Silly Pretty Things

Postscript

2006-06-10T18:48:00.000-05:00

And they eat really loudly. Like, lip-smacking and slurping. I have this weird problem with seeing other people eat normally, but geeeeez! It's making me ill.

Also, they like to state the obvious.

Maybe college has turned me into a snobby bitch?

Kill me.

2006-06-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

These people baby-talk their cats like none others. It is driving me insane. I have had pets of various kinds my entire life, so I'm not opposed to talking to them or anything, but the high voiced baby talk kills me.

Also, they ask me everything about five times. Simple questions:
"Are those your glasses?"
"No."
"They aren't your glasses?"
"Nope."
"So they aren't yours?"
"No."
"Those right there? Aren't yours?"

What, do you want them to be mine?

M.I.A. (again)

2006-06-09T19:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I've been missing for days now, I know. The problem is that I am, as they say, "in transition" and bumming around between family friends' houses, some of which (horrors!) only have dial-up. Also, it has been very boring so there hasn't been much to write.

Okay so that's not strictly true. The first set of family friends turned out to be really cool and young and all we did was booze and watch bad television (Parental Control, America's Funniest Home Videos, etc.), with a little bit of eating on the side. It was pretty sweet. But now it is boring and kind of awkward.

I'm thinking about taking a trip up to Bahston to visit my best friend from college for a couple of days before it's time to head back to Philly for the beginning of work and life and all that jazz. That'll be on the 20th.

I'm sorry, this was a random and probably boring post. I just didn't want you to think I'd been hit by a truck or anything like that.

Empty.

2006-05-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

I am currently getting ready to curl up in my folding butterfly chair to go to sleep. Why a butterfly chair? Because it is the only piece of furniture left in my apartment and it lifts me off the floor and thus away from any roaming spiders (I had another run in with a huge one yesterday and won't be taking any chances). It's actually relatively comfortable. I took a long nap in this very position earlier and it was quite refreshing.

So anyway, the packing saga is finally over. Everything except two suitcases and two small containers (books and toiletries) is gone. Tomorrow morning I will do a final run through to make sure nothing gets left, throw out the last bag of trash, return my keys and parking pass and drive off into the sunset (ok, up the east coast).

It's very strange to be leaving after four years here, especially after barely leaving this place during the last two. I can't really believe that tomorrow I'll be putting 7 hours between myself and the south and that I'll never be here again for any length of time. I'm trying to stay positive - I know I'll be seeing my friends from college soon and I know we're all planning to come back for homecoming in the fall. But still, this is the end of an era. It's weird to look back and say, "that was college." And to think that when somebody asks me about it, I'll now be talking in past tense.

But you know what they say, all good things must come to an end. Let's just hope what starts tomorrow is just as good.

Arrrrgh!

2006-05-29T16:07:00.000-05:00

I finally started to make some actual progress and now I am just about out of boxes. Unfortunately, even if there were someplace open to go buy more right now, I don't want to move my car because I'm trying to save the prime spot for the people to drop off my portable storage container thing tomorrow. It'll definitely be gone by the time I get back from buying boxes. Tarnation! I guess I'll just have to do what I can right now and then work my ass off all day tomorrow to get the rest done. Frustrating, though.

Panic!

2006-05-29T12:18:00.000-05:00

I'm starting to panic a little bit about the packing, but it hasn't exactly gotten me anywhere. I think now I'm resisting because I'm a little (okay, very) freaked out that in two days I will be leaving this town and school for good. I know everybody else pretty much dealt with this around graduation time but I've been putting it off and now it's hitting me. Unfortunately, I slept away most of the morning and really need to get serious for the rest of the day. But first I'm going to Whole Foods for vital nourishment. Gosh, I'm incorrigable.

"That, my dear children, is called cannibalism

2006-05-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

and that is frowned upon in most societies."

I'm actually making okay progress with the packing. As I thought, it's because my couch was taken away today leaving me with only a folding butterfly chair to sit on. No longer can I pass out on the couch for hours at a time, and it has upped my productivity incredibly. I also went and rented a bunch of movies, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the source of the subject quote. I hadn't seen it before and I quite enjoyed it. Now I'm on to Guys and Dolls but I'm starting to get sleepy. Tomorrow really needs to be productive because Tuesday everything I'm not taking with me for the summer is getting packed out.

Suddenly everything really is coming to an end, despite my denying it as long as possible.

Balls of steel.

2006-05-25T20:26:00.000-05:00

That was a somewhat inappropriate post title. I'm sorry, but not sorry enough to change it.

So, I used to be really terrible about asking people for favors. I absolutely hated calling people when I wasn't 100% sure they'd know who I was and be happy to hear from me, much less ask for anything from them. I even hated calling stores or places where it was the person's job to answer my questions or help me out. It would totally paralyze me and I would get really angry when my mom forced me to call a relative or one of her friends instead of doing it for me.

Thankfully, I seem to have recently gotten over that affliction and have become quite comfortable shooting off emails to acquaintances and family friends all over the east coast looking for a place to stay until summer training begins. So far it actually isn't going that well, which briefly shook my confidence, but it's only because everybody is simultaneously renovating (don't worry, I'm not so paranoid as to believe it's a conspiracy) and so can't host me. I'm going for broke, though. Maybe now would be a good time to start thinking of hostess gifts?

Magically expanding.

2006-05-24T16:15:00.000-05:00

Not me, my stuff. I got a lot of packing done today, sort of. I say that because I packed a lot of stuff but for every box I pack my belongings seem to multiply. It's kind of overwhelming. I also threw away a whole lot of old paperwork and receipts and crap and think I might tackle all the pens that don't work yet are laying around next.

Just to be sure, I also marked off a corner of my apartment in the approximate size of the container I'm getting (like those Pods, but a different company) so that I can make sure I can fit everything I need to before I actually start packing the container itself. That way I won't have any nasty surprises awaiting and will know if I'll have to ship anything so I can save the light things for that. So far, despite the multiplying belongings, it's looking like it should be plenty of space.

Just gotta keep on truckin' (and figure out what I need to keep out of storage for the summer)!

PS: As soon as my books get here I'm totally quitting for today.

Perfect timing.

2006-05-23T20:42:00.000-05:00

The furniture selling has continued at a nice pace over the course of the day. I have sold a set of cabinets, my dresser and my kitchen table and chairs. The dresser and table/ chairs have all been picked up and the cabinets have been paid for but still need to be collected.

This is great because I am getting my hair cut and straightened tomorrow and that is kind of expensive and I needed the cash from the furniture to pay for it without digging into the credit card.

Also, I wrote a bunch of thank-you notes and ordered some new books from Amazon. I am SET! If only I would start with the actual packing of items.

In other news, I started a new blog, The Beauty of Dreams, to chronicle my Teach For America experience. The reasoning for doing this was twofold... okay actually it wasn't but I've always wanted to say that. I did it because I want to provide the link to my family and friends to keep them updated but I don't really want to share everything in this blog with them (family in particular). Eventually I will probably transition to only using that one.

When she was up she was up...

2006-05-23T09:21:00.000-05:00

I think I may be bipolar. I'm not sure how serious I am about that statement. It's kind of like when people point out that I have some obsessive compulsive tendencies, but they aren't the super-destructive kind like the hand washing or super obvious or anything so it's hard to tell if it's really a problem or just kind of a quirk.

Anyway, I tend to cycle through periods (like last week) where all I do is sleep on the couch, with a small amount of reading and TV watching thrown in. During these periods I have an extremely difficult time getting anything done, even things so simple as paying bills online or putting a plate in the dishwasher.

Then, we have weeks like this one is starting to look like where I get about a million things done every ten minutes. For example, I have already sold a couple pieces of furniture (since yesterday afternoon), scheduled my school district phone interview, made an appointment to get my hair cut, arranged to donate my sculpture to a church and made final arrangements with the apartment management for my move out. Wow.

Craigslist is my new best friend (sorry M).

2006-05-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I took a bunch of pictures of the furniture I still need to sell and posted everything on Craigslist. I've already sold my dresser (they're picking it up tomorrow) and I have someone coming to look at a set of cabinets! This is so sweet!

On a more unfortunate note, after about a week of excessive amounts of sleep it seems that I have made up for my four years of college sleep deprivation because I suddenly have tons of energy and am very bored. I read an entire book this morning. An. Entire. Book. Ok, so it was a romance novel and not very strenuous reading, but it was still 421 pages. In about 4 hours. I need to start hitting up the used bookstore (I've already killed the local library's collection of my favorite authors).

AAHHHH!

2006-05-22T15:27:00.000-05:00

Well, the trip to Philly went really well. It was great meeting some of my fellow '06 corps members, plus a bunch of the '05 teachers. The weekend as a whole was pretty intense (I've learned that pretty much everything involved with TFA is), and very tiring, but I made it and am feeling much better about the next two years as a result. I really loved one of the schools I interviewed with, and would be thrilled to work there but it's up to them and four of us interviewed for two positions (not to mention other people they may be considering), so who knows what will happen!

Also, I called today and cancelled all of my utilities, effective May 31st. I also reserved my moving storage box container thingy and suddenly realized that I effectively have one week. Next Tuesday will be spent packing the container and then I will be out of here next Wednesday. Unfortunately, I still don't know exactly where I'll be going at that point. I may try to stay with one of my sorority sisters who lives in Jersey, but it all depends on hearing back from some family who also live in NJ. I think I'm in denial about how much I have to do, especially packing up my kitchen. I start thinking about it, get all panicky, and try to ignore it. I can't keep putting it off, but at least for today I'm going to. I swear, tomorrow I'm going to the liquor store for a few more boxes and then packing for real.

Nerves.

2006-05-18T16:50:00.000-05:00

I am kind of nervous right now because tomorrow I am departing on my first-ever business trip, of sorts. I'll be leaving from RDU at around 7am to fly up to Philly for a hiring weekend with the Philly School District and TFA. Everything is planned out for me and the other attendees, and I'm really kind of nervous about presenting myself as a professional, responsible college graduate. I don't know why because I'be been extremely responsibly and presentable for years, so it shouldn't be much of an effort. Okay, I'll admit it, mostly I'm just stressing about what to wear so as to appear professional but still cool. I'm fine for Saturday during the day when I'll be wearing my lovely business suit, but it's the "casual" periods I'm more concerned about. I also need to start meeting potential roommates, and that's a lot of pressure. Plus I'm still waffling on my feelings about Philadelphia as a city, although I just learned that it is the newest city to be featured on Daily Candy, which makes me feel better about things. I swear, I'm not as superficial as sometimes I sound.

The Graduate.

2006-05-17T18:28:00.000-05:00

I am officially a college graduate! I have my degree, I have a job. How weird.

I barely made it through graduation weekend, getting sick halfway through. I've spent most of the last three days sleeping on my couch and saying goodbye as my friends leave town. I'll be here until the end of the month, then I'll be... somewhere (maybe NJ with relatives) until my training starts June 20. This is it: one big end and another big beginning.

Let the games begin!

2006-05-12T09:41:00.000-05:00

Graduation weekend is officially here. Starting as soon as my mom gets here (which should be any minute) the next three days will be packed with somewhat awkward organized events and ceremonies. This is it: college is over. How strange.

Sweet!

2006-05-11T18:14:00.000-05:00

This is probaby going to sound stupid to anybody who isn't greek, but I am really excited about the senior gift I just got from my sorority. It's a light grey fleece blanket embroidered with the name, two of our symbols and "class of 2006." I love it! And I got a cool magnet from our local alumni chapter. I never thought I'd be so excited about sorority gear, especially three days from graduation, but I am! Thrilled!

The Gun Show

2006-05-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'm getting buff from all this moving-related work. Let me back up. My art history final went well enough for me. Amazingly (I think the first time in college) I didn't finish first. I finished second by about 10 seconds. But that was still way ahead of the rest of the class. I mean, really, he gave us the essay topics ahead of time. How much time did people really need to write out what they had already studied? Geez.

Anyway, finishing college was kind of anti-climactic. I mean, I guess graduation weekend is supposed to be the climax, and that's next weekend, so we'll see.

Today has confirmed that I am incapable of taking a complete break from productivity. Or any break, really. I got up at 7:30, had breakfast, played with the dog, went shopping and then have been running errands and packing pretty much every since (except for the hour when I took the puppy to an adoption event). I cleaned out my studio in the art building. I packed a lot of books. I got some more boxes. I'm making progress, but I have a LOT of stuff. I'm terrified to start on the clothes. Now I'm trying to take a real break- watching TV. Ok, so there's laundry in, but still. I'm not doing any heavy lifting.

You must be joking, part deux.

2006-05-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

I swear, my art history professor must be crazy. This is the same professor I wrote the ridiculous term paper for. I am done with college, except for his final, which is tomorrow afternoon. It involves slide identifications. However, the pool of images which he's picking from and expects us to know all of is around 228 seperate works. 228! There is no way I can memorize 228 different titles and years and artists, etc! What a joke! Now comes the fun game of tryign to guess which ones I actually need to memorize.

Grades, wooo!

2006-05-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

Haha. I crack myself up. Today, in particular, has been pretty hilarious, I think due to my ridiculous hangover. Also, I am in a good mood because some of my grades are in and so far I got an A in my elementary education class and an A- for my independent project in painting. The painting grade is definitely better than I thought it would be, so that's pretty sweet. Now all I gotsta do is hand my artwork in the library (I'm showing it there over the summer) and take my art history final on Friday! Almost done!

22

2006-05-02T05:57:00.000-05:00

Some quick updates:

1) Today is my birthday. I am now 22 years old. Wow. I don't actually have much to say about that.

2) My weekend trip was okay, I guess. It caused me to totally reevaluate all of my plans for the summer, living situations for next year, etc.

3) It's finals week. I am just about done with everything, so I'm not that stressed. I'm turning in two take-home exam/ paper things today, hanging my artwork at the end of the week and taking my art history exam Friday afternoon. Thus ends college.

Marathon

2006-04-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

I've been up since 7:30am. I am driving to Philly tonight so that I can look at apartments all day tomorrow, stay a friend of the family's, then drive back Sunday morning. That's a total of 14 hours in two days. I plan on leaving around 1:30am so that I get there around 9am so that I can easily get coffee and make my first appointment at 10:30. Which means that I am now going to go lie down and try to get about 4 hours of sleep to last me through tomorrow night. Wish me luck (and lots and lots of caffeine).

Done!

2006-04-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

With classes, anyway. That means no more college classes EVER! Amazing. I will now proceed to lay on the couch, read Domino and watch Law & Order until it's time to go to sleep.

Ball of stress.

2006-04-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

I'm a little stressed out. Thank God I will be done with (undergrad) classes forever at 5:35pm tomorrow. That will definitely help. However, it turns out it is very hard to move to a totally new city completely on your own. I am struggling to even find appropriate apartments to look at when I'm in Philly this weekend. I'm starting to get kind of scared. Not to mention the niggling stress that rises in my head every time I think about the actual process of moving. I need to start collecting boxes ASAP. The next month (or so) will be insane. Well actually, it'll pretty much be insane from here on out. Here are some highlights:

April 29-30: Apartment hunting trip to Philly (including 14 hours of driving in two days)
May 2: My 22nd birthday!
May 5: Art History final
May 12-14: Graduation weekend
May 19-21: Another trip to Philly, this time for an interview fair thingy.
May 31: My lease in North Carolina ends
June 1: Hopefully a lease in Philadelphia will begin
June 20: TFA training begins, continuing (along with district training and graduate classes) until:
September 7: School starts for students

There goes my summer (and the rest of my life).

7 miles

2006-04-22T18:39:00.000-05:00

That's how far I've run the last two days combined. I need to start keeping track again. I'm kind of a running purist: I don't listen to music or carry a watch. I don't keep very accurate time of my runs and often I forget to look at the clock before I go so I don't keep any time. But I think I'm going to start running more seriously again, which means I need to keep at least approximate times and log my mileage.

Today was 4 miles. I'm not sure how long it took, but I'm usually running between a 10 and 11 minute mile these days. I got caught in a huge thunderstorm for about the last mile, though, and there's nothing like the threat of getting hit by lightning to help you pick up the pace.

Other than that, it was a pretty mediocre day.