fortune to have a Friday entirely clear of meetings. Normally, I'd take that as a vacation day, since they occur so rarely, and that's the best time to do so, but there's far too much to be done for that to happen this past Friday.
But I got so much done. It felt fantastic. And that's why I sometimes go in on weekends, just to be able to get stuff done. I can't do it during normal business hours sometimes.
Jazz has been in my head pretty steadily for about a week. It started with my co-DJ-in-crime playing "Scatman" last Sunday. It's an old pop song with a jazzy bit to it, with the chorus repeating "I'm the Scatman." My co-DJ-in-crime questioned the lyrics, referring to the toilet humor definition of scat. I had to tell him about the other definition and what it was used for. Ever since then, my brain's been flipping jazz tunes out of the depths at me. It's as if my brain radio's gone entirely static except for the jazz stations. I should really just burn some to CD. That usually purges the problem right quick.
"Right quick," I might add, was picked up from a co-worker who moved up here from--Georgia? South Carolina? somewhere like that--the south, anyway, pretty recently. I'm working with him pretty closely these days and end up picking up his terminology. "Pull the door to" I never got until he explained it, for example.
In any case. Off to make some carrot ginger soup for dinner.
I've had an afternoon of being stressed out about various commitments, but being efficient enough to get them done. And it occurred to me (because of the song) that if I'm not enjoying them, I shouldn't do them. This is a hobby, not an obligation. Though in this case hobby becomes obligation, especially when either money's exchanged or someone's sending me something in the mail, assuming I'd also be sending them something. But the vast majority of the worst of it will be done after tomorrow.
I'm sure it means something for me professionally too, weirdly enough. I had the fortune to have a Friday entirely clear of meetings. Normally, I'd take that as a vacation day, since they occur so rarely, and that's the best time to do so, but there's far too much to be done for that to happen this past Friday.
But I got so much done. It felt fantastic. And that's why I sometimes go in on weekends, just to be able to get stuff done. I can't do it during normal business hours sometimes.
Jazz has been in my head pretty steadily for about a week. It started with my co-DJ-in-crime playing "Scatman" last Sunday. It's an old pop song with a jazzy bit to it, with the chorus repeating "I'm the Scatman." My co-DJ-in-crime questioned the lyrics, referring to the toilet humor definition of scat. I had to tell him about the other definition and what it was used for. Ever since then, my brain's been flipping jazz tunes out of the depths at me. It's as if my brain radio's gone entirely static except for the jazz stations. I should really just burn some to CD. That usually purges the problem right quick.
"Right quick," I might add, was picked up from a co-worker who moved up here from--Georgia? South Carolina? somewhere like that--the south, anyway, pretty recently. I'm working with him pretty closely these days and end up picking up his terminology. "Pull the door to" I never got until he explained it, for example.
In any case. Off to make some carrot ginger soup for dinner.
Friday, April 27, 2007
fresh
Just visited Tait Farm to do the CSA pick-up thing. And on the way back, over Nittany Meadow Farm, the masses of clouds had slices in them, allowing beams to come through. Gorgeous.
I picked up some mint and lavender plants while I was at Tait, and realized while walking back to my car that growing plants and fresh things make me happy. Not that I didn't know this before, but it was notable then.
Now, out of my monkey suit. Though this particular monkey suit garnered me two compliments today, and my hair at the meeting I wore it for garnered two more. This suit's one of my better combos: "spiffy," as J. put it minutes ago. It's got a very subtle pinstripe in coral, and a matching, almost shocking solid coral lining which you can see pretty well at my cuffs when I raise my hands or arms at all. I was amazed that I managed to find a matching coral blouse, but I managed to. It's a good look, if I do say so myself.
The hair's my new favorite 'do: my version of a French twist, the proper version of which always fails because I have too much hair. Instead, I get a bit of a knobby bit at the bottom, but it still looks decent for awhile--until I get too many flyaways, anyway. But the whole thing I've got anchored at two points, only one of which is usually visible. No bobby pins.
I got another appearance compliment earlier this week: the colleague in question called it my "mystery woman" look, for some reason. It's a long wool skirt, soft pink shirt, and funky/romantic jacket with slightly puffed shoulders. I like it quite a bit (picked it up at Target on sale: don't tell).
My project for this weekend is an annual tradition at this point: writing the Free Comic Book Day article for the guys at Comic Swap, to be put out in the Centre Daily Times next week. Deadline's Monday. I could say that it should write itself by now, but it won't. There's always something new, and I certainly have to change it up each year. I'm skipping the staff's favorite picks this year for that very reason, I think. But they've got a guest artist coming in, so there should be plenty of other things to cover.
Off to eat before people arrive here.
I picked up some mint and lavender plants while I was at Tait, and realized while walking back to my car that growing plants and fresh things make me happy. Not that I didn't know this before, but it was notable then.
Now, out of my monkey suit. Though this particular monkey suit garnered me two compliments today, and my hair at the meeting I wore it for garnered two more. This suit's one of my better combos: "spiffy," as J. put it minutes ago. It's got a very subtle pinstripe in coral, and a matching, almost shocking solid coral lining which you can see pretty well at my cuffs when I raise my hands or arms at all. I was amazed that I managed to find a matching coral blouse, but I managed to. It's a good look, if I do say so myself.
The hair's my new favorite 'do: my version of a French twist, the proper version of which always fails because I have too much hair. Instead, I get a bit of a knobby bit at the bottom, but it still looks decent for awhile--until I get too many flyaways, anyway. But the whole thing I've got anchored at two points, only one of which is usually visible. No bobby pins.
I got another appearance compliment earlier this week: the colleague in question called it my "mystery woman" look, for some reason. It's a long wool skirt, soft pink shirt, and funky/romantic jacket with slightly puffed shoulders. I like it quite a bit (picked it up at Target on sale: don't tell).
My project for this weekend is an annual tradition at this point: writing the Free Comic Book Day article for the guys at Comic Swap, to be put out in the Centre Daily Times next week. Deadline's Monday. I could say that it should write itself by now, but it won't. There's always something new, and I certainly have to change it up each year. I'm skipping the staff's favorite picks this year for that very reason, I think. But they've got a guest artist coming in, so there should be plenty of other things to cover.
Off to eat before people arrive here.
Virginia Tech tribute and email
I'm writing since Dad nudged me to post, and to share the following:
Here's the email we just got here in admissions regarding Penn State's Virginia Tech tribute during the Blue/White game last weekend. We'll be sending this on formally, but I thought I'd post it here as well:
The tribute he's referring to is on YouTube. You can watch one version (though there are others) here.
Here's the email we just got here in admissions regarding Penn State's Virginia Tech tribute during the Blue/White game last weekend. We'll be sending this on formally, but I thought I'd post it here as well:
To whoever reads this letter,
Hello, my name is [name edited for his privacy], and I am sophomore and student at Virginia Tech. I did not know of any other way to contact the university, so I decided to write this letter to you all in the admissions office. You do not even realize how much your tribute at the spring game has lifted our spirits. I am dumbfounded by your regard for the well-being of the hokie community. I was not present at the game, however, I was able to watch the proceedings later on youtube.com. A few of my friends attend Penn State University, and I have talked to them with regards to the spring game. I want to express, on behalf of the entire Virginia Tech community, our gratitude for your display of support. You all have exhibited, through your support of our school, the character of your university. Never would I have imagined that the students and alumni of Penn State would be wearing maroon and orange and even cheering "Let's go HOKIES!!!"
On behalf of the entire Virginia Tech community I would again like to express our sincere gratitude for the way you have lifted our spirits on campus. You all deserve praise for helping us through this catastrophe, and I hope that this letter has illustrated our thanks to you.
Sincerely,
Your fellow hokie
[name edited for his privacy]
(I give you permission to print this or publish it however you want. I just want to make sure that you all realize the impact that you have had on our school.)
The tribute he's referring to is on YouTube. You can watch one version (though there are others) here.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Thursday, April 05, 2007
weather, office change
On Tuesday, it was almost 80 degrees here. This morning, I found a dusting of snow upon leaving home. A dusting, sure, but still.
Just switched offices: new one's bigger, but the desk makes my wrists hurt. I'll be rectifying that shortly, though. It also suffers from the same heating problem my office-before-last did: it's longer than it is wide (three windows again!), so the heat builds up in it pretty quickly since the heaters run the length of the windows. It needs some work (like a paint job: there are nail holes everywhere), but I like it. And I have a staff assistant in my area now, which has both up and down sides.
Off to fix the desk situation.
Just switched offices: new one's bigger, but the desk makes my wrists hurt. I'll be rectifying that shortly, though. It also suffers from the same heating problem my office-before-last did: it's longer than it is wide (three windows again!), so the heat builds up in it pretty quickly since the heaters run the length of the windows. It needs some work (like a paint job: there are nail holes everywhere), but I like it. And I have a staff assistant in my area now, which has both up and down sides.
Off to fix the desk situation.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
yoga conference
I've been eyeing the Yoga Journal Grand Geneva Conference ever since I noticed its existence last night, while paging through Yoga Journal. Wish I could go, but it's a. expensive and b. falling at a really inconvenient time, work-wise. Hopefully they'll run it again next year: it's a good excuse to a. do yoga (and potentially expand my practice of it, as all I've got is from one teacher. she's fantastic, but I absolutely could be missing something) and b. visit family. And maybe by then I'll be able to afford it. :P
Saturday, March 31, 2007
career arc
Since I wrote this all up in an email anyway, I figured I'd share it here. The old friend I sent this to was asking about my route to my current job. There are a few edits for clarification, otherwise it's all intact.
Originally I was looking for writing in an academic context, preferably tech-related (but "soft" tech writing rather than "hard" tech writing--error messages rather than technical manuals). I'd also had some interest in academic advising, which is done by professionals at Penn State as well as faculty. Admissions is where I ended up.
Admissions counseling itself wasn't (I feel) the main thrust of my old job (it's technically only supposed to be less than a quarter of our jobs): it was more about marketing writing, really, and that was okay with me. I got to dabble in all sorts of things, which was also ideal for me. I eventually became the go-to person when it came to virtually anything done online--because really, I live it, and very few others in the office do.
The new job is as close to ideal as I think I'll get: a good combination of writing and tech, a lot of leadership and project management, a sprinkle of teaching (I'll also be running our internal training) and instructional design--and all of it circling around our use of electronic communication, which is where my interest really is. I'm working on our email communication, helping redesign our website, I've checked into student blogging (we're not going to do it), I've produced podcasts and videos. You get the idea. And there's more to come.
[Advice was dispensed here about stepping stones when it comes to careers.] The writing position I started in wasn't ideal, but it was getting there, and now I've pretty much gotten there. So yes, I'm absolutely happy with the way my career has shaped up thus far. Somebody going from Admissions Counselor/Writer to Assistant Director (in a new Assistant Director position, at that) in two years is absolutely absurd, especially at Penn State. So I'm pretty proud of it, actually.
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