I don't know how it's July already. It seems like time goes by faster as I get older and I don't know if I like it.
I went home to Michigan for a couple weeks in early/mid June. It was really good to see all my family and friends, and I was somewhat intrigued to find how both "in the loop" and "out of the loop" I felt. I suppose that's the way I'll always feel when I go home now; kind of teetering on the edge of immersion and alienation. It's still weird to see a place -- in this case, Saginaw -- where, for awhile, I spent nearly every moment of my time (sleeping or waking), and how it's continuing on without me, sometimes even becoming unfamiliar. It's also odd to see my friends' lives go in directions that I'm not involved in... but I guess I'm doing the same thing. (Though so far only one of them has actually been out to visit me... but I'll curb my whining about that for now.) The point is, I wonder what will happen as my path strays further from my point of origin.
I think in some way, it makes me feel like I really do have to accomplish great things, to make my self-imposed exodus worthwhile. But even when I was in Michigan I always felt like I should be somewhere else. Except for maybe my last summer there, when I knew I was moving and therefore made the best of the time I had left. Anyway, it makes me happy to see my friends getting married and having babies and starting families and careers and being (or at least appearing) fulfilled, and I wonder what it is about me that makes me not want that life, at least not now.
I really do hope something great comes out of all this.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
all this wasted ambition
I started my summer break thinking I'd keep the productive momentum of the semester going by working on a few writing/book projects: I have a scrapbook project (my most memorable places in Saginaw) that I figured I'd finally try to finish, and a blank book I started making which was inspired by a chapbook for poetry class entitled "Letters from Other Versions of Me." And I've got a possible thematic idea for my thesis this fall that I want to explore.
Then, of course, I started watching seasons of Dr. Who on Netflix and that lazy "it's summer, time for a break" mentality took over.
It was somewhat exacerbated by a back injury I had last week. Any number of seemingly-insignificant factors could have contributed, but the result was a spasm in my lower back as I was getting ready for work on Tuesday morning that resulted in me heading back home after two hours, because it hurt too much to sit or stand. So I laid on the heating pad for awhile, got back up around 3:30 to meet with the new Editor-in-Chief of the UB Post (that torch has officially been passed, which is a load off my mind) then went back to the couch for the rest of the evening.
I got up Wednesday long enough to shower and get dressed before deciding that work was out of the question again. So it was back to the couch and the heating pad, where I did a fair bit of reading and wasting time online before turning on the TV. By evening, I was determined to go back to work on Thursday simply because laying around the house is just not for me. Even though my lower back was sore, the rest of my body was restless from being in one place for so long and I started to get a headache from being immobile.
Why do we (or at least I) feel that a day of "doing nothing" is a waste? And are we ever really doing nothing?
My attendance at work is otherwise very good and my boss never even hinted any kind of disapproval for missing the time I did. (In fact, she responded sympathetically to my "I'm not coming in today" email and suggested I try alternating the heating pad with some ice, which helped immensely). Perhaps it's just a personal characteristic/flaw that makes me feel like I always need to be working on or toward something, even on a small level. Maybe I need to find a better way to organize or document my time so I can see that I have been working on things, even if many of them remain unfinished.
I do plan to continue watching Dr. Who though, if only on the grounds that it has roundaboutly inspired a couple of story ideas.
It's funny, I can't really imagine a life in which this "summer mentality" goes on indefinitely -- specifically in terms of the absence of school, and with no deadlines hanging over my head. I don't know if I should try it more, after my MFA, or dive back in to something else.
Then, of course, I started watching seasons of Dr. Who on Netflix and that lazy "it's summer, time for a break" mentality took over.
It was somewhat exacerbated by a back injury I had last week. Any number of seemingly-insignificant factors could have contributed, but the result was a spasm in my lower back as I was getting ready for work on Tuesday morning that resulted in me heading back home after two hours, because it hurt too much to sit or stand. So I laid on the heating pad for awhile, got back up around 3:30 to meet with the new Editor-in-Chief of the UB Post (that torch has officially been passed, which is a load off my mind) then went back to the couch for the rest of the evening.
I got up Wednesday long enough to shower and get dressed before deciding that work was out of the question again. So it was back to the couch and the heating pad, where I did a fair bit of reading and wasting time online before turning on the TV. By evening, I was determined to go back to work on Thursday simply because laying around the house is just not for me. Even though my lower back was sore, the rest of my body was restless from being in one place for so long and I started to get a headache from being immobile.
Why do we (or at least I) feel that a day of "doing nothing" is a waste? And are we ever really doing nothing?
My attendance at work is otherwise very good and my boss never even hinted any kind of disapproval for missing the time I did. (In fact, she responded sympathetically to my "I'm not coming in today" email and suggested I try alternating the heating pad with some ice, which helped immensely). Perhaps it's just a personal characteristic/flaw that makes me feel like I always need to be working on or toward something, even on a small level. Maybe I need to find a better way to organize or document my time so I can see that I have been working on things, even if many of them remain unfinished.
I do plan to continue watching Dr. Who though, if only on the grounds that it has roundaboutly inspired a couple of story ideas.
It's funny, I can't really imagine a life in which this "summer mentality" goes on indefinitely -- specifically in terms of the absence of school, and with no deadlines hanging over my head. I don't know if I should try it more, after my MFA, or dive back in to something else.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
An open letter
to the clearly unemployed alumnus who graduated nearly 20 years ago and still spends as many as eight hours nearly every single day on one of the student computers in the library watching YouTube music videos and doing who knows what else:
We are not friends. Just because I have to log you in as a guest on the computer every time I work and once engaged in an exasperated debate with you about why not every single site on the web should be accessible only by paid subscription, does not mean I am interested in getting to know you better or sharing any of the details of my own life with you. I'm not even interested in small talk. Pretentious as it may sound, I really don't see what I might have in common with someone at least 25 years my senior who has no hobbies other than the internet and doesn't seek to make friends with people his own age--particularly when most of the opinions he expresses are in opposition to mine or at the very least clearly misinformed.
I don't feel threatened by you so much as a little creeped out. Pleasantries are one thing; I have no problem with politeness, but approaching me as you did today (while I wasn't even on the clock) and ask if it's "okay to talk" to me is a little weird. Continuing the conversation by saying that you have four sisters and have "dated a lot of women" and that, as a result, you're good at intuiting a woman's attitude/energy/whatever, does not help your case. In fact, it serves as further evidence that you've overestimated the intimacy of our acquaintence.
At least you were able to (accurately) determine that, in previous encounters, I did not, in fact, wish to talk to you. Though I tend to believe that even the densest of people -- men or women -- would get the hint about unwelcome conversation when the targeted conversant is purposely giving one word answers and/or looking for an excuse to exit the conversation/geographic location.
Furthermore, I can only hope that your expressed belief in every woman having a website to answer whatever "frequently-asked questions" she receives (since you understand that "women get a lot of questions") is merely the result of a bizarre and poorly-thought-out attempt at conversation, and not the creepy and intrusive display of sexism that it actually was (even if, as you suggest, the answer to those FAQs is "none of your business"). I didn't have the desire or the time to further discuss the idea with you, so perhaps I'll never know.
Your intelligence is clearly at least adequate enough to allow you to graduate from college; why not take more classes and come to campus as a student? Why not take up a research project (you know, where you take notes or at least carry a notebook, since you don't have access to our printers as a non-student) or some hobby that gets you up and moving around (particularly away from campus)? Why not use your extroversion to get involved with, say, a volunteer organization or some kind of PR instead of wasting it trying to befriend clearly-uninterested library student employees or luring in the less innocuous companions you occasionally bring to the library with you? At the very least, you could go upstairs and look at the actual books or newspapers on occasion.
It's true that I don't know a lot about you, but things that I do know make me pretty certain that I'd like to keep it that way. I'm never going to hang out with you, or even go for coffee, and I'd like to make sure you "intuit" that it will never even be an option. Thus, I see no reason to further develop our acquaintance. I think a simple "Hi, how's it going?" is the most indepth conversation we really need to have.
Sincerely,
Rachel
We are not friends. Just because I have to log you in as a guest on the computer every time I work and once engaged in an exasperated debate with you about why not every single site on the web should be accessible only by paid subscription, does not mean I am interested in getting to know you better or sharing any of the details of my own life with you. I'm not even interested in small talk. Pretentious as it may sound, I really don't see what I might have in common with someone at least 25 years my senior who has no hobbies other than the internet and doesn't seek to make friends with people his own age--particularly when most of the opinions he expresses are in opposition to mine or at the very least clearly misinformed.
I don't feel threatened by you so much as a little creeped out. Pleasantries are one thing; I have no problem with politeness, but approaching me as you did today (while I wasn't even on the clock) and ask if it's "okay to talk" to me is a little weird. Continuing the conversation by saying that you have four sisters and have "dated a lot of women" and that, as a result, you're good at intuiting a woman's attitude/energy/whatever, does not help your case. In fact, it serves as further evidence that you've overestimated the intimacy of our acquaintence.
At least you were able to (accurately) determine that, in previous encounters, I did not, in fact, wish to talk to you. Though I tend to believe that even the densest of people -- men or women -- would get the hint about unwelcome conversation when the targeted conversant is purposely giving one word answers and/or looking for an excuse to exit the conversation/geographic location.
Furthermore, I can only hope that your expressed belief in every woman having a website to answer whatever "frequently-asked questions" she receives (since you understand that "women get a lot of questions") is merely the result of a bizarre and poorly-thought-out attempt at conversation, and not the creepy and intrusive display of sexism that it actually was (even if, as you suggest, the answer to those FAQs is "none of your business"). I didn't have the desire or the time to further discuss the idea with you, so perhaps I'll never know.
Your intelligence is clearly at least adequate enough to allow you to graduate from college; why not take more classes and come to campus as a student? Why not take up a research project (you know, where you take notes or at least carry a notebook, since you don't have access to our printers as a non-student) or some hobby that gets you up and moving around (particularly away from campus)? Why not use your extroversion to get involved with, say, a volunteer organization or some kind of PR instead of wasting it trying to befriend clearly-uninterested library student employees or luring in the less innocuous companions you occasionally bring to the library with you? At the very least, you could go upstairs and look at the actual books or newspapers on occasion.
It's true that I don't know a lot about you, but things that I do know make me pretty certain that I'd like to keep it that way. I'm never going to hang out with you, or even go for coffee, and I'd like to make sure you "intuit" that it will never even be an option. Thus, I see no reason to further develop our acquaintance. I think a simple "Hi, how's it going?" is the most indepth conversation we really need to have.
Sincerely,
Rachel
Thursday, April 25, 2013
New Year's Eve adventure
I promised this story months ago, and most of the excitement has long since worn off, but here it is.
I have to preface by saying that on the drive to Michigan from Maryland, we had some trouble with the tires. Jake's car has needed some work done for months (he tried to get to it before he moved, but didn't finish) and so our 500-mile drive from Baltimore to Ypsilante wore the insides of the cheap Sears tires down to the metal belts. In Ypsilante at about 2am on Christmas Eve, we decided, in the parking lot of a gas station, that we'd have better luck calling someone to rescue us from the highway during the day than in the middle of the night (plus it was quite cold). We found a hotel nearby (hooray for Google Maps) and checked in.
Christmas Eve morning we promptly located a Discount Tire which was thankfully open til 1pm and had them replace the worn-out tires.
The Michigan visit was, I'm sure, much less fun for Jake, who spent many hours of it under the front end of his car, replacing a broken sway bar link, then the shocks (one of the springs broke -- rusted through -- while he was working) then a few other things that he didn't know were worn out in the first place. We finally got everything together on New Year's Eve and left early enough that morning to get back to Baltimore in time for celebrations that night.
Except somewhere in Pennsylvania that evening, after a fairly stressful day of driving in snow while listening to what sounded like a bad wheel bearing (after everything else) the car made a decidedly unsettling clunk, shuddered, and lost some speed. We pulled over and checked the suspected wheel; it was fine. We continued on. The check engine light came on. Then it started blinking. We lost nearly all acceleration power and began, as would be expected, to freak out a little bit. In our extraordinary favor though, the next exit ramp in view had a Firestone sign sticking up into the sky.
There was, of course, no way they were fixing the problem that night. We sat for awhile in the waiting area while they diagnosed the issue (bad vaccuum tube in the engine) then ventured out into the snow to find a hotel (of which, fortunately, there were several within view -- it was a pretty busy area). We settled into our room (in Mars, it turned out) then ate dinner at a steakhouse next door. Our celebrations were decidedly anti-climactic; we bought some Yuengling in cans and watched Star Wars Episode VI on TV (with a 10-minute break around midnight to watch the ball drop).
Firestone got to the car first thing in the morning, and Jake went to pick it up while I packed up our hotel room. Then he called to tell me that he'd barely gotten out of the parking lot before something else went wrong -- the coil pack, which was another hour (and more money).
But no, it STILL doesn't end there. Once that was taken care of, we pulled away from the Firestone and back onto the freeway, wary because the car wasn't shifting properly. Up at high speeds, it wasn't shifting at all. We'd had about enough at that point, and were expecting the worst. Fortunately, my dad is brilliant, and when we called him to describe the problem, he suggested that we check under the hood for a particular plug. The next rest area was nearby, so we pulled off and opened the hood. This is what we saw:
I have to preface by saying that on the drive to Michigan from Maryland, we had some trouble with the tires. Jake's car has needed some work done for months (he tried to get to it before he moved, but didn't finish) and so our 500-mile drive from Baltimore to Ypsilante wore the insides of the cheap Sears tires down to the metal belts. In Ypsilante at about 2am on Christmas Eve, we decided, in the parking lot of a gas station, that we'd have better luck calling someone to rescue us from the highway during the day than in the middle of the night (plus it was quite cold). We found a hotel nearby (hooray for Google Maps) and checked in.
Christmas Eve morning we promptly located a Discount Tire which was thankfully open til 1pm and had them replace the worn-out tires.
The Michigan visit was, I'm sure, much less fun for Jake, who spent many hours of it under the front end of his car, replacing a broken sway bar link, then the shocks (one of the springs broke -- rusted through -- while he was working) then a few other things that he didn't know were worn out in the first place. We finally got everything together on New Year's Eve and left early enough that morning to get back to Baltimore in time for celebrations that night.
Except somewhere in Pennsylvania that evening, after a fairly stressful day of driving in snow while listening to what sounded like a bad wheel bearing (after everything else) the car made a decidedly unsettling clunk, shuddered, and lost some speed. We pulled over and checked the suspected wheel; it was fine. We continued on. The check engine light came on. Then it started blinking. We lost nearly all acceleration power and began, as would be expected, to freak out a little bit. In our extraordinary favor though, the next exit ramp in view had a Firestone sign sticking up into the sky.
There was, of course, no way they were fixing the problem that night. We sat for awhile in the waiting area while they diagnosed the issue (bad vaccuum tube in the engine) then ventured out into the snow to find a hotel (of which, fortunately, there were several within view -- it was a pretty busy area). We settled into our room (in Mars, it turned out) then ate dinner at a steakhouse next door. Our celebrations were decidedly anti-climactic; we bought some Yuengling in cans and watched Star Wars Episode VI on TV (with a 10-minute break around midnight to watch the ball drop).
Firestone got to the car first thing in the morning, and Jake went to pick it up while I packed up our hotel room. Then he called to tell me that he'd barely gotten out of the parking lot before something else went wrong -- the coil pack, which was another hour (and more money).
But no, it STILL doesn't end there. Once that was taken care of, we pulled away from the Firestone and back onto the freeway, wary because the car wasn't shifting properly. Up at high speeds, it wasn't shifting at all. We'd had about enough at that point, and were expecting the worst. Fortunately, my dad is brilliant, and when we called him to describe the problem, he suggested that we check under the hood for a particular plug. The next rest area was nearby, so we pulled off and opened the hood. This is what we saw:
Really, Firestone?
Of course, reattaching said plug remedied the problem immediately and we made it home without further incident. Regardless, we've been very wary about taking the old Focus on any long-distance trips since then... though it sounds like Jake is debating trying again for our Michigan trip in June. After he does "some work" to it, of course.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Annual Survey
I skipped out on this last year, but decided not to skip it again. I have revamped it a bit for this year though. Here's my year in review:
1.What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before? Flew across the Atlantic Ocean; spent a month in a foreign country; studied abroad! Also, worked three jobs (four if you count the campus newspaper).
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year? I never remember my resolutions. I have a few vague ideas for this year but none that I've pinned down or committed to.
3. What countries did you visit? Ireland! The republic and the north.
4. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? There is one thing which I wasn't ready for in 2012, but am ready for now. I don't wish to spell out in detail yet, but rumor has it that I'll get it "soon."
5. What was the most memorable moment of 2012? I have to say most of my month in Ireland, but particularly the weekends in Belfast, Derry, and Dublin. A less happy moment was the shudder of Jake's car's engine breaking down on the Pennsylvania freeway on NYE, which forced us to spend the night in Mars while waiting for repairs (there will be a separate post about this).
6. What were your biggest achievements of the year? I had a few: Paying off all my credit cards, acquiring an assistantship at OTS and then the theater; studying abroad in Ireland. Also, publication of my poems in Welter, on monologging.org and upcoming in The Light Ekphrastic.
7. What was your biggest failure? Not making my 60-book reading goal on Goodreads or my 25,000-word goal for NaNoWriMo.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope, nothing serious. I've been blessed with a fantastic immune system (and at least a little bit of grace).
9. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jacob's, for taking the leap and moving to Baltimore with me (finally!)
10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The people who used assault weapons in movie theaters and elementary schools. Also, most of the politicians on the national stage. No one I know personally.
11. Where did most of your money go? To my Ireland trip.
12. What song will always remind you of 2012? There are a few. Alex Clare's "Too Close," Jack White's "Freedom at 21," and Ellie Goulding's "Lights" among others.
13. Compared to last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. I was in a weird place last year, emotionally speaking. The stress of a long-distance relationship was taking its toll. Thankfully, that's not something I have to worry about anymore.
ii. thinner or fatter? I've gained a few pounds that have managed to stick around since my Ireland trip.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer (it's great when hard work pays off).
14. What do you wish you'd done more of? Spending time with my Baltimore friends and keeping in touch with my Michigan friends.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of? Playing games on facebook or wasting time online. It's amazing how much time you can pass doing nothing.
16. How did you spend Christmas? in Michigan with family -- Jake's and mine. Saw a couple friends that night and in the days after as well.
17. What was your favorite TV program? Glee. I'm still hooked. It's the only TV show I follow, since I don't actually get any TV channels.
18. What was the best book you read? Hm, that's tough. "Imagine" by Jonah Lehrer was really thought-provoking and inspiring (though I'm really disappointed to hear that the author made up the Bob Dylan quotes and thus the book has since been pulled by the publisher). I read "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury for the first time, too, and the more I reflect on it, the more I realize how good its philosophy (if that's the right word) was.
19. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2012? Possibly dub-step, much as I hate to admit it. Or maybe not straight dub-step, but songs which feature elements of dub-step. Also, Song Pop on facebook -- does that count? (I'm in need of some new music.)
20. What did you want and get? Jake moving to MD, my job at OTS, a trip to Ireland, and tickets to the Black Keys concert at the Merriweather Pavillion.
21. What did you want and not get? Dance classes, and a yard/balcony (I probably won't get the latter this year either, as we have no real plans to move from our current apartment).
22. What was your favorite film of this year? Hm... I really liked the ballet documentary First Position. I'm having a hard time recalling many of the other movies I saw this year. The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Argo, Breaking Dawn part II, Anna Karenina. I don't know that those would all be "favorites."
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 26; spent the day with my friend Jon in D.C. exploring the Crime and Punishment Museum and a couple bookstores before coming back to Baltimore, meeting a couple more friends for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, then a few more friends to go dancing at the 13th Floor.
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A quick, dependable form of public transit in Baltimore City/County.
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? More professional, maybe (or at least business casual). I'm trying to update my wardrobe slowly from my undergrad/Old Navy concept to something a little more sophisticated/mature. I also bought a lot of boots.
26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I didn't really follow any celebrities or public figures this year, unless you count the election candidates, but I certainly didn't "fancy" any of those people.
27. Who was the best new person you met? Oh, I have a few: my OTS boss Stacey, my Ireland classmates and mentors, my friend Mike from my fall fiction workshop, etc.
28. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012: That it's possible to go through life at a pace too fast for others to keep up with, and that sometimes you do have to say "no" to certain opportunities in order to take advantage of others (in other words: you can't do it all).
1.What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before? Flew across the Atlantic Ocean; spent a month in a foreign country; studied abroad! Also, worked three jobs (four if you count the campus newspaper).
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year? I never remember my resolutions. I have a few vague ideas for this year but none that I've pinned down or committed to.
3. What countries did you visit? Ireland! The republic and the north.
4. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? There is one thing which I wasn't ready for in 2012, but am ready for now. I don't wish to spell out in detail yet, but rumor has it that I'll get it "soon."
5. What was the most memorable moment of 2012? I have to say most of my month in Ireland, but particularly the weekends in Belfast, Derry, and Dublin. A less happy moment was the shudder of Jake's car's engine breaking down on the Pennsylvania freeway on NYE, which forced us to spend the night in Mars while waiting for repairs (there will be a separate post about this).
6. What were your biggest achievements of the year? I had a few: Paying off all my credit cards, acquiring an assistantship at OTS and then the theater; studying abroad in Ireland. Also, publication of my poems in Welter, on monologging.org and upcoming in The Light Ekphrastic.
7. What was your biggest failure? Not making my 60-book reading goal on Goodreads or my 25,000-word goal for NaNoWriMo.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope, nothing serious. I've been blessed with a fantastic immune system (and at least a little bit of grace).
9. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jacob's, for taking the leap and moving to Baltimore with me (finally!)
10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The people who used assault weapons in movie theaters and elementary schools. Also, most of the politicians on the national stage. No one I know personally.
11. Where did most of your money go? To my Ireland trip.
12. What song will always remind you of 2012? There are a few. Alex Clare's "Too Close," Jack White's "Freedom at 21," and Ellie Goulding's "Lights" among others.
13. Compared to last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. I was in a weird place last year, emotionally speaking. The stress of a long-distance relationship was taking its toll. Thankfully, that's not something I have to worry about anymore.
ii. thinner or fatter? I've gained a few pounds that have managed to stick around since my Ireland trip.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer (it's great when hard work pays off).
14. What do you wish you'd done more of? Spending time with my Baltimore friends and keeping in touch with my Michigan friends.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of? Playing games on facebook or wasting time online. It's amazing how much time you can pass doing nothing.
16. How did you spend Christmas? in Michigan with family -- Jake's and mine. Saw a couple friends that night and in the days after as well.
17. What was your favorite TV program? Glee. I'm still hooked. It's the only TV show I follow, since I don't actually get any TV channels.
18. What was the best book you read? Hm, that's tough. "Imagine" by Jonah Lehrer was really thought-provoking and inspiring (though I'm really disappointed to hear that the author made up the Bob Dylan quotes and thus the book has since been pulled by the publisher). I read "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury for the first time, too, and the more I reflect on it, the more I realize how good its philosophy (if that's the right word) was.
19. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2012? Possibly dub-step, much as I hate to admit it. Or maybe not straight dub-step, but songs which feature elements of dub-step. Also, Song Pop on facebook -- does that count? (I'm in need of some new music.)
20. What did you want and get? Jake moving to MD, my job at OTS, a trip to Ireland, and tickets to the Black Keys concert at the Merriweather Pavillion.
21. What did you want and not get? Dance classes, and a yard/balcony (I probably won't get the latter this year either, as we have no real plans to move from our current apartment).
22. What was your favorite film of this year? Hm... I really liked the ballet documentary First Position. I'm having a hard time recalling many of the other movies I saw this year. The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Argo, Breaking Dawn part II, Anna Karenina. I don't know that those would all be "favorites."
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 26; spent the day with my friend Jon in D.C. exploring the Crime and Punishment Museum and a couple bookstores before coming back to Baltimore, meeting a couple more friends for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, then a few more friends to go dancing at the 13th Floor.
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A quick, dependable form of public transit in Baltimore City/County.
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? More professional, maybe (or at least business casual). I'm trying to update my wardrobe slowly from my undergrad/Old Navy concept to something a little more sophisticated/mature. I also bought a lot of boots.
26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I didn't really follow any celebrities or public figures this year, unless you count the election candidates, but I certainly didn't "fancy" any of those people.
27. Who was the best new person you met? Oh, I have a few: my OTS boss Stacey, my Ireland classmates and mentors, my friend Mike from my fall fiction workshop, etc.
28. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012: That it's possible to go through life at a pace too fast for others to keep up with, and that sometimes you do have to say "no" to certain opportunities in order to take advantage of others (in other words: you can't do it all).
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
a semester in the life
Perhaps you'd be interested in what I've been doing all season. If you're not, move along, because that's what's going to follow.
I worked three jobs, which fortunately mostly totaled about 35 hours per week.
OTS: I have a cubicle with mostly no natural light. It's not my favorite thing, but at least the overhead lights aren't fluorescent. I do web page edits and updates, plus a fair bit of technical writing and editing. Occasionally I get to design flyers, brochures, and once, a bookmark. I've spent the end of the semester revamping the pages for online safety and security. I also get a fair bit of free time to do homework etc. and my boss is really cool.
The theater: The schedule for this is completely irregular, but the time goes by the fastest because we're all over the place (and I get to do some work from home). We had events every two weeks or so during Fall semester, and I assisted my boss with a playwriting section she taught in a creative writing course. I help manage events in the theater and do pretty basic tech work in the booth -- I got to (sort of) learn the light board, which is cool. I also get to design the poster for the Spring play (a fair bit of my job is marketing -- I wrote a couple press releases, hung up flyers, put out posters, and designed a couple ads). There's a lot of free food and drink involved, and theater people (and my boss) are generally fun.
The library: This is my work-study job, and despite the fact that I don't need it, I'm still there because 1) it's easy -- I've just been working a few hours on Sundays, which mostly entails sitting at the circulation desk doing homework or reading while the main staffer gets work done elsewhere -- and 2) I feel a sort of loyalty to the place because they hired me when I first moved to Baltimore (after an interview and subsequent rejection by the housing office) and have been incredibly accomodating to my crazy schedule. Something will probably have to give in order to preserve my sanity next semester though, and this will probably be that something.
Then there's the school newspaper. I used to count it as a job, but despite the fact that I get paid a stipend, it's technically a Student Organization. We published issues once a month, and when everything's going smoothly I enjoy the whole process quite a bit, but we had several issues this semester, which stemmed largely from being under-staffed. I'm currently the Editor-in-Chief, which has upped my popularity (I use the term loosely) on campus even more than my high-profile library job. After this year though, I plan to step down to a less labor-intensive position because 1) two years of experience in the top spot is enough padding for my résumé, I think, and 2) there's at least one other person who would love the experience.
I also took two classes -- a fiction workshop, which was in my top 3 favorite classes taken in the program thus far (and in which I met some cool people) and an Electronic Publishing workshop which, despite my reluctance to take, I did learn a few things in (and broadened my thinking of how to use the web as a writer).
So, there you have it. Today's my last day of work (all jobs) until January and my classes ended two weeks ago, so I finally have some time for my own projects (like reading six more books before Dec. 31 to meet my Goodreads goal). And maybe some relaxation, if I can figure out how to not feel guilty about it. :P
I worked three jobs, which fortunately mostly totaled about 35 hours per week.
OTS: I have a cubicle with mostly no natural light. It's not my favorite thing, but at least the overhead lights aren't fluorescent. I do web page edits and updates, plus a fair bit of technical writing and editing. Occasionally I get to design flyers, brochures, and once, a bookmark. I've spent the end of the semester revamping the pages for online safety and security. I also get a fair bit of free time to do homework etc. and my boss is really cool.
The theater: The schedule for this is completely irregular, but the time goes by the fastest because we're all over the place (and I get to do some work from home). We had events every two weeks or so during Fall semester, and I assisted my boss with a playwriting section she taught in a creative writing course. I help manage events in the theater and do pretty basic tech work in the booth -- I got to (sort of) learn the light board, which is cool. I also get to design the poster for the Spring play (a fair bit of my job is marketing -- I wrote a couple press releases, hung up flyers, put out posters, and designed a couple ads). There's a lot of free food and drink involved, and theater people (and my boss) are generally fun.
The library: This is my work-study job, and despite the fact that I don't need it, I'm still there because 1) it's easy -- I've just been working a few hours on Sundays, which mostly entails sitting at the circulation desk doing homework or reading while the main staffer gets work done elsewhere -- and 2) I feel a sort of loyalty to the place because they hired me when I first moved to Baltimore (after an interview and subsequent rejection by the housing office) and have been incredibly accomodating to my crazy schedule. Something will probably have to give in order to preserve my sanity next semester though, and this will probably be that something.
Then there's the school newspaper. I used to count it as a job, but despite the fact that I get paid a stipend, it's technically a Student Organization. We published issues once a month, and when everything's going smoothly I enjoy the whole process quite a bit, but we had several issues this semester, which stemmed largely from being under-staffed. I'm currently the Editor-in-Chief, which has upped my popularity (I use the term loosely) on campus even more than my high-profile library job. After this year though, I plan to step down to a less labor-intensive position because 1) two years of experience in the top spot is enough padding for my résumé, I think, and 2) there's at least one other person who would love the experience.
I also took two classes -- a fiction workshop, which was in my top 3 favorite classes taken in the program thus far (and in which I met some cool people) and an Electronic Publishing workshop which, despite my reluctance to take, I did learn a few things in (and broadened my thinking of how to use the web as a writer).
So, there you have it. Today's my last day of work (all jobs) until January and my classes ended two weeks ago, so I finally have some time for my own projects (like reading six more books before Dec. 31 to meet my Goodreads goal). And maybe some relaxation, if I can figure out how to not feel guilty about it. :P
Thursday, November 1, 2012
here I am...
Well, I've survived my second hurricane in Baltimore -- not that there was much to survive, as we didn't lose power or even internet -- but I can't say the apartment came through unscathed. The last hurricane (which was back in August 2011) basically just meant two days and nights of rain and wind; at the end of the second day, the cupboard ceiling above one of my closets sprung a leak, which I discovered via a trail of water on my bedroom floor (which is, thankfully, hardwood). I put a pot under the drippy part and the rain stopped sometime during the second night. Through the rain and even the snow we got the rest of the year and beyond, there was no more leaking.
Then came Sandy. Again, more rain and wind, but the closet cupboard leak started only a few hours in, this time with a vengence. Where a pot had sat before, a Rubbermaid tote was placed, and a bucket, and a plastic tupperware dish... then it came through the closet. Then in by my bedroom window. Then in the ceiling outside the closet/cupboard. Then in the bathroom above the tub. Then by the bathroom radiator pipe that runs up into the apartment above us. We scurried to strategically place plastic tubs under the drips, but they don't really make dishes that wrap around metal pipes. "I feel like we're bailing water out of a sinking ship," Jake said. The paint on the bathroom wall started to bubble as water seeped in behind it, and the ceiling above the tub -- which was already slightly damaged -- began to bow. Later that evening, it broke open and bits of plaster and other random junk crashed down into the bath tub.
Jake had the clever idea of taping plastic over the drippy areas in our room and cutting a hole so that the water would all drip out of one spot (and thus straight into the plastic tub, instead of all over the floor around it). Sometime Monday night the rain slowed, the wind died down, and all the dripping stopped. Tuesday morning, we covered the hole in the bathroom ceiling with duct tape and plastic so that we wouldn't get rained on by bits of debris as we shower.
Baltimore City was definitely lucky -- it could have been a lot worse. But I'm not sure how many more hurricanes my building is going to withstand. Hopefully we'll have moved on by the time the next one hits.
The landlords, meanwhile, didn't seem concerned about the leak during the 2011 hurricane, and after an unanswered email this time around, I texted the building manager to let him know about the ceiling, to which he replied that he was without power and dealing with "an array of issues," and that they would hopefully start working as normal on Wednesday (yesterday). Haven't heard anything yet.
Then came Sandy. Again, more rain and wind, but the closet cupboard leak started only a few hours in, this time with a vengence. Where a pot had sat before, a Rubbermaid tote was placed, and a bucket, and a plastic tupperware dish... then it came through the closet. Then in by my bedroom window. Then in the ceiling outside the closet/cupboard. Then in the bathroom above the tub. Then by the bathroom radiator pipe that runs up into the apartment above us. We scurried to strategically place plastic tubs under the drips, but they don't really make dishes that wrap around metal pipes. "I feel like we're bailing water out of a sinking ship," Jake said. The paint on the bathroom wall started to bubble as water seeped in behind it, and the ceiling above the tub -- which was already slightly damaged -- began to bow. Later that evening, it broke open and bits of plaster and other random junk crashed down into the bath tub.
 |
| The bathroom ceiling after it broke open. I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but there's a can of Ajax in there. How'd it get there? |
Baltimore City was definitely lucky -- it could have been a lot worse. But I'm not sure how many more hurricanes my building is going to withstand. Hopefully we'll have moved on by the time the next one hits.
The landlords, meanwhile, didn't seem concerned about the leak during the 2011 hurricane, and after an unanswered email this time around, I texted the building manager to let him know about the ceiling, to which he replied that he was without power and dealing with "an array of issues," and that they would hopefully start working as normal on Wednesday (yesterday). Haven't heard anything yet.
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