What's Under Harriet's Hat

Told ya I was gonna be busy!!

2011-09-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm crawling out from under the books and paperwork to update this mess a little. When we last left our intrepid heroine, she was dealing with school, health problems, a too-small apartment, roommates and the usual suspects (stress, depression and anxiety). I did manage to pass my summer classes, despite taking a week off for a run back to Michigan and Indiana. The family reunion was great, and I finally managed to get what was left of my stuff in Indiana. I even got to stop by Tom's mom's house on the way back!Since then, we have moved to a larger house on the other side of town. It has maybe 1/4 acre of land for yard and garden, too! Our temporary third housemember got his own place last week, so it's a bit quieter now, but still nice. Boxes abound still, and there's still some things that I can't lay hands on yet, but it's getting better. I made it into the paramedic cohort for this fall, and we started class last Monday. Talk about hitting the ground running! Tests and homework and skills, oh my!! There are 18 of us in the cohort, and we've split up into 4 squads. There's 5 in my squad, and we're getting to know each other. By the next month or so, we'll all be pretty tight-knit, since we see each other for a minimum of 24 hours a week in class.Bubonicon went well this year. I'm still trying to carve out a new niche for myself there, since my hectic school schedule is going to keep me from doing some of the major jobs. I finally managed to get myself a piece of Peri Charlifu's ceramic work (a nice udon bowl) at the art show with my birthday money. His work is awesome, and if you want to check it out, go to his Facebook Page. Tom is also back in school full-time, and got a work study job, too. He's excited and enjoying his classes, and that really makes me feel good. He's a great friend, and we can motivate each other if things get rough. He's going for a degree in Transportation Technology, which is auto mechanics plus core college classes. He'll not only learn the technical stuff, but also how to run a business someday. Anyway, that's a brief update. I'm on Facebook a fair amount, and there's always email. I know I will be less social for the next 7-8 months, simply because school is going to take 99% of my time, if not more. TTYL!

Don't Panic, Dammit!

2011-03-16T20:12:00.001-07:00

Okay, people, I understand that "radiation" is this big scary thing that we don't know what to do anything about. We're not quite sure how it works, how far it can travel, and what it can do to us.
Here is your reality check - Potassium Iodine pills and such are NOT necessary, and can in fact be harmful to people with heart trouble, kidney trouble and other health issues that they may not be aware of. Potassium directly affects heart rates and rhythms, and even us EMS types are only allowed to monitor it at very low levels! If you use iodized salt, you should be fine for most anything. I mean, geez, most of us get more radiation from an x-ray!
Interestingly enough, before we had ever heard of the atom bomb or a nuclear energy plant, X-rays and fluoroscopes were the big fad. You could go to the shoe store and put your feet in a machine so they could fit your shoes and see your bunions and such without even having to remove your current footwear! http://www.museumofquackery.com/devices/shoexray.htm
The likelihood that dangerous levels of radiation will reach Hawaii, let alone the mainland US, is low. The radiation workers in Fukushima have been allowed back into the plants to continue their efforts to cool the reactors and keep us all safe. The design of these plants is different from Chernobyl's plants, and are operated according to very safe protocols (unlike the "ooh, let's see what this does" mentality that led to the Chernobyl incident).
If you simply must have something to worry about, put your energy toward something useful, like a rational plan in case of whatever natural disaster your area is prone to. And if you can, spare a thought, a prayer, a donation for the people of Japan, and remember New Zealand as well.
For my part, I am working on better living arrangements, including a garden and livestock. We have lanterns and gear for power outages, and are working on plans for self-sufficiency. If that's too much for some folks, then prep an emergency bag in case you need to leave home or be stuck at home with no power or water. Just something to think about.

Spring Cleaning and Revamping

2011-03-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

It is high time and then some for me to get off my duff and start using this blog again. I'm going to go back to the original purpose of having it, and start putting forth my thoughts on various topics. When I first started this blog, I had intended to do just that, but ended up having an attack of self-consciousness. I mean, who'd want to read what I think about stuff?
Well, in the past year or so, I have read a lot of stuff on these here Intarwebz, and have realized that if people are really reading some of the things I've seen, then maybe my viewpoint would be appreciated after all. I mean, really, people...
This may also turn into a good way for me to explore what I really do think about certain issues. I can't pigeonhole my politics, as they don't fit the molds that are presented by the media lately, but I do have some thoughts on certain issues. My religious views are also probably in the minority, but I'm cool with that. Some things I talk about will be of mainly local interest, there will be some ranting in there somewhere, and hopefully some insights that will invite you to think. (Like the old saying goes, "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make 'er think!") If there's interest in a certain topic, and y'all really want to know what I think, then by all means suggest it.
I can't promise any regularity of postings, especially with school, but I will do my best.
Thank you for your kind indulgence.

Getting ready for school!

2010-07-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

Some progress in the education portion of my life. Not without frustration, of course...It seems that CNM did a wonderful job recruiting students, but FAILED to evaluate whether their infrastructure and offices could handle all that traffic!!
I didn't make cohort, so ended up doing my registration, paperwork and payment arrangement stuff all today (way late for me), because I had to wait for word on that. Unfortunately, it's also the first day for all the brand new students to do the same. Epic long lines and wait times ensued. My home printer is still not working, on top of all that, so I also had to hit a computer lab - which I *swear* had twice as many computers in it when I went by there last week! WTF??
Anyway, it's done. I have till mid-September to make the next payment for my classes, and by then I should have some financial aid coming my way.
The budget is still very tight, but not impossibly so, with that breathing room. I will deal with books once I have my loan money, and already have the most important ones, thank goodness. I am also signed up for a free algebra refresher workshop which may enable me to change math classes before school actually starts, and save me time and money by letting me skip a lower level pre-requisite for the class that my degree requires. That's a very good thing!
I've got a pagan camping event next weekend which I am looking forward to. Bubonicon is about a month away, and my birthday is the week before that. I'm still baking and hope to be able to get some orders for breads and cookies for extra cash. My roomie, Tom, is working hard, though still part-time, and is helping as much as he can. The "woods" seem a lot less threatening today. I'm not out of them, by a long shot, but it's less Mirkwood and more Greenwood sometimes. ;-)

Yes, I'm alive.

2010-07-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

High time that I got back to blogging. My apologies for the lapse/hiatus, school and work and life...eh, you know the drill.
As of June 12th, I officially joined the ranks of the unemployed. Our call center closed down, after a long and drawn out period of false hopes and corporate assmillinery. I am getting unemployment insurance, but apparently that disqualifies me for food stamps. Things are tight, and I haven’t managed to get either of my vehicles running, though thankfully the scooter is repaired and back with me. I haven’t had my truck running since March, and apparently it needs a new engine (blown head gasket).
My friend Tom has moved in with me, and that helps. He’s only working part-time for now, but it’s better than nothing, and he may be able to get the food stamps that I couldn’t. We just got a better futon couch handed down to us, so at least he can sleep comfortably. He’s a good guy to have around.
I’m waiting to hear back on my petition to get into the paramedic cohort for this fall. I’m not optimistic, frankly. Spring semester was very rough, what with the bad reaction I had to the Prozac they put me on, and the stress over work and the truck. I should have the money to register for fall semester next week, at least, and then I can go for intermediate if I don’t make cohort. At least if I can manage to stay in school, I’m not in danger of losing my unemployment.
I’m trying to keep my spirits up, but I admit that I’ve been stressed and down a fair bit. The weather may have something to do with it, too - it’s been horribly hot, worse than normal. We didn’t manage to get the garden in, and our landlord has the backyard torn up in order to install drip irrigation.
I’m still planning to throw myself a nice birthday party on 8/21, though it looks like I’ll have to move it from my yard to the park down the road. That may actually be nicer, since the park has grass and trees and a playground. We can cook on the grill and have a good time.
Anyway, more later!

Commuter Camping!

2009-09-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

A busy, full, weekend, but relaxing in its own way. Mabon camping, a wedding to officiate and school or work...whew!
Thursday, I worked early, then went to class. Took the second half of the day off so we could get to the campsite and set up before dark. I got my stuff packed, picked up my friend Tom, and off we went. We did manage to get set up in decent time, though it was dark by the time we were finished. The rain did not help. It wasn't heavy rain, but it was quite muddy, and all the wood was wet. Eventually, we got a fire going, and after a nosh, headed over toward the drumming and fire circle. Poor FoxWoman was struggling with wet wood, too, and eventually the bow-drill gave way to the magic of matches and lighters to get the fire started. Yay, alchemy! We didn't stay too long, but it was good to see who was in camp and get a bit of dancing in.
Friday morning, up at the crack of dawn, since I had class and Tom had work, all at 8:00 a.m. I don't know how I made it through the day, but I suspect the large mug of coffee heavily laced with cream and sugar had something to do with it! After class, I scooted down to the Abq BioPark for the wedding rehearsal. We only had time for a quick walk-through, but it was enough. I got my robe and stole that Erich and Celeste had made for me, and swung by the house to grab a couple of things that we needed for camp. Pick Tom up from work, and back to camp we go!
Friday was a bit easier with the fire-starting, though it was still a bit damp. I'd grabbed some drier wood from my house, and that helped a lot. Dinner was ramen noodles, char-grilled chicken and peaches for dessert. Got done in time to head for the bardic circle, and caught the last go-round. I sang my song that I'd written at EMG again, and Matti sang his latest one "Alive", which he had debuted at Beltane. So much talent from all in this community, too. The transition from the bardic fire to the dance/drum fire was really neat. A procession of torches lit from the bardic fire, leading us all to the other circle. A huge gong, lots of drums and other instruments, all sorts of joyous noises! I danced and sang and drummed a bit, and generally had a good time. Good drink, good smoke, good friends...Gods, it's good to be home!
Saturday morning, up early again. Work for the Tom, and I have to get ready for the wedding. Ok, I admit it, I went home and got a bit of a nap, too! :-) Headed over to my friend Yvonne's house, and she helped me do my hair and makeup. I wanted to be clean and nice for the wedding, and well, if it got any notice from certain fellows in camp, I wouldn't complain! We did take pictures, and those will go up on the Facebook shortly. I really think I looked good, which is rare for me.
The wedding went beautifully. It was small and intimate, and the happy couple were just awesome together. This was the first wedding I've ever officiated, and I was a bit nervous, too. Guess I did okay, though! Paperwork done, I got a bit of a nosh while the pictures were being taken, and then headed off to get Tom and go back to camp. I was still wearing my nice clothes when we got there, and as we'd eaten already, we just grabbed some stuff and headed down to the fire circle. It was an awesome circle. I got warm and had to run back to my tent to change into something cooler. The fire was very large and hot, and eventually, it was just a bumper sticker in action...Happy Naked Pagan Dance! Not me, of course, I don't do skyclad, but I did end up ditching my t-shirt for a while and just wearing my bra and jeans. The ground was cold, so I had to put my boots back on after a while. It was good to see everyone having so much fun. The energy was great, and it was truly magical. Even Tom got out and danced a bit!
Today was a day off, and we got up later than we had been doing. Eggs and bacon for breakfast, and we managed to catch the last workshop of the weekend, a talk by Dorothy Morrison. We finished breaking camp, and were almost done when they called for closing ritual. It was a nice one, and then people started saying goodbyes. Lots of hugs, and then I got the truck moved closer to camp so we could pack out. It didn't really take long, and we were back in town by a quarter to two. I dropped Tom off at his place, then came home and unloaded the truck. A bit of a nap and decompression and I think I'm good to go again.
So, there's a brief overview of my busy weekend! Work hard and play hard, for sure.

An update at last

2009-08-22T19:42:00.001-07:00

A day late, but time for a birthday blog, at least. Had to work yesterday, and still wasn't feeling 100%, but over all it was a decent day. Got many well wishes from friends at work and online, and though I wasn't up to going out or anything after working so late, it was okay. My mom sent a card, and a bit of money, so that was cool. I know I've got some presents coming, too, though it's my own fault that one of them's late...should have thought of what to ask for sooner!
Work has been getting rougher. All of us are feeling it, not just in our department, and we're really trying to pull together to keep each other sane and surviving. More of us are heading back to school this fall, too. It's not the actual work as much as the soul-draining atmosphere. Our supervisors are feeling it nearly as much as we are, and nobody likes to feel like a mistreated drone.
We do have fun, though, and the other day, I was the one getting picked on. Since my birthday was coming, and I'm a bit older than my friend Tom (we're rebuilding a motorbike, and have been hanging out some), I was getting some ribbing about that, especially since he just had his birthday a couple of weeks earlier. I don't know why, I just happen to have several male friends who are a lot younger than I. But the one guy I'd really like to be with is only a year younger, so there! Anyway, cougar jokes aside...
The bike is only progressing slowly, due to financial shortages, but we have gotten a new gas tank and parts to re-do the rear brakes. It's a start! We need to get it running soon, though, so Tom will have an easier way to get back and forth to school and work. His scooter got stolen in July, and was never recovered. Work's within bicycle range for him, but school's too far, and the buses aren't dependable enough. Bicycle and buses don't work for my schedule and location, either, darn the luck. The most I can hope for is on Fridays when I have lab all day, and that's only IF the buses run early enough to get me clear across town in time. I'm skeptical.
School for me this fall is 15 credit hours, including retaking Pharmacology and Drug Calculations classes. I didn't do well enough in those, and want to make sure I get the material down before I try to get into the Paramedic Cohort in January. My other classes are Advanced Trauma (one lecture, one lab), Intro to Fire Science (online) and Financial Literacy (online). The nice thing about the Financial Literacy course is that it will enable me to start a matched savings account through CNM that can be used for school, buying a home or starting a business. The online courses start a few weeks later than the live classes, so that'll give me time to get organized.
I did manage to get student loans, and I hope they'll be enough to get me through. If I get into Cohort in January, the program recommends that you not work, since it's very intensive. Since I'm my only support, I'll have to try and work part-time if I can, and stretch the money as best I can. I am going to get myself a new computer, and I'm getting a MacBook. Other expenses coming out of the loan money are getting the gas turned back on in the apartment, and possibly upgrading my cellphone. I'm also considering getting a Costco card, or at least getting into 'planned bulk shopping' mode to save money. Paying rent ahead is a consideration, and of course I'm getting my teeth fixed while I have the insurance to do it. I'm going on the presumption that I won't be able to work full-time come January. If I don't make Cohort, it'll be the following Fall before another one starts, so I'd continue working and take other classes in the meantime. We shall see. I'm also looking for the chance to start working in EMS even before I finish school, so I can get the experience.
But, before the next round of classes start, there's Bubonicon 41!! Yay! I'm running registration again, and spent a good part of the day laminating badges. We have one last meeting tomorrow, and the con starts on Friday. My good friend Mishalak is coming down from Denver, and three or four of us are going to be sharing a room. Sure, I only live a couple of miles from the hotel, but this way, I have a pied-a-terre at the con, in case I'm too tired to drive home or can't easily leave site. We're also planning out a meal in the Crock-Pot, hot oatmeal for breakfasts, and other good food and drink. Downright civilized, huh? We'll probably do something similar for MileHiCon in October, too.
September's gonna be kinda busy, at least on one weekend. Mabon weekend, the 17th - 20th, is a campout event, and Tom and I are planning to go. But...we'll head out Thursday after work, come back Friday morning so he can work and I can go to lab, then back to camp. He'll stay out Saturday, but I have a wedding to officiate, so an extra trip for me, but Saturday night's gonna be lots of fun, and Sunday, well, we probably both have to work. Crazy, but it just might work!
October's shaping up to be busy, too. My friends Danielle and Gary are getting married in Indiana, and I'm her maid-of-honor! It'll be a short trip, since CNM doesn't have a mid-term break and I have to leave after class on Friday and be back on Tuesday. MileHiCon is at the end of October, and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that. I may end up driving up after class that Friday, too. I do want to drive, so I can swing by the mountain on the way home and visit.
Other than those outings, it's pretty much gonna be work and school and not much else! Oh, I'm sure I'll get to do some things, and my new schedule will let me start going to ASFS meetings again, at least. But I'll be sticking fairly close to home otherwise. Thank heavens for the internet!!
That's a brief update for ya. It's been a busy summer, and fall's shaping up to be the same. I'm sure it's going to be interesting!

Solstice weekend, Part The Second

2009-06-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

And there's even pics to go with this part!

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny, but that's just a guess, as I was still asleep. Not for long, granted, but I did stay in bed till almost 9:00. The sunburn wasn't going to let me sleep, anyway. Got myself together, gassed up the SUV, then went to pick Tom up. Kennard and Kristen were letting us borrow the utility trailer, so that was our next stop, after a pass through McDonald's drive-thru to snag some breakfast. Kennard wanted to make sure the trailer axles were properly greased, so did that while we waited. He popped one of the caps off while filling it, and eventually got it back on. We hitched up, and off to Eldorado we went. Tom was having fun with the GPS on his phone, but I had directions anyway, so there! Got to our destination, and there it was....a Yamaha XS400, and it's all ours. It needs a shit-tonne of work, but we knew that, and that's why it was so cheap. The bike was in the bed of a pickup, so it was easy to move it down onto the trailer. We tied it down, chatted for a while, then headed back. A stop at the grocery store to get drinks and adjust the tiedowns again after the bumpy gravel road, and off again.
Then, just outside Santa Fe on Hwy 14 (not taking a laden trailer on the freeway, thank you), I started smelling something. I pulled over, and well...you remember that grease cap that popped off that morning? We'd lost it again, and who knows when or where. Tom got on the phone, I got on my phone, and we got hold of an RV place to see if they had a cap. Get this – the place wasn't open, but the owner was on site and opened up just to help us out. How cool is that? So if you ever need RV repair in Santa Fe, go to Hal Burns' RV and talk to David Burns. He didn't have a cap that fit quite right (dang Harbor Freight Chinese metric trailer...), but we found one that was close and duct taped it on to make it home with. He didn't even want to charge us for it, but I gave him some money for his trouble. Back on the road at last, and I'm regretting the addition to my sunburn already. We were going to stop for a burger at Mine Shaft Tavern in Madrid, but it was packed, and I didn't feel like fighting the trailer into a space. Taking the back way down was really nice, though. We finally made it back to my house, offloaded the bike and took the trailer back. Kennard was cool about the hubcap, thank goodness. If Tom and I keep using the trailer, we may see about helping rebuild it with new wood.
Time for some dinner, and we hit the buffet at Furr's. Hey, it's the cheapest way to feed a very hungry Tom. It wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but I attribute that to it being crowded for Father's Day. Dropped Tom off at his place, and then home at last.
My sunburn was really nasty by then, even with trying to keep sunscreen on it, so I just took one of my pain pills leftover from my MRSA infection a couple of weeks ago and tried to get to sleep.
So...here's a link to pics of the bike as it is. Trust me, it will look much better in a few months!

Solstice weekend, Part The First

2009-06-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, I think it may take two posts to blog such a busy weekend.
Saturday actually started Friday night; maybe that's why it felt so long, even with it being the 'longest day'. I got off work as usual, then went and picked up a rider to head out to the Long Dance site. We arrived at about 11 p.m., and I pretty much said hi to a few people, picked out a tree to roll under, and laid out my sleeping bag to try and get some rest. Sunrise comes pretty darned early, you know! Well, the guys in the next camp over were setting up and talking for quite a while, but I managed to doze off a bit. Just about the time I was going to fall asleep for real, the rain started. No, I hadn't taken my tent. And yes, the truck was still full of stuff. So, I dragged myself about 20 feet over, and curled up under the shade tarps that were hung by the main circle. It's funny how, after all these years, my tenting instincts still kick in and I listen for pockets in the roof...and get up and poke the tarp up to drain, and lie back down, and....you get the picture. At least I had enough wits about me to pick the sleeping spot that was not in danger of pocketing!
Just as the birds were singing their wake-up song to the trees, two folks came down from the house, with chimes, and gently woke up the camp. Assembling at the house (praise the gods for coffee), we set off with the center pole to greet the sun at the eastern hill of the property. Clouds notwithstanding, it was officially declared to be sunrise. We then proceeded to the main circle for opening ritual and the raising of the pole. It was a very cool telling/acting of the legend of how the People came up from the dark first world to this, the sunlit fifth world. The long thin pole that we would dance around is that center of the world where Locust's magic staff poked through the roof of the world below this one and let the People come forth.
The drums commenced. Matti starts, by tradition, on the big drum, which is about 3 feet across, and double headed with rawhide. He got a good beat going, and others of us joined in. I was even able to play my bodhran for a while, till the rhythm shifted to a easier beat for the hand drummers to follow. Breakfast started magically appearing at the table outside the circle, and Matti had me take over the big drum for a while. I felt really honored that he chose me first. So, we switched over, one mallet at a time so the beat would be continuous. I think I must have drummed for nearly an hour or so, that first session, and it really felt good. I passed the mallets to the next person who stepped up to take a turn, and got my breakfast.
Somewhere in the morning, the rain came back again. I was already out dancing, and Alan and I were making sure that there was always someone doing that, too. He dug little trenches with his feet to try and direct the water away from the circle, and it did help. My feet were soon covered in mud, but the ground underneath was hard, and it got a bit slippery. The sun returned again, and dried everything out. It settled down to being a mostly sunny day, which was nice.
I did have a bout of negativity come after me in the midst of things, so I took myself out of circle to try and get myself back together. A bit of food and water, a sitdown and a reality check, and I was soon working my way back to where I needed to be. Thank the gods for good friends. I went back to drumming for a while, and Matti made me a bagel sandwich to eat which was very good. More dancing, more drumming, and singing! We got some chants and songs going which was pretty cool. Io was there, and she even complimented my singing. Praise from a master, indeed.
Throughout the day, we took individual breaks, but the music and movement never stopped. Dawn had her big hula hoops with her, which was cool. I even managed to do it! I haven't worked a hula hoop successfully in years! I think I might have to make one now, it's good exercise and good movement.
At a certain point in the afternoon, we had another ritual, this one to call the benificent rains (tomorrow, please). It was really cool, with water hoses making a mist to cool people off and get them dancing again at the end of it.
I was starting to lag a bit, so sat and sang some more, drummed some more, and danced when it was needed. I need more sunscreen, it's not helping... I also did make sure I got a chance to climb the 'woodpecker tree' and tap on the woodblock hanging there. There was a ladder attached to the tree, but it's still quite a climb. Good view, though, and I'm glad I went up.
Sunset was going to officially be at 8:00, but who's counting? Poor Matti almost missed the end, as he had to go talk to a tree. He came hurrying back, because he heard us pick up the beat, and I was hitting the big drum pretty solidly. He did make it, though, and it wouldn't have been right for him to not be there at the end as he was at the start. We all got up and went to stand in circle, and it sprinkled just enough to give us a glorious rainbow! How magical, and what a lovely blessing for the day!
Hugs all around after the last circle, and believe me, nobody wanted it to end. Matti hugged me and thanked me for the great work on the drum and singing. I complimented him in return, of course. The circle and tarps were soon cleaned up, and those of us who weren't staying another night packed up our gear. A lovely potluck up at the house, and a chance to ground and wind down among friends.
More hugs, and finally I had to leave so I could get some rest before Sunday's adventures. I got home and realized just how tired and sore and sunburnt I was, so went to bed in pretty short order.

(to be continued)

So, here's my trip.

2009-05-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, time to blog my little trip.
It was good, but fast.

Friday morning, got a ride to the airport (thanks, Pat B.) and headed out. Frontier always stops in Denver, so I had a short layover there of an hour or so. Just chilled in the airport, got online for a bit, then on to my Chicago flight. Gotta love those Midway landings, and I felt a bit like a Bugs Bunny cartoon waiting for the brakes to work...ok, not really. Ambr picked me up and we made a couple of stops on the way back to the house. The new Asian Market near her is nearly as big as TaLin, and (since they were out of tuna, darn the luck) we picked up a salmon fillet that was just amazing. No odor, and beautiful texture. Yeah, had to nibble on some before it went into the marinade. Definitely sashimi-worthy. We figured out timing for trains and buses for Friday, and when Norman got home, we had a nice quiet dinner. I got a shower (hot water is so nice) and headed for bed.
Friday morning, got up, and Norman and I went to catch the train into town. We split up at Union Station, and I managed to find the bus I needed up to the Westin Hotel on North Michigan. It's just a block from the Water Tower, and there was an express which worked out rather nicely. I arrived in plenty of time, and tried to steady my nerves with some Incredible String Band on the MP3 player till some of the other people started arriving. Apparently, the people from the show had not realized that they were in a different room for the day, so things were a bit delayed, but not by much. Auditions had been going on all week, it seems, three sessions a day, about 20 or so in each lot. It adds up, it really does.
There are about 400 slots for each season, and they haven't started taping the next season yet, so this is really the best time to be auditioning. I'll be in the contestant pool for 18 months, so we'll see if I get called. We took a 50 question quiz, fairly quick, then went up in groups of three to play a mock game. I think I did well, and hope I made a good impression.
After the audition, it was only about noon, so I decided to walk a bit and get some lunch. The bus had gone right past Pizzeria Uno on the way up, and it was a short walk to get there. I had the express lunch special, which is an individual deep dish pizza with a small salad. To quote the old commercial, “I can't believe I ate the whole thing!”, but I did. I continued walking back toward the station, and stopped to take a couple pics of the Eastland Steamer site and plaque. Look it up, if you like, it was one of the biggest maritime losses of life in America, and it happened right in the Chicago River. They say that Harpo studios is partially haunted because its building was the Armory which served as a temporary morgue that day.
Got back to Union Station in fine time to catch a train back out to Lisle, and Ambr picked me up after her puppy-sitting gig. When we got home, I think my sinuses caught up to me at last, and when Ambr said I looked like I needed a nap, I didn't argue. I slept for quite a while, and when I did get up again, Norman was home and it was time for dinner. We ate, and figured out how to get me back to the airport on Saturday. Ambr and I stayed up a bit, and watched some TV. A new-to-me show called “Primeval” which looked pretty good, and most of the movie of Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett. Then to bed so I could get up in the morning.
Saturday's travel was good, a bit bumpy in a couple of spots, but that's just cloud kicking. I had a longer layover in Denver this time, but still too short to try and hook up with anyone. When we were coming in to land in Albuquerque, we had to make a second go-round because of the wind, but that was all. I caught buses home and started getting ready for my evening.
My friend Ryan had called me while I was in Chicago, and we'd arranged to go to the show together. Ah, yes, the show. The Brothers Ericksen Variety Show. It rocked. So much talent in one place, and it was a blast, even if they didn't manage to get the liquor license in time. That was the city's fault. Short films, puppetry, music, more amazing music, juggling and entertainment..oh, it was fantastic! Justifiable fangirl squee!
After the show, Ryan and I sat by my fire pit and shared a few beers till I was just too tired to stay up any longer. During the night, my sinuses must have gotten the go-ahead to really start kicking my butt, so now I'm sitting here trying to blog, do homework, and watch a stop-and-go stream of Sweeney Todd on the telly/pc. I have meds, I have tissues, and even got some orange juice. The thai noodles I picked up from the Co-op deli, however, are rather disappointing; too starchy and the noodles are mushy. Can't win 'em all.
Homework. Somewhere in there, I think I have a quiz to do, too. Ugh. At least the quiz can be taken at home, online, and open book. I had to take my first exam before I left because that was my only chance to get to the testing center on Main Campus. I also managed to take my Thursday class on Tuesday, so at least I didn't miss the lecture. At least after this week, I won't be having to study for the state test at the same time.
I haven't decided yet what to do about actual work in the EMS field. I have a few ideas, but hate to switch horses in mid-stream till I have some solid plans. I just hope my body and my brains are up to it. I've got to get in better physical shape if I ever hope to do this well. I have been still losing weight, slowly, but there's more I should do. I am taking my vitamins, and trying to eat right. Sandy calls it the ELF diet (Eat Less Food), and maybe if I had an elf or two to play with that could take care of the exercise portion... LOL
Anyway, that's my weekend.

Time flies when you don't blog, I guess...

2009-05-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Let's see if I can catch up.

Beltane: Totally rocked, despite the wild and woolly weather. Rain, hail, sun, we had it all! Got to see good friends, hear good music, dance and drum. Good stuff. Had a friend join us for his first Beltane, and he's already talking about the next event, so that's a good sign, I hope.
I've got plans for Summer Solstice, and I'm the coordinator for the Lughnasadh event, so that'll keep me busy and involved with the pagan community. Several of the folk in the community are also taking time to teach me the local culture and traditions, and I'm feeling quite honored by this.

School: Got a 4.0 in the Spring classes. Studying now for the state EMT test, which I'll take on June 6th. I'm a tad nervous about it, since there's the gap between class and the test. I've already started my next set of classes, though, so that helps me get my mind back into that mode of thinking. I'm still short one book, but it'll have to wait till my scholarship check comes in. I've already had to spend more on books than I care to think about.
I have five classes for summer term, but one's only 5 weeks long, and two of them are half-term in the same time slot, so it's not as bad as it sounds. Ten credit hours, though, so I'm gonna be working hard.

Life: I have sent off my last truck payment! W00T!!!! On the downside, the gas is off, so all the baking I was doing to raise money for my little Chicago trip next week is done for now. I should be able to save up enough to get it back on late next month. Luckily, the days I have to go to Clovis for the EMT test are a pay week, so I will not have to worry about that expense yet.
Ok, the Chicago trip...For those who haven't heard, I have an appointment for a live Jeopardy! audition on May 29th, in Chi-town. I'm flying out on Thursday, the day before, and coming back on the Saturday. I'm really excited, and a bit nervous. This audition will put me in the contestant pool for a year, and I may or may not get called to actually do the show, but this is a lot closer than I've ever been! And yeah, I already know what I'll do with my winnings. ;-)
The reason for coming back on Saturday is also important. Go check out www.brothersericksen.com and you'll see. These are my friends, and they're doing a show, one night only. I am not going to miss this! Anybody in Abq who can make it, come on out. It's gonna be a lot of fun.

Anyway, I'm off to a barbeque, hosted by one of my co-workers. I have my box of Boca burgers, and she said we didn't have to bring anything else, so off I go.
Last night, I went to hear some live music (Dianivy & Tribe), then went to see Cheech & Chong's “Up In Smoke” at the Guild with a friend. Wow. I have a social life! LOL

My Bi-Polar Life

2009-04-12T00:08:00.001-07:00

It has been another rollercoaster week.
Losing Stormy last Friday was, and is, really rough. The house is too quiet, even with my other cat, Ghost, here. I'm keeping an eye on her to see how she does with being an only cat, especially with me out of the house so much. If she gets too lonely, it will influence whether I think about getting another cat to keep her company. I am also concerned about not being able to be there to help integrate another feline to the household. No hurry, honestly, just things to consider.
I did get the grave dug today, after the rains stopped. The first place I chose had too many tree roots and I couldn't do anything with it. I settled on a spot by the back wall. I'm thinking maybe a 6 p.m. funeral, since some of my friends have expressed an interest in coming to pay respects. For now, I have a cat in my freezer. A bit macabre, perhaps, but his box is surrounded by my frozen seafood stash, so I suppose it's somewhat fitting, and I hope Stormy doesn't mind.
Had another test in EMT class this past week, and two online quizzes to do. The test had stuff that, again, we hadn't gone over yet, so I only got 89.8 on it. I wanted to do better. The quizzes have pulled 96 each, and I can live with that. I don't like taking exams on the computer. What worries me is Monday's final written exam, because it's obviously comprehensive, and there are several chapters not covered in lectures that we will need to know. After the final, we concentrate on skills lab, with those tests being done the next week. If we pass all that, we get our completion certificates which will let us sit for the state exams in June. Whew!
Math class is going fine, I'm carrying an A there with no problems. I am confident that I'll do fine on that final in a couple of weeks. We did have a chapter exam Friday, and I did alright on that, I'm sure.
Also on Friday, I registered for Summer Term. I got all but the biggest class I need to take, and I just can't do the other one and still manage to work. I have to survive, first and foremost, and I'd lose 3/5 of my workweek if I tried to take the Advanced Trauma. So, it looks like it'll be Pharmacology, Drug Calculations (only one month of Mondays), Legal Issues & Reporting (1st half), GI/GU Emergencies (2nd half), and Human Systems & Development (anatomy/physiology stuff).
So much for the usual....I will have to miss a day of class and a couple of days of work at the end of May, as I need to make a quick trip to Chicago. I have an appointment for a live audition to possibly be a Jeopardy! contestant!! How cool is that? It'll be a whirlwind trip, I'm afraid, as I have to be back on Saturday to make it to “The Brothers Ericksen Puppet Movie Mayhem and Variety Show” at the Guild Cinema. It's a must-see for so many reasons! Anyway, I'm thinking of raising money for my trip by selling homemade bread and cookies. Many of my co-workers have said they'll buy some already. I find myself truly needing a mixer now, but haven't been able to find an affordable stand mixer that's sturdy enough to meet my needs. The KitchenAids at Wal-mart are too low powered, and too small. A KitchenAid Professional 600 would be nice, and I could manage an Electrolux Assistent DLX-2000, I'd be in heaven! Right now, though, I don't even have the budget for a Sunbeam or Hamilton Beach cheapie.
Beltane is coming up in a few weeks, and I'll be helping with the Main Ritual. I plan to be healthier and better prepared for Beltane this year. More warm clothes and blankets, and, gods willing, I'll be able to find myself a willing human space heater! (Better plan on finding new longjohns, I'm afraid, especially compared to my slim chances of getting the warm body of my choice into the ol' bedroll.)

...Post-movie now, and home again. Went to the Guild to see The Dark Crystal. Yeah, big screen. Plus, one of the guys who worked on puppetry for both this and Labyrinth is a local, so he was there to do comments and Q&A afterwards. A nice geek's night out, as I got my ticket early then went over and had a snack at Flying Star while waiting for the movie. So, naturally, as I was walking home after midnight, I was singing Patsy Cline songs to myself....
Tomorrow morning, some of our geek crew is meeting for Sunday brunch. Seems like a good time to do it, even though most of us don't celebrate Easter all that much. Off to bed, then!

I haz a sad :-(

2009-04-03T22:39:00.001-07:00

My dear kitty, Stormcloud Thunderpaws (Stormy) died today. It was sudden and unexpected.
I noticed Wednesday night that he seemed to be feeling badly, listless, out of sorts, and looking like he'd lost weight. I managed to find a vet Thursday morning (after several tries), and they put him on oxygen and fluids overnight. When they went to work with him this morning, he suddenly had a seizure and died before they could do anything to save him.
The necropsy this afternoon revealed advanced pancreatic cancer. There's no way it could have been found earlier, and even if it had been, there's nothing that could have been done.
I suppose it's some comfort that nothing I did or didn't do caused his death. He'd been with me for almost 7 years, since he was a kitten.
My other cat, Ghost, seems to know that he's gone. If I can tell that the house seems emptier, I know she can.
It's gonna be a long weekend...

Happy Ostara!

2009-03-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Whew, what a weekend!
Classes were good this week, but work was a bit of a grind. I think we were all glad to see the end of the workweek, whenever it was!
Yesterday I got up early, and went to get my truck worked on. There's a church out here, Sagebrush Community Church, that runs a program called Pit Stop Ministries. I found out about them through my college. They hold a clinic once a month to help people in need with car repairs and maintenance. So, I got my front brakes done, with new calipers, pads and rotors, plus an oil change, for no charge! What a blessing! Of course, you know I'm not one to sit idly by, so I jumped in and helped, not only with my own truck, but with a couple of other cars that were getting oil changes and such. Met some really good people, too. Next month's clinic, I'll be able to go back and we'll do the rear brakes (which are really bad) and in between, I can get my idler arm replaced, too. Plus, I have a coupon for 15% off the alignment I'll be needing. Yay! This is really a weight off my shoulders, as I've been quite worried about the truck. I got the wheel hub fixed on my own, and between that and the brakes, I can now go down the interstates safely!
Which leads to today...I was able to go down the interstate to get to Sunflower River for the Ostara celebration. It was a nice simple ritual, with an Eostre Egg hunt! The potluck was yummy, too. There were about 30 in attendance, a good number, but of course not all of our community. There was a later evening event planned by CUUPS, and some folk went to that one instead, I'm sure, and some managed to go to both! I decided to just do the one event, so I stuck around for the music and drumming. A nice relaxing day, which I really needed. My contributions to the potluck were a carmelized onion and pinon pizza, and a carmelized onion quiche, plus a raspberry pie that I had been given.
I do have a nice toasty sunburn on my face and neck, even my ear tops! Most of it's from yesterday, but I'm sure I put a bit more red onto it today. The wind didn't help, either! Guess I'm still not quite New Mexican yet, huh? I wonder if eating more green chile will help with melanin production so I can actually have a tan someday. Probably not ;-) Just too much Irish in me, I suppose.
Time to head to bed, as I have class in the morning. We're past the halfway mark now, and while I didn't do as well as I'd hoped on the midterm for EMS, I could have done worse. It's tied in with my old conditioning, I know, where I have to be the best in order to be anything worthwhile. I'm just hard on myself, that's all, and I'm actually doing better at not getting down on myself for being human and less that perfect. But I still gotta show up on time!

'Bout dang time!

2009-02-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, let me catch you all up on progress so far.
I am getting A's in both my classes, EMT and Algebra, though it's not a cruising A. I'm working for it, and while the math is not too hard, I get tired and do silly mistakes if I'm not careful. EMT stuff is harder, of course, and makes for a lot of memorization in brain as well as hands. But I'm confident that I'll do well.
I've filled out my FAFSA for next school year, and we'll see if I can qualify for some financial aid. If it's enough, I would consider going to school full-time for the paramedic courses.
Work has been "meh". It's work, and the good calls and bad calls average out on most days. It's the ones that come in at the last second and keep me way past my scheduled time that honk me off. That, and the ones transferred from another center in particular; no info gathered that the rep should have gotten, nothing done at all, and sometimes they don't even tell the customer that they'll be getting transferred. Grrrr!
I have been getting out and about a bit, though not as much as I'd like. Ryan and I did get together last night for margaritas and Buffy DVDs, and it was worth skipping the margarita night with my co-workers. I should stay away from tequila, though, because that's the one booze that ever gave me a hangover. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but I don't care to go through that ever again! Just gotta remember to eat, and drink water.
Laundry today, while I catch up on the blog and my surfing. I'll study more tomorrow, as we have a quiz Monday morning. Memorizing drug doses and rules is very important, so it's good that we're getting another quiz on it.
The weather has started to get nice, and the sunshine makes it feel warmer than the thermometer says it is. I'm just looking forward to getting out on my bicycle again. Next weekend, when I'm helping with the Medieval conference (MAP 2009) at UNM, I'm just going to leave the truck at home and do the bus/bike thing. Saves on parking fees, too. As a bonus, the more I can walk/bike, the better my success with losing weight! I splurged on a couple of pairs of jeans at the thrift store, and ended up going with the pairs that I thought would be too small when I pulled them from the rack! Nice feeling, that. Pretty soon, I hope to be freecycling some of my clothes that have gotten too big.
I'm working on getting the needed repairs done on my truck. I have gotten hooked up with a local charity called Pit Stop Ministry that helps folks fix up and maintain cars. They will help me with my brakes! I need to get the front right hub bearing replaced first (about $300) and as much of the rest of the front end as I can manage, then front brakes will be done in March, rear at the April clinic, and then I can get the tires and alignment. The truck will be paid off in May or June, and then things should improve greatly. My EMT test will be in June, and we'll go on from there!
Other than that, Ostara's coming, and that's gonna be a nice celebration. On top of St. Paddy's Day earlier that week, I'm gonna get my share of socializing, I'm sure! Work hard, play hard. Sounds like a plan.

I'm an Auntie!!

2009-02-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! I can tell y'all about it now.
My brother and his wife will be returning from Colombia in a week or so, with my new nephew and niece in tow. The kids are blood siblings, so it's good that they can stay together in their new family. I always said that Frank would make our mom a grandma first, anyway.
Work is crazy, we're shorthanded and swamped, and tempers are starting to flare. Dissatisfaction is growing, and it makes me glad that I'm going to school already. I just hope things stay stable till I'm ready to move on.
School's keeping me busy, of course, but I think I'm doing okay. Still readjusting to the schedule demands, but trying to stay ahead of things. I've finished the Clinical Prep class, as of today, and got my certification cards for
I did finally succumb to the pressure to try World of Warcraft. Biggest problem was getting the dang program to download and install. I've got a character and have done one little quest, but have been too tired to do much more than that. My trial will end soon, unfortunately, so I'm not sure if I'm gonna try to get a paid account or not. I'm just not that into it, yet, and the expense is a deterrent, too. I really don't need another indoor activity.
I did manage to get my eye exam on Thursday, and am working with a trial pair of contact lenses in the new prescription. They seem to work well, though the doc did advise a weak pair of reading glasses for close up work. Wonder if I can get a pair that look like Dumbledore's glasses? Probably can, actually....
Tomorrow's the Imbolc celebration here in town, and I plan to go. It's an indoor event, as it's still a tad chilly to be out in the evenings. The days are getting a bit warmer, though. I've started hearing birdsong in the mornings, and the sun seems to be showing itself more. It's cooling off tonight, though, and there is snow in the forecast for many parts of the state. It would be a good night to curl up by a fireplace, if I had one. I'll make do with a pot of tea and a warm laptop, I guess!

Whee...adjusting to school and work

2009-01-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

At last, a chance to blog. It's been a busy week, with school starting, changes in my work schedule because of it, and even some social activities.
School is good so far, despite the adjustment to getting up very early. I'm up at 6:30 a.m., with classes starting at 8:00 on Monday and Wednesday, or 8:30 on Friday. Add to that my work, which goes till 9:30 at least, and it makes for a long day. I'm glad to be able to recover on the other days! I have homework already, of course, and I needed to replace my printer. Darn thing starts off fine, then fades out halfway through the page. The ink is full, so I can't figure out what's going on. I think it's just worn out, as it was a cheap one to begin with. Luckily, I found another one that uses the same cartridges. Our EMT lectures have powerpoint slides, and we need to print out copies to make notes with.
I'm grateful to my friend Ryan for giving me a calculator to use for my algebra class. The prof prefers that we use them, which is very unusual to me. I can see his point, though, as the process of doing the algebra is far more important to learn, and we should all know math by now, so why waste time on doing it all by hand. I still do some of it in my head, though!
We don't have class tomorrow, for the MLK, Jr. holiday, but that just gives me a chance to catch up for Wednesday's class. There's a lot to learn, and I'm glad that I have a whole semester to do it in. I'm not sure which class will be hardest, so I'm trying to take it a bit at a time. There are many changes in the whole classroom setting, especially the online part. Yeah....last time I was in college for any length of time, there was no such thing! Now, my textbooks come with DVDs and online materials that are required for quizzes and tests. Very strange.
I have also had to break down and get a coffeemaker. It's a 4-cup, freecycled, but it's enough to get me through a morning. Finally found a use for the travel mug I got at the Woodwind/Brasswind! I'm not a big coffee drinker, honestly, but I may turn into one at this rate. I got myself some good coffee, too. All I need are some filters, and I'm running some weak vinegar water through it to make sure it's clean.
I also managed to come up with a better desktop computer over the weekend, on the extreme cheap, and have been putting it together. I'm missing some of my disks, so it was trial and error getting it going. Had to reformat and do a fresh install on the HD, and all I had available was XP Home. I much prefer Pro, and now that I've got the thing set up and online, I think I'll be upgrading at least that far soon. I'm tempted to try out Windows 7 Beta, and there's always Ubuntu, if I can ever manage to get it downloaded.
As for the socializing, one of my co-workers hosted a RockBand party at a local gaming center. I've never played it before, and was happy to find out that there's even a way to play by singing! Don't know how it compares to Guitar Hero, which I've also not played, but I really had a fun time with the crew from work. That was Saturday, and Friday was the ASFS meeting (which I missed 95% of, naturally) so I got to have some weekend fun. Coming up this Friday, a band containing two other co-workers is playing at a local bar, so I'll be going to that, I think.
All work and no play makes Harriet a raving stress-bomb, so hopefully I'll get to keep balancing the two.

What a week!

2009-01-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

Finally feeling up to a bit of blogging tonight. It's been a rough week. My broken tooth started acting up again, and developed an abcess infection. Not good, especially for someone who talks for a living! Luckily, my dental insurance kicked in on New Year's Day, and I was able to go to a dental clinic on Friday morning before work. Yay!
For now, the dentist was able to clean out some of the decayed tooth, pack medicine into it, drain some of the infection and put a temporary patch on the tooth. No more broken edge for a while, the swelling is going down, and the pain is subsiding. I have pain pills and antibiotics, and an appointment for Thursday to go back for an exam. Now the long-term work starts, to get my mouth healthy again. I'm just glad that I can eat and sleep. Granted, today started with me feeling like someone had punched me in the face! The only time I'm ever accused of having a small mouth is when I'm getting dental work, and my muscles are a bit sore. On the plus side, it looks like they'll be able to save the bad molar without too much trouble, and eventually straighten my front teeth.
Work was really busy this week, almost too hectic. I guess a lot of people got new computers or aircards for Christmas! It's rough when there's no time between calls to gather your thoughts or reset your brain, and most of our tech support calls are fairly long. Lunchtimes and breaks are often delayed till you can finish a call. At least my customers can't hear my stomach growl!
I'm looking forward to starting classes on the 12th. I've gotten one of my books in the mail already, and the others should be arriving soon. I'll have to pick the last one up at the bookstore when they open up again, since it's only available there. I think I've got the rest of what I need, though I might have to get a calculator if I can't find mine. I'm sure I'll find out more once I get to class.
For New Year's, I did go over to a friend's house after work that night, but left shortly after midnight due to my toothache. Had to work New Year's Day anyway, so didn't want to be out too late, especially that night.
I did go out on Monday night, though, to see a local band, My Majestic Mind. Two of the guys in the band are co-workers of mine. Good stuff, very talented group, and it was fun. Gonna hit their next show in a few weeks, too. They have a MySpace if you want to check them out.
Other than that, I've been working on a few projects. I'm still baking what I can, have some sewing to do, and am writing my latest bit of fiction. I've also got some non-fiction writing planned that will be shared online. More on that when it's ready to go.
Hopes and goals for 2009? Sure, I've got 'em. I'm optimistic, overall, as far as the material things I want to accomplish. The personal stuff, well, what I can control, I will. What I can't control, I will let the universe take care of. That's the harder part, for me, honestly. We'll see how that works out!

Part of why I haven't posted lately...

2008-12-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this!

This was the entry in the Gingerbread House competition for the Midwinter event in the Barony of al-Barran, Outlands. It was a group effort by the local bros and watchees: Rhianwen, Ealasaid, Morgan, Tiou, Rurik and myself, with additional help from Brian (Tiou's bf), Trey/Tenkai (Rurik's buddy) and Tanley (friend of mine w/gingerbread experience). It took 4 days of work, with final assembly done on site. Omar did the label placards, "Peaceful Pastoral Nomads".
We have the yurt on a cardboard cart, with oxen, brothers, and even a leashed Scot (complete with kilt). The decorations are done in icing, licorice, peppermint sticks, and pretzels, and if I can get a good close-up picture, there are even tiny date bits for "ox plops" that are being collected behind the cart. Other than the cart and the ground board, the rest is edible and even tasty!
I was honestly hoping for more competition. There were two really cute entries in the children's division, and a very nice gothic castle with gummy fish in the moat for the other adult entry. We gave the castle a Mongol guard after the judging, with the owner's permission, to guard the fish in the moat.
I think we came in second for the table-setting competition, but the winners did a complete traditional Japanese setup, and even brought their own tables! Very nicely done, indeed. The codpiece competition was a bit of a bust, unfortunately, for lack of entries. The spiffy garb was nice to see, and I forget the fellow who won it, but he looked sharp.
More pics to come eventually, but I'll probably put them in the flickr and just post a link.
Besides, it was worth waiting till this was done to make it my 100th post in this blog!

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

2008-11-29T21:05:00.001-08:00

Seriously, is today over yet?
Thursday was good, had way too much food for Thanksgiving, and got to see Kung Fu Panda, among other DVDs. Good times.
Yesterday, back to work. Not fun. Everybody had to work. This means that there are not enough desks to go around, even if all the computers and phones at those desks worked. Which they don't. People would go to lunch and someone else would just chuck their stuff somewhere and take over the desk. Stupid, inefficient, and stressful. Luckily, I ended up 'floorwalking' for the day, so could use one of the nonworking pods as my base to log in at.
Today, not so lucky. Still horribly overcrowded, though I think some people did call in. I ended up back on the phones all day. Managed to get the pod I was at to work, finally. That was about the best part, then it started going downhill. That time of the month caught me without any supplies and ruined my last decent pair of undies. Then, at lunch, I broke my tooth. Not all of it, just a good sized chunk off the molar that's been plaguing me for the last few months. It doesn't hurt, but the sharp edge is a bit annoying. I'll see about getting some dental putty on it when I get a chance. Insurance doesn't kick in till after the first of the year, so hopefully I can hold off till then. Ugh. And all I was eating for lunch was bread and soup! I went to take a bite and somehow hit wrong and crunched my own tooth. I'm just glad that it's relatively minor and isn't painful. Sure didn't need the stress today, though.
Tomorrow's Sunday, so a day off. Gotta try to clean house, of course, and ought to do some laundry. I really need to go walkabout tomorrow, because I want to try and get a good spot arranged to do some busking on Thursday for the Nob Hill Shop-N-Stroll. It's up to the store owners, so I will be asking around the businesses. Otherwise, I'll find a vacant storefront to set up in front of. I'm nervous, I haven't done much public playing, and haven't had time to practice as much as I'd like. I'll just be taking the whistles and voice, I think. Guitar's got a possible spot, but fiddle's not nearly ready to debut yet. Weather is also a factor, but it shouldn't be too bad.
After all that, I'm tired. I've had some dinner, and a cup of green tea. Okay, a couple of cookies, too. A bit of TV, a bit of Internet, and bedtime soon.
It will get better, I know. I am officially registered for my classes at CNM, and the prospect of better employment through this education is keeping me going. I have the part I need to replace on my truck, so can fix that soon. I've found land that I can almost afford, putting me that much closer to my dream home. And I'm better off than I was last year at this time. Little steps still get me forward, as long as I keep them going in the right direction.

Tuesday is blog day

2008-11-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Accomplished a fair bit today.
I walked to the CNM campus and took my placement tests, had a talk with an advisor, and explored the campus a bit. I know what classes I need to register for this semester now; EMT-Basic, a general Health class (mainly about HIPAA and such), and a Math class. The math is needed for doing drug calculations, of course, and can be taken as a co-requisite. My test scores were actually pretty good, considering how long it has been since my last math course (1983 or 84, in college). Naturally, my English and Reading tests were very good, and I wasn't worried about them at all. I also found out that I can register on 11/26 instead of waiting till 12/1, so I'm less likely to be shut out of a full class. Books are my next worry, and even though the bookstore doesn't have the books in yet, I can go online and find the exact list I need so I can look for used books or online bargains if need be. Once I've registered, I can get my ID card, bus pass and parking permit. I'm looking forward to that, believe me. Access to the library, computer labs, student discounts...oh, yeah!
Having school to look forward to is already helping me. I was in a deep blue funk for most of the past week, and being able to think about school and what it will help me do in the future helped pull me out of it. Or pull my head out of my ass, take your choice...
Walking back from CNM, I had a snack and then stopped by a used book store. I had found one book on the dollar cart (on archery), but the owner was on an errand, so I waited till she got back so I could go inside and look around. Found two other books (Victorian Murderesses and a Zen Macrobiotic Cookbook), and since I'd waited, she only charged me two bucks for all three! How nice!
Stopped for a bit at Satellite Cafe on Central for a cup of "London Fog". It's Earl Grey tea with steamed milk and a shot of vanilla, yummy. A bit of blog while I'm here, then I'll walk the rest of the way home soon. I think we're plotting at Rurik's again tonight, so I'll drive to that since it'll be dark by then.
Plotting...hee hee. There are enough Hordefolk here in al-Barran now that we are going to start working on making our presence felt. To that end, we are planning entries for the A&S competitions at the Midwinter event. Details later, but it will be good and there will be photos....
Let's see, I also made bread on Sunday, with a new-to-me recipe that calls for evaporated goat's milk and oats. It was quite easy and good bread, so that recipe will stay in the repertoire. The goat milk made me think of Irina....
Last but certainly not least, a big shout out to all Veterans and current members of the Armed Services. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I honor you as I honor my ancestors, both blood kin and heart kin. Those who know me have heard me speak of the fact that there has been at least one service member in each generation of my family, in a line that stretches back to the French and Indian War. Some of them didn't make it home. I am grateful for their sacrifice. Most of them did come back, and for them I am thankful. If you love your freedoms, thank a veteran. 'Nuff said.

And now, for my next trick...

2008-11-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

No going back now, if I'm telling everyone about it, right?

I'm going back to school next semester.
I've enrolled at CNM (the community college), and am going to become an EMT and hopefully Paramedic. If I go all the way, it'll be two years of classes. Not bad at all, and I could probably get work in the field once I finish EMT-Basic classes.
I'm already brushing up on my math and algebra skills for the placement tests. I'll go in for those next week, no appointment needed. The tuition is free, since I'm in the tax district. All I need to buy is textbooks and some basic equipment (hello, eBay?), and pay any fees. You bet I'm nervous! I haven't done any formal schooling in almost 20 years. This is a totally new field for me, even though I've been First Aid and CPR trained for ages, and have done chirurgeon work in the SCA as well. I have enjoyed doing that, and can use these skills not only for a career, but also for SCA, SilverMoon (the local pagan event healthcare volunteers), and if the world goes to heck in a handbasket.
Wish me luck!

And today's entry....

2008-10-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

No extra hours this week. Sucky boo. Really could use the overtime, but the time away from work is helpful. The house is a real mess lately.
On the plus side, I think I've found the black hole that's eating up my money. Just not sure I can do anything about it in time to fix it before it gets worse. Gotta try. I'm looking at other money-making opportunities, too, and in order to do them, I need my internet. So, I'm going with the cheaper alternative of dsl. It's cheaper than tethering my cell phone, going back to cable or buying an aircard. Dialup is right out. The service should be turned on by Thursday evening, after Mercury has gone direct, thank you very much!
The weather's turned cool and rainy, so I fired up the furnaces in the apartment at long last. They are both working fine, which is a good thing. The cats are also pleased. I did do a bit of walking today, but not a full hike. Too much to get done on my 'day off' to take the time to walk everywhere. But I am taking the time to enjoy one last pot of tea at the Flying Star and get on their wi-fi.
I am rather pleased that my Paid Time Off request for MileHiCon has been approved. That will give me time to enjoy the trip more. It looks like I will have to fly, rather than drive, as the brake job that the truck needs would eat most of my budget for that pay period, and I need to get out of the hole. The plane ticket is much cheaper, even if I have to go to an agency and pay by check before my paycheck comes in on 10/24. I have crash space (as far as I know) and will be on several panels. It's going to be fun.

Written offline on Saturday night, 10/12/08

2008-10-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up on a little bit of blogging.
I've been working an awful lot lately, trying to get as many extra hours of work as possible. I have to get the truck's brakes fixed as soon as I can, and definitely before I head up to Denver for Mile Hi Con. I may not have to drive to the con, depending on whether my friend Dante wants to ride up with me, but if I can, I'd like to. It was a pleasant drive last year, and I have extra time budgeted in to the trip. I'll still look at flight options, for economy's sake. Flying would give more time, that's for sure. I'll work that out later. I'm just bummed that my dear Gaffer won't be coming down for Khural the weekend before that, so won't be riding back up with me.
I've been dealing with a toothache today. It's from the hole in my one molar where the filling came out about two years ago. I think the nerve is finally exposed, and it started kicking up suddenly this afternoon. I've been putting clove oil on it, but the percoset that I had left from my surgery doesn't seem to touch it. I'll get some spilanthes, too, to help with the long-term healing and prevent infection. I've heard that there's a dental clinic that works on an income-related basis, and I'll check it out as soon as I can get the paperwork I need.
I did get online a bit earlier this afternoon, after getting home from Ryan's and doing a couple of errands. The pain made me stop before I got everything done that I had wanted to, but once I got my clove oil, I was able to enjoy the Shop & Stroll in Nob Hill. I'd forgotten that it was going on, but it was nice to get out.
Central Ave. was blocked off between Carlisle and Girard, about a quarter-mile stretch. It was quite festive, with sidewalk sales, bands and music, and even some bellydancers. A lot of the shops that are usually not open on Sundays when I go for my walk were open today. One place that had caught my eye was better than I had expected – it has lovely Asian and East Indian clothing and accessories, and they even hand tailor kimonos! The prices looked reasonable, too. Definitely a place to put on the wish list.
My errands this morning took me to the fabric store to get supplies for my Halloween costume. I'm really looking forward to the Witches' Ball, and Ryan is planning to go with me, too. Of course, I have to work that day before we go, but as it's the day after Halloween, I may be able to get away with wearing part of my costume there, or at least change into it at the end of the day. I'm going as a Nekomata, (oh, just google it), so kimono, ears/tail, wig and makeup. Easy enough to do, especially as I'll have the wig pre-styled. Ryan's going to wear his kilt (and, he says, “nothing else”) so maybe I'll see if he wants some woad for decoration.
Last night, we watched American Beauty and Pink Floyd's The Wall with a few Coronas and a sixpack of Pete's Wicked Ale Strawberry Blonde. I was bummed that the store was out of Wild Blue, but the Strawberry wasn't bad. It felt good to kick back and relax, knowing that I didn't have to get up and go to work today. This morning, I got ambitious, walked to the store and got stuff to make breakfast. Cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate, just right in the cool weather.
Tonight, a few more episodes of “Rome” on DVD, and then to bed. Having the tower computer hooked up to the TV is pretty cool, and since I've no internet or cable for now, I've got time to catch up on DVDs. When I finish these, I can borrow others from friends or the library. Plus, I've still got a few movies on my external hard drive that look so much better on the bigger screen.
Tomorrow's back to work. Don't know if there's overtime this week, so can't really do extra on Mondays, as I'd have to go in early. I'm on the closing shift, so staying late isn't an option, it's got to be going in early instead. Frankly, I don't mind having one day that's not a 12-hour shift.

Safely landed

2008-10-06T19:51:00.001-07:00

I'm back from my little jaunt to Indiana. Got in this afternoon, showered and took a well-deserved, much needed nap. Many thanks to all who helped me with crash space, rides and food!
I'm still kinda bummed that I didn't get a chance to run up the last 100 miles and see my mom. No gas money, even with the offer of a borrowed vehicle, and just not enough time to do it. I did call her, though, and it works out - she got called in to work that day after all and wouldn't have had time to spend with me!
Tomorrow, it's back to work. There should still be overtime, so I'm planning to go in early and start pulling more of those 12-hour days. Gotta get the brakes fixed, gotta get bills paid, and MileHiCon is the week after Khural... I'll rest in November, maybe.

One whupped puppy, that's me!

2008-10-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tired as heck, sore, and quite content with that.
I'm in Indiana at the moment, having flown back yesterday to attend and DJ at a wedding today. My friends Linda and Dustin got hitched. Nice simple ceremony, somewhat Hindu style, but not too pagan for the other family members.
I managed to get the earlier flight yesterday, on standby. 8 am is a much better time than 1 pm, especially when you don't want to deal with Chicago during rush hour. Granted, leaving the house at 5 a.m. was not so much fun, and I rarely sleep well before traveling. The flight was good, a full plane, and I was glad to have gotten a seat. Ambr picked me up at O'Hare, and drove me to South Bend. Nice bonus, hadn't planned on that. Our dinner at Fiddler's was rather disappointing. The food wasn't up to the usual standards, and when we mentioned it, they still didn't do anything about it. I hope it's just a fluke, but on a home game Friday, they can't afford to be anything less than their best!
After dinner, Ambr, Bill, Lori and I walked around the corner to the Spurious Fugitive art gallery for this month's opening. Caught up with my friend Kevin, but Larry didn't make it this time. Then it was off to Linda and Dustin's to prep stuff and try to get some sleep.
I say try, because sharing a room with 6 cats, and their litterboxes, is not conducive to a good night's rest. At least the pillow and blanket smelled nice and helped to counteract the rest. But these cats aren't well-socialized yet, plus one of them peed on my jammie pants when I had kicked them off from the warmth. Another made a poo and then tracked it onto the bed. Add in the achy knee and the work-dreams, and I didn't sleep much.
Got up when I couldn't stand it any more, threw my pants into the washer right away, cleaned up the mess, got dressed and helped Linda get ready. The wedding went well, except for my CD drive flaking out, having to make an emergency speaker purchase (didn't realize the cords to my PA system weren't with it), and not being able to pull one song off of Linda's hard drive. The food was good, but the fatigue caught up to some of us. Ambr went home, and I arranged to borrow Sandymom's truck for the afternoon and evening. I went over to Kyle's (my old house) to get another bagful of stuff to take home with me. Found some things I'd been wanting, didn't find others, but all in all a productive few hours.
Now I'm at a different friend's house for the night. While I'm using the internet connection, she's going through my music collection on the Disk of Holding and enjoying some tunes. Tomorrow, we'll go to church, and then I'll catch a ride to the South Shore train so I can head up to Chicago. My flight out is Monday morning, so I'll stay Sunday night with Ambr and Norman, and she'll take me to O'Hare on Monday morning. I had hoped to go up and see my mom, but I haven't the time or the gas money to do it. If I hadn't had to spend 200 dollars on my truck's brakes, I could have done it. Grrr. Mom understands, of course, but I had hoped.
I'm running out of steam, so will head to bed soon. It's only 8:20 back in Abq, but I'm feeling more tired than I usually am at 10:20 which is what it is here. Night!

The reincarnation meme

2008-09-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

For those who know me, this will come as no surprise...

Your result for Reincarnation Placement Exam...

Gypsy Camp

You sing! You dance! You flee from the authorities!

You were a bit difficult to place, because you like civilization and humanity -- but when it comes to work, you don't really fit into the system, the ruts and the rituals, that modern civilization embraces. You like your own ways... your old ways.

We've placed you among a hardy Gypsy family. They'll have you plucking a violin before you can talk, and dancing before you can walk. The road is your home, and your horses are members of your family. You get to wear lots of shiny things.

We expect that you'll have a good life. Even if your people are surrounded by a world where they don't really fit in, they have each other, an oasis of compatibility in an unbalanced world. We know you'll make the most of it!

Take Reincarnation Placement Exam at HelloQuizzy

August wore me out!

2008-09-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry, all, I'd really meant to post before this, but what with Bubonicon and work and everything else....
The con went well, my birthday not so much, and work is...work.
The rest of life is a mixed bag, and there's some stuff going on that I'm debating whether or not to blog about. I'm ambivalent, because even though I don't think it would hurt the others in the tale, I'm still not sure of the effect on my readers. Presuming I have any, that is.

Work is gonna get a bit suckier this next week. My schedule is now not only the opposite of what I wanted, but what I got wasn't even on the bid list when I filled it out! I'll be working 12:30 to 9:00 p.m., *if* I get out on time, and my days off will be Sunday and Tuesday. If it weren't for the queue being closed on Sundays, I'd probably end up working those, too. So, now I won't be able to get to my meetings, even the ones on Saturdays. Social life? Down the shitter at this rate. And I was actually starting to have a social life, too, dammit.

On the plus side, I do have some paid time off earned at long last, and will be using it in October. I've got a weekend trip to Indiana the first weekend (friend's wedding, she bought the ticket!), and Mile Hi Con in Denver the last weekend. Also, friends coming into town for a meeting halfway through the month. Whee...

This Sunday is Pagan Pride Day. I'll be in the ritual for the event, helping run a booth, and telling a story to the kids' corner. Busy day, but should be fun. Luckily, it also won't cost any money. Unlike the state fair, which starts tomorrow. I'd like to go, but there's an admission charge. Oh, well.

More another time when I have the energy.

Lughnasadh Update

2008-08-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think I’ve recovered from my Lughnasadh weekend campout. It was excellent, and well worth taking the time off from work. Honestly, I needed the break.
Work is going fine, but now that I’m in “Laptop Connect”, the calls are more challenging and take longer to resolve. I still get frustrated with the ones I can’t quite fix, but the number of those calls is dropping. And many times, the problem lies in the computer, and there’s nothing I can do except tell them they need to get to a repair tech.
So, yeah, stress relief was definitely in order this weekend. Not that I wasn’t nervous about the opening ritual I wrote, or running a workshop!
The event started Thursday, and I got up to the site at about 1 p.m. It was a bit later than I’d hoped, but since I was towing a borrowed trailer full of stuff for the event, I took my time getting there. No way am I going to try and go 70 on the highway with a trailer, not with my little V-6 engine! Luckily, there were only about 8 miles of actual freeway, with the rest on smaller highways and roads.
I had plenty of time to get my camp set up, and get some people to read parts for the ritual. It was a pretty simple opening, and everyone seemed to like it. The theme for the whole event was “Lugh’s Games”, so playful and fun was called for! The circle was cast with blowing bubbles, and the Spirit was invoked in the form of the Holy Fool. Short and simple, just like I hoped.
Friday I participated in a couple of workshops, worked security/safety for a while, and then we had the Body Painting Jam and Fantasia Fling. The painting was fun, with everybody taking turns decorating each other. Watercolor pencils are great for this, even though some folks sweated off some of the paint before the Fling.
Saturday, more workshops, the Main Ritual, and that evening was the potluck feast. Yum! Some very talented cooks in this bunch, I tell ya. Considering that I’d been getting by on granola bars, dried fruit and the like, I was hungry! Bardic Circle was that evening, too, and I hoped that the beers I’d drunk wouldn’t mess me up! I did “For Three Of Us”, which I’d learned from Tempest, and one of John Inchingham’s songs, “The Rogue Wizard’s Lament”. It felt good to sing again, especially as I had next to no voice at Beltane. After Bardic, the drumming and dancing, and we were able to have a really good fire to gather around. Hooray for rain and less danger of wildfires!! I ended up being Fire Tender for the evening, so was the last one out. A few of us stayed out late, lying on the ground by the fire and enjoying the night sky. Lots of falling stars, nearly no light pollution...combined with the new moon and solar eclipse energy, it was just magical.
I think I got to bed about 4 a.m., after dousing the fire thoroughly. About an hour or so later, I (and most of the camp) woke to the yipping of a young coyote! Boy, he was loud! He was checking out the generator about 50 ft. from my tent, apparently. After a while he heard the rest of the pack calling from the other ridge and took off to join them. First time I’d ever really heard a coyote live. Pretty cool.
Sunday was Closing Ritual and packing out. I didn’t get to the sunscreen in time, so got kinda toasted. Serves me right, I guess. After I got the trailer dropped off, and got my shower, I pretty much crashed for the evening. The rains waited till that evening, thank goodness.
All in all, a good weekend. I feel much better for having had the time off and getting out to camp. There were a lot of little things that made me think of my friends off at Pennsic, too. We even had a yurt in the camp, and that made me smile for many reasons.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to the Mabon event, but I’m sure looking forward to Witches’ Ball for Samhain!

Enough.

2008-06-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, not only has my HordeBrother Starhelm been chosen by a Pale Horse, but I got the word this morning that my Aunt Barbara has joined the ancestors as of yesterday morning. One unexpected loss, one expected.
To borrow a phrase..."DO NOT WANT!!!!" Two losses in one day is too much.

Barbara is my mom's sister, the one next older than her. She had a massive stroke in February, and was not going to be able to recover, honestly. My one cousin was realistic about the end, but the other was not ready to let go until about a week ago. She finally realized that extreme measures (daily dialysis, large doses of meds, etc.) were not going to help, and that Barb was never going to be able to leave a nursing home. I can only imagine how hard it has been on both the girls.
I'm very glad now that I made it back home for Christmas this past year. Barb had moved back to Jonesville last year, Mom and Uncle Bob share Mom's house there, Uncle Lynn lives across town and Aunt Lois is only about an hour away. That's 5 of the 8 siblings. In order from eldest to youngest, they are: Lois, Frankie (deceased), Bob, Lynn, Irene (deceased), Barbara (now deceased), Beverly (MOM), and John. John's in Colorado, but his son Jeff & family live less than a block from Mom now. My brother Frank and his wife live 5 miles away in the next town. Other cousins are all over the country and world. My family has been in that area of Michigan for 4 generations, at least.
You might have noticed that family is very important to me. Not only the family with which I share DNA, but my families of the heart. My Horde Brothers in the SCA. My brothers and sisters of the pagan communities I belong to. My adopted family on the mountain. My friends who are dear to me and sometimes closer than my blood kin. Even those who have left this world and joined the ancestors are still my kin and kith, and they live on in my memory and the stories we tell each time the family gathers.
But, dammit, I'm tired of these constant reminders of my own increasing age and mortality. My mind knows that these passages will happen, but my heart is never quite ready. Whose heart ever is? I miss each and every one that has left us lately, and am worried lest I forget a name on the growing list. In a few weeks, it will be yet another yahrzeit for a friend gone before. All I can do is remember and be glad for having known all these wonderful people.

I finally found the quote I wanted to share. It's John Donne's "Meditation XVII"...
"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Not the blog I'd planned to write!

2008-06-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

So, here I was, thinking of posting a nice blog Sunday night with a re-telling of the first stage of building the adobe 'horno' oven. Nope. That post will have to wait a bit. Not because it didn't happen; it did and it was a lot of fun.

No, I ended up going to the UNM Hospital ER Sunday night with the gallbladder attack from Hell. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, honestly, but OMFGs! I even scared my neighbor Roslee (she's an RN) with how bad I was. So she takes me in to the ER, and waits with me. And we waited. And waited. We'd gotten there at about 11 p.m., and they did do some triage and blood draws eventually, but we waited. At about 3 or 4 a.m. the pain had actually passed off, and I was feeling better. Not vomiting anymore, able to form coherent sentences again. Around 8 a.m. (Monday morning) they finally called me back to get checked out. Great, will they believe me now? I'm not hurting anymore, they've done a shift change, so anyone who saw me in pain may have gone home, but okay, I'm here, I want to know what to do.
I got checked over, then got sent up for an ultrasound so they can try to see what's going on in there. At least I was able to get my cell phone shortly after that, and call in to work. At least gonna be late, not sure. Also was able to call some friends and get the support network activated. Mongol juju, Pagan energy of several flavors, and oh, better call my mom... And then I wait some more. Results finally come back, and yeah, we think we'd better get that gallbladder out of there. I really had hoped to avoid surgery, not just for financial reasons, but also because I still had all my original parts and I kinda like that idea! But the more we discussed the options, the more that surgery now seemed to be the intelligent choice. So we'll do it. As soon as we can. Stay here and wait. And wait. Someone sent back a book for me to read, and I did sleep a bit.
One of our local pagan clergy had gotten word of where I was, and came to visit for a bit. That was darned nice. Other folks were calling to check on me, too. Shoot, my cell phone ran out of juice, partially because of the crappy signal. Finally, everything's set and it's time to go upstairs to the OR. This is about 9 p.m, I think? I didn't have my glasses, so couldn't see a clock. All I had with me was my nightie and shoes that I'd worn in, and my phone. I did have someone to bring me clothes for when I got out, thank goodness!
So I had my little chat with the anesthesiologist (no, not the one I know from elsewhere), and she gives me some uber-valium in my I.V. line. That's all I remember till I woke up in recovery at about 4 a.m. with a cotton mouth and a bursting bladder. I was in and out of sleep for a while, but by about 8:30 or 9 this morning, I was up and making trips to the bathroom. By 10 a.m. I was discharged (think I surprised/impressed the nurses) and my ride took me home. I got my stuff together, hit the bank, picked up my drugs at the store, and went to work.
I managed to work from 12:30 to 5:45 today, but by then my brain was getting fuzzy and I decided that "they stuck a fork in me, I'm done" and came home.
Now, remember Roslee taking me in on Sunday night? Well, today was her scheduled surgery! She had a total knee replacement, and was under the knife while I was getting up and out this morning. I guess we're 'surgery sisters' now. Honest, I'd rather not have, and we were joking that I just had to do her one better ;-) Anyway, our friend Kathy came by to check on me, and I rode up to UNMH with her to visit Roslee. She's doing fine, and very glad to have the 'happy drug button' to push.

So here I am, home again, somewhat perforated, rather sore, and hoping that my little drugs will help me sleep tonight. My cats are glad to have me back, too. I will be going to work tomorrow, and should be able to make it through the whole day.
Many thanks to all who have sent well-wishes, and my apologies to those I didn't have a chance to notify beforehand.
Nap tiem nao, yes? Kthxbai!

Stepping outside of the box...

2008-05-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

Something completely different today. I am at the Verb Art Collective for the day, as part of the Porque Burque craft show. It's the finale to the art exhibition of the same name, being put on by Duke City Fix, a webgroup I'm involved in.
I didn't have enough money to make dream pillows (HR messed up our paychecks!), so I have my hand-painted tiles for sale, and have set out the Tarot Reader shingle, too.

Okay, I think I've remembered how to put pics in here...
I've made more tiles since I took these pics this morning, and have even made one sale! I'll make sure to get shots of the other tiles, too, don't worry.
My main accomplishment today is to be here doing this. I'm sleep deprived, in over my head, outside my comfort zone, but darn it, I'm here! I guess if I believe that I'm an artist, then I am. I would have been more comfortable having the pillows to sell, too, but the universe had other ideas. Anyway, back to the painting!

Mulberries, munchies and monsters, oh my!

2008-05-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

Had a fun-filled day today. It started very early, with me getting up at about 7 a.m. to clean out the truck and meet the rest of the FreeForAllFruit group for mulberry picking. Believe me, after getting home from work around 1 a.m., and to bed later than that, it was an accomplishment to get up after only a few hours of sleep! Five of us met up and headed over to the UNM campus, where we’d earmarked five trees to harvest. We had a couple of ladders, and a couple of us were even up in the trees themselves gathering berries. I haven’t climbed a tree in way too long! Our total haul after about two hours was a good 9 pints of berries, and there are plenty of unripe ones left to go back for. Back to the house, then, and we started sorting and cleaning the fruit. Some fresh to munch on, some to freeze, some to dry and the rest for jam. We had enough to make about 6 pints of jam, so after a quick store run for more sugar and a box of pectin, we did just that. By 12:30, the jam was cooling, the lids were sealing, and we called it a morning.

Next on my agenda were a nap and a shower. Got back up around 5, and Roslee and I went to get a bit of dinner before heading over to Craig’s to watch movies. There were 6 of us for movies, and we watched National Treasure: Book of Secrets (fun) and Tremors (wonderfully cheesy fun!). We had thought about watching the original Indiana Jones movie, but since National Treasure had come in, we went with that one. So now it’s about 1:30 a.m., and I’m back home. Bedtime as soon as I wind down, I think. But I wanted to blog about the berry-picking, at the very least.

Tomorrow, I’ll try to make some bread to go under my mulberry jam! I also need to get supplies for my projects for next weekend's craft fair and get started on those. Whee!

Yeah, I'm here.

2008-05-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

Finally getting some of my energy back. Between the weather, my allergies (who knew?), stress, and a lovely little 'black-dog-depression', it's been a tough couple of weeks. I think the planets are beginning to get back in line, though, and I'm feeling better.
The late training shift I've been on for the last couple of weeks hasn't helped, either. 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. is a crappy shift in many ways, and by the end of the night, most of the class is pretty brain-dead! Luckily, we're ahead of schedule overall as far as getting through the curriculum for the Consumer Data Services dept. Yeah, CDS...tech support for PDAs and Smartphones, like Blackberry, Palm and such. I have a geek job. Wow.
To top it off, we *do* have to work Monday, Memorial Day. If I'd been there for 6 months, I'd get double time and a half. As it is, I'll be getting time and a half, since I'm working. If I wasn't working, I'd get nothing at all! So, yeah, I'll work...no problem... It'll probably be an easy day, anyway, as many of us will be tired from the weekend.
So, tomorrow's payday. We're doing a potluck at work, that'll be cool. There's a gas grill out back that we can use, and a cookout sounds like fun. We had thought of just getting food from a local BBQ joint, but that was going to be too much food and money. I'm the only vegetarian in the class, but there will be enough side dishes to keep me happy, and I may pick up a pack of Boca Burgers or Veggie Dogs for myself. My contribution is some sodas and a bucket of ice cream for Root Beer Floats. Yum!
Today, I've made some yummy Pad Thai for dinner (packing for later), a batch of Molasses Crybaby cookies for work, and am watching a couple of good shows on the History Channel in between things. One on "The Dark Ages", which kinda annoyed me in its biased view (anti-viking), and a better one on Chinggis Khan. Yay, Mongols!
So there's the latest glimpse into my bi-polar life (I'm not bi-polar, just my life).

Wow, what a Beltane! (very long)

2008-04-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the big Beltane gathering out here. Wow. 350 people all camping together in a Forest. It wasn't till I got to talking with some of the others that I realized that this is not only my first Beltane here, but also the first time I've ever been to a large-scale pagan gathering like this. I never made it to Pan-Pagan in Indiana!
So, here’s how most of my weekend went….
I'd been feeling a bit icky all week, mainly allergies, I think. The usual scratchy throat and a bit of fever from being tired. But I wasn't gonna miss this event! I got all my stuff packed, loaded, and cooked in plenty of time to head out Friday to the campsite. It's only about half an hour away, but of course it feels like longer if you don't know quite where you're going! I found the area of the Cibola National Forest that we were going to be in, and the minute I hit the borders of the "Beltane Village", I could feel the energy shift. I found a spot to set up my tent, got registered and signed up for my volunteer shifts. It's been forever since I've used a dome tent, and this one was new to me, so that was an interesting exercise in itself. I hadn't had time to put it up in the backyard to test it, either. Luckily, everything worked fine, and the tent is big enough to stand up in. Of course, I'm still missing some of my usual camping amenities, but I had enough stuff to be comfortable for a weekend.
Off to explore the site, then, and it's a nice area. There's a sea of concrete with lots of concrete picnic tables, and people liked to gather there, but the main center of activity was the big clearing that served as the ritual area. The merchants area was close to where I'd camped, and there were clusters of campers all through the area we had. It was a bit odd not being able to have fires other than campstoves or propane, but under the circumstances it was wise. Despite all the snow over the winter, it has been a very dry spring, and there's a major wildfire going on about 20 miles south of where we were. Nobody's taking any chances!
Fortunately, propane was okay, so that's what we had for our Balefire. We dug a fire pit, laid in a rectangular burner (pipes w/holes) and covered it with rocks and lava rocks. I helped dig the hole and the trench for the hose that ran to the propane tank. When we lit it, it worked really well.
Friday evening was the Opening Ritual. It was neat to be in such a huge circle. After ritual, we got out the drums and instruments and such and gathered around the firepit for a Bardic Circle. I was still feeling icky, and already losing my voice, but I managed to get one song out before I lost it completely. I sang one of my originals, "Drummer Boy", and it was very well received, even without having my full voice. It was so cold that I couldn't get my fingers to work on my guitar, so I just sang it unaccompanied. For my second turn, I just played a tune on my tinwhistle.
After bardic, we got out the drums and the dancers showed up. How some of these gals were able to run around topless in that weather, I'll never know. Even if I'd been feeling 100 percent, I'd have been cold! Anyway, I eventually ended up joining the dancers in order to get closer to the fire and get warm. We passed around all sorts of drink, and I shared out the last remaining good meads from Indiana. It was my way of partying with all my friends in both places. It must have worked well, because I was certainly feeling no pain after a while. Then again, it might have been the brownies, too. Chocolate, mead, drumming, cute guys...oh, yeah, it's Beltane!!
My favorite lad had been there earlier in the day, but couldn't stay the weekend, darn the luck. At least I got to see him at all, because he said he'd just shown up on a lark! Thank you, Universe, for putting the idea in his head! We hung out a bit, and he had his guitar with him, so some of us ended up singing along while he played. That was awesome. Anyway, he'd left even before the opening ritual, so I was missing him, but having fun anyway.
One of the other drummers and I were getting along pretty well, even before he found out that I had bourbon to share. We'd hung out a bit at Ostara, too, talking music and such. Anyway, the circle was winding down, and when we stood up, we realized that we probably should have quit drinking a bit earlier than we had. He was in worse shape than I, so of course I had to make sure he got home safely. ;-) Okay, so I didn't know where his tent was...and he seemed to be quite disoriented...but after a slight detour, we found it and I left him safely tucked in. I headed back to my own tent after stopping back at the circle to make sure the fire was properly turned off.
One word for that night...COLD!!! I crawled into my bed fully dressed, covered my head and tried to get warm. I eventually fell asleep, then woke to find out that Mother Nature was going to add her own lovely twist to the weekend. Dammit, that wasn't supposed to start till Tuesday!! Grrrr.... Out of the relative warmth of the bed, out to the latrines, change clothes when I got back, back to bed. Feh. Oh, well, it'll keep me out of trouble, I guess. Dammit.
Saturday morning, I think I got up out of self-defense, just so I could go find a sunny spot to warm up in. I was surprised to find that even though I'd slept in my contact lenses, they weren't bugging me at all. A bit of saline in the eyes and good to go. The main ritual was set for noonish, and by then I was feeling thawed out. I had gone to the med tent in hopes of something to help me feel better, and had ended up with a mug of hot Gypsy Cold Care tea. It really helped, and the heat felt good on my raw throat. I still didn't have much voice, but at least I didn't feel as feverish. A bunch of us had already started drumming while the crew was digging the hole for the maypole. Four feet deep this year, so it wouldn't fall over. The pole is quite the piece of work. It's about 25 feet long or so, about 8 inches diameter at the base, tapering up to about 3 inch diameter where the wrought iron crown fits on. It's beautifully carved, with the bottom made to look like a phallus, and words spiraling around the shaft. The guy who brought it down from its storage place (on top of his pickup truck) said he got quite the reaction driving through town on the way....I can only imagine!
The ritual was really cool, a dramatization of a god and goddess searching in the four directions for wisdom from other deities about their purpose (of course, it's love...) and then they brought in the maypole. All the men went to fetch it, and they bore it into the circle with the outgoing May Queen riding atop it. The pole was crowned and set upright amidst great cheers. The winding of the pole was so much like the way we do it at Live Oak, not so much for the size of the group, but the way we still manage to make it look good in spite of the missteps in the dance. Kinda like life, I suppose. I did get up from my drum and weave a bit, and was in on the last wraps. Lots of good energy. Then the new May King and Queen were chosen. Couldn't happen to a nicer couple. (One of these years, maybe it'll be my lad and me....maybe.)
After ritual, the feast! Big potluck, mostly cooked ahead, but not all of it. They had split up the list of what to bring by Sign Elements. I'm a Fire Sign, so dessert....cookies, naturally. I think people were still noshing on leftovers till after dark! I took advantage of being warm and full-tummied, and headed back to my tent for a nice nap.
In the evening, we set up and lit the firepit for the Balefire. Another nice ritual, and then the fire jumping began. I managed to make a decent leap, I think, but I was really hurting by this time, so I went back to drumming and trying to stay warm. I actually had another fellow ask me to jump the fire with him! How about that? Here I am, a cold, painful, bleeding mess, and I've got somebody hitting on me? How the heck did that happen? I mean, this is me! Attention from two cute guys in one weekend??? Well, I hobbled up and we stepped over the fire, since I was really stiff from sitting. I explained my feeling icky, and he was quite understanding about it. I did get a nice backrub, though, and that helped a lot. I was able to stay out and drum a while longer, but by the time the dancing started in earnest after dark, I was just too dead to do anything, even after my nap. So I turned in early, all bundled up and with my hat on.
From what someone said Sunday morning, it got down to about 23 degrees F that night. No wonder I was cold! Thank the gods for hot pancakes and coffee for breakfast! After a couple cups of java, I actually got most of my voice back, too. It was a nice mellow morning, hanging out with folks, getting and giving lots of hugs and kisses.

Closing ritual at noon, then down comes the maypole. That was a lot of work, especially getting the rocks out that had been used to keep the pole steady in its hole. The ribbon ends had been trimmed off by then, and people were gathering them for souvenirs. I got some, and am going to send a piece up to my mountain lad, along with copies of the pics I took of the new King and Queen. The ribbon wrappings are removed from the pole in one piece, and the newly-crowned May Queen gets to keep them forever, holding that energy for the community during the coming year. Pretty neat.
After that, it was time to tear down and pack up. It didn't take me long, as I had already done a fair amount of prep work already. I helped some of the others, and spent a bit more time with my drummer friend from Friday night. Then back to the real world, and a Bubonicon Con-Com meeting. How's that for a mental shift?

So, there's my weekend in relatively short form. Of course, I'm not telling you everything! In spite of feeling like crap for a good portion of it, I did have a good time overall. There are other events coming up, and I'm looking forward to them, now that I'm feeling more a part of the community out here. I've made more friends, and that's always good. It reminds me of how I felt when I first found Live Oak. I'm finding a new home, and while I sure do miss the old home, it's good to be here.

My eyes hurt...

2008-04-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's the contact lenses, the dry weather, the wind, allergies or all of the above, but my eyes are bugging me a lot this week. Neither my glasses nor my contacts are the right prescription anymore, and I know that doesn't help. So I'll rest my eyes a bit by wearing my glasses for a couple of days, even though I end up taking them off when I'm working on the computers.
The most frustrating thing is that I'm having trouble focusing. I need the glasses or contacts to see far, but now neither do any good for anything within a couple of feet. I can manage, but it's blurry. The contacts are actually doing better for work, as I can adjust the computer there to be able to read it enough to work, and still see the rest of the room. But I can't read a book or write very well. With the glasses, I have almost the same problem, so do my close up work without them. I dread going to the eye doctor (whenever I can manage to do that) because I really am not mentally ready for bifocals! I also worry about things like glaucoma, since there's a bit of family history of it. I really hope I can get laser surgery someday, even if I still end up with reading glasses
The dry windy weather is really kicking in now. There are wildfire watches all across the state, and at least one big fire that's got people worried. Add in the pollen from who knows what's blooming right now, and it seems like everyone's sneezing these days. I'm drinking extra water, too, just to stay hydrated. Chapped lips are no fun at all!

Looking forward, I'm trying to get my act together for next weekend's Beltane campout. I'm working every day till then so I can get my hours in and still have the weekend off. I just got a tent given to me, and I have to see what condition it's in. Hope it's in good enough shape to get me through the weekend! I'm a bit nervous about going to a new event, but excited, too. I'm hoping a certain friend of mine will be there, but haven't heard anything (no surprise there). I just hope I can stay comfortable and have a good fun time.

Interesting side note: A year ago, at this time, I was on my vacation out here in NM, staying at the mountain home for the first time. Looking over the past year, I am stunned at the whirlwind I've been riding. I know the ride's far from over, too, but hopefully it will be a bit less hectic at some point! Just goes to show that you never can tell what's coming your way!

Best Ostara Evar! (long)

2008-03-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the length of this post, and the possible "squee factor". I really had a better day than I'd dared to hope, and I am still energized.

Here's how my Ostara went today:

Got up this morning, glad to have the day off and be able to go to the Ostara gathering. I packed my feast basket with the homemade rolls for the potluck, got the shovels from the backyard, loaded up my drums and stuff. The shovels were for the tree-planting we were gonna do as part of the ritual.

Found Sunflower River easily enough, and pulled into the yard. This place is a small farm, really, now being rehabbed into a working farm again. Four people sharing the place, Alan, Kat, Jenny and Tristan. The same ones I’d met at the concert so long ago! Jenny’s the one who finally got me the info for the gathering, since she’s in ASFS as well.

People were arriving for a while, and one of the young guys from work even showed up with his folks. That was pretty funny, actually, especially as he usually doesn’t come out for circles. I was lighting and tending the fire, meeting people, having a good time, and got the urge to call Sandy. Talked to her for a few, then to Fred when he came in. That was cool.

After that, I headed back up toward the house for some reason, and stopped dead in my tracks. Lo and behold, there was Matti! I honestly did not expect him to come down for Ostara! We hugged and said hi, and I continued on into the house. Of course, I had to scoot out the other door and around the corner to immediately call Sandy back and tell her that he’d made it down…*grin*

Eventually, we all headed to the ‘ritual grove’ area, beyond the sheds and chicken coop, and gathered for ritual. The current May King and Queen presided, and it was very nice. We had bread and strawberries with mead or juice for libation, and then got divided up into seven teams to plant the new fruit trees for the farm. We’ll all get a share of the fruit eventually, whether it be as mead or desserts, too. Some of the people who weren’t up to the digging kept the chanting going while we worked. When the trees were all in, they were watered, and each team fed their tree some energy. We went back to the circle and closed things down, and headed back to the main yard. I put my shovels back in the truck, and walked with Matt over to the van while he was putting his away. We talked a bit about how things are up at the mountain home, and the possibility of pooling our resources for Beltane’s camping event. I went back to the house as he was getting his drum and guitar out and locking up. I really hope he didn’t see me step in the hole and fall on my face by the kitchen door… I wasn’t hurt, just embarrassed.

The food at our feast was very good, lots of variety. The fire I’d started was our cooking fire, and the firepit ring had a grill built into it. There was chicken and elk steak, Portobello mushrooms and eggplant. Add the salads, desserts and drinks, and we all ate very well. I had a tiny bite of chicken and a tiny bit of the elk, as they just smelled so good! I had some plum mead and a bottle of a wonderful Ginger Stout that Jamie had made.

After dinner, the drums and instruments started appearing from their hiding place in the yurt. I ended up sharing out some of my tinwhistles in an impromptu ‘petting zoo’, and a couple of people even tried the bodhran. Phoenix got his drums going, Matt joined in, and I moved over to play my little doumbek. A few other drums appeared, Alan had the didgeridoo out, and it just grew from there. It was a great jam, and I don’t know how long it lasted, really. We sang several songs, some of the other gals started dancing, it was just too cool. I’ve been waiting a year and a half for the chance to drum and sing with Matti, and I finally got it today. W00t! There truly is a groove that you get into when drumming and I was feeling it. The rhythms would change, and I was right there in perfect sync, not realizing it until seconds later. My kind of magic.

The sun was starting to sink when we packed up the drums, and people started saying their goodbyes. I got one more hug from Matt and sent him off with a hug for Mama, too. I stayed to help clean up and put things away, then headed home myself.

All day long, I had been having a good day, and thanking the gods that I had been able to go out. I managed to keep most of the energy either under control or grounded, but on the way home I had my music cranked, shouting my thanks to the Universe! I really needed a good day, and the good days are coming around more often than they used to. Sometimes I really can tell when things are “right”. Today was like that. Thanks for letting me share it.

A day off...did I get anything done?

2008-03-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, to be fair, I did get some things done. Not near as much as I'd have liked, but the day is only so long, y'know?
Since I was scheduled off for today, I do have to work Saturday. Bit of a bummer, that, as the Winterwolf SCA event is Saturday at UNM. I work 11:30-8, so it's not even worth trying to get to a day event like that.
Today I did my plasma donation, which takes about 2 hours or so including the wait time. Not bad, really, and I may have helped someone there get a job where I work. He was going to check it out, at least, and if he gets in and stays for 90 days, I'll get a reward, too! After that, I picked up a couple of Freecycle items I'd arranged for. I now have my very own Cibola HS Soccer t-shirt. I also got a bunch of homeopathic and dietary supplements to use and share. Stopped at Title Wave Books, where a couple of friends work, since I was in the area. Snagged a couple of free binders for work, even. A bit of lunch to follow, then off to the laundromat. I was running out of work-worthy clothes - I like to go for the upper end of the dress code when I can. Might help get brownie points and/or promotion in the future. A quick dinner at home, then I went down to the Guild Theater for this week's movie. Just got home from that a little while ago.
The movie this time was "The Rape of Europa", an excellent documentary from 2006 about the plundering and recovery of the great artworks of Europe during WWII. Fascinating, heartbreaking in spots, and very well done. I learned a lot from it, including the fact that there are still thousands of artworks that cannot be accounted for. There is hope that some may be found eventually. Work begun after the war is ongoing, especially with the frescoes of Pisa's Camposanto, and returning even small religious items to descendents of Holocaust victims. I have a new heroine, too. Her name is Rose Valland, and she single-handedly managed to keep an inventory of French artwork stolen by the Nazis and who it was stolen from. Nobody at the Jeu de Paume museum she worked at knew that she spoke German, and she memorized huge lists every day to write down at night. Amazing. She's in Wikipedia, btw, look her up.
So what didn't I get done? Garden stuff, mainly. I'm still trying to finish making notes from a book that needs to go back to the library. Gotta buy my own copy eventually. I need to get digging out back, finish measuring off areas...just all sorts of stuff. Maybe Sunday, I'm off then.
Work's going well, still a bit hectic when I come up with a situation I'm not sure how to handle, but there's always help handy. My team leader's cool, and the other TLs don't hesitate to help no matter who's asking. I'm encouraged.
I'll finish off by putting in a few pictures of my backyard so you can see "before", at least!

Finally sitting down for a few!

2008-03-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

Let me recap...no, there's not enough time....let me sum up! ;-)

Saturday was a full day. My neighbor Roslee and I went to a free class on 'Edible Landscapes' at a local garden center. Way cool, lots of good info and resources. She bought us some books, and I got "The Permaculture Guide to Ferment and Human Nutrition" by Bill Mollison. Everything from pickles to sourdough to alcohols. I'm enjoying it immensely! After the talk, we went out to pick up a computer monitor from a freecycler. I got a desktop computer from another freecycler last week, and am working on getting it up and running. Anyway, the people with the monitor raise miniature horses, and give away the bagged manure! Awesome connection for gardening, so yay!
Back towards town, and we stopped at a little Italian restaurant for lunch. Very good food, we split an antipasto salad (I just picked the meat out), and I had Lasagna Napoli. The minestrone soup was excellent, especially as it was meatless also. We didn't have room for dessert after that, so my iced cappuccino filled that need. Next time, we'll just go for cannoli!
Home again, and out to the yard. I pulled out some more bricks and trash, and drew diagrams in the dirt for some ideas we have. A corner for relaxation and shady retreats, a fire pit, the masonry oven, things like that. It looks like the thorns I was finding are from goatheads, and as long as I can keep those from growing, then I can keep the yard barefoot-safe eventually. I still want to get a sledge hammer and do some heavier work, especially if I can get rid of the useless cinderblock bin in the back corner. If I can salvage the blocks, so much the better, because I can use them for part of the oven base.
Got the computer up and running, and with a wireless adapter, it's even online. Only one small problem. Literally, small...as in the harddrive is only 3 Gb! Can't even do a full WinXP install on it, because SP2 won't fit. It runs on basic XP for now, so that's cool. I don't see it taking over from the laptop, but it'll be a good backup. It's a P3/733 mHz, 640 mB of RAM, originally a Dell. Not bad. I'm glad to know that I haven't forgotten how to work on computers, too. By the time I got to that point, I was tired, and went to bed.
Today was housework. I did dishes, and swept & mopped the kitchen. Picked up the spare computer parts in the front room, too. I have another nearly bare case for a Celeron 366, and may turn that into a Linux box. Later today, I plan to walk down to the Guild Cinema to see the fully restored version of Blade Runner. Should be good!
Tomorrow's work schedule is a bit earlier, starting at 2 instead of 4. I should know by Tuesday what my real schedule is going to be. I'm hoping to get back on a daytime schedule. My days off won't be the same from week to week, nor will my hours be exactly the same day to day, but they give us our schedule in advance, so I can plan ahead. I do want to see if I can work 4x10 (four ten-hour shifts) and that will free up more time, too. As long as I can get time for the cons and events I want to do, I'll be fine with that.

If you want to see some "before" pics of the backyard, they're at http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n4/hengle/ in the album 'My ABQ Digs'. I'll try to post more as things progress.

Second shift...what fun...

2008-02-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Believe me, I'm not really complaining. It's just taking a bit of adjustment time to get used to the schedule. And once I'm done with training, my schedule will change again.
So...I've been in training at work for two days. Monday was just orientation stuff, getting our badge pictures taken, a short tour, meeting the people in the class and basic company policy stuff. Last night we started getting into the real learning, like how to clock in on the computer, and customer service quality. If we keep going at this pace, the two weeks in class and one week of transition work should be plenty to get us up to speed. There's a lot to learn, and most of it seems to be which computer program to use for which need.
It's still hard to stay awake and alert through the whole shift, and by second break at 10 p.m., a lot of us are yawning. Too bad the coffee vending machine is a piece of crap. Several people have already gotten out the thermoses to bring their own coffee! I'm thinking that chocolate covered espresso beans are going to be a good thing to find, when I have some money. They're still better for me than soda or 'energy drinks'.
Anyway, it's sounding like this is going to be a good place to work. There's opportunity for overtime, promotions and advancement, unlike other places I've worked at. The company is big enough to have some decent benefits, and I hope this works out till I can get my other dreams off the ground.

It's official...I have work again.

2008-02-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

I start Monday evening, working at an incoming call center. There's 3 weeks of paid training and then I get a regular schedule. For now, it's 2nd shift for the classes, and after that, who knows? Pay's decent enough, and I still have time to get a part-time job on top of it. I am still looking for other income sources, of course.
At least things are looking up a bit now. Hopefully, I'll be able to not only catch up but have enough to save up for "con season"!
I am very relieved.

Quick update

2008-02-16T09:55:00.001-08:00

Still no work. Still putting in applications and resumes, two or three a day minimum. Getting very discouraged and worried. The month is half over, and I've got bugger all to show for it, it seems.
On the plus side, today is Rugby Day at Two Fools Tavern, so that'll be fun to hang out at. I get to go out with some friends tonight, too.
Last night was filking night, at another friend's house. We sat around and talked, sang and had fun. Not a bad way to spend an evening. Didn't make it to the pub afterwards, though, I was too tired.
I'm wondering if I still have some low-level bug floating around in my system. I'm not sick enough to feel sick, but my temperature's up by a degree or so and I'm feeling cold and lethargic lately. It's more annoying than anything else. I've got too much to do to be dealing with this on top of it all!
Guess I'd better get started....

Makin' some bread, man....

2008-02-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today's been a busy day and a laid-back one at the same time.
Started off by running over to the post office to send off a car payment from my last paycheck. Then I went over and donated plasma for some money. Hey, it's an income of sorts, even if it's not much. They had the movie "Saving Silverman" playing, and it's a really dumb flick that had us all laughing. After that, I swung by the grocery to get some shortening. Got margarine instead, as it's way cheaper and made of the same stuff. Why margarine/shortening? I'm making bread!
I guess the bread bug bit me yesterday when I was applying for a job at a local bakery. We've got the ASFS meeting tonight, so I'm taking homemade rolls, herb butter and honey butter. Yum! The rolls are in the oven right now, and already smelling wonderful.
Got a new CD today that I'd ordered a while back. The East Village Opera Company. Same idea as Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but with vocals, doing opera arias and overtures. It was a most excellent rocking CD, and I could still sing along with the arias I remember from college. "Nessun Dorma" is an all-time favorite of mine.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'm getting my tarot/astrology reading, and then Sunday evening, I'm doing a reading for a friend. Should be an interesting weekend!

Job hunting again...

2008-02-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

Y'know, I'm getting a bit tired of this.
I'm out of work again. Back to more job applications, and trying to figure out what to do.
I've got leads, and places to look. I'm trying to stay motivated. Hardest part is that right now I have no phone. Kinda hard to get callbacks without one. At least I can still get email. I should hopefully be able to get the phone/net/cable back this week out of my last paycheck and money made from donating plasma.
A friend of mine has gifted me with an indepth tarot/astrology/counseling session to help me find some direction. She said it helped her immensely when she was in similar straits. I'm thinking it's just what I may need to figure out what the heck I should be doing. What I've been doing isn't working for me anymore, and I need some help from outside my own head.
Wish me luck.

Bleargh.

2008-01-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

I hate getting sick. Especially when it makes me miss work, and leaves me feeling like I've been beaten with a blunt object. Hopefully it was just a 24-hour bug, but I think it worked overtime, because it started Tuesday evening and I'm still not back up to par. I did manage to eat tonight, which is a good sign. I'll spare you the rest of the details, unless you happen to read my LJ, and even it's not too graphic.
The weather is cold again, and I think the front thermostat is acting up because it was only 55 in the frontroom this morning! I checked tonight, and tried resetting it again. If it doesn't straighten out, I'll have to call the landlord. Phooey.
Both my phones are out, apparently, and it'll be at least next week till I can get comcast paid. Rent's due this week, and missing a day of work last week due to weather didn't help at all. I'll make it, but it'll be tight, and another no-frills week for me. As long as I can stay healthy, I'm fine.
I have my little party coming up on Saturday, and it looks like most of the people I invited will be able to make it. It'll be nice to have people over, and I'm looking forward to it.
My pot of tea is finished, so time to leave the cafe and head home to bed.

Time for another update

2008-01-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

Let's see. Work, commute, tired, broke. Yeah, that's about par for the course. ;-)
I'm looking for better work, and have found some good positions to apply for. So far, I've got apps in with the City for library paraprofessional jobs and emergency communications jobs, I just emailed a letter and resume in for an entry level editor trainee job at a publishing company, and I'm filling out apps for the local co-op store and a couple of other part time supplemental jobs.
Money's still extremely tight, so no cellphone, and now no cable/net. Cable phone is still on, but if I can't get it paid up by the 8th, I'll lose it, too. I should be able to pay that by then, but it means I have to go out for wi-fi for a while again.
I have gotten back into donating plasma for cash, and that's gonna help some. If I can donate on Friday and Sunday, then I can get $65 a week between the two days. Not bad. I'm also looking at setting out my shingle as a Tarot reader. I'm hoping to arrange a place other than my apartment to read at, though, so that might take a bit of work. I can get advertising fairly cheap or free, and there are bulletin boards to post flyers on. I just want to be classy and professional, y'know?
I'm working on getting another vehicle, since I don't know if I'll be able to keep my truck. The payments are a real stress right now. A good friend of mine has offered me a great deal on a '73 Mustang that she can't drive anymore due to the bucket seats hurting her injured hip. She and her dad were working on restoring it, and have parts cars for it, too! It's gonna be a neat project, and a sweet ride when I get her going again. The car has been parked for a couple of years, but is in good shape otherwise. Heh, might have to go cruise Central Ave. sometime this summer, if I get her looking pretty! Then again, it's a Mustang, with a 351 Cleveland and a CarterAFB 4-barrel carburetor. It ain't about pretty...this horse will run! Makes the idea of a day trip to the mountain home very appealing, even if I know she's gonna eat gas like nobody's business. (*sigh* My inner geek is also a big ol' gearhead...)
Yesterday was a bit odd. I tried to make it to work, and had to turn back around after about 25 miles. The highway was sheer ice, with no visibility from the freezing fog, and they closed the road!! So I called in from the gas station, turned around and came back home. Weather here is fine, but up there it was hellish. Go figure. You know the roads are bad when *I* give up and go home. I'm no wimp when I drive, but this was more than I cared to risk. There had been half a dozen rollovers reported when I stopped, and they were before the big hill south of Santa Fe that is so dangerous. By the time I got turned back around, in ten minutes, there had been three more! Insane.
That's how I ended up tinkering around with the Mustang some more, and spending way too long at the plasma place. I did get treated to dinner last night, which was fun, and the few of us who'd gone out went back to one house and watched 'The Musketeer' together. Good movie, awesome Wire Fu fighting! Fast and loose with the story in a way, but a fun movie to watch.
Today, I'm at Satellite Coffee for the wi-fi, and I'll probably hit the library later. Of course, I have to go to the grocery store for some gooshyfood for the cats, too, or they might not let me back into the house!
The sun is shining, it's 45 degrees (above zero, thank you!) and all in all, it looks like a pretty good day. I'm gonna make it a good day!

Too tired to blog

2008-01-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry, gang, I really have been too tired to do much of anything.
A typical work day has the alarm going off at 5 a.m., and either I drive to Santa Fe or catch the bus. Both involve leaving the house by 6 a.m. to get to work by 7:30 or 8 a.m. If I work till 5 p.m., I'm home by about 6:30, because I drove. Can't catch the 5:22 bus in time. If I work till 4:30, then I can catch that bus, and get home by 7 p.m. I generally have to head for bed at 9:00 or shortly thereafter, in order to try and get enough sleep to stumble out in the morning.
I think I need to get a better bed, too. I'm not sleeping well, apparently, or I'd be feeling a lot better than I have lately. I'm trying to eat as well as I can, and taking vitamins, but the aches and pains and fatigue are starting to get to me. The weekends are better, as I can sleep in some, but I still find it hard to get everything done.
Anyway, I just wanted to drop a note that I'm still alive, though not living as well as I'd like, yet!

Rain? In January?

2008-01-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's raining. Sheesh. I'm staying in, trying to keep warm. So much for taking a walk today.
I'm just on the edge of being cold, even though the thermostat says it's 70 degrees F in here. The floor is cold, and my slippers aren't helping much. I'm wearing one of my bathrobes, and if I don't warm up soon, I'll put a heavier one on. This is strange, because I'm usually the one who feels warm no matter what! It could be a side effect of the depression I've been fighting, I suppose.
I made it through the work week alright, but have been very tired. I'm so broke that I don't quite know how I'm gonna make it to work this next week! My cell phone is off, because I didn't get the bill paid in time. At least I should get paid on Thursday coming up. Just gotta make it till then.
On Tuesday, I've got an appointment to take a big computerized test for a job with the TSA as an airport security person. I'm not sure yet whether I really want the job, but it's worth taking the test. The current openings are at the Santa Fe airport, anyway, and they say it might be 'split shifts'. Not sure I like the sound of that, either. I guess it would have to be a big jump up in pay and bennies to get me to change jobs. I like where I am, at the herb factory, and hope to get hired in there as a real employee soon.
Either way, I really need to see about getting new glasses or contacts soon. I'm having more trouble focusing, and the glasses I've been wearing are the prescription before last. I'm trying the old contact lenses again today. Reading the back of the food box was not easy, but I managed. *sigh* I hate this feeling of getting old. Not that I've ever been free of aches and pains, not even as a kid, but this is enough of a change that I'm really noticing it.
Anyway, I spent yesterday and part of today rearranging things and making room for a new-to-me chair and entertainment center. I got them from some friends, and they even brought them over in their truck. How cool is that? I also got a fish tank stand which is now my altar. I've gotten my TV, stereo and other electronics up off of the floor, and the front room looks quite nice now. I'd still like to get a coffee table and a rug in here eventually, but it's starting to look like a home now.
Ok, time to make another pot of hot tea and get the heavier robe on. Maybe I should just stick my feet in the hot water instead? Nah, that wouldn't make very good tea... ;-)

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

And what an adventure it was getting home...
The traditional New Year's Eve snowstorm was right on time, which meant that my flight home was anything but. Over 3 hours delayed, but at least it wasn't cancelled! Landed in Abq at about 12:30, and couldn't get a cab for over an hour! Got home about 2:30, and went to bed as soon as I got warmed up and wound down. And some idiot tried to call me at 7 a.m. Grrr! I got up for a bit around 9, then decided to go back to bed till I was less grumpy.
The sleep was just what the cats and I needed, I think, because when I got up for real, I felt a lot better. Lazed around a bit, got a good hot shower, eventually got dressed and went to the store. Picked up a few perishable essentials, and made my traditional New Year's dinner of fried cabbage with onions and garlic, blackeyed peas, sweet potatoes and cornbread. Yummy!
Now, to finish unpacking, clean up a bit more and get ready to go back to work tomorrow.
Happy New Year everyone, and may 2008 bring us all the good things we want and deserve!

Extended holiday

2007-12-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

Good news is, I have a flight home. But it isn't until New Year's Eve. I'll miss more work than I really wanted to, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Got to spend a few days up at my Mom's place. That was really nice. I usually have to just breeze in and out, maybe stay one night if I can. This time I got to spend three nights! There were 9 of us for dinner on Xmas day, and we stopped by another uncle's place that evening for a quick visit. Lots of talk and family stories, loads of food...yeah, it was a good holiday.
So right now I'm sitting at a coffeehouse in South Bend, since Fiddler's is only doing dinner for the next few days. I have stuff to do at the old house, and arrangements to make for the next few days as well as for getting home to Abq. There's still a couple of people I want to catch up with while I'm here, too.
Hope y'all had a good holiday!

OY, what a month....

2007-12-21T06:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't updated this blog in a long while. Between the long workdays and commute to match, and worrying about the 'family' up on the mountain, I just haven't had time to do both blogs. Heck, I got a lot more sporadic on the LJ, too.
I'm in Indiana now, for my Yule visit. Tonight's my pub night, and hopefully it'll be a very good time. I don't have plans carved in stone for the rest of my time here, and am trying to stay flexible. I know what I'd like to do, but it depends on a few things like time, money, transportation, etc.
The one thing I'm sorry to miss back in NM right now is Papa Ron's memorial service. He passed on the 15th, and this Saturday, they're having a small service. I wish I could be there. So, the next best thing is to raise a toast while I'm at the pub.
Gotta run, stuff to do!

Slight delay on my internet

2007-11-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

...but it was for a good cause. 'Cause I was up at the mountain home for Thanksgiving, and stayed the whole weekend! *grin*
I quit Home Depot. Too much stress, and I need the time to spend with family.
I'm home this weekend, resting up. It's raining. wtf? Then again, if I'd gone to the mountain this weekend, there's a very good chance that I'd *really* get snowed in, and that would not be good for my job. Lots of fun, perhaps, but detrimental to survival in the real world. Rats. ;-)
Cable install is rescheduled for this Sunday, so more and better updates then. TTFN.

I'm moved in!

2007-11-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

Granted, there's not a lot of stuff, but I'm in my new apartment. The cable guy comes out next Saturday to hook up the cable/internet/phone service.
The cats are adjusting nicely, and I've got most of the kitchen stuff put away. I just ran out for some groceries, and stopped to snag some wi-fi on the way back. Dinner with friends, then to bed early because I have to be at work at 6:30 a.m. Yeah, the skidmark of dawn....bleah. Guess that's the price I pay for having today off!
Anyway, more updates later. Gotta run!

Homeless no more

2007-11-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

I will be moving into my new apartment this coming weekend! Yay!
My work schedule's a bit screwy this week, but I actually have Saturday off!?@?1!! No complaint from me, as that will let me rent a u-haul trailer and do the move in one day.
If you want my new address, contact me privately.
Off to work!

Quick update before work

2007-11-10T10:08:00.001-08:00

Ok, so last night I came down to Abq to look at a couple of places. The apartment next to my friend Roslee's is small, but not impossibly so. It does have a nice backyard (can you say yurt?), and I got a good feel from the owners. The one drawback is that it won't be ready till next weekend. Still, it looks good, and I'm filling out the application. The other place I looked at is not in a good neighborhood, which is a shame. It's also crowded onto the lot with another house/unit, and looks rather shabby. Pass on that one, I think. I'm glad I waited till this morning to go see it, because I'm not sure I'd have been comfortable looking at night. Another red flag against that one.
I crashed on a friend's couch last night, so am still in Abq for a bit. I have to be at work in SF in just under 3 hours, though, so will head out soon.
The friends that I stayed with last night suggested that I see if one of our other friends could board the cats while I borrow their couch till the apartment's ready. I may see if the other friend could just put me up, too, but I am shy about asking. Plus, I have to work HD today (2-11 p.m.), tomorrow (9-6) and Monday (6-11 p.m.), so I might as well stay in SF for those days. I am tired of being in the truck, but I think I want to wait and get the kitties into a permanent place instead of confusing them with more temporary places.
The cats have really been troupers, I gotta say. They are getting better at letting me put them back into the crate when I have to, and are really hanging in there. I will be glad to get them stabilized again, as I think their tummies are a bit upset from all the strangeness.
Time to head out. More news as I have it!

An update

2007-11-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

Once again, I get a reminder that I am blessed with friends.
This afternoon, one of the gals from the front office at work, who I've gotten to be friends with, came by and offered to spring for a hotel room for me for tonight and tomorrow night. I was so stunned that I almost cried. So here I am, in the EconoLodge, which allows the cats to be inside with me, too. I was fully prepared to be in the truck for these nights, and even did laundry last night so I could be cleaner. I even washed the cat bed, since they are getting a bit aromatic, too.
Friday, I'll be going to Abq to look at an apartment, have dinner with a girlfriend, and go to the ASFS meeting. Hopefully, this apartment will work out for me. I'm still worried about having enough money to get started, since I've got to send a truck payment (overnite, on Friday) to keep from losing it, too. The check I sent hasn't gotten there yet! But if it's meant to be, it'll be, and I've got to let go of the worry. The universe will figure out how to make things happen; my job is to attract what I want to have happen.
So, things are improving slightly. I'm hoping for a big improvement soon!!

Giving myself a treat

2007-11-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

After 3 nights in the truck, I decided that I deserved a night in a motel. I am now clean, warm and comfortable, at least for one night. It's 8:30, and I'm in for the night. The kitties are fed and watered, and have the run of the truck for the night. They should be warm enough, and have my blankets and pillows to burrow into. I'm at this little place called the Thunderbird Inn. Talk about an old school motor lodge! This place was here when this was Route 66! Classic adobe style architecture, whitewashed, with pictures painted on portions of the walls. The room is cozy, and the front desk fellow was very courteous.
I have a line on a couple of places to live, but as I said earlier, it'll probably be later this week till I can get into one. I don't work HD again till Thursday, so that gives me time to look around some more.
My horoscope keeps saying that there's good stuff on the way. My friends are pulling for me. I am confident that good things will be happening soon. For tonight, the little pleasures are enough.

Just thinking

2007-11-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, it's just about 9:00. I've been sitting in the cafe with my tea and a croissant, doing my online stuff before I go to work. I have to be there at 11, so there's a bit of time yet. Still need to go check the mailbox, too.
I'm tired and a bit fuzzy, mentally. Have to admit that it's hard to sleep well in the truck. The cats did settle down eventually, thank goodness. I'm considering getting a motel room for a night, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow night. I just hate to spend the money when I am so close to having enough for an apartment. Then again, if forty bucks makes that big a difference, then I'm better off waiting till this week's payday. I get paid from both jobs this week, and even though the HD check will be very small, it will help.
I think the most frustrating thing is to be so close to being perfectly fine, and just not quite getting there. I don't really need a handout or subsidy, just a bit of time to get things together. I've been through tough times before, and I'll get out again.
So I'm doing a lot of thinking about what I need to do, what I can do, and what I want to do. I do have options, although some of them are not to my liking. There are too many variables to wrap my mind around, sometimes. Plus, I'm torn between my usual need to be active and in control, and the realization that there are things I cannot control. Yeah, I know, what else is new?
Anyway, that's my state of mind right now. I'm trying to stay positive and calm, without lapsing into lethargy. Catch ya later!

A new adventure called homelessness...

2007-11-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah, as of today, I have no place to live. I'm hoping to come up with something soon, but till then, the cats and I will be in the truck, I guess.
I have my stuff safely tucked into a storage unit, and can get free wi-fi at local cafes, so will still be online when I can.
Game plan at this point is to take what money I have, and try to find a place in Albuquerque. I just can't manage anything in Santa Fe right now. The commute from Abq to SF is inconvenient, but not impossible, and there is public transport to make it more affordable. Maybe the job I'm supposed to have is in Abq, anyway? I will look, even though I enjoy my job at the herb factory. Home Depot might transfer, so that's another possibility. I will ask when I go in to work tonight.

I gotta say, the outpouring of supportive messages I've been getting yesterday and today is really helping. I'm still red-eyed from crying in frustration and loneliness, but not as often now. Thank you all. I will post progress reports as I can. The cell phone is working, I just can't answer while I'm at work. Email is always good.

Trying something very new

2007-10-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have decided to take the plunge, and participate in this year's NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writers Month. The goal is to start on 11/1, and write a novel of 50,000 words or more by midnight on 11/30. The motto is, "no plot? no problem!", and I haven't a clue what to write yet. The main thing is to write, and see where it takes me.
I've written short stories (many NSFW and not to be shared), but never tried to do anything this major. I don't know yet if I'll post it anywhere, and if I do, it'll be after editing. I'm debating whether to do a mystery, fantasy (ok, they all are, but...), or historical novel. I could combine them all, with the way my mind works, and not even be trying to!
I think it's neat that NaNoWriMo is in November. Samhain season! Samhain is a good time to let go of the old and embrace the new. So I'm going to release the fears connected with my creative side, and do something that I wouldn't normally do. Should be interesting, at the very least.
Oh, if you want to know more....www.nanowrimo.org is the main site. You can still sign up till literally the last minute!

A break from Mundania

2007-10-29T20:48:00.001-07:00

Ok, if you want to read the full post about my trip to MileHiCon39 this past weekend, just go to http://eiricmacbean.livejournal.com/ I'm too tired to write it twice!
I'm looking for a cheaper place to live and hopefully will have enough money before I lose this place.
Otherwise, life goes on, with work and cats and the usual stuff.
Better post later, after I catch up on sleep!

No news is not good news

2007-10-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still waiting on a miracle. Got a nasty note today that the manager had been in with the pest control people and thought I had no litter box for the cats. Bitch. It smells bad because I had to feed them the cheap-ass food and it upset their tummies.
So I looked through the classifieds to try and find another place to live. Biggest obstacles are lack of deposit money, and having the cats.
Saw a great place listed....too bad it's about 1 1/2 hours away, beyond Taos...
My lottery tickets didn't hit, of course. Thought they should have done something!

At this point, I'm going to enjoy my upcoming weekend at MileHiCon, then see about getting a storage place and finding new digs once I get back. I give up. Well, not entirely. But I don't see another solution.
I've got an email out to a friend in my Abq network, asking her to pass it on and see if anyone is in the market for a roomie w/cats for a while. I could manage to commute that far for a short while, till I can save up for another place of my own. I don't want to cancel the cable till the last minute, since that's my internet, too, but if I have to, I will.
It's so hard to get the energy to clean house and take care of things, sometimes. And there's often not time to do a lot, either. Depression sucks.

Crunch time...and I can't see a way out.

2007-10-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

I just got told yesterday that I need to have $750 minimum by Monday or I will probably lose my apartment. I can't catch up fast enough, and I honestly don't know what to do. Even if I gave them my entire paycheck for the next 3 months, it's too slow. I don't want to give up my jobs that I just got. I don't have any friends in town that I can move in with. There's no help agency that can step in, since I am working and it's more money than they have. Getting a new place is not a valid option, because I'd need even more than $750 for a deposit.
At this point, I'm wondering if I should just put what little I have into storage and try my luck in Denver when I go up this next weekend. Yeah, I'm still going. I need this trip more than ever now.
If it weren't for the cats, I'd be able to live in the truck. I can't go to the folks, because Papa is very allergic to cats. And I don't want to put the kitties in a shelter!
I've got nothing of value to sell on eBay, either, so that idea won't fly. Going back to Indiana won't help, there's no future there for me anymore. Working more hours won't help, I can't get paid in time.
I don't expect anyone to bail me out. My family hasn't got money like that, nor do my friends. Just pray for me, or whatever you do to send energy. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Catching up at last!

2007-10-18T18:06:00.001-07:00

Sorry to be away for so long, but it couldn't be helped. I'm online and wireless at home again, now, so that helps a lot.
First off, work. I'm doing okay at work, and learning quite a bit. This week I got moved over to formulation, on the production side of the facility. I've been blending extracts, percolating herb to make extracts and formulas, and learning all the procedures that go with that. All the alcohol we use (pharmaceutical grade, 190 proof) has to be carefully logged. Alcohol and water are precisely measured in proportion to the herbs. Percolating is letting the liquid drip very slowly through the herb mix, which has been moistened a bit to make sure it doesn't expand too fast and crack the glass percolator funnel. The funnels are custom blown glass, and very expensive! There's also lots of cleaning to do, and other tasks. I'm not doing much of the packaging or labeling yet, but that's fine by me. I've got enough to learn!
Home Depot is starting to get easier. Mondays are the worst, since I'm really whipped by the end of the day. I wish I didn't have to give up my weekends, but there's no other option right now. I am starting to get better at knowing where things are, what they are, and how they work. I'm in Plumbing, but also have to know Kitchen & Bath, and since Hardware and Electrical are right by us, I end up needing to know a bit of them, too. Whew!!! Being on the floor as an associate is definitely different from being a cashier.

Secondly, fun and social life. I am starting to get a life, y'know! I just got elected "Alternator" for ASFA (Abq. Science Fiction Assn.). Basically, I run the meetings if the Moderator can't make it. That doesn't happen often. Kinda neat, getting elected to something when I wasn't even eligible to vote yet... We also played a neat game at the meeting. It doesn't really have a name yet, but it involved pulling pieces of paper out of a bowl and trying to get people to guess what's on the paper. The papers were names of authors, characters, people, etc. First round, whatever clues you want to give. Second round, two words only for clues. Third round, charades. You use the same answers for each round, so memory helps! It was a lot of fun, even though my team didn't win.
Last night, Wednesday, was the Weird Al Yankovic concert that I had won tickets to. My friend Rozlee, from ASFA, went with me. She's a big Tathata fan, too, and is friends with Dave the harpist. Told ya, it's a small planet out here!! Anyway, we met up for dinner at Turtle Mountain Brewing Co. Very good beer and decent fish 'n' chips. The concert totally rocked, and Al didn't do "Albuquerque" till the sixth encore! The fifth was a song he cooked up about Rio Rancho, which is where the venue actually is. Too funny. Just amazing talent and humor all night long, and we had a blast.
Next on my social agenda is MileHiCon, of course, and I am really looking forward to that for many reasons! I plan to have a very good time. More on that later.
For now, I'll be working as much as possible, trying to catch up and get out of the hole I'm in. I've got two months till Yule, and while I'm not sure how I'm going to get my stuff back out here, I know that I *will* be going back to Indiana for a good visit. Beyond that, I'm not going to worry too much.

Long day, but back online!

2007-10-15T23:48:00.001-07:00

Long day, because I worked both jobs today. 17 hour days suck, and I am sore and tired.
Back online, because I finally got fed up and got Comcast internet again while it's on sale.
Gotta get to bed, but I will update more tomorrow. G'night!

Net's off, sorry

2007-10-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Couldn't pay the bill in time, so the internet's out at my place. Sorry. I'll try to get it back on as soon as I can.

Stressed

2007-10-05T22:17:00.001-07:00

The stress has really been getting to me this week. My temper has been short, I've been clumsier than normal, and I've been horribly depressed. I don't think I can blame it all on that time of the month, either. I know it's bad when even the cats get on my last nerve.
Part of it is the financial stress, I know. I got paid this week, but I just can't see how I'm going to be able to get out of this huge hole I'm in. I'm worried that I won't be able to get caught up in a timely fashion. There are too many new and unfamiliar things to work through, and it makes me nervous. I know in my head that it'll work out, but that doesn't make it any easier. I hate not being able to see where I'm going!
I do have my cellphone back on, at least. Internet's okay, too, obviously.
Anyway, I don't want to bring anyone else down, but if you've got any good energy to spare, I could sure use it. The loneliness is the worst part. Even my new friends out here are only casual acquaintances, and none of them are in town. And sometimes, talking on the internet or the phone just isn't enough. Not that I'd turn down an email or the like, especially from a few certain people.
Oh, well, don't worry about me. I'll get through this. I have before. I just don't like it.

Busy week!

2007-10-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been trying to work as much as possible, and I've been pretty tired most evenings. I did make it to Abq for the Gofer Pizza Party last Saturday, and that was a nice break from routine.
Work is going fine at the herb factory. This is a busy season, especially with winter coming on. Add in the inventory we had to do on Friday (which had to be checked today - more delays) and we were swamped today! It's more physically demanding than you might think. Sure, we're picking and shipping little bottles of extracts and blends, and bottles of softgels. But they really add up to a fair amount of weight, a few ounces at a time. Plus, I'm reaching, crouching, twisting, lifting and standing for most of the day. Tossing those boxes to the UPS guy is a workout, too.
Home Depot's still not up to speed yet, as I'm doing my web-based training and working on getting a workable schedule.
I'm surprised that I'm still online, as I think my phone's cut off. Cell phone's been out for over a week now. Cable's acting funny, but I'm not sure if it's the bill or the box that's to blame. I hate being in the hole again, but I know I can get out again. Just hope I can do it in time.
Anyway, I'm trying to economize as much as I can. Which means I'll probably cut back the cable to just basic, the A/C's been off for weeks, and the heat's not coming on till I absolutely can't stand it anymore. The mornings are chilly, but not horribly cold yet. I have some warm clothes with me, so I can always put a sweatshirt on.
Other than that, there's not much going on. Hopefully, I'll have better news soon.

Getting used to the routine

2007-09-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Three days of work down, and I think I'm getting less achy now. I'm doing a fair amount of lifting, bending, crouching and the like, and while it doesn't usually hurt while I'm doing it all, once I stop I get stiff and sore. I finally have been getting some sleep, and that helps a lot. Now if I can just settle my dreams down a bit...
I'm still rather stressed over my finances, of course. My cell phone's off since I couldn't pay the bill, the rent's going to be very late, and I don't want to think about my student loans, cable tv and phone/internet. I'm explaining the situation to them all, but that doesn't mean they will be nice about it. I'll get a tiny check on Friday, and then I should start seeing money next week from the full-time gig. If I can just keep my energy levels up and work my ass off, I should be able to catch up eventually. Eventually.
I won't deny that I'm still very frustrated. I really wanted a different lifestyle out here, not working my ass off just to catch up and keep up. I am going to try my best to get involved socially and have a life outside of work. I'm making friends, which is a great help, even though they're in Abq and Denver. When I've got some money, I'll be able to go out to some local places here, too.
Time to get cleaned up for bed. More when I get a chance.

Can I rest a bit now?

2007-09-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I'm tired!!
Got a call Friday evening from Home Depot....Orientation is this weekend, be in Abq tomorrow morning at 8. Uhh, okay....
So my weekend got very busy, very fast. Saturday was also a friend's birthday party, and I ended up being able to stay over at her place that night to save gasoline. Of course, since the party crew was all our friends from the con...we were up way too late talking! Sunday, more orientation, then the Con-Com meeting. That's short for Convention Committee, the people that actually run Bubonicon. After the meeting, some of us went to dinner (thanks, Dante!) and so I got home about 10 p.m. Too tired to do much more than open a can of food for the cats, and head for bed.

Today was my first day at Herbs, Etc. (www.herbsetc.com) I'll be in shipping on Mondays and Tuesdays at least, and then in production on the other days. We had some really big orders to process today, and I was picking product most of the day. Sure got my exercise! The people at work are nice, and I enjoy it. We can have a radio on, which really is nice after the silence of the Woodwind.
So there ya go, a quick catch up. Now if I can just come up with enough energy to make myself some dinner, I'll be all set!

Work at last!

2007-09-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Yep, I gots me a job!
I start Monday, temp-to-hire, at a place called Herbs, Etc. I'll be doing shipping and production, and the company makes herbal and homeopathic remedies. I'm a potionmaker! lol
Got the job through a contact at the job fair today. Got several other good leads, too, but first come, first serve.
It's not as much money as I'd have hoped, but it's a decent enough wage. I can get by on that if I combine it with the other things I'm trying to do. I'll still be on a tight budget for a while, but that's a darn sight better than no budget at all!

My toothache is a bit better today. Still swollen and tender, but not the harsh pain of yesterday. It should be over in another day or two. My appetite's back, so that means the fever is gone. I made bean burritos tonight, yum. I'm not sure if I'm still hungry or not, so I'm waiting a bit before I have anything else.

Glimmers of hope

2007-09-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, I actually had a couple of job interviews today! This morning I talked to a catering company (cook/driver position), and this afternoon a costume shop (seamstress position). I also am to call the library tomorrow! Yay!
My toothache is still hurting, but I've got a few ways to cope with it now, so should be better soon. I find that having something else to focus on helps, too. I even made it out to the library to pick up my interlibrary loan books.
I'm probably going to call it an early night tonight. I didn't sleep well last night, and am really feeling wiped out from the pain. There's a big job fair tomorrow, and I need to be in good shape to go to that.

Ouch

2007-09-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Toothaches suck. I know it's just a minor infection and swelling from getting a piece of popcorn husk stuck, but it hurts, dammit! I've got some liquid anesthetic stuff, but it doesn't get to the place where the pressure hurts. It's pretty much killed my appetite for today, which is okay because I can't chew on that side right now. Therefore, in order to at least get some nutrition into my system, I'm drinking a Guinness. Liquid Bread, gotta love it. Hopefully it will help me sleep tonight, as well.
The rest of today was pretty routine. I did take my bike in to get the tire fixed, so that'll help me get out of the apartment more often. In order to get out for a bit today, I sat at my favorite cafe for a while to work on job apps and read the want ads. A bit of a scenery change, at least. I do have some more places to go tomorrow, so maybe I'll have good news soon.
I can definitely tell that the seasons are changing. The days are shorter and cooler, and the rain doesn't come as often. It's good weather for walking or biking, too. I'll keep from using the truck as much as possible, not only to conserve gasoline, but also for the exercise.
It's getting harder to stay positive, and the physical pain right now isn't helping. Looking forward to my trips helps, but I still don't quite know how I'm going to manage them. Just gotta trust that it'll all work out right.

Taking the plunge.

2007-09-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

I finally did it. I went down and got my NM driver's license. If that doesn't convince everyone that I'm here for the duration, I guess nothing will. I'll get my license plates and registration in a few weeks, when they get my title info from Indiana. By then I darn well better be working!!
Found more jobs to apply for, and I'm working on the forms for those. I hate filling out applications, but it's got to be done, especially when going after governmental jobs. But that's where the money seems to be, so that's where I'm going.
After all the running around, I came back home to re-organize myself. Sometimes I just need to think about other things, too. Watched another episode of The Dresden Files. I am really liking this show! Did some more planning and thinking about MileHiCon next month. It's gonna be fun, I'm sure. Of course, I'm thinking ahead to my Yule trip, too! Even when I'm broke, I can scout out things that would make good gifts for my friends.
Guess I'd better get back to paperwork.

Geeking out

2007-09-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

I am a happy little geekgrrl today. Someone on one of my email lists posted a link to a fantastic website. http://tv-links.co.uk This place has tv shows, movies, anime, music videos and documentaries from all over the world, and many timeframes. I got to watch Adam-12, the Banana Splits, The Dresden Files, Babylon 5, and there's simply tons of stuff on here! Most of it's in DivX format, so can be saved to your PC. Tomorrow, I'm gonna watch The Lone Gunmen, Animaniacs and who knows what else. What started it all was a link to a BBC show on Wild Foods.
Other than that, it was a nice lazy Sunday. I did go to Goodwill, but only got a couple of little necessary items. I did some laundry, but still need to do the dishes up. I did work on some online job applications and the like. Tomorrow I've got a couple of places to go to in person, and a couple of phone calls to make. It'll go a lot faster without having to walk everywhere.
I didn't sleep very well last night. I know part of that was from having a caffeinated soda. I've been away from the stuff so long, that it really got to me. I won't make that mistake tonight! I have enough trouble getting my mind to slow down without the added caffeine!

WTF, Notre Dame??

2007-09-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

I think this is the one thing that could make me glad *not* to be in South Bend these days. It's bad enough that the Irish are making noises that Mr. Oreck and Mr. Hoover would envy, but the thought of being around all those drunken, disappointed Alumni and wannabe-alumni fills me with dread. Seriously, there's nothing worse than a bunch of angry middle-aged men in bad plaid pants bemoaning their team's loss, except maybe the same bunch of guys gloating over a victory. I truly feel for anyone who's working at any of the bars or restaurants in the area.
Some improvement in my life today. Got a bit of money, so now there's gas in the truck and food in the pantry and fridge. Yay. My cats are much happier now that they have gooshyfood and a clean catbox!
I went up to the mall to check the postbox today, and it was also the big scooter giveaway day. No, I didn't win the scooter, but that's okay. I don't know where I'd park it, and it's...pink. Ew. I'd have had to repaint it! I did win one of the smaller door prizes, though, and it'll be a nice Yule gift for someone.
While I was hanging out at the mall, I got to talking with the radio station people. Once a DJ, always a DJ, y'know? Well, the first fellow I talked to looks at me, and asked my name. I told him, and he said, I thought so! I went to school with your brother Frank! Holy Crap!!! I didn't really recognize him, since he was about a foot and a half shorter back then...but once I got his name, I did remember him. Talk about a small planet! Of course, I had to call Frank and Mom and tell them I'd run into Todd. Pretty cool. Out of a town of maybe 2000 people, I run into one clear out here in Santa Fe.
After the mall, I went grocery shopping. Stocked up on staples, mainly, and of course cat necessities. A few cleaning supplies, too, that I've been lacking. Tried to stick to sale and discounted items, but it still adds up too fast. I should be okay for another month now, though, with the exception of getting fresh perishable items. I tried to stay away from processed and convenience food, too.
I'm debating whether or not to treat myself to a dinner out or take-out. I would like to get out and about, but am still hesitant to spend the money. I'm not really hungry yet, so I'll think about it. Luckily, it's Saturday, so things will be open late enough if I do decide to get pizza or sushi or the like.
I finished the book "A Pagan's Nightmare". It was interesting, and the end did leave room for a sequel. A nice light read for a rainy afternoon or a day at the beach/park. Finished all my books, really, so Monday will be a library day. Now that I can drive again, I'll combine that trip with a couple of job application stops. No sense wasting gas!
It felt a bit odd to drive again, after not doing so for so long. I will probably continue to walk when I can. I am certainly going to get my bike tire fixed. There's a local bike shop that'll do it for a very reasonable rate, and with it being the rear wheel, I'd rather have someone with the proper tools take care of it this time. The whole bike needs some adjustment, too, so if I take it in, it can all get done at the same time.
Guess that's all for now!

Friday...whoop-de-doo.

2007-09-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

A diverse day today.
Started off by waiting for the Comcast guy to stop by. My cable box has been acting up, not letting me scroll all the menus. He tried many things to get it to work, but eventually had to swap out the box. The new one works fine. Stormy was being quite friendly to him, and even Ghost came out to have a look at what was going on. Frankly, I think they just wanted to make sure we could still get Animal Planet. ;-)
I spent the morning fighting my scanner, and never could get the thing to install. So I finished off an inked version of my entry for the SF 400th anniversary logo by hand. Still wish I could have done it with the computer, but at least I did it. After the cable guy left, I loaded the backpack and walked up to the Plaza to turn in my entry. BTW, I checked the mileage, and it's about 3 miles one-way.
On the way there, I found the unemployment office. I had time after dropping off my entry to stop by on the way back. I got registered to look for work, and now have 3 more places to apply to. One's online, one's not too far from here, and the third is out on the edge of town. I also found a voicemail from Wells Fargo when I got home, but it was too late to call back tonight. I will call back on Monday for that one. Didn't get a chance to call Home Depot, either, so that's on the list, too.
Didn't get to go down to Albuquerque for the ASFA meeting, darn it. That's Abq. Science Fiction Assn. , the folks who put on Bubonicon among other things. Good people. Hopefully I'll have gas money by next weekend so I can go to one of the gals' birthday party.
A nice note, I was checking my bank statement from my TCU account in IN, and I've earned a rebate on my check card. It won't get deposited till 10/31, unfortunately, but it's there. Not a lot of money of course, but it'll be a bit of spare cash when I make my Yule trip.
I've been looking at tickets for that trip, and I am very close to having earned enough miles for a ticket on American! That will be a great help for getting me there! I'm certain I can earn the rest of the miles I need in time to book my trip. Still haven't decided whether it'd be easier to fly into Chicago or Indy, but I'm leaning toward Chicago, simply because I know I can catch the South Shore and use public transport to get to it if I need to. Familiarity is nice, sometimes, and might be less stressful. Of course, Indy does have its....attractions..... *evil grin* Oh, well, I've got time to figure it all out.
I guess it boils down to my reluctance to impose on any of my friends. I know, they'd say it wasn't imposing on them, but sometimes my independence and self-sufficiency is all I have. If I don't depend on someone else, then they can't let me down. Anything that goes wrong is either my fault or my responsibility to take care of, and nobody gets hurt or inconvenienced but me.
Maybe that's why this stretch of unemployment is getting me down so much. I've temporarily lost my self-sufficiency. I can manage, of course, but it's the non-material things that I'm really feeling the lack of. And it's frustrating to realize how much I need the social contact that I'm accustomed to. It felt so good to get some friendly hugs at the con a few weeks ago. Gods, I really miss hugs. When I get a chance to make up for what I've missed, it may take a while!
I'm going to bed before I get maudlin. G'night.

Rough day

2007-09-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

Don't know why, exactly, but today I just couldn't get out of the mental funk I was in. I slept late, didn't feel like doing anything, and just generally moped. I hate when I do that! It was a real effort to do anything constructive, and I kept hitting snags when I did. Argh.
Oddly enough, things did seem to improve this evening. I got a call from the fellow from Marriage Makers, and that was good. Again, it's not going to be immediate income, but I think it'll be something good to build on.
I've been chatting online with one of my dear "sisters". She's been checking on me nearly every day, bless her. She's a long way from home, too, so we keep each other from getting too homesick.
Then, I got chatting with another SCA pal of mine, and he called to talk on the phone. Poor lad just had to bury his grandma, and he needed an ear. We gabbed for almost 45 minutes!
I did manage to make myself a late dinner, and of course the cats had to check it out. I guess they like bean and cheese quesadillas. Ghost was quite intrigued by the salsa. Come to think of it, she used to live in a Hispanic household, so maybe she really does like the stuff! Hope I can get the kitties some gooshyfood soon. I wouldn't want to be on a kibble-only diet!
I've been catching up on some reading, too. Tonight I started a book called "A Pagan's Nightmare" by Ray Blackston. Interesting bit of speculative fiction. Basic premise is a "reverse rapture" - all but a handful of non-evangelicals have suddenly disappeared. The 'Zealots' have changed everything; song lyrics, fast food, etc. They are hunting down the remaining 'Unfortunate ones'. Oddly enough, the book has some rather comic moments, especially since the parallel plot is what happens to the agent who's trying to marked the book you're reading... I'm only halfway through, so I don't know how it ends! Read it yourself!
Other books lately are "Sex with Kings" and "Sex with the Queen", a pair of historical non-fiction books about the infidelities of royalty through the centuries. Mostly European, from medieval to modern. Very well written, and not tawdry at all.
I'm also working my way through a book called "Listen to the Drum: Blackwolf Shares His Medicine" by Blackwolf Jones. Interesting, but definitely a participation book. Not sure yet if it's going to be a good fit for me, but it's worth looking into.
Other than that, no developments. I'm gonna have to call Home Depot if I don't hear from them soon. I'm still trying to figure out how to get some immediate income. I'd really like to be able to go to the ASFA meeting tomorrow night, but unless I can come up with some gas money, it's not going to happen. Wish me luck!

Midweek

2007-09-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, Wednesday already. Half the week gone.
I haven't been idle, but it's getting hard to keep track of the days. I am trying to make sure that I get outside as much as possible. My calves are aching from all the walking I've been doing!!
Yesterday I actually used some of my precious gasoline fumes to go up to one of the local food banks and get some much needed supplies. The fresh produce was really welcome; a large quarter-head of cabbage, a couple of big onions, two red bell peppers, some apples and pears, and a couple of pounds of fingerling potatoes. Some canned veggies, a loaf of spelt bread (!), and some roasted tomatoes, too. Add that stuff to the rice and pasta I had, and my other carbs, and I'm good to go! Wish I could have gotten some butter, though.
Today's walk took me up to Walgreens, as they were running a free inkjet cartridge refill day. Got my color cartridge refilled. I've burned an MP3 disk for my little player with some of my favorite energy music on it. I call it my "walkabout disc". The only drawback is that the disc lasts longer than my last set of cheap batteries...
I got a form from the IN unemployment office on Monday. Wouldn't have been so bad, except the darn thing said it had to be in the next day!!! It took over a week for it to even get to me! So I called the office, and of course the gal whose name is on the form is out for the week. Called the generic number, and they said I could fax it in. Great...where am I going to find a place to fax this that won't charge me?? I thought about it, and decided to try my bank. So, Tuesday morning, I go to the bank, and a very helpful gal not only faxed my form for me, but she also gave me her name as a referral for their job website. They have openings for tellers, and personal bankers (they train, and it pays more). So there's another job possibility!
Still waiting to hear on my other possibilities. Till then, I'll try to enjoy the free time as much as possible. I haven't gone to any of the Fiesta activities, honestly, since most things cost money. Plus, most things are just too far for me to walk to.
I'm still making plans in my head for going to MileHiCon in late October, and of course for Yule. I know I'll be okay by then, and I do need something to look forward to.
Hope to have good news soon!

Rainy Sunday

2007-09-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get out much today. I had thought about walking uptown, but the rain was a bit too much for me. So I stayed in and did some cleaning, played with the cats, and chatted online to some friends.
I think that if someone asked me how I was doing, I'd have to say that "I haven't hit bottom yet, but I can see it from here." Hope the bungee cord kicks in soon! I'm sure it will, just don't know when. My last dollar went towards getting a bag of cheap kibble so the kitties have something to eat. I still have food for myself, luckily. If the Asians can survive on rice, then so can I. I'm thinking of making a batch of pancakes tomorrow, since the mix only needs water. Yum.
Found a neat money-earner today, though, so I'm working on getting that started up. It's with a company called Marriage Makers, and they do weddings and other ceremonies for people. Non/Pan-denominational, they call themselves. With the clergy training I've gotten through Live Oak, this is right up my alley! The website is www.marriagemakers.net, if you want to look it up. This is something I can do in addition to a day job, and have a lot of fun doing.
I'm still waiting to hear back from Avon, but that's another thing I can do in addition to a day job.
Home Depot should have my drug test results sometime this week, and then they can get me into orientation by next weekend, I hope. And of course, I'm still waiting to hear back about the library job.
So, really, things are looking up. It's just the immediate cash flow (and serious lack thereof) that have me a bit stressed. I still have hopes for fixing that, but it's out of my hands at the moment. My biggest worry is losing my phone/internet service. Granted, I can always get wi-fi at a cafe, but having a local phone number is a good thing when one is looking for work. Plus, I've been using the email address that came with the DSL for my work search, so I can keep things sorted.
If I do get the gas money, I think I will take a couple of days soon and run up to see the folks. When Papa mentions installing gutters, and 'could use help' in the same sentence, I get nervous. Papa is in his late 70s, and recently diagnosed with diabetes. I don't like the thought of him being up a ladder, especially since his feet are a bit wobbly lately. Besides, if I go up, I can show them that I'm okay.
I picked up a couple of books last week, in the dime bin. The Mother Earth News Almanac, 1973 edition, and How To Stay Alive In The Woods by Bradford Angier, 1984 edition of a 1956-62 book. Angier is apparently Canadian, judging by his geography, but he includes information good for desert climates, too. Good reading, both of them, and excellent additions to my library.
If you're in need of a good laugh, or some serious cuteness, may I recommend www.icanhascheezburger.com ? Lots of lolcats, funny captioned pics of critters, and general 'awwww..." factor. It sure helps me smile when I need it!

Crash recovery

2007-09-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

I swear, if I get a desktop PC again, I'm going back to Linux.
I got majorly virused this week. And of course, all my discs and stuff are out of date. Worst part is, I was trying to update the virus program at the time... Long story short, I had to take my laptop to the shop. I know, I'm supposed to be the help desk, geek grrl, etc. Well, there's only so much I can do without the proper tools. But I'm finally back up and running. Thank heavens!
Let's catch up a bit. I'm still not working, but should be in at Home Depot by next weekend. Not the greatest, but it's work, full-time, and they are cool with me dropping back to part-time when I get the job I really want. Still waiting to hear back from the library, but since it's a City job, I know there's a lot of red tape to get through for that.
I'm still getting encouragement from my friends, and that has really helped this week. When I was offline, I even got some phone calls. Very cool.
I've been doing a lot of walking this week. The patch kit I got for my bike tire doesn't help, because I can't get the bloomin' tyre off!! I know it's a tube tire, but it's like it's glued in or something. And of course it's the rear tire, and I don't have a way to take the wheel off..... So I walk. It's not too bad, really, as the weather is nice. Most everything I'd need is within walking distance, luckily. I think I have just enough gas to get to the gas station eventually, so I'm saving it till then.
I think I figured out why I felt so woozy on Sunday at the museum. I should have realized that I was PMSing! Takes it right out of me, that time does, and since I've been out of meds for it, I forgot it was coming! Duhhh! I'm okay now, just waiting for it all to end. Maybe it's a good thing not to ride bike this week?
Been having interesting dreams this week. I think I've actually slept better this last couple of weeks than I was for a while. Maybe it's the change in stress level? I thought I'd be more stressed now. Maybe I am, and my body is trying to make up for it with sleep? Hard to say. Either way, I'm not telling you what I've been dreaming! I might incriminate myself! LOL

Worn out!

2007-09-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

I made it to the museum today. The bike ride and walk must have taken more out of me than I thought, because I kept getting light-headed at the museum and eventually had to sit down for about 15 minutes with my bottle of water, a food bar, and a cold paper towel on my neck. After that I was fine, but toward the end of my visit, I started getting cold! Too strange! Made it home alright, but didn't feel like doing much of anything for the rest of the day.
The Museum of Fine Art is surprisingly small to me. True, both sculpture gardens are closed while work is being done, so maybe it's bigger when everything is open. I did go ahead and spend the $5 to go through the 'Excavating Egypt' exhibit. It was worth it. Some very nice pieces, both large and small, and well presented. There was also information on how the excavations were done, and the historical context of the discoveries as well as of the artifacts. It was funny to me that I actually recognized a few of the displayed pieces from books I'd read! I didn't take any sketches, though, since the lighting was dim and I was still feeling a bit wonky.
I'm sure glad I made it home when I did - it started raining buckets about half an hour later! I curled up with my laptop and did some writing, then made myself some dinner. I'm still not sure whether it was my blood pressure or my blood sugar that crashed earlier, but I made sure to drink plenty of water and eat something tonight.
I think I'll go to bed a bit early, too. Tomorrow's pretty much a 'nothing-to-do' day, so it's a good time to clean house and try to organize my stuff a bit more.

Lazy day

2007-09-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday. A holiday weekend, to boot. Whoop-de-do.
On the bright side, I do have some Boca Burgers, even if I can't exactly grill them!

Spent part of the morning working on an art project. Santa Fe is celebrating its 400th birthday this year and next. The actual date's a bit fuzzy, but as near as we can tell... ;-) There's a contest for the logo for the celebrations. Deadline is Sept. 15th, and I'm working up the idea that popped into my head. It can't hurt to enter the contest, and that $2000 prize is mighty attractive!
I'm also getting some more ideas of how to make my art more unique for the art show at MileHiCon. No, I'm not going to spill the beans yet.
I've also got some writing I may do. Right now, it's just fragments, though.

Stopped by the local Home Depot. Their HR guy is out till Tuesday, so I'll go back then and see about getting work there. Had fun poking around their garden section, seeing what plants are there, and getting IDs on some I'd seen growing in medians.
Also stopped up at the mall, and put in an app at the cooking/fancy food store. Hey, I watch Food Network, I can sell this stuff!
Tomorrow and Monday are pretty much going to be washouts for job hunting, so I'll use that time to research more places to apply to. Thank goodness for online papers! Saves me a buck that I don't have, at least.

Speaking of cheap/free... On Sundays the Museum of Fine Arts is free to NM residents. They just opened an exhibit on the Egyptian excavations of Wm. Flinders Petrie! I'm hoping that's included in the free admission, because I really want to see it. If not, there's still the rest of the museum. I can bike up there and have a nice afternoon. Might take the sketchbook and see what I can do, too.

Just an update

2007-08-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today I worked with the Unemployment Benefits people in two states. NM can't do anything at all, since my employment here doesn't show up in their records yet. So I managed to get hold of IN. This week will count as my "wait week", so it'll be at least another week and a half before I see anything from them, if it even gets approved. So that's all I can do on that.
I turned in my application to the city, for the library job. I gave them as much info as I could, and I hope it's enough to at least get the interview. Once I'm in the interview, I should be fine. Again, waiting time kicks in, especially since there's a holiday Monday and all offices are closed.
I'm having a harder time keeping myself positive. I don't know if it's the holiday, the skewed diet (conserving what I've got), being off the moon-time meds or just plain being alone, but add that to the rest, and it's getting tough.
I know that if it weren't for being able to keep in touch with my friends online, I'd be in far worse shape. Having my cats here helps, too, even when they squabble. If this apartment were any emptier, I'd be in trouble.
I'm trying to use The Secret, but I admit it's difficult right now. Gotta keep trying, though, because I know it works.
That's all for now.

Working on working

2007-08-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

I've been putting out resumes and applications this week. There's a great job at the Public Library that I'd love to get, but the city application is huge! I'm having trouble remembering what jobs I worked when! I've got the dates for when I worked at the bookmobile, at least, and that's the most important one other than the most recent stuff.
Wish me luck on this job, it'd be nice to get back into library work again.

Not much else happening, really. I've got rent and as many bills paid as I could, and now I'm flat broke. I did manage to get my futon put together yesterday, and it's nice to have a couch to sit on while I work on stuff. Next step, a table or desk.
I did pick up a few inexpensive art supplies, so I can start some projects. If I get some done, I'll enter them in the art show for MileHiCon. I've gotten a flatbed scanner from FreeCycle, too, so that will help with my "art career".

I do have groceries, so tonight's dinner is Teriyaki Tofu over rice. Not quite how I wanted it to turn out, but tasty. I'm still learning to cook some of the dishes I like, but as long as my experiments turn out edible, I'm content. Practice will help, I'm sure. It's also hard to cook for just myself!

I've also been keeping my spirits up by looking at my options for going back to IN at Yuletide. A flight with one or two stops is quite affordable, but I'll wait and book when I have the rest of the logistics figured out, like whether to fly into Indy or Chicago. Either way has good things to recommend it!

So that's where things are for now. Boring, I'm sure, but sometimes boring is a nice change of pace.

Back to cold reality

2007-08-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

*sigh* The con is over. What a weekend! I really needed it, and hope to be able to go to MileHiCon in Denver around Samhain.
After a wonderful dinner last night, and the drive home, I got a good night's sleep so I could face the day. I hate job hunting. Don't know anyone who really likes it, but it's hard to me.
I got a fair number of applications put in online, and sent my newly tweaked resume where I could. The biggest obstacles seem to be my lack of current paperwork (transcripts, NM driver's license, any useful certifications)and not quite having enough experience in the right things, like certain computer programs or positions of import.
The other thing that seems to trip me up is choosing what to put on my resume. I've had so many jobs that are so varied, it gets difficult to show a coherent skill set. That, and maybe I just still don't know what I want to be when I grow up....
I've got plenty of possibilities, it just takes time to pursue them. I'll keep y'all posted!

Fun at Bubonicon 39

2007-08-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks everybody who's sympathizing with my job loss. I'm feeling a bit more capable of survival now that I'm getting through the initial shock.

I was really busy at the con yesterday, and didn't even get a chance to get online at all! I've helped out in con suite, at registration, in the art show....all sorts of stuff. Plus, last night was the costume contest. Lots of good entries in the contest, including Batman, The Joker, a group from Trigun (anime)and a Svengali-type with his "Living Dead Girl". She was cute, about 9 years old, and got best kid's costume. There were actually two of us doing different interpretations of Dolores Umbridge. But when the cat-herders were telling us that it was expected to play with the judges and bribe/cajole them....well, telling me to ham it up is just unleashing forces they may wish they hadn't! LOL
So my turn comes up, and I didn't get halfway down the aisle when people started booing the character. The MC was reading what I wrote on the intro card, and had to stop a couple of times, even. So I went down the line of judges, asking each a question like Umbridge did when interviewing the Hogwarts teachers...they're laughing, I'm trying not to laugh. Got to the GoH (guest of honor) of the con, and just dismissed him with a 'you won't even be here next year...' Just had fun doing it.
Now, keep in mind, I'm used to Chicago area cons, where there's a really butt-kicking Costumer's Guild. I am nowhere near that level yet, especially without all my resources here. So imagine my surprise...I won BEST OF SHOW!!!!! Wow! I guess acting can make up for costume shortcomings. The costume wasn't that bad, really, I'm just that picky. Pics will be forthcoming when I get them.
Funny note from later that night...I had changed back into my work/party clothes, and was sitting in con suite chatting. A couple of other folks, including the aforementioned GoH who'd been judging, and I were talking about the contest. The GoH recognized me out of costume, but the others didn't! That really made my night.
I stayed up till about 2 a.m. hanging out with some new friends, and then got some sleep.
I'm very thankful that I got to attend this con. Great people, and some much needed R&R. Did some networking, enjoyed some panels and parties, and helped out where I could. I think I may see about getting more involved for next year's con.
Today's the last day, of course, a few more panels, the other auction, and the dead dog party at the end of it all. I think I'm awake enough to head for con suite and get some breakfast, so catch you later!

Gods, this is hard to write...

2007-08-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

To say that today has been a bad day would be the height of understatement.
I can't soften this blow.
I lost my job.
You heard me, I got fired.
Never saw it coming. I've been busting my ass for two months, trying to build a shop where there was none, working on crap instruments, and trying to do everything with nothing. And today, out of the blue.... I understand the term "poleaxed" now.

So, since I was planning on gofering at Bubonicon 39 this weekend, that's where I am. On the plus side, I get the whole weekend off. I hope that keeping busy will help me cope and get through the initial shock.

What now? I don't know. I mean, I know I've got to find work, and soon, but I can't think any more specifically than that right now. I know I have skills, and can find a job, but how good a job? The cost of living out here still scares me.
I have enough to pay this next month's rent, and most of the bills. I don't know if I can qualify for unemployment.
The hardest part is telling all my friends. This was supposed to be a dream job, a real opportunity to finally succeed in my chosen field. Maybe I just need to face the idea that I chose the wrong field. But if that's so, what the hell is the right field? I can't count on making a living from any of my half-assed creative endeavors...even in a town like Santa Fe.
This was supposed to be the time when everything turned out right. So what the hell went wrong? Did I not believe hard enough? Did I trust the universe too much? Is it because I can't feel joy strongly enough? What lesson did I flunk this time? Why do the clue by fours have to hurt so much when they hit?
If this is supposed to be clearing the way for better things, I sure hope it becomes apparent soon. I don't know how much more of this I can take without losing my mind.

Hippo Birdie Two Meece

2007-08-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

Yeeha. I'm 42. I suppose I should make sure to pack my towel, now that I've reached the age of "life, the universe and everything"....thank you, Douglas Adams! *grin*

It's been a pretty laid back day. Gotta tell ya what my kid brother did, though. He and his lady wife sent me a package for my birthday. The card addressed to me in the box said that they hadn't been able to pick a card, so they just sent a bunch for me to pick from. He wasn't kidding! There are over 50 vintage cards, all occasions, most unused, in the box! He also threw in two sizes of micrometers (very handy), a wooden foot massage roller, a brass treble clef paperweight, a pack of candy, a set of "spy-ears" (didn't quite survive the trip intact, but fixable), and a Champion model Swiss Army knife. I feel so MacGyver now! I had to laugh at all the cards, but they are older than I am, and some are quite cute. Oh, and the real card did have a $20 bill in it, folded into a shirt shape. *shakes head* I have got to come up with something equally odd for him one of these days, but he's hard to beat in the joke department. Honest! If you think I'm quick-witted and funny, you gotta meet him...people can tell he's my brother, that's for sure.
I've gotten more online comments and messages, too, and that's awfully nice. Haven't heard from some folks I'd like to hear from, but I'm not really surprised at that. It's no big deal. I have come to realize that, just because it's my birthday, the world does not completely revolve around me. Damned disheartening to a Leo, but that's the way it is. ;-)
I got a Freecycle futon today for the living room. Easier to deal with than a couch. It needs a touch of repair, some of the wooden slats are falling out and need nailed/glued. The mattress is in good shape, with a washable cover. It'll be nice once I get it all put back together again. Ghost kitty is already comfy on the mattress.
Now if I can just get the outgoing email to work consistently. I don't know why it's acting up, but it's frustrating. So, if I owe you an email, I'm trying!!!

End of a wild week

2007-08-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Whew. What a week.
At work, I had to finish off all the rest of the school-owned horns. They are not in good shape at all, and I was really busting my hump to get them into playing condition. I think my bosses have a much better appreciation of repair work now, though. I've gone from surgical precision on flutes to sheer brute force on low brass, all in the same day!
Last weekend was the national flute show, in ABQ this year. I didn't get to go, and I'm glad I stayed behind to work on the horns. I couldn't have spared the time anyway! Then, Monday and Tuesday, I went in for the flute repair workshop we were hosting. Good info, and a nice refresher course for me. Again, the boss appreciates my work a bit more now, I think. Hated to lose my days off, though.
To make up for the extra time I've been putting in, I have this coming Saturday off! Yay! I'm going to go to ABQ for Bubonicon 39, a sci-fi convention. I'll be one of the volunteer helpers, or gofers. I met some of the other people working with the con on Friday night at the gofer meeting. Good people, and I'm glad I found some like-minded geeks to play with! I can only go down for Friday night (after work) and Saturday, since I need to work Sunday, but I'm glad to have that much! It's gonna be my birthday present to myself, I think.

Oh, yeah, birthday. Mine's Tuesday, thanks for noticing. ;-) Don't expect much to happen, since my friends are all miles away. I'm already getting notes online, though, and that's really nice. My brother did call and get my address so he could send me something, too. Good kid. Mom and Uncle Bob may send a card, too. Other than that, well, it's kinda hard to party hearty by myself. No pity party, though. I'm not falling into that trap anymore!

So, tomorrow's a laundry and house cleaning & organization day. Can't organize too much without furniture, but I can at least try to put things out of sight. Cleaning is an ongoing thing, of course. The cats make sure of that! And on the off chance that I miraculously have company, the house will be ready for them.
That's all for now! ttyl!

Warning: Venting Ahead

2007-08-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

You've been warned.
This wasn't supposed to be such a crappy day! Really! I was all happy, looking forward to getting my cable tv hooked up, and spending some time getting the apartment spruced up. So what happened? My phone's out again, no dial tone. My internet was out, too, but now it's on again. I don't know for how long, though. And the cable dude was over 3 hours late, made me late for a training session at work, and then drove off without doing the install! What a jerk!
The training session at work was mostly useless today, stuff I already know. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Frankly, I hate the idea of giving up part of my days off, but since there's not much I can do here at home, I might as well go in, right?
I'm just so stressed and frustrated that I could scream! I have spent more time talking to tech support in the last 7 days than I have in the last 7 years!!! Argh!

One bright note. I found out last night that Mother Grove (my fave band) is going to be playing at Fiddler's Hearth in South Bend (my fave pub) on 12/21, Yule night! I am saving my money so I can go and have a nice Yule vacation. Something to look forward to, for sure!

Anyway, here I sit, on the floor. Can't watch TV, don't want to go to bed, nowhere to go, and I'm out of books to read. Must be Monday?

I did go out and watch the meteor shower last night. Drove about 10 miles outside of town, and sat on the truck hood for about an hour or so. I didn't think to take a blanket, so it was a bit chilly. I stayed as long as I could, and did get to see and wish on many shooting stars. It was really beautiful. Would have been a good night to camp out with someone special and watch the stars all night. Maybe next year.

More later when I'm feeling better. I don't want to inflict all my negativity on my readers!

Good news, bad news, good news.....

2007-08-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

Good news: I have my truck back, and I can really tell the difference in how she handles.
Bad news: The bill came to $1051.78. Not as bad as it could have been, but ouch.
Good news: My paycheck was enough to cover that, since commissions were in this one.
Bad news: There's not enough left for the rest of the bills. I think I can make the truck payment, but that's all.
Good news: I have gas in the tank and food in the cupboard. It should be enough to get me through the next 2 weeks. If the gas runs too low, I know that I can bike to work.

That's a pretty good summary, I think.
Seriously, I was very thankful that I had enough in this paycheck to get my truck fixed. It really needed to be done. As for getting through the next couple of weeks/months, well, I'll take that as it comes. It'll be tight, but I think I can make it.
This does change some of my plans a bit, though. I was going to go to Bubonicon 39, the local Sci-fi con in ABQ. My registration is already paid, but I can't afford the hotel now. Sleeping in the truck is still an option, as is driving home each night (not ideal, by any means!), and maybe I can find crash space in the gopher hole if they have one. I'm planning to volunteer and help out, so that might lead to a place to crash. All this depends on whether I can get time off, of course, but I can at least go down for Saturday night's costume ball. We'll see. I've got a couple of weeks till then.
Another plan that may be affected is my trip back to Indiana to get my stuff. Renting that truck to get back here is not going to be cheap, nor is flying to Indiana. Other variables in that paradigm are the possibility of a training seminar in Indy (the store might help with costs there), and what else I can accomplish while back in the Midwest. I sure would love to catch a concert or two!
Furnishing the apartment is on hold, of course, though I am scouring Craigslist and Freecycle for freebies! There's even a column in the Sunday paper for freecycling type stuff. Pretty cool.
That's about all I can think of for now. I'm settling into a bit of a routine, trying to make this apartment feel like home. Now, if I can just get the cats to settle down and let me sleep at night, I'll be doing fine! ;-)

At long last, Internet!!

2007-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

I swear, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that Mercury was retrograde. I checked. It isn't. Sure feels like it, though. I'll try not to whine.

I'm in my apartment now, have been since Monday. They've fixed most of the little problems I found, so that's cool. I have one piece of "furniture" - a queensize airbed to sleep on. It's double height, so not bad at all.
My truck went into the shop yesterday morning. The transfer case is messed up, and I'm looking at a bill of at least 800 bucks. So much for this paycheck. No furniture for me for a while, it seems. Truck's gotta be fixed, though. Hopefully, the bill will be on the lower side of the estimate. Anyway, I'm riding my bike to work. Ouch. My legs are fine, but I forgot that I have no padding between my bones and the bike seat. And, ladies, this is *not* the week to be riding a bike, if you catch my drift. Very ouch.

I was supposed to get my modem on Tuesday. I didn't. I called to have them change the address and deliver it to work yesterday. They didn't get the change made. Finally got the modem today. Last night, though, I was trying to get onto dialup. Beat my head on the wall for over an hour, then finally realized that the buzz on the phone line wasn't the dial tone...my phone was out. Spent 45 minutes on hold and finally got to a repair tech. They came out and fixed the phone today, something was wrong with the outside lines, not my apartment.
So I'm setting up the modem, at long last, and had to call tech support. Sheesh, I never have to do that! Got that fixed, then started on the wireless router. More problems. Fixed those myself before I could get thru to tech support on that. Argh.

Work's been plagued by techno-trouble, too, it seems. Missed pickups and late deliveries, instruments that defy my best efforts to fix them, cranky customers, all sorts of weird stuff.
I think the frustrating part of all of this is that none of it is expected. I can't find a concrete reason for the rough week, and I really thought things were going well before this. Weird.

But, things will be better now. I am online in my apartment at last, sitting in bed typing away. Now, if I could just get to my email...ND's acting up again! Sheesh!
Maybe it's time to call it a night....

Weekend? What's that?

2007-08-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Technically, my "weekend" is Monday and Tuesday. But, Friday thru Sunday this weekend is New Mexico's "Tax Holiday". That means no sales tax on stuff that could conceivably be used for back-to-school. Musical instruments qualify, as do computers, clothes, furniture, and darn near anything I need. So, in the few hours that I'm not working, I'm going to be shopping for stuff for the apartment. This should be hectic, but fun. Already today, sales were up at the music store, so hopefully I'll be able to pull off a few sales to earn more commission on, too.

This morning, I got the keys to my new apartment and signed the rest of the papers. It feels good, and helped put me in a better mood than I've managed for the last couple of days. One thing that had me in a bad mood was that Juan, a fellow at work who also does house maintenance things for the bosses, was to take out the trash Wednesday. Not usually a problem. This time, however, he threw out stuff that was not anywhere near where he was supposed to be cleaning...including my carefully saved boxes and manuals for the TV, microwave, etc. and my moving boxes! I was *so* pissed!!! I got off lightly, though, because he also tossed some valuable antique toys and the collar for the Honda convertible - those were worth thousands! No chance of getting any of it back, either, since the landfill dumps the drop-off trailer every hour. Everyone was in a foul mood yesterday, I gotta tell ya.
Today was much better, though not without a few frustrations. Chem-cleaning tubas is hard work! *grin*
Tonight after work, I went to the new place and smudged it all over, every door or drawer got opened and smudged, too. Salt in the corners, and then a few prayers to bless the place. It feels like home a bit more now. When I get my stuff in, and the cats, it should take shape nicely. I feel like I've got a blank canvas to play with. I have a few of my decorative items with me, the rest are in Indiana for a while yet, but I can think of things I don't own yet that would look cool. I don't know if I'll ever have a unified style throughout, and I don't really care. I like to pull together things that have meaning to me, and if the only thing they have in common is that I like them, then so be it. Come to think of it, a lot of my friends are like that...I honestly don't know if they'd ever meet or be friends without that common bond. Not being egotistical, really, just another example of the magic of the web of life.
Time to head up the hill and start getting a load packed up to drop at the apartment tomorrow. It will be nice to have internet at home (Tuesday sometime) and not have to go out to find wi-fi. Not to say that I won't go out once in a while, but having the choice is much better. Things are definitely looking up.

Hairy Hat Has a Home! Hooray!!

2007-07-31T16:23:00.000-07:00

At long last, I've found a place that feels right. Surprisingly, it's an apartment in town, not a house. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, nice size, good kitchen. It'll do just fine. I've already arranged for phone/internet and cable tv. Gotta have the essentials, y'know?
I'll get my key this Friday, and move in over the weekend and my days off next week. Phone/net service will be active on Monday, cable the Monday following. Gotta find a good time to do the proper move-in rituals, too.
It's on the third floor (ouch!) but that's actually good for catching the breezes and staying cool without relying on the a/c as much. The corners in the stairs and hall are wide enough that moving things in shouldn't be too much of a problem. Sure would be nice if I could get a couple of strong guys to help with furniture when I get any! Might have to import a couple, huh? ;-)
I am very relieved to have found a good place. I was really beginning to worry and stress on it. For those who know me personally, you'll know how to get my address and phone number. The rest of you....who are you, anyway?? LOL
So now I get to pack my stuff back up and explain to the cats that it's just a short trip, not a three-day marathon. Then comes the fun of furniture shopping for the essentials, and figuring out where to put things, and.... Actually, the first step is to email the important people and groups and let them know where I am! That may take a while....
And of course, I'll have to figure out when I can get back to IN to get the rest of my stuff! Rather important, that, now that I have a place to put it!
I guess I'd better get busy on the emails. I will post pics of the new place when I get a chance. Thanks for all the energy and support, folks!!!

First look at possible house

2007-07-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Went out to Cerrillos to look at the ten-acre property. I only looked from the outside, as there's still not an arrangement with the soon-to-be-former tenant to get a look inside. The land is nice, not really much level ground, but room to walk about, put up a yurt once in a while and have a bit of yard space. The view is really nice, low hills in the foreground and higher ones blending into the mountains further out. It's only about 100 yards off the paved road, but sits in a little hollow, so it's quite private. I like it, and have told the landlady so. There's one other person in front of me, so I have to wait for him to see it, but I have a damn good chance of getting this one.
After my look around, I went into the village proper. Very tiny place, mostly tourist stuff, since the town is still pretty much in historical condition. Found the trading post and had a nice chat with the proprietress. The post is full of wonderful crystals and other things, and decently priced. They also have a small museum of the mining era in that part of the world. The local turquoise is a lovely aqua-greenish shade, and still is mined today. Incidentally, the movie "Young Guns" was filmed in the town!
Off to Madrid for a bit of late lunch. (It's pronounced MADD-rid, btw.) The movie Road Dogs was filmed there, and the locals are right...the town is nothing like the movie! Nice place, lots of eclectic galleries, shops and such. Spotted a couple places I will have to check out later. Madrid's the closest grocery store, too, so I'll be there off and on, I'm sure.
Back into Santa Fe for tea and internet, but had to stop at the newest library branch. Very nice, brand new, and more like what I'm used to. Checked out 4 books, then bought 2 at the Friends of the Library Bookstore on the way out. That should hold me for a week, right? I mean, it only took four hours to read Harry Potter, so I've got time for more!
Reading also helps me keep from worrying about the house thing. I am still in waiting mode (though Mercury gets out of his own shadow today, I think, and that should speed things up) and need to keep busy enough that I don't sabotage my own positive thinking. Face it, even with satellite, I can only watch so much TV...

You may also start seeing ads on my blog soon. I have signed up for Google AdSense, so click an ad if you can!
That's it for now! I'll keep y'all posted!

Magical monday?

2007-07-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Went to see Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix today. Even a matinee is $6.75! It was worth it, though, as the theater was free of screaming children ;-) I really enjoyed the movie. They did a good job on this one, and the combat scenes were really good. I also picked up my copy of HP7 this past Saturday, and yeah, I read it all the way through that night. I laughed, I cried, it was a very satisfactory ending. No spoilers here, kids, read it yourself!! LOL
On the house front, I have gotten my deposit back from the 5 br trailer, no problem. I had a feeling that was not the right place for me. I've heard back from the lady with the 3br trailer on 10 acres in Los Cerrillos. She is waiting to hear back from the current tenant on arrangements to show me the place. I'm glad she's keeping in touch with me, and told her I'm definitely still interested in the place. I'm still scoping out the ads every day, just in case.
I'm starting to get anxious to be in a place of my own soon. I know I'll need to come up with furniture, since even when I go back to Indiana for my stuff there will be things I need. A real bed, not just my futon (which will go in the guest room, I think), furnishings for the 2nd bedroom if needed, maybe curtains and such. I'll know more once I see and get my new place. Things other than furniture, I have most of what I need. But I know I need to get chairs, a couch and beds here. Thank heavens for yard sales and Goodwill! I've also been told of a couple of stores that have decently priced but still stylish furnishings. Lucky for me that my usual decorating style is "eclectic shabby chic with pagan overtones"! Gods, it'll be nice to be able to set up a permanent altar again!
It will also be nice to have a bedroom that I can shut the cats out of. I love the little beggars dearly, but their squabbling is not conducive to restful sleep. I have had bouts of insomnia and poor sleep patterns ever since I can remember, and don't need the added disruptions. I'm doing better, but still not feeling as rested as I'd like. I think getting into my own space will help, especially as I'll be able to fix the Feng Shui and other influences to my own liking. It's hard to feel comfortable doing one's usual rituals in a borrowed space.
So that's where I'm at right now. Waiting for pieces to fall into place. Familiar feeling, ain't it? That's ok by me - better right than rushed!!

Still house hunting

2007-07-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

The search continues. I have calls in to several places, and am trying to arrange to see places.
Found a great one this morning on, of all things, craigslist.com! Very good price, 2 br, 1.5 bath, mobile home on 10, yes, ten acres. There's a tiny 3rd bedroom that is more of an office, so she doesn't list it as a bedroom. Decent location, and hopefully the adaptations needed for rural life will deter others who are interested in it. I have talked to the landlady, nice gal, and frankly, what she calls 'drawbacks' to the place are 'features' to me! I grew up with propane, no problem. Water from a gravity feed tank, no problem (she told me the price for a fill-up - cheap!). It's internet capable, maybe even DSL. There's a current tenant (bit of a tale, there) so Lisa the landlady has to arrange showings with that lady. Should hear back this weekend so I can go look at the place. It's in Los Cerrillos, south of town. Fingers crossed!
Another place that I got a callback on is up in San Pedro, south of Espanola. Major drawback is that it's a duplex. Got a funny vibe from the landlord, and he's the one who'd be in the other half. Plusses are garden area, horses, and a greenhouse. Don't think I can get past the odd vibe, though, so I think I'll have to pass on that.
I am determined to get a good place and not settle for whatever comes along. I still have time, and am going to be relaxed and calm about this. (Have I convinced myself yet? Well, almost!)
Time to head out from the cafe and see what else I can find on a Friday night. With work tomorrow, it won't be too much or too late, anyway. I do have a DVD to watch at home, too.
Hasta luego!

Loki loves me, this I know....

2007-07-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

...My flat tire told me so!
So I got up this morning, and set off for my appointment with a bank loan person. As I'm getting ready to turn from the exit ramp to the street I need...I got a flat. Big time. Toasted tire by the time I limped it the last 500 feet to the bank from the intersection. *sigh* Figured "oh, well, fix it when I come out", and went in for my meeting.
Upshot of the meeting is that I'm within about a year or so of being able to buy a house. Not bad, really. Just a couple things to clear up on the old credit report (both of which I swear I paid, but my receipts are in South Bend) and keep up with my car payments, credit cards, etc. Overall, rather a good report. Just means I'll be definitely renting for a year or so.
Left the bank, and headed for my truck so I can change my tire. Oh, Loki likes it when I dress up, too...I have on a white tank top and a long skirt today. Figures, right? Well, there was a young fellow from the landscaping crew who'd been waiting for me to come out so that he could help me! The crew was waiting on some gravel and he was free at the time. Bless his heart, he got it all taken care of, and I barely got my hands dirty! I offered him some money so he could get a cold drink, but he refused it. I thanked him very much, and was very thankful to the universe for sending me a helper!
Went up to Discount Tire, so I could get a new tire and put the spare back underneath the truck. It doesn't have the pretty rim, and well, I wanted the right rim on the truck. Silly, but I don't care. While I waited, I walked across the street to a used book store and an herb shop that I'd been wanting to check out. Herbs, Etc. is great! They have everything I need, and a few things I didn't expect to find. Herbs in bulk and packaged, Bach and FES remedies, magickal items and my Chinese medicine stuff I like...tons of goodies. I got some Bach Rescue Remedy lozenges, some herbal sleep aid softgels (need those), and some spirulina. Then to the bookstore, and oh, the bargain carts are dangerous! At 45 cents a book, I got 4 or 5 good ones, plus paid regular price for a pair of books on odd happenings and places in NM. Those books not only tell the stories very well, they also tell you how to get to the places, when the location is available. Road trips? Maybe when gas gets a bit more reasonable!
Back to Discount Tire, and a small setback. Since the Bravada is all-wheel drive, all four tires need to be within certain tolerances of each other as far as tread. The other tires were too worn to work with the new one, so I ended up getting all four tires. I was going to need them sooner or later, I knew, but I'd been hoping for later! Thank goodness for the charge card! I didn't have to use any of my house deposit money for the tires.
As far as house...well... I'm thinking the big 5 bed/3 bath is going to be out of reach, and not my best investment. Nice to dream, but I can do better. I looked at a 3br/2bath singlewide yesterday evening. It's do-able, but not in the best shape. Also, I don't think I can get hi-speed internet out there. That's a definite negative. I'll hold that one as last resort. The house in Pecos was a no-go from the start...I don't know how they can call a 4-room cottage a 2-bedroom, unless they expect someone to sleep in the living room. Open plan, no privacy, and way too small.
The search continues. The 'Thrifty Nickel', similar to our Penny Saver, comes out on Thursday, so there will be more ads there. I check the New Mexican online every day. The Journal is useless, as it's more ABQ than SF, and not sorted out by area. Keep the juju coming, folks, I know a good place is out there waiting for me. I need to find it by August 1st, and be in it by the 15th. I've written up my 'shopping list' so I know what I am manifesting. C'mon, Secret, work!! I know it will, I'm just anxious.
Anyway, that's where things are right now. More as it happens!

Ups and Downs

2007-07-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

What a week.
On Thursday the 12th, our church family lost a very good friend. Betty's cancer took her far sooner than any of us expected. Heck, we expected her to get well!! Six months to the day from when we lost our friend Mel, Betty took her trip to the Summerlands. I'm really going to miss her. Betty was the one who gave me my elf for Yule. There's an inside joke there, obviously, and those who know me will get the true meaning. For the rest of you, let's just say I tend to like the Legolas-type.

On the up side, I have an appointment tomorrow to see a house. It's a great place, a manufactured house in a good park, but it could be moved to permanent land later on. Best of both worlds! It's got 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, and lots of amenities. The owners are looking for someone to take over payments, and I think it's very possible. I already had a meeting with my banker set up for Tuesday to talk about home buying possibilities, so this is just perfect timing! I can see me in that house already!

A sideways wobble... Called my friend Matti Tuesday, and found that he'd already gone up to see his brother Mark in Seattle. Well, pooh! Don't know how long he'll be there, but he'll be back, I'm sure.

Mama and Papa E. came down Friday to pick up their computer. Last I heard, Mama had it up and running, so that's good. Guess I can postpone my house call for a little bit! They didn't stay long, as I was at work, and they had running around that needed to be done before Papa's doctor appointment. Even if it's a short visit, it's sure nice to have "family" out here.

Today at work was a bit slow in the store, but that's ok. I got some much-needed organizing work done in back. The excitement of the afternoon was a mariachi band playing in the middle of the mall. Good stuff, but boy does that sound carry!!

As you can tell, there's no such thing as 'same old, same old' sometimes! Hopefully I will have good news soon, and I'll certainly share it with everyone.
ttyl!