Today, tomorrow, and the next day I leave! Well, after work, anyway...
I'm so excited! I've got my writing done for the week, so I won't have to worry about that while I'm gone; I did my laundry on Sunday night, so I'm ready to start packing this morning. Work is slowing down, and I've only got a few more weeks to put up with the grumpy vegan before he's gone (hopefully for good)! He actually got upset with me for bringing the museum a pack of 1's when they only had 6 left in the drawer - can you believe it!? I'm trying to figure out if that's retail ignorance or if he's really that full of himself.
Anyhow... this weekend was the first weekend I didn't get my hike or bike in: for one, I only had one day off; for another, my bike is currently out of commission. Next weekend the bike at least won't happen again because I'll be on vacation and I'm not bringing my bike along. So, with the exception of these two weeks, I've managed to do my hike and bike every weekend this season, just as I hoped, and I hope to continue that when I return from the coast.
This morning I'm going to knock another large item off my to-do list: I'm going to inventory all of my food, plan my meals, and write up a grocery list so that I won't have to go to the store next month at all. That's the hope, anyway. I just hope that the epic-looking food co-op in Sacramento isn't over-priced.
Fall is creeping up rather quickly now. The mornings (and evenings) are getting colder (by feel, if not by actual temperature all the time), and it's taking everything in my will to not get out the heater before I leave. (I have to wait 'til it's at least September, right!?) Eric says that the aspens will start changing color any day, and I sure look forward to that. But also with the coming of autumn is my own homecoming, which seems very likely to occur sometime between October 1st and November 15th, depending on how late I decide to stay at Bodie, and how much time I take in coming back. I might work through October just to make sure I've got the paycheck coming in for November, but I might decide that I'm just mentally spent and leave at the end of September or part-way through October... we'll see.
28 August 2012
26 August 2012
One-Day Weekend Extravaganza!
Sitting in my church clothes - one button missing on my shirt, eating the remainder of some Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream - I didn't feel like being a complete pig last night, and trying to figure out how late I can leave.
I'm house-sitting for Mark and Lynn again, but I only got today off this weekend in preparation for my whirlwind mini-vacation next weekend. I drove up last night and spent the night watching Ondine, drinking a nice, cool fuzzy navel and eating chocolate ice cream. I slept wonderfully, though my extra-odd dream streak is continuing. I think that my subconscious is trying really hard to figure some things out right now.
I went to church this morning at Walker Baptist Church. The little place was packed with friendly people, and I was delighted to find that I had happened upon them on a potluck day. I LOVE church potlucks! If you didn't know already, my plan (if I ever get married) is to have a church potluck for my reception. (All of which will, of course, be coordinated by the magic of the internet so we don't end up with 5 green bean casseroles and no mini-sausages in sauce!) Anyhow, it was really nice to be able to fellowship with other Christians. The last time I did that was the fourth of July weekend in Bridgeport.
After a fun reminiscence of singing VeggieTales with some of my coworkers, one of those singing explained that we were all forced to listen to the same Christian music as children, and one not singing declared that all Christians must have been dropped on their heads as babies. I guess the reminiscing wasn't so fun after all. I love Bodie: it's a great place to work, with great coworkers, and great fun! God is very visible in the beauty of that place. But I miss the Christian fellowship that I can find in other places. I may have Sundays off, but that doesn't mean that I can afford to drive 23 miles to church every Sunday and 23 miles back again - an hour of driving for a little over 2 hours of fellowship. Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough, but I try to leave town as little as possible, if I can help it, to save on gas and to save my dad's car from that awful Bodie road.
But at the same time I feel as though I owe some sort of allegiance to Bodie. I'm part of the community there. It's where I got my start, and its where I've invested a lot of myself. I feel like they count on me in some respects - as if I have a future there. So could I give it up to do something else? even if that something else is a job that I've always wanted? And what if that something else doesn't work out - will I still be able to come back? Will Bodie wait for me? or will I have to wait for Bodie to open up room to hire me and, in the meantime, consign myself to the turbid swirling of the unemployment pool?
As much as I like it out here, I'm a Michigander at heart, and I long to be able to find fulfilling (and decently-paid) employment in my home. It's just that, so far, I have yet to find that. I'm sick of people bashing my home when the have never even been - they don't know the first thing about Michigan! As weird as it sounds, I even miss the ridiculously hot and humid days of summer because they were coupled by going to the beach and cooling off in the waves. Not to mention your skin doesn't get nearly as dry in the humidity of West Michigan as it does in the deserts of Arizona and California.
Anyhow - chances are I'll be coming home soon. Perhaps in October, perhaps in November. It all just depends. But I hope the time goes by fast, because I want to be with my family again.
I'm house-sitting for Mark and Lynn again, but I only got today off this weekend in preparation for my whirlwind mini-vacation next weekend. I drove up last night and spent the night watching Ondine, drinking a nice, cool fuzzy navel and eating chocolate ice cream. I slept wonderfully, though my extra-odd dream streak is continuing. I think that my subconscious is trying really hard to figure some things out right now.
I went to church this morning at Walker Baptist Church. The little place was packed with friendly people, and I was delighted to find that I had happened upon them on a potluck day. I LOVE church potlucks! If you didn't know already, my plan (if I ever get married) is to have a church potluck for my reception. (All of which will, of course, be coordinated by the magic of the internet so we don't end up with 5 green bean casseroles and no mini-sausages in sauce!) Anyhow, it was really nice to be able to fellowship with other Christians. The last time I did that was the fourth of July weekend in Bridgeport.
After a fun reminiscence of singing VeggieTales with some of my coworkers, one of those singing explained that we were all forced to listen to the same Christian music as children, and one not singing declared that all Christians must have been dropped on their heads as babies. I guess the reminiscing wasn't so fun after all. I love Bodie: it's a great place to work, with great coworkers, and great fun! God is very visible in the beauty of that place. But I miss the Christian fellowship that I can find in other places. I may have Sundays off, but that doesn't mean that I can afford to drive 23 miles to church every Sunday and 23 miles back again - an hour of driving for a little over 2 hours of fellowship. Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough, but I try to leave town as little as possible, if I can help it, to save on gas and to save my dad's car from that awful Bodie road.
But at the same time I feel as though I owe some sort of allegiance to Bodie. I'm part of the community there. It's where I got my start, and its where I've invested a lot of myself. I feel like they count on me in some respects - as if I have a future there. So could I give it up to do something else? even if that something else is a job that I've always wanted? And what if that something else doesn't work out - will I still be able to come back? Will Bodie wait for me? or will I have to wait for Bodie to open up room to hire me and, in the meantime, consign myself to the turbid swirling of the unemployment pool?
As much as I like it out here, I'm a Michigander at heart, and I long to be able to find fulfilling (and decently-paid) employment in my home. It's just that, so far, I have yet to find that. I'm sick of people bashing my home when the have never even been - they don't know the first thing about Michigan! As weird as it sounds, I even miss the ridiculously hot and humid days of summer because they were coupled by going to the beach and cooling off in the waves. Not to mention your skin doesn't get nearly as dry in the humidity of West Michigan as it does in the deserts of Arizona and California.
Anyhow - chances are I'll be coming home soon. Perhaps in October, perhaps in November. It all just depends. But I hope the time goes by fast, because I want to be with my family again.
19 August 2012
Productive, or no?
I've been trying to be more productive lately, but I've definitely hit the excessive point on my computer use wave. C'est le vie, I suppose. I'm sure I'll be over it soon. Still, I have made a solid to-do list and have been hacking away at it one thing at a time.
But that doesn't mean I'm not still spending an excessive amount of time staring at a screen. For instance: starting last night and going until about 3 o'clock this afternoon, I watched all 12 episodes of Book One of the Legend of Korra on www.avatarchapters.tv. The last episode still made me cry the second time around.
Yet in spite of that, I have been rather productive. Today I baked my first-ever loaf of regular (non-dessert) bread. It turned out alright - very dense, but for my first time baking bread (and at over 8000' elevation with whole wheat flour) I think I did a pretty good job. And now I'll hopefully be able to satisfy my cravings for things like French Toast and Bread Pudding. Mmmm....
I also wrapped my handlebars on my bicycle - they're a bright and clean blue now and I'm fairly pleased with the wrap job. I don't think I've got the art perfected yet, but it's certainly coming along nicely. And this just in time for the big ride I hope to do tomorrow! I also reheated and added noodles to another defrosted bag of my homemade minestrone soup. Very delicious! I've still got two more quart-size bags in the freezer, so I'm pretty excited about that.
Now I'm watching "Gold" - a movie John lent to me on gold mining in South Africa - so that I can return it to his collection (yes, this is also on my to-do list). Then I also have to return the electrical tape that I nabbed for my handlebar finishing.
Anyhow, I think I've about had it with the computer for the day. Tomorrow I'm going to drive toward Mark and Lynn's, park at a Forest Service Day Use Area, then ride my bike up to their house to water the plants, then bike back. It should be a pretty good ride - and down a newly paved section of hwy 395, nonetheless! I have to 'get in shape' in case I do decide to do the High Sierra Fall Century in a few weekends.
But that doesn't mean I'm not still spending an excessive amount of time staring at a screen. For instance: starting last night and going until about 3 o'clock this afternoon, I watched all 12 episodes of Book One of the Legend of Korra on www.avatarchapters.tv. The last episode still made me cry the second time around.
Yet in spite of that, I have been rather productive. Today I baked my first-ever loaf of regular (non-dessert) bread. It turned out alright - very dense, but for my first time baking bread (and at over 8000' elevation with whole wheat flour) I think I did a pretty good job. And now I'll hopefully be able to satisfy my cravings for things like French Toast and Bread Pudding. Mmmm....
I also wrapped my handlebars on my bicycle - they're a bright and clean blue now and I'm fairly pleased with the wrap job. I don't think I've got the art perfected yet, but it's certainly coming along nicely. And this just in time for the big ride I hope to do tomorrow! I also reheated and added noodles to another defrosted bag of my homemade minestrone soup. Very delicious! I've still got two more quart-size bags in the freezer, so I'm pretty excited about that.
Now I'm watching "Gold" - a movie John lent to me on gold mining in South Africa - so that I can return it to his collection (yes, this is also on my to-do list). Then I also have to return the electrical tape that I nabbed for my handlebar finishing.
Anyhow, I think I've about had it with the computer for the day. Tomorrow I'm going to drive toward Mark and Lynn's, park at a Forest Service Day Use Area, then ride my bike up to their house to water the plants, then bike back. It should be a pretty good ride - and down a newly paved section of hwy 395, nonetheless! I have to 'get in shape' in case I do decide to do the High Sierra Fall Century in a few weekends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)