Yesterday was my last Sunday at my current congregation. Although I stayed up too late watching their production of "8", I really wanted to go to the Sunday service. Additionally, this past Sunday was the one-hour choir! That means that interested congregants show up an hour and a half before the service, learn a couple of songs, then sing them at the service. I love this concept. It's a good way for me to be able to participate in the choir without having to commit to one evening a week for years.
Although, it was difficult to get up that morning. Even for the One Hour Choir.
But, I did. I was a little nervous. I took that singing class, but have never been in a choir. The music director taught us a song, then realized that she had more people in the choir than solo parts. She asked who would not want to solo. I thought that I heard her wrong because no one raised their hand. Heck no, I don't want to solo! So I raised my hand. Phew, got out of that one!
On the next song, she had me singing with two other women. After we sang our part, she asked if I could go higher. Like an octave higher. Okay, may be it wasn't that high. But still. I looked at her with giant, amazed eyes. I think that she understood: No, I can not sing that higher. So she switched the trios around a bit to get me a lower part. Phew, another save!
In the end, it was really fun, and we sounded good. A nice experience. My next congregation will be TINY, so I'm glad that I did this while I could.
Although it's strange to think that I sang in a church choir. May be I should find the songs that we sang so that you would know how not Christian-right-y we are...
Monday, August 6, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Late and Early Stress
After a late night introducing a new friend to Firefly, I realized that I my wallet wasn't in my purse. ACK!!! I text my friend to see if it's there, and go look through my car. Being that it was midnight, it was a bit dark, though.
I thought back to when I had last had my wallet. It was in the Downtown Disney parking lot, but I was pretty sure that I threw it in my car. The next place that I went was the gym. My purse (and gym bag) had gotten all turned around in the tiny lockers at that location. I learned that the gym opened at 5am the next morning.
So I go to sleep around 1am, knowing that I'll be getting up at 5am to call them.
Around 5am, I do indeed call the gym. No one's turned it in. I don't think that the lockers are used that much at that location, so I ask if someone could check the locker that I used (I remembered that it was #13). The gym receptionist told me that he was the only employee there, so he couldn't look.
I try to convince myself that I can drop by the gym on the way to work, but deep down I know that I'm going to have to get up at 5am and drive to the gym to look for my wallet. I get up, brush my teeth, try to control my hair, and go to the car. I figure I'll look through it again now that it's lighter. Not really that much lighter, it wasn't even 6am yet! This time, instead of just the passenger seat and back seats, I also looked around the driver's seat. And there it was!!!! Relief.
And, back to bed.
At 6:45am, my alarm goes off. Instead of the lovely and relaxing sounds of classical music, DJ'd by Dennis Bartell, it's beeping. I try to switch to music, but instead turn it off. I convince myself that I'll rest of 5-10 minutes, and get up.
At 7:30am, I wake up thinking "Crap, I gotta go to work!" Since my teeth were brushed and I had showered the night before, I actually was able to leave for work by my normal time of 8am. That's including changing sweaters and nylons after I decided that the first set didn't look right. I stopped for coffee and a smoothie on the way, and got to work fine! But, geez, my 1am and 5am and 7:30am was pretty stressful today!
I thought back to when I had last had my wallet. It was in the Downtown Disney parking lot, but I was pretty sure that I threw it in my car. The next place that I went was the gym. My purse (and gym bag) had gotten all turned around in the tiny lockers at that location. I learned that the gym opened at 5am the next morning.
So I go to sleep around 1am, knowing that I'll be getting up at 5am to call them.
Around 5am, I do indeed call the gym. No one's turned it in. I don't think that the lockers are used that much at that location, so I ask if someone could check the locker that I used (I remembered that it was #13). The gym receptionist told me that he was the only employee there, so he couldn't look.
I try to convince myself that I can drop by the gym on the way to work, but deep down I know that I'm going to have to get up at 5am and drive to the gym to look for my wallet. I get up, brush my teeth, try to control my hair, and go to the car. I figure I'll look through it again now that it's lighter. Not really that much lighter, it wasn't even 6am yet! This time, instead of just the passenger seat and back seats, I also looked around the driver's seat. And there it was!!!! Relief.
And, back to bed.
At 6:45am, my alarm goes off. Instead of the lovely and relaxing sounds of classical music, DJ'd by Dennis Bartell, it's beeping. I try to switch to music, but instead turn it off. I convince myself that I'll rest of 5-10 minutes, and get up.
At 7:30am, I wake up thinking "Crap, I gotta go to work!" Since my teeth were brushed and I had showered the night before, I actually was able to leave for work by my normal time of 8am. That's including changing sweaters and nylons after I decided that the first set didn't look right. I stopped for coffee and a smoothie on the way, and got to work fine! But, geez, my 1am and 5am and 7:30am was pretty stressful today!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
4th of July, 2012
I write a similar letter most every 4th of July. It's my little "celebration."
How will you celebrate the 4th? The American
Way to celebrate our independence seems to be drinking
beer and blowing things up with imported fireworks; how patriotic. I love this
country. I love that I can publish the
following and not be “disappeared.” I
love that I can read, work, vote, and own property. I love that there are millions of gay
citizens who are happy and proud, eating Oreos.
I LOVE THAT OUR FIRST FAMILY IS BLACK.
But.
I wonder how many women will be beaten in their homes
while you celebrate your freedom. I
wonder how many people of color, of all nations, will be killed in the Middle
East while you celebrate your freedom. I
wonder how many gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people want to kill
themselves while you celebrate your freedom.
I cannot celebrate the independence of the United States until all of its
citizens are actually free. When
childcare is universal and women have control of their uterus and birth control
options, when people of color have all the opportunities as the White elite,
when GLBT people can celebrate their love, when our country is free from our
dependence on oil, and when we help other nations rather than attack them,
then, and only then, will I celebrate this country.
Waiting to
celebrate,
Dr. Auntie M
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
President of the College
The president of the college where I work recently retired. Although his replacement was already chosen, there were a few days in which the new president had not officially been approved by the Board of Trustees (school board) but the new president was officially retired.
So I took over.
There I am, in the president's office. Notice the picture of the kids and my brother-in-law? My "Coffee is like a sauna in a cup" mug? My water bottle? And, of course, I'm noshing on a granola bar. The paparazzi clearly interrupted my work, too.
And what was my work? Well, I was considering what changes and mandates that I should make. Here are some of my ideas:
So I took over.
There I am, in the president's office. Notice the picture of the kids and my brother-in-law? My "Coffee is like a sauna in a cup" mug? My water bottle? And, of course, I'm noshing on a granola bar. The paparazzi clearly interrupted my work, too.
And what was my work? Well, I was considering what changes and mandates that I should make. Here are some of my ideas:
- Share professor pass rates amongst the department (to shame, I mean "motivate" bad professors).
- Merge the small programs for at-risk students into a larger, pod-based system.
- Mandate that coffee, with creamer, be served at all meetings.
- Provide training to all employees on their bargaining contract (or the contracts of their underlings).
- Provide training to all faculty on cultural competency.
- Require cheese trays at all social events sponsored by the college.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Room Themes
This blog will talk about two of my family's norms.
First, we still do Christmas lists. The rest of the family meets on the second Saturday of October at a pumpkin patch to get pumpkins, exchange lists (although most of us do this online now), and eat corn on the cob and elephant ears. The kids' birthdays are in the summer so they don't get the benefit of this arrangement, but my sister, my brother-in-law, and I do.
So we exchange lists, which should include items of varying expense and varying ease of acquisition. I have a separate page of books, which my aunt has asked me to re-order twice. First alphabetically, then by how much I want it.
On my list, I also include my themes. See, our family also has themes for each of our rooms. My sister's kitchen in watermelon themed, and her bathroom is Victorian themed. It used to be peach, so my aunts still call it The Peach Room. As a student, I didn't really have themes. I guess my general theme was "poor college student." I tried to give color suggestions; those were my themes. Awhile ago, I decided that my kitchen was going to be Finland themed. The colors are Finnish flag blue, and I put a little Finnish flag up and some other Finn stuff that I have. Sisu!
A year or two ago, I was trying to think of how to make my place less "poor college student"-esque. I decided that my mismatch of picture frames was one issue, so I asked for only wooden frames. That's sorta helped.
Looking at potential apartments in my new location, I got excited because I can finally afford a two-bedroom apartment!! And my new job provides a private office, which is unheard of for community college faculty. So I reviewed my themes.
I've decided for awhile that I'd like my bedroom to be rainbow themed. It just makes sense.
With my new work office, I quickly decided that it should be science fiction themed. I already have an R2-D2 USB port, and my pens are in a Darth Vader mug. That was sorta an easy decision.
With all of my pictures of the kids and my family, I decided that my living room should be family-themed. The wooden framed pictures will look nice with my earth-tone furnishings.
My kitchen is already on its way to being Finnish, and my bathroom has been pastel-themed forever. I based it off this wicker had that my longest friend made back in junior high or something. I've always put it in my bathroom because I don't really do pastel. I decided, after I stained my lavender bath mat with hair dye, that instead of pastel, I'd like my bathroom to be lavender. That should help the mismatched look of all of the different pastel colors. Especially the different shades of pink. I'm just going to focus on the color lavender, but I'm sorta hoping that my family will also get things with the lavender flower on it. I think that'll really set the look.
But since I've realized that I might get a two bedroom apartment, and thus my very own home office, I've struggled with the theme. It can't be science fiction again! Not only would that be redundant, but it requires that I decide, for each science fiction office supply, which office I put it in. Oy, the agony. No, that is not a feasible plan for me. I bugged my roommate about it, and she came up with the perfect solution.
Superheroes.
That's PERFECT!!! So my home office will be superhero themed. I already know some pictures that'll go there (which is good, since they aren't family-themed or rainbow!), and am excited to look for a superhero desk set when I move! It'll also allow me to focus the color my other furniture and decorations since so many superheros are red, white, and blue. I also might throw in some green, too. I'm SOOO excited by this idea!! I can't wait to get this stuff and start setting it up!
In case you missed it, my family's norms are Christmas lists and themed house decorations.
Now, who's going to buy me my first superhero office supply?!
First, we still do Christmas lists. The rest of the family meets on the second Saturday of October at a pumpkin patch to get pumpkins, exchange lists (although most of us do this online now), and eat corn on the cob and elephant ears. The kids' birthdays are in the summer so they don't get the benefit of this arrangement, but my sister, my brother-in-law, and I do.
So we exchange lists, which should include items of varying expense and varying ease of acquisition. I have a separate page of books, which my aunt has asked me to re-order twice. First alphabetically, then by how much I want it.
On my list, I also include my themes. See, our family also has themes for each of our rooms. My sister's kitchen in watermelon themed, and her bathroom is Victorian themed. It used to be peach, so my aunts still call it The Peach Room. As a student, I didn't really have themes. I guess my general theme was "poor college student." I tried to give color suggestions; those were my themes. Awhile ago, I decided that my kitchen was going to be Finland themed. The colors are Finnish flag blue, and I put a little Finnish flag up and some other Finn stuff that I have. Sisu!
A year or two ago, I was trying to think of how to make my place less "poor college student"-esque. I decided that my mismatch of picture frames was one issue, so I asked for only wooden frames. That's sorta helped.
Looking at potential apartments in my new location, I got excited because I can finally afford a two-bedroom apartment!! And my new job provides a private office, which is unheard of for community college faculty. So I reviewed my themes.
I've decided for awhile that I'd like my bedroom to be rainbow themed. It just makes sense.
With my new work office, I quickly decided that it should be science fiction themed. I already have an R2-D2 USB port, and my pens are in a Darth Vader mug. That was sorta an easy decision.
With all of my pictures of the kids and my family, I decided that my living room should be family-themed. The wooden framed pictures will look nice with my earth-tone furnishings.
My kitchen is already on its way to being Finnish, and my bathroom has been pastel-themed forever. I based it off this wicker had that my longest friend made back in junior high or something. I've always put it in my bathroom because I don't really do pastel. I decided, after I stained my lavender bath mat with hair dye, that instead of pastel, I'd like my bathroom to be lavender. That should help the mismatched look of all of the different pastel colors. Especially the different shades of pink. I'm just going to focus on the color lavender, but I'm sorta hoping that my family will also get things with the lavender flower on it. I think that'll really set the look.
But since I've realized that I might get a two bedroom apartment, and thus my very own home office, I've struggled with the theme. It can't be science fiction again! Not only would that be redundant, but it requires that I decide, for each science fiction office supply, which office I put it in. Oy, the agony. No, that is not a feasible plan for me. I bugged my roommate about it, and she came up with the perfect solution.
Superheroes.
That's PERFECT!!! So my home office will be superhero themed. I already know some pictures that'll go there (which is good, since they aren't family-themed or rainbow!), and am excited to look for a superhero desk set when I move! It'll also allow me to focus the color my other furniture and decorations since so many superheros are red, white, and blue. I also might throw in some green, too. I'm SOOO excited by this idea!! I can't wait to get this stuff and start setting it up!
Less interestingly, my family, especially my mother, also has seasonal themes. For example, a lot of my
Mom's winter and Christmas decorations are snowmen, while my sister's winter theme is snowflakes. Even
though I don't decorate for most seasons, except for fall (Halloween!!!) and winter, I've still thought about
my themes. Here they are:
Fall/Halloween- pumpkins,
Winter/Christmas- candy canes and Christmas cookies
Spring- eggs, bunnies
Summer- ??? sun?In case you missed it, my family's norms are Christmas lists and themed house decorations.
Now, who's going to buy me my first superhero office supply?!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Horseback Riding
Last year, I took my niece horseback riding. I enjoyed it, so I wanted to take a couple of lessons to see if it was something that I could turn into a hobby. I don't know why I keep looking for hobbies, though, since I don't really have time for anything new! When a Groupon for horseback riding lessons came up, I grabbed it.
I finally was able to schedule the lesson a few days ago (remember, I have no time in my schedule?). It was fun, but might require more coordination than I have. But it was also a good workout; yay! When I put "horseback riding" into my SparkPeople.com cardio counter, it said that I burned several hundred calories in my half hour lesson! And today, a few days later, I really feel it. My inner thighs are totally sore. Good! That means that I did something!
I'll check out how much lessons are without the coupon, but might not go again until I move up to a more rural area. I should have lots of options for lessons, then!
I finally was able to schedule the lesson a few days ago (remember, I have no time in my schedule?). It was fun, but might require more coordination than I have. But it was also a good workout; yay! When I put "horseback riding" into my SparkPeople.com cardio counter, it said that I burned several hundred calories in my half hour lesson! And today, a few days later, I really feel it. My inner thighs are totally sore. Good! That means that I did something!
I'll check out how much lessons are without the coupon, but might not go again until I move up to a more rural area. I should have lots of options for lessons, then!
Moving: Apartment Hunting
I'm searching for an apartment near where my new job is. I imagine there'll be some interesting stories involved. This is my first weekend looking.
Even though I've always had the best luck in finding places through an actual newspaper (not online), I looked online the night before I drove up. I found several places in my price range that had pools (which is a necessity since it's 100 degrees here this weekend. Literally.). I also want the place to have a refrigerator. Of the three states that I've live in, California is the only one that doesn't offer refrigerators as standard appliances in their apartments. It's weird.
I called the apartments before I left on Friday, asking for appointments for Saturday. One apartment said that they only have appointments Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. This sounds ridiculous. How do people with jobs ever go see them?
I left my place around 1:30pm, and thought that I'd get to this inconvenient apartment office between 4:30pm and 5pm. Okay, I left my favorite bagel place at 1:30pm, after getting a peanut butter smoothie and a large coffee. Then I got suck i n LA traffic. My bladder was bursting before I even got out of LA county!! Seriously, it hurt. So when I thought that I was sorta free of the city (Burbank, may be?), I took an exit. There was an incredibly long line turning right, so I turned left. But I went MILES without seeing a gas station. There were only parks and a golf course. My bladder hurts! So I turned around, and found a gas station one block past the freeway; I should've stayed in that right turn lane. Sigh.
I was still hoping to catch the apartment manager, but I got to the place around 5:30pm. I drove around to see what it was like. That's when I understood why it was $100 less than other apartments. It was set up like a barracks. There were creepy people loitering. It only had those crappy window unit air conditioners. And no one was in the pool. It was 97 degrees, and no one was in the pool? What's up with that?
That's when I came to a huge realization for me. I don't have to rent the lowest priced apartment with a pool. My new salary will be the same as I'm making now, and apartments in my new city are what I'm paying now. For a two-bedroom, I can pay what I paid for my last one-bedroom! This is the first time this has every happened to me.
Don't get me wrong, I want something that I still have money to pay off my student loan. But it's quite a nice thought to know that I can get what I consider a super-fancy apartment, even a two-bedroom, and still pay less than I was paying a two years ago! When I was making slightly less money, even.
It'll be quite a challenge for me to decide what level of luxury I "deserve."
Even though I've always had the best luck in finding places through an actual newspaper (not online), I looked online the night before I drove up. I found several places in my price range that had pools (which is a necessity since it's 100 degrees here this weekend. Literally.). I also want the place to have a refrigerator. Of the three states that I've live in, California is the only one that doesn't offer refrigerators as standard appliances in their apartments. It's weird.
I called the apartments before I left on Friday, asking for appointments for Saturday. One apartment said that they only have appointments Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. This sounds ridiculous. How do people with jobs ever go see them?
I left my place around 1:30pm, and thought that I'd get to this inconvenient apartment office between 4:30pm and 5pm. Okay, I left my favorite bagel place at 1:30pm, after getting a peanut butter smoothie and a large coffee. Then I got suck i n LA traffic. My bladder was bursting before I even got out of LA county!! Seriously, it hurt. So when I thought that I was sorta free of the city (Burbank, may be?), I took an exit. There was an incredibly long line turning right, so I turned left. But I went MILES without seeing a gas station. There were only parks and a golf course. My bladder hurts! So I turned around, and found a gas station one block past the freeway; I should've stayed in that right turn lane. Sigh.
I was still hoping to catch the apartment manager, but I got to the place around 5:30pm. I drove around to see what it was like. That's when I understood why it was $100 less than other apartments. It was set up like a barracks. There were creepy people loitering. It only had those crappy window unit air conditioners. And no one was in the pool. It was 97 degrees, and no one was in the pool? What's up with that?
That's when I came to a huge realization for me. I don't have to rent the lowest priced apartment with a pool. My new salary will be the same as I'm making now, and apartments in my new city are what I'm paying now. For a two-bedroom, I can pay what I paid for my last one-bedroom! This is the first time this has every happened to me.
Don't get me wrong, I want something that I still have money to pay off my student loan. But it's quite a nice thought to know that I can get what I consider a super-fancy apartment, even a two-bedroom, and still pay less than I was paying a two years ago! When I was making slightly less money, even.
It'll be quite a challenge for me to decide what level of luxury I "deserve."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)