Winding Down the Year

Oddly and unexpectedly enough, I've been feeling rather nostalgic today as I've been getting ready to leave Bloomington. The movers came today and took away stuff to go into storage. It's surprising both how much, and how little one has, really, considering the amount of time I've had to accumulate things. It feels like a lot, but it could be much, much more.

I went in to work for awhile this afternoon, to wrap things up there. I left my keys. I've already turned in my keys for the Education Library. I'm down to the keys for the apartment. When I turn those in tomorrow, I will be keyless. That's the oddest, hardest thing to deal with at the moment. It means I will really have no place of my own for awhile. I like having my own place, no matter how small, or dumpy, or bat-infested. Not having a place of one's own... that's something that makes me feel less somehow - less responsible, less adult, less real.

I know that my worth is not tied up in a place, but it matters to me. Maybe this is a lesson I'm supposed to work on this next year - that my worth is not tied to anything outside my existence. I've been working on letting go of many things. Maybe this is one more.

Tomorrow I'll be leaving my apartment, and spending a couple nights at the local Motel 6 (one of the few pet friendly places in town). I won't have an Internet connection there, so there will be a time of transition before I post again in a new place, and a new year. I'll leave you with a collection of photos from the past couple days, and the wish that the new year is peaceful and full of manageable challenges.
Callie always manages to find the patch of sun, no matter what chaos surrounds her.
My life, condensed into boxes. I added a microwave in a box and two kitchen boxes after this was taken. It took two guys 30 minutes to load it in a truck and take it away.

This is the rest of the furniture that you couldn't quite see from the picture above.

One of the SLIS (School of Library and Information Science) doors. I don't even want to think about how many times I've gone in and out of them (and no, it does not say, Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here).

Wells Library - home to SLIS and a giant bunch of books - taken from the arboretum side.

Ballantine Hall - home of the Faculty Council Office (fondly called "the cube" for its lack of windows and the plethora of florescent lighting and cinder block walls)

The Indiana Memorial Union (IMU) - I still think it looks castle-y. This is taken from the bus stop.

In December - a small fountain and pond outside a restaurant that's not frozen and is filled with fish. Go figure. Of course, it was in the 50's today. I liked the way the light reflected from the ripples.

SOUTHERN Indiana

It's almost 11am, and it's 63 degrees. 63! A very cloudy and rainy 63, but what the heck is up with this? It's supposed to get up to 67 today.... Calendar says - end of December. Weather says - March? April?

The apartment is filling with boxes. Most of the furniture leaves today. The boxes, etc will be gone by this time on Tuesday, leaving Callie and I with some suitcases, and 1-2 milk crates with books/papers. It's hard to know what to keep out of storage - it could be for 3 weeks, 3 months, or even more like 6 months. I have the usual stuff - clothes, bathroom stuff, Swiss army knife, laptop, printer. I have all my job searching info, some of my notes/textbooks, my tax stuff, important documents (birth certificate, ss card, passport, etc), my student loan stuff....

What would you take if you had to bring everything you might need for 3 weeks, 3 months, or 6 months?

Merry Christmas!

Before I packed away the holiday stuff (along with everything else I own) for an undetermined amount of time, I decided to decorate the apartment for Christmas. This is the table Brenda helped me make, with a variety of lights, garland, and old fashioned St Nick on top of it. (The knitting needles, etc to the left are always there)

Some of you have been asking about what comes next, now that I'm officially graduated. I'm still waiting to hear on the Alaska job. I've been applying for more jobs. I've sublet my apartment here in Bloomington, and will be out on the 31st. Guys from a used furniture place will be coming to pick up stuff on Saturday. The moving guys come on Tuesday to move the rest of my stuff into storage until I know where I'll be.

As for me, I'll be going to stay with my family in the Omaha area temporarily. My favorite brother-in-law is spending his New Year's Day driving over to get me and Callie. We'll leave Bloomington on the 2nd. I'm not sure what happens after that.

For someone who likes order and familiarity, I've moved and/or started over several times. I do it, but I don't really like it. It would be so much easier to know where I'm going to be and what I'm going to do. Life doesn't always work that way; this is one of those times where life is an adventure. I'm going to have to see what happens, and trust that what happens, will happen for good. "This world's no blot for us,/Nor blank; it means intensely, and means good..." (Browning, Fra Lippo Lippi). I choose to believe that; the alternative would give me very little point for existing.

So, posting may be somewhat sporadic as I pack myself up, and get myself out of Bloomington. Thanks for all the good wishes and thoughts, for both the holidays and graduation. You are all in my thoughts. A very happy Christmas to all of you. I hope that the new year brings peace and hope, and that the challenges (personal and national) prove not to be insurmountable.

Aack!

Anyone have any time to spare? So, by the 31st, I will need to have all my stuff packed and out of my apartment, and some sort of plan in place as to where I will go at that point. Do I have a plan? Not really. Oddly enough, I haven't even started to panic yet. Okay, well not completely panic - maybe there's a little panic, or something more like unease.

This is where a moving planner would be nice. I could concentrate on the packing and sorting process, and the planner could take over all the logistical arrangements. The planner could find a place to put my stuff, make arrangements to get my stuff to the place, make arrangements to get Callie and I and any leftover stuff to another place. Arranging these things are what I find stressful.

At this point, it's looking like it may be easier to rent a moving truck and use it to take all my stuff, Callie, and I somewhere. My problem is that I don't want to drive a moving truck. I spent the whole time I drove one of them from Montana clutching the wheel and trying to stay calm. Anyone want to drive a moving truck from Bloomington to ... oh, maybe Omaha? If so, let me know. I considered a one-way car rental, but for the love of dogs... that's just a tad expensive, not to mention rule-laden.

Apparently experimenting with reducing your carbon footprint by not owning a vehicle only really works if you never want to drive, rent, or otherwise interact with a vehicle again. Otherwise, you are a suspicious entity for not having a vehicle in the first place. I'm thinking I should never mention that I don't have a TV, either.

She's back....

and I have survived my first professional library interview. I like Anchorage, I like the library, and I like the library staff very much. I think it would be challenging in a good way, that I would be able to learn and grow professionally, and that I would be able to make a contribution and use my powers for good. Plus, I could see myself living there; I really want a place in which I could settle down, not just a place to work for a couple years to get experience.

At this point, it is out of my hands, though. I should know something one way or the other by January at the latest. Let the adventures continue; the next great adventure is packing up my life in Bloomington and doing something with all the stuff (anyone need any random stuff?).

I put pictures up online. I didn't get as many pictures as I'd hoped; it was pretty foggy for most of Sunday. These are the links to all the photos I have, though. The first is for the library. The second is for Anchorage.

http://picasaweb.google.com/magpiemt/ConsortiumLibrary?authkey=swZ_LAFA6MQ#

http://picasaweb.google.com/magpiemt/Anchorage?authkey=kX4ZhklKT1E#

For a preview of what you'll see, here are a couple photos.

This one is from the coastal trail that's accessed from downtown. You can see the hoarfrost on the trees and the Cook Inlet to the right.
This is when the sun came out through the fog. It's taken downtown (yes, it is a city), and if you look down the street, you can see mountains in the distance.

Freedom!

I have finished all my SLIS classes and I am DONE! The celebrating will have to commence when I get back to Bloomington; in the meantime, I will do a happy dance between loads of laundry, presentation practice, and packing.

Making it through this program is something I could NOT have done without all the help that I got along the way. It's hard to believe that last fall I thought I would have to leave because of finances. Now, I am this close to officially having my MLS (all I need is the paperwork to catch up with me).

To all of you who provided help - financially, emotionally, and any other "ly" I'm forgetting, I truly appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks, thanks, thanks!! Big hugs and a celebratory toast to you all.

And the countdown continues

for those keeping score. Tomorrow is my last SLIS class. (woo hoo!) My final paper is done and printed (check). My two hour class discussion facilitation is as done as it's getting, with an outline and source list typed up to turn in (check).

I have my plane ticket, reservation from Bloomington to Indianapolis with the shuttle people, my interview suit, and the designated 2 oz containers so I don't have to check my bag. I have thank you cards for the search committee (and some extras). I have tons of questions - to both ask and that might be asked. (check, check, check, etc, you get the idea)

So what is missing? That would be the completely finished presentation, along with handout. I'm working on it, and will undoubtedly be working on it tomorrow. And because I'll probably still be working on it until Sunday night, I will have to take heavy laptop with me. *sigh*

On the bright side, in roughly 4 days time, it will be Monday morning and I will be in Alaska finishing up the presentation, for better or worse. As I've said (447 times before), it will be good practice and a good experience if nothing else. I think really meaning this (as opposed to saying it and hoping to believe it) shifts some of my stress. I know I can tend to get caught up in the feeling that one experience (a job interview) carries all these HUGE consequences for the rest of my life. Yes, I think I might like this job, but it is ONE job in the grand scheme of life; if it doesn't happen, well, that opens doors to other opportunities. I'm repeating this to myself so I can shift the, oh, 10-20 percent of my brain that doesn't believe it yet.

When I get back to Bloomington on Tuesday, I will have one Education Library shift to finish, a few weeks of work in the cube, and then Bloomington and I will be finished with each other. I'm a little sad about that; having an apartment that I like has really changed how I feel about the town.

I will keep everyone posted about the job search happenings, and will post pictures and thoughts about the trip once I get back. Now, back to my presentation... after a break to look at an adorable photo of Callie sleeping on a yarn ball... (try that for added degree of difficulty while knitting!

Panic Mode (or does anyone have a time portal?)

Next week at this time, I'll be in Anchorage. I'm working on the presentation for the interview, general interview prep, and a 2 hour class discussion I'm leading on Friday.

Does anyone have any extra time they'd like to donate? I could use an extra... oh, week or so. I really don't know how I'm going to get everything done this week. One good thing, by this time next week I'll be close to having all sorts of extra time. I'm hoping the cold I'm threatening to get holds off until then.

The weather's been helping prepare me for Alaska. It snowed and was cold (for Indiana). Of course, it's supposed to be 50 tomorrow... The snow was pretty while it lasted, though. And next week, I'll get to see a whole lot more!

For those who think everyone can sing

because this is proof that not everyone can.

May I present my family, singing happy birthday in the key of.... huh? Key, is that one of those crazy music terms?

We don't need no stinking keys. (We have the crafting gene, instead.)