Entries from July 2009

Random things

July 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Being back in Boston is wonderful — except for the missing Texas, family, and friends part. But the weather is much better, it’s good to be back with the boyfriend, and I’m actually being quite productive.

Last weekend had two daytime adventures. Saturday took Frank to the haymarket, which he had apparently never been to before. If you lovely readers will remember, it’s a giant open air farmer’s market that sells everything from fish to veggies to cheese. For someone who loves food and enjoys spending money impulsively — Frank in a nutshell — it is excellent because prices are ridiculously low. This time our purchases included pineapples for .50, grapes for .99, and four pounds of broccolli for two dollars. It’s made Frank’s and my attempt to eat healthy a BIT better — though other “bad” foods keep somehow slipping in.

Sunday Frank, me, and Richard went to the aquarium which none of us had been to before. Richard had never seen penguins in real life before. I was quite impressed with Frank’s retained knowledge from his fish studies class at Harvard (kay, I don’t remember the actual course name); he served as sort of our personal guide and was able to give us a lot more information than was on the plaques. The aquarium was definitely smaller than Corpus Christi or Monterrey, but I mean, even a bad aquarium is fun, and it wasn’t bad.

This week I have mainly been getting some writing and odd errands done. Not having internet at the apartment severely limits what I do doing the day (I’ve decided not to turn my internet on this month; it’ll save my $65!) but I’m still managing to be productive, and it means I budget my internet time much better. We’ve watched a bunch of movies, gone out a couple of times, but overall pretty lowkey.

Interesting talent alert!: So it is a joke about how I will eat food until right up to the point at which it will kill me. I cut the mold off of cheese or bread, gouge out the mushy parts of fruit, etc. But one thing I DO NOT budge on is milk. If milk smells the slightest bit off, I say no. I have had no many episodes of taking a big gulp of milk that I thought would be fine only to run my tongue along the carpet to get the stale milk taste off.

Well Frank has apparently taken note of this talent, and I am now the high judge of food. If he can’t decide whether it’s good or bad, he brings it to me and says, “Smell.” This all started the other day when, after baking a chocolate cake (I said we were TRYING to eat healthier), he poured us a glass of milk. After downing half the glass in one gulp, he held it out to me and asked, “Does this taste funny?” Sure enough, it was three days past expiration day and WAY funny tasting. Ick. The smell was revolting.

Anyway, that’s all the news for now. I’m procrastinating actually sending anything in to be published, which is what I’m actually supposed to be up to these days. Send good luck, concentration, peppy, and focus vibes my way, please! I have a fiction and a nonfiction piece both ready for submission, a couple poems I might submit, and a couple of fiction pieces that need some reworking but will soon be ready. Oh, and those two ten-minute plays can be submitting, and a one-act that is almost ready. Also, I’ve realized that a full-length play I started a year ago, which I’m a third finished with, would probably do well either as my BFA thesis or publication. So definitely lots of projects to be working on.

Categories: Boston · Fun · People · School · The Loft · Writing

hurray, making everyone mad!

July 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I’m headed back to Boston in the morning, where I will have two days alone, without internet or television, until Frank returns from his business trip.  I would just wait to fly up until Saturday except — oh wait — the airlines suck.  Can we PLEASE return to regulated airlines?  Because I think it is safe to say that non-regulation has crashed and BURNED every single person trying to fly nowadays.

Aside from not looking forward to being totally alone for two days (which I used to enjoy, but now I’m in one of my super-social phases, plus the whole no-tv-or-internet makes it worse), it doesn’t feel right leaving home yet.  Not that much is going on here.   I worked for three weeks.  Watched a movie with the boys once, went out with Chrissy I think twice, aside from Frank being here this past weekend (which was great!).  I’ve seen my dad like three times in the month I’ve been home.  I can’t get a job because I’m not here much longer, and it’s too hot to go outside.  So basically I’ve been sitting in the house and going to the gym — occasionally doing a bit of writing.  So the plan is to go back to  Boston for a week and a half, then come home for another two weeks, during which I’ll have a family reunion and my annual friend trip to the river.  Then I’ll be back in Boston, hopefully working for a month before moving into the new apartment and starting school.

It occurs to me that this is my last summer spending any great length of time home, and I’m not ready to accept that yet.  I love Texas, and I love doing nothing with my family, and I love my home.  Granted, I’ll finagle a way to come home for a couple weeks hopefully.  I realize it’s illogical, but leaving tomorrow has me feeling like I’m going to be missing out on precious moments at home.  I ALWAYS feel that way, either way, whether I’m leaving Boston or leaving home.  But it’s impossible not to feel left out when I know things are going on at home without me, but at the same time, things are going on with Frank in Boston and I want to be there with him, too.  Basically, I can be in Boston doing stuff with Frank and his friends, or I can be here with my family doing nothing.  I don’t like having to choose.

Like I said, I’m blowing the entire thing out of proportion and actually was pretty upset about it earlier.  My now-uncertainty about my future has me wobbly when I had my post-school life all planned out.  This new way of doing loans (that I have to make interest payments and a principal payment WHILE in school — which I can’t afford) has me stressed out about work.  My BFA thesis needs to be in the works, and looming graduation (10 mos. away, but still!) has me anxious about ending another stage of youth.  I’m not ready to be a grown-up yet, and I’m not ready to give up my home in Texas and my time with family to just do nothing, but everything in the world is propelling me forward.  Typically I’m all for that, but sometimes I wish I could just freeze time.  I’m not okay with the sacrifices that have to be made in order to become an adult — but all this being mandatory.

Flights tomorrow are bad.  I’m trying for the 6:35am, and there’s the chance I’ll make it, but there’s also the chance I’ll be sitting around in the airport all day.  If I’m not going to be at home, I’m ready to be in Boston; I hate spending FOREVER in airports.

I know once I’m in Boston, I’ll be happy about regaining my independence.  I’ll probably spend tomorrow night writing and watching movies — I’ll still have my DVD player. I can go to Trident Cafe if I get lonely, because there are people AND free wifi there.  I’ve got a couple things for the new apartment hopefully that I’ll go pick up, and I’ll go for a walk since the weather is MUCH cooler there (though I am NOT looking forward to giving up the sunshine nor cutting temperatures in half.  50s and 60s?!  I want 70s and 80s!)  I need to get stuff done on my BFA thesis, and I’ll be job hunting, and I’ll see if I can still gain access to the school gym.  And there are still a few friends in Boston I can look up.

I’m always either itching to get going or desperate to stay put.  And right now I am feeling lazy and sentimental and already homesick . . . but I’ll be home in a week and a half!  I realize it’s not like I’ll NEVER be home again.  Sometimes I am just absurd, I know this.  I’m just in a mood . . .

Anyway.  Right now, I am going to go update my wishlist page with all the stuff I need for the new apartment.  So, you know, if you just HAPPEN to have something lying around, or just HAPPEN to want to give me a gift . . . well, I sure won’t stop you!

Categories: Musings · Stress · Texas

resume building

July 8, 2009 · 2 Comments

It is not fun.  I realized it’s important I have a resume, or at least a grand master resume so that I can easily copy and paste to make a specific-job resume.

My resume includes education, theatre-related work, published writing, published photographs, and actual jobs so far.  And it kind of looks ridiculous.  My high school awards take up four lines and I only did awards from the last two years — AND I think I’m forgetting some.  My extracurriculars take up another four lines — and this is all size 10 font.  What a joke.  Did I just not sleep in high school?  I asked Mom and she said, “Well you were always on the go.”  No wonder I was so burned out by the time I hit college!

Anyway, I’m using my boyfriend’s resume as a guide, but I’m having to just wing it on the theatre, writing, and photography sections and make up my own formatting.  And it’s just making me realize how LAME I am about not submitting my work.  This section definitely needs to get bigger; I’m going to submit like crazy for the next few months.  Cross your fingers/pray for me, please!

But that’s what this month is for.  Since I can’t get a job for July, I’ll be writing like crazy, and pouring over my publication bible to start sending some things off.  SCARY.

Categories: Photography · Stress · Work · Writing