Happy 2008

So, a new year to remember to write correctly. I've been wanting to write 1997, and 2003, and a variety of other years lately for some reason, and have to stop and remember when I am. Now I can be thoroughly confused.

Resolutions? Well, I tend toward suggested guidelines for things (like recipes and patterns and speed limits) and not strict rules; the intentions I will try to hold in my mind and heart this year are, as always, to continue to move toward becoming more authentic and visible in the world. This year, a more practical intention is to move toward more financial stability.

I'm hoping that will happen soon. As it turns out, my tuition remission paperwork has not yet made it to the bursars' office. So instead of getting a bit of refund from my financial aid to use for things like rent and heating bill, I "owe" about $3000 and am being charged late fees. It'll all get worked out in the end, but meanwhile I'm right back at that unhappy place of not knowing how rent will be paid. It's at times like these that I really wish I had a credit card. Alas, someday, but by the time that happens, I will (hopefully) be removed from the financial craziness that has possessed my life lo these many months.

Here's hoping that 2008 will be smoother and gentler for us all, with many unexpected beauties (like this perfectly "arranged" still life nature left on one of the street corners I cross on my way to school/work).

Napping Lessons

My napping lessons with Callie have been going fairly well. They've been slightly hampered by work schedules, but with another couple days off, we should get in some good practice. I begin the new job Wednesday, and then next week classes begin again, so all this will cut into the lessons and practice. I may never be able to master the secrets of the nap the way she can. Then again, she has yet to master opening the refrigerator, so maybe we're even.

The different colored fluffy stuff is some dyed wool roving that I was using to finish up some "New Year's" presents. Yes, that's what we're calling them this year.....

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope this day leaves you with memories of friends and family, warmth, fun, good food, and peace.

Christmas Eve Listening

The Pogues, an Irish folk punk band, sing Fairytale of New York with Kirsty MacColl. Not your traditional Christmas music, but I couldn't find St. Stephen's Day Murders by the Chieftans and Elvis Costello....

Baking in PJs

Other than the hazards of getting flour all over the sleeves, I can highly recommend baking in PJs. That just means having to change the shirt before going back to bed, so, hey, I can live with that.

It's been colder here, and windy. As my door and door frame are warped from the leaky roof (which now can't be replaced until warmer weather, fine, okay), air doesn't just leak in, it blows. I have two lighter blankets tacked up and they billow out like sails. This probably also explains that exponentially increasing electic bill. Baking, however, warms things up nicely. Added bonus, the apartment smells great.

I now have two loaves of wheat bread, hot pepper brownies (Heather's recipe), sugar cookies (the thin kind from my family's recipe), and several calzones leftover from dinner. All made while still in PJs. All I need is some coffee to go with those cookies.

(the pointy wooden things are the size 13 double pointed knitting needles made from a dowel)

Holiday Fun

Someone at work shared this with me. It's a song by an IU student a capella group. Just a little something to get you in the holiday spirit.

FREEDOM

Free at last! The last task of the semester has been completed, and Fall 07 is officially over for me. Now I'm free to read, bake, knit, bead, and otherwise entertain myself for about 3 weeks. Oh, and my napping lessons from Callie.... can't forget those.

Almost Done and Ready for the Next Adventure

A little over 24 hours from now, my semester will be finished. All that will be left is finding out final grades.

I'll be working some extra hours at the Education Library. It sounds like some textbook straightening is being held in store for me. This is a photo of what it SHOULD look like (after I had spent about 3-4 hours working steadily). If you imagine these textbooks pulled out and put back in anywhere, or lying on their sides, or just generally in disarray, you'll know what I'll be up to next week.
I'll have a week to relax and then I'll be starting a new semester and new adventure. I applied for, and was awarded, a Graduate Assistantship in the Faculty Council Office. If you think back to your high school days and your high school student councils, the Faculty Council is similar, but on a much, much larger scale. I'll be helping to maintain and update listservs and the webpage, keeping track of committees and committee minutes, and generally helping the office run smoothly. The thing that makes this the best Christmas present I've gotten in a long, long time is that the position comes with health insurance, tuition remission, and a stipend, all things any graduate student could use!

I'll be continuing to work part-time in the education library. My Adaptive Technology job would also like me back, but I'm not sure I can fit that in, so that remains to be seen. It's a long, long way from the beginning of the semester, when I came back not knowing if I would be able to financially make it through the semester. Thankfully, my problems are now an embarrassment of riches.

Campus Pictures

This is part of the Student Union building.
This is outside the student union building, of the little stream and the stone bridge.
This is the HPER (health, human performance stuff like coaching, PE, etc) building.
This is Woodburn, one of the prettier buildings. It looks very collegiate to me.
This is a wooded area behind the Lilly Library. I often walk on this upper path, looking down at this scene, as I go to the Education Library.

Since it's finally decided to be wintery here, I thought I'd better hurry up and share some photos of what fall was like. We did have snow on the ground Friday morning. I got to walk in it going to class. It was almost gone by the time I got done with class, but that's the way things tend to work here. Fall was very late in getting here, but we finally got some nice color to the trees. I've got more pictures of the library and education library that I'll post in a few days.

I'm studying for a final at the end of the week, but I'm sure I'll need a break in there somewhere. I did take a break today and decorate (a bit) for the holidays. It's not a lot, but enough to make it seem a little more festive. I'm thinking about splurging on a rosemary plant shaped like a Christmas tree next Friday, when I get paid. If I could keep it alive, it would smell great and I could use it for cooking. Since I will most likely be here for Christmas, it could be a good thing.

Winding Down

We're in the final countdown for the semester. Tomorrow's the last day of classes. Next week is finals week. I have one. Thursday. 7:15-9:15pm. By my calculations, the last final I took was in 1998ish. I'm out of practice, just a bit.

My plan once my final is over is to work, work, work (back to two jobs), read, bead, knit, and sleep. Studying is hard work, as you can plainly see. Fortunately, Callie has promised to teach me the finer points of napping, just as soon as all of my work is finished...

The Apartment

Okay, I've been promising pictures of the apartment and campus. Bonnie loaned me her camera, so I was able to take some photos of my day to day life. I'll start with some pictures of the apartment this time. This is from outside. The small part that juts out is home sweet home. It's been converted from a garage, as you may have figured out from the side painted brown.


This is the living room/bedroom, as seen from the front doorway. The bookshelf in the background separates the kitchen from the rest of the room.
This is the living room/bedroom again, looking back toward the front door. (Callie says hi!)
This is the small kitchen, with no counter space at all. The microwave and coffee maker perch on top a dresser. Next to the stove is the door that leads down into the bathroom. The dresser is on the wall on the other side of the door.
Cooking in the kitchen involves some planning, and often perching things on the stove and sink area. This is the preparation for making a salad for Thanksgiving. Someday, I will have counters, in that far distant mythical future when I have a real job, or something like that. The bookshelf often doubles as an area for a cooling rack. These are the pumpkin rolls I made from Thanksgiving, perching up there.

It's small, but close to campus and downtown. The public library is only 3 blocks away. The main campus library (where classes are) is only a 15 minute walk, and the Education Library is 20-25. What it lacks in grandeur, it makes up for in convenience. Besides, it's darned easy to clean, so there's something to be said for smallness.