I haven't posted in, well, too long, and since today's chore plans are currently on hold for an undetermined period of time, why not post now!
What's new? Well, lots, I guess. I mean, most of a month and a whole holiday has gone by since I last posted. What couldn't be new?
Christmas was pretty great! At all three gift-exchanging events, I found myself looking forward more to the reactions of people I/we gave presents to, than to my own presents. Does make me a grown up? Anyway, everyone seemed to be genuinely surprised and happy with their gifts, which made me VERY happy! :) We also got spoiled, between three sets of parents! The two biggest items were a small Weber grill and a cordless drill, from Ryan's dad and my mother, respectively. Both are going to be very well-loved, I can tell.
The two days of Christmas was also laden with delicious food: Christmas morning at Kerry and Mary's (eggs, french toast, raisin toast, home fries, sausage, bacon, coffee, juice), Christmas dinner at Gail and Jon's (turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, squash, peas, gravy, pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert), then day-after-Christmas supper at Mom's with Dad (hearty beef stew and biscuits, with pumpkin cheesecake, pecan-pumpkin-sweet potato pie, and chocolate chip banana bread for dessert) (Mom's house had more dessert than regular food, what a surprise).
Yesterday the gifting fun continued, between Ryan and I. We dropped my car off at Best Buy to get my new car stereo installed, then went off to Verizon to get Ry a new phone, and back to Best Buy to get him a music player. By the end of the night we were both rife with shiny new distractions that make pretty sounds and pretty lights :D
(Unfortunately, they didn't have the right spacers for my new speakers, but I can still listen to the stereo itself through my factory speakers until the new spacers get installed sometime next week. I actually kind of like this series of steps up: factory sound, Kenwood sound on factory speakers, Kenwood sound on Kenwood speakers. Comparing is fun!)
In other news, I'm still trying to keep up the exercise and diet routine. The past week was pretty rough, I had a few days where I woke up feeling kinda weak and underpowered, then the two days of holiday food and not moving a whole lot. Aside from those two days, the diet thing is going pretty smoothly. I eat a LOT of yogurt (mostly Greek), lots of fruit, I've gotten better about veggies and salads, and I'm keeping the big carb meals to dinner, to fuel the next morning's work out. After four-ish days of little to no exercise, I'm slowly ramping my way back up to Lots Of Hooping, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to keep it ramped once the holidays are done and the new year has officially started.
Speaking of which! This may be my last post of 2011, so I may as well talk about resolutions, eh? I have a few little ones, but they stem off of the big one:
Don't waste time.
Before Ryan has an aneurysm and Dad starts gibbering, let me explain what I mean by "wasting time." I DON'T mean writing, reading, taking pictures, playing with Photoshop, video games, socializing, or even staring at a screen or into space. Sometimes, I desperately need any or all of those things to decompress, to let some steam evaporate before it escapes as tears or whining. What I DO mean by "wasting time" is dithering about, going in circles, getting stuck in cycles, being frozen in indecision because I feel like any of the things I just listed IS wasting time and I SHOULD (dirty word!) be cleaning or organizing or erranding or some other Productive Thing.
I've got a lot of shit to do this year. I have quite a few trips to New York for my dress, a trip to Arizona for a wedding, I promised I'd go back to Indiana sometime this year, getting serious with my novel, getting serious with my shop, and, oh yeah, MY OWN WEDDING, plus working full time (possibly two jobs in the summer) and hooping my ass off and still being as social as possible before some of my friends fly off to other places. I won't have time to curl up into a ball and cry because I want to relax with Mario Kart but there are dirty dishes in existence. I have to re-categorize my mind so that anything that helps me relax and keep things in perspective and keep my physical and mental energy up is listed under Productive Things.
So. Anyway. That's most of the new stuff. There's a few other bits, but they mostly revolve around money and To Do lists and minor personal drama, so I won't get into it now, okay?
If you read this before the 31st, I wish you a fun-filled New Year's! May the worst day of the next year be equal to the best day of the last! Cheers!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Progress Report!
Since I wrote last week, the following things have happened:
[o] I've started hula hooping
[o] I've agreed to change my "show" month at the store to January if the January artist agrees to the trade, due to horrid planning and technical difficulties
[o] I've started hooping
[o] I've hit my weight loss goal
[o] I've met and talked to author Wally Lamb twice
[o] I've started hooping
The Photo Thing:
I can't remember if I mentioned it here, but back in October, I asked my boss about the possibility of having my photography up on a "show wall" in the back of our store. He said "You want December?" and I jumped at it. I then spent November freaking out about everything else in my life except the photography, and when it came down to the wire, I went over to Dad's house to select and print the photos...and his printer stopped working.
We bought a new one, but it isn't installed yet, plus finding the time to print them all and to drive to Hartford to get good but inexpensive frames has been completely impossible thus far (partly, again, due to my failure at planning). I told my boss that I would be very late at best, and is January taken? He groaned and said yes, he gave it to a customer named Jorge, but he would ask Jorge if he would be able to get his picture up and be willing to switch. I haven't heard back from Boss Man about that just yet, but I've been off the past two days, so that's not surprising.
The Wally Lamb Thing:
Not all of you reading may know who Wally Lamb is, so I'll tell you: he's an author from Connecticut, whose sons I went to school with, whose books have been on the New York Times Bestsellers list and Oprah's Book Club, whose books I devour and adore (despite my inherent belief that Mr. Lamb creates a long list of all the horrible things that can happen to his characters and then throws darts at it). His books are beyond absorbing, his characters are wondrously fleshed out, his use of language is magical, and, overall, reading his books is like falling into a movie, or a long-running TV show, or just into the character's life. He's written four wonderful and addictive books, has a wonderful and talented family, and, unless I'm mistaken, makes his living through his writing. In other words, he, as well as the other authors on my Top Five list, is who I want to be when I grow up.
And he came into my store. TWICE.
The first time, it was busy enough that I was taking names for each drink. When I asked him for his, he said "Wally," and I had a moment of "...Wait." I squinted at him, thought it might be him, wrote his name down while deciding I wasn't going to ask in case it wasn't and I embarrassed myself, decided to hell with it, and asked him. AND IT WAS HIM. And I immediately started gushing, I am such a huge fan of yours books, I've read them all, oh wow, smiling like an idiot, in case you couldn't tell from my writing right now I'm STILL really excited that I got to meet him. He told me it was sweet of me to tell him, and was very nice, and went on his way.
Then he came in again a few days later, AND HE REMEMBERED ME. He said "You were the one who likes my books, right? I have some out in the car, which one would you like?" I did that stupid gushy smile again and said "Oh, I think I have them all, unless there's another one that I've missed?" And he mentioned his Christmas one, and I was all oh yeah, my mother gave me that one for Christmas last year, and he smiled and was nice again and went on his merry way again and I realized half an hour later WAIT DID HE JUST OFFER ME A BOOK AND I WAS DUMB ENOUGH TO BASICALLY TURN HIM DOWN?
FOR EFFS SAKE RUTH.
Ahem. After the first time he came in, I went straight to my old room at my mom's house after work and got I Know This Much Is True off the shelf. I'm devouring it for I think the third time ever, and I plan on keeping it near the register every time I'm working from now on just in case he comes in again and I have the chance to ask for his signature. And tell him that he's basically one of my idols and I'm so glad he's nice and didn't shatter my dreams by being a jerk.
Okay. Done now. Man I hope he doesn't stumble on this somehow and think I'm a creepy stalker.
The Weight Thing:
I discovered this morning, not half an hour ago, that I hit my goal on the Wii Fit Plus a full three days ahead of schedule. Whee! I'm just shy off 155, in a healthy BMI range (at least according to the machine) (yes I know BMIs aren't a good form of measurement) (for the record I'm 5'6" go do your own calculations if you want), and my next goal is to love five pounds in the next month.
My goal with the exercising and eating better is not to lose a bunch of weight and be thin. All I really want is to be strong and flexible, to have energy and stamina, and just be healthy overall. I'm not going to lie and say that I wouldn't mind parts of me being a bit smaller, I do have some vanity when it comes to my tum and how clothes fit me and all that. But, again, the goal is not to be able to fit into a size 0 skinny jean and only eat croutons. I've been enjoying my new diet made up almost entirely by yogurt, fruit, and salad, with the occasional hunk of meat, slab of cheese, or glass of boozahol.
The Weight Thing is directly related to The Hooping Thing:
Dad gave me his old hula hoop about a month ago. It's not your typical hula hoop that you pick up at the toy store; he made this one himself from flexible plumber's pipe. It's a little bigger and a bit heavier than your average toy store hoop, which somehow makes it simultaneously easier and more physically demanding to get it spinning and keep it going. I started last Thursday, skipped Friday when I could feel a bruised ring around my waist, then started again on Saturday and haven't skipped a day since. Thursday through Monday were 10 minutes, Tuesday was 15 minutes, and yesterday was 20, plus at least half an hour in Mom's garage just trying to teach myself some simple hand tricks.
It makes me sweat from head to toe, works every muscle group from my shoulders down to my calves, and is SO. MUCH. FUN. It makes me wish I had more open indoor space to play in, though I am thankful that our living room, with the sofa pushed back is juuuuust enough room to do the basic hoop.
I'm addicted! And I plan on either decorating this one at the next get-together thrown by one of my Dad's friends/one of my regular customers, Cherese, or getting another one to decorate as this one is a bit beat up from being a practice hoop. I worked on some simple tricks yesterday, as I said, and I plan on watching more videos and practicing some more until I can purposefully hoop around my hips and knees, get it on and off me fluidly with it still spinning, learn how to step through it gracefully, etc and do it all without having to stop to fetch the hoop back from the other side of the room.
WHEE!
Yesterday was the Get Things Done Day Off, filled with laundry and shopping and other chores and errands. Some spilled into today, as will happen, but the basic plan for Effing Relax Day Off is:
[o] exercise
[o] shower
[o] eat
[o] Post Office
[o] Stephanie
[o] read more I Know This Much Is True to get myself in a good-writing groove
[o] settle down somewhere to whack at my story until Nacho time
([o] while keeping an eye on the weather)
Aaaaaand OFF I go!
[o] I've started hula hooping
[o] I've agreed to change my "show" month at the store to January if the January artist agrees to the trade, due to horrid planning and technical difficulties
[o] I've started hooping
[o] I've hit my weight loss goal
[o] I've met and talked to author Wally Lamb twice
[o] I've started hooping
The Photo Thing:
I can't remember if I mentioned it here, but back in October, I asked my boss about the possibility of having my photography up on a "show wall" in the back of our store. He said "You want December?" and I jumped at it. I then spent November freaking out about everything else in my life except the photography, and when it came down to the wire, I went over to Dad's house to select and print the photos...and his printer stopped working.
We bought a new one, but it isn't installed yet, plus finding the time to print them all and to drive to Hartford to get good but inexpensive frames has been completely impossible thus far (partly, again, due to my failure at planning). I told my boss that I would be very late at best, and is January taken? He groaned and said yes, he gave it to a customer named Jorge, but he would ask Jorge if he would be able to get his picture up and be willing to switch. I haven't heard back from Boss Man about that just yet, but I've been off the past two days, so that's not surprising.
The Wally Lamb Thing:
Not all of you reading may know who Wally Lamb is, so I'll tell you: he's an author from Connecticut, whose sons I went to school with, whose books have been on the New York Times Bestsellers list and Oprah's Book Club, whose books I devour and adore (despite my inherent belief that Mr. Lamb creates a long list of all the horrible things that can happen to his characters and then throws darts at it). His books are beyond absorbing, his characters are wondrously fleshed out, his use of language is magical, and, overall, reading his books is like falling into a movie, or a long-running TV show, or just into the character's life. He's written four wonderful and addictive books, has a wonderful and talented family, and, unless I'm mistaken, makes his living through his writing. In other words, he, as well as the other authors on my Top Five list, is who I want to be when I grow up.
And he came into my store. TWICE.
The first time, it was busy enough that I was taking names for each drink. When I asked him for his, he said "Wally," and I had a moment of "...Wait." I squinted at him, thought it might be him, wrote his name down while deciding I wasn't going to ask in case it wasn't and I embarrassed myself, decided to hell with it, and asked him. AND IT WAS HIM. And I immediately started gushing, I am such a huge fan of yours books, I've read them all, oh wow, smiling like an idiot, in case you couldn't tell from my writing right now I'm STILL really excited that I got to meet him. He told me it was sweet of me to tell him, and was very nice, and went on his way.
Then he came in again a few days later, AND HE REMEMBERED ME. He said "You were the one who likes my books, right? I have some out in the car, which one would you like?" I did that stupid gushy smile again and said "Oh, I think I have them all, unless there's another one that I've missed?" And he mentioned his Christmas one, and I was all oh yeah, my mother gave me that one for Christmas last year, and he smiled and was nice again and went on his merry way again and I realized half an hour later WAIT DID HE JUST OFFER ME A BOOK AND I WAS DUMB ENOUGH TO BASICALLY TURN HIM DOWN?
FOR EFFS SAKE RUTH.
Ahem. After the first time he came in, I went straight to my old room at my mom's house after work and got I Know This Much Is True off the shelf. I'm devouring it for I think the third time ever, and I plan on keeping it near the register every time I'm working from now on just in case he comes in again and I have the chance to ask for his signature. And tell him that he's basically one of my idols and I'm so glad he's nice and didn't shatter my dreams by being a jerk.
Okay. Done now. Man I hope he doesn't stumble on this somehow and think I'm a creepy stalker.
The Weight Thing:
I discovered this morning, not half an hour ago, that I hit my goal on the Wii Fit Plus a full three days ahead of schedule. Whee! I'm just shy off 155, in a healthy BMI range (at least according to the machine) (yes I know BMIs aren't a good form of measurement) (for the record I'm 5'6" go do your own calculations if you want), and my next goal is to love five pounds in the next month.
My goal with the exercising and eating better is not to lose a bunch of weight and be thin. All I really want is to be strong and flexible, to have energy and stamina, and just be healthy overall. I'm not going to lie and say that I wouldn't mind parts of me being a bit smaller, I do have some vanity when it comes to my tum and how clothes fit me and all that. But, again, the goal is not to be able to fit into a size 0 skinny jean and only eat croutons. I've been enjoying my new diet made up almost entirely by yogurt, fruit, and salad, with the occasional hunk of meat, slab of cheese, or glass of boozahol.
The Weight Thing is directly related to The Hooping Thing:
Dad gave me his old hula hoop about a month ago. It's not your typical hula hoop that you pick up at the toy store; he made this one himself from flexible plumber's pipe. It's a little bigger and a bit heavier than your average toy store hoop, which somehow makes it simultaneously easier and more physically demanding to get it spinning and keep it going. I started last Thursday, skipped Friday when I could feel a bruised ring around my waist, then started again on Saturday and haven't skipped a day since. Thursday through Monday were 10 minutes, Tuesday was 15 minutes, and yesterday was 20, plus at least half an hour in Mom's garage just trying to teach myself some simple hand tricks.
It makes me sweat from head to toe, works every muscle group from my shoulders down to my calves, and is SO. MUCH. FUN. It makes me wish I had more open indoor space to play in, though I am thankful that our living room, with the sofa pushed back is juuuuust enough room to do the basic hoop.
I'm addicted! And I plan on either decorating this one at the next get-together thrown by one of my Dad's friends/one of my regular customers, Cherese, or getting another one to decorate as this one is a bit beat up from being a practice hoop. I worked on some simple tricks yesterday, as I said, and I plan on watching more videos and practicing some more until I can purposefully hoop around my hips and knees, get it on and off me fluidly with it still spinning, learn how to step through it gracefully, etc and do it all without having to stop to fetch the hoop back from the other side of the room.
WHEE!
Yesterday was the Get Things Done Day Off, filled with laundry and shopping and other chores and errands. Some spilled into today, as will happen, but the basic plan for Effing Relax Day Off is:
[o] exercise
[o] shower
[o] eat
[o] Post Office
[o] Stephanie
[o] read more I Know This Much Is True to get myself in a good-writing groove
[o] settle down somewhere to whack at my story until Nacho time
([o] while keeping an eye on the weather)
Aaaaaand OFF I go!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
How Many People Complain About Failing At Nerdery?
The following conversation happened last night via Facebook:
I kinda whipped up that last comment at the moment, but I've been realizing how true it is.
I wear gaming t-shirts and have a wish list of geek-themed accessories (Mario star earrings, companion cube necklace, etc), but I've barely played any video games. I played a couple of Super Marios on my Gameboy--an original one, the big gray brick, my first game player of any kind until I was gifted a Game Cube six or seven years ago. I've played through the Halos and the Half-Lifes. I've done multiplayer in games like Call of Duty and MarioKart. I've started Final Fantasy III and Pokemon: Diamond multiple times, only to get bored of the repetitive playing styles and quit. And, of course, I have a couple of mid- and high-level characters in World of Warcraft. But ask me anything about the mechanics of WoW, test my memory on the storyline in any of the Halo or Half-Life games, and I fail. I have a shirt from Dear Friends, a concert of Final Fantasy music that Ryan attended years ago and gave me a t-shirt from, and whenever I wear it in public I get a couple of people fanboy/fangirling over it...and I have to admit that I didn't actually go, and I wouldn't have truly appreciated it if I had.
I stopped pursuing the idea of being an copyeditor when I realized that I didn't know enough of the rules of grammar and syntax to really be good at it. I still get stuck on who/whom, lie/lay, affect/effect, etc etc. I still use "them" when referring to a single theoretical person*. If there existed a test to qualify for being a true grammar nerd, I am sure I would not pass it with flying colors. I may not fail it, but I wouldn't get a very high score, either.
If someone were to ask me what camera settings I use for my photography, or wanted to discuss great artists of any medium, I'd have no satisfactory response for them (*see). I'm winging it without technical knowledge or inspirational reference. And don't get me started on printing or framing, something I'll be doing in the next few days only with my father's help. I squeal over camera-themed accessories and half the things over at Photojojo, but I don't feel worthy of wearing or using them.
I feel like a poser. A fake. A fraud.
And whenever I try to study the little details that would, in my mind, legitimize my nerdgirl/grammar nerd/artist status--studying Strunk & White or my camera manual or WoW guides--it just doesn't work. Instead of sticking, all the information slides off my brain as if it were covered in Teflon. I can repeat, I can take notes, I can make cheat sheets, but nothing stays.
Why does it matter? Partly because I have issues that make me think I can't assert myself as a "real" nerd or photographer unless I'm Official Expert. Partly because I know that learning these things would help me enjoy the activities more. Knowing the mechanics and ratios in WoW would allow me to be a more active player, knowing how all the buttons and settings on my cameras work would lead to better art, etc.
Then, of course, there's the tie-in to my ongoing identity crisis where I want to feel solid behind the roles I want to play in my life and the values I want to stand behind...and to some people, nerd and artist may not be important parts of an identity. To me, they are, because I can feel they're part of who I am. But I'm failing at them (at least in my mind).
So...what to do?
I kinda whipped up that last comment at the moment, but I've been realizing how true it is.
I wear gaming t-shirts and have a wish list of geek-themed accessories (Mario star earrings, companion cube necklace, etc), but I've barely played any video games. I played a couple of Super Marios on my Gameboy--an original one, the big gray brick, my first game player of any kind until I was gifted a Game Cube six or seven years ago. I've played through the Halos and the Half-Lifes. I've done multiplayer in games like Call of Duty and MarioKart. I've started Final Fantasy III and Pokemon: Diamond multiple times, only to get bored of the repetitive playing styles and quit. And, of course, I have a couple of mid- and high-level characters in World of Warcraft. But ask me anything about the mechanics of WoW, test my memory on the storyline in any of the Halo or Half-Life games, and I fail. I have a shirt from Dear Friends, a concert of Final Fantasy music that Ryan attended years ago and gave me a t-shirt from, and whenever I wear it in public I get a couple of people fanboy/fangirling over it...and I have to admit that I didn't actually go, and I wouldn't have truly appreciated it if I had.
I stopped pursuing the idea of being an copyeditor when I realized that I didn't know enough of the rules of grammar and syntax to really be good at it. I still get stuck on who/whom, lie/lay, affect/effect, etc etc. I still use "them" when referring to a single theoretical person*. If there existed a test to qualify for being a true grammar nerd, I am sure I would not pass it with flying colors. I may not fail it, but I wouldn't get a very high score, either.
If someone were to ask me what camera settings I use for my photography, or wanted to discuss great artists of any medium, I'd have no satisfactory response for them (*see). I'm winging it without technical knowledge or inspirational reference. And don't get me started on printing or framing, something I'll be doing in the next few days only with my father's help. I squeal over camera-themed accessories and half the things over at Photojojo, but I don't feel worthy of wearing or using them.
I feel like a poser. A fake. A fraud.
And whenever I try to study the little details that would, in my mind, legitimize my nerdgirl/grammar nerd/artist status--studying Strunk & White or my camera manual or WoW guides--it just doesn't work. Instead of sticking, all the information slides off my brain as if it were covered in Teflon. I can repeat, I can take notes, I can make cheat sheets, but nothing stays.
Why does it matter? Partly because I have issues that make me think I can't assert myself as a "real" nerd or photographer unless I'm Official Expert. Partly because I know that learning these things would help me enjoy the activities more. Knowing the mechanics and ratios in WoW would allow me to be a more active player, knowing how all the buttons and settings on my cameras work would lead to better art, etc.
Then, of course, there's the tie-in to my ongoing identity crisis where I want to feel solid behind the roles I want to play in my life and the values I want to stand behind...and to some people, nerd and artist may not be important parts of an identity. To me, they are, because I can feel they're part of who I am. But I'm failing at them (at least in my mind).
So...what to do?
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Things I Am Thankful For:
(in no particular order)
-that I have a job
-that I really like my job and those I work with
-that Ryan found a job
-that Ryan found a job that probably won't make him miserable
-that both of our jobs offer health insurance
-that all my parents are (relatively) happy and (relatively) healthy
-that I have many friends in many states that remind me on a regular basis that I'm loved and accepted
-that I have a place to live and food to eat and gas to put in my car
-that we have a wedding to pay for
-and, now, money to plan it with!
-that Ryan and I are both making good changes to our life to be happier and healthier
-that tonight's meal went off without any crucial hitches
-that even my gray clouds have silver linings
:)
-that I have a job
-that I really like my job and those I work with
-that Ryan found a job
-that Ryan found a job that probably won't make him miserable
-that both of our jobs offer health insurance
-that all my parents are (relatively) happy and (relatively) healthy
-that I have many friends in many states that remind me on a regular basis that I'm loved and accepted
-that I have a place to live and food to eat and gas to put in my car
-that we have a wedding to pay for
-and, now, money to plan it with!
-that Ryan and I are both making good changes to our life to be happier and healthier
-that tonight's meal went off without any crucial hitches
-that even my gray clouds have silver linings
:)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Chugging Away.
Love how last entry was titled "I'm Back, Baby!"...then a week and a half of silence...
The best and biggest news since I last wrote a blog post: Ryan got a job! After interviewing for three different First Niagara branches, he was hired as a part-time teller at the Storrs location, after an interview he was sure went badly. I won't go into the specific details of why him getting this job is awesome, but the general details are: good pay, benefits off the bat (including vacation and sick time starting in January), and he gets paid for two weeks of training before he ever starts.
He got the phone call from the HR woman after a morning of me poking our money spreadsheet and getting really anxious about finances, so I just about cried when he told me. Of course, then we had to go out and buy him a lot of business attire, which ain't cheap, but at least we can pay it off pretty quickly! Plus he loves to get all spiffed up, so he's all happy.
In other news, I've been working hard at changing my habits for the better. I've only had one "bad" meal a day for the past three days (as opposed to all of them being "bad"), the other meals being made up of whole grains or salads or yogurts or fruits, with lots of yogurt or fruit or hummus snacks when I get munchie. Last night I was left to my own devices to come up with dinner from the grocery store, something I'mnot all that great terribly at, and I made myself a salad from the Stop & Shop salad bar, with lots of veggies (broccoli! peppers! tomatoes! even spinach!) and a couple of hard boiled eggs, and picked up a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette instead of ranch. Progress!
I've also been getting on my own back about exercising. After realizing that Ryan really had been keeping up with the exercise for a week straight, while I'd been sitting on my duff, I've gotten on the Wii Fit three out of the past four days; I gave myself yesterday off because I had to get up at 7 just to go to work, and my calves were killing me from my workout on Friday morning. Today was a little less enthusiastic, I'll admit, but my calves are still killing me, and I didn't sleep well last night...but I weighed in and did some yoga, so that's better than nothing!
My dad also gave me his old hula hoop, which is heavier and easier to use than most traditional hoops. It's fun! And there's juuuuust enough space in the living room for me to do it without breaking anything. Plus there's always outside...until temperature disallows.
So, yeah: money problems will soon be a thing of the past, we're both working hard at being healthy, and we have Ryan's birthday and Thanksgiving to look forward to this coming week. Whee!
The best and biggest news since I last wrote a blog post: Ryan got a job! After interviewing for three different First Niagara branches, he was hired as a part-time teller at the Storrs location, after an interview he was sure went badly. I won't go into the specific details of why him getting this job is awesome, but the general details are: good pay, benefits off the bat (including vacation and sick time starting in January), and he gets paid for two weeks of training before he ever starts.
He got the phone call from the HR woman after a morning of me poking our money spreadsheet and getting really anxious about finances, so I just about cried when he told me. Of course, then we had to go out and buy him a lot of business attire, which ain't cheap, but at least we can pay it off pretty quickly! Plus he loves to get all spiffed up, so he's all happy.
In other news, I've been working hard at changing my habits for the better. I've only had one "bad" meal a day for the past three days (as opposed to all of them being "bad"), the other meals being made up of whole grains or salads or yogurts or fruits, with lots of yogurt or fruit or hummus snacks when I get munchie. Last night I was left to my own devices to come up with dinner from the grocery store, something I'm
I've also been getting on my own back about exercising. After realizing that Ryan really had been keeping up with the exercise for a week straight, while I'd been sitting on my duff, I've gotten on the Wii Fit three out of the past four days; I gave myself yesterday off because I had to get up at 7 just to go to work, and my calves were killing me from my workout on Friday morning. Today was a little less enthusiastic, I'll admit, but my calves are still killing me, and I didn't sleep well last night...but I weighed in and did some yoga, so that's better than nothing!
My dad also gave me his old hula hoop, which is heavier and easier to use than most traditional hoops. It's fun! And there's juuuuust enough space in the living room for me to do it without breaking anything. Plus there's always outside...until temperature disallows.
So, yeah: money problems will soon be a thing of the past, we're both working hard at being healthy, and we have Ryan's birthday and Thanksgiving to look forward to this coming week. Whee!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
I'm Back, Baby!
Two and a half weeks later, we've survived a snowstorm, 11 days without any power, heat, or running water, several days of dealing with other customers in similar situations at one of the only places in town with power and internet, and a two or three several-day-long runs between showers.
I don't want to say "It all really sucked," even though it did. I was cold from the moment I got home until halfway to work every day; we were showering at Ryan's father's house every couple of days; we only had the chance to do laundry there once, so I was wearing a lot of dirty clothes; I was brushing my teeth at work every morning; we were melting snow to flush the toilet; and finally, we missed the season premiere of Bones. The misery!
On the other hand, we were relatively lucky in that we had a couple of places to go to charge things and shower and feel warm for a little bit. Going to work was a definite lifesaver, most of the time. I say "most of the time" because by the last couple of days, I felt filthy and stupid and just...not human. I was a wreck. Mom got power back on Tuesday, so I was able to shower before work, and it made a huge difference. I didn't have to concentrate to remember which were the big lids or little lids, which coffee needed to be brewed, or if 8 was 5 plus 2 or 3.
...I'm not kidding, by the way. It was always that number, too; Sunday and Monday, every time I had to create 8 dollars in change, I had to think if I added one or two singles to the five. What the hell.
Ryan stayed surprisingly upbeat during the whole thing, especially once we borrowed the radio from Mom and he had music to fill the hours. We also did our best to be productive, which resulted in our little home being almost completely furnished and decorated to our hopes, something we thought would take a couple of months. I'd come home to find a few pictures hung up, or the kitchen organized, or the bookcase rearranged.
Of course, he also racked up over 30 hours in Final Fantasy V on his GameBoy DS, but whatever. It's not like I read through 5 books in as many nights or anything...
I am extremely proud of Ryan for his humor and optimism throughout the entire thing, especially as he was the worst off of the two of us. He had no job to go to for distraction, his favorite activities all require internet or at least electricity, and a combination of no running dehumidifier and several hours of smoky candles every night made him wheeze and cough and snore like you wouldn't believe.
The biggest difference this made to us, besides being pretty miserable for almost two weeks and spending way more on fast food than I would like to admit, is the diet. Ryan had planned on starting his cleanse, the first 10 days of his 100 day extreme diet, on Monday the 31st. Due to the fact that cleanses usually involve, you know, cleansing one's system, and we were resorting to flushing our toilet infrequently with melted snow (a toilet, I should add, that resides in a room with no windows to either let in light or let out smells), he decided to postpone the cleanse, for the sake of both our comfort and our relationship.
We finally got power back on Tuesday evening, and have been thoroughly enjoying it the past two days...even if we spent almost the entirety of Wednesday out of the house. We can watch TV! We can run the dehumidifier! We don't have to go to sleep at 10 just because we're bored! The amazement never ends!
Yesterday we bought $70 dollars of fruits and vegetables, last night he had his last soda (Coca-Cola), last beer (Stella Artois), and last pizza (Frank Pepe in Manchester, half sausage and peppers, half chicken and bacon), and today began The Cleanse. His breakfast was an Apple Pear smoothie, made with 2 apples, 2 pears, half a cup of grapes, a chunk of ginger, and some cinnamon. Pretty tasty! We also updated our Wii Fit Plus profiles to start fresh, and Ryan decided to do a run. He covered a little over three miles in half an hour, burning almost 350 calories! Color my impressed.
I am being a weenie and not doing a cleanse. It's party being a wimp over not wanting to eat only fruits and veggies for 10 days, and part is being concerned with how I'd fare at work. Besides, someone has to eat the leftover now-forbidden food left in the house, right?
On Sunday, the 20th, we'll start the next, biggest phase: 90 days following an almost vegan diet: no meat, no dairy, no processed food, no sugar, no caffeine, staying almost entirely to produce, whole grains, and legumes.
In the next 10 days, I'll be doing a combination of weaning and last hurrahs, getting in my last bits of favorite soon-to-be-off-limits foods while lessening the amount of fat, sugar, caffeine, and dairy I partake in each day. Have I mentioned where I work? Have I asked for many wishes of good luck?
Honestly, I am looking forward to it, to the challenge of it, the healthy habits we'll be learning, and the undoubtedly delicious creations Ryan will be whipping up for us with his new pantry.
I'll keep you posted!
I don't want to say "It all really sucked," even though it did. I was cold from the moment I got home until halfway to work every day; we were showering at Ryan's father's house every couple of days; we only had the chance to do laundry there once, so I was wearing a lot of dirty clothes; I was brushing my teeth at work every morning; we were melting snow to flush the toilet; and finally, we missed the season premiere of Bones. The misery!
On the other hand, we were relatively lucky in that we had a couple of places to go to charge things and shower and feel warm for a little bit. Going to work was a definite lifesaver, most of the time. I say "most of the time" because by the last couple of days, I felt filthy and stupid and just...not human. I was a wreck. Mom got power back on Tuesday, so I was able to shower before work, and it made a huge difference. I didn't have to concentrate to remember which were the big lids or little lids, which coffee needed to be brewed, or if 8 was 5 plus 2 or 3.
...I'm not kidding, by the way. It was always that number, too; Sunday and Monday, every time I had to create 8 dollars in change, I had to think if I added one or two singles to the five. What the hell.
Ryan stayed surprisingly upbeat during the whole thing, especially once we borrowed the radio from Mom and he had music to fill the hours. We also did our best to be productive, which resulted in our little home being almost completely furnished and decorated to our hopes, something we thought would take a couple of months. I'd come home to find a few pictures hung up, or the kitchen organized, or the bookcase rearranged.
Of course, he also racked up over 30 hours in Final Fantasy V on his GameBoy DS, but whatever. It's not like I read through 5 books in as many nights or anything...
I am extremely proud of Ryan for his humor and optimism throughout the entire thing, especially as he was the worst off of the two of us. He had no job to go to for distraction, his favorite activities all require internet or at least electricity, and a combination of no running dehumidifier and several hours of smoky candles every night made him wheeze and cough and snore like you wouldn't believe.
The biggest difference this made to us, besides being pretty miserable for almost two weeks and spending way more on fast food than I would like to admit, is the diet. Ryan had planned on starting his cleanse, the first 10 days of his 100 day extreme diet, on Monday the 31st. Due to the fact that cleanses usually involve, you know, cleansing one's system, and we were resorting to flushing our toilet infrequently with melted snow (a toilet, I should add, that resides in a room with no windows to either let in light or let out smells), he decided to postpone the cleanse, for the sake of both our comfort and our relationship.
We finally got power back on Tuesday evening, and have been thoroughly enjoying it the past two days...even if we spent almost the entirety of Wednesday out of the house. We can watch TV! We can run the dehumidifier! We don't have to go to sleep at 10 just because we're bored! The amazement never ends!
Yesterday we bought $70 dollars of fruits and vegetables, last night he had his last soda (Coca-Cola), last beer (Stella Artois), and last pizza (Frank Pepe in Manchester, half sausage and peppers, half chicken and bacon), and today began The Cleanse. His breakfast was an Apple Pear smoothie, made with 2 apples, 2 pears, half a cup of grapes, a chunk of ginger, and some cinnamon. Pretty tasty! We also updated our Wii Fit Plus profiles to start fresh, and Ryan decided to do a run. He covered a little over three miles in half an hour, burning almost 350 calories! Color my impressed.
I am being a weenie and not doing a cleanse. It's party being a wimp over not wanting to eat only fruits and veggies for 10 days, and part is being concerned with how I'd fare at work. Besides, someone has to eat the leftover now-forbidden food left in the house, right?
On Sunday, the 20th, we'll start the next, biggest phase: 90 days following an almost vegan diet: no meat, no dairy, no processed food, no sugar, no caffeine, staying almost entirely to produce, whole grains, and legumes.
In the next 10 days, I'll be doing a combination of weaning and last hurrahs, getting in my last bits of favorite soon-to-be-off-limits foods while lessening the amount of fat, sugar, caffeine, and dairy I partake in each day. Have I mentioned where I work? Have I asked for many wishes of good luck?
Honestly, I am looking forward to it, to the challenge of it, the healthy habits we'll be learning, and the undoubtedly delicious creations Ryan will be whipping up for us with his new pantry.
I'll keep you posted!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
At Least I Tried?
Sooo my paycheck was not as pleasing as I had hoped. Yes, it had all my hours from my last week in Indiana and my first week in Connecticut...but they were all charged at the Indiana pay rate, which is over a dollar less than my current, Connecticut pay rate. I probably wouldn't let it slip anyway, but then they charged me both state's taxes without paying both rates? That ain't coo'.
I called the payroll number, she was very helpful, all that has to happen is my boss has to file some kind of action tomorrow and I should have retroactive pay in my next paycheck this Friday.
(On a side note--getting paid every week as opposed to every other week? I think I can do that!)
Work is still going well in the areas of the actual work and the people I work with. The only problem, currently, is the physical demand. I can't remember if I mentioned it in da blog, but my back was killing me during the week, and I decided it was from barring for hours on end; bending at the waist to lift gallons of milk from knee-or shin-height. There's also the sauce pumps and the spray-washer-thingie in the sink, but those are mostly working on my neck and shoulders. My back is definitely from the gallons of milk.
So on Friday I tried a different method: Instead of bending, I would squat down, grab a gallon, then stand up. It worked beautifully for my back! No problem at all! My thighs, on the other hand, still hurt two days later. I spent yesterdaywhining walking like I was on stilts, I was wobbly despite all efforts to exert control over my limbs. Fortunately, I didn't bar my entire shift...just part of it!
Of course, then I went to Catsy's house. She has stairs. I whined a lot.
I went to Catsy's to follow through on my promise: there was a bar in Plainville having a Batman-themed Halloween party, and she convinced me to go with her.
I should mention that Catsy and Batman...I don't even know the correct word. Addiction...obsession...fixation...to say she has a thing for Batman (and everything related to him) is just an understatement. There is no apt way of putting it without doing it injustice. She also loves to dress up (although not as much as she loves Batman...she doesn't love anything that much...), so a Halloween party with a Batman theme? MUST GO! MUST DANCE!
We got all gussied in bellydancer and gypsy gear and set out for the bar. It ended up being...pretty lame. Most of the crowd were the regular bar-going type, in jeans and leather and regular clothing. The band wasn't really bad, just LOUD. There were a few other costumes, some of them even Batman-related (Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, etc)...but we still stuck out a bit. So we left.
Then I felt crappy...then I threw up on the side of the road...then we went home.
I AM SO MUCH FUN.
Honestly, even with the failbar and the nausea, we had fun and laughed a lot. And fortunately, I have today and Monday off, so I can recuperate...between the other plans I/we've made. But they're good plans, fun plans, recuperation-of-the-soul kind of plans, so it's all good! :)
I called the payroll number, she was very helpful, all that has to happen is my boss has to file some kind of action tomorrow and I should have retroactive pay in my next paycheck this Friday.
(On a side note--getting paid every week as opposed to every other week? I think I can do that!)
Work is still going well in the areas of the actual work and the people I work with. The only problem, currently, is the physical demand. I can't remember if I mentioned it in da blog, but my back was killing me during the week, and I decided it was from barring for hours on end; bending at the waist to lift gallons of milk from knee-or shin-height. There's also the sauce pumps and the spray-washer-thingie in the sink, but those are mostly working on my neck and shoulders. My back is definitely from the gallons of milk.
So on Friday I tried a different method: Instead of bending, I would squat down, grab a gallon, then stand up. It worked beautifully for my back! No problem at all! My thighs, on the other hand, still hurt two days later. I spent yesterday
Of course, then I went to Catsy's house. She has stairs. I whined a lot.
I went to Catsy's to follow through on my promise: there was a bar in Plainville having a Batman-themed Halloween party, and she convinced me to go with her.
I should mention that Catsy and Batman...I don't even know the correct word. Addiction...obsession...fixation...to say she has a thing for Batman (and everything related to him) is just an understatement. There is no apt way of putting it without doing it injustice. She also loves to dress up (although not as much as she loves Batman...she doesn't love anything that much...), so a Halloween party with a Batman theme? MUST GO! MUST DANCE!
We got all gussied in bellydancer and gypsy gear and set out for the bar. It ended up being...pretty lame. Most of the crowd were the regular bar-going type, in jeans and leather and regular clothing. The band wasn't really bad, just LOUD. There were a few other costumes, some of them even Batman-related (Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, etc)...but we still stuck out a bit. So we left.
Then I felt crappy...then I threw up on the side of the road...then we went home.
I AM SO MUCH FUN.
Honestly, even with the failbar and the nausea, we had fun and laughed a lot. And fortunately, I have today and Monday off, so I can recuperate...between the other plans I/we've made. But they're good plans, fun plans, recuperation-of-the-soul kind of plans, so it's all good! :)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Money! Ja Gut!
I've spent the past month bugging the hell out of my superiors at my new store, asking if they'd seen or heard any sign of where my paycheck from Indiana could be. No one had any answers. Finally called Partner Contact Number, just got off the phone--it'll be in tomorrow's check! Woohoo! So tomorrow I'll have 32.5 hours of Indiana pay and 37.5 hours of Connecticut pay, AND I'll finally find out exactly how much I'm being paid here in Connecticut. Oh, and we can finally pay our first month's rent. Huzzah for money!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Blasts From The Past
One of the more interesting things about my new store is the location. As I've mentioned, my store is directly across from my old high school--and when I say directly, I mean I can look up from the bar, out the front windows, and see the front door of the school. This means we can watch the buses gather and prepare ourselves for the coming wave, and, if I'm not barring like the wind or floating like a badass butterfly, I scan the crowd for the familiar faces of former teachers.
I've seen a couple so far, as well as some of the non-teaching faculty. I've only seen four teachers that I actually had, all of them English: Mr. Barnes, Mr. Mingrone, Mr. Andersen, and Ms. Abercrombie. I had them for 11A English, 10A English, and Creative Writing, respectively.
Mr. Barnes was a great teacher in more ways that one. The best memorable thing I know about him isn't even my memory; it's my friend Michael's. Michael was in English class on September 11th 2001, when the school stopped the regular schedule to figure out what to do. Mr. Barnes had the TV on so everyone could watch the news. When the administration cut off the entire TV network, Mr. Barnes got up, went to his closet, and got out a radio without saying a word. He just turned it on to a news radio station, and the class stared at that instead.
Mr. Mingrone was my first high school teacher to assign creative writing work. I still have poetry from those assignments stashed away somewhere, partly because I like them and partly because of the comments he wrote on them. They were all encouraging, and not just generic "good job following the assignment." His comments encouraged me to keep going. I said hello to him this past week when he came in for coffee, but he didn't appear to recognize me. While I'm honestly not surprised--I was in his class nine years ago and he's had thousands of students before and after me--it did make me a little sad. He was a favorite teacher for his stories from his years as a carnie, and his alternatively whimsical and cynical sense of humor. When the TVs were turned off on 9/11, my friend Danielle was in Mingrone's class. He turned to the students and said "Well, obviously you guys aren't mature enough to deal with these terrible events. Let's instead turn back to our current book, The Crucible, where a person's biggest worry was being persecuted and burned to death on the accusation of being a witch!"
I also almost got in a car accident with him once. Anyone who has had to navigate the intersection of Spring Hill and Davis Roads can tell you that it's a tricky one. We had a good laugh about it.
Moving on.
Mr. Andersen and Ms. Abercrombie came in just last night, an hour or so before I clocked out. They're actually a married couple who hand Creative Writing back and forth every year. I forget if I took it in my Junior and first Senior year, or if I took it both Senior years, but the point is that I took Creative Writing twice, and got to enjoy both of their teaching styles.
They remembered me! They both gave me looks when they got up to the counter, like "Heyyy..." Ms. Abercrombie was on her cell phone and went to a table to finish her conversation, while Mr. Andersen ordered their drinks (and their son's pastry). I had to tell him my name, but he did remember me! And asked if I was still writing. We chatted a bit about how hard it is to find time, and how he's almost done with his novel that he's been working on for three years! Ms. Abercrombie came up after she got off the phone, and said "Ruth...it is so good to see you! I knew I knew you, bu your hair threw me off!" She seemed really pleased to see me, and said that I'd definitely be seeing her.
That really...really made my day. My whole week. My Creative Writing teachers, two of the biggest pushes I've ever had, remember me! Positively, even! Heeeeeeeeeeeee....
...and now I've sent friend requests to both of them on Facebook. Whee!
On the English note, NaNoWriMo is coming right up...and I'm torn. Do I participate? If I do, do I do a parallel participation, try to either finish or add 50,000 words to Found, the novel I started last November? Do I start a brand new project and be "official"? Do I only participate insofar as I spread the good word about it and encourage (that is, annoy) my friends who are participating?
Decisions, decisions.
I do know that it's time to get back down to business. We're settled, I'm comfortable at work, and the pressing matters in my life are either appointment-based or temporary (doctor's appointments, laundry, etc). While my store may be constantly busy, there are tables available once in a while, and there's also a cafe in Stafford that looks to be a pretty nice place to write an afternoon away. Somehow, I gotta get a groove going.
Speaking of getting going, it's noon now and I haven't really started the day yet. It may be chore day, photography day, writing day, or lazing day...not sure quite yet. Whee!
I've seen a couple so far, as well as some of the non-teaching faculty. I've only seen four teachers that I actually had, all of them English: Mr. Barnes, Mr. Mingrone, Mr. Andersen, and Ms. Abercrombie. I had them for 11A English, 10A English, and Creative Writing, respectively.
Mr. Barnes was a great teacher in more ways that one. The best memorable thing I know about him isn't even my memory; it's my friend Michael's. Michael was in English class on September 11th 2001, when the school stopped the regular schedule to figure out what to do. Mr. Barnes had the TV on so everyone could watch the news. When the administration cut off the entire TV network, Mr. Barnes got up, went to his closet, and got out a radio without saying a word. He just turned it on to a news radio station, and the class stared at that instead.
Mr. Mingrone was my first high school teacher to assign creative writing work. I still have poetry from those assignments stashed away somewhere, partly because I like them and partly because of the comments he wrote on them. They were all encouraging, and not just generic "good job following the assignment." His comments encouraged me to keep going. I said hello to him this past week when he came in for coffee, but he didn't appear to recognize me. While I'm honestly not surprised--I was in his class nine years ago and he's had thousands of students before and after me--it did make me a little sad. He was a favorite teacher for his stories from his years as a carnie, and his alternatively whimsical and cynical sense of humor. When the TVs were turned off on 9/11, my friend Danielle was in Mingrone's class. He turned to the students and said "Well, obviously you guys aren't mature enough to deal with these terrible events. Let's instead turn back to our current book, The Crucible, where a person's biggest worry was being persecuted and burned to death on the accusation of being a witch!"
I also almost got in a car accident with him once. Anyone who has had to navigate the intersection of Spring Hill and Davis Roads can tell you that it's a tricky one. We had a good laugh about it.
Moving on.
Mr. Andersen and Ms. Abercrombie came in just last night, an hour or so before I clocked out. They're actually a married couple who hand Creative Writing back and forth every year. I forget if I took it in my Junior and first Senior year, or if I took it both Senior years, but the point is that I took Creative Writing twice, and got to enjoy both of their teaching styles.
They remembered me! They both gave me looks when they got up to the counter, like "Heyyy..." Ms. Abercrombie was on her cell phone and went to a table to finish her conversation, while Mr. Andersen ordered their drinks (and their son's pastry). I had to tell him my name, but he did remember me! And asked if I was still writing. We chatted a bit about how hard it is to find time, and how he's almost done with his novel that he's been working on for three years! Ms. Abercrombie came up after she got off the phone, and said "Ruth...it is so good to see you! I knew I knew you, bu your hair threw me off!" She seemed really pleased to see me, and said that I'd definitely be seeing her.
That really...really made my day. My whole week. My Creative Writing teachers, two of the biggest pushes I've ever had, remember me! Positively, even! Heeeeeeeeeeeee....
...and now I've sent friend requests to both of them on Facebook. Whee!
On the English note, NaNoWriMo is coming right up...and I'm torn. Do I participate? If I do, do I do a parallel participation, try to either finish or add 50,000 words to Found, the novel I started last November? Do I start a brand new project and be "official"? Do I only participate insofar as I spread the good word about it and encourage (that is, annoy) my friends who are participating?
Decisions, decisions.
I do know that it's time to get back down to business. We're settled, I'm comfortable at work, and the pressing matters in my life are either appointment-based or temporary (doctor's appointments, laundry, etc). While my store may be constantly busy, there are tables available once in a while, and there's also a cafe in Stafford that looks to be a pretty nice place to write an afternoon away. Somehow, I gotta get a groove going.
Speaking of getting going, it's noon now and I haven't really started the day yet. It may be chore day, photography day, writing day, or lazing day...not sure quite yet. Whee!
Friday, October 14, 2011
More New Things From My New Store
Something I've had a very hard time getting used to: coffee cadence. While every store in Indiana stopped brewing decaf and bold after noon, here they don't stop until much later at night. Brew station is also not just the responsibility of the "front person" (we're all front...no drive-thru) but of anyone who is free at that moment to start the next batch. We don't pre-grind, so it's always fresher, and the rule of thumb is to keep an eye on the timer and start working on the next urn when there's two minutes left. That's all fine and dandy, but it's still tricky for me. I'm used to either being all about brew station, or doing my best to ignore it (saying I ignored it is a straight lie. I got a wee bit obsessed about it. I'm a little crazy). Now I have to pay attention to it, but it can't be my biggest priority, no matter what my position.
It's steady enough that being on bar or register basically means you're planted there for a good while. Float means you're doing whatever the other two need of you, which, again, is pretty steady: getting plain coffee for customers (or starting mistos or red eyes), fetching pastries, warming pastries or sandwiches, grinding customer's coffee, rinsing pitchers, fetching ice, fetching milk, stocking cups/lids/sleeves/syrups, trading out dish tubs, and, of course, keeping up with the cadence. I was float for almost two hours at the start of yesterday's shift, and I felt like a chicken with my head cut off. I finally hit the rhythm of it right before my ten, but most of it I felt like I was prioritizing things wrong, rinsing pitchers when I should have been fetching a pastry, warming a bagel when I should have been fetching ice, etc. I think I'll get there eventually, but yesterday, it basically sucked. (It's possible that my sense of Constantly Doing It Wrong was due to the attitude of the guy on register, who is hard to read leaning toward impatience, but I was probably also Doing It Wrong).
I spent the rest of my shift, even after returning from breaks, was barring. I. Love. Barring. I'm pretty sure just about every barista loves to bar. There is something so deeply fulfilling about it, finding a rhythm to complete a set list of small tasks that eventually turn an empty cup covered in Sharpie markings into a delicious beverage. And when it's double barring, making a hot drink and a cold drink while prepping another drink, ahhh...you find a rhythm, you time things between steaming and pouring shots and blending and finishing, and it's delicious.
I rang customers most of my first day, and that was also pretty nice: mark cups, scan things, explain drinks, make small talk, grab pastries or coffee is the float is busy elsewhere, collect money, and never have to move or really worry about anything else.
Other things!
[o] It wasn't until clocking out on Tuesday that I realized that it wasn't just this week that was posted....or next week...but the entire month! I don't know if this month was special, but it could be that my SM does multiple weeks of scheduling at a time. Hallelujah!
[o] Same time I realized there were multiple weeks of schedules, I realized that my next two weeks only have 29 hours. This worried me a bit, as I was under the impression that, due to their desperation for mids and my strong desire to work only mids, I'd get all the hours I could handle. Yesterday I finally got the chance to ask my SM about it, and he asked if 29 was a good number or if I'd like more. I told him I'll take all the hours he'll give me, and he said "Oh, okay, I can totally do that." Saweet!
[o] In Connecticut, we get paychecks every week. Doesn't really change how much we're earning, but I get to feel a little richer, at least. Today will be my first payday, and I'll finally get to see what I earn! And hopefully find my last Indiana paycheck! Wouldn't that be nice.
[o] My co-workers are pretty much all-around awesome. (Not as awesome as Indiana, of course, but that'd be all but impossible to do). It's pretty much the same ratio of college students to working stiffs, with many of the working stiffs done with college, either due to graduating or being sick of the bureaucracy. Point is, they all seem to be really smart, but not stuck up assholes about it. There's also a healthy smattering of artsy hippies, which makes my heart happy.
[o] This particular store has art on the wall that is obviously not sent by corporate. I asked someone who's been at the store for a while, and she said that the store has a contract with the UConn Photography Club. Nice! She also told me that it is possible for partners to have their work put up, it's been done before. Someone's going to have a talk with the boss soon!
In other news, Ryan is at a job interview right this second for a part-time bank teller position. Not counting chickens...but hoping!
It's steady enough that being on bar or register basically means you're planted there for a good while. Float means you're doing whatever the other two need of you, which, again, is pretty steady: getting plain coffee for customers (or starting mistos or red eyes), fetching pastries, warming pastries or sandwiches, grinding customer's coffee, rinsing pitchers, fetching ice, fetching milk, stocking cups/lids/sleeves/syrups, trading out dish tubs, and, of course, keeping up with the cadence. I was float for almost two hours at the start of yesterday's shift, and I felt like a chicken with my head cut off. I finally hit the rhythm of it right before my ten, but most of it I felt like I was prioritizing things wrong, rinsing pitchers when I should have been fetching a pastry, warming a bagel when I should have been fetching ice, etc. I think I'll get there eventually, but yesterday, it basically sucked. (It's possible that my sense of Constantly Doing It Wrong was due to the attitude of the guy on register, who is hard to read leaning toward impatience, but I was probably also Doing It Wrong).
I spent the rest of my shift, even after returning from breaks, was barring. I. Love. Barring. I'm pretty sure just about every barista loves to bar. There is something so deeply fulfilling about it, finding a rhythm to complete a set list of small tasks that eventually turn an empty cup covered in Sharpie markings into a delicious beverage. And when it's double barring, making a hot drink and a cold drink while prepping another drink, ahhh...you find a rhythm, you time things between steaming and pouring shots and blending and finishing, and it's delicious.
I rang customers most of my first day, and that was also pretty nice: mark cups, scan things, explain drinks, make small talk, grab pastries or coffee is the float is busy elsewhere, collect money, and never have to move or really worry about anything else.
Other things!
[o] It wasn't until clocking out on Tuesday that I realized that it wasn't just this week that was posted....or next week...but the entire month! I don't know if this month was special, but it could be that my SM does multiple weeks of scheduling at a time. Hallelujah!
[o] Same time I realized there were multiple weeks of schedules, I realized that my next two weeks only have 29 hours. This worried me a bit, as I was under the impression that, due to their desperation for mids and my strong desire to work only mids, I'd get all the hours I could handle. Yesterday I finally got the chance to ask my SM about it, and he asked if 29 was a good number or if I'd like more. I told him I'll take all the hours he'll give me, and he said "Oh, okay, I can totally do that." Saweet!
[o] In Connecticut, we get paychecks every week. Doesn't really change how much we're earning, but I get to feel a little richer, at least. Today will be my first payday, and I'll finally get to see what I earn! And hopefully find my last Indiana paycheck! Wouldn't that be nice.
[o] My co-workers are pretty much all-around awesome. (Not as awesome as Indiana, of course, but that'd be all but impossible to do). It's pretty much the same ratio of college students to working stiffs, with many of the working stiffs done with college, either due to graduating or being sick of the bureaucracy. Point is, they all seem to be really smart, but not stuck up assholes about it. There's also a healthy smattering of artsy hippies, which makes my heart happy.
[o] This particular store has art on the wall that is obviously not sent by corporate. I asked someone who's been at the store for a while, and she said that the store has a contract with the UConn Photography Club. Nice! She also told me that it is possible for partners to have their work put up, it's been done before. Someone's going to have a talk with the boss soon!
In other news, Ryan is at a job interview right this second for a part-time bank teller position. Not counting chickens...but hoping!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
My First Day At Work Part III: The Caffeinating.
SO. I had planned allllll day to make a long-ish post, mostly paragraphs, talking about my first day at my new story in Storrs. HOWEVER. Two weeks of not working added to a seven-and-a-half-hour shift added to a very late meal added to a long day added to not having anything to eat since a slice of pizza almost six hours ago added to poor sleep last night equals out to a fairly brief entry.
(Note from author made halfway through this entry: apparently it's not going to be brief after all. Consider this your warning, all you readers somewhat new to my blog. For those not new: it's about average length.)
Here goes!
Things that are different at my new story:
[o] Fresh bananas! They're a pain in the ass to peel without touching the actual banana before blending. They actually make it take a little bit longer. They also apparently make for a lot of waste what with store-until dates and times when they've arrived in a...less than appetizing form. I didn't even know bananas could sweat. Verdict: boo.
[o] Recycling! Milk jugs, cartons (soy, juice, dairy), syrup containers, and newspapers all go in a recycling bin! My inner hippie is ecstatic! Verdict: woo!
[o] Ice bin! There's only one! It's like the long one at Ironwood, more of a trough than a bin, but I'm learning how to deal with it pretty quickly. Verdict: meh.
[o] Ice maker! Back to the plastic scoop and no velcro to keep the lid from smashing my hand! Boo!
[o] Blenders! They're attached to a bar at about hip height. And there's only two pitchers, one regular and one soy. Boo.
[o] Boss Man! He's a lot like my dad, an aging hippie just dripping with snark who likes to bust his workers' balls, mutters about customers under his breath on the floor, and outright calls them assholes and idiots in the back room. WOO!
[o] Co-workers! They're very nice and very friendly and very sarcastic. I like 'em. They also take care of each other on the floor. There was never a moment when it felt like someone was being abandoned while ringing or barring or anything else. Support is a given, scheduled in. And with how busy it was, that was really, really nice to have. Woo!
[o] Bars! THERE'S TWO OF THEM RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. When it gets really busy, you can pour four shots and steam two pitchers AT THE SAME TIME. I'd make a :D face but it wouldn't be a smile, it'd be a jaw dropped from the sheer wonder of it all! WOO!
[o] The order! It gets dropped off in the middle of the store, leaving us to cart it into the back to be sorted and put away. UGH. Boo.
[o] You know all those containers and tools we baristas use and take for granted every day, things like whips and pitchers and blenders? Yeah...as I mentioned, there were only two frappucinno pitchers, plus only four milk pitchers in use at any given time, and I'm pretty sure the store only has a half a dozen whips. And people, I was going through a whip every 20 minutes during the afternoon rush.
[o] And the one we've all been waiting for, especially me, TIPS. Drum roll please......around TWO BUCKS AN HOUR. Once again: :D WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ahem. *composes self*
I got to work about 15 minutes early, just in time to go downstairs with Boss Man and another, much newer worker to get our cars registered with the plaza people (and learn that the trees behind our building are getting torn down for the new expansion, grumble grumble snarl hiss). I clocked in, the shift asked if I was up for barring, I said yes and jumped right in. Apart from figuring out where things are, it was pretty smooth, and it was awesome to get in a groove and do my favorite part of my job. It was really nice.
It was also really busy. Or, I thought it was busy, although still not as bad as I was expecting. I spent most of the day thinking: Yeah. I can do this. This is busy, and it's challenging, but my boss and co-workers are assuring me that I'm not mucking things up, and everyone seems really nice, and it's definitely do-able. Yeah! Then I talked to Mom on the phone hours later and found out that E.O. Smith (for those in Indiana, that's the high school di-rectly across from my store) was closed today for some kind of staff work day. That rush? That had no students.
Fuhhhh.
There was one bump today: I clocked in at 11, I got my first ten around 1ish...didn't get my meal until 4:30. I'm not entirely clear what happened, but I'm fairly certain it was a staff problem...either it wasn't done well ahead of time, or a partner mucked it up somehow. Not clear. Anyway. I clocked out for my meal, and I was all cranky about it, and decided hell with it, I'm getting myself a slice of pizza for lunch. The woman at Domino's informed me that the slice lunch special ended at 2...but she'd give it to me for free for the trouble. Then I went to the convenience store, got myself a juice...the clerk rummaged up a .50 cent off coupon to use on it, then gave me a few more for later use. I used the last 10 minutes or so to poke around the Portal and see if I could locate my last paycheck; Boss Man said he'd give payroll a call to help me find it.
Thanks, Universe! :D
Overall, it was a really great day. After work I went to a twenty-somethings women's group my therapist put together, and it was really great. I got to stop by Willington Pizza Too on the way home and correct a tipping error from a few nights ago, which made me feel a lot better. I got home to find ice cream in the freezer because Ryan wanted to get me something nice. :)
The best part was coming home, being able to take off my shoes and relax, having a space that's ours, that I helped put together and make tidy and welcoming and comfortable. And now I've done my required computer stuff and I've eaten dinner; now I can take a shower and climb into bed with clean jammies and a good book.
Happy sigh.
(Note from author made halfway through this entry: apparently it's not going to be brief after all. Consider this your warning, all you readers somewhat new to my blog. For those not new: it's about average length.)
Here goes!
Things that are different at my new story:
[o] Fresh bananas! They're a pain in the ass to peel without touching the actual banana before blending. They actually make it take a little bit longer. They also apparently make for a lot of waste what with store-until dates and times when they've arrived in a...less than appetizing form. I didn't even know bananas could sweat. Verdict: boo.
[o] Recycling! Milk jugs, cartons (soy, juice, dairy), syrup containers, and newspapers all go in a recycling bin! My inner hippie is ecstatic! Verdict: woo!
[o] Ice bin! There's only one! It's like the long one at Ironwood, more of a trough than a bin, but I'm learning how to deal with it pretty quickly. Verdict: meh.
[o] Ice maker! Back to the plastic scoop and no velcro to keep the lid from smashing my hand! Boo!
[o] Blenders! They're attached to a bar at about hip height. And there's only two pitchers, one regular and one soy. Boo.
[o] Boss Man! He's a lot like my dad, an aging hippie just dripping with snark who likes to bust his workers' balls, mutters about customers under his breath on the floor, and outright calls them assholes and idiots in the back room. WOO!
[o] Co-workers! They're very nice and very friendly and very sarcastic. I like 'em. They also take care of each other on the floor. There was never a moment when it felt like someone was being abandoned while ringing or barring or anything else. Support is a given, scheduled in. And with how busy it was, that was really, really nice to have. Woo!
[o] Bars! THERE'S TWO OF THEM RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. When it gets really busy, you can pour four shots and steam two pitchers AT THE SAME TIME. I'd make a :D face but it wouldn't be a smile, it'd be a jaw dropped from the sheer wonder of it all! WOO!
[o] The order! It gets dropped off in the middle of the store, leaving us to cart it into the back to be sorted and put away. UGH. Boo.
[o] You know all those containers and tools we baristas use and take for granted every day, things like whips and pitchers and blenders? Yeah...as I mentioned, there were only two frappucinno pitchers, plus only four milk pitchers in use at any given time, and I'm pretty sure the store only has a half a dozen whips. And people, I was going through a whip every 20 minutes during the afternoon rush.
[o] And the one we've all been waiting for, especially me, TIPS. Drum roll please......around TWO BUCKS AN HOUR. Once again: :D WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ahem. *composes self*
I got to work about 15 minutes early, just in time to go downstairs with Boss Man and another, much newer worker to get our cars registered with the plaza people (and learn that the trees behind our building are getting torn down for the new expansion, grumble grumble snarl hiss). I clocked in, the shift asked if I was up for barring, I said yes and jumped right in. Apart from figuring out where things are, it was pretty smooth, and it was awesome to get in a groove and do my favorite part of my job. It was really nice.
It was also really busy. Or, I thought it was busy, although still not as bad as I was expecting. I spent most of the day thinking: Yeah. I can do this. This is busy, and it's challenging, but my boss and co-workers are assuring me that I'm not mucking things up, and everyone seems really nice, and it's definitely do-able. Yeah! Then I talked to Mom on the phone hours later and found out that E.O. Smith (for those in Indiana, that's the high school di-rectly across from my store) was closed today for some kind of staff work day. That rush? That had no students.
Fuhhhh.
There was one bump today: I clocked in at 11, I got my first ten around 1ish...didn't get my meal until 4:30. I'm not entirely clear what happened, but I'm fairly certain it was a staff problem...either it wasn't done well ahead of time, or a partner mucked it up somehow. Not clear. Anyway. I clocked out for my meal, and I was all cranky about it, and decided hell with it, I'm getting myself a slice of pizza for lunch. The woman at Domino's informed me that the slice lunch special ended at 2...but she'd give it to me for free for the trouble. Then I went to the convenience store, got myself a juice...the clerk rummaged up a .50 cent off coupon to use on it, then gave me a few more for later use. I used the last 10 minutes or so to poke around the Portal and see if I could locate my last paycheck; Boss Man said he'd give payroll a call to help me find it.
Thanks, Universe! :D
Overall, it was a really great day. After work I went to a twenty-somethings women's group my therapist put together, and it was really great. I got to stop by Willington Pizza Too on the way home and correct a tipping error from a few nights ago, which made me feel a lot better. I got home to find ice cream in the freezer because Ryan wanted to get me something nice. :)
The best part was coming home, being able to take off my shoes and relax, having a space that's ours, that I helped put together and make tidy and welcoming and comfortable. And now I've done my required computer stuff and I've eaten dinner; now I can take a shower and climb into bed with clean jammies and a good book.
Happy sigh.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
New Beginnings...But Aren't All Beginnings New?
I know, I know, it's been over a week and I haven't said anything else.
I'm just...I don't know what to say. While I was in Indiana, this blog was mostly to let my friends and family in Connecticut (and other parts) see how I was doing, what I was up to. But now I'm here, back in Connecticut, and 95% of my readers are now participants in the life I'd be writing about. This now makes blogging about my life both less interesting for them, and more complicated for me.
I have to remind myself: I do have other things to write about!
[o] In the next three months, Ryan and I will be taking on a wild lifestyle change--radically changing what we eat, and dedicating ourselves to exercise and being more physical in general. Seeing as both of usare addicted to love starch and sugar and caffeine and fat and all that delicious stuff, this is going to be...challenging, to say the least.
[o] In the next year, we're planning a wedding! So many decisions to think about, sweat over, go back and forth on, and write about in stupid, no-one-else-but-me-cares detail.
[o] Coming up in just three days, I start at a new store, right across from my old high school, right on the college campus that many friends work on or attend. A store that is much busier than any I've worked in for any period of time, with a dozen brand new people and so many differences from my past two stores!
[o] Part of what I've been looking forward to in moving back to Connecticut is PHOTOGRAPHY. Connecticut is one of the prettiest places anywhere, and I happen to live in what some people term "the middle of nowhere," and others term as "paradise." Trees trees trees TREES, fields, antique houses, streams and rivers and cliffs...Indiana was pretty, I grant you, but when you grow up surrounded by forest, there is just nothing else for it. It's a smorgasbord!
[o] Oh, and writing! I plan on becoming very serious about writing, especially now that moving isn't the main focus of every spare second. There's even a little cafe not even five minutes from my house, right in the center of town, that seems like the perfect retreat...
[o] And, of course, I'm going back to therapy to figure out a LOT of shit about myself. That's a touchier subject, that may be written about less...but if you've read over this blog, you may already know that I'm not always shy when it comes to my personal identity stuff.
See? TONS to talk about still!
See you soon :)
I'm just...I don't know what to say. While I was in Indiana, this blog was mostly to let my friends and family in Connecticut (and other parts) see how I was doing, what I was up to. But now I'm here, back in Connecticut, and 95% of my readers are now participants in the life I'd be writing about. This now makes blogging about my life both less interesting for them, and more complicated for me.
I have to remind myself: I do have other things to write about!
[o] In the next three months, Ryan and I will be taking on a wild lifestyle change--radically changing what we eat, and dedicating ourselves to exercise and being more physical in general. Seeing as both of us
[o] In the next year, we're planning a wedding! So many decisions to think about, sweat over, go back and forth on, and write about in stupid, no-one-else-but-me-cares detail.
[o] Coming up in just three days, I start at a new store, right across from my old high school, right on the college campus that many friends work on or attend. A store that is much busier than any I've worked in for any period of time, with a dozen brand new people and so many differences from my past two stores!
[o] Part of what I've been looking forward to in moving back to Connecticut is PHOTOGRAPHY. Connecticut is one of the prettiest places anywhere, and I happen to live in what some people term "the middle of nowhere," and others term as "paradise." Trees trees trees TREES, fields, antique houses, streams and rivers and cliffs...Indiana was pretty, I grant you, but when you grow up surrounded by forest, there is just nothing else for it. It's a smorgasbord!
[o] Oh, and writing! I plan on becoming very serious about writing, especially now that moving isn't the main focus of every spare second. There's even a little cafe not even five minutes from my house, right in the center of town, that seems like the perfect retreat...
[o] And, of course, I'm going back to therapy to figure out a LOT of shit about myself. That's a touchier subject, that may be written about less...but if you've read over this blog, you may already know that I'm not always shy when it comes to my personal identity stuff.
See? TONS to talk about still!
See you soon :)
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tonight is our last night in South Bend.
The past two days have been a complete mess of packing and stuffing and cleaning and AAAAA.
I am exhausted and useless and tomorrow I have to drive 550+ miles, over 9 hours, to Pennsylvania. WHEE.
I wanted to stay something...but I don't know what. And I'm too tired to think.
It's good, though. I can't wait to get home, and I love the people I've met and things I've experienced and learned and...everything.
Bah. Hopefully I'll be able to speak better when I'm home and less hurried and...yeah.
Love.
The past two days have been a complete mess of packing and stuffing and cleaning and AAAAA.
I am exhausted and useless and tomorrow I have to drive 550+ miles, over 9 hours, to Pennsylvania. WHEE.
I wanted to stay something...but I don't know what. And I'm too tired to think.
It's good, though. I can't wait to get home, and I love the people I've met and things I've experienced and learned and...everything.
Bah. Hopefully I'll be able to speak better when I'm home and less hurried and...yeah.
Love.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
BusyBusyBusy (with a dose of ARGH)
WELL.
I double-booked last-big-hang-out plans with both Aurelie and the rest of Apt 131 for tomorrow. I had forgotten that the apartment had planned a Lord of the Rings marathon (BJ has never seen, we finally own all three, we love them, etc etc) and told Aurelie we could go to Lake Michigan. Figured out my big mistake at the beginning of the week and began the mad scramble to fix it.
Tuesday, That One said that even better than trading his Thursday for my Saturday, he would just takemy Saturday, since he needed the hours. He just needed to talk to his friend who he'd made kinda-sorta-plans with, but he'd call the store that night to let me know!
...yeah, he never called back. Texting him on Wednesday got no response. Fortunately, Diana agreed to trade, so I still got Saturday off! Yay! All I had to do was work her 7:30 shift today!
...UGH.
[o] I closed last night. Left about quarter to 11 (not the best close, whole different ball of WTH).
[o] My sleep was craptastic. I don't think I got a whole hour the entire night. Just awful.
[o] Got up at 6:30, worked 7:30 to 1:30, was a moron the entire time due to sleep deprivation and unhappy stomach not allowing me much caffeine intake.
[o] Get home, get in the shower, have just enough time to get lunch at 933...and not really do anything else.
[o] On the way to Goshen to meet Aurelie, get a text from That One's girlfriend (who I'm friends with) relaying a message from him: he can totally take my Saturday shift! ...yeah, about that. Gave up on that after zero response. Go ask Diana if she wants the shift that is now hers, thanks for letting me know I worked today for nothing, JERKFACE. (I was nicer than that to his girlfriend, obviously).
[o] Hang out with Aurelie at the Goshen Starbucks, good times, good times...hey, why are these ladies setting up candles? Oh, they're hosting a Party Lites event, okay...some of their friends are here, okay...some more friends...now kids....now we're surrounded by a large crowd of loud and excited women getting way too happy about candles and completely ruining our attempts to study/write. FUN.
[o] Get home, open the door to get hit in the face with the smell of cat urine. Horace went in today to get fixed, Ryan picked him up, he pissed in the box on the way home. While he's cleaned himself off (mostly) (he's also adorably drugged), both he and the carrier still reek, making the living area completely inhospitable. So much for watching TV.
Honestly, the only person I'm annoyed with is That One, for obvious reasons. My co-workers today were nice, it was awesome to spend some more time with Aurelie, and I'm hella looking forward to tomorrow's Lord of the Rings-a-thon.
...but MAN. TODAY. BE DONE NOW.
The next week (and then some):
[o] Friday: Lord of the Rings-a-thon, hanging out/baking/drinking with Aurelie and friends in Goshen in the evening, sleeping over to make Saturday an easier start
[o] Saturday: Lake Michigan! WOO! Plus packing in the evening.
[o] Sunday: Last day at Ireland, off at 5:30, may try for another night out with co-workers, but definitely lots of packing after work.
[o] Monday: All-day-come-over-any-time-mostly-933-people party as we continue packing & cleaning.
[o] Tuesday: Scramble to finish shoving everything into the trailer and call to have it picked up that night so we don't have to wait around for it on Wednesday. Bed will be completely packed, so we're spending the night at the hotel next to 933.
[o] Wednesday: Grab breakfast at 933, say good-bye, start driving. End night in Pennsylvania.
[o] Thursday: Continue driving, arrive in Connecticut.
[o] Friday-Sunday: Say hi to everyone, visit my new store, figure out flooring and possibly new furniture, get as settled as we can without 99% of our stuff.
[o] Monday: Trailer arrives, start unpacking.
Meanwhile, my Etsy store is on vacation since (a) we're moving, (b) the listings expired yesterday, and (c) I haven't decided what to list (or re-list) and plan on polling my fanbase (ha) for ideas.
Finally, on a ridiculously sappy note, today is what only I am calling our pre-anniversary. One year from today is Ryan's and my wedding date. :)
Now, back to trying to unkink the stress from my back...
I double-booked last-big-hang-out plans with both Aurelie and the rest of Apt 131 for tomorrow. I had forgotten that the apartment had planned a Lord of the Rings marathon (BJ has never seen, we finally own all three, we love them, etc etc) and told Aurelie we could go to Lake Michigan. Figured out my big mistake at the beginning of the week and began the mad scramble to fix it.
Tuesday, That One said that even better than trading his Thursday for my Saturday, he would just takemy Saturday, since he needed the hours. He just needed to talk to his friend who he'd made kinda-sorta-plans with, but he'd call the store that night to let me know!
...yeah, he never called back. Texting him on Wednesday got no response. Fortunately, Diana agreed to trade, so I still got Saturday off! Yay! All I had to do was work her 7:30 shift today!
...UGH.
[o] I closed last night. Left about quarter to 11 (not the best close, whole different ball of WTH).
[o] My sleep was craptastic. I don't think I got a whole hour the entire night. Just awful.
[o] Got up at 6:30, worked 7:30 to 1:30, was a moron the entire time due to sleep deprivation and unhappy stomach not allowing me much caffeine intake.
[o] Get home, get in the shower, have just enough time to get lunch at 933...and not really do anything else.
[o] On the way to Goshen to meet Aurelie, get a text from That One's girlfriend (who I'm friends with) relaying a message from him: he can totally take my Saturday shift! ...yeah, about that. Gave up on that after zero response. Go ask Diana if she wants the shift that is now hers, thanks for letting me know I worked today for nothing, JERKFACE. (I was nicer than that to his girlfriend, obviously).
[o] Hang out with Aurelie at the Goshen Starbucks, good times, good times...hey, why are these ladies setting up candles? Oh, they're hosting a Party Lites event, okay...some of their friends are here, okay...some more friends...now kids....now we're surrounded by a large crowd of loud and excited women getting way too happy about candles and completely ruining our attempts to study/write. FUN.
[o] Get home, open the door to get hit in the face with the smell of cat urine. Horace went in today to get fixed, Ryan picked him up, he pissed in the box on the way home. While he's cleaned himself off (mostly) (he's also adorably drugged), both he and the carrier still reek, making the living area completely inhospitable. So much for watching TV.
Honestly, the only person I'm annoyed with is That One, for obvious reasons. My co-workers today were nice, it was awesome to spend some more time with Aurelie, and I'm hella looking forward to tomorrow's Lord of the Rings-a-thon.
...but MAN. TODAY. BE DONE NOW.
The next week (and then some):
[o] Friday: Lord of the Rings-a-thon, hanging out/baking/drinking with Aurelie and friends in Goshen in the evening, sleeping over to make Saturday an easier start
[o] Saturday: Lake Michigan! WOO! Plus packing in the evening.
[o] Sunday: Last day at Ireland, off at 5:30, may try for another night out with co-workers, but definitely lots of packing after work.
[o] Monday: All-day-come-over-any-time-mostly-933-people party as we continue packing & cleaning.
[o] Tuesday: Scramble to finish shoving everything into the trailer and call to have it picked up that night so we don't have to wait around for it on Wednesday. Bed will be completely packed, so we're spending the night at the hotel next to 933.
[o] Wednesday: Grab breakfast at 933, say good-bye, start driving. End night in Pennsylvania.
[o] Thursday: Continue driving, arrive in Connecticut.
[o] Friday-Sunday: Say hi to everyone, visit my new store, figure out flooring and possibly new furniture, get as settled as we can without 99% of our stuff.
[o] Monday: Trailer arrives, start unpacking.
Meanwhile, my Etsy store is on vacation since (a) we're moving, (b) the listings expired yesterday, and (c) I haven't decided what to list (or re-list) and plan on polling my fanbase (ha) for ideas.
Finally, on a ridiculously sappy note, today is what only I am calling our pre-anniversary. One year from today is Ryan's and my wedding date. :)
Now, back to trying to unkink the stress from my back...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
It Hath Begun!
Saturday was Ryan's last day at Target. He had considered calling out, then decided against it...and good thing, too, since almost everyone else working that night called out instead! He ended up being a cart attendant for most of the night.
Sunday was spent recovering.
Yesterday, after I left for work at 5:30, he went to work. By the time I got home, about half of our stuff was packed--that is, most of the bookshelf and our bedroom closet. Most of what's left basically has to wait until a couple days before we actually move--our desks, our clothing, etc.
We have a route mapped out (Ryan knows the details, I just know it goes through Pennsylvania), we have our hotels booked (for the night before (since we'll have packed our mattress) and the halfway point), we've bought our driving supplies (snacks, drinks, wet wipes, sunscreen). Soon we'll start picking which CDs we'll want handy in the car, and planning which clothes and belongings we'll want for the almost-week before our trailer arrives.
Today I'm ripping physical CDs into my computer, moving important things from PC to thumbdrive to Mac to iPad to Google whatever and on and on, and changing the address for my magazines and credit cards. Whee!
I'm trying not to think about all the things I wish I could have done that there just isn't time for, or all the money issues (delays while paychecks are mailed, insurance coming out of a half-paycheck, tolls, etc), the fact that my most of my last week I have to work with That One...just getting things done and enjoying the time I have left with my friends here.
....let's pretend that's working, shall we?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Whups...
I've been bad again with the updates...sorry about that.
I've also been bad with calling anybody, making or keeping plans to hang out with people, and basically anything that doesn't involve sticking my head in the sand.
I am...so stressed out. A lot of it is from guilt, from the aforementioned lack of calls or socializing. I also end up feeling guilty whenever money is tight, despite the fact that I'm not running out spending it on stupid things, or sitting back while Ryan does, or anything like that.
-We move in two weeks in a day. We were originally leaving on Tuesday, the 27th, but the U-Pack trailer won't be picked up until Wednesday, and we sure as hell aren't driving away with our stuff still sitting in the Park Jefferson parking lot. Oh, and our stuff probably won't get there until Monday the 3rd, almost a week later. We COULD guarantee its delivery by Friday, but that's $600 extra. EFF THAT.
-Ryan's last day at Target is either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, depending on if he gets one or both of the last two covered. It's going to be a relief for both of us, that place has not been kind to him in the least, but it's also means I'll be the only paycheck from then until he gets a job in Connecticut.
-Ry plans on spending his time between quitting and moving packing, since I'm still working up until the 25th. Then he'll be doing most of the loading when the trailer arrives on the 23rd since, again, I'm working that weekend. He's fine with this, and I have full confidence in him, but I still feel guilty that he'll be doing the majority of the labor for this.
-I have two weeks before I leave Indiana, not to visit for who knows how long. I feel this intense pressure to get in as much awesome hanging out as possible before then, especially with Aurelie, my best friend who will most likely be going to Africa in January, and our roommates, who we've become very close to. However, as I mentioned, stress makes me withdraw, which is not conducive to socializing. Ergh.
-Money is tight. Tighttighttight. Our parents are helping, which we can't thank them for enough, but it all has to go to the move itself, so until then we're sucking it in and holding our breath. Fun.
-Work is stressful and frustrating. That One keeps getting written up but not fired, we had our health & sanitation inspection and didn't do very well, I keep hoping to throw together one last hang out with the co-workers I like but scheduling it sucks, etc etc. On the other hand, I have a hard time thinking about anything other than work when I'm there, so I'm not piling stress on top of stress?
-I have to get together a party for 933, it's a requirement, but I've put off planning until the last minute, and it's not going well. The going plan right now is the Monday before we leave, since we'll both be free, the apartment will be mostly empty with lots of room for people, it might even be cleaned up, and it can be an all-day drop-in-a-thon, for openers or closers or whatevers. Not sure if it's going to work out, though. Argh.
On a more positive note, Ryan and I have been talking about other future stuff, when we have to not talk about the move. We've been working on schematics for a future dream house, which has also been a great way to talk about the future and what we want our lives to be like, both in grand schemes and daily details. There's wedding talk, of course, but it still doesn't feel concrete to me, and won't until we're settled in Connecticut and have a way to figure out budget and everything that follows.
Finally, we've been talking about diet and exercise. I've mentioned in past entries that Ryan has been putting together a plan for when we back, starting with seeing a doctor and a nutritionist, moving on to cleanses and major diet changes and exercise routines, and ending with a happy, healthy lifestyle. We had a long talk about it yesterday, I found out more of his plans, and we're getting pretty excited about it.
...well, that's the update for now. I'm about to print off something, then go to work a bit early to see if anything less than three hours isn't enough to get some writing done.
Oh yeah, the print--I made my first sale! Not on Etsy, but when a co-worker followed a link from Facebook to Tumblr and asked about a photo that she loved that wasn't in the shop. Funnily enough, it's the same print that Kitty and Alex picked out for their wedding present. Meanwhile, Fibonacci's Flower has been growing more and more popular. I plan on putting it in the shop when I reopen it after the move. That's another whole post in itself!
Off I go!
I've also been bad with calling anybody, making or keeping plans to hang out with people, and basically anything that doesn't involve sticking my head in the sand.
I am...so stressed out. A lot of it is from guilt, from the aforementioned lack of calls or socializing. I also end up feeling guilty whenever money is tight, despite the fact that I'm not running out spending it on stupid things, or sitting back while Ryan does, or anything like that.
-We move in two weeks in a day. We were originally leaving on Tuesday, the 27th, but the U-Pack trailer won't be picked up until Wednesday, and we sure as hell aren't driving away with our stuff still sitting in the Park Jefferson parking lot. Oh, and our stuff probably won't get there until Monday the 3rd, almost a week later. We COULD guarantee its delivery by Friday, but that's $600 extra. EFF THAT.
-Ryan's last day at Target is either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, depending on if he gets one or both of the last two covered. It's going to be a relief for both of us, that place has not been kind to him in the least, but it's also means I'll be the only paycheck from then until he gets a job in Connecticut.
-Ry plans on spending his time between quitting and moving packing, since I'm still working up until the 25th. Then he'll be doing most of the loading when the trailer arrives on the 23rd since, again, I'm working that weekend. He's fine with this, and I have full confidence in him, but I still feel guilty that he'll be doing the majority of the labor for this.
-I have two weeks before I leave Indiana, not to visit for who knows how long. I feel this intense pressure to get in as much awesome hanging out as possible before then, especially with Aurelie, my best friend who will most likely be going to Africa in January, and our roommates, who we've become very close to. However, as I mentioned, stress makes me withdraw, which is not conducive to socializing. Ergh.
-Money is tight. Tighttighttight. Our parents are helping, which we can't thank them for enough, but it all has to go to the move itself, so until then we're sucking it in and holding our breath. Fun.
-Work is stressful and frustrating. That One keeps getting written up but not fired, we had our health & sanitation inspection and didn't do very well, I keep hoping to throw together one last hang out with the co-workers I like but scheduling it sucks, etc etc. On the other hand, I have a hard time thinking about anything other than work when I'm there, so I'm not piling stress on top of stress?
-I have to get together a party for 933, it's a requirement, but I've put off planning until the last minute, and it's not going well. The going plan right now is the Monday before we leave, since we'll both be free, the apartment will be mostly empty with lots of room for people, it might even be cleaned up, and it can be an all-day drop-in-a-thon, for openers or closers or whatevers. Not sure if it's going to work out, though. Argh.
On a more positive note, Ryan and I have been talking about other future stuff, when we have to not talk about the move. We've been working on schematics for a future dream house, which has also been a great way to talk about the future and what we want our lives to be like, both in grand schemes and daily details. There's wedding talk, of course, but it still doesn't feel concrete to me, and won't until we're settled in Connecticut and have a way to figure out budget and everything that follows.
Finally, we've been talking about diet and exercise. I've mentioned in past entries that Ryan has been putting together a plan for when we back, starting with seeing a doctor and a nutritionist, moving on to cleanses and major diet changes and exercise routines, and ending with a happy, healthy lifestyle. We had a long talk about it yesterday, I found out more of his plans, and we're getting pretty excited about it.
...well, that's the update for now. I'm about to print off something, then go to work a bit early to see if anything less than three hours isn't enough to get some writing done.
Oh yeah, the print--I made my first sale! Not on Etsy, but when a co-worker followed a link from Facebook to Tumblr and asked about a photo that she loved that wasn't in the shop. Funnily enough, it's the same print that Kitty and Alex picked out for their wedding present. Meanwhile, Fibonacci's Flower has been growing more and more popular. I plan on putting it in the shop when I reopen it after the move. That's another whole post in itself!
Off I go!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Ten years ago, the particular day's schedule at E. O Smith High School had students in a double-A block. I had two English classes in a row. We were on break between them when a friend of mine came up and said they just watched a plane fly into a building. He was in U.S. History at the time, so I thought he was talking about footage from some old war. I went back to English class, and the television was on, and I saw that it had just happened. We watched the footage of the first plane flying into the first tower, and the aftermath, and wondered what made the pilot make such a huge mistake. Then we turned off the television and went back to class. It wasn't until we next changed classes that we learned that another plane had hit.
I went to Human Behavior, and we sat and watched the news. I was allowed to call my mother from the classroom phone, to make sure our family members who live outside D.C. were okay. I watched classmates hold each other, eyes filled with years, staring at the screen, and I still couldn't really understand what was happening. I just knew it was...awful.
I don't remember why I didn't see the first tower fall, but I'll never forget watching the second tower go down. It was...breathtaking. Like being in a vacuum. It was inconceivable. It lasted forever. It was soundless, through the television, when it should have been deafening. It was unreal.
I remember school being let out, most of my group of friends automatically, mindlessly congregating to the alcove we all hung around after school, until Michael came up and said "What are you doing? Get on your busses! Go home!" I remember that all the Mansfield students were wearing flag pins that day, although I can't remember why. I remember listening to the radio when I got home, every show turned into a call-in to talk about what had happened, peoples' thoughts and theories.
I remember that tower falling for what seemed like forever.
I hate that it's become the "cool thing" to not care about what happened on 2001, an anti-sheep-mentality movement to differ oneself from those who bark about the tragedy and wave around American flags without really understanding either one.
I know that worse things have happened. I know that more people have died in this country in previous wars, that "we" have killed people in the Middle East in numbers that make 9/11 pale in comparison, that that majority of those killed were innocent civilians slaughtered in the name of answering for the tragedy.
I also know that my generation--and even the one before it--had never seen such devastation on our home soil in its lifetime. We had heard stories and watched movies and read lessons about Pearl Harbor, the closest comparison I can think of, but it was history. Something that had happened before our time. Something we couldn't fully comprehend.
Then, in the middle of a school day, we were given our own piece of history.
I don't care about the numbers thrown at me if I dare to show any sadness over the tragedy. I mean, of course I care, but it doesn't change how I feel about that day. A hydrogen bomb may be bigger than an atomic bomb, but does that make the destruction from an A-bomb any less horrific?
I don't use that day as a reason to blindly follow certain political parties or causes who shook their fists the best or made the most touching speeches. I don't condone the actions supposedly based on this tragedy that led to more mindless deaths. The sadness in my heart isn't because it's fashionable right now. My pride in the heroes of my country and my fellow human beings--not just the firefighters and policemen who did their duty, but the civilians in the stairwells and on Flight 93 who sacrificed to try and save others--didn't come to me after I watched some television special.
I'm proud because they were brave. I'm sad because it's terrible.
To make a long story short: innocent people died for no good damned reason. Thousands died, millions were devastated and terrified, so many families were forever torn into irreparable pieces. I refuse to be made to feel stupid for mourning that loss, for feeling anger toward the terrorists who flew the plane, for feeling sadness for the families forever affected more deeply than I can ever comprehend.
Save your numbers, save your attempts to belittle a horrible event by painting it with political facts and figures, liberal or conservative or whatever, save your apathy--in fact, fuck your apathy. I don't give a damn about politics, I don't give a damn about comparing this event to others that came before or after, I don't give a damn about trends or agendas or anydamnedthing besides human life.
Innocent lives were lost. And they deserve to be remembered. They deserve to be mourned.
I went to Human Behavior, and we sat and watched the news. I was allowed to call my mother from the classroom phone, to make sure our family members who live outside D.C. were okay. I watched classmates hold each other, eyes filled with years, staring at the screen, and I still couldn't really understand what was happening. I just knew it was...awful.
I don't remember why I didn't see the first tower fall, but I'll never forget watching the second tower go down. It was...breathtaking. Like being in a vacuum. It was inconceivable. It lasted forever. It was soundless, through the television, when it should have been deafening. It was unreal.
I remember school being let out, most of my group of friends automatically, mindlessly congregating to the alcove we all hung around after school, until Michael came up and said "What are you doing? Get on your busses! Go home!" I remember that all the Mansfield students were wearing flag pins that day, although I can't remember why. I remember listening to the radio when I got home, every show turned into a call-in to talk about what had happened, peoples' thoughts and theories.
I remember that tower falling for what seemed like forever.
I hate that it's become the "cool thing" to not care about what happened on 2001, an anti-sheep-mentality movement to differ oneself from those who bark about the tragedy and wave around American flags without really understanding either one.
I know that worse things have happened. I know that more people have died in this country in previous wars, that "we" have killed people in the Middle East in numbers that make 9/11 pale in comparison, that that majority of those killed were innocent civilians slaughtered in the name of answering for the tragedy.
I also know that my generation--and even the one before it--had never seen such devastation on our home soil in its lifetime. We had heard stories and watched movies and read lessons about Pearl Harbor, the closest comparison I can think of, but it was history. Something that had happened before our time. Something we couldn't fully comprehend.
Then, in the middle of a school day, we were given our own piece of history.
I don't care about the numbers thrown at me if I dare to show any sadness over the tragedy. I mean, of course I care, but it doesn't change how I feel about that day. A hydrogen bomb may be bigger than an atomic bomb, but does that make the destruction from an A-bomb any less horrific?
I don't use that day as a reason to blindly follow certain political parties or causes who shook their fists the best or made the most touching speeches. I don't condone the actions supposedly based on this tragedy that led to more mindless deaths. The sadness in my heart isn't because it's fashionable right now. My pride in the heroes of my country and my fellow human beings--not just the firefighters and policemen who did their duty, but the civilians in the stairwells and on Flight 93 who sacrificed to try and save others--didn't come to me after I watched some television special.
I'm proud because they were brave. I'm sad because it's terrible.
To make a long story short: innocent people died for no good damned reason. Thousands died, millions were devastated and terrified, so many families were forever torn into irreparable pieces. I refuse to be made to feel stupid for mourning that loss, for feeling anger toward the terrorists who flew the plane, for feeling sadness for the families forever affected more deeply than I can ever comprehend.
Save your numbers, save your attempts to belittle a horrible event by painting it with political facts and figures, liberal or conservative or whatever, save your apathy--in fact, fuck your apathy. I don't give a damn about politics, I don't give a damn about comparing this event to others that came before or after, I don't give a damn about trends or agendas or anydamnedthing besides human life.
Innocent lives were lost. And they deserve to be remembered. They deserve to be mourned.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Autumn is here.
Put your head outside, and take a deep, big breath.
Do you smell that?
The leaves are changing.
I know it's been September for less than a week, I know it was suffocatingly hot and humid just three days ago, I know everything is still green....but I can still smell it.
I smell the leaves changing. I smell the new paper--notebooks, textbooks, test books, work books, the new pens and pencils and erasers to go with them. I smell the resolutions that this year will be different, this year will be the one where every test is studied for and every paper is aced. I smell hot spiced apple cider, I smell ripe pumpkins, I smell hay bales and melting caramel. I smell changing leaves.
I smell Fall.
Fall will always be my favorite time of year. Spring is second favorite, the fresh breezes and sunshine after Winter make me feel awakened and alive, makes me want to run through the woods, lie in the grass and stare up at the clouds. Summer bakes and warms me down to my bones and brings out my inner sun-worshipper. Winter is crisp, it's cozy, it invites you to come inside by the fire and cuddle up with your loved ones.
But Fall...Like Spring, Fall is a transitional season, a few short months between one extreme and another. Spring may be waking up, but Fall is coming home. It feels simultaneously eternal and momentary, the blue skies and fluffy clouds going on forever as the leaves change and the air starts feeling crisp and snow-laden. It's not too hot or too cold, but it's better than not-too-anything, it's Just Right, it's perfect.
I drove to 933 today with the windows down, wearing corduroys and a thick, long-sleeved hoodie, and it was perfect.
Fall is relief from the oven that is Summer, the deep, calm breath before the chill of Winter. Fall is hope, it's preparation, it's new chances, it's purposeful transition, it's nostalgia, it's an eternal moment.
It's perfect.
Do you smell that?
The leaves are changing.
I know it's been September for less than a week, I know it was suffocatingly hot and humid just three days ago, I know everything is still green....but I can still smell it.
I smell the leaves changing. I smell the new paper--notebooks, textbooks, test books, work books, the new pens and pencils and erasers to go with them. I smell the resolutions that this year will be different, this year will be the one where every test is studied for and every paper is aced. I smell hot spiced apple cider, I smell ripe pumpkins, I smell hay bales and melting caramel. I smell changing leaves.
I smell Fall.
Fall will always be my favorite time of year. Spring is second favorite, the fresh breezes and sunshine after Winter make me feel awakened and alive, makes me want to run through the woods, lie in the grass and stare up at the clouds. Summer bakes and warms me down to my bones and brings out my inner sun-worshipper. Winter is crisp, it's cozy, it invites you to come inside by the fire and cuddle up with your loved ones.
But Fall...Like Spring, Fall is a transitional season, a few short months between one extreme and another. Spring may be waking up, but Fall is coming home. It feels simultaneously eternal and momentary, the blue skies and fluffy clouds going on forever as the leaves change and the air starts feeling crisp and snow-laden. It's not too hot or too cold, but it's better than not-too-anything, it's Just Right, it's perfect.
I drove to 933 today with the windows down, wearing corduroys and a thick, long-sleeved hoodie, and it was perfect.
Fall is relief from the oven that is Summer, the deep, calm breath before the chill of Winter. Fall is hope, it's preparation, it's new chances, it's purposeful transition, it's nostalgia, it's an eternal moment.
It's perfect.
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