Hey everyone~
Not much new for me, other than feeling the time vice tightening before my move to Missouri for school. Tentatively, the move is scheduled for the 16/17th of August, which gives me about 4 days to unpack, settle in as much as is possible in 4 days, officially enroll and register at Mizzou, discuss my future w/a grad student advisor & pick my year's itinerary, and perhaps find groceries and books. We'll see how this all goes; it sounds like a whirlwind to me, that hopefully will be more guided than i suspect. When all that's settled, i can finally sit down in my new apt and relax, enjoy having a washer & dryer in my apt for the first time (and a dishwasher), (and central AC..whoo!), and plop down by the pool... yes, a pool. And did i mention that cost of living is about 1/2 to 2/3 as much as Mpls? It will be quite more than satisfactory for graduate living, and i am indeed excited.
Yes, of course i will miss MN, but i have lived here all my life and have explored much of the twin cities. It's time to explore a new city and get down to studying & aiming for the jobs i want. I think the 2 things i want to see in Mpls before i leave are the Great Gatsby at the new Guthrie and the 'new' Walker, which, i have been a little slow about visiting...
So today I had the pleasure of an extra doctor visit at the behest of Mizzou, which included a Menengitis shot. I thought that maybe since i am nearing 23 that i would not tense up like a 5 year old, but i did. I did tell the nurse though, as always with needles, to just not tell me when she's going to jab me. Seems to help. No tears though, because on a scale of '1 to Tetanus' it was only about a 5; the nurse liked my expression of comparison to the Tetanus shot. :) I swear my whole right arm was barely movable for 4 hours; now, it's just sore and does not want to move above horizontal. Oh well, it will fade in 36-48 hours the nurse said. Plus, i get to go back next week for a TB (tuberculosis) test. I am required to have one because i lived in Eastern Europe for more than 2 months; kinda strange, but oh well. Seems like a trip out of the way to me, assuming i did not somehow pick up TB in Greece or Turkey 2 years ago, and has laid dormant for 2 years. EEEEwww eeeewww eeeeww on the needles and tests.
Ah- the picture above is of Mpls from the south on the south side of Lake Calhoun while i was rollerblading one day with Nate. I've been trying to take many pictures of the Twin Cities lately to preserve it in pictures for when we move. Hopefully, with many pictures as my quarry I will find a few good ones to print and frame for the new place. In related news, Nate is learning to rollerblade, sometimes much to his chagrin, but much to my pleasure... He's a rock-climber by his own choosing, but I cannot climb with him (wrists), so we had been trying to find an outdoor, healthy activity to do together. Running/jogging was apparently out of the question for Nate, and Nate did not have a bicycle until recently, (plus bicycling can still be a bit hard on the wrists). So, i suggested rollerblading and after calculated persuasive techniques I got him to buy a nice Target pair, complete w/knee, elbow, and wrist guards (which, unfortunately came after Nate's fateful first loop around Como Lake). I know i should probably use wrist guards as well, but somehow cannot convince myself to use them because i have skated since i was about 6; i guess that's what having hockey boys in the family gets you. I was constantly trying to keep up with Bob as a kid, so i learned well and fast or my skate-mates skated off. So anyhow, Calhoun is definitely the skate neophytes haven: smooth, cleared, marked paths with only one small 'hill' which is a good learning spot, and you only have to do it once every loop around, which is a couple miles. Nate's a good novice; i've seen MUCH worse. Hehe....
This weekend Nate and I are christening the Mac computer that we have (he has, mostly) been working on for my Golden Valley Historical Society internship: we're bringing it to the GVHS historic church site for its first archival use! Seems like a long time coming, so it's quite eventful! Then Nate and I just have to teach the Society secretary and a boy scout, who want to continue the project, about how to use the database. Exciting!
Next Friday Nate bought tickets to go see Damien Rice and Fiona Apple at Northrup Aud., so i'm pretty stoked about that! It's kinda for my birthday, so it'll be a great celebration in my opinion. I have loved Damien Rice's music since about 2003, having completely worn out my a copy of my most beloved album, particularly while traveling in 2004. He always calmed me down at night so that i could sleep in foreign beds, helped me enjoy the beaches, and reminded me of loved ones back home. Fiona Apple, on the other hand, is just a neurotic genius, with a great latest album, from what i've heard of it (i've not bough it yet, though i should have by now). As long as she sticks to the passionate music and skips the soapbox scenes of the past, it should be an amazing show.
Well that's all for now. I'll definitely keep my blog more updated as i head south and after I start school at Mizzou to keep in touch! Including pictures! Maybe by then I will have real links to things on my blog for a change!
Keep in touch and always feel free to drop me a msg :)
-chris
