Well, I'm not expecting folks to go hopping on over to spacechronicle if they haven't already, but JUST IN CASE..... there's a new entry up.


For those folks newer to my flist (oh ye few), spacechronicle is my fiction blog about me and my adventures on an alien spaceship. It's updated so infrequently because A)I'm lazy, and B)I have so few readers to motivate me/give me ideas. That was the whole intent behind this thing, really, to have people interacting with my space self, ask questions, let me know what they want to know about the aliens or other humans or whatever. In the absence of that, the blog gets more introspective and moody.

(don't call it a female thing, or a "female" type of writing. I could get all technical if I so wished. And just for that, I think now I'll think of something uber-technical for the next post. so there.)

It's only been a few hours since hunny left for New York, and I miss him already. See, he's going to be gone for upwards of three weeks or so. Then he MIGHT come home...if he doesn't called to the event in Pebble Beach, CA. But if he does go to that event, he'll go straight from New York. THEN he is definitely wanted for a Nissan event, also in California, at the end of August. It's quite possible that I really won't see him for a month and a half.

I know I've got all these projects I want to do, but right now I'm feeling just a bit overwhelmed by it all. I think I'll go walk to the post office and back to clear my head. Maybe.


EDIT: I return triumphant. Do you know what it's doing outside? Do you? It's MISTING. Or it's fog. Either way, it's beautiful. I can't be sad with weather like this. And my Sobe lid told me I was beautiful. Honestly, the world is conspiring against sadness, even though I did hear mine and hunny's song on the MP3 player. Even that was telling me it's alright. It's okay.

I knew this place was a good idea.

The moved in post..

lol I had no idea this was the case, but I just came across a music video on YouTube by Adam-Michael James (a buddy of hunny's for a LONG time) that he did for one of his books.

I'm putting it up here for two reasons: posterity, and because both hunny and I are in it! See if you can spot us, yeah?

Here's the direct link. I recommend letting it load a bit before you play it.

Oh my freakin' GOD.


Awesome flick. Seriously. Won't give spoilers. Just sayin'. I honestly had low expectations just because of all the hype. But this time, it's merited. I think I left clawmarks on the handrests at the theatre.

Yep.

Okay, so I've maxxed out on my userpics. And I love my userpics. Therefore, I'm setting myself a challenge. I'm going to try to use a bunch (amount deliberately unspecified) of icons without repeating any. This does not go for comments, since I can't control the userpic function from my email (where I respond to most comments). But for my own posts, we're gonna go for a different icon every time. At least until I get bored with it.

And now for the briefest Oregon nature story. Yesterday, hunny and I spent several hours running around Eugene looking for a table that I can use for my altar. We had no luck, so we came back home feeling rather defeated. As we were pulling into the complex, though, something gray and black caught my eye. Hunny was talking and not really paying attention, so I touched his arm and pointed out in front of the car.

There was a raccoon trying to cross right in front of us in the driveway!

I think we confused him a bit as we slowed down, and he didn't know which way to go. Finally he took the closest route to the nearest tree, but he didn't hurry. Actually, he seems almost nonchalant about the whole car business. I had the funny feeling that he was hoping for a handout, but hunny was just excited to see a raccoon period. According to him, this was the first time he'd ever seen a live raccoon! *boggle*

We got past him and parked, and I hurried inside the apartment to grab my camera. But by the time I'd gotten back outside, he'd gone. All we saw was the illegal orange/white cat hanging around the front yard. I'm not sure if the cat scared off the racoon or the raccoon just got bored. Hunny was disappointed that we couldn't get a picture, but I'm thinking the 'coon lives around here, so maybe another time.

I think it's funny how much closer we are to nature around here than we were in Long Beach. I mean, I haven't lived near raccoons and squirrels in a long time. It's fun! Of course, we also have more insects/arachnids to deal with; hunny's been freaking out at all the spiders. I keep telling him they're better than cockroaches, but he still doesn't like them. lol

Today I got my Graduate Teaching Fellowship (GTF) contract from UO. I find it funny how all of the literature is geared toward people who have never taught before, pretty much. We HAVE to sign up for a teaching seminar in the fall. We HAVE to attend a conference before school starts so that we know what we're doing, etc. ad nauseum. Meanwhile, in looking up course descriptions for the classes I've been assigned (WR 121, WR 122), they look suspiciously similar to ENG 52 and ENG 100, respectively. *eyeroll*

I do feel now like I'm doing this all backasswards. I spend three years in the School of Hard Knocks, teaching some seriously downtrodden folks in incredibly volatile environments (emotionally, financially), and NOW I'm entering a full-year teaching program to git me sum learnin'. Boy howdy! :)

But I'm not going to joke. Nope. The waiver of the tuition means I can't joke about it. And get this: I have to keep office hours, which means that somewhere, somewhen, I'll have an OFFICE!!!!!

(In filling out paperwork today, I notice just how much I'm being treated like a full employee here, even as a GTF. This is NICE. Office hours, health benefits, staff support....NICE.)

I'm looking forward to this. I think I'll play with my syllabi a bit as another project before September.

Alright, finally got in gear and took some pictures around the place! So, then, this is a picture-heavy post, and I am doing some comment whoring here, so respond away. :)

( First, some few pictures of the place as we were moving in, with bare rooms and such. )

So now, almost two weeks later, I feel sufficiently moved in to move on. Pretty much.

( Here be pics of what we're living with so far. )

Finally, I leave you all with a special treat: we took some video of my first bike ride after getting my brand spankin' new purple Magna bike at Fred Meyer. All I can say is MAN I'M FAT! Lol I know the camera adds ten (or 40) pounds, but yikes. Anyway, whatever.




And here's the direct link.


Down the road, I'll get some pics of the neighborhood and such. ;)

my list of artists/bands I've seen got just slightly longer. I can't believe I forgot about Dead Can Dance!

A recent post/comment made me think about all the musical artists/bands I've seen, and I got the urge to make a list. I know some people can't do this kind of list because they've seen so many folks, but I am lucky to have seen the few that I have. So I'm memorializing that, I guess.


Okay, here goes. And no making judgments here! If you don't know the context for seeing some of these people, then you can't make snide remarks, so there. lol

Barry Manilow

BareNakedLadies

Dead Can Dance

Brian Wilson

Air

Fleetwood Mac

Lindsey Buckingham

Peter Gabriel

Genesis

Simon & Garfunkel!!!

Beck

The Decemberists (opened for Beck)

Green Day

Taking Back Sunday

Jimmy Eat World

Mention (local Long Beach band)

Gagging Lolly (local LA band)

Yeah, I think that's it so far. Told you it was short.

I'm trying desperately to get back on track with things, though I'm not sure why. I think it's because I have projects I want to get started on, but I feel I can't until I've all my ducks in a row, so to speak.

***Before I go any further, please note that there may be Duck jokes for the next several years.


Anyway, those "ducks" include the top priority of making this apartment look like a home. The living room is nearly complete, and the kitchen is done. I just cleaned up the bathroom this morning. So mainly now it's the bedrooms we have to finish up, especially the studio. And I find I've still a few things missing, primarily my charger and mini-USB cord for my digital cameral. Without these (or replacements), I can't take too many more pictures, and I certainly can't get them to my computer to share with y'all. But I'm working on it. If I can't find them, I'll just break down and buy new ones (though that's stupid, because I KNOW I packed them......)

Next week John leaves for his big work event in New York, which means I'll be on my own for at least three weeks. If he gets the two events with the new company he interviewed for (and she said she wanted him to work for them, though she hasn't sent him any paperwork yet), then I'll be on my own for a month and a half, roundabout.

In a way, this is good. I'll have time to myself to work on those aforementioned projects, which include:

reading/giving feedback on Troy's short story DONE!

reading/giving feedback on Michelle's MFA thesis (already submitted, but I'm still gonna read it because she's my best friend, dammit

starting the last major overhaul/re-write of my own thesis, so that I can start submitting the damn thing to agents/publishers for real

working on new writing (already started, but need a schedule)

creating a music video for "Castle" (will likely need John's help, so that one might need to wait)

turning some old taped song fragments into actual songs as a surprise for an old friend

I have to make progress on all of this before school starts because, once I'm immersed in my education, most of it will fly out the window. I also need to make time to visit old friends, visit new friends, and explore this town some more. We did walk the campus a couple days ago (and I mean from one end to the other...whew!), but that was marred by the sudden dramatic entrance of Girly Issues. Yeah, my body thinks it's funny.

So, the goal is as such: apartment first, then create a schedule for projects. Then, finally, ADHERE to that schedule and no spending hours playing games!!! Dammit!!!!!!!!

(What I really need is someone around here with a whip to yell at me, "What the HELL are you walking to the fridge for? You're not hungry! Get back to work!!!" And no, the whip is not optional.)

I LOVE DR. HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!

Make sure you check out Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, starring Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible and Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer. And yes, in case you couldn't tell from the title, it's a musical. It comes in three acts. First act was yesterday, so you might not be able to see it now except via iTunes download, but I do recommend you check it out. The interaction so far between Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer is just awesome. :D

I make jokes in written form. It's quite often that my kidding is not discernible to the people I'm chatting up. But in general, if I appear to be begging for money or presents at any time, I'm joking around. I don't usually have any serious intent of asking people for money or presents. This is just not who I am. Anybody who knows me even somewhat should realize this. I shouldn't even HAVE to be saying this. The only time I ever EXPECT any kind of attention is when I'm singing or when you're reading my writing. I certainly never expect people to give me things on any particular occasion. This is why we decided not to accept presents for the wedding (though we certainly asked for donations to "break even" for the party...and we didn't break even, but did we go around whining about it? No. Are we STILL paying off the wedding? Yes.)

Anyway. Just wanted folks to know this in case you ever get any sort of written communication from me. I usually edit myself well enough to be clear, but just in case that doesn't happen, it's better to ask than to fly off the handle or decide to misinterpret what I'm saying because you'd rather not ask me.

AND PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT INTENDED AS A SPECIFIC DIATRIBE AGAINST ANYONE ON MY FLIST. I'm not trying to say that people who ask for money suck or anything like that. Hell, I just sent out a little bit of money today for something I think is a worthy cause. I'm just saying that, typically, I don't ask people for money without expecting to give something in return. So when I talk about people giving me money, it's tongue-in-cheek, so there's usually a :) or a lol or a *wiggling eyebrow* to go with it.

That is all. Comments screened.

I've been in contact with the director of composition at UO, hoping that I could get into some kind of teaching gig even at this late date. I wasn't sure how that would work; the deadline for GTFs (Graduate Teaching Fellowships) is back with the application deadline, and they normally don't take people outside the English department in the first year anyway. BUT my mentor/academic advisor/department director Dr. W. told me that I should contact this lady and apply, since he heard that they might still have some openings.

I did.

And just today she emailed me and let me know that she was going to send me a letter recommending me for a GTF for this year!!!!!!!

This is so exciting. Why, you ask? The deal is thus: tuition waived (even non-resident tuition, minus some mandatory fees), a stipend of around $12K, medical insurance and more! Of course, I have to take a practicuum for a good chunk of the year as is required for all new GTFs. Apparently my three years of experience in the California school system couldn't get me around that. But I don't mind; I think it would be fruitful to be involved in more education re: education, and it would give me a chance to get to know more people, both students and teachers, in the English department. But seriously, how sweet is this package!

Between that and the small tutoring position I'm hoping to get on campus, as well, my part in the finances is pretty much set. I'll likely lose my financial aid, but I'm not gonna cry over that. Less I have to pay off later, right?

So excited! I don't have to stop teaching, I'll have a chance to better my teaching skills, and my tuition is taken care of! Rock!

I went on my very first Eugene bike ride this morning.

Granted, it was just up and down my street, and I didn't last very long because I am fucking out of shape. But it sure was nice to be up at 6am while it was still cool and riding, feeling the almost cold breeze on my face, and listening to my tunes. Twice I was almost stopped by squirrels who apparently felt the itching desire to attempt to keep pace with me. Or maybe they were just startled, as in, "WTF is that chubby girl doing on that thing?? Let's see if we can cross in front of her just for fun!" Argh. Silly squirrels. And a bluejay.

Ah, biking in nature. Or close to nature. Or closer to nature than in CA.

I think I'll do the up/down the street thing a few more times before I attempt to ride in the city. My legs definitely need to get used to the whole pedaling thing, and I know I steer like a newbie. It's gonna take a little while to get used to the whole biking thing again.

But I did it! And it was awesome!

I think I'm leaving the Friends Only arena and heading back to public posting.

That is all.

Oh yeah. Kids, we've got some ghetto.

Granted, it's not the same level of ghetto that we had before. It's Ghetto Lite. But still.

I think I mentioned somewhere back that when we first got to the apartment complex, we saw that it had been tagged. It took them three days or so to actually remove the graffiti, so we should've known then.

I think most of this Ghetto Lite stems from our next door neighbors in #3. There's a hispanic woman there who does childsitting for apparently several families. We know these are not her kids because we saw one guy dropping off his son to her in the morning. Anyway, these kids do their kid thing roundabout all day (it being summer), with the screaming outside our windows and such, but that's not really the ghetto part.

The ghetto part is what we saw yesterday. I was in the studio (the now official name of the second bedroom, despite the fact that the studio still isn't set up) and John was in the living room when he called me out there. Sitting (or even lying) on the little piece of concrete across the way from us was a LINE of folks, mostly guys, but some women. It was completely mystifying. They just hung out there, a whole line that went all the way back to the complex's trash can, taking naps, smoking cigarettes, chatting and god knows what. They weren't overly loud, but they were right across from our somewhat open window, and they could look right in whenever they wanted. I have no idea whether they're attached to the next door neighbor, but several of them were talking with her (we could hear her through the closed door), so they knew her. I have no idea what it was all about, but it was just about the most ghetto thing I've ever seen in all my time in Oregon, now or then. I was wondering if all those people were there to pick up their kids from the neighbor, but it can't be. She doesn't have THAT many kids in her house. So yeah. No idea.

Oh, and for just the slightest hint of extra flavor? Every once in awhile a car will drive by that's blasting its mariachi music. I've heard it twice now, and both times the reaction was automatic: "Oh my fucking god, are you KIDDING ME???" Then it goes away and I realize that it's mariachi on the move. Still, I become anxious that something in that realm will start to happen on a regular basis, and that it will come from a neighbor.**


** Just so everyone knows, I'm not trying to be racist here or anything. If the men/women hanging out across the way were white, I'd have just as much of a problem with it. If the music I keep hearing were death metal or country/western, I'd have just as much of a problem with it. It just so happens that this is not the case at present. And I'm sorry, but after all we went through at the old apartment, I really hate the fucking mariachi.

I'm not even sure how I want to start this. I feel obligated to write something, and yet I feel I've not much to say. I've been so absorbed in trying to make this apartment a home that there is, at present, almost nothing else on my agenda. We haven't really been exploring or done much of anything but unpack/move shit around since we got here.

And I find myself focused very much within myself these days. I think there's a depression there that I'm not sure what to do with. I'm pretty sure I'm not missing California, so I'm not sure exactly what this is. Allz I know is that it's messing with my already strained social skills, even in the online world. I just want to go inside my mind, shut the door, and stay there for awhile.

I had some pretty intricate half-dreams last night. One involved hunny and myself in New York. There were others, all with partially introduced storylines but nothing finished. Seems to be the story of my life.

In a sense, I feel more alone here than John, who gets phone calls every day from his buddies or his family. It is, I suppose, the measure of my relationships with people that no one feels the need to check up on me. Maybe they don't think I need it. Or maybe none of it matters so much to them as it does to me. Well, that makes sense. We are each the center of our own universe.

The most arresting recurring dream I ever had wasn't exactly a recurring dream, but more like a recurring theme. This all took place back in community college. I kept having dreams that centered around a huge school that was always white but had the strangest goings-on. The lunch line was always a mile long, no matter what day or time it was. The stairs to the second floor (which were outside, connecting the ground to the second floor balcony) were incredibly twisted together like some crazy Escher thing. The school was entirely self-sustaining. When students entered, they didn't leave for four years. When they left, they were educated, but they could never exactly give details about their college experience. I'm not sure how I knew that it was always the same school, but I did. In every dream something different happened, but they all took place in this same environment. And the things that happened were pretty fucked up.

I named the school Goldane of the North.

In one dream, I was enrolled in a class where the teacher never actually entered the room. Every day there was an assignment on the board, and I'm guessing we were expected to do the assignment during the class. But those of us enrolled had no idea that the chalkboard was a one-way mirror where the teacher and others watched us for the entire semester.

In another dream, I had to take a note to a particular professor. I searched the entire school, and I kept asking folks where he was. Everyone told me he was somewhere else. It took me forever to make the discover that the professor didn't actually exist.

Yet another dream, and I awoke from unconscious to discover that I was a horse. I found myself in a barn with other students-turned-barnyard animals, including a pig, a goat, and a duck. The really queer thing is that we could communicate with each other. This turned out to be a huge mistake for the teacher who turned us into animals because we were able to plot revenge against her.

A fourth dream involved me having to get up to a class that was located in a bat-infested belfry, complete with the most rickety staircase imaginable. I mean this thing was nearly gone. It wound up the edge of the belfry, all rotting wood and narrow and whatnot. A bunch of us just looked up toward the top with trepidation.

There were other dreams. After talking to my community college psychology professor about them, I came to the conclusion that the common theme was one of manipulation, which, funnily enough, was more or less exactly what I was feeling during that time.