ode on a septic tank

Sometimes, our problems are only seen by those nearest and dearest.
Sometimes they are laid bare for all to see.
Always they exist, most times hard to find, buried deep as deep can be.

Yet joined together, no longer alone: these troubles will still arise.

There is a pattern, alone or not these issues will develop.
Let us be kind to, Yes! ourselves - and share life's ups and downs

This life is so worth living!

With those whose Hand is proffered.

six months ago

Almost to the day, I was in Greensboro, auditioning.

Six months later - has it really been only six months!? - I've taken a quick trip to find housing. I believe I was successful in the housing department. It's a nice little place. A bit from the college, but much less than my commute was to BYU. It's a little more than I was wanting to pay per month, but it was available, and I'm frankly tired of looking.

On this jaunt I ended up with a red-eye Monday night and I fly home tomorrow morning, so I decided to get my hotel near the airport in Raleigh. On the way back from Greensboro an running errands, the late night and time change really caught up to me, so I pulled over in to some Park and Ride lot in Chapel Hill. I think I slept for about an hour! Currently I'm in my hotel room which has a kitchenette, regaining enough energy to find a grocery store to find then cook me up some grub. Mmm.

I believe this trip has been fairly productive, and instructive even with my zombie like state.

I found a place to live: all that is required before ultimate approval is a credit check.

I have an official UNCG commuter parking pass (if I hear any complaints about the cost of BYU's parking pass, you're going down! $285 smackeroos.... sigh.)

I have a snazzy new school ID card.

When my new friend at the medium, passable sized bookstore (which had a Cosmo Book about Sex - we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!) said that 'he too came from a small private school for his undergraduate,' I didn't disenchant him. I was looking forward to a tiny bit smaller school.

I found a possible temp job helping in the bookstore during the weeks before school. I love temp jobs!

I didn't walk around campus with mascara running down my face like the last trip.

I don't think I ever told this story. The day of my audition, and my birthday, I got disoriented because it was pouring rain! When I finally got headed in the right direction, I noticed a few odd looks, but, well, I was sopping wet, so I wasn't too surprised. When I stepped into the lavatory to papertowel off, I noticed that my newly purchased mascara had made a black trail down my cheeks. It was worth the few double takes I had received, though!

I successfully navigated the city, with the use of my new map. hurrah. (I do dislike one way streets that sneak up on you, though.)

I called a few random for rent signs asking for prices. (I called strangers!)

Hmmm, what else.

I didn't get a PO Box like I'd planned. It was time for me to go. But, I was able to drive to the church building where I will be attending without any difficulty.

OH, and perhaps the most important of all: I ate a pint of icecream. But this was not just any icecream, it was BLUE BELL brand icecream. Oh so yummy. I haven't had any since the random import in Doha. (It had thawed and refrozen, so it wasn't the best example.)

I became acquainted with Blue Bell in Tampa, but have had problems locating the creamy goodness. If this is an item that is easily accessible here in Greensboro, life will be fantastic!

feeding the madness

For those of you who have obsessions with, or know people with said obsessions with a certain vampire book.

Warning: Not for those who take the books to be the gospel truth!

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, look here and for those who are on team Jacob, you may enjoy this.

full house: update

The septic tank/sewer union progress has been blocked. Remedies are forthcoming.

The windows installation was clearly without snags.

book: jonathan strange and mr norrell

It took me a long time until I had the energy needed to read this book. In fact, it took a temporary job sitting in the sun to finish the book. Anywhere up to a year ago, Sarah lent me this book to read. I read maybe the first chapter, but nothing more. The book is huge! I believe it's at least 700 pages, and there are included footnotes, and the typeface is not large.

But, I was not allowed to listen to books as I worked security, so I decided to take the huge tome with me as I worked security at the gates during Stadium of Fire.

The first day I worked at 6am (in theory, at least) until, well, I don't remember when. I was stationed at gate one with a grandma who wanted to talk about her grandkids, and how she doesn't read anything unless it comes from Deseret Book.

I didn't go there.

Oh, and she didn't like fantasy. So, the common ground was quite small. It consisted of my reading of Work and the Glory, which I had read in the sixth grade. Still, she wanted to chat. This meant my reading time was limited, but it was enough to get me hooked in the story.

The second day I worked 10-3pm, alone, at a gate with very little thoroughfare, so I read a LOT. I believe by the end of the shift I had gone through at least 500 pages. Stadium workers who would go in and out of the same gate would occasionally check my progress and were impressed. And they were worried that I was bored.

Any other self-respecting book would have been finished by now, but not this one. It took an all almost all nighter that same night to finish, but finish I did.

One of my major complaints about books, well, more especially about movie adaptations about books is that the powers that be feel the need to spice things up (translation: dumb things down by blowing things up)

This book did not have that. It was refreshingly unexciting. It was real life. They just happened to be magicians. Other than the magic part, there was nothing in the book that we ourselves could not have experienced!


Bottom line: If you have the willpower, read it. Faerie now makes sense, well, at least more sense.