Our first Thanksgiving (well, married one anyway)

Here is Nate, proud as a peacock - or, make that a turkey.
Plus, we took some 'before' and 'after' photos of ourselves.


Nate with his first turkey.

MMMMMMmmmm........

Our spread.

"Before"

"After"

Absolutely AMAZING Autumn photos

About 2 weeks ago now, Nate and I went to Morris Arboretum, which is about a couple miles north of us in Philly. This is what we saw! And Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

New Digs

Greetings from the land of the Phillies, World Series 2008 Champs.

Never fear - still a Twins fan.

Nate and I arrived in Philadelphia days, if not hours before the momentous World Series game that broke the Philadelphia curse. To emphasize my point about arriving just in time, the movers that we hired to help us move in to our apartment were so highly motivated to get our stuff in and take off that they sent 2 extra guys (free) and did it in half the time because.............. they wanted to go tailgating before the BIG game (THE game, that is, the last one). Good and cheap for us. All I can say is: thank goodness we do not live closer to downtown or moving in would have been horrendous.

All in all, our new place is actually nicer than we expected, particularly the neighborhood. It is certainly one of those nice, niche neighborhoods that kinda feel like you are away from the city, but with all the conveniences of the city (e.g. train to work, walkable area for scouting out dinner--- not that we're doing much of that until the finances build up a bit...heh). We live right next the regional rail line, which takes me directly to work at the University of Pennsylvania campus, which is on the west side of downtown. VERY convenient and hella cheaper than driving + parking..........whoa baby!

Our apartment is HUGE, but all that space seems kind of ironic when you can't fill it. We are mostly filling up the open square footage for now with un- or half-opend boxes. The is by far the biggest move I've ever done; where did we get all this stuff?? How does it accumulate?? Nevertheless, every day looking for something helps us slowly find "the place" something goes and where it will remain in our new abode. We bought a couch, having brought none, and are working on finding a dining table (IKEA sale on Tuesday??...). Not that this information is all that interesting, but I think I truly understand now why people who want their home furnished and "done" as soon as they move in go broke. These things take time, people. On a truly positive note, we will have NO problem accomodating overnight guests with all this space, especially once we get a few more pieces of furniture. Not to mention our second (!!) bathroom (yes I will rant and rave about this feature forever) is pretty fabulous too. So come and visit folks! Philadelphia has lots to offer as well as being ridiculously easy/close to NYC, Baltimore, and DC.

So, I haven't even started my Thank-You's for our wedding.......... I know you have 3 months by traditional standards, but it would be nice to finish them before they become Christmas cards as well.... haha.... The biggest thing, really, is that accomplishing anything while we were in Minnesota was next to impossible (except wedding stuff) because we were half-packed away the entire time. It definitely is nice to FINALLLLLLLLLY unpack and STAY that way for a while. Seeing a favorite spatula or coffee mug or sets of sheets is like pure joy. Try it sometime -- pack all your stuff away except for bare essentials (including clothes!!!) and when you reopen everything 3-4 months later, it'll be like early Christmas!! For us, too, there were wedding present added into the mix that we couldn't play with and test out until we got here. So, that just added to the immense satisfaction of unpacking for an indefinite period of time.

My internship/job, which I started this past Monday (Nov. 3rd), has so far gone swimmingly. I got all the introductions (including those to living human staffers as well as mummies undergoing research), did paperwork, got my office (!!) organized and ancient computer updated, wandered the museum trying to get oriented and not lost, took many tours of the maze of artefact storage rooms with which I will be working intimately, did some reading to get me caught up on the archaeological site I will be working on, and well, sat on my ass looking out the nice window waiting to be told what to do next (because my supervisor is still getting used to the fact that I am around). I'm told I will be "busy soon," so I am enjoying the slow pace while it still lingers.

Nate and I are intending to go to a local arboretum tomorrow (it has been raining non-stop this week and it is finally supposed to be sunny then), and hopefully we can capture some of the last colors of New England fall and post them.

Speaking of New England, I can definitely understand why New Englanders can be so snotty about Midwestern architecture now. The history, landscape, and architecture of regular, residential homes around here is amazing. It would be like going to the land of cookie-cutter subdivisions on crack for them. The was certainly a striking observation I had right away.

Well, that's my post-move update and hopefully more to follow now that the settling in process has taken root.

The Honeymoon is over, hunny - but the best is yet to come

Here are a few teaser photos from our honeymoon in Costa Rica. :)

The top one of me is on the beach at our hotel, with black sands and slightly overcast skies.

The second is one of MANY tropical, colorful flowers in the area.

The third is Nate (shouldn't he look happier?..hehe...) in front of the hotel's sign. It was called Banana Azul and is just outside Puerto Viejo in SE Costa Rica.

The 4th is, well, Nate and I.

and

the last one is my FIRST cup of Costa Rican coffee (major, major domestic product of CR) and I even found a cup with the Costa Rican flag on it. Mmmmmm... "Tico" coffee...!

As kind of a "Part 2" of my posting for our adventure, here goes.

After the previously mentioned adventures, Nate and I did alot of swimming, relaxing, reading, loafing, bicycling to town, and a couple more local adventures. I'll start with the "less satisfying" adventure, the one which caused the one and only 'meltdown' of the trip. We started off with this great idea of going to another 'playa' or beach a few kilometers away one day which we'd heard had beautiful blue, clear ocean and white sands. We took a cab to this wonderful beach and promptly plopped ourselves down on a good bit of beach. We spent a couple hours just lying there, and occasionally getting up to swim and cool off. I spent alot of time staring at, playing with, taking pictures of, and following lil beach crabs around my towel while laying there. The afternoon was all fine and well, except that we apparently had picked the hottest day to go. After a while, it was just toooo hot, I was baking, and needed to get out of the sun, sit, and cool off. And no, swimming wasn't even really cooling us off anymore at this point. So we decided to walk to the next town over, where we had intended to go next to swim and to end up for dinner, and where our cab would pick us up afterwards.

Well, we ended up walking more than a few kilometers by road and beach, which didn't seem to end. Finally, to make a long, cranky story short, we found a lil convenience store, had some ice cream and OJ and waited on some steps while watching the numerous stray dogs sniff hineys for 45 minutes, until the restaurant we wanted to eat at would open. Thank goodness the food was fabulous at 'Jungle Love,' or our incredibly long and exhausting and hot and sticky and sandy day would have been a lil too adventurous. Freash tuna steaks and the chicken special healed all our weariness and wounds of the day. To top it off, showering that night when we returned to our hotel was the best shower I could remember in a while. Stickiness, dampness, dirt, and sand (in every crack and orifice) disappeared.

Better than this adventure were our adventures to the canopy zip-line tour and one of the National Parks in our area. Early in the second week, we decided it was a good day to take off for one of the activities we had been waiting for: the jungle canopy tour! This is a favorite local touristy activity which involved a lil bit of grit, lack of fear of heights, ability to hike a lil bit, and no fear of creatures - whether bugs or bats or monkeys. I knew I would be nervous about this, and I was, but after the first zipline, I was hooked. The canopy tour consists of a series of wooden platforms connected by zipline wires through varying heights of high elevation jungle canopy (canopy = the tops of jungle trees the cover the jungle below, e.g. where the monkeys tend to hang out, and where the views are spectacular). We were strapped into sitting harnesses, kind of like climbing harnesses, which hook onto a pulley that hangs on the wire. Simply hook in, sit, and zip! Some are faster or longer than others, and there is some hiking between some platforms, but mostly it is platform to platform. We were able to take pictures on the platforms (only -- none while "zipping" because you need both hands to guide you so you dont spin around), and we also saw and heard many animals and weird plants. There were lizards and fruit bats, and "bullet" ants, which according to one of the guides gives "5-day pain," as in, you feel like a bullet has gone through you at the bite. Also, those ants were more like mutants because they were larger than some roaches! Grosss! Anyway, we steered clear of those. We were really hoping to see monkeys in the canopy, but we didn't. However, we did HEAR them. The Howler Monkeys, a common species in the area, can be heard often for miles and we came fairly close to a band of them and were able to record some of their sounds on our camera. When we finally did see them on another adventure, it was hard to believe such a huge, deep sound could come from such a small monkey.

The canopy tour was defintely worth it, despite any initial hesitancy. It was fun, educational, beautiful, and more!

Another adventure Nate and I went on was the Cahuita National Park, several kilometers north along the coast from Puerto Viejo. This park is well maintained and even better than we had expected. It has one long loop path which follows the coastal circumference of the park, so you are always near the ocean, both good for views and breeze. It was here, in the first kilometer (of the many we walked that day) where we saw 2 species of monkeys: the White-Faced Capuchin and the Mantled Howler Monkey. The Capuchins were a lil easier to spot high above our heads in the canopy because they have 2 colors, black and white, but the Howlers make so much noise that they are next to impossible to miss. The monkeys are defintely aware of the humans (whether one of a group of 10) walking below. They would throw things down toward you, whether fruit or leaves or seeds, or in one case we saw on a park sign: monkey poo. So, one indication of a monkey high above was falling debris.

Besides monkeys, the nice trail led us along diverse lengths of jungle, both in flora and fauna. We saw many types of crabs (sand crabs, hermit crabs), star flowers, these lil red beans I kept thinking looked like jellybeans, and even a yellow viper which a park ranger pointed out in a tree above us while we were enjoying a lookout point overlooking a large coral reef. Apparently if bitten, you have one hour to get anti-venom, so we didn't linger there despite the jovialness of the ranger and his stating that the snake is scared to come down from the tree.

Right at the end of the trail, we lucked out and came across a very close band of Howlers who were making a huge racket for all the tourists and local kids swimming at the beach. MAN those are noisy monkeys!

That concludes the honeymoon adventures report for now.

As an update, Nate and I will be taking off for Philadelphia on Monday, October 27th, so we hope to see some of you before we go, and Nicki & Dusty-- see you soon!!

Costa Rica - first few days

Wedded and out of the country. Probably a good place to be right about now, seeing the state of affairs in the US of A. The first few days here have been great, and although I have vowed to use little or no internet (that is, "unplug") while here, I felt it would not only be fun for others to read, but good for me in the sense of wanting to remember the fun bits I might not in months/years to come.

We traveled 2 days ago with a British couple to several sites in the area and the man made a good social commentary about his work partnership with an Austin, Texas based company. He frequently flies to the US from the UK, and recently one of his more permanant compatriot coworkers said, " I always wanted to retire in a developing country, and now I dont even have to move". haha...right? kinda. Nate and I decided that if the 700 Billion dollar deal is a bust, we will just stay here. again-- haha, right? well, maybe.

Besides all the international commingling, we have downright settled into the relaxed "Tican" attitude. But of course doing some of the touristy things. We have visited a Sloth Sanctuary, a Chocolate Lady (a local native-blooded woman) who grows and makes chocolate from her cacao trees (fantastic!), and a really great but difficult to get to/somewhat scary waterfall and natural pool -- all great! We´ve even rented a couple bicycles and ridden to town (Puerto Viejo in the province of Limon). We have found some neat souvenirs and tried homemade coconut ice cream. I think the most memorable bit of bicycling was when a cat came out of no where chasing a giant bearded lizard which was running on its hind feet and ran right under my pedals!! That is definitely NOT something you see everyday!!

The beaches in our area and right outside our hotel are all "playas negras", black volcanic beaches. There are no volcanos in the area that we know of, but the country was at one time fairly active seismically and still has one continuously erupting volcano (since about the 1960s I think), Mt. Arenal, about 8 hours NW of where we are. The sand and ocean are very warm, so the waterfall pool in the jungle was more refreshing in a way. I like the salt water though; always good for your skin and hair.

When we first arrived in San Jose (4 hours N/NW of Puerto Viejo) and started on our shuttle ride toward our hotel, I could really see the allure of the country and why people travel and retire here. Although it is a developing country, it has a lot of flavor and history, both native and European, and mixed Carribbean influences, clearly visible all over. Driving along you see vast banana groves, huge coffee farms, lush vegetation, and of course the bicyclists, motorbikers, and cars vying for space on the roads. The road into our final destination was good until about the last few kilometers, where it alternated between patches of spottily-paved roads and terribly gravelly ones with massive potholes, making you wish the shuttle provided a helmet inside the car should you hit the next big bump. Oh yeah-- sleeping that first night was a wonder to be sure-- letting our backs relax after 4 hours of rattling.

Anyhow, when we first arrived I was dismayed to not find a hair-drier. This is standard in a nice hotel, right? Well, after noticing several "lacking" conveniences, I allowed myself to not care and then rightly realize that it just didnt matter and who wants to blow that much hot air on yourself in this heat anyway??? Not I. This has been the general attitude I was talking about; taking it slow, not having to go anywhere, sleeping in the hammock, reading endless amounts of books, playing chess, and heading to the beach at any moment should the urge strike.

And there is still so much to do!

Singlehood

So in "my last days" in singletonville I'm busy buying kazoos, waiting to get a mani-pedi, picking up decorations, making dinner for Nate, trying to find an apartment in Philly, signing my life away to a new job, wandering around in a maze of a lingering mess of boxes and assorted packed and unpacked items in this house, and generally losing sleep and having strange dreams over stupid things. This morning I even woke up to the neighbor watering my 2 exterior bedroom walls with his sprinkler (again), beating on those walls and one window every 10-15 seconds loudly. Why someone would want to water anyone's house, I'm not sure, but at least the window wasn't OPEN this time, or I would have been "sprinkled" on at 8am.

Is this the glorified glowing bride to-be?

Don't get me wrong, I'm having fun and trying to minimize stress in every possible way: whether by actually doing things and checking them off my list (mostly), mentally (running or watching my new favorite TV show "Jon and Kate Plus 8"), or simply avoiding making decisions or managing details (which I eventually get to after longer thought than snap decisions).

I THINK things are in order, but some things are just out of my hands. The moment you think things are on track, you're screwed. If you think that's superstitious, I had a small stomach flip this afternoon when I looked out the back door and saw a black cat wandering around on the deck, only to stare at me for a minute before sauntering off into the alley. *shakes head* Why me??!! Why now??!! Like I said, some things are just meant to be. I shouldn't even mention this, but I have been religiously checking the weather forecast for Saturday for a couple weeks now. I shall say no more, except that everytime I check it's different and it's driving me crazy! I shouldn't even bother because regardless of whether or not I check, what will be, will be.

It has certainly been a fun time to be with family and friends, but at the same time I feel like when I do things with them -- it seems there's always a to-do list, if not only in the back of our minds, rather than the moment at hand. I wish things were calmer, but in a way it's good; it is more of an excuse than ever to get together and do fun things.

I think I've been rather stoic thus far with the details in wedding planning and getting excited. Don't mistake me for being aloof or irreverent, just simply maintaining an exterior composure of calmness (at times, at least). I have moments of excitement rather than a constant state of exuberance (which could be annoying). I think for Nate and I, getting married is both a long time coming and a big step. We will be the one of the first married "kids" in our families and that has got to resonate with the grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I wouldn't say we're icebreakers, but definitely defining a new generation of time -- even for ourselves.

There's my deep thought for the day.

Besides this, I happily look forward to "unplugging" in Costa Rica for several days, and trying not to think about too much except what the hell was Jane Austen thinking in Mansfield Park or thank god for Philip K. Dick's psychotic state of mind, while mushing my feet into sand, listening to monkeys howling, and watching Nate's skin turn a nice shade of red or brown.



P.S. Happy Birthday, Nate! <3

Our wedding venue slideshow! Cedarhurst Mansion

Cedarhurst


These are just some snapshots that either my mom or I have taken since last winter at various times. All the "wedding'y" stuff isn't set up, but it is still very pretty! :)

Less than 5 days to go, then off to Costa Rica for a couple weeks where we'll be off the radar! Then more travel, and off to Philly!

Nicki & Dusty: see you soon!


<3
chris

Less than 12 days and counting.....

I just wanted to write a little note about the current state of frenzy that is beginning to stir....

There is less than 12 days until the "I do's" and still much "to-do" before then. Alot of little things. Tomorrow morning, my mom and I are going to pick out flowergirl baskets after an internet order fiasco went awry, sending us only green ribbon instead. We are also going to look for some 'low-tone' noise-makers, like kazoos or clappers or something because yours truly despises the high-pitch clinking of glasses.... Yes, I know it is tradition, but there are plenty of others that are just as great, so we're making the 'kissy tradition' easier on the ears.

After that, we're going to the hair salon to do trim and wedding day hair-style trial, hopefully with my veil, too. This way everything will be planned out ahead of time and done much quicker on wedding day morning. :)

Then, I'm going to check out this salon/spa place in St. Paul that my maid of honour and I may go to for facials and mani-pedis.

Then dinner with Natie, then off to my Aunt's house to visit and see my cute lil cousin flowergirls. My mom and I are going to deliver their flowercrowns, ribbons, and see their nice dresses in person. I'm very excited!

Now that you know my whole day schedule for tomorrow I'll quit, because I'm sure it is kind of a weird post. Basically, it is just a sampling of the random things I'm doing these days. Every day is different and every day reminds me of something else I've got to add to the never-ending, ever-growing list --- which really must stop at some point, right???..... That remains to be seen.

So far, so good.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

And now.... for that much needed update........

I am living currently in Saint Paul at my grampa's old house, I'm still working on my thesis, I'll be in MN until after Nate's and my honeymoon (through mid-October), and I accepted a job in Philadelphia (albeit, not the same one I interviewed for) which will start as soon as Nate and I can move out there in October. That's the 2-cent version!

So it is a lil over a month away before the wedding.... and since I will actually get to be in Minnesota the month before the wedding (fortunately), I think I'm finally able to get more and more excited. There's still much to do, of course, but I'll actually be able to do more of it myself and also go with my mom on all those in-town errands!

In addition to all that hustle and bustle, Nate and I are working on my grampa's house trying to get it sale-ready. The more days we are here, the more we realize how much there is to be done. For those of you with little to modest electrical knowledge can appreciate "grounded" electrical outlets. Well, this house is about 50-60 years old (post-WWII) and does NOT have a good number of those..... Not good, and definitely in need of updating. It is risky to even plug in your nice tv or computer or other big electronics. It also means that many-most of the sockets in this house do NOT have 3 prongs. Now THAT is annoying. Imagine your current abode without 3-prong sockets. Yeah. Not very useful. Also, at some point, someone put 3-prong outlet faceplates over some of the sockets, but without that third prong actually ever having been converted! Someone just switched out the faceplates without actually updating the electrical! That is very misleading and not very smart, either. Anyway, in order not to drag this technical jargon out any further, let's just say that without grounded, 3-prong sockets, your tv could actually blow up if your house is struck by lightning, as opposed to safely traveling to the ground and discharging somewhere safely, rather than through one of your beloved electronic devices.

I could go on and on about the cleaning and updating the house needs, but I won't bore you any further. Just come visit us sometime and we'll show you if you're that interested. haha...

As far as my job offer/acceptance, I accepted a one-year paid internship as a Junior Keeper (of the Near Eastern section) at UPenn's University Museum. It is essentially a 'junior' version of the position I actually originally applied for and interviewed for. I got beat out by one other person (whom I'll be working with...) who had more experience, which was indeed my weakest feature. The selection committee was "very impressed" with me, however, and offered me the Junior position instead. I look at it this way: I lacked experience, they liked me, I didn't quite make the cut, so they offered me that experience I needed! They could have handed me a "thank you very much, good bye," but they didn't. Basically, this is a more realistic next logical step for me and will give me some great experience. There is the opportunity to get to know the institution and see if I like it, too. If I do, I will be able to get my foot in the door in case any internal positions open up and if I don't, I am not stuck there like I would be if it were a more tenured position. So all in all, it is a good career move for me.
So now you're wondering, "what about Nate?" Well, that's a more complicated story, but he most likely will be looking for a new job before January. All telecommuters and contract employees are going to be eliminated by the end of 2008, so that means Nate. He has been with his company for 3 years and is also ready to move on, so now is the time we have decided. It wasn't an easy decision, but after hours of discussion we have decided is the right one for us. To put it into more perspective, that means that if he wanted to stay with his current company, I would be stuck job searching only in the Twin Cities, i.e. Mpls/St. Paul or nothing is the deal, according to the company's plans. So if I found a good job anywhere but the Cities, Nate would have to do something else.
We are very happy that I have found such a good position and that Nate gets the opportunity to try something new and potentially use some more of those skills he learned in college in a new, and hopefully better job. We will both be diversifying and learning and moving forward! We will also get to test out East coast living in Philadelphia! Maybe family/friends will actually visit us since we will be in a decent-sized city...(as opposed to Columbia)....!!

I just want to give a shout-out to my girl, Laura, who started law school at Hamline this week!!! Wahooooooooooo!!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles......and Moving Trucks!

Costa Rica's flag

Nate and I are officially moving back to Minnesota.......
at least temporarily.
haha...

I figured that at this point, that is my biggest, practical announcement. We are moving back to St. Paul to my grampa's (Arne's) old house off of WB Ave & Hwy 36, near the White Castle...whooo for sliders! We will be hauling the moving truck up next week on the 14th, in case any of you lucky readers are inclined to help us move in that day or the next. Any help would be greatly appreciated! (I am not going to be shy about asking for moving help, that's for sure). :)

Also, last week I had a job interview in Philadelphia, which went as well as I could have hoped. It is now up to the selection committee at the University Museum to determine whether I beat out their other candidates. I know I was the last to be interviewed, so selection, I was told, will take place this month. My fate now lies between my competitors and the Museum. I do really hope I get it, but at the same time I have been trying to convince myself that it would be "OK" if I didn't get it, too. I can live in the twin cities for a while and re-group with my family and friends whom I feel I've alienated to some extent over the last few years with all my schooling and traveling/living far away. For a while (or longer?), it would be nice to be around when people are getting married, or die, or have babies. You know, all those 'normal' aspects to living near family and close friends. We'll see. I'm not making any plans except getting married on September 27th!

Nate has been in charge of the honeymoon planning and has been diligently researching locations, prices, etc., literally, for MONTHS. I give him big props for continually adapting to changing/unknown moving plans. After my Philly interview, I was finally able to derive the flexiblitiy of start-date for that job, which is "very flexible." So, that was a BIG relief. We now know that we can even HAVE one at all! We were worried for a while that IF I got the job, and IF they weren't very flexible about start date or immediate time-off, that a honeymoon right after our wedding would be out the window. We would have been really bummed if we couldn't go right away, but accepted that we might have to go at the later date, which in my humble opinion, might never happen which would be even sadder. So, with under 2 months to go, Nate has finally found what looks like a great place: Costa Rica!!! For the geographically challenged, that's Central America, between Nicaragua and Panama. We would be going to a place on the Carribean coast (east side), which apparently rains least in September-October and rarely gets hurricanes because it is so far south from the hurricane pathways. Also, the crime rates are very low and the resort has security, as well as being much less commercialized that, say, Acupulco, Mexico. I.e. No McDonald's, BK, or KFC. You can't book it through Expedia (or the like), so prices stay low and booking late still works, as well as some other perks. Nate had looked at Trinidad and Tobago islands (off North coast of Venezuela), but apparently there is alot of drug traffic that goes through there with much less resort security, unless your're a celebrity with personal security. Not us. Anyway, Costa Rica looks really nice and we're in the process of booking that. YAY! Oh yeah, did I mention it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO cheap!! WAY cheaper than anywhere else (seriously) that we've looked at in Mexico and the Carribean so far-- and that's alot of places!!! The cheap also comes without losing quality, too, so again: YAY!!

I think I'll leave this post as is now. I've got so much to do before next week!
Also, feel free to leave msg's below so I can hear what YOU are up to! :)

-cmm

P.S. Nate has now booked our honeymoon to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica! So excited! Never been to any of the central or south Americas before!

Job Seekers: Beware of Long Delays and the Inability to Plan Next to Nothing

Greetings from the anxious job seeker, bride-to-be, soon-to-be graduate, and soon-to-vacate.

I knew July-September 2008 for me was going to be a little crazy, but now that it is actually here I feel more overwhelmed by the day. I am ok day to day, but I definitely have moments where I space out for several seconds or even minutes thinking about all the stuff that is happening between now and October. Yes, October. Seems crazy, I know.

Well, bringing things down to present and near future time, I am working as steadfastly and diligently on my thesis as I can. In addition to that, I am trying to work as much as possible to make ends meet through the summer and fall. Nate does pick up quite a bit of the slack these days financially, but 'ol money-bags has a real job, unlike me at the moment. It is just a phase of graduate school poorness we will get beyond sometime soon. I knew I/we would be poor while I was in graduate school, but it DOES get old-- I promise you.

To remedy my poverty and push my life into its next stage I have applied for more than 2 dozen jobs already. Of course, I'm still pushing through the last of my graduate coursework (my thesis and one internship class with some odds and ends) which is rapidly coming to tight deadlines for completion. I'd like to be able to be completely done with everything before Nate and I get married, but reality tells me that I may very well be 'done', but my thesis may still need some revisions or formatting or something before the official publication/binding process. My defense, no doubt, will take place by this deadline, however. Thank god.

Anyhow, jobs. I cannot even remember all the places to which I have applied, but I finally got one good bite. I have an interview at the end of the month in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology as a 'Keeper of the Near Eastern Section'. This is a Collections Management position, so for those of you not in the museum world, I would assist the curator and registrar in caring for and maintaining the everyday well-being of the museum's Near Eastern objects. If it works out, I can explain more, but... I am trying not to get my hopes up by hoping for the best, expecting the worst. Any of you who truly know me understand that I am a realist. I understand my odds are good at this point (I am probably in a veRRRy small pool of candidates, say 3-4), but it is still absolutely not a guarantee. This particular position would be a big step up for me and I would gladly accept it in an instant, especially since it is pretty much exactly what I want to do. So we'll see. This is all I know at this point, honestly, so that's that. As for all the logistics, hopefully the Museum would get back to me relatively soon so that Nate and I had at least a few days to figure out which direction our moving truck is going on August 14th. *Sigh*... So many questions, so few answers at this point.

If this job is a no-go, and I hear nothing else by that point (we must vacate our current place on August 14th and we're not staying in Columbia), our default plan is to move back to the Twin Cities and perhaps live at my grampa's old house until we have more definitive plans. Again, there is no way to tell.

Because of all the unanswered questions at this point, I am starting to feel very flakey towards people. It is not without good reasons, but that's how I feel. I don't like being flakey, either. I am really busy between work and working on my schoolwork, and wedding planning, and job searching (and now interviewing), and moving, and whatever else pops up. I always feel like I need to be doing something towards one of the aforementioned goals, so making plans is incredibly tough because I don't want to back out of things. I'd rather just not make plans and play things by ear these days. Some days I'm more stressed out than others and just want to be productive, whereas others I just want to rest. In any case, I hope people understand that I am thinking of them and I appreciate all the help and kindness I'm receiving (esp. towards wedding stuff), and things will calm down eventually. Really! <3

In other news, Nate and I will be traveling again back to MN for Nate's friend Chris's wedding. We're going to be in the cities for a few days at the end of the last full week/weekend of July. That last Sunday we'll travel back to Columbia, only for me to turn around and fly out to Philly that last Monday for a few days to interview and perhaps meet a good friend of mine (Maiden of Honour, fyi) currently living in Baltimore. I'll then come back to Columbia, again, and have 2 weeks to wrap up living here, literally.

That's the crazy update, if it does feel like I'm just posting my schedule in a way!

I just want to say thank you to everyone who is helping Nate and I with all of these activities in our lives. You mean alot to us and it is very much appreciated. :)

Take care,
c

A rapid gust of wedding planning & some thoughts on 'things'

So, all, how much do you think I accomplished in one week at home in Minnesota? If you answered, "a substantial amount," then you guessed correctly. It was one relay race after another each day, putting in 100% to reach the next baton, be it cake tasting or flower shopping or dress fitting or DJ interviewing or whatever. By the end of the week I had completely tired out my mom and Nate (and myself) from all the endless appointments and errands. I'm definitely not that busy in a typical week and can hardly believe we managed to get so much done. How did we manage to fit it all in?? I'm bewildered in a way, to tell the truth; I thought there was no way that much would get done and was surprised by my exhausted stresslessness by friday night. I think having gotten so much done took a big load off! Funny how that works....

Well, for all those who keep asking, we have a photographer who did our formal engagement photo sessions now (yes, a little belated). Her name is Katrina Nesse, in case you're interested and want to google her. She did my friends' Mike and Liz's wedding and so far so good. We found a cake maker, Cake's by Karen, which is all the talents of Karen Fritze who did cakes for Cedarhurst for 20 years before the new owners. We are waiting on quotes from 2 florists, one literally across the street from Cedarhurst and another in Shoreview. We found a DJ who we are going to book and after experiencing different weddings realize just how important they are. My mom and I met with the Cedarhurst guy, True (yes, that's his name), to schedule out the ceremony and reception stuff, and fine tune some more details re: food, drink, cake, etc. So FYI: our wedding ceremony is at 4pm. :) Nate and I interviewed 3 officiants, of which we liked 2 and need to decide. I picked up my dress and had my first fitting, which was fun but since I don't have my shoes the hem can't be done yet and I don't have my undergarments, so the dress can't be taken in yet. But- I got some good advice and suggestions on what to look for and learned a little more about 'bussles'. I also went veil material shopping because my neighbor who is tailoring my dress is going to make that.

I think "that's all" the wedding stuff that comes to mind at the moment, but I'm sure there's more. In addition to all this I somehow managed to spend an evening eating Indian food w/Nate and his mom, my mom, and 2 of Nate's brothers (and their significant others) and his sister. Also, I got to see some of my own family at my cousin Kate's high school graduation open house before she goes off to Badger Land in the fall.

One thing that was really nice that I wished I'd had more time for was visiting my grampa's house. Right now, it is in limbo. It is full of an entire generation's full of trinkets, surprises, mementos, and all too often...accumulated junk. My mom has wanted me to go through some things since my grampa passed away in March, but I haven't been able to, being down in Columbia. The house isn't on the market yet, so I think my mom and her brother are biding their time and trying to clean house as much as possible. I think I finally understand why it takes so long to empty a house of a loved one now gone. It is not like cleaning your own house to rid of junk for a garage sale or for spring cleaning; it is more like an active mourning process in which you force yourself to physically pick up the pieces and move forward, brushing away the dust and revealing the memories you want to savor. Even in the 3 hours I spent digging through my grandparents' earthly possessions I felt like a bit of a voyeur, at first, and wasn't altogether comfortable. After a while, though, I felt more comfortable but the feeling of being overwhelmed took over instead. I think I went through maybe 6 small boxes of hundreds. Despite the small box I stowed away to be approved by my mom and uncle as my personal treasure bin of keepsakes, I couldn't help but wonder how my mom and uncle could possibly throw things away. By the same token, however, much of it has to go: to be stored and cherished, losing emotional and significant details the further away from the orginial owner it travels, or to be reused by another awaiting person, or tossed--only to be recycled or buried in its own funeral mound owned by Waste Management Blaine.

In the end, I tried to keep in mind the significance of objects, particularly the emotional value placed upon them by my grandparents. For instance, I chose one object, a painting, which is a reproduction of a famous early 20th century sculpture (the original sculpture pictured above) which my grampa told me a few times was his favorite artwork he ever saw. It is in a cracked, old, wooden frame and it is probably worth less than nothing in real, monetary value, but to my grampa it meant something and in turn that is important to me. Fraser (b. 1876, Winona, Minnesota), the original sculptor of 'The End of the Trail,' was also the numismatic designer behind the American Buffalo Nickel. My grampa also loved Buffalo nickels, having made at least one great masterpiece of his own out of them: a giant beltbuckle with several Buffalo and Indian heads soldered together. I wonder if my grampa ever knew the connection between the two objects.

Another example is that this is the first time I've been able to really look through my grama's affects despite her having passed in the spring of 2002. This thought didn't really occur to me until I was looking through some of her own lapel pins and costume jewelry. She loved jacket and dress pins and gaudy, rhinestone jewelry, much of which is old Avon gold-painted aluminum, plastic, or stainless, but it is something she loved. Maybe one day those pins will grow on me and perhaps I can wear some of the more fancy stuff for my wedding. In the end, I felt like I was finally mourning my grama, in a way. It was hard to have such a wave of unexpected emotions, but good to confirm my emotional humanity. My grandparents, only 2 generations before me, left worldly objects with secrets that may or may not ever be revealed. For someone who studies archaeology and art history and would like to work at a museum, that is a humbling reminder that we may never really know the story behind 'things,' and the picture they can attempt to paint of the people who left them behind is the true mystery.

Thanks for reading.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

A quick announcement that Nate and I will be visiting the Twin Cities from this Saturday the 7th until the following saturday the 14th. We are driving up Saturday, will be attending a friend's wedding on Sunday, and then doing a bunch of our own wedding planning all week amid visiting and Nate working all week too. So if you feel like tagging along on some cake tasting, or veil & shoe shopping, or flower shopping, or many of the other activities on my list (yes, MY list-- Nate will be busy during all the weekday hours), feel free to call me and come along! We're staying with my parents, as usual, so I'll be reachable there also.
We also plan on attending my cousin Kate's high school graduation party- so we'll see some of you there!
I'm pretty sure all/any spare time I have in MN will be spent discussing more and more wedding plans w/my mom and working on my thesis (materials for which I'm bringing along....booo....).

That's all for now-- just thought I'd put that out there! :)

Lost, Kitties, and odds & ends

My friends Nicki and Dusty need to find new homes for their 2 cats, Ptolemy and Ari (6yrs & 2yrs, respectively). Nicki and Dusty are moving to NYC for Dustin to continue his schooling and they cannot have pets where they are going. So if you know anyone who is interested in adopting 2 adorable cats, let me know. Ptolemy and Ari need new homes by August.

Also, I'd just like to point out that the season finale of Lost in on tomorrow night at 8-10pm...(CST)!! So excited for that! For those of you who haven't yet joined the Lost community, I highly recommend it. :)

Other than these two bits of news, I don't have a whole lot but felt like blogging anyway. My thesis is still a thorn in my side, I'm working at the Museum and the Archives, I'm ebbing away at wedding planning details, and I wish I weren't so busy that I could sit by the pool all summer (*add activity to wish list). I haven't heard back from ANY of my many job applications all over the country, but I guess it may still be a little early. The current default plan for Nate and I is to move back to the Twin Cities, for better or worse, if I can't find a job. Seriously, this is possibly the worst economy to trying to find a job, let alone a job primarily in the humanities/non-profit sector. For some reason, people think that it is ok to cut funding for this aspect of life when times are tough. The governor of Florida (? I think, either that or a mayor in FL, I read it recently) didn't think so, and kept all arts funding afloat and the same as previous years despite economic plight. Maybe I should look for a job in the Sunshine state.

In about a week and a half, Nate and I are intending to trek up to Minnesota for about a week to do a ton of wedding planning. Right now there are about 13 items on our "to-do" checklist, which seems like kind of alot...but I think we'll manage...or at least, I'll manage w/my mom while Nate's working during the weekdays. I think one trip Nate will have to accompany me on is apartment shopping while we're in Mpls.... We already have a couple places in mind to look at, but if we want something comparable to what we have now, we are going to be paying twice as much as we do down here in Columbia. Columbia is dirt cheap compared to the Cities, and that is going to be a big re-adjustment after 2 years. Although we are mentally prepared for it after paying the high city prices all through undergrad, it doesn't mean we like it. Regardless of where we move to, TC or not, we'll likely be in a large urban area and rental property prices are just gona be high no matter what. Guess I'll just have to find a real, non-student job.....

That's all for now because I'm tired and don't feel like writing my usual book. Gets tiring after a while!

-c

Thesis - for all those who wonder what I'm spending all my time on

A thought occured to me after writing my last post. If I posted keywords, people could do a casual search of my topics to see what all the fuss is about.

If you want to know what I'm writing about for my master's thesis, try googling any or several of these keywords and read a few articles or blog entries that you find:

Elgin Marbles
Parthenon Marbles
Lydian Hoard
Karun Treasure (same as Lydian Hoard, just different nickname)
Euphronios Krater
Ka Nefer Nefer mummy mask (at the St. Louis Art Museum)
Monteleone chariot
Apollo Sauroktonos (keep on eye out for the bronze statue at the Cleveland Museum)

other keywords you might try:

Illicit traffic of Cultural property
Repatriation of cultural patrimony
Who owns art
Who owns antiquities
Who owns cultural history
Return of cultural objects
Archaeological ethics
Museum ethics


These are just a few key words and basic topics that my thesis discusses. If you are more generally interested in the above topics, try out one of the 'wandering and learning' links I have on the side of this blog.

If doing a little research and liesure reading doesn't get you going, I don't know what will.

If you have any comments or intriguing thoughts to share, feel free to post them!

Thesis woes and insights

So I've been doing more work on my thesis lately and I've realized how annoyed I get when people ask me about it. Is that normal? I try not to be annoyed and frankly it's nice to know people care and think to ask. But, sometimes, when everyone is asking, it gets to be too much pressure. So I've been paying attention to other fellow thesis writers and asked them about the topic (including insight from those who completed theirs in the past). Pretty much everyone says they hate constantly being asked about it. I think I finally figured out why this is, despite being rather obvious when one comes to think about it. Well, of course, we all know writing a master's thesis can be, and generally is, quite stressful. In addition to the stress, a thesis writer is constantly thinking about their thesis: what to write, what to research more, how to improve, getting it in for reading, what professors will think, avoiding professors for long periods so they won't ask you about it, hoping professors won't bring up your thesis in front of others, friends and family (both in and out of grad school and your program) asking how it's going because it is the only thing they know is a constant when in a master's program, etc, etc....

So I've decided that, yes, it is normal...to be asked about it- of course. And, yes, it is normal to get annoyed after a while. But, I must maintain a sense of appreciation for people who care to ask as well as remembering that I can be as vague or specific as I like, depending on the situation or my mood, a.k.a. stress level.

That being said, don't be afraid to ask me about it. Yeah right, now, right? No, honestly, it's ok, just don't over-do it; it is just the nature of the beast -- the beast being grad school. Soon it will all be over and I can move on. I don't mean to sound like I'm tired of graduate school, but in a way I am. I'm tired, I've nearly run out of gas, and I'm ready for the next challenge of life. In a way I feel like I've lingered too long, despite it only having been 2 years. Perhaps I sprinted too much in the beginning, like a bad track and field race in which my mind got ahead of my physical capability. I'm not really sure, but this is how I've felt for the last couple months, once I finally processed this semester.

I should say, however, that maybe I'm kidding myself, or just making excuses for bigger things that got in my way or excuses for poor time management. Because I'm not finishing my thesis until August, I won't be graduating until the end of the summer, which is just fine; it's just going to drag out the process and make it a bit more complicated. This situation came about because I had gotten behind in pretty much everything this semester from the word go. I've had one particularly understanding professor, much to my surprise and beyond any expectation. She helped me to prioritize and get back on track, a track which I'm still clinging to by threads, it seems, sometimes.

I got behind in everything because over the winter holiday I'm pretty sure that my brain went into a latency period and when the spring semester began in late January, it didn't come out of hibernation -- or at least, it took me a while to wake up and feel the momentum begin again. Or maybe I never really regained my momentum; I'm not really sure how I feel about this yet. I think I carried on through the semester with groggy-eyed vision, pretending I'd had morning coffee to those around me, but when in fact I hadn't really. I just wished I had and wondered why I just couldn't get around to turning the damn coffee machine on anyway. It tastes so good to be on track.

Looking back, hindsight being 20/20 (generally), there were a number of factors that hindered my normally good motivation. The first incident happened when my fiance, Nate, and I were trying to solidify our wedding plans, specifically the ceremony/reception venue. One would think that this decision would be relatively stress-free, right? Well, let's just say that I haven't been so enraged with both my parents at the same time, ever, than this situation. For the sake of siting this situation as water under the bridge at this point, I will only state thus: our wedding date conflicted with the Minnesota duck hunting season opener weekend, and somehow this caused a rippling, riotous, tantrum-filled petition from many male members (and non-members) of my family. Ridiculous. Glad that's over. In the end, common sense and the auspices of the Dept. of Natural Resources won out. This is the first and last time I will ever mention this incident on my blog, just FYI. I just wanted it stated for the record.

The second incident happened when a certain member of my family had an important mini-crisis which lasted several days. This happended at the end of January, or the beginning of February; I really can't remember anymore. One might say that I was visited by high levels of stress and unresolved issues from the past and present, as well as strong tensions among and between family members. I will not explore this incident here, but only state that old wounds (really only covered up for years, and never mended) were re-opened. I hate to use such a generic metaphor, but that's what it was. My immediate family was on edge and in emergency mode for days. I felt scared, angry, and exhausted. I kept thinking, and I still am, "when the hell is this issue going to be resolved?? Does anyone really realize how screwed up this situation is and how long it has been going on??" I know this is very encrypted description of events, but it has to be to 'protect' people, despite my desperate yearnings not to care. The point is, I've dealt with alot of familial strife this spring, and it is important for me to state, both for the reader and for me to say it 'out loud,' that it is a continuing issue, not a new one. It just seems to keep popping up and appears that it will never go away unless certain people finally, finally, finally, own up to their actions and words. I'm not holding my breath, but I do lose sleep over it.

The third incident is more generally accessible as an issue all can identify with. My grampa passed away in March, (my mom's dad), which was obviously, honestly difficult. I didn't really cry at my other two grandparents' (that have already passed) funerals because I was younger, but this one was definitely the hardest. In a way I was hoping he would hold out until my wedding in September, even if that is a selfish thing to want. I know he wanted to be there. I'm still not comfortable writing too much about him yet because it is just too hard on my end while writing this. I'll just say that his children and grandchildren were his sunshines and that he'll be missed dearly.

By the time all of these events had passed and their lingering smoke clouds blown over, and I was able to regain momentum again, it was April. To a student of any kind who is behind in April, this means tough situations and bargaining all through the month and into May, hoping to come out alive. I've tried to maintain a sense of calm throughout, telling myself that 'life happens' and to just let things be what they are. Explaining this sense to others is the hard part. I think, overall, I've weathered these past several months well, considering events mentioned and also those not mentioned here. I guess I just feel upset that I could not have finished with the pack because of events out of my control. It is fair to realize that some people have a breaking point and can handle only so much, and it is also a fair assessment that maybe I put unrealistic goals before myself and haven't given consideration to all unforseen variables. As an analogy, for a scientist, that doesn't spell defeat; it means keeping at it until the right equation results in success. I didn't like the cards I was dealt and expected the first equation to work anyway.

Going back to my original observation about my motivation issues starting at the beginning of the semester, I'd say that I have several good reasons for lack of said motivation. Nevertheless, it pains me to think that I couldn't push through it anyway. Is that actually just perfectionism hiding beneath the surface? Or is it dishonesty about who I really am and how I actually respond to the world around me? Perhaps a little of both, not necessarily mutually exclusive, I might add. It annoys me, as it has since high school, that other people's problems (particularly those that belong to people I care about alot) can affect me to such a degree. It also bothers me a great deal that the some of the same problems continue to afflict me, and are most definitely out of my control. I constantly wonder whether I'll ever get away from these issues and if I'll ever be able to function as though they no longer are an affliction.

I think the point of this post was to reflect a bit upon my state of being over the last several months. I think I'm finally at a point where I can do just this. I've had a hard time voicing alot of these sentiments, particularly resentment over some issues, in previous months thus far.
Oh sure, there will be plenty more incidents to come; it would be naive to think otherwise. I just wonder how I got to where I am sometimes, especially when considering what really matters. Right now, for me, that's finishing my thesis well, not quickly; finding a good job in a place that satisfies both Nate's and my needs; and having fun while planning and eventually enjoying our wedding. There will always be wounds to heal; I just wish some didn't take so much time.
That last line was almost too optimistic for my mood at the moment, to be completely honest, but at the same time, I can admit that statement is where I derive some of my motivation to keep moving, regardless of the situation.

I'm not much for cheesy sayings or sage-like utterings, so I will just have a word of the day:
perseverance.

Sure signs of spring

Hyacinth, or 'burning bush'

Daffodils
my lil sprouts
green, purple, and white

Attention readers: Take the readership poll

As a regular contributor to my blog and reader of other people's blogs, I'd like to find out how many people actually read my blog, to at least some extent.
I have found that I rarely get comments, which i am always sad about. I love getting feedback on the various issues i bring up and would love to hear from you.

So- please, make a comment on this post, regardless if you're the first one or millionth. I'd like to see whom i'm writing to most of the time! Just for fun and out of huge curiosity!

Thanks!!!!


P.S. If you are reading this through Facebook, please check out my actual blogger site: www.chrisinmn.blogspot.com

Does anyone see the irony in this?

This is a screen shot of a video article from cnn.com from today. It is titled "Polygamist Ranch Raid" in case the lettering is too small to read. It is an interview with a local El Dorado, Texas citizen about their neighbors, the FLDS polygamists who are at present being raided for all their children and most of their women, after evidence surfaced on child/sexual abuse.

And, on the right is a bright blue ad for Viagra. In addition, before the airing of the video, there was also a video ad for Viagra, (the cheesy 'Viva Viagra' version).

I'm not so sure the cnn was thinking on this one......

Does anyone else see the irony in this layout of media?..............hahaha........

Caving and job hunting...mutually exclusive, to be sure

So last weekend, Nate and I ventured out of our perpetual hermitage in the beautiful 75 degree (random, might i add) weather that came over Columbia oh so briefly. Saturday I was confined to a dimly lit lecture hall for a long-planned graduate student symposium which our graduate student organization has spent months planning. So, therefore, it was even more nice to get out last Sunday to one of Missouri's state parks located just SE of town. It is called Rock Bridge State Park and features a VERY extensive cave system spanning miles of underground speleological wonder. Much of the eroded limestone tunnel system has been mapped, but some is still yet untouched and uncharted. Between November and May, undaunted member of the public can sign up for spelunking training and take a guided tour with professional cavers and geologists. I don't think i want to try that one just yet...
The park is well-known for one primary feature, the Devil's Icebox, or a large carved archway (not in the pictures) which has an interesting past. Formerly, it was likely part of the extensive system of underground caves, but as water perculated through the limestone and eroded away its walls over the years, parts of it collapsed, leaving only a small section. In the late 19th century, it was dammed and utilized by a whiskey brewer as part of the mill's property. When prohibition swept America, the brewery shut down and was abandoned. The property was eventually picked up by the state and turned into a park, along with much of the land around it.
It definitely was a fun place to visit as a natural, local wonder. They have a great system of boardwalks and trails designed to cut down on the effects of prolonged foot traffic, allowing the 'ruralness' of the woods above the caves to be preserved. The lower caves were certainly (and I will remember this for the summer) a great place to coooooool off during warm days!!

In another note, Columbia is scattered with sinkholes. Sinkholes happen when the rock system, esp. water-worn limestone, is deteriorated and disappears. Rock Bridge park is also full of sinkholes due to the cave system, which is pretty cool and scary at the same time. Although it would be nice to avoid sinkholes in more urban and residential areas, such as greater Columbia, it simply is not realistic. Columbia is known to 'suffer from' scattered sinkholes now and then, which results in both some funny and serious situations, such as houses, cars, or parts of roads just disappearing from time to time. As one of my professors so eloquently put it about a year ago about living in Columbia, "You know you're living on one giant sinkhole!"


Besides Nate's and my escapades to the caves, I have been trying to keep up w/my studies and other committments. I have now applied for 4 jobs, in 4 different cities and states. I have applied for one in St. Paul, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. I may also apply for some in Cincinnati, New York, and DC, but who knows what will present itself. Just getting my cv ready to go and writing cover letter after cover letter to convince people that i am 'the best' for the job is really a time-consuming and agonizing task. I also continually run into the catch-22 about experience: one always needs 'experience' for a job (well at least in my field). The thing is, you can't get experience if no one will hire you for that first job that will get you the experience. Of course, I have worked and interned at various places (thank god) so hopefully that will be the shoe-in that i need. Keep your fingers crossed!

In an update on my yoga interest, i got the dvds and have tried them out. i am always amazed at how sore one can be from the simplest movements.......... Guess that means its working..!