Thoughts on the Journey

Today I went shopping in the outlets with my mother which is one of my favorite things to do when visiting. Now I've been needing a few things lately like a new watch and coat but haven't had the best of luck finding them. On this trip and especially at Orvis, I completely lucked out and everything is just a touch more professional than other things I've found and there were some fun things as well. At the moment I only have a picture of the watch over here. I'll link images that I can find online. There are cute balletflat type slippers to wear around the house in gray mix, my old Lands End slippers are still going but these are prettier and can be worn around other people more. The jacket is slightly quilted in a heathery grey and feels elegant, then I found these adorable gloves in the red plaid that fit my rather small hands perfectly and all of this stuff was hugely on sale. I do love the outlets. We also went to a kitchen store and I picked up a whisk and little spatula in pretty red colors and some nice sweaters at Eddie Bauer. It was a great trip especially as I went hey, I don't need my parents to buy me clothes anymore, I can afford them though it is still nice when they get me things.

Uncle Rob of Free Will Astrology came out with his beginning of the year horoscopes today and what he gave me perfectly captures what I want to accomplish. I want to be braver and trust that I can do what I'm trying to do. Also that not everything will be greeted by people going oh yes, that works, sometimes only a few people will acknowledge it but that's not a reason to stop. I need to remember this for my job and as I keep putting more of my writing and myself out into the world.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "People wish to learn to swim and at the same
time to keep one foot on the ground," said French novelist Marcel Proust.
An attitude like that is always a barrier to growth, of course, but in 2013
it would be especially ill-advised for you Geminis. In order to win full
possession of the many blessings that will be offering themselves to you,
you will have to give up your solid footing and dive into the depths over
and over again. That may sometimes be a bit nerve-racking. But it should
also generate the most fun you've had in years.

Tomorrow afternoon, evening and part of Wednesday, I'm going to be spending at dodger_sister's. The plan is watching movies, talking mainly about writing, dinner and taking full advantage of the delicious AC in her place. I was feeling better today but my rather nice dinner ended up not staying where it should, I'm not happy. My sleep schedule's off again, last night I didn't get to sleep until six and the night before my coughing woke me up at six. Tonight I hope for a fairly solid night's sleep, though the fact the weather's gotten hotter again probably will make it trickier.

Good things have been happening, I figured out what I need to do for canceling various services before moving, I had a fantastic conversation with my family. My parents are babysitting my nieces and my sister is down there as well, that meant the phone conversation was full of everything. The nieces talked about Wonderstruck, my sister raved about her Mac, she's finally getting actually digitally connected, books with my father and just general health and planning with both parents. It's weird to think that they'll be here in about a week and by August I'll be out of Michigan. For context, my sister is in her older 40s and she's had email and access to computers but it never really stuck for her. This has worried me and my family as she's wanted to change jobs and it seemed like things were passing her by, but she sounded excited and asked for my help. I look forward to what I can do for her. A lot of things in her life have been moving forward and it makes me so happy to see it. Oh and I've been acquiring some good music of late, a Wallflowers' cd, Tori Amos' To Venus and Back, The Dark Knight soundtrack, that one's fully adiva_calandia and lienne's fault <33s and then one called Songs of the Civil War with a lot of good artists I know. I'm going to be enjoying a few of these on my drive tomorrow and at other points.

This coming week is going to be quite chaotic with Art Fair and many shifts, which is why I'm going for a break. I'll have my laptop and phone, so will definitely be doing some tagging, I just won't be on as much as I normally am.

If you'd like five topics just comment with five or something like that for me.

Now for the last round of five topics, this time from innerbrat:

1. Children's literature.
I love children's literature from picture books to young adult stuff. It's amazing how much the concept of children's literature has changed since I was a girl in the 80s, 90s to now in terms of adding depth and quality. There are fantastic authors who are reaching out to connect with their readers, publishers doing the same and kids going YES back at them. I love seeing how my nieces have reading as a part of their life and I hope in my professional life to become someone kids know they can trust about books they like and want to read. When I was young, I read children's books and grown up books, everything I could find and I had librarians who helped me figure out my way. That's why I want to be a librarian, I also love getting to explore books as part of my life and the constantly growing world of children's literature.

2. Friendship
I consider myself a loyal friend and feel blessed for all my friends from those I've met to those I haven't. To me being a friend means doing what I can to support someone however I can, sometimes that means not doing anything. My oldest friend is someone who our mother's met while pregnant and our birthdays are both in June. Mine at the start, hers at the end and we've been close since elementary school. When we were younger, we always seemed like almost mirror images to me. She was the oldest in her family with two younger brothers and the house full of all the toys, cable and sweet snacks, I was the youngest with two older brothers and an older sister and parents who watched my television watching and had healthy food. Though I did get sneaky with the TV and they finally gave up trying to cut me off after I learned how to plug it in and they realized I read as much as I watched.

Now this friend and I have stayed in touch all over the world, she moved when we were both in high school but we're constantly visiting each other and calling and texting. I know that no matter what she's there. Then there's all the Milliways' friends and friends of friends who form my other network that I love and hope to get to see when I'm back on the East Coast. Life is short and friends make it sweet and rich.

3. Textures
Textures aren't something I'm constantly thinking about, but I'm always aware of. I play with my jewelery, touching my earrings, twisting my ring and bracelets, thinking about what's there. At the moment, I'm wearing a long silk skirt that feels light and cool and sandals that I can feel supporting my tired feet. My lips are cracked as I fiddle with them and my hair is feeling light and not heavy as I washed it yesterday.

4. Changeling
I don't recall which came first reading Charles de Lint or playing Changeling: the Dreaming, but both of them hold my idea of magic in the world. Magic where it's just out of the corner of your eyes, complicated and itself, you will be changed by it and it by you. The roleplaying games I've been proudest of running were Changeling ones. The LARP and tabletop that I ran at college, my players had their dramas but we had some great adventures. That was where I learned the great lesson of don't plan too much and trust the creativity of those around you, it's served me quite well so far.

Tiwa, piwakawaka my glorious fantail pooka is one of my favorite characters to play as she's a part of me. She's my creativity, my love of New Zealand and the teacher part of me all out there in the world and going, I want to know and explore and fly. The kind of stories I want to tell and write are those of magic just at the corner of your eye that gives you wings and shows you your possibility.

5. Faith
My faith is fairly simple. I was raised in the Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, which meets every Sunday in a lovely building with odd green cushions and paint on the edge of the Swarthmore campus. I spent my childhood going to First Day School, Quaker Sunday School, got marigolds on Easter, played in the pageant and after every meeting, spent time with wonderful people. One of the traditions of this meeting is after the Sunday meeting, there's brunch and everyone talks and laughs and you feel the community. That's the root of my faith, the joy of being with people, walking through lilacs and knowing that God is everywhere. I've addressed God with many names in my travels and felt his touch from Pennsylvania to jewel box churches in Greece to by the water in Wellington or with family. Faith to me means that we're all connected and have something rather strange inside us that says, yes, there is more.

I hope these answers make sense, I ended up being rather philosophical.

My break is off to a quite good start. The two days of driving went without too many problems; lots of roadwork but the weather wasn't too bad. First night I arrived, I watched mysteries with my mother and ate leftovers. Last night an old medical school friend of my father and his wife came over and we had dinner and talked. It was wonderful to realize how sure I am of myself and able to say this is what I want to do.

This morning we went out to buy plants and wine before heading back. Currently its a little chilly here and I'm having tea. Though the amazing thing is that another school wants to do a phone interview with me. What I love is that both of these schools in their emails saying they want to do an interview mentioned my impressive credentials which makes me beam. I did the right thing getting my MSI and am going to find where I fit.

RP is also making me grin as Charles and Iris are being wonderfully complicated and a little hot. I love the completely unexpected couples that can appear in Milliways and how they work.

My ear is bandaged at the moment as we're trying to see if it will heal on its own but my feeling is that we're going to have to find another doctor to look at it. Its not hurting which is good, but its weird. I've gotten so used to wearing my lovely dangly earrings, that it's kind of bizarre to have bandage on one ear and stud in the other. I feel like I'm not fully dressed.

This week has been long and I keep meaning to write about it but end up being tired. So I'm going to do that today. I think a lot of that long comes from a feeling of responsibilities piling up on me.

In the good realm of things, I now have three appointments set up with people who know about the library and private school world over Thanksgiving break. I'm going to find a job somewhere.

The major bad is that on Thursday I found out my debit card number had been stolen again, which makes me want to hit things. I'm doing everything I can to protect it and the bank moves quickly but it's another sign that I need to be on my own and supporting myself so I don't rely on a bank in another state.

As that happened on Thursday when I had plans for doing other things, my list of stuff to get done got pushed back. I also stayed up far too late on Thursday night doing wonderful RP with mercuriaz and the Matt Jamison plot, which meant I was kind of bleary on Friday morning.

I also did my Yuletide nominations: Homeward Bounders-Jamie, Joris, Helen, Konstam
Old Kingdom-Sameth, Nicholas Sayre, Ellimere, Yrael
3:10 to Yuma-the entire Evans' family
All of these I know how to write and would love to read and for the second two I tried to pick characters that might be forgotten.

Yesterday was quiet for me but I am taking steps to accomplish more on my list. My Flat Stanley pictures are uploaded so I can soon print and send them off to my niece. I have ideas for writing as RPing Charles is taking up my brain for him, but I want to finish the dream fic. Today I'm going to take care of some insurance stuff and try making a tamale pie. One of the things on my list is dealing with my student loans. Those of you who pay them, what's the best way to contact and say, hey, I can't afford these right now. I keep meaning to talk to someone on campus about them but don't know who. I'd appreciate any ideas.

Now to end with some pictures of things from a while back starting with my haul from Conclave.

My Wicked Girls' shirt, my new sleepshirt, bracelet, earrings and book.

( Close up of the jewelry )

The last few days have been full of good and bad in equal measure, I'm so happy about the fic I wrote for the A Picture Worth a 1000 Words meme and posted both of them on my Ao3 account. Also I found a great sale at one of my favorite stores that I can rarely afford so I have a pendant with a bourbon ad, a little charm that says do more, a bracelet that says explore possibilities and some gifts. I have yet to get the ball chain on the necklace to attach but that's doable.

Then I got a call that my Delaware debit card number had been stolen and I had to call another number to order another one. That annoyed me, since it seems logical to connect those, oh and I have to call the fraud number again to confirm which purchases weren't me. They're also not open on the weekend so that call has to wait until Monday. I'm glad they're checking but it makes me feel horribly on edge as I have to keep doing things again. In the meantime, I'll be okay for money and have an even better reason to get a shredder and a stronger file thing to organize my paperwork.

In good news, my last reference finally got in touch with me and I sent off my first job application for a Youth Services' job in Paris, Kentucky. I have no idea if I'll even get an interview but its a start and that makes me feel so happy and hopeful. The next job applications will be easier. Also I've been watching Baccano! and its really good and its keeping me up late. I'm hoping to see Harry Potter soon as I want to but for me I connect have to get it when it comes out more with the books than the movies.

The weather's gone hot again which isn't fun and next week the Art Fair starts which will make getting anywhere exciting due to all the visitors. I think that's all for now so back to watching things and enjoying my AC.

This weekend is being so quiet, its nice. I had so much to do before class last Sunday that it wore me out. I don't have as much to do this week, but I'm moving slower on all of it. My walking iris bloomed this morning and it looks likes its going to have another one, this just makes me so happy. This plant is from a cutting of a huge plant of my parents and its grown so much, also of the various plants I brought with me and have bought, its the only one that's survived.

As the weather's been getting nicer, I've been taking more pictures. Soon I'll post them but for now I'm at home as it rains outside and thankfully the thunder and light's flickering stopped.

Day One: Pride - Seven great things about yourself
Day Two: Envy - Seven things you lack and covet
Day Three: Wrath - Seven things that piss you off
Day Four: Sloth - Seven things you neglect to do
Day Five: Greed - Seven worldly material desires
Day Six: Gluttony - Seven guilty pleasures
Day Seven: Lust - Seven love secrets

( Sometimes I just want things. )

This morning, it was hard to get out of bed, but work was enjoyable. It was quiet and I had two real research questions that made me happy. I started reading The Golem's Eye and I do really like this series, Stroud is a wonderful author.

Now in Ann Arbor, there's this Victorian house full of an amazing Persian rug dealer that I've been meaning to stop into for ages. I went in today since I noticed they were selling jewelery and so many beautiful things.

Rarely do I spend a lot of money unless something just feels right, I did that today for two pieces, one for myself and one for my mother. Then I helped the old gentleman who owns the shop and who's family has been selling rugs for 250 years in Iran work the credit card machine before calling my parents.

Life is good and so I want to share two pictures, the pieces I found that need to be cleaned and a shot of some stained glass in the Michigan League.



( Found Treasures )

Today has been a very lazy day and I think I needed it. Most of this week, I've been sleeping late and just not feeling rested. So this morning, I slept until I woke up, this ended up being 2 in the after. I think it helped though, because I'm feeling rather more here than I have lately. I ended up missing the Farmer's Market but I had a nice wander around town.

Now those of you who've met me will have noticed that I always have bracelets on my left wrist. Not too long ago, two of my bracelets broke and I was just left with one that I bought not long after I moved to Ann Arbor. I've been feeling like it was time for another one and oddly a guy selling books on the Main Street inspired my purchase. I didn't have the change to buy a three dollar book so I wandered into one of my favorite stores. They have two rose quartz bracelets that have been catching my eye but they didn't feel right.

So I crossed the street to this store that has jewelery, tumbled stones, I love it and I'm always finding things there. It turns out that this was the right choice, I found the perfect rose quartz bracelet and some already drilled strawberry quartz stones on sale that I'm going to make into a necklace.

One reason I love rose quartz is because it reminds me and connects me to one of my grandmothers, the one I knew best. She lived in Northern California and had this beautiful garden and she was my grandma. For most of the summers when I was growing up, we'd spend two weeks visiting her and the rest of my mother's family out that one. I have a beautiful rose quartz necklace that she bought in Hawaii and loved. So I was thinking a lot about that when I picked out this bracelet.

Now for another iteration of the five questions meme, this time from camwyn.

- Leave a comment saying "ORANGES" (or any other fruit of your choice)
- I'll respond by asking you five question.
- Update your journal with the answers to your questions.
- Include this explanation and offer to ask other people questions, if you so choose.

1. Congratulations, the FCC has decided for some reason that you get to write their definition of 'offensive or obscene' material as it pertains to prime time television and/or FM radio. What do you tell them?

If your ten year old was watching this, would you feel comfortable and could you explain what's going on it to them?

2. Someone has just discovered a trove of lost or never-before-seen material written by one dead author or poet or playwright with whom you are familiar. Whose body of work has the world just seen double in size?

This is a really hard one for me so I'm going to cheat and do one in Greek and one in English; Homer and Jane Austen.

3. What's your favorite mode of transportation?

Short distances, always my feet, but for longer, I adore sailing.

4. What area of study would you like to pursue at a collegiate level, other than whatever college studies you've already had?

This is a really hard one because I'm in the midst of my second master's degree. I'm sort of caught between two, studying just Homer or theater.

5. If you could change one thing about the human body, what would it be?

Stronger ankles, I hate how much mine hurt sometimes and how prone they are to twisting and spraining.