Goodbye to my blue-eyed Paul.

In the tenth grade I enrolled in a basic drama course at school. I'm pretty terrible at acting, so I don't know why I wanted to spend a semester in the class, but I did. One of our assignments was to memorize a monologue and recite it for the rest of the class. I don't remember how I found mine. Actually, I think the teacher loaned me a book of monologues and I picked it out from there. Anyway, I of course don't remember it now but the gist of it was a girl (me) gets in an elevator and discovers Paul Newman standing next to her and she sort of freaks out on the inside over how awesome it is to be in an elevator with the dreamy Paul Newman.

About this time (the tenth grade, or at least I think it was the tenth grade) I also joined the Speech Team. I'm not sure why I did that either. I think it was because I had friends doing it, too. I bet I was also trying to join random things so I could get into college. Anyway, I joined the Speech Team and the only thing I really remember doing for it was going around reciting this Paul Newman monologue. And of course I never won anything, because I'm not good at acting. And at one particular event I was so nervous I even messed up and had to start over three times. That's incredibly embarrassing. I don't know why I'm sharing this with the internet.

The whole point of this ridiculous post is to share the time I discovered who Paul Newman was, because even though I'd heard his name before my monologuing days I didn't know what he looked like or in what movies he had starred. So my dad pointed him out on a jar of spaghetti sauce, and then I saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. That was when I discovered who he was. I also felt like I had this special relationship with him, as if I really had been in an elevator with the hunky blue-eyed man. And that means I have a special place in my heart for him, and I'm therefore a little sad to learn of his passing. Farewell Mr. Newman.

Don't worry.

I'm alive. And well. But internet access is still a problem, at least for things like blogging. So please be patient. And curse Verizon.

work may be hazardous to my health

There seems to be a very real chance that I will develop Black Lung at work. Every day I have to wear latex gloves to do my work, and by the end of the day they are coated in coal dust. Sometimes I sneeze a lot. Occasionally my snot looks like the snot of someone who has spent all day in subway stations. If I develop a cough I may have to wear a mask, and then I will feel like a freak at the office. I don't want that.

quick update

I moved. Last night was the first night I actually slept in my new place. It's coming along. I can't wait for all the empty boxes to go away and clear up space. I also can't wait for my own internet. And a rug. I'll post pictures later when it's all put together.

mooooving

Well the movers finally got my stuff into the apartment and nothing was broken or wet, so that's great. Now, however, my apartment is a royal mess. Thankfully I get to keep staying at my grandparents' house until the new place is livable. This afternoon the furniture arrived and then I spent hours and hours cleaning. I scrubbed the kitchen and the bathroom and it took so long and was so tiring I'm about to collapse. Judy and Sunni came and helped get the kitchen ready. There's still tons to do though, and the most annoying part is that the landlord hasn't finished painting yet. He still has to do the baseboards and door and window frames. So I can't even arrange furniture because everything is in the middle of the rooms. I'll be happy when it's all done and everything is arranged and pictures are hung on the walls and I have rugs and all the furniture I need.

If it's not one thing it's the other.

This is moving weekend, but if you live in the area or if you've heard anything about the tropical storm that is "approaching hurricane status" on this side of the country you know this is not ideal moving weather. But I shouldn't be surprised, because none of my moving plans have held up so far.

All of my stuff from my apartment (minus clothes and the few things I have now at my grandparents' house in Richmond) is in two portable storage boxes in Raleigh. If I had moved to Chapel Hill as planned everything would have worked out great, because they would have delivered my boxes to the new place at no extra cost. But moving them three hours away to Richmond? That costs your firstborn child. So I moved onto plan two (after much fretting and even some crying) which switched from going down to Raleigh myself and renting a truck and bringing all my stuff up north to instead hiring someone to go down and bring all my stuff up for me in their own truck. Plan two was supposed to take place over Labor Day weekend.

When the landlord called and said the old tenant had a change of plans and wouldn't be moving out until Labor Day weekend, I fretted again. But my moving guy gladly switched the date to the next week -Saturday- and plan three seemed just fine. Until Hanna showed up.

The storage place in Raleigh has already decided to close shop tomorrow because of the weather. If it weren't for me having the nicest moving guy ever, I probably wouldn't be moving until next weekend. Instead, nicest moving guy ever is currently implementing plan four by braving the storm in North Carolina to move my stuff tonight, and he'll keep it dry in his truck until the weather clears and he can move it into my apartment.

Let's hope plan four doesn't fail me.

She works hard for the money.

Yesterday I started my "real" job at the same place I've been working all summer as an intern. They made the intern table and computer into my table and computer, plus another desk. However, in an effort to make things cozier for myself and feel more like I have a "real" job and less like I'm still an intern, I might decide to move some of the tables around. We'll see. You know what's exciting about a "real" job? A full hour for lunch, that's what.

In other news, I move into my new apartment this weekend. That should be exciting.

godbaby

Guess who is a proud Godmother?! That would be me.



On August 15 my cousin Jay and his wife Janelle had a baby, Jay Robert IV, aka Bobby. Since I was in Santa Fe for two weeks I didn't get to meet him until Saturday. He. is. so. cute.

As a godmother I've decided I have the right to buy the awesome gifts, like puzzle maps of the United States and fun flash cards about presidents. I will make this kid a history lover. Or at least an appreciator. Or maybe he will be a science kid and want a microscope or chemistry set. And if all of that fails the kid better at least enjoy miniature golf, because we will do that, too.

Kit

To finish off my time in New Mexico, yesterday I went to Taos with my dad and granddad. We visited Kit Carson's house, walked around the plaza and ate lunch, visited Kit Carson's grave, and didn't have time to visit the Martinez Hacienda but walked around it. Then we headed home.

I heart Garrison Keillor

Last night Garrison Keillor came to town with the Rhubarb Tour of A Prairie Home Companion. Of course we went. The show was lots of fun. No skits with cowboys or Guy Noir or anything, but lots of songs and poems, a performance by the voice guy, and News from Lake Wobegon.

The extra exciting part was going backstage after the show, thanks both to my brother (who met everyone at his hotel and somehow managed to get a free ticket for himself while driving a woman to the show who called up Mr. Keillor and said "my driver wants to come, can he have a ticket, too?" and somehow that included putting his name on the backstage list) and to this couple from church who we happened to see there and the wife also just happens to be a third cousin of Mr. Keillor and that gave her backstage privileges, too.

Unfortunately, we couldn't wait around long enough for Garrison to actually come out and talk to us (well, he was busy talking with the distant cousin in a back room), but I saw him walk by. And in the meantime Ryan and I chatted it up with Fred Newman (the voice guy) and Suzy Bogguss, the touring country singer.

We also happened to see several of the band members the night before at the restaurant/bar at Ryan's resort, and of course he talked to lots of them and gave Garrison rides in the golf cart while he was working. Le sigh, I am so jealous.

Ubiquitous Pistachios

If you keep an eye out for them, you will find them. That's what I've discovered about pistachios. Well, pistachio shells, to be exact (because who would waste the delicious nuts?). I don't actually look for them, they just appear on my radar I guess.

For example, after hiking up to the M in Missoula, Montana, I found two half-shells. And after walking up a hill the other day to view Nambe Falls in New Mexico I found two more shells on the ground.

When I find them, they are always laying there alone. No other trash, no sunflower seed shells or peanut shells. Just the shell from a single pistachio nut.

Now get excited, because from now on when I find pistachio shells I'm going to report back here, and if I happen to have a camera that will be even better. And for my first "ubiquitous pistachios" installment I will report that I found another shell yesterday outside of Bed Bath & Beyond in Santa Fe.

Indian Market

This weekend was Santa Fe's biggest event of the year, the Southwest Association for Indian Arts' Santa Fe Indian Market. Something like 100,000 people from all over the world come to Santa Fe every year to check out the art downtown. Artists from tribes all over the country come and set up over 600 booths, where they sell traditional and contemporary jewelry, pottery, sculpture, bead work, paintings, etc. Apparently some hard core people get to the plaza super early in the morning or even camp out over night so they can buy particular pieces from their favorite artists.


booths on Lincoln Avenue


pottery for sale

Yesterday my parents and I went to the market, but not until late afternoon. We checked out some art, my parents bought me turquoise earrings, and we shared some fry bread.


booths on Palace Avenue in front of the Museum of Fine Arts (where I performed in numerous Youth Symphony concerts back in the day)

This afternoon my dad and I went back to the market, and he bought me a turquoise necklace to match the earrings. I think this is my first turquoise jewelry (and it's not huge and fancy like lots of other people have around here, just simple teardrop earrings and a beaded necklace). I used to shun the stuff, but this is simply another example of me starting to embrace the Southwest more than I ever wanted to when I lived here.


kids performing traditional dances

independent day

Some people don't like to go out and do things alone. I, on the other hand, don't usually mind. I prefer to shop alone. I go to museums alone. I explore new places alone. Sometimes I'll even eat in a restaurant alone. Now I'm not saying I always like to be alone. It's nice to have a friend or family member or significant other along. But if someone else isn't available, that won't stop me from going out and doing what I want to do. I have been to museums alone in Chicago, London, New York, Portland, Raleigh, Richmond, Santa Fe, Seattle, Tacoma, and Washington DC.

There are times when it's better to be alone. Maybe I don't mind spending four hours looking for a dress. Maybe I don't want to annoy someone else by making them sit and watch random video installations for 45 minutes at an art museum. Maybe I'd rather see the movie about crosswords puzzles alone than listen to people make fun of me for wanting to see a movie about crossword puzzles.

Today I exercised my independent nature downtown in Santa Fe. I visited the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. I ate a delicious lunch on an outdoor patio. And I visited the Biennial exhibit at Site Santa Fe, where I watched a video installation for a very long time but did not want to jump down onto a stunt mattress for fear my dress would fly up.

But lest you think I shun company, I began my day by hanging out with Ryan, and in the evening I enjoyed dinner with my parents and we played a game of Scrabble.

It was a good day.

Coyote Summer

As a girl who grew up in the Southwest, I was pretty familiar with coyotes. You see kitschy coyotes in stores, and restaurants with coyote in their names. People complain of coyotes in their yards, and others go out hunting them. I had a coyote nightlight in my room, and stylized triangle coyotes popped up frequently in the doodled margins of my school notebooks. The surprising thing, however, is that I don't recall ever seeing a real live coyote in all my years in New Mexico. My brother says he sees them all the time, but me? Not so much.

Until this summer. Ironically the first coyote I've (I think) ever seen was in Tacoma, Washington. That was in July. My second coyote was last Thursday on that long drive through the mountains. And my third coyote sighting took place this evening, during a walk by the railroad tracks with my dad and our dog Jackson. I know I don't really live here anymore, but these sightings help me feel a little more legitimately New Mexican.* Not that I was never legit, of course.




*On a field trip last year to Williamsburg, Virginia, I was introduced to an undergraduate who was also from New Mexico. I had just been telling a friend of mine about tortilla burgers with green chili on them, so I was excited to have a fellow New Mexican to back me up on their delicious existence. Only when I mentioned tortilla burgers to the guy he said he'd never heard of them, and then he admitted he only lived in New Mexico as a little kid before moving somewhere else. He was definitely not a legitimate New Mexican. And I bet he's never seen a coyote.

The family that plays together...

For boat ride Number Four of the summer, I went rafting on the Rio Grande with my dad, brother, and his girlfriend Adriana. It was pretty fun. Ryan jumped off a giant rock, all of us jumped out to swim, I got soaking wet while we "surfed," we all sat on one end of the boat and spun around until we were dizzy, and Ryan floated down some ripples on his back.

We didn't have a camera with us, so you'll have to deal with these "after" shots.

some of those updates

Last Thursday I went with Ryan and his girlfriend to Nambe Falls and to Taos. Only instead of actually spending time in Taos, Ryan hijacked our trip and took us through a national forest on an incredibly long and bumpy road over a very large mountain. By the time we reached Taos we only had time to grab an ice cream cone and drive back to Santa Fe. Then we ate a big fancy dinner at his resort's restaurant. Remember how he worked for a fancy hotel downtown? Well he switched to a brand new and super fancy resort outside of town. The food was delicious.

Saturday my family (all four of us!) went to see Swing Vote. That's the movie with Kevin Costner that takes place in New Mexico, and my dad watched part of it being filmed earlier this year. We couldn't find him in the crowd scenes though, sadly.

Sunday night my mom and I went to the Santa Fe Opera for their Apprenticeship Showcase. The nice thing about the Apprenticeship Showcase is that it doesn't cost a billion dollars like the regular operas, and you get to see whole scenes from 8 different operas, instead of one long opera that may have potential for being boring.

I've watched lots of the Olympics and several movies. I also started reading Blood and Thunder, and I'm hoping to get through most of it and then go back to Taos to visit Kit Carson's house (he's a major figure in the book).

Saved for times such as these.

Yesterday I flew to New Mexico to spend two weeks with my family in Santa Fe. I'm pretty excited to be here, and I'm sure you'll get lots of updates while I'm here. My first update, however, is unfortunate.

My luggage did not arrive in Albuquerque with me. Nor did it arrive last night at my house around 9pm when they said it would. When I called the 1-800 number after 11 my bag had not yet been located. I was not happy.

In the interim, I needed some essentials. Like clothes. I decided to see what I've left in my dresser all these years, and it was a little embarrassing. I found multiple sets of pajamas. About three pairs of jeans. Lots more tank tops. Several t-shirts. Skirts. Shorts.

Why have I kept all of this??? I don't even live here! Even if some of it still fits me, I obviously don't want to wear the stuff if I have kept it in Santa Fe. The only answer I can think of is that I was saving it all for a time just like this. A time when my luggage would not arrive and I would need clothes to wear. So with that in mind, I'm pretty genius.

(Disclaimer: Even though I had to wear my old pajamas and open a new toothbrush, I just recieved a call that my bag should be here any minute. So I won't actually have to wear any of those clothes out in public. And if I'm real motivated maybe I'll even take the stuff to Goodwill. Of course I'll probably save some it, just in case this happens again some day.)

Purging. Sort of.

In an effort to prepare myself for one tiny closet in my new apartment, I have just gone through all my clothes (except for the sweaters in storage in Raleigh) and picked out several items to donate or throw away. This is an incredibly necessary exercise because I happen to own way too many clothes. And the truth is I hardly wear a lot of them.

So here is what I've parted with:

16 shirts
10 tank tops
5 skirts
1 dress
2 pairs of dress pants
4 pairs of jeans
1 pair of shorts
2 sweatshirts
2 swimsuits
4 pairs of shoes
3 pairs of flip flops

The sad part is that I still have tons of clothes and shoes, but I'll just have to get extra creative with my storage in the new place. For now though, I'm pleased with my progress.

weekend review: lots o' Richmond

Friday: Lazed about, ate lunch with the grandparents, and spent two hours at the insurance place getting things straight for officially moving to Virginia. Took Sunni to see Kung Fu Panda at the IMAX at the Science Museum. I've still never gone through the museum, but now I've at least been to the IMAX. Watched the Olympics all evening.

Saturday: Helped my cousin and his wife get their nursery ready for a new baby due next week, then came home to take a nap. Played Rook with the family and then went to see Iron Man at the Byrd Theater. Can you believe I've been in Richmond this long and I had still never been to the Byrd? So that's another Richmond check.

Sunday: Up to make my mom's rolls, then went to Mass with the grandparents. Home to a big fancy Sunday meal, then went with cousins Leslie and Sunni to the Watermelon Festival where we walked a little, ate watermelon, and got the heck out of the sun and crowd. Home to nap, then watched more Olympics.

I always pack a lunch.

This is the last week of my summer internship, and the people in the office are being so nice. Yesterday we went out to lunch to celebrate the end, and on Thursday (my last day) they're bringing in donuts for me. (I'm also having lunch today with family who are coming by, and even though it has nothing to do with my last week of work it is exciting because that makes two days this week that I don't have to pack a lunch!) This all seems especially nice for two reasons. One, they already gave me a big ice cream party last summer at the end of my first internship. And two, I'll be back in three weeks! That's right, the internship may be over but they've offered me a "real" job starting September 2. So I'm not going back to North Carolina or library school. Instead I'm moving to the city on my own, where I will live in walking distance to work. But don't worry, I'll keep packing all my lunches.