Scenes from a Weekend

February, where have you gone and why aren't more things ticked off my To Do list?

One of the besties was here this weekend. So good to see her. Played tourist, which is always a fun time. We wandered through the Old St. Louis Courthouse, where the Dred Scott case was tried. Beautiful museum, gorgeous building, and, all in all, a good time.

 

Also: new glasses. Cause I'm old.* 

* I was very cocky when the eye exam began. "My prescription hasn't changed in a decade." And now I'm being punished. But punished in stylish (maybe?) Nike frames.  

Attempts at Being Efficient

 

I was really stringent last semester in terms of making sure I was in my office for at least a few hours each day, more to be seen in the department than anything. Great strategy for visibility but not so efficient when it comes down to getting actual work done. I've cut back, working from home whenever I can. On my work at home days, I keep the coffee pot active and spread my day's work over my dining room table. I've been at this for three weeks now and I'm actually pretty impressed with what I'm able to get done, though it never seems enough.

 

I need to remember to take a walk on those days I'm home so today I took a quick jaunt across Tower Grove Park to mail off some packages, some of which may have been really really late holiday gifts. Valentine's Day's a holiday, right? Don't judge.

 

Tower Grove Park is one of those hidden treasures in the city. A hop, skip, and a jump (or about ten minutes walking) away from my apartment, it's the second largest park in the city, the first being Forest Park, home of the 1904 World's Fair, in the much trendier (and pricier) CWE neighborhood. While it doesn't have a Zoo or any of the grandeur of those remaining structures from the Fair, it's a really lovely walk, filled with joggers, people walking their animals, and some really amazing pavilions. Eleven, apparently, though I don't remember where that number came from, but it's in my head.

 

So: A lot of work, a bit of a walk, and back to work. It seems like it's a fairly good rhythm. Now if only I were able to locate about eight extra hours in the day. 

Lists. Many of them.

 

Life Things 

I have joined the masses who have laundry in their apartments. A lot of debating, a lot of hand wringing, and a lot of intense duct work (love old apartments!) I now can wash and dry clothing whenever I want. I have named the washer Laverne and the dryer Shirley. Don't judge.

Conversation in the midst of the purchase between my grandmother and I: 
Me: It's so much money! Wanna vomit. *Rocking back and forth, mobile clutched to my ear.*
Gram: Wait, are you emptying your bank account for these things? What are you buying, a gold-plated washer and diamond encrusted dryer?
Me: No, just regular-type. White. Expensive enough. Ugh. *vomity sounds here*
Gram: Let me get this correct: You're complaining about buying a washer and dryer that will not only allow you more flexibility in your scheduling and won't empty out your bank account?
Me: Yeah?
Gram: What a privileged little rainbow saltine cracker we are.
Me: GRAM! 

Gram: Hey, I can be logical and political sometimes.

I've hit that part of moving to a new city in which loneliness has begun to fester. I don't like it. Thankfully, friends are parading through my life throughout the month: last weekend, Sarah and fam were here; I'm in Columbus, OH next weekend for a conference and will slumber party it up with Jules; and Anne of the HoW is arriving the following weekend for Book of Mormon, STL goodness, and a little bit of work time. Goals for March: find knitters, learn to make cheese, join a gym. 

I've been seriously considering a pooch. My Wednesdays, however, kill any hope this semester. My days begin at 8:00am and end at 10:00pm. This summer, perhaps?

Also: pic of me and a really cute kiddo. Cause cute kiddos are cute. 

Work Things

I flipped my early childhood literacy class this semester and am loving it, though it's taking a lot of time to actually create what I need to in order for the model to work. I think it's going to be a solid model going forward. 

I wrote a new course. Two of them, actually. And they both were approved. And they're going to kick ass. I'm a bit proud, not going to lie. 

Work is stressful, but this isn't anything new. I did just get proofs for a book I'm in, though. Awesomesauce. 

Things I Like

Anything by Neal Shusterman at the moment. If you haven't had the chance to read Unwind, I highly recommend it. Also: The Schwa Was Here is a bit of genius. 

I love Hillary and will miss her. Primarily because she does stuff like this. 2016, yes? 

Also: Libraries are awesome. I'm a bit smitten with mine, not going to lie.

And now: More work. YES.(?)

And there are days...

... you feel you suck at playing adult and would much rather gather up your toys and go home.

And you do, realizing you'll be back at it, playing adult in the morning.

Washington, DC

 

Hard to believe I started this week in Washington, DC. It was my first time in the city and I did embarrassingly little research in anticipation. The timing was a bit crazy: I literally drove home from Michigan the day before I flew out, arriving home around 9:00pm, unpacking my car, and at the airport by 4:30am. Amidst all the Christmas crazy, there just wasn't time. 

 

I knew I had to see Abe. Strange how I know so much about him, his life, and yet I'd never been to the Lincoln Memorial. This is perhaps as close to church as I get. 

 

I had a chance to meet up with my friend Natalie - who I hadn't seen in six years! - and she took me around to her favorite spots, including Kramers. If the Lincoln Memorial is as close to a church as I get, Kramers was as close to Heaven I dare believe possible. Books and food? Yes, yes, yes. 

 

Also: check out that beard. That is what three weeks of no shaving looks like. Weird.  

Edna, Who Resonates

Was it for this I uttered prayers,
And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs,
That now, domestic as a plate,
I should retire at half-past eight? 

Grown Up, Edna St.Vincent Millay, 1920

 

It's been a long two and a half weeks. I've been home, to the aunt and uncle's, to one of my best friends in the world's, to Washington, D.C., and home again. Jiggity jig, or something like that. 

I am so fortunate to have so many people who are willing to put up with me (and even encourage my presence!) over the break, but if I am to be honest, I am exhausted. But a good kind of exhausted. The kind of exhausted that comes from little brothers who insist on being complete tornadoes while they sleep and on sharing the bed. The kind that is fostered by late night games of cards or gatherings of good friends, old and new, into the wee hours of night. It's a good kind of exhausted: I need to remind myself of this often as I attempt to regain some rhythm. 

Scene from a Wal-Mart

My little brother and I braved the Wal-Mart crowds this morning. Dave decided he would do some Christmas shopping (with my money - a typical tween) while we were out. We wandered throughout the store, negotiating via text what gifts would be bought and for whom. Dave's on the autistic spectrum and while his ability to read and comprehend is high, he chooses not to use his verbal skills. Hence, the texting.

He managed to find a book for Craig, a set of board books and some toy cars for Steven, and another small set of cars for his cousin before arriving in the toy aisle and focusing in on Spiderman action figure sets. He quickly shoved two of them in the cart.

Who are these for? I typed into my phone. Dave read and quickly typed back, People.

Which people? I volleyed back.

It's a gift for me. GIFT FOR ME.

Emphasis in original.

Happiest of holiday wishes, peeps.

A Love Letter to the Library

My local library saved my life. In the midst of the tsunami that was my parents' divorce, it was a safe haven. I would walk to the library after school, commandeer a table, and work on my homework until the library closed at seven, after which I would make the hour walk home. At the time, my mom had decided to move in with my now stepfather (who I adore nowadays) and we shared his small house, four kids sharing one room. With no room to move in our personal things, the house never felt like home. The library was where I healed, where I wrote college entrance essays, where I lost myself in the words of Cheever and Ferber and Fitzgerald. 

It seems fortuitous, then, that STL's Central Library made its' debut just as I arrived here. And by debut, I mean how it looks after quite a bit of cosmetic surgery. At one hundred years old, the building was apparently showing its' age. Nearly two years of renovations and it's now open to the public as of the 9th of December. I only had time to run in, return a book and an audio book, snap a few pictures, and leave, but man. It's a beautiful building. There were goosebumps. I think there would be goosebumps even if you weren't a book nerd. The attention to detail is amazing - the people of this city obviously love their library to finance such an undertaking. Now if only I could convince them to send out emails two days before my books are due... so many late fees. Let's not talk about it, shall we? 

I may have, out of habit, found my way to the poetry section where I located Edna. There's something about Edna being wherever I am that is... I don't know... settling, even in the strangest of new contexts. See? Book nerd. 

So, yeah. New old library. This is a good town. 

 

St. Louis Public Library 2012 Grand Reopening Video from TOKY on Vimeo.

At the Close

I've survived my first semester. Grades are in, my classes are wrapped up, and my first semester as an assistant prof is done. It was far from perfect, but not a complete mess either. It was, as they say, what it was. Next semester, it will be better.

I'm normally a flurry of activity at the close of the semester, shuffling off to guest rooms of my friends and family for the holidays, but I've lingered a bit longer this year. It's been really lovely, a chance to breath, decompress, take in the city at Christmastime. And St. Louis loves Christmas. On the way home last night, I wandered through City Garden, all lit up for the season. It's an impressive collection of art, though I honestly cared less about the art than the lights. Short attention span, sparkly things. You know the drill. 

See? Lights. Lots of them. People can say a lot of things about this city, but they put on a good show. After four months here, I'm not surprised, quite honestly. It's proven itself to be a good place to live, despite all the bad press it gets. 

Still lots of things left to do before I head home for the holidays. Papers to be written, things to be organized, but it's nice to have the time and space to do just that. Not that I don't wish I were sitting at Clara's table, drinking peppermint tea; in fact, I'd like to take permanent residence there. Rather, I know I will be there soon enough. 

Also: I've been underwhelmed with new holiday music this season, though this song has lodged itself inside my head. Given the events of recent days, it takes on new meaning. 

Oh! And a GIF! Globes from the Garden, by far the most awesome thing there.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

 

Seventy degrees? Seriously, St. Louis? In December? I'm going to kindly request that you stop. It's silly. 

It's the last week of classes! I have, in other words, almost survived! There's a lot of grading and a final to give next week, but LAST WEEK OF CLASSES. (So excited.) 

In celebration, I spent a good deal of my evening yesterday at the mall, attempting to holiday shop... three hours later, I had enjoyed a cup fo TeaVana youthberry-orange somethingorother, a baked good from Panera, and had looped the mall twice. On all three levels. Without a single gift purchased. 

I've forgotten how to holiday shop. 

And I'm strangely okay with it. 

It is, however, problematic and the holiday is coming. The goose is getting fat. Yadda, yadda, yadda. 

The new plan: books. I'm going to head to my local independent and buy some of my favorite reads from the past year and that will comprise my gift giving this year. What that list is, I'm unsure. Thinking, thinking, thinking. 

And off to work. 

In sixty degree weather. Seriously? 

At the Close (of Thanksgiving)

 

Note to self: when there are only two of you, chances are you don't need to cook an entire bird. However, while we are on the subject, the bird was pretty freaking amazing. Just saying.

It's the first Thanksgiving I've done on my own and while it was a ton of work, it was workable. Granted, no one is knocking down my door to take photos of my feast, but the food was tasty, the conversation lovely, and my mother's stuffing recipe, pictured above, put to good use.

The tree, it is up. The mantle, it is bestockinged. (If that isn't a word, I totally want it to be.) I have two weeks of classes before finals begin and then on to the holidays. My first semester as a prof - it's almost a wrap. Crazy.

A few of my favorite moments this weekend:

 

St. Louis loves a parade. This is my favorite float, put forth by the German Musical Society (or something along those lines). There was a tuba, a stuffed deer, and a red nose on said deer. Brillz.

 

 
And that last one? On the observation deck of the Gateway Arch. I've been up the blasted thing twice now and each time I find myself in a bit of awe at the crazy, amazing things people can do.  

I will survive the next two weeks. There will be a little crazy, a little amazing, but dang, this weekend has been good. Hope life was good on your end. 

A Bit More Vegas

 

While the city of Las Vegas is not my favorite place in the world, it was so good to see my academic siblings, those people who I went studied with in graduate school. Given I began graduate school six years ago, I was struck by the ways in which our work has changed over time. The research questions that brought us to graduate school have changed and morphed in really fascinating and interesting ways. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by interesting and curious people, people who push me to do better and be better.

 

While not my favorite city in the world, Vegas is filled with pretty amazing stuff. Take, for instance, the Fremont Street Experience. Located downtown, the Experience links several of the casinos downtown beneath a lit canopy that bursts into color and sound every hour on the hour. We were there for a Doors medley and it was really quite awesome. The Experience is downtown's answer to the Strip and it was a markedly different feel: this is the Vegas of the Rat Pack. A little gritty, less polished, and, overall, much more enjoyable. Too much polish is bothersome, particularly as I am not a very polished person. 

 

Another attraction I didn't know about but really enjoyed was the aquarium at the Mandalay Bay hotel. It is, apparently, 1.6 million gallons of water culminating in a pretty amazing shark habitat. Being in a hotel/casino, it was less educational than I would have liked but the staging was amazing. 

 
Congrats, Christina.

All in all, I'm glad to be home, though there is a to-do list that is so, so, so long as I attempt to get caught up and prepare for my bestie to arrive for turkey day. There will be stuffing, there will be turkey, there will be pumpkin cheesecake. But first: email. Lots of it.

Leaving Las Vegas

Fake Eiffel Tower. 

 

Fake New York City. 

 

While not a fake shark, definitely a fake habitat. 

 

Fake huge Coca Cola bottle. 

Meh. Lots of fun stuff, but I doubt Las Vegas and I will ever move beyond careless flirting.

 

 There has been knitting. Some knitting. In stops and starts. Mostly things for babies as I have given up the idea of a Ho-Ho-Homemade Holiday this year. Careful shopping, here I come. 

Regardless, a good friend is welcoming his fourth sometime after the New Year and I recently wrapped up this sweet little sweater, the In Threes cardigan. super quick knit and it seriously doesn't get any cuter than this.

 

Less than a skein of yarn. I kid you not. I made this out of Malabrigo Rios (superwash!) in Archangel. I bought this lovely stuff back in September at Windy Knitty, a great yarn store in the Andersonville area of Chicago. Brilliant selection of colors and fibers - definitely jealous of peeps for whom this is their LYS. 

Regardless, an easy knit and one I'm looking forward to casting on again. Having used so little yarn for the first sweater, I'll be able to cast on another for my new niece for the holidays. 

So maybe there's a few homemade presents in the works. 

But just a few. 

Thrifty Finds: BOSTONS!

Every thrifter has a wishlist, a collection of items they are always on the lookout for when they embark on their adventures in thrifting. Over the course of my thrifting career, there have been some pretty standard items on my personal wishlist: vintage pieces of Fiesta, green swirl Owens-Illinois depression canisters, and McCoy pottery. Then I happened upon this image in 2008:

via Retro Renovation

A freaking wall of dog paint-by-numbers. A wall of them. I tend to be in general awe of gallery walls, but was particularly infatuated with the portrait in the right hand corner, a paint-by-number Boston Terrier. And thus began my obsession. 

So, yeah. Nearly four years of searching. I scoured eBay, repeatedly checked my local thrift stores, and set all my thifting family and friends on high alert. The closest I ever came was on eBay, where the paintings - there are two of them - would go for upwards of sixty dollars or more. I finally decided, after having lost out on one of the paintings earlier this fall, that I was going to take the next auction seriously. A paint-by-number Boston would be mine. 

And there hasn't been a single one listed. Not on eBay, not on etsy, not anywhere. 

And then! And then! I was in TFA The Future Antiques this weekend and THERE. THEY. WHERE.  Two of them, in beautiful condition, for not exactly cheap but not anywhere near the upper limits of what I was willing to pay. In fact, they were asking for both what I was willing to pay for one. I would like to say I handled the find like an adult, gracefully picking them up and placing them beneath my arm. Rather there may have been the flapping of hands, perhaps a bit of a happy dance, and perhaps even some whooping. And so goes it when a thrifter finds an item from their wishlist. 

 

Now to find frames and figure out where they will live. I think I was so convinced I would never ever find them that I haven't considered where they will live in my house.  Also: Excuse the funky iPhone photo. I need to get my DSLR back in regular rotation. 

Oh, and blog more. Hm.

Oh my.

This pretty much sums up my class this evening:

"I don't know why I have to think about this - all teachers just work from the manual anyway."

I have to go to bed now. For a very long time.

Intermission: Chicago, Cupcake Edition

I ran away for the weekend, seeking refuge at Anne's apartment in Chicago. Part escape from an unrelenting schedule, part desire to partake in the Renegade Craft Fair, it was a full weekend. Reminds me how much I miss that woman and how much I love the city of Chicago. 

Don't get me wrong, St. Louis: I love the ability to commute across you in less than twenty minutes, the resources you offer, and your amazing green space. I feel like you and I will be dating for a good long while. 

I left Renegade without purchase - though there were so many pretty things to be had - but Anne and I did stop at the Alliance Bakery, where I may have had the best chocolate-peanut butter cupcake in the world. 

So much goodness. 

I will write something of substance soon. Swearsies. 

500 Miles

It's Thursday, which is kind of crazy to think about. I've survived my first week of teaching, my first day of faculty/staff meetings, and am ready for a weekend of equal parts work and recreation. Life is settling, slowly but surely, though I've not yet reached that point where anything seems quotidian; rather, it seems as though I'm living someone else's life right now, trying it on as it were. It's a turn of phrase that is appropriate, I guess, as a metaphor. I'm trying on life here in St. Louis, experimenting with who I'll become over time. 

I'm approaching this as something of a luxury, a spoil of moving to a new city in which one knows nary a soul. I'm pondering whether such a move is an act of bravery (as described by students earlier in the week as they contemplated the notion of a cold move) or as an act of selfishness, to allow oneself to be so untethered to drift from place to place to place. I'm just pondering, really, and am unsure I'll arrive to any kind of conclusion, particularly because it's a moot question. I'm here. Becoming. 

There. Here. Somewhere.

The list: 

Dissertation: defended (successfuly!) 

Apartment: found and (mostly) unpacked

Job: started

So, yeah. That happened quickly. I'm still a bit overwhelmed, but life is settling down. The city has been amazing, the people as well, and I think I'm going to be pretty happy here for a while. 

And teaching? Starts tomorrow. I have the dreaded 8 AM Monday class. It's going to be awesome. 

Lasts: A List

* Dinner with my amazing students. They will be amazing teachers and I am so proud to have been a part of their education.

* Meeting with my diss committee before the defense. Their guidance has been invaluable. My work is good because they have been honest and thoughtful in their feedback.

* Tutoring session with my tutoring kiddo. I've been with him for two years. I've already cried about this.

* Loaf of bread baked in my Columbus apartment. Crazy to think my next loaf will be elsewhere. I know this is a weird metric. Don't judge.

Words I Wish I'd Written...

Today, I'm sending in a completed draft of my dissertation, which means my actual defense is a little under a month away. Insane.

So: to celebrate the hundreds of pages of jumbled words I just sent out, some lovely ones I recently read:

"There's an intimacy in listening to somebody's lies, I've always thought-- you learn more about someone from the things they wish were true than from the things that actually really are."

(p.26, from the beautiful A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer Dubois. If you are in the search of a phenomenal read, here it is.)

I lived amongst giants

A friend and I spent the morning of the Fourth wandering around the town I currently live in, actually looking at the architecture that exists here. Even though I've lived here for a year, I'd never actually taken the time to really look at the buildings I lived amongst and am unsure I will ever again live amongst such a high density of mid-century architecture again. 

I'd share more pics, but due to the craposity that is Yahoo, I'm unable to access my Flickr account on my laptop. I'm half tempted to drag my iMac to the Starbucks so I can edit photos. Anyway, more of that morning at some point. 

Also: a full draft of my dissertation will be sent into my committee on Monday. Not THE final copy, but close. Crazy. This is happening. Insane.

Happy weekend! 

From YouTube: 

Indeed.

I can't help but find this hilarious. I doubt their methodology.