Nothing in this blog is true

'The Hills' of Monterey

2009-07-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

After seeing a movie this evening, Rich and I went to a restaurant at the mall next to the movie theater. A table with about four 20-something women was across the aisle. Apparently, the clinically-retarded-California-chick cliché has made its way this far north.

Pregnant, straight-haired woman: "Yeah, I was thinking of converting to, like, Buddhism. But that's not even a real religion."

(Later)

Pregnant woman again: "She almost passed out yesterday! She's on this new diet..."

Mind you, she looked like she was 7 months pregnant, but still wearing tiny little jeans and a fitted sweater and perfectly straightened hair and makeup. Everyone at the table did that thing where every sentence sounded like a question too. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so annoying. And to think, pretty soon there's going to be another little copy of that one running around! I definitely need to have kids to balance things out.

Thankful Thursday

2009-07-09T17:23:00.001-07:00

You guys haven't been reminding me to do Thankful Thursday. Tisk, tisk.

Today I'm thankful for the passionate people in my life. Passion is something I lack; sure, I have opinions, but mostly I keep them to myself or at most to my blog. This morning as I got ready for the day, I thought about my former boss at the writing center and how you could pretty much sum her up in that one word, "Passionate." If someone's rights were being slighted, she was all over it. Because of this, she could sniff out an ulterior motive like a bloodhound, whereas I tend to trust people and take things at face value. Also, last night, I finished watching Diarios de Motocicleta (Motorcycle Diaries), which is a movie about Che Guevara pre-revolution. I'm pretty sure Che was a passionate person too. The CIA doesn't usually kill people who are passive and docile.

Not to get into a discussion about Che Guevara, but the point is that there are people who have a great deal of passion, and they inspire me. I want to have this kind of conviction about something. I want to be so dedicated that I'm not afraid to go on a tirade about it if it comes up among people I don't even know very well. I think I'm approaching this state with a few issues (namely, recycling and so forth), but mostly I feel inadequately educated about most issues. The "genius" kids at school have far more passion than I have at my ripe age, and I think it's mostly due to their vast knowledge about--well--everything. I think they must sit at home and watch CSPAN all day. At any rate, I suppose it's a lesson for me to learn: I need to know more.

For now, though, until I can fill my head with more knowledge, I can at least appreciate those around me who are devoted to causes and who aren't afraid to show it. If you're one of these people, just know that you inspire me and make me want to better myself.

Moving right along

2009-07-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

My Monterey to-do list is rapidly getting smaller. I've completed or am in progress with 3 of the items, thanks to the past couple weeks. I went to the church, which I told you about already; I'm learning Spanish, which I think I've mentioned once or twice on here; and lastly, I went to a free salsa dancing class last night.

This class taught me a few things: 1. Rich really can't dance, and I think I dance only slightly better than he does. 2. The salsa that they teach in these ballroom dancing classes is not "real" salsa according to my Cuban Spanish teacher, who also happened to be there. 3. To best learn, you really need a partner who already knows what they're doing. Otherwise, it's just the blind leading the blind (see: Rich and me dancing together).

It was, however, unexpectedly crowded, and not really beginner-beginner. Still it was fun, and since it was free, I have no complaints.

I also did something new today, which was to go to the post office on foot. I mean, it sounds silly probably, but I've never run an errand without my car waiting for me in the parking lot. I walked to school with some packages in my backpack, and I stopped at the post office after my class to mail them out. Then I walked home. Deciding to go by foot does take some planning, but it's quite liberating and it forces me to take notice of things I would ordinarily just pass by.

Sigh

2009-07-05T21:34:00.001-07:00

Sighing for many reasons tonight...

One: I got back this afternoon from visiting the in-laws over the weekend. We packed a lot into three days, I tell you. Friday, we drove down to LA and stayed with Rich's aunt and uncle. This was after my class of course. It took just under 6 hours, which, if my math is correct, means that Rich was driving approximately 200 mph. Or, at least it felt like it anyway. You know, I think I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm prone to motion sickness. It's not all the time, but in some cars (with certain drivers...ahem) or in other circumstances like airplanes (which make me sick for various reasons), trains, buses, etc., I just don't feel well. Is adult-onset motion sickness a real thing or do you suppose I've always had it?

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the weekend. Friday night, I practiced my Spanish with Rich's aunt, and she was very impressed--naturally. Saturday, we spent the morning hours with the aunt and uncle we were staying with, and then in the afternoon we visited another aunt who was in the hospital. Then, we were off to yet another aunt and uncle's house where we had the traditional BBQ and all that. Plus they had a pool. We even saw some illegal fireworks that the neighbors were letting off, so it was all good. I spoke some Spanish with Rich's grandmother, and because I was making such a good effort to learn the language, she gave us a book that she wrote in Spanish t

hat she had actually given or planned to give to Rich's mom. She was just holding onto it, but she said that she wanted us to have it now.

That day also, I got the best text message in the world: one of my best friends in the whole world just got engaged. I wish I could truly convey to you all how happy I am for her, but you'll just have to imagine it because I'm running out of creative steam tonight.

This morning, we got up and headed to LAX where Rich's dad works. Rich's dad is a captain for the LA city fire department, and he's now working at the airport. So, if you're at LAX and you have a heart attack, his crew will come save you. We managed to time it just right so that we got a quick tour of the station and--AND--he and one of the other guys drove us around the airport in a real fire engine. I don't know about you, but I'd never been in a real fire engine/truck before, so it was pretty sweet.

That's me trying my best to get inside gracefully. It wasn't easy. That is not, however, my chubby arm :( Rich got to work the pedals in the front that control the siren and the horn. It was awesome.

Then we drove home and it took forever. Then we stopped at In-n-Out, and that took forever too. Then we got home. Then I finished my take-home test (yep, we got a take-home test on 4th of July weekend!). Then I did this next thing.

Two: I'm a total retard. Remember when I said I feel like I keep saying the wrong things? Well, now I'm doing stupid things too. Tonight, I tried to book our flights to see my family in a few weeks. I've had it in my head that we were traveling on the 17th. I've thought this ever since my family started making plans. I booked our flights and a rental car. Of course, there was no reason for me to have thought it was the 17th because it's actually the next week. How awesome is that? It takes all the courage I can muster to even book a flight (because that means I actually have to fly) and then I had to call India--excuse me, "Yahoo Travel"--to fix it. Oh yeah, and Rich had already put in a leave request for that wrong weekend. Thankfully, all it took was a slightly long phone call, but all is well with that for tonight anyway.

I also called my parents at like 11:00 at night their time when I'm pretty sure their bedtime is still 10:00 (sorry Mom & Dad). Why can't everyone just be on PST to make my life easier??

Ready for bed now.

Still feeling unsettled

2009-07-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

This Friday marks one month since I arrived here in Monterey. Can you believe it? I sure can't, and I'm the one living it. I don't know where the time has gone, and I still don't really feel like I'm settled in. I think a lot of it has to do with the Abominable Spanish Class that has taken over my life. I haven't been cooking much, and doing so seems like such a chore. I haven't been going to the gym (again, a chore), and I haven't been doing anything else that resembles a routine. I might as well be living out my suitcase some days.

I'm also still struggling with my social awkwardness. Have I become that person who takes the joke too far? Who takes something funny and makes it unfunny in one fell swoop? Who says things that are unintentionally insulting? It seems like by the end of every day I've said something in an effort to be funny, charming, or self-deprecating, and it's come out all wrong. I can't tell if I'm just being overly critical of myself because I'm feeling so out of place already or if, because I'm so nervous, I really am offending the people I'm trying to be nice to.

Remember when I said I felt like I was going through puberty all over again? This is what I was talking about. I remember feeling/being this way when I was in high school. I think I became more likable and socially successful after that time, but that's only because I didn't say much at all. Now, I'm back to that phase where you get all or nothing from me. I'm still searching for that balance, but it's even more difficult to be balanced within when everything outside is unbalanced too.

Under the Milky Way*

2009-06-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

I realized after I wrote my last post Friday that I skipped Thankful Thursday. Although, if you think about it, I think it's safe to say Friday's post could easily substitute.

I went to church today. It was the Unitarian Universalist church that I unsuccessfully tried to attend last week. During the service, when people had an opportunity to light a candle, I thought maybe I should go up and light one in honor of the fact that this is the first time I've gone to church on my own volition. It was an interesting experience with some surprises along the way. There was singing, which I guess I wasn't expecting, and the regular minister was away, so they had a poetry-centered sermon with a few members of the congregation reading.

Poetry? Does this place have my name written all over it or what? I admit, there was some terrible poetry, but just the fact that the sermon focused on poetry as a way toward spiritual growth made me feel right at home. One of the people who read today said before she read a particular poem that it had unexpectedly touched one of her friends in the past, and she said something about how we never know how the universe is going to shine through us. I thought this was a beautiful way of expressing what poetry is all about, and I also thought it was important to keep in mind as I go about my everyday life.

I think I'll continue giving this church a try over the next several weeks before I make any conclusions. I was hoping there would be more younger people there (I was easily the youngest adult there). Since the real minister was away, perhaps the crowd was different, or maybe the later services attract more people. I guess that's what I'm going to find out in time.

*A song by The Church

Reasons I love living here

2009-06-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

I've (re)discovered people come in more than one shade.
Often the people around me are actually in the same amount of hurry as I'm in.
The restaurants serve food that I could not prepare myself, and they usually don't give me portions fit for a rhinoceros.
Almost all my friends and relatives I've spoken to recently want to come visit (the place, not just me), and they can do so any time of year.
In a typical day, I don't pass any McDonald's restaurants.
I'm not going to need or want air conditioning for the next two years.
I could fit a body into the recycling bins we get. I'm just saying they're big.
Today was the first day I had to put gas in my car since filling up in Benicia, CA (near SF), on the move down here three weeks ago.

Birfday

2009-06-23T22:27:00.001-07:00

What a day, you guys. I haven't really had great birthdays these past couple years (one was the birthday from hell, and after that I lost motivation to do anything on my birthday), and today was just going to be another day, but some unexpected and unexpectedly cool things happened today.

1. Rich joined me at my school for lunch.

2. One of those "kids" I mentioned (part of the lunchroom drama) said he wanted to make a "Funfetti" cake for me on my birthday last week, and I thought he was just messing around, but he actually did it. He made me a cake, and I barely know the guy.

3. Because we had cake, almost all of my class joined me for lunch. Everyone was in a great mood, and I couldn't tell if they were happy for me because it was my birthday and we had cake, or if they were excited to meet Rich (they were all acting very eager to meet him).

4. Rich got to meet my teacher, and she taught everyone how to sing "Happy Birthday" in Spanish. This song was much nicer than the English version. They sang it about 7 times.

5. I got some stuff done in the house that makes us one step closer to being officially settled in. Also, Rich put up some curtains in the bedroom, so now maybe we can sleep in on the weekends :)

6. We went out to eat and I made a spur-of-the-moment dessert purchase of cinnamon rolls at a bakery on Cannery Row. It was all good.

God doesn't want me to go to church

2009-06-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

He also doesn't want me to have nice feet.

So, I wanted to go to the UU church today, and they have two services: one at 9:15 and one at 11:15. Considering when I got up I forgot I was going ('cause when's the last time I went to church?), I decided I'd have to go to the 11:15. No problem! I'll just do some laundry, take a shower, and be ready to leave at 10:45.

At 10:40, I was just putting on my underwear after my shower. You can imagine where this is going. I decided that if I left by 11:00, I'd still get there on time; I just wouldn't be there early. So, breathless, I left the house at 11:00 (By the way, if any of you are following the black widow drama on Facebook, she's still there. And she's definitely a black widow. I saw her red bowtie today).

At this point, the adventure begins. Google maps insists that there's a nifty little back road that I can take to go practically anywhere. And that would be nice if in fact this road existed. When I looked up the directions to the church, it gave me two options, and both options included this secret road. I had to create my own route then, which seemed easy enough, except that Highway 1 is a bitch, and the exits come out of nowhere and aren't always labeled or they're labeled with the same street name three exits in a row. I'll spare you the tedious details on this part of the story, but suffice it to say, I was pulling into the parking lot of the church at 11:14. That's no good. Even though there were a couple cars pulling into the lot right after me, I was not about to allow the congregation's first impression of me be that I'm a late person. Next week, I will plan better.

After that fiasco, I went to the mall to get a pedicure. It was long overdue. I've only had 3 in my life (including today's), but lately my feet have just been horrendous. So, I got one, and the woman was very nice and she seemed to be doing all the right things, but now that I'm home, I see that my heels are still pretty cracked as are the balls of my feet. My nail polish looks nice, but I didn't need to pay someone $35 to paint my toenails. This is very disappointing, but lesson learned: I need to just take care of my feet my owned damned self.

Lastly, because God hates me this weekend (it's because I didn't get the homeless guy a sandwich), I'm going to have to return this table/lamp combo I bought at Lowe's. I started putting it together last night, and I was on a roll until I realized there was a very frustrating defect in it. Unfortunately, the closest Lowe's is almost an hour away--this is why I tried to make a day of it by going to the outlet mall. Now I have to go all the way back just to return this stupid thing. At least maybe I'll see the homeless guy again and get to redeem myself.

Bras and other superficial fun

2009-06-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

L'eggs/Bali/Hanes/Playtex outlet, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

You know your youth is gone when the underwear outlet store is the highlight of your shopping day. The last time I went to an outlet mall* was in February, and while I bought a few items that day (including my kick-ass gray plaid Chuck Ts), I spent the majority of my time and money buying bras. Today was similar. What can I say? I like Bali bras, so why pay $30+ for them at Kohl's when I can get them for $22 at the outlet? I was also able to buy two (buy one, get one 1/2 off) Champion bras that are going to be awesome for the days I want to walk to school because they're sort of like sports bras, but they have underwire and two separate cups, so no uni-boob. Not to mention that the cashier signed me up for their rewards card, and I got an additional 20% off my purchase because it's my birthday month. Score!

Did I really just spend that much time talking about bras? Yet another sign that my youth is gone.

I also bought these! They're similar to the second-hand ones from Plato's Closet, but they were new of course (I'll put my own feet-sweat in them, thank you very much), and they really are that color. Way better than the brown ones. And they were only $50.

After I indulged myself (did I mention my birthday is Tuesday? This shopping trip was kind of like my birthday present to myself), I wanted to stop at Lowe's. This particular Lowe's is part of an enormous shopping center with Lowe's, Walmart, Home Goods, and places to eat on one side of the intersection and Target, Panera, and some other stores on the other side. When I was turning into the Lowe's side, there was a man holding a sign right next to me that said he had lost his job and he was hungry. After spending so much money on stuff I didn't actually need (in the hunter-gatherer sense), I wanted to help this guy. I didn't want to give him cash, but I saw that there was a Subway near Lowe's, and I thought I'd pick up a sandwich after I was finished.

So, I finished at Lowe's, and then I realized that I stop at Target to pick up some stuff since it was just right there. Most Targets now have little pre-made sandwiches, so I figured I'd just get this guy his sandwich from there. As I crossed the intersection again, I saw that he was still there in the same place. Naturally, though, this Target didn't have any sandwiches, and when I thought I'd go back over to Subway (I really had my mind set on this), I saw that the man wasn't there. I went ahead and got a sandwich, and I figured if I still didn't see him, I'd just leave and eat the sandwich myself. Well, he still wasn't there. I was very sad, and then I just felt very gluttonous for spending the whole day and a whole lot of money on selfish, material things. I was hoping to even out the score, you know?

Maybe because of this, I think I'm going to check out the UU church tomorrow. It's literally just a few miles from my house. It's even shorter if I take the road that Google Maps insists is there but isn't. Anyway, this is one of the items on my to-do list for Monterey (I'm working on #1 and #6).

*For the life of me, over the past couple days I couldn't remember the name of the town where this outlet mall was. I kept thinking "Napoleon," but I knew that wasn't right. I thought maybe it sounded similar or maybe it was just a famous historical name. I finally looked it up today: Waterloo. That makes me laugh a little.

TGIF

2009-06-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

I know that's a lame title, guys, but I have to tell you that Fridays are suddenly very important to me right now. My days feel crazy-packed. I don't know if that's been obvious. Ever since I came to Monterey, it's just been nonstop. First, it was tireless unpacking and organizing with an occasional trip out to explore. Now, it's that + school. Here's how my days have gone this week:

7-8a: get up, have breakfast, check email/Facebook, get ready for school

8-9: drive or walk to school (obviously, I leave a little later if I'm driving)

9-2/2:30: in class, lunch, more class

2:30-3: walk or drive home

3-5:30: check email/FB, get a snack, house stuff, make phone calls, do whatever else needs doing, and start homework

5:30: realize it's time to eat and continue doing homework

6-7: make and eat dinner, more email/FB

7-8/8:30: finish homework

8:30: take a bath/shower if I haven't already, get ready for bed

9-10/10:30: watch part of a movie or play online

10/10:30: go to bed

This is a drastic change from my schedule before, even when the semester was still going on, and I was teaching 3 classes and tutoring 10 hours a week. It doesn't seem like there's a lot going on because it's the same thing every day, but I'm friggin' exhausted right now. I know there are things I can be doing right now around the house, but I'll be damned if I want to do any of them. So what if the laundry I put in the dryer last night is still sitting in there at 4:00pm?

Thankful Thursday

2009-06-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

You know, ever since I started doing TT, really irritating things keep happening on Thursdays. This makes it very difficult to remember the good things.

Thankfully today, among the irritating things I experienced, I finally visited one of the farmer's markets in Monterey! There are two certified farmer's markets (which means that everything is in fact grown locally) including the one that isn't running yet. This one was one of the certified ones, and of course it was up and running just fine. I bought strawberries, broccoli, mushrooms, and two kinds of pasta. There was so much more I wanted to buy, but I was out of cash. It was such a nice day too. I'm not sure if it was really any cheaper than buying the same at Trader Joe's or something, but I was glad to buy local.

I also had someone come by to look at the refrigerator I have for sale. He was a friendly old man who said that his current house/apartment was tiny and built strangely, so he just had to be sure that the measurements would allow him to get it in the house. I'm thankful for this because he's the only one who's responded to my Craigslist ad.

And in case you were wondering about the lunchroom drama, I mentioned my dilemma to another woman in the class (she's 40), so she and I managed to casually find a nice sunny spot a little ways from the "kids'" table. A little later, when the guys were heading back to class (our class got out later than theirs), I waved at them in a very obvious way, so it wouldn't be like I was avoiding them. Then, Kelly, who sat with them again today, came over and joined the other woman and me. I think that went well.

more socially awkward moments

2009-06-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today I had lunch with the same group of students as yesterday. They're mostly in their very early 20s (like 20), with the oldest of the group (besides me) being 23. Yesterday, the way we were sitting made it difficult to hear sometimes, so I blamed my social ineptness on that. Today, it was confirmed.

I'm not sure what is going on with that. I'm accustomed to speaking with people of that age group, and before you say, "Yeah, but you were the teacher and they were the students, so it's different," I should point out that I was very casual with my students. Still, maybe it's the age difference. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm not accustomed to people that young being way smarter than I am. They're seriously all geniuses. The one girl, Kelly, goes to Harvard and she speaks Chinese and Japanese already. She's probably the most down-to-earth of the bunch. I'm happy for them for being so gifted, but there's something about their communication that I'm just not able to get into. Now I've eaten lunch with them two days in a row, and I'm afraid it'll be really obvious if I eat with someone else. And I thought I was done with high school lunchroom drama.

Tonight I put together a kitty-condo that I ordered online. Thankfully, I'm married; otherwise, I'd be that creepy spinster lady with a thousand cats (no offense to creepy spinster ladies). The worst part? The kitty-condo smells like sweaty feet. No kidding.

Remember the washer & dryer that didn't fit? Well, yesterday the ones that did fit arrived, and guess what--the washer's not working right! It's not Thursday, so I can be just plain irritated by this. The washer is making an incredible amount of noise when it agitates. It's a bit comical, though, because its instructions included a little flyer that said that this washer is "quieter than any GE model before!" Right. I can only imagine the screeching train-wreck that must have resonated from the older models. So, I have to call GE or Home Depot or somebody.

One last thing. I wish people would learn how to count. First my insurance company tries to tell me that 30.1 miles is not more than 30 miles, and now the post office is giving me a hard time. We had our mail held in NY while we were in transit, and they had instructions to stop the hold and forward our mail when they received our address change request. We've been receiving new mail that's been forwarded, but we have yet to receive the stack of held mail. I called today, and the guy said that they received my forwarding request June 8 and "it could take a week" before I might see that mail. I'm sure that made sense in his head, but I still had to inform him that 8 +7 = 15 (today's June 17). He reassured me that it was on its way. I asked, "Okay, so at what point should I become concerned if I still haven't received my mail?" Then he told me: two weeks from June 8. It's a good thing he can't hear me roll my eyes over the phone.

Boos-day

2009-06-16T16:31:00.002-07:00

Right, I just stole my friend's phrase from Facebook (Tuesday? More like Booooosday). But hey, she can complain in my comments if she ever makes it to my blog again.

Anyway, what a lame day. This is not be confused with the weird day a couple days ago. I should have known today was going to be a drag. Yesterday was a rock star day. I got so much accomplished I didn't know what to do with myself. I walked to school and back, started homework during my lunch break, called maintenance about some issues at the house, took a shower while dinner was cooking in order to save time, finished homework right after dinner, and had a full two hours to just chill out before bed.

Today, I was not so accomplished. First, I "woke up." I was having really intense dreams, so when I woke up, I felt like I had been running a marathon. I ended up deciding to drive to school so I could stay in bed a little longer. Then, at school, the dragging continued. I love my Spanish class, but I just couldn't stop yawning. I bought a Frappacino from the vending machine during our mid-morning break (a far more interesting event than it probably sounds), which I think is the only reason I didn't collapse before the class was over. I can tell you about the rest of the afternoon, but it's pretty blah.

Now, I have all my homework to do because I spent my whole lunch break shooting the breeze with some kids (yeah, I'm old) I met during orientation instead of starting on the homework then. I also have zero energy, so the odds of my getting going on that homework soon are pretty slim. I don't know what the deal is. I hope tomorrow will be significantly better.

The one piece of good news from today is that I applied to a potentially cool job. I've deliberately not applied to jobs yet because I figure I won't be available to start working for another 7 weeks because of my class; however this job is at the college I'm attending, so it would be kind of rude if they didn't want to hire me because I'm not available until their class is over :) At any rate, the job is full-time (yuck) and non-teaching (good), but it's still connected to education (great), and I would be doing grant writing, which is something I've been wanting to pursue (super!). Now, if I can just get them to overlook the fact that I'll only be here for 2 years.

Weirdness

2009-06-14T20:38:00.002-07:00

Today wasn't supposed to be weird. I was in fact looking forward to writing about the cool day I had today, but as I said on Thursday, I have to remain thankful for the unexpected.

My day began with a school dream. Rich says he has a recurring nightmare of sorts where he's in school again (already a nightmare for him) and he's taking a test he hasn't prepared for or something along those lines. I don't have those dreams because I'm a huge nerd and I've always loved school. That is, until this dream. In this dream, it was Monday morning and I had just arrived at my Spanish class. The instructor was collecting the homework when I realized I didn't do it (this is the easy-peasy homework, I remind you). I was frantically trying to get some of it completed so she wouldn't think I was a total slacker or that I had misunderstood her. I was very angry with myself for forgetting.

After I woke up, I was supposed to go to one of the weekly farmer's markets they have here. I found a website of Monterey farmer's markets, and this one clearly stated that it was 8--noon on Sundays from June--October in this certain shopping plaza. Rich and I decided that we would go there first and then head to brunch (he loves El Torito Sunday brunch buffets). First, we attempted to go a different way than we had always gone to get to that area of town because Google maps seems to think there's a secret back road out of our neighborhood. There isn't. Then, we drove around this whole shopping plaza looking for the farmer's market. It wasn't there.

Later, I emailed the events person listed on the website and she said that they aren't getting started until June 28. June 28 is not what I think of when I read "June--October," but okay.

Thankfully, brunch went according to plan.

Then, I wanted to go to our Plato's Closet because I just read Ashley's blog where she talked about getting clothes there. I got there, almost bought a pair of shoes that I've been dying to have because they were $14 and in my size (but not really because they were falling off my feet, which is why I didn't buy them), and was about to buy a $6 t-shirt when the power went out. They continued ringing up cash sales for about 10 minutes, but when the power was still out, the manager said she had to close the store because her back up power to run the register was limited. So, I didn't bother with the $6 t-shirt and just left.

Of course when I left, because the traffic was crazy with no functioning traffic lights, I decided to go a different way home. You know me and my shortcuts...Well, my belief is that getting lost is how you find out where stuff is. Technically, I wasn't lost at any point in time, but I did take the long way back home in an effort to avoid the power-less areas of town because apparently I'm more scared of people not knowing what to do without traffic lights than I am of not knowing where I am.

Toward the end of the day, Rich and I headed to Whole Foods to pick up food for dinner. We bought food for two nights plus wood planks for grilling and some shampoo and conditioner for the bargain price of $96. Now I fully comprehend the "Whole Paycheck" joke. Granted, we were buying steak and fish, but seriously? I think we're going to have to make a habit out of Trader Joe's in the future.

So, it was not the day I had planned out, but such is life. I did get some more unpacking and organizing done, which is nice. We also took the bikes out for a little ride after dinner (our $40 dinner). No complaints.

Head of the class

2009-06-12T15:39:00.004-07:00

Have I mentioned I'm a total rockstar at Spanish? I really am. I pretty much coasted through the 4 years in high school I took and still got 100s on everything. It's really too bad I didn't keep up with it. The upside, though, is that now that I'm enrolled in the "elementary Spanish" class, I look like I know everything already. I'm sure the extent of my knowledge will be exposed in a week or two, but for now, it's easy-peasy. Did I mention that this class will amount to 180 classroom hours in 8 weeks?

My instructor is crazy for sure. There isn't any rhyme or reason to the order in which we're learning things, which is okay for me, but unfortunately some of my classmates are struggling. Por ejemplo: How can you say in Spanish what day it is or what time it is if you haven't learned how to say numbers? But she's fun, and we get a different instructor every couple of weeks anyway.

I walked to school today also. Google says it's 2.3 miles one way, but it's clearly lying because it took me almost a full hour to walk it this morning (let's not talk about the bad decision to take a "shortcut" that I had never seen before). It's amazing what a book bag and stop lights will do to one's pace. Even this afternoon (sans "shortcut") it probably took me 45 minutes. I feel thoroughly worked out.

Lastly, because the wonderful, new high-efficiency washer & dryer we purchased didn't actually fit in our little house, we still don't have laundry capabilities at home. I'm pretty sure we're spending our Friday night doing laundry at the Navy Lodge.

Hello Again & Thankful Thursday

2009-06-11T14:37:00.005-07:00

So, I'm not quite ready to give up blogging. Now that I said I've stopped thinking "I have to blog this" every time something interesting happens to me, I've started thinking it again.

Some changes are still on the horizon, however. I think I will likely treat this blog more as a way to describe the everyday events and keep my reflections for a personal journal. I still don't have it all figured out, but I know that at the end of the day (or in the middle of the day as is the case right now), I find myself reaching for my laptop and ready to spill whatever went on with me. I have to believe that you're wondering what I'm up to also because, well, you're reading this. In other words, this blog has become a way for me to interact with friends, and not posting feels like I've broken off a relationship for no apparent reason.

As a way to update you and get in my Thankful Thursday, I will say this: I am thankful that life doesn't always work out the way I want it to.

Did we get into base housing as we had hoped? Yes. Did our stuff arrive okay? Yes (at least as far as we can tell). Is Monterey the awesomest city ever? Quite possibly. And I'm certainly thankful for all those things that have worked out the way we had hoped they would.

I have to wonder, though: what's the fun in that? I'm thankful (or at least trying to be) for the challenges I'm facing living in a much smaller house. I'm having to get creative with my organization and be stingy with what stays and what goes. My pack-rat husband has even begun getting rid of things, such as an old TV that we only kept because it had a VCR.

I'm also letting go of my mental pictures of how things should be. The living room is for the nicer furniture, and we'll stick the ugly comfortable stuff with the TV in the back--nope. It doesn't fit that way. I'll have a lamp on the nightstand and start reading before bed--nope. Doesn't fit. Nightstand goes next to Rich's side of the bed. Our bedroom furniture doesn't fit in the master bedroom. Our house came with a refrigerator, as did we, so we have to get rid of that. We learned the hard way that our newly-purchased washer and dryer didn't fit. We need new bath mats and a lot more hooks for hanging stuff in the garage. Is all this a pain the butt? Of course. But if it were easy, I wouldn't be learning anything, would I?

In this case, I'm not exactly giving anything up or deferring to another person; I'm just dealing with what life has thrown at me. The more it throws at me, the more I learn what I'm capable of and what it takes to make me happy, and for that I have to be thankful.

Thankful Thursday

2009-05-28T11:57:00.003-07:00

Oh boy. Talk about being thankful through clenched teeth. I'll try my best.

I'm thankful I didn't kill anybody today.

Wait. Let's start over. Deep breath.

Today I'm thankful that we signed papers, had a successful walk-through, and are ready to hit the road first thing in the morning tomorrow. I'm thankful that we're not just breaking even but coming away with a little profit on this house. I'm also thankful that we had good movers.

I am incredibly thankful for my ability to craft perfectly-worded letters, which will come in handy when I write to George T. Decker Real Estate to tell them that one of their realtors should never be responsible for handling clients who haven't lived in NY their whole lives or who don't work in the real estate business in NY themselves. It will also come in handy when I write to my credit union, which offers a discount if we use specific realtors to sell our house, to tell them to take this realtor off their list because of the aforementioned defect. I am thankful for my husband, who has so far dealt with all this unpleasantness with flying colors. He's awesome.

Please don't ask me for details on this business. Just be thankful with me :) I needed to end/suspend this blog on a positive note.

We're leaving tomorrow morning. Please send those positive thoughts our way. I'll see ya when I see ya...

Not goodbye yet

2009-05-26T18:20:00.002-07:00

piohwefbmxvnchvqyugbfjkngoei. So friggin' hard to focus right now. I'm pooped.

Right, well, I promise the last post was not simply a way to fish for comments (although it worked). I do still think I need a break from blogging, but I still have internet and I haven't left town yet, so here I am.

First, the geektacular month continues! I saw both Terminator and Star Trek (for the second time) this past weekend. Not only that, but I had at least two in-depth conversations with the husband about time travel as it relates to these two movies. Also, in other kinds of geekdom, I almost--almost--purchased The Great Gatsby audiobook for the long drive. Not because I love the story but because I'm a bit of a literary snob like that, and wouldn't I be most intelligent person in the world if I listened to such a literary classic instead of top 40 hits of the 80s and 90s on my iPod? Given my route, Steinbeck would have been more appropriate, but I didn't see it. Did you know that John Steinbeck was from the Monterey Bay area? I just learned that.

Secondly, the movers came today to pack everything. They'll come back tomorrow to put it on the truck, so for now, we still have a bed and a refrigerator. Woo! The most interesting part of this event, however, was the fact that one of the movers, Joe, looked like a slightly-redneck version of Edward Norton when Edward Norton wears a goatee.

Thirdly, tonight I went to aerobics class for the last time. I was completely exhausted (a culmination of a few days of taking things apart for the move, setting things aside that needed to not get packed, and not sleeping much last night), but I told everyone I'd be there. I didn't teach, although I've officially taught 3 whole classes and several partial classes. In my honor, a black bird decided to sneak his way into the fitness studio and swoop through midway through our step combinations. We managed to persevere after opening a few windows and hoping he'd find his way out. As of the end of class, he hadn't.

Another goodbye?

2009-05-22T17:22:00.004-07:00

I am thinking of giving up blogging.

Here I've stood for more than 4 years while the blogging world around me has risen and fallen and risen again. Most of the readers I had when I first started have disappeared (read: gotten too involved in real life), and even some who came into my life later on have gone by the wayside too.

While I love all my current readers (and if I do stop writing my own blog, I plan to continue checking in on you), there's just something stagnant in my blogging. I can't or don't say everything that I need to let out, and everything else--well, I'm starting to feel like I've said everything else. When I first started blogging, something cool would happen in my life and immediately I'd think, "I'm totally blogging about this." Now, I sit down to write because it's a certain day, and sometimes I struggle finding something to post.

The appeal still? I like that my RL friends (even though they rarely come by anymore) and family can stop in here and see what's going on with me. I like that I have a record of the big moments and not-so-big moments and that I can share those moments with sympathetic readers such as yourself. There is certainly something comforting in releasing my thoughts and having them be accepted by others.

This is also no doubt a part of this transitional phase I'm going through right now. Maybe it's just temporary, and after I get settled in my new place I'll be back like nothing ever happened. I am, however, trying to make a conscious effort to do things that challenge me, things that I think are good/better for me, and things that connect me to the physicality of life. In other words, taking 15 minutes to write about my day in a real pen-and-paper journal, with my legs under the covers and no glowing screen in sight, might just be one of those good/better things.

As for keeping in touch with my acquaintances? Well, I'm still on Facebook, and there's the telephone, and I could even write letters, which would be far more personal than this blog anyway.

At any rate, I'm leaving town next Friday, and I won't have regular internet. I might just use that time as a trial separation.

Thankful Thursday

2009-05-21T02:45:00.003-07:00

A few of my fellow adjunct instructors got together last night to say goodbye to me (yet another goodbye) and also to say goodbye to another instructor. The turnout was not as good as expected, but the most important people were there, so I was happy. I had 3 Blue Moons, and unfortunately, I'm here to tell you at 5:45a.m. that I probably didn't need that last one. Bleh.

At any rate, the really cool part last night was the weather. On the drive home, when we were off the highway, we rolled down the windows and let the crisp spring air in. I even stuck my head out the window a few times, and when I did, I looked up at the stars and was struck by how clear it was and how many stars I could see.

It was one of those nights that reminded me of high school (doesn't everything remind me of high school these days?). I remember hanging out with my friends at night when the weather was just a little damp or a little chilly, but not so much that we wanted to be burdened with jackets. We'd sit outside on somebody's car, driveway, or grass and talk about school or our crappy part-time jobs while looking up at the stars. Or we'd go for a drive, windows down, listening to the top-40 hits of 1997, going positively insane if a car with cute boys pulled up next to ours. The air was clean. Lawns were freshly cut.

I'm thankful for nights like these.

I'm thankful for good friends with whom the conversation never seems to run dry.

Goodbyes have begun

2009-05-19T12:48:00.002-07:00

I truly hate saying good bye. Today I had a lunch with my colleagues and student workers from the writing center. It was our end-of-semester gathering but also my farewell. I will miss some of them, and others I won't. I hate pretending that I'm going to keep in touch with everyone when I have no intention of keeping in touch with most of them. I hate pretending that I'm sad when really I don't feel much at all right now.

I'm not a complete sociopath. It's quite the opposite (being a Cancer and all) in fact. I liked all of these coworkers very much, and if I didn't have to move, I wouldn't. But I do have to move, and I've always known that I would, so these people are just some of the many people who have entered into my life and disappeared out of my life. I know they're going to disappear, and it doesn't make me sad. If I became sad every time I had to leave a place, I'd need some serious help.

I do miss people and places from my past, and I'm sure I'll eventually miss some of these people and places too. It's just that I have to leave them before I can miss them. I miss Tracy and c.a.b., but I didn't miss them until I was here for a while.

It's difficult to convey all that in a goodbye lunch. People seem genuinely sad that I'm leaving, and I just can't muster up that much feeling. I'm trying to think of a time when someone I really liked left my circle of friends or coworkers and how I felt then. The only person I can think of is someone who died, so I was sad for a different reason. Aside from that, I've always been the one to leave. I can't remember a single going away party for someone other than myself.

Signs

2009-05-17T05:53:00.004-07:00

All right, so the universe is definitely trying to tell me something. I'm not sure what, though. There seem to be signs everywhere (sometimes actual street signs). Here's one:

Green Day just released their new album. If that doesn't say "I'm 14 years old all over again," I don't know what does. Yeah, I was 14 when they first were popular. I can't believe there are 14-year-olds right now listening to them for the first time. I sat and watched about an hour of their videos yesterday on Fuse. I contemplated buying a punk rocker belt and some Doc Martens. Definitely some Docs. You know what I always wondered? Die-hard punks always wore Docs, but they're hella expensive. Where do these street-cred kids get the money for their wardrobe?

I had a hair revelation yesterday: I like to change my hair when I don't feel in control of my life. It's like OCD but with my hair. I used to think it was just cyclical--every 4-5 years I'd cut it short--and that was probably true when I was much younger, but the last few times I chopped it off I was going through some kind of major change or stress. Last time, it was just before Rich got home from deployment and we were getting ready to move. The time before that (not sure if I should count this because I didn't cut it all that short), I had just gotten married. The time before that, I was in my senior year of high school getting ready to graduate and start college. Now I just have to decide if I think cutting my hair to exert some control over my life is a healthy way to deal or just a way to avoid dealing.

Something tells me I'll be able to justify it regardless. Especially because I already have it all picked out.

I kind of like these weekend posts. I've never been into weekend-posting because people seem to catch up on blogging during their working hours, so I don't get as many comments on the weekend posts. However, the number of actual commenters on this blog has dwindled anyway, so I'm not really losing anything and it just feels more laid back to post on the weekend.

Thankful Thursday

2009-05-14T10:30:00.003-07:00

Today my students from the satellite campus surprised me with a thank-you card on our last day of class.

It was a musical card that played the Superman theme. Sorry for the blurriness, but you get the idea. How sweet is that? I am thankful today for my students who occasionally let me know that I'm doing something important. I know that one student in particular had the idea to get the card, and I'm especially thankful that she was in the class.

I also received two going-away cards from my colleagues at work. I honestly didn't expect anything like that. I'm not sure why I wouldn't, but it's a nice surprise when it happens. I am truly thankful for the opportunity I've had here.

Just about

2009-05-13T16:40:00.003-07:00

The stress of the semester ending and the upcoming move is finally getting to me. Tonight was the last class meeting of my Wednesday night class, and I completely forgot that I had 3 students who were supposed to facilitate class discussions (a small part of their grade for the class). We started them last week, and we were supposed to finish them tonight, and I completely forgot. I was all saying good bye and stuff and they were looking at me kind of puzzled and I didn't get it. One of my students stayed behind to ask a question, and she informed me. I was so embarrassed. Two of the three came back into the classroom when they heard us talking, so I had a chance to apologize. They didn't care, but I still feel stupid.

Secondly, earlier today I grabbed a whole bunch of stuff that was in my mailbox at the school. I was in a hurry, so I glanced at a few things that looked like junk mail, and I tossed them in the recycle bin. Tonight I remembered that I'm getting CPR certified this weekend with one of my former students and she said she would drop off a CPR booklet to look through before I met up with her. I'm pretty confident I tossed away this booklet today. By the way, this former student is pretty much hooking me up and doing this for me as a favor. I'm awesome!

Also, let me share this with you. I'm getting really upset over the fact that we don't have a home lined up for us in California. The way they work it is that we have to arrive there and then they'll see what's available for the base housing. I've known this, and it didn't bother me because I figured that if there wasn't anything in the base housing we wanted (there are really nice houses and then really old, not-nice houses), then we'd just hit up Craigslist and get our own place. This seems like an okay plan except that a lot of the houses on Craigslist now are available for move in around the first week of June (when we'll be getting there). The problem of course is that if we wait until we're already there and there's no base housing, the off-base houses posted online at that time might not be available right away because there's a delay between the time they're posted and the time they're ready to be moved into. So, in the meantime, where would we live?

I've been trying to illustrate this point to my dearest husband, but he doesn't have a care in the world. He's confident that "there will be something." Meanwhile, when I discuss it with normal people, they're like, "You're moving and you have no idea where you'll be living? Are you crazy?"

Just about.

Nothing in this blog is true

'The Hills' of Monterey

Thankful Thursday

Moving right along

*Sigh*

Still feeling unsettled

Under the Milky Way*

Reasons I love living here

Birfday

God doesn't want me to go to church

Bras and other superficial fun

TGIF

Thankful Thursday

more socially awkward moments

Boos-day

Weirdness

Head of the class

Hello Again & Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Not goodbye yet

Another goodbye?

Thankful Thursday

Goodbyes have begun

Signs

Thankful Thursday

Just about

Sigh