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:

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.

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).

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

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.


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?

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.

Jake learns to fly; I ride along

My silence here has been due in part to another site I've had to build for class. It's at www.rachelswriting.com (I'll link it in the sidebar too) and, as you may guess by the url, it's a blog focused on my writing and reading endeavors. I realized more fully today that, despite the fact that writing is my major and ultimately my career goal, it often ends up taking a backseat to other things that "have" to be done and, in many cases, my other hobbies. This isn't exactly the recipe for success. But it's a topic I explore a little more on the writing blog, so I'll leave it at that.

This last weekend I took a break from all my "have to do" stuff and actually did a few fun things. Way back in December I bought Jake a one-hour flight lesson from an airport in Bowie, and this past Friday he finally redeemed it. I got to ride along in the airplane, which was a little 4-seater Cessna -- the inside wasn't all that different from climbing inside the cab of one of my dad's old trucks, except for all the fancy dials and screens on the dashboard (and the steering, and the wings sticking off the top... anyway). The plane's "driver's seat" was on the wrong side, like a European car, and Jake got to sit in it. The instructor handled the take off and landing and otherwise took over only to show Jake maneuvers (turning, ascending, descending, etc.). We flew over Prince George's county and past Annapolis to the bay; it was a clear day and we could see the roller coasters of Six Flags nearby and the Washington Monument in D.C. in the distance.

Somewhere over the bay -- in fact, the bridge in the back right corner is aptly called the Bay Bridge.

Toward the end of the flight, my stomach started to get upset, which I really hope was the result of breakfast and not the flight itself (I never have problems in commercial airplanes, and don't usually get motion sickness unless I'm trying to read). Either way, Jake loved it (I think he told me "thank you" like 86 times throughout the rest of the day) and is seriously considering taking more lessons to get his pilot's license. He has about 1% of his required flying time logged now.

Hello, World

My schedule is pure insanity lately. I work three jobs and run the campus newspaper, all of which I enjoy (when everything's going right). I'm discovering a knack for organizing people; now if they would just do what I say, everything would be great. Living in such a fast-paced, communication-intensive world makes me even more frustrated when people don't stay on the ball... I think I'm going to have to slow down just because no one else can seem to keep up with me. Plus all this switching gears is starting to mess with my head.

Anyway, if you're so inclined, I'm keeping a blog for a class I'm taking this semester, which by assignment must be updated at least once a week. It's here. I'm also taking a fiction workshop this semester which I love but which has also caused some self-doubt on the whole "I'm a Writer" front. My first story was generally well-received and I got a lot of good feedback, but I sort of feel like fixing the problems in the story is beyond my ability. The real problem is just that I need to practice more, and it's a challenge I'm going to attempt, as soon as I find the time... I have the next two days off, finally, but at least one of them will probably be spent cleaning the apartment, because while my roommates seem to have infinte tolerance for filth, I can't really stand it.

Plus there are flies. Like five of them. I don't know where they came from but they've started hanging out in the bathroom over the last day or two. THEY MUST GO. (I'd say "DIE," but stupid as it is, I'd rather chase them out the window than kill them, regardless of how annoying they are. Though I realize they may not cooperate.) How long is a friggin' fly's life span, anyway?

Google says 15-30 days.

So anyway, that's my life currently.

Armagh at last

Well with all the hype leading up to my trip to Ireland, I'm sure my lack of posting now that I'm actually here has severely disappointed my five whole followers. So, be disappointed no longer: here's the post.

It's amazing here. Just like everyone said it would be. I officially reached the halfway point of my stay yesterday; the first week seemed to last forever (not in a bad way -- just an overload of sensory stimuli) and the second flew by. The city of Armagh has more hills than Baltimore and more trees than Saginaw. It's rained almost every day and I have yet to see a sunrise, but the sunset illuminates the clouds in colors I didn't know were possible -- electric reds and pinks. It's light here until after 11pm which still messes with my jet-lagged head. I don't know if I'll ever fully adjust to the five-hour time difference -- that morning on the plane fast-forwarded to sunrise at what would've been my 3am and made everything seem sort of surreal. Customs was easy to get through at the Dublin airport and everything from there went smoothly too. That first day after being assigned my room I was woken from a nap and sent out into the city by the program director; strange currency in hand, I found lunch at a restaurant called Fat Sams and was sure they could tell I didn't belong even before they heard me speak. Speaking of which, the lilting Irish accent is lovely but I've heard so many others here as well -- Scottish, English, Belgian, and others I can't place. 

The group of students I'm here with is fantastic and the words are flowing from my pencils (in various forms). I'm journaling as often as possible and satisfying my wanderlust with weekend trips to Belfast and Londonderry, the latter of which was chosen completely at the last minute, with no prior arrangements made.  We wandered into town, checked into the first hostel we came to, and walked down which ever street looked the most interesting at the time. These are my first experiences with hostels and so far they've been great for meeting interesting wanderers from all over the world. It also makes the first time I've slept in a room with 8 other people -- some of whom I'd known for only a week; some I didn't know at all. I've met Irish off-duty cops, a couple of English journalism students and an American backpacker named Adam who's finishing up a three-month tour of Europe; they all had great stories.

Armagh is a ghost town after about 6pm with the exception of a couple of pubs, but it almost seems like the Irish drinking stereotype is a myth -- the pubs are more empty than full on weeknights. Even in Belfast and Derry the stores are all closed by 7pm, though the nightlife is definitely more prominent there. I've had whiskey and cider and some weird fluorescent mixed drink called Mad Frog. I've hosted a party in my hostel room and wandered off by myself to sit amidst the ruins of a 13th-century Franciscan Friary. I've stood on the hills of Giant's Causeway and listened to the crash of the ocean waves; I've sat in a room or on a bus and read poetry and plays by Irish writers. I've gone shopping and discovered new music and hunted down gargoyle statues. And of course learned so much about a history and culture other than my own.

I don't know if I would want to live here simply because I wouldn't want to become desensitized to it all. But even being here for two weeks makes me seriously doubt whether I want to go home.

This is what I see out my window every morning.