post-college update #1

although it feels so far away now, i'll do a brief recap of the end of last fall. it definitely felt much, much different than any other semester because i was living in the city rather than on campus, wasn't involved in any extracurricular clubs (okay, just a few...but not the all-consuming newspaper) and had a ton more homework than usual. i was taking all three of my required seminars in my major at the same time and working about 20 hours a week, so i kept busy despite what i thought would be more free time. i really enjoyed commuting to school via the collegetown shuttle, a great free service for baltimore area college students. i rode with a lot of my friends every day, and it was a superb opportunity to listen to NPR, drink my coffee, and catch up with our awesome bus driver chip or each other. the bus was too shaky to get much reading in, so i soaked up a lot of slow morning wake-up time instead. the only problem was that it stopped running at 8 pm and when my night class ended at 9, i always had to rely on the generosity of others to give me a ride (thanks, timmy!). other than that, i tried to do some baltimorexploring at various events and festivals. i love this city and this state--so many things to do! our mayor was on trial for stealing gift cards meant for needy children, which made for some interesting local political discussions. thanksgiving with timmy's family is massachusetts was surprisingly relaxing (i had less homework to do than i predicted, and didn't even have a cold as i usually do that time of year) and we had a nice time despite being stuck in traffic in new jersey for about five hours. my mom visited in early december, which was a lot of fun for all of us (i think). baltimore pulls out all the stops for christmas so we had fun showing her the christmas lights of hampden, doing some local shopping, and checking out the MICA art fair. besides our furnace being broken and our pipes freezing (we couldn't use our toilet for a day, which was the most unfortunate part of the freezing pipe situation) i really love our house. it is the perfect size for the two of us, although i am looking forward to my friend kashmir moving in this weekend for a few months, and i like how we've decorated it. it was particularly exciting to have our own christmas tree (all ornaments courtesy of my mom!) and decorate for the season. our neighborhood has definitely grown on me--it is really diverse but there aren't too many amenities (i.e. grocery stores) near by.






for anyone that didn't catch it, there was a huge snowstorm that hit the east cost the weekend before christmas. that messed up my travel plans (i flew to seattle tuesday instead of sunday) but other than that was actually kind of fun because we didn't have to go anywhere. i heard we received about 22 inches total. it was so heart-warming to see all of our neighbors get out and try to clear our street (there was no way a plow was going down our narrow, three-block-long avenue) together. normally there's not a whole lot of conversation between neighbors but when it snowed everyone was out there together. i learned i am pretty useless with a shovel but did feel productive when i brought a few dozen freshly baked gingerbread cookies out to share. after the snow cleared a bit i finally made it back to the northwest for a relaxing, family-filled week at home. i am fortunate to have such genuine, interesting and fun friends and relatives. i got to see pretty much everyone i wanted to (including my most adorable little cousins and hilarious former babysittee), clearing out old high school memorabilia, and spending time in front of the fire. i really love christmastime and enjoyed it just as much this year. it is unfortunate that my hometown and current home are so far apart, because it really is a huge pain (and expense) to travel so far when i want to get home. it saddens me to say that izzy, aka pookie, our family's oldest and most beloved cat, passed away last weekend. she seemed totally and surprisingly healthy when i saw her last week but in one day it was discovered that she had a tumor and had to be put to sleep. this was really tough on my brother and mom, who adored that cat more than i thought possible, and i feel so guilty that i can't be there for them. rest in peace pooquincy.






it is currently a few minutes past noon, i'm still in my pajamas, and have been browsing the internet for jobs for the past three hours. i am currently enjoying my 20-hours-a-week job in goucher's career development office because it means i work three days a week and the other two are spent looking for a real job. however, when that ends in two weeks i have a feeling being (f)unemployed will have lost its luster and i will be anxious and bored silly. i have several informational interviews lined up, and am really excited about what i have applied to (smithsonian folklife festival, maryland humanities council, johns hopkins library, univ. of maryland parkinson's research lab)--but have no leads as of yet. what a horrible time to be looking for a job. at least i am a relatively cheap employee, right? i hope so. we'll see how this whole job search goes. timmy and i both applied to work in denmark for a year--serving as program assistants for the study abroad program we both did, DIS--from august 2010 to august 2011. that would be the opportunity of a lifetime, but if it doesn't work out i think we could find some interesting opportunities in the US too. after this summer our lease will be up and his contract with americorps will end, so we will be free to roam. we are hoping to do a road trip this spring (he gets passover off, which means we could go for about 10 days) to explore some midwestern locales, perhaps to investigate the possibility of moving after this summer. my top three cities of interest right now are minneapolis, chicago, and denver, followed by st. louis, pittsburgh, and maybe austin? if anyone has thoughts on cool, mid-sized, artsy midwestern cities with good public transportation systems and ample job opportunities, please let me know! now that i don't have homework (!!!!), i hope to spend much more time returning to creative pursuits such as sewing, knitting and making cards. i have been doing a lot of baking and cooking lately--last weekend i made wheat bread from scratch!--which is a good hobby when you have time but not lots of money. i really adore taking and editing photos, but it would be a good idea to practice some hobbies that don't require staring at a computer screen. if anyone has any suggestions for craft projects, let me know!

done with college!

sorry i have not posted at all recently-- things have been really zany finishing up many papers and projects-- but i am pleased to report that i am now officially done with college! my last exam took place about an hour ago and now i am free as a bird. i promise to post more pictures and updates at some point soon. happy holidays to all!!!

falltimore

autumn update

autumn glory was awesome! well, the festival was...the camping part was pretty miserable at times. the drive went well, with the foliage getting more intense as we drove west. we made it to the state banjo competition and witnessed some very young as well as very old banjo players. the southern garrett county high school gym was packed with mostly senior citizens but also some really entertaining little kids who had fun dancing. camping that night involved four people sleeping in a two-person tent (we brought another but we couldn't set it up), without sleeping mats (we forgot them in baltimore), in the pouring rain, atop gravel. and the temperature was a high of 40 the next day, so needless to say it was very cold as well. the camping was really unpleasant, actually. the next day we got up early and headed straight into small-town america. we got to see the church choir perform a gospel puppet show (not as good as last year's), check out the (fabulously tacky) craft fair, buy ridiculously cheap pumpkins and gourds from some mennonite and amish farmers, eat hand-made donuts (pretty much the only vegetarian option in the entire county) and see an appalachian clogging performance all before witnessing the grand parade. it was just as absurd as it was last year, with lots of obnoxious shriner cars zipping around, lots of cheerleaders and drill teams in uniforms from the early 90s, their accompanying high school marching bands, beauty queens freezing in strapless gowns, historic fire engines, ROTC and other military brigades, and local politicians atop goofy floats. i love that stuff! our final stop before heading back home was to refuel and warm up with some great cheap coffee and vegan cupcakes (we made those and brought them with us) to celebrate timmy's 24th birthday! all in all, it was a really memorable weekend.



other than that i feel like i've been drowning in homework lately, specifically studying for midterm exams and writing reviews of literature. that's what i should be doing now, in fact! i also took time to set up a linked in account for the sake of networking and hopefully finding a job for the spring. we'll see how that works. if anyone hears of any full-time opportunities in the baltimore area from january to july of 2010, please let me know!!!

i get through my homework sessions with hyggeligt candles and oversized cups of coffee/tea/chai/hot chocolate/apple cider:


our harvest-time window display:

tumblr + autumn glory

quick update: things are going well, busy as usual. school is back in full swing and i'm feeling slightly stressed. i am really really looking forward to a weekend in western maryland at the autumn glory festival! small town americana at its finest, this festival was a total blast last year and i hope it will be the same this time around. maryland truly lives up to its moniker of "america in miniature" (or 'merica, if you prefer)-- there are vibrant urban areas, sprawling suburbs, and your standard conservative rural towns as well. it is refreshing to see the foliage, smell the farms, and experience maryland's more west virginia side. i hope the predicted thunderstorms won't deter us from having a good time and celebrating timmy's 24th birthday!

on another note, this week i fell in love with tumblr, an awesome blogging platform that is very design-oriented. if you click on the link it should take you to my page-- i'm going to post photos and other musings there...

brief pacific nw visit + bed bugs

last weekend i had the good fortune to travel back to seattle and catch up with lots of family and friends. although it was very brief-- thursday night to monday morning-- i'm glad i was able to see everyone and everything that we (timmy came too) did. in addition to seattle/shoreline, we trekked up to vancouver bc for about 24 hours. i hadn't been there in five or so years, and it was more cosmopolitan and international than i remembered it. i loved how many skyscrapers and coffee shops there were. (i am a big fan of late night coffee shops-- one we visited stayed open until 3:00 am on the weekends!-- because they are a good alternative to bars for those of us who want to meet up with friends or go out but not be in a loud, drunken setting.) my mom, being the travel genius that she is, managed to have the four of us stay for free in a really nice hotel downtown. that in itself was a treat!! back at home it was a pleasure to see familiar faces and new ones too (like my new baby cousin, pictured below). besides timmy's severe allergies and cat-induced asthma attack, it all went very smoothly and made for a memorable, interesting and refreshing time.

vancouver-- gastown



good times and good food in seattle





unfortunately we seemed to have brought the seattle weather with us back to baltimore because it has been 60 and raining since we got back. i didn't mind today because i didn't have classes-- i worked from 9 to 5 and felt justified sitting at my desk all day because the downpour made any other option sound unappetizing. tonight has been very "hygge" (a danish concept/way of life referring to coziness): i lit some candles, made some butterscotch brownies, had a friend over, read a book, etc. my kind of night. school has indeed started so of course there is homework to be had, but i'll get to that on sunday. i am liking all of my classes so far, although it's only been two weeks, and i think my last semester of my undergraduate career will be challenging (in a good way). this semester definitely feels different knowing i am so close to the end, living off campus and commuting (thank goodness for the free baltimore collegetown shuttle!), working half-time, not spending so many hours doing extracurriculars, hanging out with people already in the real world as opposed to only other students wrapped up in the campus bubble...

speaking of the real world, we had quite a "real world" encounter this week as we discovered we have a bed bug infestation. i had been accumulating a crazy amount of mystery bug bites each night this summer and couldn't figure out if it was from gnats, mosquitoes (we ate all of our meals outside this summer...we don't have a dining room or table) or fleas from our lovely stray cat sven. so, when we returned from seattle to find about a dozen flat brown bugs crawling around upstairs it was kind of a relief to know what the problem was. i think they are fairly common in this area. although they are annoying (those bites itch like mad and are pretty unsightly), they don't carry disease and are therefore not really dangerous. we nonetheless spent a good amount of time this week researching, vacuuming, doing laundry on the hottest possible setting, putting all our possessions in plastic bags, putting together a bed frame, moving furniture, searching for bugs with a flash light, tracking down an exterminator, calling our landlord, etc. timmy has been great at all this, thank goodness, so i could focus on my homework. i hope the problem goes away shortly!!

this weekend is packed with exciting goings-on in my neighborhood, so i will certainly be kept busy with one festival or another. and, i must remind myself, more homework!!

rainy days

transition time

photos of late (you can click on them to enlarge)--
a lovely saturday morning breakfast courtesy of timmy:


my boys playing in the backyard:


and of course, more photoshop projects:




an update since last time: after the governor's internship program ended, the arts council asked that i come back and work for them until school started. what an honor! i was thrilled because it was really my placement there-- seeing what these passionate arts advocates do every day, how they serve as the link between the state and artists and how on earth they go about distributing all of maryland's funds for art-- that made the internship so awesome. so my last three weeks have been doing lots of work on their website redesign (mostly drafting mock pages to see what content would go/stay in the new design) and doing other random projects. it was challenging at times but honestly, such a cool opportunity and a good learning experience. everyone that works there is very devoted to their area of expertise-- whether folk, performing, literary or visual arts-- and made me feel very welcome. on my last day they were sweet enough to give me a bouquet of flowers (which i then carried around on the long-ish bus ride and walk home) and take me out to lunch AND surprise me with an ice cream cake!! what a fabulous day. i'm really going to look back fondly on my time there.

unfortunately, about 200 state employees lost their jobs last week-- one of them being my pseudo-supervisor. she is a whirlwind/ powerhouse/ superwoman/ folklorist extraordinare and it is such a devastating blow to the community that she will be leaving. of course it just means another organization will be lucky to have her, but all this shifting around that the state is doing can really be nerve-wracking and sometimes, i feel, misguided. i have been told that many people chose to work for the state in part because of the job security. now, however, that has been shattered. tough times all around, i suppose.

besides getting acquainted with the working world, drafting web page mock-ups, and the politics of state government, i have been doing more of the same relaxing and hanging out this summer: seeing friends, eating ice cream, avoiding and/or scratching my never-ending bug bites, photoshopping, going on an augusten borroughs spree (i read five of his memoirs in the past few weeks...charming writer, very disturbing life), trying to get involved in the community association, navigating and ultimately giving up on the search for a third roommate, staying hydrated in the notorious mid-atlantic humidity and trying to check every item off of my "fun" to do list before school starts.

i am feeling relatively good about transitioning back into school mode next week (!). i'm guessing i will face some of the same tentative feelings about school that i had last fall, but this semester will just be so different than all others it is hard to compare. i'm living off campus and i am very aware that i only have one semester left, so i think it will be a sort of mad dash to the end that won't include my usual cornucopia of extracurriculars but instead tasks like doing the dishes and going grocery shopping. in addition, the fact that i was abroad last semester (and many of my classmates were gone either in the spring, last fall, or the whole year) means that many classmates' faces will be only vaguely familiar. i feel guilty about this, but i am not really looking forward to the countless polite but rather forced "hi! how are you? where were you last year?" conversations that will inevitably take place next week. i genuinely care about a few of these, but it gets so old to have this conversation again and again. i should stop being a grump about it. on the positive side of things, goucher's brand-new library/student center ("the athenaeum") just opened and it is really something. (some photos below) sure, construction for the past two years has been a pain, but it definitely paid off. the building is HUGE and really cutting-edge. it is a far cry from our former, comfy-as-a-living room library and doesn't really feel familiar at goucher yet, but i think it will become well-loved by students.







one final note: it seems like all my summer blog posts have been in this order-- talk about work at length, then have a big run-on sentence describing free time and discuss the upcoming future a little bit. is that how life goes for most adults?