I kept thinking I would do this when everything was neat and pretty. Then I realized that would probably never happen, at least not up to my expectations. So here it is! The apartment in all its glory, and mess, and lived-in-ness. Enjoy.
Before we left Santa Barbara, we had to take the cats in to the vet for official health certificates. They were behind on the FCL something or other, I don't know. It's a shot they need yearly. So we paid the check up fees for each cat, the cost of the shots, and a small prescription of "chill out" medication, just in case. Then we find out that for the vet to sign the piece of paper saying she looked at them was extra. To the tune of $37 EACH. So yeah, that wasn't a cheap trip.
So when the vet told us Winston would need oral surgery to fix his bulging gums to the tune of $700+, we were not happy. Then she told us that we needed to do it as soon as possible. Double not happy.
The move meant that wasn't really happening though. We had to wait until DS's paychecks started rolling in and we were a bit more settled. I found a vet nearby with decent reviews. When I called to schedule the surgery, they let me know that they couldn't do it without a normal check up with them first, which was another $52. *sigh* The things we do for these kids...
Today we took him in for his check up, which actually went really well! Whew! After all that stuff that happened above, I was sort of dreading this. Don't get me wrong, Winston yowled the whole way there, frightening the guys that work in our garage, and then growled the whole time he was being examined. But he didn't swipe at anyone, or try to bite anyone. He just sat there and let the vet stick her fingers in his mouth, around his lymph nodes, and over his tummy. Well, sat there and growled, but he let her do it! She was super nice, answered all our questions, and was really good with him.
To top it all off, their estimates for the surgery are a LOT cheaper. We also learned that Winston is in good health, probably shouldn't eat grapes anymore, and has lost 4 ounces. Hooray!
Monday we take him back for the surgery. He can't eat after 9pm the night before, which is going to be hard, since when he's hungry he finds plastic somewhere and chews it loudly beside the bed at 3am. He'll be there all day, but will thankfully be sedated. I can't really afford to pay for some vet people to get stitches. Oy.
Oh! And we got the cat food Beth suggested, the Natural Balance, Green Peas and Duck. Well, the wet is that. The dry is Green Peas and Chicken, because the didn't have big bags of the duck. The cats are now going on a half wet, half dry diet, at the recommendation of the vet. They got their first can tonight, and are now sleeping happily. Here's hoping Felix stops dropping bombs all over the apartment soon...
We are slowly making progress on the apartment. There are just a few boxes left, but most of the last week has gone into making sure things are in the spaces they belong. A lot of the initial work was just getting the boxes emptied as quickly as possible. Things went wherever there was space, and there was packing paper EVERYWHERE. I've never seen so much paper in my life. I kept one whole trash bag of it to use when shipping fragile items, and bags and bags of it are slowly making it to the recycle bin.
Meanwhile, Felix is finally taking to the window seat I set up. I knew she would love it.
1. Make good use of my new gym membership. Ultimate goal: stop feeling like dog doo everyday. Vanity goal: lose 25 lbs. And yes, that is based on healthy weights told to me by a doctor. For some reason people always look at me like I'm crazy when I say that. Though, upon hearing my weight, one friend did say "Man, you're dense aren't you?" So... yeah. I guess I am. Progress thus far: 2 visits in 1 week.
2. Build a standing work desk for the craft room so I don't sit on my butt all day. Perhaps something like this. It's going to be awesome.
3. Make a pad for the larger than normal window sill in the living room that I've decided to make into a window seat. Here's hoping my sewing skills, or lack thereof, are up to it.
4. Finish unpacking and arranging this freaking apartment. *groan*
When we got to town, we were very excited to finally be out of the car and HOME. Of course, we love traveling and visiting friends and family, but it can be so exhausting living out of a suitcase and juggling all the people who want to spend time with you. Especially when you have to cram everything into such a short space because of how infrequently we're in town. So yes, home was calling our names.
Having been here a full week now, I have compiled a list of loves, and not-so loves, regarding our new place.
Loves:
1. The apartment is on the National Register of Historic Places, because it was the first lager house in the US. This is why our building is called the Lager House.
2. Because of #1, we have giant, wood frame windows, and original exposed brick and wooden support beams.
3. We have a balcony again.
4. From my couch, when the blinds are open, I can see the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the Delaware River, and some other cool buildings.
5. It's surprisingly quiet here, even though we're right next to the bridge and highway. The only thing we really hear is when the train goes over the bridge, and I don't mind it.
6. This place is larger than our last two apartments, so I don't feel squished anymore.
7. Washer and dryer!
8. Built in HDTVs in the living room and office.
9. A/C
10. Walking distance to the subway, various DELICIOUS restaurants, a small grocery, pet supply stores, bars, a gym, and some of the more popular tourist attractions.
11. Our actual street has none of these things, so street noise is nonexistent.
12. Did I mention how good the food here is?? Because it SO IS.
13. My office has built in shelving, and a ginormous walk in closet that I don't have to share with DS.
Not-so loves:
1. Bugs. Creepy, fast, multi-legged things that come out of nowhere and scare the crap out of me. They seem to be few and far between, but boy do they creep me out.
2. Dirt. Some of which I suspect is due to a prolonged vacancy, just judging by the dust and the knowledge that it was empty when we toured it a month before. The rest was obviously from the last tenants, meaning that the place wasn't cleaned by the landlord before we moved in. It took me 4 hours and 3 magic erasers to clean all the walls, and I'm still not done with the bathroom.
3. Somehow, this place has the same bad plumbing as our last place. Specifically, the shower hardware was installed incorrectly so that the single knob goes left for cold water, or right for hot water. Showers are sometimes uncomfortable...
4. It takes 3 full cycles on high heat for clothes to dry in the dryer, even if there are only 4 things in there.
5. There is evidence of water damage in multiple places.
6. There are at least 10 light bulbs either missing or burnt out throughout the apartment. (We have a combination of track and recessed lighting.)
6. The landlord has yet to return any of our phone calls since we moved in, so we none of this is even being addressed.
That's it so far. Today DS and I pulled out the W/D combo to check the hoses for lint. The exhaust didn't look too bad, but the intake was completely covered. I'm hoping laundry tomorrow goes smoother. I at least know that the heating apparatus is functioning, so here's hoping cleaning the back helps. All things considered, I think this place is awesome. The things that are wrong are completely manageable, and the things that are right are SO RIGHT.
We still have boxes all over the place, because there is only so much unpacking and arranging I can handle at one time. But we're much much closer to being done, and I will post photos once we are. I checked to see if there was anything useable from my move in photos, but they're all close ups of various things I wanted to document for the landlord whenever we move out.
The one thing I miss the most right now are my friends. Right now, we don't know anyone, and without me having a job, I have no immediate hopes of meeting anyone. It's incredibly difficult to spend all day alone, and then just get a few minutes of conversation out of DS once he's home. It's like pulling teeth. We're both adjusting, him to a new job that's more stressful and demanding, me to an utter lack of human interaction. I wish we could just put an ad on craigslist for friends :P But I did join a gym today, and we have briefly met one of our neighbors, who seemed cool. DS has even been to the local climbing gym. With any luck, we'll have friends soon. In the meantime, if anyone wants to visit, you have our permission.
Is it Thursday already? We've been at our new place for over 4 days?? Wow. Well, let me tell you about the move. Be forewarned, there is boring narrative to follow.
The cats were taken away, and I cried like a little baby. They looked horrified. The movers came and boxed all our stuff in a mere 7 hours. I guess when the things aren't yours, you aren't as tempted to spend time touching, remembering, getting sidetracked by each thing you own. Everything just got quadruple wrapped in white paper and stuck in a box. DONE.
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| At the Palace, clinking glasses with the staff as we sang What a Beautiful World. |
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| Nell and DS looking at the city and the moon. |
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| Me and Sam at Lizard's Mouth. |
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| Kid in front us at the Bat game, covered in cotton candy. |
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| Aroldis Chapman pitching. |
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| DS, Tim and Beth at the game. |
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| Chapman's pitching speed. DS claims we saw him pitch 101. |
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| Elkins as seen from the Triplett place "in the holla". |
I was just searching for my photos from Mardi Gras to show a friend, and realized they are not to be found here, on flickr, or facebook. Why didn't I upload them?? I'm sure I took some. It occurs to me that even with my incessant back-posting, my blog is seriously lacking. So perhaps you would like an update.
I'm counting down my last days in Santa Barbara as we speak. The cats are being moved by an animal transport service. They'll be picked up on Wednesday, flown to Philadelphia, then boarded until they can be delivered to us in August. The movers come Thursday to pack all our belongings, and then will pick them up on Friday. We'll be staying with friends here until Sunday morning so we can tie up any loose ends, like cleaning, then we're flying to KY to visit family and friends. We'll be there for almost a week, then we'll rent a car and spend the weekend in WV visiting more family. Finally, we're driving to our new home, which will hopefully let us in. Getting keys isn't something that's been worked out yet... We should be in our new place by August 1, and with any luck, should have our stuff the next day. Though that's up in the air.
We've been trying our best to fit in all the last minute things we wanted to do here. DS took one last climbing trip to Pine Mountain this weekend. I've been to my last book club meeting, and hosted my last BSG night. I've already said goodbye to several people for the last time in the foreseeable future. Sad times. I also thought it would be a good idea to make sure only things worth keeping made it to Philadelphia, so I've been combing through my belongings to cull the crap. I actually had medication that expired in 2004, and mascara from high school. Oy.
Because we don't need to pack, we are happy to be avoiding the unpleasantness of the cats protesting the destruction of their world. I'm really sad that they'll be with strangers for nearly 2 weeks though. Though not sad enough to drive them across the country again.. seriously. I feel almost sorry for whatever sucker is flying with them. Still, I am cherishing things like Felix bringing me 6 balls of yarn over a couple of hours, and Winston waking me up with a full facial and complimentary ear cleaning. It's the little things ;)
I'm not sure how much internet time we'll have after Thursday, but I'll try to update when I can.
Despite having only a hanging planter in a window that gets less than 6 hours of sun a day, and two cats that seem to love eating things that make them sick, I've managed to keep my pepper plants and basil flourishing this summer. Four of my six pepper plants are producing, and the other two are on their way. I just need to keep Felix away from them for a bit longer. Twice the basil has gotten so huge we've had to have basil pesto just to have a reason to cull a ton of it. Which, by the way, is SO GOOD made with just picked basil.
Now if I just knew what those peppers were....
Camping in Sequoia.. mine and DS's last ditch effort to "see California" before moving out of the state. Happily, we did not do this one alone, but had the pleasure of being with our Battlestar viewing crew. We stayed at the Quaking Aspens campground, whose amenities include pit toilets and a spicket. And surprisingly, I did just fine. Who knew? We enjoyed a campfire each night complete with dinner, s'mores, and jiffy pop. We slept in tents, in sleeping bags, and woke up around 7am without alarms. We hiked and hiked and hiked until I had a blister on my heel the size of an embedded golf ball... But truly, it was all worth it.
We hiked the 1/2 mile, paved loop of the Trail of the 100 Giants. Ran up to the top of Dome Rock to have lunch. Did the 4.6 mile there-and-back trail to the Needles Lookout tower (which nearly gave DS a heart attack, but he still says it was worth the view). And finally did maybe 1/3-1/2 of the 8.6 mile Freeman Creek Trail. This is where my feet decided they had had enough, and DS says "How are you?" To which I replied, "Done." And with that, we all decided to eat our lunch and then hike back out to go home.
The follow photos do not even begin to do this place justice. Seriously. You should definitely go if you ever get the chance.
DS's parents' road trip finally brought them to us. It was a lovely couple of days, and we celebrated with good food and wine. We introduced them to the joys of In-N-Out Burger, west coast seafood, our cold beaches, and the mountains. Two of the places we went were lovely, so I took some photos. The first set is from Cold Spring Tavern, which was a stagecoach stop in the mountains just above Santa Barbara. Now it's a tavern and restaurant. The second set is fro Rusack Winery, where his mom did not realize I was being facetious on the way in by saying "Man, this place is a dump" until we'd been there for a bit. Which, if you knew her, would be hilarious. That woman is sharp and funny to boot, but this place is obviously not a dump. I'm not really a wine person though, so mostly I just enjoyed the scenery.
DS's parents are RV'ing across the country, from their home in South Carolina, out to us in Santa Barbara, up to Yosemite, to Mt. Rushmore, down to visit family in St. Louis, and then back home. All in all, a VERY long trip. Since I'm 'retired' now, I decided to drive out to meet them at the Grand Canyon. We stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park, and took their train from Williams, AZ up to the Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. We only had about three hours there, which turned out to be a bit too much as it was one of the few days it actually rains there. I doubt their hoodie, sweater and poncho sales are ever higher... Luckily, I had checked the weather before going and brought my own jacket.
Even without a ton of time to hike around, this was probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen. There's just no way to describe how jaw dropping it is to walk up to the rim the first time and see the gaping hole. I had no concept of its proportions, even after seeing it from the plane just weeks before. It's up to 16 miles wide, 1 mile deep, and 277 miles long. MILES! It's just... indescribable. I'm so glad his parents like me enough to have me stay with them all by myself :D
As expected, David and Juliana's wedding in Potomac, MD was absolutely beautiful. The backdrop of forest was perfect, and I particularly loved the alternating greens and blues of the bridal party. The wedding was outdoors, in both Spanish and English. Afterwards, dinner was served and there were many speeches by friends and family. We were lucky to have translators, though sometimes I suspect that we lost some of the turns of phrase in the process.
Because Juliana is Colombian, the cake was specially brought in from there. Unfortunately, customs suspected it had some nefarious purpose and destroyed it. Fortunately, it was pieced back together and the taste was unaffected. All I knew was the cake involved alcohol. Juliana tells me it's called ponque negro, or black cake I think.
After dinner, we headed upstairs. There was a dance floor, a room with chocolates made by David's sister along with some coffee, and a fun photo booth. I had quite a bit to drink, so I can't remember too much about the latter half of the night, but I can say we all had fun.
Once it was time to disperse, all the friends went down to see the honeymoon suite, which was two bunk beds pushed together and decorated. It doesn't sound like much, but considering we were all sleeping on twin beds from a former Girl Scout camp, it was adorable and romantic.
Last weekend, DS and I visited Philadelphia to see if I could live there. As you noticed in the earlier post, I had strong reservations about moving to a big city. Therefore you may be surprised to learn that I had decided we were moving there on Friday night after just arriving on Thursday. From the moment I got there, it reminded me of living in Louisville, which I loved. The city was lacking the crowded, dirty feel I associate with most cities of this size. I think this has something to do with the decision to not build higher than City Hall until the late 80's, meaning there have only recently been skyscrapers. That left a lower density, and less of a need to raze entire blocks for building new structures. As you'll see in the photos, this left the city with lots of trees, and what seemed like entire neighborhoods intact from the Colonial Period. It was charming, and felt a lot like walking through old villages in Europe.
We arrived on Thursday and walked around the neighborhood just to the west of the University of Pennsylvania. Then we had dinner at sushi place called Pod, which was very mod. There were actual "pods" with a single table for 8 or so where diners can change the color of the lights inside. Behind the conveyor belt sushi bar there was a flat screen tv built into the wall that kept playing a cartoon about a white lion. As far as I could tell, since there was no sound, the entire show was about the little lion cup running around with other wild animals.... We ended up spending a small fortune on sushi and dessert, but it was so delicious that I don't even care if its not reimbursed. And as a bonus, it happened to be some sort of charity night, so 30% of our bill was donated helping people who are living with AIDS and HIV.
On Friday, DS spent most of the day in meetings with various faculty members. I slept in, then strolled around campus a bit taking photographs. I also discovered that the UPenn Bookstore is really just a Barnes and Noble with Penn paraphernalia, which was nice in that I was finally able to pick up a light for my nook! (Have I mentioned I got a nook? Because I LOVE IT!) We were able to relax a bit, and then were picked up by a faculty member who drove us around the inner city, showing us some of the nicer places to live. Then we had dinner with him and his wife at Alma de Cuba, a Cuban place that was so much better than I expected. It turns out Cuban food is actually delicious when you have the resources to do it right. Poor Cuba...
The first half of Saturday was spent with the Chair of the department, as she lives in the suburbs and was able to give us that tour. Then we walked from the hotel on the Penn campus all the way to the Delaware River. We were able to see the Liberty Bell, if only through the window. Dinner was at some fancy place that was way overpriced for the quality of the food. By this point we had probably walked several miles, so we took a taxi back. It was at this point that I convinced DS that we were definitely moving here, so we hiked back over to the UPenn Bookstore and got ourselves some official gear to celebrate!
On Sunday it was so hot and humid that we ditched our original idea to visit the zoo, and went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art instead. This is honestly one of the best museums I've visited in terms of shear size. We didn't get to see all of it, but luckily we got there on a free admission day. It was also the last day of their special exhibition on Picasso, which was interesting, though apparently Cubism is not DS's thing. I particularly loved the Impressionists galleries, as well as the period rooms, though we had to move quickly through those areas. I'll definitely have to visit again once we move. And everyone is welcome to visit us once we get there, which we think should be late July. So yeah! My husband will be a Professor at UPenn this fall!!
Photos from the City
Once upon a time, in 2005 no less, I started a side project called Zoo Quest. Until a few months ago, it sat there, forelorn, with only the introductory post for company. Poor Zoo Quest.... But now it boasts five whole zoo entries, including this past weekend's trip to the San Diego Zoo. Hopefully very soon it will have all fifteen of the zoos I've visited, so keep checking!
Perhaps you've noticed that DS and I are in the midst of deciding our future. On Thursday we'll be visiting Philadelphia to see how well we like it. Having gotten all of our offers on the table, I think it would take a very bad experience there for us to turn down Philadelphia at this point. This is both disappointing and exciting at the same time.
One of the things I've always imagined having one day is a very large yard. I'm talking acres and acres. I'm not really joking when I say things like "I want baby goats", or "I want fresh eggs". I take a lot of pleasure and comfort out of growing things, and having a garden full of vegetables just sounds like heaven to me. Caring for plants and animals makes me feel calm and complete. Not to mention the food is just so much better when it can ripen in the earth and be eaten right away. This was a real possibility for me in Chapel Hill, but isn't looking promising for Philadelphia. I mean, I might be able to have a small garden, but definitely no goats.
So there's that, and the fact that many of my friends here in Santa Barbara have plans to end up in North Carolina when their school paths are finished. I have to admit that I had this whole future of fun times planned out in my head with this knowledge in mind. Which, to be honest, was always very tentative. One thing I've learned from tagging along behind DS is that no matter what you think your plans for the future are, the world makes its own path for you. That's not to say that if your main goal is to end up in a specific location that you couldn't do that. Just that making that your first priority limits all your other goals, and I've found that these things change over time.
Philadelphia is exciting in it's own right though. It's a real city for starters, something that intrigues me having only briefly visited such places before. Of course, this is both good and bad. It has all those things about cities I love, like art museums, ballet, orchestras, theater, good places to eat. But it comes along with things I've never had to worry too much about before, like crime and real traffic. I have to be honest, the crime thing makes me nervous. And also the lack of personal space... But the rest of it sounds exciting and fun, and so I'm willing to give it a try as long as our visit doesn't go horribly awry.
This has me questioning my life goals again. I believe a place like Philadelphia opens up the historic preservation option again, and I'm seriously unsure if I even want it. I've been thinking a lot about what my dream job would be since the last time I posted about jobs, and I just don't know. And if "farmer" is off the table, I'm having trouble coming up with my second choice. Honestly, I just never thought that at nearly 30 I'd still be wondering what I wanted to be when I grew up. I can tell you one thing for sure though. I'm never taking another crappy job just to pay the bills. That is one thing all of these job offers for DS can promise me, and it is the best gift I could ask for.
I am HOME! The flights were long, and stressful, and due to the time differences, my body felt as it were well past 2 am before I even walked through my front door. But we made it. And the cats survived. And all was well. Here is a quick and dirty run down of my impressions of the trip. Pictures should follow when I'm recovered and not busy doing something else.
Airports:
SBA - Do NOT go through security until you have used the bathroom and eaten or anything else you need. Because their two gates have nothing but a few seats.
LAX - Man LAX, you really disappointed me. I mean, you were definitely not the worst airport I've ever been to, but since you're in LA, I just expected you to at least look cool. That's sort of LA's thing, right? Though, if I'm being honest, I would have to say that it has been my experience that is LA's lie.
O'Hare - You know I love you O'Hare. I don't even have to keep telling you.
RDU - Oooh, your new terminal is lovely! Those lofty, arching wooden beams are so creamy and rich, I just want to run my hands over them and whisper sweet nothings to them. You may not be big and full of shops, but you were glistening, and open, and you fed us just fine. Thank you.
DFW - Screw you Dallas. Well, your Skylink is pretty cool, but the rest of you sucks. You would think that such a uniquely shaped airport would have more going for it, but you would be wrong. I will avoid you in the future whenever possible.
Airline:
American Airlines - I don't have any complaints, other than nearly spending the night in both Dallas and LA, but really, what airline doesn't promise to leave you stranded somewhere? (What? They don't promise that?? Well... they should, because it almost always happens.) But I don't have any compliments either. Don't be offended. The only airline I've ever loved was KLM.
Hotel:
The Franklin - Snazzy rooms. We had a king size bed that came with a down comforter and no less than 12 pillows, and I kid you not, half of those were down as well. I reveled in using four at a time, while DS made fun of me and stuck to one. I didn't accidentally bump into his sweaty sleeping self once, and it was glorious. (Accidentally mind you, I wasn't avoiding him; but really, why do guys get so gross while they're asleep?) There was an LCD tv on the wall, and all the fabrics in the room were luxuriously woven jacquards and patterns. Also, I actually liked the free toiletries, which is really rare. The breakfast service in the dining room was rather slow, but I can't say whether that was due to our timing (we got there right after a huge party), or if it is always that way. The food was good though.
Towns:
Raleigh - I only saw your airport.. so... maybe next time? Sorry buddy.
Durham - You have both a Kroger and an REI, which makes you infinitely better than my current locale. So hurray! Also, Duke Gardens was in bloom. Lovely.
Chapel Hill - You're an odd one, because you think you're some kind of small town with your little main street and your lack of big business. But you're no small town I've ever seen. You're like the small town rich people made for themselves. Like Disney's Main Street USA, all clean and stuff. That being said, you are lovely. I wish I was one of those rich people, so I could have one of your mansions.
Carrboro - What little I saw of you was pretty cool, though I will admit that was only two restaurants. They were scrumptious.
Hillsborough - Now you! I could live in you. You remind me of what my hometown was before it exploded. <3! You don't have a Kroger though *tear*
Up next: Philadelphia, PA - April 29-May 2. Anyone know anything about living around UPenn? We are taking advice before our trip.
A month of photos for your enjoyment, back-posted to reflect actual chronology.
SB Botanical Gardens
Figueroa Mtn
Winston and Birds
Arroyo Beach
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to throw some crap in a back pack so I can be at the airport in six hours. See you in Chapel Hill!
Lots of things brewing this week. Currently DS is in Philadelphia for his last interview, and on Thursday I'll be meeting him in Chapel Hill so we can be "wooed". We've been jokingly referring to it as our chance to "live it up on someone else's dime", but in all honesty, I don't know how much time we'll have to do that. He'll be meeting to negotiate an offer, and we've been scheduled time with a realtor to look at houses. Let me tell you, going through a website full of houses that you know you can't buy yet so that you can get a feel for the area is... both exciting and scary. Also, there is a LOT of new construction for sale in Chapel Hill. It seems like they were hit hard by the housing collapse. Not that it helps me any, because I want an OLD house! With acreage. But after much hand wringing, I chose five for us to see on Saturday.
After a month of letting them gather on my camera, I finally got all the photos into my computer. I'm hoping I have time tomorrow to go through them, clean them up, and then put them on here for your curious eyes. But just in case the packing and the last minute errands keep me from it, I wanted to at least post this one. Almost all of my photos of DS are of him scowling. Maybe he thinks it's funny? It often is. But sometimes I just want a good one, and here it is. I had to tickle him to get it, and he was momentarily irate, but it was so worth it.
In an attempt to "see California" before we leave sorry state, we spent Sunday at the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens. At least half of it is still trying desparately to recover from the last forest fire, but as you'll see below, lots of lovely things remain. To my enjoyment, I even saw redwoods for the first time. Feast your eyes on what can happen if it rains even two or three times a month! So, you know, like once a year.
So DS has job offers. Probably more than is good for us, because now we'll have to make decisions and negotiate and all those things provide opportunities for future "what ifs" and regrets. Here's hoping we make the right choice... Who would have thought that being successful would cause more stress? We are very excited about the future though. In fact, next weekend, meaning the 8th, we'll arrive in Chapel Hill to see how we like the place. I'm assuming DS will be talking shop with the school as well, and apparently we'll be meeting with a real estate agent? oy.
All of this has me contemplating my own job prospects. I've spent a large part of today on Craigslist for the cities with offers, as well as filling out surveys intended to help me find my calling. So far, I've discovered that I've most likely wasted my six years of higher education on degrees that are useless...
So I'm asking you, the collective mind, what I should do with myself, because I honestly feel like a failure. I have a bachelor's degree in art history, where I attempted to focus my studies on architectural history. I also minored in mathematics. I went to graduate school for historic preservation, though I never wrote my thesis, so I don't technically have a degree. The majority of my actual experience is in lowly sales positions, but I did spend a wonderful two years at a healthcare IT company doing user testing on medication software. I have mad test plan writing skills, but no coding knowledge. I can tell you that I prefer working with my hands, and thinking things through, and coming up with creative solutions to problems. I like to see some sort of finished product or goal, so that I feel like something was accomplished with my time. I like my work to benefit society in some way, even if indirectly.
Whatever job I've held, my reviews are always good, and if it's possible in the job, I'm promoted quickly. I can be trained to do just about anything, in my opinion. The problem is that I want to do something I enjoy, and I haven't the slightest idea what that is. I'm terribly afraid that my two year stint at the software company will be my only fulfilling job, and that the rest of my time will be spent in whatever minimum wage gig is currently hiring. The idea of going back to school to get another degree only to find out that the jobs are either undesirable or seemingly impossible to find is terrifying.
I still have my craft business, but here I am working less than 10 hours a week at my current job, and I have no real desire to go into the craft room. It's not that I don't like it. Probably more that I've had the business for 4 years and still average 1 sale or less per month. It's hard to keep doing something when it seems like no one appreciates it. I think I would like to do commissioned work, where someone has a general idea in their head of what they want.
At the risk of sounding like a pity party, I'm starting to feel stupid. I used to think I was smart. I think the combination of being surrounded by PhD scientists and my decreasing ability to find engaging, fulfilling work is wearing me down. And the longer it lasts, the harder it's becoming to find the inner strength to find a way out of this. Worse, I'm finding myself incredibly jealous, almost resentful, of DS's success. Aren't I better than this? I used to know I was, but in the last year and a half, doubt has eaten a hole in that confidence.
I'm floundering.. drowning.. and I need help. Preferably in something other than empty reassurances, as nice as those are... God, I hope I feel better tomorrow.
Actual conversation between DS and some teenagers that came to our door the other day:
Kids: Whoa! What are those?!
DS: *confused* cats?
Me: (safely hidden in the living room) *smirk* idiots
Kids: No way! Like wild cats?
DS: no... house cats
Kids: What do you feed them?!?
DS: cat food.
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Seriously, is Winston that big? He doesn't seem it to me, but apparently we're the only ones that think so.
After more than a year of periodically going to Goleta Beach looking for sea glass, Samantha makes me go to Arroyo Beach and we find a crap load. Neither of us had been to that one before, and we were so surprised. The beach is really rocky along the shore, then turns to sand, and then giant cliffs with uber fancy houses on top. We made the mistake of walking it barefoot. It probably would have been nice in the sand, but once we realized that sea glass was abundant, we stayed in the rocks. Ouch.
Sore feet is a small price to pay for this megaload of sea glass though! We even found two small cobalt blue pieces. Most are white and green, and there's a fair amount of brown.
Double Success: I bought a diamond tipped drill bit for my Proxxon today, and managed to get a nice little whole in my practice piece. That means I can start making real sea glass jewelry now!!
Speaking of successes, I purchased one of those "as seen on tv" planters that grows vegetables upside down. This particular one is meant for pepper plants, and I got a "six alarm combo pack" of peppers to go in it. And then, because I don't like peppers, I got myself basil and rosemary. I hope it actually works. Though I'm a little nervous about our sunlight situation. And also the cats.
While I was at it, I re-potted all of my plants, finally getting rid of some dead ones that had been languishing on the porch for six months. My aloe and catnip are doing excellent, so if you want some... let me know. Also, the porch has been cleaned finally! (it's coated in some kind of high gloss paint, and is always covered a thick layer of dirt due to lack of rain, dust, and occasional fires) We'll see how long that lasts.
DS is having success as well. We'll be in Chapel Hill from April 8-12 to see if we want to live there. Anyone going to be around there then? Any suggestions for things to do/see that might entice us? Would you recommend it?
Also, it looks like we'll be in the DC area the weekend of May 22 for a wedding. I've never been there. Not sure we'll have much spare time, but just in case, feel free to send me suggestions for awesome things there as well.
Our friends convinced us to hike a six mile trail up Figueroa Mountain to see the spring wildflowers. While I'm not much for exercise for the sake of exercise, things like this are easily agreed to. If only they were easily done...
The drive there was longer than expected, so I hit my inhaler a bit too early. Plus, on the way, we kept seeing fields and hillsides covered in gorgeous carpets of flowers. We couldn't resist pulling over to take photos. As we pass the shorter, paved hikes, we enjoyed mocking the people gathered, calling them "Sunday Drivers" and the like. We kept going, to the big hike, expecting to be met with rich rewards for our persistence. Boy were we wrong. Karma is a bitch. The hike we had chosen was dry, rocky, and uphill for miles. UP. HILL. I thought I was going to die. It's a good thing I took the inhaler out of the car with me, because that early shot left me hyperventilating five minutes in. We felt like we were lost in the desert, and in a way, we were. We had no idea where the "good part" of the hike was, and we plowed forward, our feet creating trails of dust in the air, our shoes full of spiky little pebbles, sure that each new bend or crest would provide us our prize. There was no prize. Unless you count that one time I led, and everyone wondered how I could hike so fast. That was pretty cool, for a wimpy asthma kid.
After several miles, we gave up, ate our picnic lunch, complete with wine, right in the middle of the rocky trail, and went back. Since it was all downhill from there, we moved quickly, and then drove back to the wildflowers we had mocked people for stopping to see. Sometimes, following the trail most taken is very good advice.
The lower parts of the trail did have some flowers and greenery, and you'll see that in the photos. But all of the lush fields of flowers are, unfortunately, from elsewhere. Honestly though, it was a great day. You know what T-Rex says... "The worst that can happen is Adventures!"
Now that spring is here, Winston spends a large amount of time each morning frantically stalking finches through the kitchen window. I've had to keep the counters clear so he doesn't break anything. He gets so anxious, like he actually thinks he has a chance of catching one through the screen. I actually think the birds enjoy taunting him. They hang out in groups of five or so in the top of the tree, which is right at our window. When they fly past the window, Winston flinches, his tail flicks, and his eyes become giant black discs. Have you ever noticed that cats' eyes dilate when they're hunting? It cracks us up.
Photos below of Arroyo Beach, where I discovered sea glass is abundant! The beach isn't bad either.
Every time I talk to real people, I spend the next three or four hours feeling like I said something wrong, but I have no idea why. It's very troubling, and makes me think it's a good thing that I'm a hermit.
That being said, I love my book club, and it's one of the things I will miss when I leave Santa Barbara. Which, by the way, will before the fall semester, because my husband has a job offer.
Every time the universe delivers a solution to a problem of mine right as it's close to spiraling out of control, I sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop. Right now though, we're still in celebration mode. Say hello to PROFESSOR DRAGONSLAYER!
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Professor Science? Remember when I bought him this shirt? The one I had him wear under his suit for his PhD defense??
I am what "they" are referring to these days as "underemployed". Yes, I have a job. And yes, it pays me real money. But it's of such limited quantity that I'm thankful for public libraries and 99¢ bread. I'm not exactly in danger of missing payments on anything. More like we make exactly the amount of money we need to get by, but anything else is problematic. This is hard for us. Just this Saturday, we went to see a matinee (did you know those were cheaper?) with some friends, who all decided to go eat at Outback afterwards. Previously, we would have been all over going out to eat with friends. I mean, we are typically the type of people that wonder what our friends are doing, but don't bother to find out because we're socially inept. So when an easy opportunity to do said socializing presents itself, and with food, you can safely bet we'll be there. Lack of money is something restaurants sort of frown on though. DS and I spent 10 minutes, while the other four were joking around and settling on which restaurant, sending furtive glances at each other. Was this something worth dipping into our savings for? Are we bad people for thinking along these lines.
In the end, it apparently was worth it, because we went, and enjoyed ourselves. And you know what else I enjoy about being underemployed? I've had the last 2 months of Monday's off. I'm spending today playing Sims 3, because I can. Also, I've read a hojillion books since Christmas. I got rid of cable, and haven't even noticed because my laptop has an hdmi output and hulu is amazing. And when we just can't stand to be in the house any longer, we do things like go see waterfalls.
Truly, there are worse things than being underemployed. As long as I can put food on my table, I am totally fine with it. I'm sure that feeling is bolstered somewhat by the fact that DS will hopefully have a job soon. But still, right now, working 15 hours a week isn't too shabby.
Originally thought I'd spend the whole day playing Sims 3. Well, until people come over for BSG night at any rate. But you know what sounds good? Bacon. And I have plenty of time to make it. Those of you who know me well can appreciate that statement at its fullest.
Of all the nice things about our apartment (size, neighbors, refurbished), sometimes I'm sure none of those can outweigh the bad. Mostly because the bad things are recurring and ANNOYING.
Tonight I had the privilege of sitting seven rows away from Neil Gaiman as he read unpublished stories, answered questions, and told us snippets of things about life and writing. He spoke about how much he loves audiobooks, and making his own. As I sat listening to him read The Thing About Cassandra, I found myself both awed by how mesmerizing his story telling powers were, and feeling cheated that the only one of his books I've listened to was read by Lenny Henry. That's not to say that my experience with Anansi Boys on CD was anything less than great. But after listening to Gaiman speak for two hours, it occurs to me that my public library will need to be thoroughly picked clean of anything they may have recorded in his voice.
I'm working on a belated birthday/Christmas present for my brother, whose birthday is the day after Christmas. I'm attempting to weave designs into the fabric in support of his favorite team, the University of Louisville cardinals. After planning out the lettering on some grid paper (well, homemade grid paper... I really should buy some of that stuff; making your own grids is needlessly time consuming) similar to a cross stitch pattern, I went about weaving them into the fabric using what's known as a soumak weave. For you embroiderers, this is basically a stem stitch. Which I realized after painstakingly weaving this in between each plain weave row. I think for the image part, I will just embroider the design.
I would say it's because I'm having so much fun, but I'm not always sure that's true. Obviously, it's true sometimes.
