I just wanted to make an update that Nate has 2 (count them: 2) job interviews this week. One on Tuesday and one on Friday.
Fingers crossed?
Time for bed.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
zzz...
Nate's in the kitchen making triple chocolate cookies, while I'm sitting here at my desk in the office writing this and hardly able to stay awake.
I have already laid out my clothes for tomorrow for work, I'm buying my lunch tomorrow (too tired to make my own, despite the mental nagging to be thrifty as usual), I just cleaned my dresser mirror which Nate and his dad so kindly put up for me today while I was at work (Terry, Nate's dad, was in town for a day for a work conference), I thought about doing some yoga but scrapped that knowing full well that during the mediatation exercise I would just fall asleep on my bedroom rug like I used to in yoga class....(relaxation, people!), LOST is recording on the DVR and I'm not so sure I'm gona make it through tonight's episode with this serious case of the sleepies, and I, quite frankly, didn't feel like doing anything in which I would have to exert myself, except perhaps brushing my teeth a little early, but that seemed pointless too, seeing as though I would doubtless need to taste-test what comes out of the oven in a little while.
....
Speaking of taste-testing, Nate just brought me the bowl and spoon to lick from all the premium chocolate he melted....mmmm....ghiradelli....mmmm... What a nice husband. :)
....
Anyway, I am totally drained and it is only Wednesday. For the last three days I have been delusional, thinking it was Friday at various points of the day while at work. I'm not usually this catatonic at work; who knows. I think I'm just tired in general and hit a temporary wall. There are several things that seem to be contributing to my fatigue, and they all seem like reasonable excuses, which I'm sure someone could validate for me. First, Nate didn't get that second job he applied for and so hoped to get-- big poo poo on that one. Then, we didn't know until last Friday whether or not he would be employed past yesterday (his company extended his contract another quarter, so til end of June--- yippeee!, but wait- there's more...). We still don't know what we are going to do long term for employment and whether or not his company will take him back (and back on salary) if we decide to 'retreat' from this economic bust back to Minnesota. We live in a constant state of flux, and have for about a year now-- it is getting pretty damn old and stressful.
Second, my supervisor caused me to hit an emotional/professional wall on Monday. I was so upset by some of the things she said to me and how she said them that I could have clobbered her. Instead, I went up to my office, away from her, and called to complain to Nate, then subsequently was consoled by a close colleague who is starting to see and feel some of the supervisor's shit as well. Don't get me wrong, I love my job; I just hate it when one person really ruins much of the experience by getting under your skin. Thicker skin? I'm working on that, but how thick must it really be? I am not a crocodile, nor do I thick that should be necessary. Stand up to the little....., and risk an all out brawl in which my future employment references could be sabotaged? Not good either.
I'm ranting because I'm tired. This chocolate helps pretty awesomely though...
Maybe I'll go brush my teeth after all.
I have already laid out my clothes for tomorrow for work, I'm buying my lunch tomorrow (too tired to make my own, despite the mental nagging to be thrifty as usual), I just cleaned my dresser mirror which Nate and his dad so kindly put up for me today while I was at work (Terry, Nate's dad, was in town for a day for a work conference), I thought about doing some yoga but scrapped that knowing full well that during the mediatation exercise I would just fall asleep on my bedroom rug like I used to in yoga class....(relaxation, people!), LOST is recording on the DVR and I'm not so sure I'm gona make it through tonight's episode with this serious case of the sleepies, and I, quite frankly, didn't feel like doing anything in which I would have to exert myself, except perhaps brushing my teeth a little early, but that seemed pointless too, seeing as though I would doubtless need to taste-test what comes out of the oven in a little while.
....
Speaking of taste-testing, Nate just brought me the bowl and spoon to lick from all the premium chocolate he melted....mmmm....ghiradelli....mmmm... What a nice husband. :)
....
Anyway, I am totally drained and it is only Wednesday. For the last three days I have been delusional, thinking it was Friday at various points of the day while at work. I'm not usually this catatonic at work; who knows. I think I'm just tired in general and hit a temporary wall. There are several things that seem to be contributing to my fatigue, and they all seem like reasonable excuses, which I'm sure someone could validate for me. First, Nate didn't get that second job he applied for and so hoped to get-- big poo poo on that one. Then, we didn't know until last Friday whether or not he would be employed past yesterday (his company extended his contract another quarter, so til end of June--- yippeee!, but wait- there's more...). We still don't know what we are going to do long term for employment and whether or not his company will take him back (and back on salary) if we decide to 'retreat' from this economic bust back to Minnesota. We live in a constant state of flux, and have for about a year now-- it is getting pretty damn old and stressful.
Second, my supervisor caused me to hit an emotional/professional wall on Monday. I was so upset by some of the things she said to me and how she said them that I could have clobbered her. Instead, I went up to my office, away from her, and called to complain to Nate, then subsequently was consoled by a close colleague who is starting to see and feel some of the supervisor's shit as well. Don't get me wrong, I love my job; I just hate it when one person really ruins much of the experience by getting under your skin. Thicker skin? I'm working on that, but how thick must it really be? I am not a crocodile, nor do I thick that should be necessary. Stand up to the little....., and risk an all out brawl in which my future employment references could be sabotaged? Not good either.
I'm ranting because I'm tired. This chocolate helps pretty awesomely though...
Maybe I'll go brush my teeth after all.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Flurries of thought
So- the "free" flow of thought begins.
Recently, much has been going on at the same time as nothing- know what I mean?
Nate has been job searching, which has been the focus of most of his free time, including a promising interview that he did this morning for a cartographic programming company in downtown Philly. We also just got back from a 4-day weekend in MN, most of which was spent in Rochester for Nate's brother Isaac's wedding. Despite being surrounded by crazy in-laws, I had alot of fun, and they seem to all know who I am--FINALLY. Only took 6 years and a public marriage ceremony- funny how that works. Guess they'd be pretty embarassed if they couldn't pick me out of a crowd after attending our wedding....haha...
Me, I'm plugging along at my job/internship and enjoying my work, while attempting to dodge and ignore the shortcomings of my supervisor. I am still uneasy publishing much on this on the 'world wide web', so suffice it to say (yet again), that she is a struggle some days. I just mind my own business and stay occupied in my duties and enjoy the company of others and what I'm learning while I'm here.
My family came to visit a few weekends ago, which was nice, but I believe I mentioned that in the last post. We probably won't see family again until at least June for Steven's (my brother's) high school graduation, so it was a good mini-visit. We did stay one night in the cities with my parents while in MN last weekend, though- so that was pleasant too. That time I got to see Bob, despite his own busy schedule. He's busy with work alot, trying not to get laid off his new job. So, I respect that.
I feel as though I've had some pretty thoughtful last few weeks regarding jobs/moving/where to live. Nate has started the dialogue of a possible contract extension with his current job, in case he can't find employment out here. We would probably, of course, have to give an assurance that we'd come back to MN after our lease/my job is up to do this, and we would have to be willing to give up any East Coast plans. He tells me his job interview today went really well and that he likes the company so far, so maybe Philly IS our fate, for now? I feel like we have to go where the jobs are (those that still exist), and right now we don't really know where that is yet and it is driving me crazy. I am also conflicted as to whether or not I want to stay out in Philadelphia after my job is done. It is much farther than Missouri was (not a reasonable driving distance at 2 days...), and I think I may be finally getting to that point where I want to pick somewhere and just stay there. I miss having my social network in MN, even if I don't always take advantage of it- theyare/it is there. Nate and I really have no ties in PA, so that's the easy choice. However, we possibly have more job opportunity out here, which makes the immediate decision tough. Stay for a couple years, then move on? One thing I can say for sure is: I am sick and tired of being so itinerant. We need to pick something and have it done. Maybe that's just me being more comfortable with decisions made rather than having have a decision to make. Well, there's my thoughts on this current mind-num(b)er.
That's all I got- a 15 minute respite from work, so I better get back to it.
Recently, much has been going on at the same time as nothing- know what I mean?
Nate has been job searching, which has been the focus of most of his free time, including a promising interview that he did this morning for a cartographic programming company in downtown Philly. We also just got back from a 4-day weekend in MN, most of which was spent in Rochester for Nate's brother Isaac's wedding. Despite being surrounded by crazy in-laws, I had alot of fun, and they seem to all know who I am--FINALLY. Only took 6 years and a public marriage ceremony- funny how that works. Guess they'd be pretty embarassed if they couldn't pick me out of a crowd after attending our wedding....haha...
Me, I'm plugging along at my job/internship and enjoying my work, while attempting to dodge and ignore the shortcomings of my supervisor. I am still uneasy publishing much on this on the 'world wide web', so suffice it to say (yet again), that she is a struggle some days. I just mind my own business and stay occupied in my duties and enjoy the company of others and what I'm learning while I'm here.
My family came to visit a few weekends ago, which was nice, but I believe I mentioned that in the last post. We probably won't see family again until at least June for Steven's (my brother's) high school graduation, so it was a good mini-visit. We did stay one night in the cities with my parents while in MN last weekend, though- so that was pleasant too. That time I got to see Bob, despite his own busy schedule. He's busy with work alot, trying not to get laid off his new job. So, I respect that.
I feel as though I've had some pretty thoughtful last few weeks regarding jobs/moving/where to live. Nate has started the dialogue of a possible contract extension with his current job, in case he can't find employment out here. We would probably, of course, have to give an assurance that we'd come back to MN after our lease/my job is up to do this, and we would have to be willing to give up any East Coast plans. He tells me his job interview today went really well and that he likes the company so far, so maybe Philly IS our fate, for now? I feel like we have to go where the jobs are (those that still exist), and right now we don't really know where that is yet and it is driving me crazy. I am also conflicted as to whether or not I want to stay out in Philadelphia after my job is done. It is much farther than Missouri was (not a reasonable driving distance at 2 days...), and I think I may be finally getting to that point where I want to pick somewhere and just stay there. I miss having my social network in MN, even if I don't always take advantage of it- theyare/it is there. Nate and I really have no ties in PA, so that's the easy choice. However, we possibly have more job opportunity out here, which makes the immediate decision tough. Stay for a couple years, then move on? One thing I can say for sure is: I am sick and tired of being so itinerant. We need to pick something and have it done. Maybe that's just me being more comfortable with decisions made rather than having have a decision to make. Well, there's my thoughts on this current mind-num(b)er.
That's all I got- a 15 minute respite from work, so I better get back to it.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
"Go knit your own sweater, Boss Lady!"
So, if you watch the show Big Love, you will recognize this line as that of Margene, from Season Two. I was watching it earlier and I can't get that line out of my head. It's hilarious!
I would like to note that every day when I walk down the corridor to my apartment all the way at one end of my building, I swear I am inhaling huge plumes of maple and brown sugar oatmeal air from my geriatric neighbors--- and I mean EVERY day. Just thought I'd let you in on a little bit of my olfactory experiences here in Philly. Also, the old folks in the building I'm pretty sure use the apt lobby as their 'gathering place' most afternoons and evenings, which I notice when I'm walking through after work. I swear I'm living in a nursing home sometimes. Why do they have a work-out gym, then? Why did all these old ppl choose MY apt building? Perhaps, how did Nate and I end up in THEIR building is the more appropriate question.
Ahh, ruminations.
So, I now have three younger 'minions' that I supervise on a daily/weekly basis at work. One volunteer intern and two workstudy students are now listening to my crazy-talk and doing what I tell them to do, and believing the nonsense that comes out of my mouth. It's kinda fun, actually (yes, yes, of course it is good experience, but that's beside the point). One girl is a senior undergraduate at Penn, and a freshman at Penn, and the other guy somewhere between freshman and senior at Penn. I 'supervise' these 3 "kids" three times per week. There is also another volunteer intern girl with whom I ocassionally share office space and is nice to talk to; she is a recent Bryn Mawr grad (B.A.) and keeps me from simply talking to myself most days. Having more people around besides my own supervisor is a NICE and very welcome change. I haven't wanted to blab a whole lot about my supervisor, for good or bad, on my blog-- because you never know who's reading this-- it is public and she is my employer. I WOULD like to get a good reference in the future so it is probably best not to say much, or one day I might be upset and say something I regret. Either way, my supervisor is not my 'friend', so I have to respect that line. Sorry kids. I will say that as I am at Penn longer, my relationships with the Museum folk get better as I get to know them.
Back to my minions....
Basically, they help me inventory objects for a big project I am working on. They are really doubling and tripling my efforts and I can hardly keep up on the back end of things I need to do after that part of the project is done. So, I am very thankful for them and they are helping me immensely. Without them, I would be doing it all by myself. Currently, we are working with objects from the Late Bronze Age site of Hasanlu in Northwest Iran, specifically the metal finds. Examples are weapons, horse accoutrements (decoration and armor), battle armor (e.g. shields, helmets), bronze vessels, figurines, jewelry etc. Mostly the objects relate to war time material and are pretty awesome stuff. Think about it-- arrowheads and maceheads and spearpoints the likely took part in the destruction of the site sometime between 1200-900 BC (and that includes the many people that were involved). I think I am gona need a face mask soon though because the metal dust is getting pretty bad. Overall though, it keeps my job interesting and keeps the interns interested.
My family is coming to visit a week from Friday for a few days, sans Bob :( Bob has to work, so I guess I can respect that... :) I am looking forward to finally doing some serious site-seeing as well as visiting. Yay!
Here are a few recent photos to give this post some color:
View over the Schuylkill River looking toward downtown, riding the train to work-- the name of the river is pronounced, as far as I have surmised, as: "school-kull". Those damn Pennsylvania Dutch make learning place names EXTREMELY tough.
Pulling in to 30th St. Station at the butt-crack of dawn
Me, sleeping in front of some Roman pottery.....
Types of weapons found at Hasanlu (not an actual photo of artifacts, photo of a public poster)
Modern map of MiddleEast: Hasanlu is just on the southern side of the lake in the NW corner of Iran, just south and west of modern Tabriz (click on pic for better resolution)
I would like to note that every day when I walk down the corridor to my apartment all the way at one end of my building, I swear I am inhaling huge plumes of maple and brown sugar oatmeal air from my geriatric neighbors--- and I mean EVERY day. Just thought I'd let you in on a little bit of my olfactory experiences here in Philly. Also, the old folks in the building I'm pretty sure use the apt lobby as their 'gathering place' most afternoons and evenings, which I notice when I'm walking through after work. I swear I'm living in a nursing home sometimes. Why do they have a work-out gym, then? Why did all these old ppl choose MY apt building? Perhaps, how did Nate and I end up in THEIR building is the more appropriate question.
Ahh, ruminations.
So, I now have three younger 'minions' that I supervise on a daily/weekly basis at work. One volunteer intern and two workstudy students are now listening to my crazy-talk and doing what I tell them to do, and believing the nonsense that comes out of my mouth. It's kinda fun, actually (yes, yes, of course it is good experience, but that's beside the point). One girl is a senior undergraduate at Penn, and a freshman at Penn, and the other guy somewhere between freshman and senior at Penn. I 'supervise' these 3 "kids" three times per week. There is also another volunteer intern girl with whom I ocassionally share office space and is nice to talk to; she is a recent Bryn Mawr grad (B.A.) and keeps me from simply talking to myself most days. Having more people around besides my own supervisor is a NICE and very welcome change. I haven't wanted to blab a whole lot about my supervisor, for good or bad, on my blog-- because you never know who's reading this-- it is public and she is my employer. I WOULD like to get a good reference in the future so it is probably best not to say much, or one day I might be upset and say something I regret. Either way, my supervisor is not my 'friend', so I have to respect that line. Sorry kids. I will say that as I am at Penn longer, my relationships with the Museum folk get better as I get to know them.
Back to my minions....
Basically, they help me inventory objects for a big project I am working on. They are really doubling and tripling my efforts and I can hardly keep up on the back end of things I need to do after that part of the project is done. So, I am very thankful for them and they are helping me immensely. Without them, I would be doing it all by myself. Currently, we are working with objects from the Late Bronze Age site of Hasanlu in Northwest Iran, specifically the metal finds. Examples are weapons, horse accoutrements (decoration and armor), battle armor (e.g. shields, helmets), bronze vessels, figurines, jewelry etc. Mostly the objects relate to war time material and are pretty awesome stuff. Think about it-- arrowheads and maceheads and spearpoints the likely took part in the destruction of the site sometime between 1200-900 BC (and that includes the many people that were involved). I think I am gona need a face mask soon though because the metal dust is getting pretty bad. Overall though, it keeps my job interesting and keeps the interns interested.
My family is coming to visit a week from Friday for a few days, sans Bob :( Bob has to work, so I guess I can respect that... :) I am looking forward to finally doing some serious site-seeing as well as visiting. Yay!
Here are a few recent photos to give this post some color:
View over the Schuylkill River looking toward downtown, riding the train to work-- the name of the river is pronounced, as far as I have surmised, as: "school-kull". Those damn Pennsylvania Dutch make learning place names EXTREMELY tough.
Pulling in to 30th St. Station at the butt-crack of dawn
Me, sleeping in front of some Roman pottery.....
Types of weapons found at Hasanlu (not an actual photo of artifacts, photo of a public poster)
Modern map of MiddleEast: Hasanlu is just on the southern side of the lake in the NW corner of Iran, just south and west of modern Tabriz (click on pic for better resolution)Friday, January 02, 2009
Dilinquency - so sorry
So this post is quite honestly to hold you over until I can write another entry, a better one that is... Having entirely succumbed to the holiday laziness bug, I have not written since Thanksgiving. Although, with some excuse due to traveling and busy holiday schedules, here is my "catch-up" post.
Enjoy the "new-post-bait"!
The view from my office window at the Penn Museum (the immediate building is some of the Museum building, and the buildings beyond are part of Univ. of Penn's campus).
My office from the window side. The parrot was there when I arrived, so I adopted him.
My window facade. Man, I really know how to pick a dark and dreary day for pictures.
My office as I first walk into it.
Nate and I at the annual LSS Datasystems holiday party in Minnesota, the first weekend of December (2008). Update: Nate's company officially extended his contract until the end of March (2009), so he has some more time to find a new job out here in Philly! LSS just couldn't live without him! :) (P.S. Sorry about the red-eye --- freaky!)
Enjoy the "new-post-bait"!
The view from my office window at the Penn Museum (the immediate building is some of the Museum building, and the buildings beyond are part of Univ. of Penn's campus).
My office from the window side. The parrot was there when I arrived, so I adopted him.
My window facade. Man, I really know how to pick a dark and dreary day for pictures.
My office as I first walk into it.
Nate and I at the annual LSS Datasystems holiday party in Minnesota, the first weekend of December (2008). Update: Nate's company officially extended his contract until the end of March (2009), so he has some more time to find a new job out here in Philly! LSS just couldn't live without him! :) (P.S. Sorry about the red-eye --- freaky!)Saturday, November 29, 2008
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"
Plus, we took some 'before' and 'after' photos of ourselves.
Nate with his first turkey.
MMMMMMmmmm........
Our spread.
"Before"
"After"Thursday, November 27, 2008
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!
Saturday, November 08, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
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!!
Friday, October 03, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, September 22, 2008
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
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
Sunday, September 21, 2008
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
Sunday, September 14, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, August 22, 2008
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!!
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!!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
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!!
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!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
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
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
Monday, June 16, 2008
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.
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.
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
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! :)
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! :)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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
Monday, May 12, 2008
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!
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!
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