I really love my job. It is so much fun, and I feel like it is extremely relevant. I don't like doing jobs in which I don't feel like I am helping others or benefiting someone else's life in some way. I don't see the point otherwise. Since I don't start the post-graduate certificate study for editing until January, I have been working full time and only working, and I'm really happy with it.
The department that I am in is wonderful. It's so well-organized and run by a team of really great people. There is very little office drama, and I feel like a well-respected, valued member of a very multi-cultural and accepting staff. Last year, there was a highly competitive, and...um...provocative tutor who I was friends with for a short time. She may have been academically intelligent, but that apparently didn't carry over into her everyday life. She was extremely jealous and vengeful. When she did not return to work, she, I assume, thought that I had something to do with it. Office drama insued, but the people who I work for backed me and I don't have to worry about her threats anymore. This year, I feel like we have a GREAT tutorial staff, and everyone is friends! I have gotten to be close friends with the geology tutor and another English tutor and am getting to know many others. We started a "tutoring club", and try to get together to watch the games when we can. Last weekend, we watched the UW vs. Oregon game so that Rachel, the geology tutor, could learn how football is played. She got free tickets to the game that will be disrupting the entire city on November 18th, and needed to know how football works, stat! I am planning on doing something similar for the Nov. 18th game, seeing as how it's my birthday, I have the day off because of traffic issues, and I won't be able to get anywhere in my car that day.
I hope everyone had a great Halloween, however long ago that was. I ended up having to give a review for one of my students' midterms. After that, I walked back to my apartment. I realized that I hadn't planned to do anything, this holiday has just snuck up on me. I ended up going over to Rachel, the geology tutor's, house and watching a movie, so that was pretty fun. I spent the last two Fridays leaving straight from work and driving to PA to go to the dentist. I have everything planned out perfectly. If I leave by 11:15, I make it to Edmonds in plenty of time to catch the 12:05 ferry, which gets me to the dentist at almost exactly 2:00. Yesterday, I had two cavities filled, so luckily I won't be going back next week. Last weekend, I stayed in PA overnight, then drove back to Seattle so that we could get together with the other tutors and watch the football game by 12:30. It was against Oregon, who is undefeated. We played really well, actually, but gave up the game in the 4th quarter. Leaving the sports bar, we hitched a ride down to Hec Ed Pavillion to watch the men's basketball exhibition game. Most of us had free tickets from work, so there was a little pack of tutors. I ended up getting my tickets later than the first group of tutors did, so we were sitting in different places. I ended up sitting practically courtside, while they were up in the rafters! Luckily, they were able to sneak in and sit next to me at halftime, in the ICA staff section. All day on Sunday morning, I had to prepare for my students' Drama 101 misterm review. I hadn't planned on teaching a midterm review session, but everyone seemed pretted overwhelmed when their teacher posted the review sheet on the class website and it was about 5 pages long. I had to read like crazy, then go to see the play Love's Labour's Lost that the students were supposed to watch and write a response to. I really enjoyed the play, it was SO good, but it was right in the middle of the afternoon and over 2 hours long. I had to walk straight from the theater to the other end of campus, where I work, finish preparing, and give the review. There was so much information that we ended up not getting all of the way through it, and the students all said that their midterm was overly difficult. I'm waiting to find out most of the scores, but it wasn't a very good test for anybody.
This weekend, I am volunteering as a writing tutor for the Dream Project, which helps kids from 15 high schools around the area fill out college applications and write letters of intent. It's especially helpful to underprivileged students and students who don't speak English as a first language. It's a great program and very well-organized. I felt like I made a difference today. Even though my brain is totally fried, I will be back to tutor all day tomorrow.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Busy Times
Hey Everyone!
Sorry for the lack of posts! It's been about two weeks since I started work for the school year...and it's been about two weeks since I posted. Correlation? Yes, work has been caaarrraaazzzyyy! But that's wonderful. I'm really happy with work this year and it just reminds me of how much I love my job. I have a really full schedule and I have really great students. Really. Really. LOVE my work right now. There's not much I can say about it, except that it's a lot of fun and keeps me busy.
Deshawn still has been unable to attain a job, although lots of people told him that they really like him and want to hire him. He just has a few *issues* to resolve first. He is trying to get back into school for the winter quarter, so hopefully something will finally work out for him.
This weekend, we are heading to Port Angeles to help my parents move into a new house! Since they are currently paying for 3 houses at once, it's a little unnerving, but they're new house it my Dad's dream casa, and it's pretty awesome. It will be sad moving from the house that I grew up in, but I am excited to make some new memories in this house-o-plenty! Or at least have a place with a functioning hot tub and a field of berries (potentially).
Sorry for the lack of posts! It's been about two weeks since I started work for the school year...and it's been about two weeks since I posted. Correlation? Yes, work has been caaarrraaazzzyyy! But that's wonderful. I'm really happy with work this year and it just reminds me of how much I love my job. I have a really full schedule and I have really great students. Really. Really. LOVE my work right now. There's not much I can say about it, except that it's a lot of fun and keeps me busy.
Deshawn still has been unable to attain a job, although lots of people told him that they really like him and want to hire him. He just has a few *issues* to resolve first. He is trying to get back into school for the winter quarter, so hopefully something will finally work out for him.
This weekend, we are heading to Port Angeles to help my parents move into a new house! Since they are currently paying for 3 houses at once, it's a little unnerving, but they're new house it my Dad's dream casa, and it's pretty awesome. It will be sad moving from the house that I grew up in, but I am excited to make some new memories in this house-o-plenty! Or at least have a place with a functioning hot tub and a field of berries (potentially).
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Looking Up
So, things are looking better here. I had a meeting on Friday to discuss my upcoming students, and the learning specialists both said, "You have the problem of being too good. You're such a good tutor that we're sticking you with all of the difficult students." That was really nice to hear, and really, I like working with the at-risk students better that the ones that are easy. Even though I'm not a faculty liaison this quarter, I'm pretty happy with my schedule. I even found out that a got a raise of $1.50 more per hour. Score! Also, the winter editing course looks like a better fit for me. I don't particularly care for online classes, but this one is half online and half in class, and classes are on Saturdays, which is easier for me because then I can have the week free for tutoring. So, it's worked out well in the end.
Deshawn is still looking for a job, but he's signed up with a temp agency and is really working hard to get a position, so hopefully that will be productive soon. On a sad note, his cousin, who has been sick with cancer for awhile now, passed on Tuesday morning. So, Rest In Peace cousin Dell.
Rachel and my Mom came to Seattle for a few days while Rachel had some tests done at the Cancer Care Alliance. The whole thing was kind of a mess from the beginning what with Rachel having a massive seizure while they were waiting for to pick them up, and then when I was on my way to pick them up to take them back to the ferry yesterday, my tire went flat again! Luckily, Chukkie was available to save them, so they made their connections and got home safe and sound. It was certainly fun to see the Krattli clan on Friday night and have some delicious pizza and pop at the CCA house!
School started at the UW this week, and even though I don't really miss going to classes and living in the dorms and all that, it's been nice hanging out with some of my friends who are still in school, like Katherine and Riley. I also had dinner with a friend of mine from my London trip on Thursday. Even though Selena's graduated, it was fun to go The Ram and pretend we were still undergrads anyways.
Yesterday, one of the guys that lives in my apartment was playing something that sounded like the accordion and singing interesting old songs. First off, he sang "The Sidewalks of New York", which I wasn't aware anyone else new. It reminds me of Granny Duncan. Then, he did some sort of accordion version of "The Boy from New York City". Super cool.
Deshawn is still looking for a job, but he's signed up with a temp agency and is really working hard to get a position, so hopefully that will be productive soon. On a sad note, his cousin, who has been sick with cancer for awhile now, passed on Tuesday morning. So, Rest In Peace cousin Dell.
Rachel and my Mom came to Seattle for a few days while Rachel had some tests done at the Cancer Care Alliance. The whole thing was kind of a mess from the beginning what with Rachel having a massive seizure while they were waiting for to pick them up, and then when I was on my way to pick them up to take them back to the ferry yesterday, my tire went flat again! Luckily, Chukkie was available to save them, so they made their connections and got home safe and sound. It was certainly fun to see the Krattli clan on Friday night and have some delicious pizza and pop at the CCA house!
School started at the UW this week, and even though I don't really miss going to classes and living in the dorms and all that, it's been nice hanging out with some of my friends who are still in school, like Katherine and Riley. I also had dinner with a friend of mine from my London trip on Thursday. Even though Selena's graduated, it was fun to go The Ram and pretend we were still undergrads anyways.
Yesterday, one of the guys that lives in my apartment was playing something that sounded like the accordion and singing interesting old songs. First off, he sang "The Sidewalks of New York", which I wasn't aware anyone else new. It reminds me of Granny Duncan. Then, he did some sort of accordion version of "The Boy from New York City". Super cool.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
More Bad News
I was really excited because Deshawn was offered the job that he applied for. He got a phone call yesterday saying that he actually "didn't qualify" for the job, so he wouldn't be hired after all. I was really counting on that because he has to sign the lease to stay with me in the next couple of days, and if he doesn't have a job then I don't think they'll let him stay there. He's spending the day looking for work. I hope he finds something.
I'm excited to start work next week. I think that I'm going to have to look for another job come January, though. My tutoring job isn't going to pay for things anymore, particularly if Deshawn doesn't have a job soon. And since I won't be starting my editing program until winter, I will probably have to get other daytime work. Sigh. When it rains, it pours.
I'm excited to start work next week. I think that I'm going to have to look for another job come January, though. My tutoring job isn't going to pay for things anymore, particularly if Deshawn doesn't have a job soon. And since I won't be starting my editing program until winter, I will probably have to get other daytime work. Sigh. When it rains, it pours.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Stress
I am so stressed out right now. I've been waiting all summer for the fall to start because my job starts up again and I was supposed to start my editing program so that I can go on to edit National Geographic, so something awesome like that.
On September 9th, I got the E-mails from my boss asking for responses on what classes from the given list I would be able to tutor and which faculty liaison positions I would want to fill. There were a lot of great classes, and I sent two comprehensive E-mails about two hours after she had sent the original messages. So, I felt great and all prepared. On the evening of the 16th, I got an E-mail from my boss asking if I had even received the E-mails because she had gotten a response from everyone except me! WTF? I was probably the first tutor to respond! So, I forwarded her the two original messages from my sent box. Needless to say, I did not get a faculty liaison position for this quarter, which I was really hoping for. I will be tutoring a lot of drama and English, so that's good. There has been a lot of correspondence betweem my boss and I this past week. It's been really crazy.
On Tuesday morning, I received an E-mail saying that they were cancelling my editing program due to "low enrollment". Just my program, no one elses. They asked if I wanted to transfer my tuition to the Monday night program (which I can't do because of work) or to the winter quarter blended online class. I don't care for online classes, but that is what I am going to have to do. I'm sick of waiting, and now I have to wait some more. This sucks!
On a happier note, Deshawn got the job that he applied for, so that is nice. Besides the editing program, I have been looking into the paralegal program. There are also three masters programs that look interesting. I am going to have to do a lot of thinking over the next 3 months.
Hope everything is going well for everyone else! I had an awesome time seeing everyone at the zoo last week!
On September 9th, I got the E-mails from my boss asking for responses on what classes from the given list I would be able to tutor and which faculty liaison positions I would want to fill. There were a lot of great classes, and I sent two comprehensive E-mails about two hours after she had sent the original messages. So, I felt great and all prepared. On the evening of the 16th, I got an E-mail from my boss asking if I had even received the E-mails because she had gotten a response from everyone except me! WTF? I was probably the first tutor to respond! So, I forwarded her the two original messages from my sent box. Needless to say, I did not get a faculty liaison position for this quarter, which I was really hoping for. I will be tutoring a lot of drama and English, so that's good. There has been a lot of correspondence betweem my boss and I this past week. It's been really crazy.
On Tuesday morning, I received an E-mail saying that they were cancelling my editing program due to "low enrollment". Just my program, no one elses. They asked if I wanted to transfer my tuition to the Monday night program (which I can't do because of work) or to the winter quarter blended online class. I don't care for online classes, but that is what I am going to have to do. I'm sick of waiting, and now I have to wait some more. This sucks!
On a happier note, Deshawn got the job that he applied for, so that is nice. Besides the editing program, I have been looking into the paralegal program. There are also three masters programs that look interesting. I am going to have to do a lot of thinking over the next 3 months.
Hope everything is going well for everyone else! I had an awesome time seeing everyone at the zoo last week!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Catching Up
Hey everyone! I just got back to Seattle from PA yesertday afternoon. I probably should have blogged from my parents' house, but I just didn't think about it.
I came back to PA last Friday, the evening of the 3rd. I had such a great time during labor day weekend, hanging out with my family at the lake! It's always my favorite thing to do, hanging out with the family, but I especially love it when we all go out to the lake. Many of my best memories are of being with everyone at the lake, and many new memories are still to be made. My other favorite thing is when there are adorable little family members visiting, and there were plenty of those as well! I had a great time on Sunday watching the original Burn the Floor on VHS with my grandma Lemon, and it was an extra nice surprise when Hannah and Stella came over and we had a super cool slumber party! Aside from family, I like to visit my old PA friends. Kaylie and I started a bit of a Robin Hood Season 3 marathon on Saturday night. We watched the first 8 episodes that night and the last 5 episodes on Sunday. It's really a great season.
The rest of the week was spent cleaning out the house so that it will be ready for someone else to snatch it up and move in. I spent a lot of the time helping out by painting the garage and such so that it will be more sellable. My mom tackled a lot of the crazy cluttered areas, like the attic and garage. It just seemed like there were piles and clusters of stuff in so many places, forgotten drawers, little side closets. 20+ years of stuff! She found a jar of cranberry jelly in the basement that was well over 23 years old. It had to have been there since before my parents moved in. There were canning jars galore down there too...most of them filled with dead spiders!
Last Friday, we spent most of the day getting ready for our garage sale on Saturday. Even though it's kind of a pain in the butt to put one on, it's nice to make a little money off of things, and the rest is easily donated to Goodwill. We weren't sure if more people would be garage saling to find bargains since the economy is still in the dumps, or if there would be fewer people around. Considering we did a great deal of business between 8:00 and 9:00 am (although we were supposed to start at 9:00), I'd say there are still a lot of people who like looking for cheap deals at yard sales. However, no one wanted to buy bigger or slightly more expensive things like furniture. We sold a lot of little items. It's also interesting to see the different kinds of things that people want to buy. I priced all of my awesome old VHS tapes at 10 cents each. "Who'd want these?" I thought to myself. Well, the very first thing that sold that day were six VHS tapes! I didn't think anyone watched those anymore. Score for us all! People were pleasantly surprised at how cheap they were, and we didn't have to haul most of them any place afterwards. To top off the day, the Huskies totally kicked Syracuse's...uh...rears at football! I hope it's a productive year, considering Jake Locker will graduate and be leaving us after this.
On Sunday, my grandma and grandpa Braun came over to have raspberry glace pie (at my dad's request) for a September birthdays celebration. It was pretty fun! Afer we ate, my dad and grandpa played crib while the girls went down to the living room to watch the Seahawks game. The Seahawks totally creamed San Francisco, so that was exciting. However, the best part of the game came when the announcers were interviewing some old coach via a studio in LA. I could care less about what the guy had to say, but for some reason the TV people decided that they wanted to try and fit both the announcers and the old coach on the TV at the same time. The image had to be cut off on either side. So, the caption labeling former coach Jimmy Johnson simply said "My Johnson". I thought it was hilarious and mentioned it to everyone. My mom thought it was pretty funny, but I'm not sure anyone else picked up on it. Oh well! Eric would have gotten a kick out of it, so I texted him and said, "If you liked my interview, you should see the interview with My Johnson". Just a little inside joke.
My parents' house went on the market yesterday! So, keep your fingers crossed and say your prayers that it will sell soon.
Happy Birthday to my dad! Hopefully he has a great day, and I will need to call home soon since he is bound to be coming home for lunch!
I came back to PA last Friday, the evening of the 3rd. I had such a great time during labor day weekend, hanging out with my family at the lake! It's always my favorite thing to do, hanging out with the family, but I especially love it when we all go out to the lake. Many of my best memories are of being with everyone at the lake, and many new memories are still to be made. My other favorite thing is when there are adorable little family members visiting, and there were plenty of those as well! I had a great time on Sunday watching the original Burn the Floor on VHS with my grandma Lemon, and it was an extra nice surprise when Hannah and Stella came over and we had a super cool slumber party! Aside from family, I like to visit my old PA friends. Kaylie and I started a bit of a Robin Hood Season 3 marathon on Saturday night. We watched the first 8 episodes that night and the last 5 episodes on Sunday. It's really a great season.
The rest of the week was spent cleaning out the house so that it will be ready for someone else to snatch it up and move in. I spent a lot of the time helping out by painting the garage and such so that it will be more sellable. My mom tackled a lot of the crazy cluttered areas, like the attic and garage. It just seemed like there were piles and clusters of stuff in so many places, forgotten drawers, little side closets. 20+ years of stuff! She found a jar of cranberry jelly in the basement that was well over 23 years old. It had to have been there since before my parents moved in. There were canning jars galore down there too...most of them filled with dead spiders!
Last Friday, we spent most of the day getting ready for our garage sale on Saturday. Even though it's kind of a pain in the butt to put one on, it's nice to make a little money off of things, and the rest is easily donated to Goodwill. We weren't sure if more people would be garage saling to find bargains since the economy is still in the dumps, or if there would be fewer people around. Considering we did a great deal of business between 8:00 and 9:00 am (although we were supposed to start at 9:00), I'd say there are still a lot of people who like looking for cheap deals at yard sales. However, no one wanted to buy bigger or slightly more expensive things like furniture. We sold a lot of little items. It's also interesting to see the different kinds of things that people want to buy. I priced all of my awesome old VHS tapes at 10 cents each. "Who'd want these?" I thought to myself. Well, the very first thing that sold that day were six VHS tapes! I didn't think anyone watched those anymore. Score for us all! People were pleasantly surprised at how cheap they were, and we didn't have to haul most of them any place afterwards. To top off the day, the Huskies totally kicked Syracuse's...uh...rears at football! I hope it's a productive year, considering Jake Locker will graduate and be leaving us after this.
On Sunday, my grandma and grandpa Braun came over to have raspberry glace pie (at my dad's request) for a September birthdays celebration. It was pretty fun! Afer we ate, my dad and grandpa played crib while the girls went down to the living room to watch the Seahawks game. The Seahawks totally creamed San Francisco, so that was exciting. However, the best part of the game came when the announcers were interviewing some old coach via a studio in LA. I could care less about what the guy had to say, but for some reason the TV people decided that they wanted to try and fit both the announcers and the old coach on the TV at the same time. The image had to be cut off on either side. So, the caption labeling former coach Jimmy Johnson simply said "My Johnson". I thought it was hilarious and mentioned it to everyone. My mom thought it was pretty funny, but I'm not sure anyone else picked up on it. Oh well! Eric would have gotten a kick out of it, so I texted him and said, "If you liked my interview, you should see the interview with My Johnson". Just a little inside joke.
My parents' house went on the market yesterday! So, keep your fingers crossed and say your prayers that it will sell soon.
Happy Birthday to my dad! Hopefully he has a great day, and I will need to call home soon since he is bound to be coming home for lunch!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
New Library
I am at a new library today to check on things since the Seattle Public Library is closed this week due to budget cuts. Bummer!
I am still waiting anxiously to hear from the Editing Certification people. I feel pretty sure that I'll get accepted, but I hate waiting to hear about it!
I ended up driving home yet again this weekend! My parents are thinking about selling their house to buy a new one up Mount Angeles Rd. and a new office building for my dad. He's got this wild scheme going on, and everything should work out perfectly, but only if they can sell our house for a certain amount. So, they had a realtor come and check everything out on Saturday morning. My old room at home has been a sort of storage space for the past 4 or so years and REALLY needed some cleaning out. I tried to do as much as I could before the real estate people came, but it was still pretty cluttered. My mom has been working her butt of trying to clean out the other areas. I can only imagine what it will be like when it comes time to tackle the attic!
We spent Saturday afternoon and evening at the lake with the Bosses, Pete and Michelle, and Boompie. Michelle hosted a pickling party, and we ended up making over 40 jars of homemade pickles! It was a really interesting idea, and we made some darn good stuff!
My friend Stephen was in town with some friends this weekend, but I didn't get to see him. While he was at the Ridge on Saturday, I was at the lake. While he was at the lake on Sunday, I was at the Ridge...or near it. On Sunday (which was my mom and dad's 34th wedding anniversary), my dad and I went hiking to the Moose Lake area. It was a pretty good day for hiking. It started out clear, and we hiked out to the place where the trail splits and followed a hiker-made trail up and down these dangerous rock formations across a couple ridges before descending down into the valley from the opposite side of the original trail. The air was really chilly at the top of the ridges, but in the valley it was pretty nice. We could see the clouds start to roll in, and my dad was thinking that we might get caught in a storm. However, it stayed pretty nice while we hiked down into the valley, past Gladys Lake. We stopped at Moose Lake to have lunch and watch this enormous black bear eat his! Since the blueberry crop did not work out this year, we didn't expect to see any bears, so we were surprised when we came across this one! It was pretty darn cool! We also saw some deer (including a few cute little fawns), several blue grouse, 10 or so marmots, and an enormous hawk that almost got a little baby marmot out of his hole (don't worry, he missed). After lunch, we hiked out past Grand Lake and made our way up the switchbacks, but we missed the frog pond going back up, which was disappointing. As we climbed, we saw misty cloud start to form in teh valley. By the time we made it back to teh car, the valley was completely shrouded in fog! All in all, it was a pretty awesome 10-mile, mostly up-hill and exhausting hike. What other kind is there when you're hiking with my dad?
I am still waiting anxiously to hear from the Editing Certification people. I feel pretty sure that I'll get accepted, but I hate waiting to hear about it!
I ended up driving home yet again this weekend! My parents are thinking about selling their house to buy a new one up Mount Angeles Rd. and a new office building for my dad. He's got this wild scheme going on, and everything should work out perfectly, but only if they can sell our house for a certain amount. So, they had a realtor come and check everything out on Saturday morning. My old room at home has been a sort of storage space for the past 4 or so years and REALLY needed some cleaning out. I tried to do as much as I could before the real estate people came, but it was still pretty cluttered. My mom has been working her butt of trying to clean out the other areas. I can only imagine what it will be like when it comes time to tackle the attic!
We spent Saturday afternoon and evening at the lake with the Bosses, Pete and Michelle, and Boompie. Michelle hosted a pickling party, and we ended up making over 40 jars of homemade pickles! It was a really interesting idea, and we made some darn good stuff!
My friend Stephen was in town with some friends this weekend, but I didn't get to see him. While he was at the Ridge on Saturday, I was at the lake. While he was at the lake on Sunday, I was at the Ridge...or near it. On Sunday (which was my mom and dad's 34th wedding anniversary), my dad and I went hiking to the Moose Lake area. It was a pretty good day for hiking. It started out clear, and we hiked out to the place where the trail splits and followed a hiker-made trail up and down these dangerous rock formations across a couple ridges before descending down into the valley from the opposite side of the original trail. The air was really chilly at the top of the ridges, but in the valley it was pretty nice. We could see the clouds start to roll in, and my dad was thinking that we might get caught in a storm. However, it stayed pretty nice while we hiked down into the valley, past Gladys Lake. We stopped at Moose Lake to have lunch and watch this enormous black bear eat his! Since the blueberry crop did not work out this year, we didn't expect to see any bears, so we were surprised when we came across this one! It was pretty darn cool! We also saw some deer (including a few cute little fawns), several blue grouse, 10 or so marmots, and an enormous hawk that almost got a little baby marmot out of his hole (don't worry, he missed). After lunch, we hiked out past Grand Lake and made our way up the switchbacks, but we missed the frog pond going back up, which was disappointing. As we climbed, we saw misty cloud start to form in teh valley. By the time we made it back to teh car, the valley was completely shrouded in fog! All in all, it was a pretty awesome 10-mile, mostly up-hill and exhausting hike. What other kind is there when you're hiking with my dad?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Just a Short One
It's freezing today. The windows at the library are open, and my feet are really cold. I am about to head back and have some hot chocolate, but first I want to let you know what I am up to up here.
I just applied for an Editing certification program through the UW. Wish me luck. Hopefully I'll get in. Just don't show them the last blog I posted. It was full of errors that I was too busy to check!
I just applied for an Editing certification program through the UW. Wish me luck. Hopefully I'll get in. Just don't show them the last blog I posted. It was full of errors that I was too busy to check!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Long Way Home
First off, I just want to apologize for not being able to make it to the party at Chukkie’s house on Sunday. I had been really looking forward to seeing and hanging out with everyone, and I know that Rachel had really wanted me to be there. I even included the festivities in my daily planner, along with my many other plans, but all of my plans changed about a billion times because I didn’t have my car with me in PA last week!
Aside from driving into town with Caitlin and Stefan on Saturday the 14th and spending Sunday the 15th at the lake, I did not have any concrete plans at the beginning of my short break. I did some fun things like pick blueberries with my mom in Sequim, and go to the library, and make a delicious recipe for Turkey Chili that I found in a magazine. I did some important things like give blood at the blood drive and mow the lawn. However, I was trying to schedule the 2 things that I wanted to do the most into the last part of my PA stay, and that was when things went awry.
So, when I didn’t have my car with me my first 2 years at the UW, I would take the bus to the ferry and get picked up by a friend on the other side if I wanted to go home. Since I’ve had my car in Seattle for the past year, I’ve enjoyed the sweet freedom of being able to chauffer myself around. Ah….blissful! When Caitlin asked if I wanted to drive to Sequim with her, I was excited! Since money is tight, I wouldn’t have to pay for gas for the ferry expenses. I had planned to take the bus or get a ride to the ferry the following weekend, after which I would hop a city bus and ride it home to my apartment. After mentioning this to Caitlin, she offered to pick me up on the other side so that I wouldn’t have to lug my stuff onto the city bus. She just made me promise that I would tell her when I was coming home a day in advance.
Well, I wanted to cram two important things into my stay in PA. First, I wanted to get together with my friend Katrin. We’ve known each other for years, having danced together for a long time. She goes to college in southern Oregon and we don’t see each other very often. Whenever both of us are in town, we make it a point to hang out. Usually, we get coffee together (like last Christmastime), but we’ve been trying to work out a time that we can go hiking because we both love being outdoors.
Second, my mom and I wanted to go to Silverdale with my grandma Lemon. My mom wanted to go on Friday, but my grandma was on a camping trip down the Oregon coast, and we weren’t sure when she was going to be back. So, I called her cell phone and we made arrangements to head to Silverdale on Friday, and Katrin and I decided to hike up to Mount Angeles on Saturday.
On Thursday, my grandma Lemon got home and called us, asking if we could go to Silverdale on Saturday because she had forgotten that she had an appointment on Friday. So, I had to reschedule with Katrin for Friday instead. The news predicted that the weather was supposed to get colder on Friday and be the coldest on Saturday, so we decided to postpone the hiking excursion yet again and meet up for coffee. Although coffee was fun as usual, the weather was not nearly as bad as was predicted, and it would have been a perfectly fine time for hiking. My mom ended up going to my dad’s office Christmas party on Friday night, and we got ready to go Silverdale in the morning.
I called Caitlin and told her that I would be coming home on Saturday evening because my grandma was going to drop me off at the ferry. Caitlin and her boyfriend had called it quits the previous Monday and she and our friend David were planning on visiting his grandma on Vashon Island…and staying on Saturday night. So, I told her not to worry and I would just catch a city bus home. I wasn’t worried about my bags. My family is planning on having a garage sale in September, and I brought home a suitcase with a bunch of things for the sale. Since I wouldn’t be returning with them, I figured I wouldn’t need my suitcase at all. However, I had to pack my books into it because Rachel made me an amazing glass art piece for my graduation present that I wrapped in my clothes to keep it from breaking. I ended up carrying a bunch of really heavy and cumbersome stuff. Then, there were the purchases that I made in Silverdale. I ended up having too much stuff to carry with me onto the ferry and on a city bus. So, I called my dad and asked him to make a reservation for me on Olympic Buslines to take me to the ferry on Sunday, and I asked Caitlin if she could pick me up in Edmonds the next morning. Caitlin didn’t think that she would be back from Vashon in time, so she offered to drive all the way to Port Angeles to pick me up, which she did!
She ended up getting to PA at about 4:30, but said that the traffic and ferry lines were really backed up, so my parents and I took her up to Hurricane Ridge were we saw the cutest little fawn and some blue grouse and other deer. We left for Seattle at about 6:30 or 7:00, hoping that would give us time to bypass the insane ferry traffic. However, when we drove through the sign in Discovery Bay, it said that the Kingston-Edmonds had a 3-hour wait with a tally! We decided to drive around the canal, which was actually a lot of fun because it gave us time to talk and it is such a beautiful drive. We admired to beautiful sunset and the moon (which almost full) shining on the very calm water. It was about 11:00 or 11:30 by the time we got home!
Phew! I hope that everyone else had a good time at Chukkie’s though and I’ll will do my best to join you all next time!
Aside from driving into town with Caitlin and Stefan on Saturday the 14th and spending Sunday the 15th at the lake, I did not have any concrete plans at the beginning of my short break. I did some fun things like pick blueberries with my mom in Sequim, and go to the library, and make a delicious recipe for Turkey Chili that I found in a magazine. I did some important things like give blood at the blood drive and mow the lawn. However, I was trying to schedule the 2 things that I wanted to do the most into the last part of my PA stay, and that was when things went awry.
So, when I didn’t have my car with me my first 2 years at the UW, I would take the bus to the ferry and get picked up by a friend on the other side if I wanted to go home. Since I’ve had my car in Seattle for the past year, I’ve enjoyed the sweet freedom of being able to chauffer myself around. Ah….blissful! When Caitlin asked if I wanted to drive to Sequim with her, I was excited! Since money is tight, I wouldn’t have to pay for gas for the ferry expenses. I had planned to take the bus or get a ride to the ferry the following weekend, after which I would hop a city bus and ride it home to my apartment. After mentioning this to Caitlin, she offered to pick me up on the other side so that I wouldn’t have to lug my stuff onto the city bus. She just made me promise that I would tell her when I was coming home a day in advance.
Well, I wanted to cram two important things into my stay in PA. First, I wanted to get together with my friend Katrin. We’ve known each other for years, having danced together for a long time. She goes to college in southern Oregon and we don’t see each other very often. Whenever both of us are in town, we make it a point to hang out. Usually, we get coffee together (like last Christmastime), but we’ve been trying to work out a time that we can go hiking because we both love being outdoors.
Second, my mom and I wanted to go to Silverdale with my grandma Lemon. My mom wanted to go on Friday, but my grandma was on a camping trip down the Oregon coast, and we weren’t sure when she was going to be back. So, I called her cell phone and we made arrangements to head to Silverdale on Friday, and Katrin and I decided to hike up to Mount Angeles on Saturday.
On Thursday, my grandma Lemon got home and called us, asking if we could go to Silverdale on Saturday because she had forgotten that she had an appointment on Friday. So, I had to reschedule with Katrin for Friday instead. The news predicted that the weather was supposed to get colder on Friday and be the coldest on Saturday, so we decided to postpone the hiking excursion yet again and meet up for coffee. Although coffee was fun as usual, the weather was not nearly as bad as was predicted, and it would have been a perfectly fine time for hiking. My mom ended up going to my dad’s office Christmas party on Friday night, and we got ready to go Silverdale in the morning.
I called Caitlin and told her that I would be coming home on Saturday evening because my grandma was going to drop me off at the ferry. Caitlin and her boyfriend had called it quits the previous Monday and she and our friend David were planning on visiting his grandma on Vashon Island…and staying on Saturday night. So, I told her not to worry and I would just catch a city bus home. I wasn’t worried about my bags. My family is planning on having a garage sale in September, and I brought home a suitcase with a bunch of things for the sale. Since I wouldn’t be returning with them, I figured I wouldn’t need my suitcase at all. However, I had to pack my books into it because Rachel made me an amazing glass art piece for my graduation present that I wrapped in my clothes to keep it from breaking. I ended up carrying a bunch of really heavy and cumbersome stuff. Then, there were the purchases that I made in Silverdale. I ended up having too much stuff to carry with me onto the ferry and on a city bus. So, I called my dad and asked him to make a reservation for me on Olympic Buslines to take me to the ferry on Sunday, and I asked Caitlin if she could pick me up in Edmonds the next morning. Caitlin didn’t think that she would be back from Vashon in time, so she offered to drive all the way to Port Angeles to pick me up, which she did!
She ended up getting to PA at about 4:30, but said that the traffic and ferry lines were really backed up, so my parents and I took her up to Hurricane Ridge were we saw the cutest little fawn and some blue grouse and other deer. We left for Seattle at about 6:30 or 7:00, hoping that would give us time to bypass the insane ferry traffic. However, when we drove through the sign in Discovery Bay, it said that the Kingston-Edmonds had a 3-hour wait with a tally! We decided to drive around the canal, which was actually a lot of fun because it gave us time to talk and it is such a beautiful drive. We admired to beautiful sunset and the moon (which almost full) shining on the very calm water. It was about 11:00 or 11:30 by the time we got home!
Phew! I hope that everyone else had a good time at Chukkie’s though and I’ll will do my best to join you all next time!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
PA Weekend
I've been in Port Angeles since late Saturday night and I'll be here until next Saturday or Sunday. I came with my friends Caitlin and Stefan because they were photographing that wedding at Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Sequim. Now, I didn't attend the wedding, but getting prepared for it turned out to be quite the ordeal.
It all started with a bunch of photography equipment. Caitlin had to get up super early to take her mom to the airport on Saturday morning, otherwise we would have left on Friday. We decided the night before that she would come and get me at 11:00. However, one of her best friends was moving to California, and leaving on Saturday to drive the 18 hours to get there. So, she visited with Kayla first. She got to my place by about 12:00 or 12:30. The traffic was so bad (STOPPED) all the way into Seattle, that she got off of the freeway early and had to search around for a way to get to me. We got all of my stuff into her car and headed for the photography rental place near the Seattle Center. Remember, it was a HOT day. The place felt nice walking in because of the AC, and when Caitlin gave the emaciated looking guy at the front desk her information, he had her equipment all ready and waiting. Then he told her that she had to supply a credit card to hold the equipment. She asked the man to check his E-mail, because the groom had scanned his credit card and driver's license and sent them to the shop. He printed them off and proceeded to tell her that the card was declined. This sent Caitlin into a bit of a panic and we spent the next hour and a half making calls. First, she called the bride, who was in line for the ferry and had been for awhile. The bride couldn't get ahold of the groom. Or her dad. Or the groom's dad. Or anyone...and neither could Caitlin. Apparently they didn't think that the shop would RUN the card! Why would they ask for a credit card if they weren't going to make sure you could pay for the equipment? The charge is just to hold the equipment, and is erased when the equipment is returned, and then the rental fee is paid. Apparently, the groom didn't have a credit limit high enough, or didn't have enough available. The sum was $3,500! The man renting out the equipment didn't seem to be capable of emoting, and was completely apathetic. He didn't say anything at all as Caitlin called everyone she knew, hoping that they either had a credit card or the appropriate camera. Finally, we asked my dear mother as a last resort and she agreed to send us the copies to rent the equipment. It was so wonderful of her and really saved the day! However, she was at the lake and we had to wait for another 30-40 minutes before she could get home to the computer. So, we went to get a drink at a really cool place, called the Little Red Bistro, nearby. I think we're going to go back there for dinner sometime. My mom E-mailed her info to Caitlin, who forwarded it using her phone that was about to die. Luckily, we got it all straightened out...and that got us to Port Angeles at about 10:00 that night.
We spent the night at my parents' house and then they went to Sequim that morning. We were going to go out to breakfast, but then Caitlin realized that they didn't bring Stefan's memory chips with them. They left about an hour early and drove to Costco to buy some before they had to be at the wedding location at 10:30. I went with my family to the lake (it was the hottest day of the year!) and had fun there with them and some friends. Everybody and their dog was out at the lake that day!
I've just been hanging out, getting some things done around here. Today, my mom and I picked a bunch of blueberries in Sequim. It was really nice, and delicious! I also just finished reading a book recommended by Boompie and then my mom. It's called The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's one of the best books I've ever read. I highly recommend it!
It all started with a bunch of photography equipment. Caitlin had to get up super early to take her mom to the airport on Saturday morning, otherwise we would have left on Friday. We decided the night before that she would come and get me at 11:00. However, one of her best friends was moving to California, and leaving on Saturday to drive the 18 hours to get there. So, she visited with Kayla first. She got to my place by about 12:00 or 12:30. The traffic was so bad (STOPPED) all the way into Seattle, that she got off of the freeway early and had to search around for a way to get to me. We got all of my stuff into her car and headed for the photography rental place near the Seattle Center. Remember, it was a HOT day. The place felt nice walking in because of the AC, and when Caitlin gave the emaciated looking guy at the front desk her information, he had her equipment all ready and waiting. Then he told her that she had to supply a credit card to hold the equipment. She asked the man to check his E-mail, because the groom had scanned his credit card and driver's license and sent them to the shop. He printed them off and proceeded to tell her that the card was declined. This sent Caitlin into a bit of a panic and we spent the next hour and a half making calls. First, she called the bride, who was in line for the ferry and had been for awhile. The bride couldn't get ahold of the groom. Or her dad. Or the groom's dad. Or anyone...and neither could Caitlin. Apparently they didn't think that the shop would RUN the card! Why would they ask for a credit card if they weren't going to make sure you could pay for the equipment? The charge is just to hold the equipment, and is erased when the equipment is returned, and then the rental fee is paid. Apparently, the groom didn't have a credit limit high enough, or didn't have enough available. The sum was $3,500! The man renting out the equipment didn't seem to be capable of emoting, and was completely apathetic. He didn't say anything at all as Caitlin called everyone she knew, hoping that they either had a credit card or the appropriate camera. Finally, we asked my dear mother as a last resort and she agreed to send us the copies to rent the equipment. It was so wonderful of her and really saved the day! However, she was at the lake and we had to wait for another 30-40 minutes before she could get home to the computer. So, we went to get a drink at a really cool place, called the Little Red Bistro, nearby. I think we're going to go back there for dinner sometime. My mom E-mailed her info to Caitlin, who forwarded it using her phone that was about to die. Luckily, we got it all straightened out...and that got us to Port Angeles at about 10:00 that night.
We spent the night at my parents' house and then they went to Sequim that morning. We were going to go out to breakfast, but then Caitlin realized that they didn't bring Stefan's memory chips with them. They left about an hour early and drove to Costco to buy some before they had to be at the wedding location at 10:30. I went with my family to the lake (it was the hottest day of the year!) and had fun there with them and some friends. Everybody and their dog was out at the lake that day!
I've just been hanging out, getting some things done around here. Today, my mom and I picked a bunch of blueberries in Sequim. It was really nice, and delicious! I also just finished reading a book recommended by Boompie and then my mom. It's called The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's one of the best books I've ever read. I highly recommend it!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Gone Bananas
I haven't gone nuts or anything (or bananas, or any kind of food that's associated with being mentally unstable). This just seemed like the appropriate title for today's post.
I have been going through all of the magazine articles and pictures that I keep (quite a lot of work, actually) and I found this recipe for banana cupcakes, which I decided to make right away since I had all the ingredients, minus the buttermilk, and some old-looking bananas. They're pretty good, but I quickly realized that I am going to have to eat the majority of them by myself! Maybe I'll take them home with me this weekend...
I've just remembered one of my favorite websites, Engrish.com because I came across some old pictures that I saved from it. These are my favorites, taken by world travelers and posted on the site. Enjoy!
I have been going through all of the magazine articles and pictures that I keep (quite a lot of work, actually) and I found this recipe for banana cupcakes, which I decided to make right away since I had all the ingredients, minus the buttermilk, and some old-looking bananas. They're pretty good, but I quickly realized that I am going to have to eat the majority of them by myself! Maybe I'll take them home with me this weekend...
I've just remembered one of my favorite websites, Engrish.com because I came across some old pictures that I saved from it. These are my favorites, taken by world travelers and posted on the site. Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
After the Long Weekend
It's been a couple days since I blogged because I was gone most of the weekend. I tried to blog yesterday, but the internet at the library is sooooo slow sometimes! Anyways, I had a really fun weekend.
One of my best friends from college, Caitlin, wanted to get together on Friday because we hadn't seen each other in awhile. We are really similar and I love spending time with her, but she has a new job that really drains her, and she still lives with her parents in Mill Creek, so we don't get to see each other as often as we used to. We were planning on getting together for dinner at her house (her parents love me, and they are a ton of fun, so I always like having dinner at her house) and then meeting up with our friend Jason and then heading to Seattle to meet up with another friend David. Well, Caitlin was really upset because one of her best friends is moving away and her boyfriend had not been in touch for awhile (his grandmother passed away), but we remedied the bad mood. After dinner, we met up with Jason, but David was picking a friend up from the hospital and couldn't make it. We ended up driving back to Seattle to get some over-night stuff for me (I hadn't planned on staying over) and then back to Mill Creek where we were tired and went to bed by 11:00. Fun stuff :-)
On Saturday, Caitlin and I went to Ikea because I have been looking for a small and inexpensive couch bed. Oh my gosh! I had never been to Ikea before and it was just about the coolest place ever! I ended up getting a little pull-out couch bed. It needed a pillow, so I ended up getting a little pillow hippo that was on sale. His name is Sean. Caitlin got two little mice to put on her computer at work, Tox and Efficus. We checked out and Caitlin brought her car in to load the couch. It was about 3 millimeters too tall to fit in her trunk. Seriously. We ended up taking all of the parts out of the box and loading them in separately. One of the employees took the empty box. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that, but I think he saw us taking forever to get it loaded and felt sorry for us! On the way back to her house, we stopped at the video store and rented Harry Potter 5 and 6. We planned on watching both that night, but her dad wanted me to see History of the World Part 1 which is a Mel Brooks spoof that he always quotes. It was hilarious, kind of like Monty Python. We only made it through HP 5 and went to bed.
The next day, I helped Caitlin buy a bookshelf and completely rearrange her room. This took pretty much all day, but it was a lot of fun, especially because we have similar taste in books and both LOVE them. We are planning on joining a bookclub sometime soon. If anyone knows of any in the area, let us know! We watched HP 6 that night, and then I headed home.
On Monday, Caitlin and I met out friend Stefan in the Bank of America parking lot in Mill Creek at about 2:00. Caitlin's boyfriend is a professional photographer and she has lots of experience helping him. She is also really interested in photography. At a family party last summer, she took a bunch of really beautiful pictures. A friend who works with her sister showed them to a couple who are getting married and they wanted her to photograph their wedding. The couple is from Seattle, but they are getting married at the Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Sequim. We drove all of the way to Sequim to meet with the couple and the planner and talk pictures. The area is so beautiful and perfect for a wedding! I wasn't sure if we would have time to head into Port Angeles, so I didn't mention that I would be in town. As it happens, we got home late as it is, so it's probably just as well.
The wedding is this coming up weekend, and Caitlin and Stefan are planning on staying with me at the lake for the night on Saturday, but I will be hanging around in PA for a bit afterwards. I hope the weather is really nice!
One of my best friends from college, Caitlin, wanted to get together on Friday because we hadn't seen each other in awhile. We are really similar and I love spending time with her, but she has a new job that really drains her, and she still lives with her parents in Mill Creek, so we don't get to see each other as often as we used to. We were planning on getting together for dinner at her house (her parents love me, and they are a ton of fun, so I always like having dinner at her house) and then meeting up with our friend Jason and then heading to Seattle to meet up with another friend David. Well, Caitlin was really upset because one of her best friends is moving away and her boyfriend had not been in touch for awhile (his grandmother passed away), but we remedied the bad mood. After dinner, we met up with Jason, but David was picking a friend up from the hospital and couldn't make it. We ended up driving back to Seattle to get some over-night stuff for me (I hadn't planned on staying over) and then back to Mill Creek where we were tired and went to bed by 11:00. Fun stuff :-)
On Saturday, Caitlin and I went to Ikea because I have been looking for a small and inexpensive couch bed. Oh my gosh! I had never been to Ikea before and it was just about the coolest place ever! I ended up getting a little pull-out couch bed. It needed a pillow, so I ended up getting a little pillow hippo that was on sale. His name is Sean. Caitlin got two little mice to put on her computer at work, Tox and Efficus. We checked out and Caitlin brought her car in to load the couch. It was about 3 millimeters too tall to fit in her trunk. Seriously. We ended up taking all of the parts out of the box and loading them in separately. One of the employees took the empty box. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that, but I think he saw us taking forever to get it loaded and felt sorry for us! On the way back to her house, we stopped at the video store and rented Harry Potter 5 and 6. We planned on watching both that night, but her dad wanted me to see History of the World Part 1 which is a Mel Brooks spoof that he always quotes. It was hilarious, kind of like Monty Python. We only made it through HP 5 and went to bed.
The next day, I helped Caitlin buy a bookshelf and completely rearrange her room. This took pretty much all day, but it was a lot of fun, especially because we have similar taste in books and both LOVE them. We are planning on joining a bookclub sometime soon. If anyone knows of any in the area, let us know! We watched HP 6 that night, and then I headed home.
On Monday, Caitlin and I met out friend Stefan in the Bank of America parking lot in Mill Creek at about 2:00. Caitlin's boyfriend is a professional photographer and she has lots of experience helping him. She is also really interested in photography. At a family party last summer, she took a bunch of really beautiful pictures. A friend who works with her sister showed them to a couple who are getting married and they wanted her to photograph their wedding. The couple is from Seattle, but they are getting married at the Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Sequim. We drove all of the way to Sequim to meet with the couple and the planner and talk pictures. The area is so beautiful and perfect for a wedding! I wasn't sure if we would have time to head into Port Angeles, so I didn't mention that I would be in town. As it happens, we got home late as it is, so it's probably just as well.
The wedding is this coming up weekend, and Caitlin and Stefan are planning on staying with me at the lake for the night on Saturday, but I will be hanging around in PA for a bit afterwards. I hope the weather is really nice!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Would You Be My Neighbor?
As I posted in my previous blog, my apartment complex is pretty quiet. I am generally kind of a quiet person, but I am also really people-oriented, and I don't actually LIKE to be a quiet person. Go figure. A year or two ago, I read an article in a Psychology Today magazine about personality types. Under a section about "Misunderstood Personalities", there was something listed called a "shy extrovert". It totally described me; I was surprised! It said that I am interested in people and love being very social, but that I am shy and quiet around new people and thus sometimes give a different first impression than my acutal personality would suggest. Yep, so me! So, I try to keep that in mind while settling into my new place. I haven't been able to meet too many people in my building so far, but I don't think that's necessarily my fault. My landlord made sure to point out before I moved in "You don't have to go out of your way to make friends with the people here. You'll see them around and get to know them eventually"...or something like that. Awesome. Let me introduce you to some of my neighbors:
Duane "The Landlord":: Duane has been living on the property for something like 11 years. So, the people in charge made him the apartment manager and resident handyman and landlord. When you have a problem, you head to Apartment 9...like when I couldn't figure out how to turn on the community washing machine. Part of the reason that I chose this particular apartment was the fact that I liked Duane. Deshawn and I looked at another apartment in Ballard, but the landlord was...kind of...vapid. He may have suffered from Bell's Palsy in a previous life that makes it difficult for him to form facial expressions, but he seemed kind of bored and nervous the entire time. Not for me. I was relieved when I went to look at the Sand Point apartments, because Duane was very friendly and thorough, showing me all of the rooms available and making me feel comfortable and welcome. Aside from that, I also really liked the apartments, and I got to choose one with a lot of windows, and without anyone living underneath. Perfect for me! Now, he is also a well-meaning landlord. He excitedly went through the entire apartment with me, marking down spots that needed fixing. He was all amped up to fix the caulking in the bathroom, paint the walls, fix one of the kitchen cupboards, etc, etc, etc. and all in the 5 or 6 days until I would start moving my stuff in. Needless to say he didn't get to any of those things, or hang the second towel rack he promised, or add another set of closet doors, or change the locks on my door. I am perfectly happy, I wasn't expecting he'd be able to get to those things anyways. I'm also grateful that he bends the rules on some things. Like not charging a million dollars to get into your apartment if you lock yourself out. I haven't done that, but just in case...
Joe: Just Joe. He's my neighbor on the end of the upstairs row of apartment. He is very, very friendly. When Deshawn and I were moving some stuff in, he poked his head out of the door and introduced himself and told me that if I needed anything, that I could just ask him, which was nice. He's the only neighbor who's introduced himself to me, and I've only seen him two or three times.
Old Mr. Smarmy Pants: This guy lives next door to Joe. Luckily there is that empty room next to me. I've smiled at him, but he just looks old and cranky and never says a thing.
Bigfoot: I call him this not because he's gigantic and hairy (he's actually scrawny and I doubt he's got the testosterone to grow a beard), but because of a conversation I overheard him having on the phone. He had just gotten back from a camping trip or something with his dad in which they went out searched for Bigfoot. He was talking on the phone like he seriously thought he was going to find him. I don't remember the actual words (I don't really like evesdropping), but he was listing off all of these facts and ideas about what Bigfoot would do and where he would be. It was really interesting. I'm not sure if he lives in the apartments or if he just visits his girlfriend there...or he might live with his girlfriend, I dunno. He does tend to like to have conversations right outside of my window.
Vroom VroomA nod to Ellery, maybe? This girl gets her nickname because she pays extra to keep her dandelion-yellow sports car parked in the back, partially underneath my apartment. I think she thinks that the car is a person. She is constantly washing it and proudly parading it around the back lot. I think she and Bigfoot might have a thing going on, but I'm not really sure. The car is pretty ridiculous, but I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with.
Girl with a LOT of Emotional Baggage: There is a hedge in the back lot that separates my apartments from a group of condos. While I don't know any of the people that actually live there, I can hear them all the time. There is this one girl who like to have heated arguments, mostly about men, so that the rest of the complex, and possibly the neighbors down the street and up the hill, can hear. She whines to someone, who is obediently quiet, about "he did this" and "he did that". Lady, if you're having so much trouble, get rid of the bastard, ok? Your neighbors will thank you, and you'd probably feel loads better.
The Petting Zoo: One of the things that I love about these apartments are that they are cat friendly. No dogs, but cats are allowed, and most of my neighbors have one...or two. The condos allow dogs, and there are two (probably small) dogs that yap at each other constantly, but the cats in my apartment complex are so cute! Right across from me, the people own two white cats that sit on little perches in the front window. The people right below me have an orange cat that I'm fairly certain is named Holly. At least once a day someone calls out "Holly, here kitty kitty kitty! Come have dinner!" My favorites, though, are my landlords two cats, Squeak and Boo. Squeak is white and grayish, and is really outgoing. Whenever the landlord is outside around the complex, Squeak is allowed out and he follows him everywhere. When I was looking at the apartment, he followed us from room to room, nuzzling up against eveything and licking my calves like a popsicle. When we closed the door on him, he whined and cried until I went outside to keep him company. Boo is this adorable black cat who is very shy and likes to stay in #9. The other day, however, my landlord was doing some work in the empty apartment next door and Boo was hanging around outside. Big Kitty step for him!
Speaking of cats, I had the pleasure of meeting Chukkie, Al, and Nate's two new kittens recently. I went to the Boss house for dinner, and as always had a swell time. Natasha doesn't like her new siblings very much, and made herself scarce, but I had so much fun playing with them! They are soooo cute! Arturo is a few weeks older than his sister and is black and white, and Saci (I don't know how they are spelling the nickname, her full name is Sacajawea) was so tiny and cute! I have some pictures, which will definately make this post more interesting. Although it appears that Arturo has magical levitation skills, and the neck vertebrae of an owl, he is actually hunting flies on the open window screen. Hope I didn't disenchant anyone!
P.S. How do you post captions under or over the pictures? That would be so much cooler!
Duane "The Landlord":: Duane has been living on the property for something like 11 years. So, the people in charge made him the apartment manager and resident handyman and landlord. When you have a problem, you head to Apartment 9...like when I couldn't figure out how to turn on the community washing machine. Part of the reason that I chose this particular apartment was the fact that I liked Duane. Deshawn and I looked at another apartment in Ballard, but the landlord was...kind of...vapid. He may have suffered from Bell's Palsy in a previous life that makes it difficult for him to form facial expressions, but he seemed kind of bored and nervous the entire time. Not for me. I was relieved when I went to look at the Sand Point apartments, because Duane was very friendly and thorough, showing me all of the rooms available and making me feel comfortable and welcome. Aside from that, I also really liked the apartments, and I got to choose one with a lot of windows, and without anyone living underneath. Perfect for me! Now, he is also a well-meaning landlord. He excitedly went through the entire apartment with me, marking down spots that needed fixing. He was all amped up to fix the caulking in the bathroom, paint the walls, fix one of the kitchen cupboards, etc, etc, etc. and all in the 5 or 6 days until I would start moving my stuff in. Needless to say he didn't get to any of those things, or hang the second towel rack he promised, or add another set of closet doors, or change the locks on my door. I am perfectly happy, I wasn't expecting he'd be able to get to those things anyways. I'm also grateful that he bends the rules on some things. Like not charging a million dollars to get into your apartment if you lock yourself out. I haven't done that, but just in case...
Joe: Just Joe. He's my neighbor on the end of the upstairs row of apartment. He is very, very friendly. When Deshawn and I were moving some stuff in, he poked his head out of the door and introduced himself and told me that if I needed anything, that I could just ask him, which was nice. He's the only neighbor who's introduced himself to me, and I've only seen him two or three times.
Old Mr. Smarmy Pants: This guy lives next door to Joe. Luckily there is that empty room next to me. I've smiled at him, but he just looks old and cranky and never says a thing.
Bigfoot: I call him this not because he's gigantic and hairy (he's actually scrawny and I doubt he's got the testosterone to grow a beard), but because of a conversation I overheard him having on the phone. He had just gotten back from a camping trip or something with his dad in which they went out searched for Bigfoot. He was talking on the phone like he seriously thought he was going to find him. I don't remember the actual words (I don't really like evesdropping), but he was listing off all of these facts and ideas about what Bigfoot would do and where he would be. It was really interesting. I'm not sure if he lives in the apartments or if he just visits his girlfriend there...or he might live with his girlfriend, I dunno. He does tend to like to have conversations right outside of my window.
Vroom VroomA nod to Ellery, maybe? This girl gets her nickname because she pays extra to keep her dandelion-yellow sports car parked in the back, partially underneath my apartment. I think she thinks that the car is a person. She is constantly washing it and proudly parading it around the back lot. I think she and Bigfoot might have a thing going on, but I'm not really sure. The car is pretty ridiculous, but I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with.
Girl with a LOT of Emotional Baggage: There is a hedge in the back lot that separates my apartments from a group of condos. While I don't know any of the people that actually live there, I can hear them all the time. There is this one girl who like to have heated arguments, mostly about men, so that the rest of the complex, and possibly the neighbors down the street and up the hill, can hear. She whines to someone, who is obediently quiet, about "he did this" and "he did that". Lady, if you're having so much trouble, get rid of the bastard, ok? Your neighbors will thank you, and you'd probably feel loads better.
The Petting Zoo: One of the things that I love about these apartments are that they are cat friendly. No dogs, but cats are allowed, and most of my neighbors have one...or two. The condos allow dogs, and there are two (probably small) dogs that yap at each other constantly, but the cats in my apartment complex are so cute! Right across from me, the people own two white cats that sit on little perches in the front window. The people right below me have an orange cat that I'm fairly certain is named Holly. At least once a day someone calls out "Holly, here kitty kitty kitty! Come have dinner!" My favorites, though, are my landlords two cats, Squeak and Boo. Squeak is white and grayish, and is really outgoing. Whenever the landlord is outside around the complex, Squeak is allowed out and he follows him everywhere. When I was looking at the apartment, he followed us from room to room, nuzzling up against eveything and licking my calves like a popsicle. When we closed the door on him, he whined and cried until I went outside to keep him company. Boo is this adorable black cat who is very shy and likes to stay in #9. The other day, however, my landlord was doing some work in the empty apartment next door and Boo was hanging around outside. Big Kitty step for him!
Speaking of cats, I had the pleasure of meeting Chukkie, Al, and Nate's two new kittens recently. I went to the Boss house for dinner, and as always had a swell time. Natasha doesn't like her new siblings very much, and made herself scarce, but I had so much fun playing with them! They are soooo cute! Arturo is a few weeks older than his sister and is black and white, and Saci (I don't know how they are spelling the nickname, her full name is Sacajawea) was so tiny and cute! I have some pictures, which will definately make this post more interesting. Although it appears that Arturo has magical levitation skills, and the neck vertebrae of an owl, he is actually hunting flies on the open window screen. Hope I didn't disenchant anyone!
P.S. How do you post captions under or over the pictures? That would be so much cooler!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Whose Line is it Anyway?
I was reading last night and came across an excellent question. "What's the best pick-up line you've ever gotten?" I mean, what qualifies as a good pickup line? Did it work? In that case, I'd suggest something along the lines of "Hi". That usually works...
This made me think about some of the incredible pickup lines I've gotten within the last couple of years. Some of them are a series of 2 or 3 lines in a short conversation, but they still count. Here they are, and in no particular order! The Top 3 Winners:
Outside of the former Rite Aid on University Ave, near the bus stop where the weirdest people for miles around are likely to congregate:
Guy: Hey beautiful, how are you?
Me: (As I continue on my way) Fine.
Guy: Where are you from?
Me: (Over my shoulder as I continue to walk away) Here.
Guy: Oh. Me? I'm from Jamaica. Why don't you try Ja-Makin' out with me?
As I was walking along the Ave, going to class one afternoon
Guy: Hey! You're gorgeous.
Me: Thank you. Keep Walking
Guy: You wanna talk about it?
On the streets of Manhattan with my family when I was 18. Just to set the stage, this man approached me on the street right in front of my dad, who thought the whole thing was funny. We were absolutely exhausted from traveling all day and arriving in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. I certainly didn't feel very cute! Oh, and the guy was drunk.
Guy: Hey sweetheart, where are you from?
Here, I paused and looked at my dad, hoping the man would take the hint and just walk away, but he stopped and waited for me to say something.
Me: Seattle.
Guy: Seattle? Never heard of it!
I decided to walk away this time. My dad did great impressions of the guy for the rest of the day.
All pretty silly, right? Do guys think these things really work?
When I was in high school, some of my friends were downtown and were approached by a group of guys.
Guy (who ended up being named Shaavik): Did it hurt?
Athena: What?
Shaavik: When you fell from Heaven?
This sounds lame, but seeing as how Shaavik was young and at least mildly attractive, Athena thought it was funny and felt a little intrigued. It broke the ice, but it wasn't like they fell in love or anything!
So, what are some of your favorites pick-up lines? Or, pick-up situations?
This made me think about some of the incredible pickup lines I've gotten within the last couple of years. Some of them are a series of 2 or 3 lines in a short conversation, but they still count. Here they are, and in no particular order! The Top 3 Winners:
Outside of the former Rite Aid on University Ave, near the bus stop where the weirdest people for miles around are likely to congregate:
Guy: Hey beautiful, how are you?
Me: (As I continue on my way) Fine.
Guy: Where are you from?
Me: (Over my shoulder as I continue to walk away) Here.
Guy: Oh. Me? I'm from Jamaica. Why don't you try Ja-Makin' out with me?
As I was walking along the Ave, going to class one afternoon
Guy: Hey! You're gorgeous.
Me: Thank you. Keep Walking
Guy: You wanna talk about it?
On the streets of Manhattan with my family when I was 18. Just to set the stage, this man approached me on the street right in front of my dad, who thought the whole thing was funny. We were absolutely exhausted from traveling all day and arriving in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. I certainly didn't feel very cute! Oh, and the guy was drunk.
Guy: Hey sweetheart, where are you from?
Here, I paused and looked at my dad, hoping the man would take the hint and just walk away, but he stopped and waited for me to say something.
Me: Seattle.
Guy: Seattle? Never heard of it!
I decided to walk away this time. My dad did great impressions of the guy for the rest of the day.
All pretty silly, right? Do guys think these things really work?
When I was in high school, some of my friends were downtown and were approached by a group of guys.
Guy (who ended up being named Shaavik): Did it hurt?
Athena: What?
Shaavik: When you fell from Heaven?
This sounds lame, but seeing as how Shaavik was young and at least mildly attractive, Athena thought it was funny and felt a little intrigued. It broke the ice, but it wasn't like they fell in love or anything!
So, what are some of your favorites pick-up lines? Or, pick-up situations?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
My Tentative Beginning
Ok, so I decided that I originally wasn't going to do my blog without Eric. Annnd, up until recently, I was still annoyed with him for calling it "Chelsea's Solo Blog". Yeah. Right.
Anyways, I realized how much I appreciate being able to keep up with my beloved family members, especially when I don't get to see them as often as I would like to. So, I'm trying out the blog thing again with the hopes that it will keep everyone up-to-date and informed on me and my faaabulous life.
Ever since graduation in June (I technically graduated in March, but I stuck around for the ceremony...I still haven't decided if it was truly worth it or not) I have been in a sort of funk (for lack of a better word). I feel like I have started a new chapter in my life, but I haven't decided what it should be titled. "Chapter 3"? "Chelsea Grows Up and Gets a Life"? I was thinking that there wasn't really anything interesting enough to blog about, but hey, at least everyone will know what's going on.
My first step was to move out of my old apartment in the heart of the University District, and into my new place in Sand Point. I really love the area of my new place. It's quiet, pretty, and family oriented. I live right across the street from Magnuson Park and about 5 minutes away from the U Village by car, but it feels so much less college-y than the U area. I still work for the UW Athletics Department, but I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next. I will be spending a lot of time now looking for my next job. I need to figure out how I want to apply my skills. My boyfriend, Deshawn, is going to live with me in this apartment, at least for the time being, but he is away in Oklahoma visiting his family. He hadn't seen them in almost 2 years. I can't imagine! His mom is also really sick and has to go in for dialysis a lot. She needs to have surgery soon, and I know he would like to be there with her. He also has an older cousin ,that he always looked up to, who is dying of cancer. He lives in Federal Way, but is supposed to be heading home to Oklahoma and will pass away there surrounded by his family. So, I am not sure when Deshawn will be back. I hope he takes his time.
I find that I have been really missing theater and dancing. They were the main focus of my life since I was a little kid, and are as much a part of me as going to work or school. I have been working out to the New York City Ballet workout DVD that I got for Christmas (thanks Andrea!) which has made it clear to me that I need to practice more. This past week, I went home to Port Angeles and stayed at my parents' house (even though they were in Canada, lucky bums). PALOA (Port Angeles Light Opera Association) was doing their summer show, I volunteered to work concessions for a night so that I could watch it without paying (funds are a little low at the moment). It was an amazing show; I can't even begin to describe how well-done it was! It always makes me miss the stage! I haven't done any proper theater since I guest danced in The Nutcracker in December of 2007. I happened to see some of my friends from ballet before the show. Lisa and Jill told me that they are rehearsing for The Nutcracker 2010 and that their last rehearsal for the summer was Friday at 6:00. So, I went into the ballet school and took class. It was so much fun, but it was sad watching rehearsal and not being a part of it. This will be the first ballet that I have not been in since I started dancing. It's a harsh reality. It is also Sylvia's last Nutcracker...and possibly her last ballet.
Well, that's it for now. It may sound kind depressing, but I'm hoping it will lighten up considerably! I don't have internet at my apartment, so I will keep the blog up-to-date when I take my usual trips to the public or University libraries!
Cheers!
Chelsea
P.S. My new address is 7407 Sand Point Way NE #14, Seattle, 98115. Feel free to stop by or send me anything cool! :-)
Anyways, I realized how much I appreciate being able to keep up with my beloved family members, especially when I don't get to see them as often as I would like to. So, I'm trying out the blog thing again with the hopes that it will keep everyone up-to-date and informed on me and my faaabulous life.
Ever since graduation in June (I technically graduated in March, but I stuck around for the ceremony...I still haven't decided if it was truly worth it or not) I have been in a sort of funk (for lack of a better word). I feel like I have started a new chapter in my life, but I haven't decided what it should be titled. "Chapter 3"? "Chelsea Grows Up and Gets a Life"? I was thinking that there wasn't really anything interesting enough to blog about, but hey, at least everyone will know what's going on.
My first step was to move out of my old apartment in the heart of the University District, and into my new place in Sand Point. I really love the area of my new place. It's quiet, pretty, and family oriented. I live right across the street from Magnuson Park and about 5 minutes away from the U Village by car, but it feels so much less college-y than the U area. I still work for the UW Athletics Department, but I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next. I will be spending a lot of time now looking for my next job. I need to figure out how I want to apply my skills. My boyfriend, Deshawn, is going to live with me in this apartment, at least for the time being, but he is away in Oklahoma visiting his family. He hadn't seen them in almost 2 years. I can't imagine! His mom is also really sick and has to go in for dialysis a lot. She needs to have surgery soon, and I know he would like to be there with her. He also has an older cousin ,that he always looked up to, who is dying of cancer. He lives in Federal Way, but is supposed to be heading home to Oklahoma and will pass away there surrounded by his family. So, I am not sure when Deshawn will be back. I hope he takes his time.
I find that I have been really missing theater and dancing. They were the main focus of my life since I was a little kid, and are as much a part of me as going to work or school. I have been working out to the New York City Ballet workout DVD that I got for Christmas (thanks Andrea!) which has made it clear to me that I need to practice more. This past week, I went home to Port Angeles and stayed at my parents' house (even though they were in Canada, lucky bums). PALOA (Port Angeles Light Opera Association) was doing their summer show, I volunteered to work concessions for a night so that I could watch it without paying (funds are a little low at the moment). It was an amazing show; I can't even begin to describe how well-done it was! It always makes me miss the stage! I haven't done any proper theater since I guest danced in The Nutcracker in December of 2007. I happened to see some of my friends from ballet before the show. Lisa and Jill told me that they are rehearsing for The Nutcracker 2010 and that their last rehearsal for the summer was Friday at 6:00. So, I went into the ballet school and took class. It was so much fun, but it was sad watching rehearsal and not being a part of it. This will be the first ballet that I have not been in since I started dancing. It's a harsh reality. It is also Sylvia's last Nutcracker...and possibly her last ballet.
Well, that's it for now. It may sound kind depressing, but I'm hoping it will lighten up considerably! I don't have internet at my apartment, so I will keep the blog up-to-date when I take my usual trips to the public or University libraries!
Cheers!
Chelsea
P.S. My new address is 7407 Sand Point Way NE #14, Seattle, 98115. Feel free to stop by or send me anything cool! :-)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The start of something wonderful (and new)
For all of you out there in the Braunsey public who have been eagerly awaiting the next post I have some exciting news: Alexandra and I have created our own amazing blog. Thrills! Laughs! Romance! Something for the entire family! So check it out, you'll be glad you did: http://linguisticslovers.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 8, 2010
Some news
Well after months and months of waiting I have finally heard back from the university of Edmonton and...
and.......
and.............
I have been accepted with full funding!!!! That's right I am now a University of Alberta Graduate Student. I'll be getting funding too. After months of stressing over what would happen we finally know where I'll be. My last day of class is on Wednesday. Then I am headed back to PA for the weekend where I'll be bringing as much of my stuff as I can fit into Chelsea's car. I'll be saying good bye to everyone in PA, my parents, sisters grandparents and my friend John. Then on Sunday it's back to the UW for me to finish preparing my room so I can vacate it. Then I'll be off to Edmonton later that day. From there Alexandra and I will be starting our lives together finally. This is the best news I have gotten all year so far but the year is still young we'll just have to wait and see.
and.......
and.............
I have been accepted with full funding!!!! That's right I am now a University of Alberta Graduate Student. I'll be getting funding too. After months of stressing over what would happen we finally know where I'll be. My last day of class is on Wednesday. Then I am headed back to PA for the weekend where I'll be bringing as much of my stuff as I can fit into Chelsea's car. I'll be saying good bye to everyone in PA, my parents, sisters grandparents and my friend John. Then on Sunday it's back to the UW for me to finish preparing my room so I can vacate it. Then I'll be off to Edmonton later that day. From there Alexandra and I will be starting our lives together finally. This is the best news I have gotten all year so far but the year is still young we'll just have to wait and see.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Student life tip # 524
Hello Eric here with a tip from the Braunsey school survival handbook
When you are a university student you have to learn a number of important life skills. I would like to share one of the most important with my blog viewing public. This important skill is the ability to stretch your money and find good deals. A few weeks ago I was at Safeway and noticed a really good deal. Campbell's Select Harvest soups were on sale for a dollar a can. I bought 20 one day and then another 10 the next. A dollar for a decent meal is a deal I can't pass up. There was a slight stacking issue though, since 30 cans of soup take up quite a bit of space. I had them up against the wall where I hang my umbrellas but the pile was so high it kept knocking my umbrella off. I settled on another wall and have been eating soup non-stop ever since. Here is a rare Braunsey blog photo of the great pyramid of soup in front of my door. See how it goes above the knob? That's a good pyramid right there.
I'll keep everyone posted on news from my application. So far there is nothing really new but things look promising. I'll try to get my sister to post soon. I know that she has a lot going on to post about. Also I'll be headed to Edmonton soon (18 days!!!!) and once there Alexandra and I will be starting a new blog so we will post the link before I leave Seattle.
When you are a university student you have to learn a number of important life skills. I would like to share one of the most important with my blog viewing public. This important skill is the ability to stretch your money and find good deals. A few weeks ago I was at Safeway and noticed a really good deal. Campbell's Select Harvest soups were on sale for a dollar a can. I bought 20 one day and then another 10 the next. A dollar for a decent meal is a deal I can't pass up. There was a slight stacking issue though, since 30 cans of soup take up quite a bit of space. I had them up against the wall where I hang my umbrellas but the pile was so high it kept knocking my umbrella off. I settled on another wall and have been eating soup non-stop ever since. Here is a rare Braunsey blog photo of the great pyramid of soup in front of my door. See how it goes above the knob? That's a good pyramid right there.
I'll keep everyone posted on news from my application. So far there is nothing really new but things look promising. I'll try to get my sister to post soon. I know that she has a lot going on to post about. Also I'll be headed to Edmonton soon (18 days!!!!) and once there Alexandra and I will be starting a new blog so we will post the link before I leave Seattle.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day
Hello Braunsey public. I was hoping to have some more news for you about my application but as of yet there has been no news on that front. It's still undecided but I have heard that everyone who is either in or out completely has heard. Since I haven't heard anything that means that they are waiting to figure out if they can fit me in. Either way though I will still be going up to Edmonton. I bought my tickets this week so as on March 20th I am heading back up to Canada.
But enough about my application troubles. Today is Valentine's Day. A day of love, even for those of us seperated by international borders. Alexandra and I have been talking on line for most of the day. Earlier I took a little walk and stopped by all of the buildings where we had classes together and the room where we met for the first time. We have been doing a lot of reminiscing about last year at this time. I did absolutely nothing on Valentine's Day and she went to a lame party where according to her all of the girls gathered around and bad mouthed men. We talked on line the next day and that is actually when we first started becoming closer. It was really nice to reminisce today. But that isn't all.
Tonight we are going to both get dressed up in our nice clothes. Then we are both going to prepare ourselves dinner and eat it with the video chat on and have a nice meal together. We did this for our last anniversary and it was so nice. We also both sent each other Valentine's Cards a few weeks ago and have been waiting until tonight to open them. I've had her card tucked in between a history of Latin and the biography of Arthur Conan Doyle for over a week now. I am looking forward to seeing what she wrote. I know that in my card to her I filled up an entire page.
There is also a tradition in my family of my parents giving us kids gifts on Valentines Day. Usually a bunch of candy and a small present. This year Chelsea and I were in Port Angeles last weekend so they gave us our gifts then. I got some mint chocolates and an Uncle John's Bathroom reader. SCORE! The card came this week in the mail and I am also waiting to open it until tonight as well. Alexandra got a card and some white chocolates (besides strawberries white chocolates are her very favorite) from my parents as well so we are waiting to open the cards until tonight as well. We are both very happy that every one in my family welcomed her with open arms. She is a wonderful girl who I love more each day and I am looking forward to making her a permanent member of our clan. And since this is the day for romance I have other piece of news. If all goes as planned and I either get accepted with funding to the University of Alberta (ideal) or I get a job in Edmonton and can save up money (less ideal) I plan on proposing some time within this coming year. I'll keep everyone posted on the details as they happen. Happy Valentine's Day!!! I wish everyone here a wonderful day with your loved ones.
But enough about my application troubles. Today is Valentine's Day. A day of love, even for those of us seperated by international borders. Alexandra and I have been talking on line for most of the day. Earlier I took a little walk and stopped by all of the buildings where we had classes together and the room where we met for the first time. We have been doing a lot of reminiscing about last year at this time. I did absolutely nothing on Valentine's Day and she went to a lame party where according to her all of the girls gathered around and bad mouthed men. We talked on line the next day and that is actually when we first started becoming closer. It was really nice to reminisce today. But that isn't all.
Tonight we are going to both get dressed up in our nice clothes. Then we are both going to prepare ourselves dinner and eat it with the video chat on and have a nice meal together. We did this for our last anniversary and it was so nice. We also both sent each other Valentine's Cards a few weeks ago and have been waiting until tonight to open them. I've had her card tucked in between a history of Latin and the biography of Arthur Conan Doyle for over a week now. I am looking forward to seeing what she wrote. I know that in my card to her I filled up an entire page.
There is also a tradition in my family of my parents giving us kids gifts on Valentines Day. Usually a bunch of candy and a small present. This year Chelsea and I were in Port Angeles last weekend so they gave us our gifts then. I got some mint chocolates and an Uncle John's Bathroom reader. SCORE! The card came this week in the mail and I am also waiting to open it until tonight as well. Alexandra got a card and some white chocolates (besides strawberries white chocolates are her very favorite) from my parents as well so we are waiting to open the cards until tonight as well. We are both very happy that every one in my family welcomed her with open arms. She is a wonderful girl who I love more each day and I am looking forward to making her a permanent member of our clan. And since this is the day for romance I have other piece of news. If all goes as planned and I either get accepted with funding to the University of Alberta (ideal) or I get a job in Edmonton and can save up money (less ideal) I plan on proposing some time within this coming year. I'll keep everyone posted on the details as they happen. Happy Valentine's Day!!! I wish everyone here a wonderful day with your loved ones.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Limbo
I know it has been a long, long time since we have posted anything. Now I cannot speak for my sisterly half but I have been waiting so long to post because I wanted some real news to blog about and I have been in application limbo for the last several weeks. Now this application limbo is not the "how low can you go?" kind of limbo where you dance under a stick. This is the "wait a long time to hear anything back from your grad school and then when it looks like you are going to find something out have that thing be that you will have to wait even longer" kind which is a lot harder to say and a whole lot less fun to do. Because this does not appear to be likely to change anytime soon I will now show you into my own little limbo.
Now first a word about this limbo. It is not the peaceful kind where you just sit and wait and relax; the safe and boring kind. This is the kind of limbo where just when you think everything is nice and steady something comes along and sets off a loud shrill warning siren.
First off, when I got back to the UW after an amazing Christmas vacation introducing my girlfriend/preance Alexandra to the family I checked my email only to discover that one of the people I had asked for a letter of reference had trouble figuring it out. I had to scramble around to make sure it got out soon as mail takes forever to get to Canada. (Alexandra and I sent each other Valentine's cards at the end of January and have just now recently received them; mine on Friday and Alexandra today) There is a website for checking the status of your application so after my source sent out my letter and my pulse returned to non-aneurysm levels I checked it out. It said they had nothing of mine. Needless to say we were very upset as the deadline was a week away and it seemed like somehow nothing had made it through. After emailing the professor in charge of the admissions I was relieved to find out that they hadn't updated it in a long time and sure enough by the end of the week I was all finished.
It sounds like all should have been calm and quiet in limbo, and for the most part it was for a while. I was supposed to hear back somewhere in the late 20s of January. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Which is really all there is to do in limbo. The last day they said we would supposedly hear back passed without one word from the department. After even more panicking Alexandra found out from some friends who were both applying for PhDs there and in the know that they had a lot of applicants and were taking a long time to decide and call everyone, especially people in exotic foreign lands like Seattle. Even so they would email me before they called but there was still no email.
Another week or two passed. We were getting restless again. Finally Alexandra and I could wait no longer and so she asked her teacher who also happened to be in charge of organizing the admissions (also someone whos work I greatly respect and admire by the way) and she said I was at the top of the short list. In other words if anyone turned them down I would be one of the first to fill their spots. She told us not to worry too much and to be "moderately hopeful". We have received a few more bits of news and gossip here and there and things are actually looking pretty positive. We are still in limbo now.
So after all of that waiting and scramnling around getting an application together we are still here in limbo. At least now it looks like we are entering the safe boring part. I for one am happily putting up my feet, enjoying a nice refreshing glass of tea and letting out a long and contented ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh of relxation. Let's hope we stay in this comfortable place until they tell us fore sure what is going on.
Now first a word about this limbo. It is not the peaceful kind where you just sit and wait and relax; the safe and boring kind. This is the kind of limbo where just when you think everything is nice and steady something comes along and sets off a loud shrill warning siren.
First off, when I got back to the UW after an amazing Christmas vacation introducing my girlfriend/preance Alexandra to the family I checked my email only to discover that one of the people I had asked for a letter of reference had trouble figuring it out. I had to scramble around to make sure it got out soon as mail takes forever to get to Canada. (Alexandra and I sent each other Valentine's cards at the end of January and have just now recently received them; mine on Friday and Alexandra today) There is a website for checking the status of your application so after my source sent out my letter and my pulse returned to non-aneurysm levels I checked it out. It said they had nothing of mine. Needless to say we were very upset as the deadline was a week away and it seemed like somehow nothing had made it through. After emailing the professor in charge of the admissions I was relieved to find out that they hadn't updated it in a long time and sure enough by the end of the week I was all finished.
It sounds like all should have been calm and quiet in limbo, and for the most part it was for a while. I was supposed to hear back somewhere in the late 20s of January. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Which is really all there is to do in limbo. The last day they said we would supposedly hear back passed without one word from the department. After even more panicking Alexandra found out from some friends who were both applying for PhDs there and in the know that they had a lot of applicants and were taking a long time to decide and call everyone, especially people in exotic foreign lands like Seattle. Even so they would email me before they called but there was still no email.
Another week or two passed. We were getting restless again. Finally Alexandra and I could wait no longer and so she asked her teacher who also happened to be in charge of organizing the admissions (also someone whos work I greatly respect and admire by the way) and she said I was at the top of the short list. In other words if anyone turned them down I would be one of the first to fill their spots. She told us not to worry too much and to be "moderately hopeful". We have received a few more bits of news and gossip here and there and things are actually looking pretty positive. We are still in limbo now.
So after all of that waiting and scramnling around getting an application together we are still here in limbo. At least now it looks like we are entering the safe boring part. I for one am happily putting up my feet, enjoying a nice refreshing glass of tea and letting out a long and contented ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh of relxation. Let's hope we stay in this comfortable place until they tell us fore sure what is going on.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Some news: Haikus (hey that rhymes)
Yes I realize that these haikus were supposed to be written for the new year; and yes I realize that it is now closer to February than New Years; and yes I realize it's been 5 weeks since you've heard anything from us at the Braunsey Blog. So to compensate here are two New Years Haikus. First the apology haiku:
Seventeen days late
This is my year end haiku
Last year- forgotten
And now I can hear you all scratching your heads and muttering "this doesn't summarize 2009 at all". And you are all correct. So with further ado here is my 2009 year in review haiku (hey another rhyme):
So many changes
A new purpose, a new love
Both for the better
Beyond that I am waiting to hear back from a number of less than promising job appliactions and a hopefully more than promising grad school application. That's right, I'll know if I am getting into Edmonton this coming week. So all my readers, cross all of your fingers, toes, eyes, and ears if possible. I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I do.
Seventeen days late
This is my year end haiku
Last year- forgotten
And now I can hear you all scratching your heads and muttering "this doesn't summarize 2009 at all". And you are all correct. So with further ado here is my 2009 year in review haiku (hey another rhyme):
So many changes
A new purpose, a new love
Both for the better
Beyond that I am waiting to hear back from a number of less than promising job appliactions and a hopefully more than promising grad school application. That's right, I'll know if I am getting into Edmonton this coming week. So all my readers, cross all of your fingers, toes, eyes, and ears if possible. I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I do.
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