Tmw is Moving Day

Office moving day that is. Even though I would really rather not cart all of my stuff down the hall, I am excited about the move. A new location. A whole new perspective on the hall. That should be a good thing, right?

If I can get my Independent Study syllabus finalized, make binders for three of my classes, and move everything out of my office tmw I should be in good shape. That's not so much to ask of myself, is it? I should probably get to bed early tonight to prepare myself. In a very kind move, Zach and T have agreed to come to my house to pick up Gadget tmw night. That will help me so much. It should save me a lot of time, which is something I need at this point. My flight leaves Friday and I need to be ready for it.

Lots of Reading Lately

I've fallen behind in making individual posts for the books I read, so here is a quick catch-up post.

The Year the Music Changed (Diane Thomas)

• This was a book club selection. As I began the book, I was quite skeptical. The book (written as a series of letters) explores the relationship between a young Elvis and a teenage girl named Ascha McEachern. Both of the characters are trying to find their way in the world and they seek help and support from one another. I expected this would be overwhelmingly cheesy, but it wasn't. A bit cheesy? Yes, but worth it. The kind of book that draws you in and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.
• Last night was our meeting at Marilee's house. She had a DVD of Elvis performances playing when we arrived. She also offered us fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches as an appetizer. Yummy! Marilee knew the author and so she called in and joined our conversation on speakerphone during dinner. Unfortunately for her, she missed out on the bbq sandwiches, dill pickles, Lay's potato chips, and baked beans. We had a great conversation. I have missed meetings since March, but it felt so good to see them all again. A great group of women.

The Heart's Progress (Claudia Bepko)

• This is a book that will be on the reading list for one of my upcoming classes, so I wanted to check it out. Wow! This is the story of a woman who decides to live her life with a woman after she leaves her heterosexual marriage. A perspective I've never heard. I needed this story. After a lesbian relationship in college, Claudia decides to do what is expected of her and marries a man. Become a wife and move to the suburbs. The author speaks of her struggle to fit into this role. Trying desperately to make it work and ultimately accepting the truth of her life. A brave and true story.

The Tenth Circle (Jodi Picoult)

• I think I might be finished with Jodi Picoult for a while. This was a good book, but it felt too much like her other books. Almost formulaic. After reading My Sister's Keeper, I grabbed everything by this author that I could find. This is my way. I have obsessive tendencies. This is the fourth I have read and it might be a few months before I tackle the fifth. This book is another story about a family. This time the focus is on a daughter who is struggling with a breakup while her parents flounder in their own marriage. The mother is a Dante scholar (hence the 10th circle (of hell) reference) and the father has a mysterious past in Alaska. A good story, but not as good as I had hoped.

Me and My Teeth are no longer Friends

I can't figure out what my teeth want from me. I brush twice a day, swish with Listerine nightly and floss most of the time. And still they demand more. Today at the dentist's office I learned that I have THREE cavities. I would have thought that only people that limit brushing exclusively to moments when the mood strikes would have this kind of report from the dentist. THREE CAVITIES!!!! Two are on one tooth and the other is on the next tooth down. My dentist calls this the "bad side" of my mouth. Every cavity I have ever had has been on the top left part of my mouth. Not to mention that I had never had a cavity at all until I was 21. Then the sh*t hit the fan apparently. But just in this one quadrant. I know that I take better care of my teeth now than I ever did as I kid, so I have no explanation for this. Just lots of hostility.

I also went to therapy this AM and was talking about the upcoming appointment. How I was anxious about going and fairly sure that I would have five cavities and be in desperate need of a root canal. My therapist felt that I was "catastrophizing" (this is something I do alot) and that I was being unreasonable. Wait until I tell her how close to right I was......

Topsy-Turvy

It's been an emotional day today. My feelings always creep up on me. Right out of the blue. All I can say for myself is that I am actually feeling them these days. A step in the right direction. Not distracting myself from them or convincing myself that they are not there. Letting it happen. Being with myself. Not fun, but true. I'm learning that truth can feel good too. A different kind of good. A healthy (occasionally painful-but real) kind of good.

This AM I was so keyed-up about my trip that it was hard to focus on anything else. I can't believe that on Friday I will get on a plane and ten hours later when I get off, M will be waiting for me. It's not entirely real to me yet. We will have two weeks together and then....who knows??? OK....the feelings are back. Argh....

It's a Working Saturday for Me....

But, I'm not complaining. Trying to elicit sympathy? Yes. Complaining? No. There is a fine line there.

I am here at my desk with Gadget working on a manuscript. Can't you tell? Well, I needed a break. I am embarrased to admit that this is my thesis data. I had finished this research in 2002. By 2004 (the wheels of my life move rapidly) I had sent it to a journal and gotten a "revise and resubmit". This is pretty good news. It is rare that a journal accepts something "as is" and it is always possible to get an outright rejection. So, here in the summer of 2006 I am making revisions. This is far from impressive, but I could be paralyzed by own lack of research prowess and get NOTHING done or I could slip my tail btw my legs, make the changes, and send this bitch back to the editors. So, I am choosing choice B.

My plan is to get this thing off my desk by tmw afternoon. I think this is doable. I am leaving for a two-week trip to Germany next Friday and I still have one last class to structure before I am off, so this will be a "pedal to the metal" kind of weekend. Wish me luck......

Thoughts on Shopping

Yesterday's challenge on 2peas was to blog about where you shop. Your favorite stores. So, that got me thinking. I'm not a big fan of shopping. Now don't get me wrong, I like to GET things, I just don't like to SHOP. Not as a wandering/looking around kind of an event. I know what I want when I head to the store. I am a goal-oriented person, so I at least have a basic category in mind (i.e. I need a white t-shirt) when I head out the door. There's not a lot of "just looking" in my life. I could probably use a little more of that....

So, when I do finally head out the door there are a handful of places where I can be found.

Old Navy
Bath & Body Works
Target
Michaels
JoAnn's
Memories
Borders

That is really it. An exhaustive list of my major shopping stops. I love a deal, so I am most likely to be found during a sale. That's what I think about shopping. OK...so what do I need now???

Moving on Up......

Another day at the office. A good day. Although I have spent the last year in what I am convinced used to be a supply closet, the powers that be at my university have decided that I can now have an actual office. Hooray!!! I didn't think this would happen for a few more years. Although this means that I will likely be moving myself during the first few days of the semester, I am still pumped. I was daydreaming about all the things I will be able to do in my new space on the way home.

• I can scoot my chair back from my desk and maybe even lean back a bit.
• I can have more than two other people in my office at the same time.
• I will be able to sit somewhere besides behind my huge ugly desk when I talk to students.
• I will be able to get into my chair without sucking in my stomach in order to fit in the space between my desk and the wall.

I am a liberated woman! Watch out world....I'm getting fancy.

I'm Back (Again)...

I'm such an inconsistent blogger. Sometimes I am chatty for months on end and then I will go for weeks without one word. I guess it's all about routine. At least for me. I need structure in my life to feel good and be productive. When I don't create that for myself, I flounder. So, I've been floundering. But now, I am turning a corner. Establishing some normalcy in my life. Looking forward to that.