Back in the fray

So, this is the first day back in the office in almost five months. I have been working from home since May so that I could finish school, and I am so not used to working around other people anymore.

There is sooooooo much noise in the office (and it isn’t the background noise of the Grey’s Anatomy that I am currently trying to watch—I started at the pilot and am working my way through (gotta love HULU)). Everyone is either talking to each other here, or on the phone. And I’m nosy. I have to listen in on all the conversations. Many shiny somethings……

 Also, I am sooooooo not used to just sitting at my desk and just working. While I work at home, I do the laundry, clean the kitchen, and gaze around trying to pretend that I am looking for something else to clean. I don’t usually clean anything (after all, I told my husband that I was not a good housekeeper when we met), but I pretend. In the office, I have constantly been looking for a reason to get up and walk around.

And another thing, I haven’t worn dress shoes in the last five months. Or, real clothes. Last night I had to search for something officy to wear. My usual uniform has been jeans and either a sweatshirt or t-shirt, depending on how cold it is. And if I can’t wear flip-flops or my converse, I’m not going. That is if I actually get out of my pajamas. There are many some,  a few days that I only make it into clothes when Andrew calls to tell me he is on the way home.

Today, my feet are killing me—I actually wore heels. With straps across the top of my foot. And, I walked downtown from the office. And I wore tights. What was I thinking? I should have eased back into the whole office attire thing.

The best thing about coming into the office is that I am only going to do it Tuesday and Thursday. Another good thing is that Andrew said that we were going to eat out on those days. But feel like I am falling behind on the laundry (why is it that I feel like I do laundry everyday for six people, but it is only the two of us?)…………..  

Super Highs, Super Lows

So good day, bad day.

Today, I joined the jet set, or should I say the Cessna set. We just zipped up to Harris Ranch for lunch and then came home.  

Da Plane, Da Plane!

Our friends, Bruce and Gary, flew down from Reno just to have lunch with us. Actually Bruce just wanted to land at Harris Ranch because it has a tiny little runway (the plane’s wingspan is wider than the runway). A 2 ½-3 hour drive was a 30 minute flight. I was afraid of take-off only because I know that in large planes, my stomach lurches on take-off, and have never been in a small plane. I was fine though. I got to sit shotgun and watch the instruments.

Cal Poly From the Air

After a great lunch (I had a ribeye while Bruce had a 30 lb hunk of bone-in prime rib) we climbed back into the plane to come back to San Louis Obispo. After climbing to cruising altitude, Bruce let me take the controls!!!!!! He asked if I wanted to and I was hesitant, but got over it. I have always wanted to fly, and boy is it harder than it looks. You have to keep the wings level, the altitude within 100 ft, and the plane on the little purple line on the computer screen. My shoulders hurt from trying to keep all the controls right.

So that was the great part of the day.

The bad part of the day is:

Yep, dropped my iPhone…………

"That" Age

So, it has come to my attention that I have finally reached “that” age. I feel I am fairly attractive, and that 36 is not old, but the scales are tipping.

I took a walk today. From the office three blocks up to Starbucks. It was lunchtime and there were quite a few people out. The sidewalks cafes were full, and in my pretty little sundress, I received quite a few smiles.

When I thought back over it, I realized that all the men that smiled at me were either 10 years older or 10 years younger than me.

Not that I am looking for anyone new (I am married (actually happily (mostly =})), and so it is not really a big deal, just a blow to the ego), but it is nice to know that I can make a man smile by walking past, even if he is way too young or a smidge too old. 

Randomness on being alone.....

So, last night was my first night all alone.

The boys have gone off and left me. Right now they are both down at the new house (bastards!), and John will be going to my mom’s after that for most of the summer.

Last night, I couldn’t sleep. I was tired and feeling blah after donating blood, but I couldn’t close my eyes. I don’t know how people can say they feel energized after giving blood, it just drains me (pun intended).

I have NEVER lived alone. I have been alone for a few days, but not for a month. Luckily I have the dog, and last night she was in bed with me (a treat for her). I wasn’t scared of anything, I just couldn’t sleep. I don’t know what was up. I am not lonely (at least not yet), and there is a novelty to being alone. I will probably tire of it at some point, put I am trying to enjoy it for now.

Packing to move is taking up all of my “free” time (between work and school), that and series TV on Netflix that I keep hearing things about, but never got to see.

I have a list of friends that have told me to call if I want to go out or if the alone time starts to drive me crazy, and I am thankful for them. I may just have to take them up on the offer.

At least I shouldn’t have to shovel snow……But, who knows, this is northern Nevada…….

Morro Rocks Literally!

Busy, busy, busy.

Morro Rock
View from every window of living room and master

So, as you all know--because I won't stop talking about it--we are moving. We are uprooting our family and ruining the boy's life (but only every other day). I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

We finally found a house, and although it's dated (80s all the way baby) the view makes up for it.

Don't get me wrong, I like Reno, but I have been in the desert too long. The sea is calling to me.

I went to see the new house this weekend. It's kinda dumpy--the walk-through list of problems was two pages long--but I know that we can make it home. To me it already is. I woke up in Reno this morning at around 5:30 and it took me a minute to figure out where I was. Then I had this wave of disappointment wash over me. Then I passed right back out.

The house is at the top of the hill with only one street behind us. You can see the entire town below us. I will miss the balloon races and the fireworks that go off all summer long here in reno, but in Morro Bay we get the ocean, beach, the dunes, and of course the rock. Even though we are not on the beach, we can hear the waves at night.

The town seems pretty laid back, and we have already met the neighbors, and some other people in town. We were looking to get furniture there instead of moving all our stuff, and I found a couch on craigslist.org that looked as if it would fit the huge great room. I wrote to the guy who placed the ad and he said that it was still available so I asked if we could come by and see it. We had decided that we were going to hit some yard sales, and I did not check my email before we left. We got to that last one, and as we pulled up, I told Andrew "That's the couch!" As we got out of the car, he said, "That's the other house we were looking at!" It must have been meant to be, that couch in our living room. And, the people that were selling it have been to a party in our house. Small town.

We also bought a new bed for our room this weekend. It is kinda fun mattress shopping. We have decided when we are grown ups and can afford and $5000 bed (never LOL), we want a Sterns and Foster. OMG it was the most comfortable thing I have ever laid on. But, this time we were good, and stayed in budget. The bed was delivered yesterday after I left to drive back to Reno, and Andrew got to sleep in it by himself last night (bastard). But since he still doesn't have gas hooked up (that happens tomorrow), he doesn't have hot water and I came home and took a nice, long, hot shower!

Slacking, Packing, and Moving

I gave my notice at work three works ago. Last Friday was my last day. I have had a whole week to do what I wanted. Well almost what I wanted to do. My hubby decided that I wasn’t spending my time as well as I should have, and he would just look at me like I should be doing something else (rather than just lying in bed reading). I did do a few things though.

I cooked dinner (at regular dinner time even); I went through the kitchen and put all kinds of things in boxes for the garage sale. I also cleaned out the linen closet for the same reason. I know we are moving, but I don’t know what to leave out and what to pack. It will be the end of July, or even August before we move. Another thing is that some of the stuff is my mother-in-law’s and I don’t know what she wants to keep and what I can take. When they moved out, they left a bunch of stuff behind.

 Also, I still don’t know where we are moving to. There is not a lot for rent in Morro Bay (which is where we want to be), and it is hard to look for a place 8 hours away. All the ads on Craig’s list are scams, and there is not much in the newspaper. So, since I don’t know where we will be moving, I don’t know how much space I will have and how much stuff I will need to get rid of.

On another note, I was hoping to be unemployed for the summer. I knew that I was going to have to find a job eventually when we got moved and settled, but yes even in this economy, I needed to take time off for summer school because it is going to take up a lot of my time taking two classes in seven weeks. It is hard to stay unemployed though when you are out of work a week and you get a job offer that you weren’t even looking for. What do I do with that? I can work from home, and still go to school, but I don’t know if that’s what I want to do. I did call and send an email to talk about it, but I still don’t know. Guess I have to think about it. 

Bitter-Sweet

So, today is my last day at work.

I know, I know, why am I giving up a job in today's economy? Starting in a week I am going into all day summer school classes, and was going to have to take a leave of absence anyway. I didn't want to leave the company high and dry for almost three months. I wanted them to be able to fill the position that I hold. With a company that only has 12 people in it a three month leave is a big deal.

It is hard to leave here (my boss was just saying that there has been a Wolf in the company for the last 12 years--my husband worked her before I did), but it was also an easy choice for me. I have known many of these people for 10 years, some for only a few months, but I know that I will still be having contact with them (since I get my internet connection from them). The easy part is that my priorities have always been Family, School, and then Work (and in that order) and so School had to win out over Work. With these two classes this summer, I will have finished my B.A!!!! These last 4 1/2 years has been rough (I have been working the whole time--either two jobs or one full time job--and going to school full time) with no time for extra curricular activities. I am hoping that this will change.

Who knows, I may actually have time to clean the house, take the dog to the park, and enjoy my family.

Much News!!

So, first, there is only two more weeks of the semester left. 

WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finals are coming up, but I only have one test (although I still have to show up for my other final periods). I have been a writing fool though for the last couple of weeks. I have a memoir of 25 pages due Wednesday, a 7 page research paper (the nontraditional student and how I fit that role) and a 20 page writing tutor project on Thursday, and for next week, a 7 page paper on the disappearance of frogs for my science writing class and a 7 page paper on the dirt roads of Nevada for an eco/desert nonfiction writing class. 66 pages due starting this week. I do have to do a public reading for three of my classes, but I have been doing them all semester long, so I feel ready.

My last day of the semester is Monday 9th of May. Another change, my last day of work is the 6th of May. I gave my notice last Friday. I know, I know. People are trying to get jobs, not get rid of them, but I was going to have to take a leave of absence anyway for summer school. The last two classes I needed are 4 days a week, 4 hours a day, and so I could not have been working. Also, things are up in the air about if we are moving or staying here, and I just want to be ready, what ever happens. If we are moving, I will need the rest of the summer to pack up the house (since I will probably be the only one doing it).

Andrew and I are hoping to be able to take a vacation this summer, too. It has been two years since he has had one, and he really needs it. We have been looking at western Caribbean cruises. There is one that leaves from Galveston, and hits Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel before returning to Galveston. It is seven days and gives us three days at sea. We did a seven day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean a few years ago, but we hit a new island everyday, so we felt like we were run ragged. This way we will have time to relax on ship.

So really, the only hard fact that I have are about school and my last day of work. The rest of my life is up in the air, and I am ready for the adventure.

But, I don't want a minor

I am sooooooo excited!!!!!

I met with a counselor at school last week, and was told that I would have to take another 18 credits for a minor (I don’t want a effing minor), to get my degree. I was all bummed because I just want to be done with school and only have one job. I was looking through the course catalog trying to fit all of the classes into one semester, but of course they were not all available next semester. I really didn’t want to take two more semesters of school. Depression set in and I haven’t really slept very well in the last week.

So, I called the General Studies counseling center yesterday to have them go over my transcripts. We went through all of my classes (there are tons), and the verdict………

I only have to take two more classes for a degree in General Studies!!!!!! I have registered for them and now I will be done by July 7^th! I was kinda iffy about “General Studies,” but then I thought about it. It just means that I am well rounded (in my education, not my figure thankyouverymuch). So one more science class (astronomy), and one more sociology class (violence and gender), and I. AM. DONE!

I don’t know what I will do with all my free time. I will have a ton with only working and the family. No more late nights because I have to do homework. No more missing out on the family stuff because I am at school all evening. I may even clean my house. Nah, probably not.

I can’t wait!

Plea For Love and Good Energy

One of my professors has had a very difficult three weeks. His daughter, whom we all knew was ill, has been being kept on life support due to a brain injury and it seems that they need to make the decision of either keeping her on, or letting her go. Although none of the students have all of the information, we have been told that the department does not know when he will return.

This has thrown the students into chaos with not knowing how our semester is going to end, but even through the uncertainty, our thoughts go out to this teacher. Our class has had two different subs, and there is confusion on what we need to do. Mark is an excellent teacher, and has specific requirements that we are to work in, but the two subs either do not agree with his guidelines and expectations, or have other ideas that they would like us to follow. But, our confusion and feelings of loss and displacement cannot come close to Mark’s.

Loosing a child is one of the hardest things to bear, according to those that have been through it, and so, even if we are lost, we must remember that our troubles are small.

Please send healing thoughts to Mark and his family. Push all the good energy towards them to help them through this difficult time.

Help! I Need a New Book!

I am an unapologetic reader. I will read just about anything. Any genre. Any format. Almost any writer (I can even be persuaded to try one I don't like again). There are very few books that I have started and not finished (Lord of the Flies was one, but that was in high school, so maybe I will try it again, and then there was that stupid on that was made into a movie that I tried to read on my own and then was assigned in my Brit Lit class). But I digress.

I know it is early for summer reading lists, and I hope to actually write this summer, but I need some ideas. I have read every book in my home library, and even as a full time English student, I still try to read at least one book for pleasure each week (sometimes I can get two or three a week). I am running out of titles. So I am giving tit for tat. I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

My recommendations:

1. Anything by Christopher Moore Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Bite Me, You Suck, Dirty Job, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, and all the others (I have read them all)
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
3. Anything by Gregory McGuire Wicked, Son of a Witch, Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister, etc. (Again, I have read all of them)
4. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
5. Confessions of a counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale

There are sooooooo many I want to list, but not enough room.

I showed you mine, your turn!

p.s. I caught the mouse. It is now living happily outside (until someone makes it dinner).

So, we have a mouse in the house……………….

Our Lazy Lumps

The other night, I was lying in bed doing homework (just like every night), and the big, fat cat started growling at something.  This is strange, because he is usually so lazy that he barely even moves when you enter the room. He has gotten so lazy that he doesn’t even meow anymore, just lets out a little squeak (although that may be because he weighs almost 15 pounds now, but hey, he’s old, and he deserves to be happy). So, anyway, he starts growling, and of course, the dog perks up. I leaned over to see what was going on under the bed, and the mouse come running out with Smokey (the fat cat) running after it. It was impressive; I haven’t seen that cat move that fast in a long time. He actually caught it too. By the tail. Dragging it back under the bed.

I got up and went to find something to catch the mouse (I wasn't worried that the cat would kill it, he has no teeth), but by the time I got back to the bedroom, the mouse was gone. The cats, Smokey and Neff, and the dog, Echo, have taken up stations at various closet doors in the house. I keep opening the doors, hoping to be able to catch the mouse, but it keeps getting away. I just want to put it outside. it's not even freezing outside anymore. He could bask in the sun. Get a little tan. Who knows, it might impress the lady mice. he just needs to do it somewhere else. 

The Perfect Puppy

What Is Our Education Worth?

Today I went with hundreds of other students to the Rally for Education in our state capitol. There were students from UNR, UNLV, TMCC, GBC, and all the other schools of higher education in attendance. The background is that the cuts that the Governor wants to enact on higher learning are too much (google Nevada education cuts 2011 if you want to know more). Yes, I know that there is no money in the state budget, but cutting education (both higher and K-12, mind you) is not the answer if we want Nevada to prosper. Many good points were brought up by the students that testified in the Ways and Means committee hearing:

1.       Less education means higher unemployment. 
2.        Many of the programs that are set to be cut are important to people from other states. Our Agriculture Dept. gets calls from all over the country for help.
3.        We have very bright high school students here in Nevada that are planning to take their education and excellence to other states to go to college rather be faced with a mediocre education here. Most of them will not return, even though they would have probably stayed had they been able to get a college education in this state.
4.        One woman, a high school guidance counselor, said that she had 11 students at the rally (and she made them stand so that the committee could see them) and between the 11 students, they had earned 10 million in scholarships. They are from a depressed area, and they are on their way up. Unfortunately, they will not be bringing their neighborhoods up because they are taking that 10 million to other states whose schools are not in such jeopardy. 
5.        When education is cut, it means a rise in the need for prisons, police, and other safety personnel.
6.        Educated people do not want to move their families to places where their children will end up with a subpar education,
7.        The rural colleges help to staff the rural areas with trained personnel. The nurses and teachers trained at Great Basin College stay in the area and enhance the community. 
8. There was a 5th grader testifying from Las Vegas, pleading with the legislators to let him have a chance to go to college.

The future of Nevada is at stake. The future of education is at stake. Cutting as much funding as the Governor wants to make is going to make education only for the rich, the equality is fading from sight.

Gotta jet, going to class. If I think of more rant later I will post again.

What a Day (and its only 9:30 am)

So, this morning I was running around before taking the boy to school cleaning the house so that the housekeepers could clean the house later today. I cleaned my bathroom and bedroom and picked up the kitchen. I made the boy empty and load the dishwasher. Yes, this should have all been done yesterday, but well I got in the groove writing for my memoir class, and the boy decided that it was a good time for a nap and then screwing around on the computer. This in spite of the fact that I woke him up and booted him off the computer (a few times).

Thus begins my day of being productive. House picked up....Check. My desk at work clean......Check (in the first 15 minutes of work). Email correspondence done........Check. Rest of the day planned out.....Check.

The rest of my day is planned out in the following way.

• Go to the cleaners
• Return business purchase
• Drive out to Fernley (About 35 miles each way)
• Pick up the boy at school at 3:00
• Go home and enjoy clean house

We will see if the later part of the day is as productive as this morning was......

Polyamourous Relations

So, I've been reading all the banter about TLC's show "Sister Wives," and can see there are strong feelings on both sides of the "issue" (if there even is an issue). My Thoughts? So what. So, this man found 4 women that were okay with sharing him.

My problem is that you always hear about Polygamy and never about Polyandry. Why do the guys get to have all the fun? I think that it is male pride that makes polygamy more palatable than polyandry. A man with sister-wives can look over his children and say that they are his. There is no doubt of who the father is supposed to be. With polyandry, there is not the certainty about children. With more than one husband, there is the chance that any one of the men could be the father. This was bad news when inheritance law was structured around things like gender and birth order, but, at least in the western world, that is no longer an issue. I could leave all my worldly goods to some random person picked out of the phone book. So, it seems to me that ego is the main hurdle.  

I have been thinking about the pros and cons of each of these two life-style choices, and here is what I see, and how my life would change if I chose either of the life-styles. 

Polygamy

Pros

• Having helpmates around the house.
• As a full time student, employee, wife, and pseudo-mom, this would be a godsend. there are not quite enough hours in a day.
• Close friendships can be formed.
• Most sister-wives get a say in the new additions. 
• We all need girlfriends, and if we are all griping about the same guy, it kinda makes it easier.
• you always have someone to shop with
• Everyone knows "who's the daddy"

Cons

• Jealousy
• Feelings of being left out of a private joke or of being neglected.
• The green-eyed monster can pop up in even the best relationships. 
• The strict schedules
• I am kind of the spur of the moment gal. My time outside of the home is so regimented that I want my down time to be free and easy. 
• Cash resources. 
• It must be hard to keep more than one household financed. 

Polyandry

Pros

• If one hunka-hunka burning love is not "in the mood" there is bound to be another one who is.
• I know that my husband and I just have schedules that get outta whack. This way that rarely happens. 
• You can have one of each flavor. 
• I have been trying to figure out my "type" for a writing assignment, and have been having a hard time. This way I don't have to have a type. Male pretty much covers it.
• Multiple cash resources. 
• Since, unfortunately, men are usually still the bread-winners. Having more than one seems to be beneficial.

Cons

• Children could be a little confusing. 
• Who's the baby daddy?
• Does it matter?
• Just more men to clean up after. 

Kinda Like My Job

So, yesterday I really didn't want to be at work. I was super tired, even though I went to bed at a "reasonable" time. I had a midterm after work. I hadn't read for the class before that. I needed a mental health day from work. So I took one.

I came to work at my normal time, I finished the project that I had started the day before and then.......
I decided the coffee area was messy. I took everything off of the counter, wiped everything down, refilled all the condiments, cleaned out the microwave, and set everything back where it goes. As I was cleaning, I noticed that we were low on a few things--we only had two filters left, and there was still a long day ahead, they were going to want coffee tomorrow. My job is a little bit of everything. I am the administrative assistant, the marketing assistant, purchaser, and part of the provisioning team. I order parts, services, and do all the shopping for the office. I keep the techs in coffee and candy. I get to spend someone else's  money.

And so, I decided I had to shop. 

I went and bought the coffee filters, the Splenda, the cold cups, the candy. I had to get out. I drove the long way. I wandered around Smart and Final looking at things that I might want to go back and buy for home. I picked the longest line for checkout. I got out the company credit card, and I had to smile.

I got to go shopping, and I wont go home to the 3rd degree about what I am spending money on, because, It's not my money!!! My husband wont care that I needed shopping therapy to improve my day, because he wont see the bill!!! Oh, happy day.

The only thing was, after wasting as much time as possible, and stopping to pick up lunch (Super Burrito Rules), I still had a half hour left when I got back to the office.

Next time I need to plan better.

Let's Give This a Try

So, everyone else is doing it. Blogging seems to be the norm. I wanna be normal too. Really not sure what I will be blogging about, but as my Memoir professor says, everyone has a story. I may try those stories on you, or I may just rant. We can only wait and see.

First, a little about me:

1. My husband and I have been together for what seems like forever (really only 9 years, but who's counting?).
2. We have custody of my youngest brother (15 years old), and no kids of our own--hence the pseudo-mom comment in my "about me" section.
3. I am a full-time student at the University of Nevada Reno.
4. I work full time (just to keep my insurance).

That is pretty much my priorities in order. Family, school, and work. I don't really have much time for anything else. Eventually I'll tell you about our travels, my husband working out of state 2 weeks at a time, the things everyone does to annoy me, the things everyone does to surprise me, and anything else I flippin feel like telling you.

Who knows how long it will last, and what it will ultimately become, but we will see. If there is anything you want to know, tell me, and I will see what I can do!