Nostalgia

The warm, non-Autumn, non-Winter here in FL has me feeling nostalgic for TN. Here's a list, in no specific order:

Red Maples
Snow
Decent Barbecue
Xmas lights at Dollywood
Lunch at Bhan Thai in Memphis
The National Storytelling Festival
Curling up on the couch with a blanket
Speedway in Lights at Bristol Motor Speedway
Cold weather
Smoky Mountains National Park
Mountains in general
Friends and family
PBR from the corner gas station
Making sausage balls for an Xmas party
Snow, again.

End of the semester

So, school is winding down enough that I actually have time to blog. It's been a tough semester. They make the first semester insanely difficult, a shock to the system; but they tell me if you can survive it, you'll be OK for the rest of the program. One of the other first-year directors has decided this just isn't the place for him, so there will only be two of us from now on.

I actually have a show I directed running for public performance right now, through Saturday. The Social Issues Project takes the first-year directors, who decide on a "social issue" as a group (ours was "power"), gives them a cast, and sends them off to come up with a cast-generated show. We wanted to talk about all sorts of things, primarily fascism encroaching itself upon the US's economic/government systems, and we went down the wrong road for about a month, and came up with nothing. So I narrowed the focus to what happens when you sign up for a power structure that changes, or wasn't what you thought it was when you signed up. We thought about all the End-User License Agreements we sign up for online without ever reading, and settled on facebook as our metaphor. Using facebook, we're able to talk about the bailout, and safe haven laws, and subprime mortgages... and facebook itself, too. The show's actually pretty good, too- and somehow we actually managed to avoid preachiness. I'm pleased with it.

I also directed a play for the American College Theatre Festival 10-Minute Play competition, and that went really well. I got on great with the playwright and my cast of two, and the production was quite well-received. The ACTF adjudicator actually pointed out my direction and my actors for recognition in his report to the Festival.

I directed a number of scenes for the Musical Theatre Workshop class that the BFA Musical Theatre Majors take. Some went really well (Sunday in the Park with George, The Most Happy Fella, She Loves Me), some did not (Parade, 110 in the Shade, Passion), but I learned an awful lot in that class.

My final project for my Problems in Directing class was a scene from The Crucible, and it also went really well.

And I'm working on my final project for Theatre History, which will be a proposal for a production of A Doll's House. I did a 10-minute presentation on it today, which went relatively well.

All in all, it's been an amazing semester. I'm tired. Really, really tired. And really, really happy and challenged and motivated. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on my mood), my job in Memphis vanished about a week ago. No more working from home online. I'm not upset about it at all- I can live as a grad student does. I'll be happy to have the extra time. But, of course, we had budgeted to have that money coming in this month, and now it's not. So December will be tough, but it's only a month.

Tomorrow is my semester review with my thesis committee, all of whom I quite like and respect. I've got a lot of work to do before now and 1:45 tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not too worried. I think I had a pretty successful first semester. Lots of failures, and lots of learning from those failures. What I really don't want to do is go buy printer ink so I can print the hundreds of pages I need for my "director's book" for my Social Issues Project. I have a mountain of stuff, but it's all electronic, and they can't really flip through a CD. I'll probably go to bed early and get up early- last night I was in bed at 8:30 and up at 4:00 to work on that presentation.

So that's the news from the front porch. I'm sure I'll be blogging more over the Christmas break, and I'll have more time next semester, too. Hope all is well for you and yours...

Wow

Gosh, I haven't posted in a long time. Chalk it up to The Schedule.

Life in in Crawfordville, FL is pretty darn sweet, even if I'm in Tallahassee most of the time and only come home to Crawfordville to sleep. This school is, to say the least, intense. I'm doing more work at school than I ever thought I was capable of. Right now, I'm working on two projects for public performance, two directing projects for classes, my theatre history class, my teaching assistantship, AND the season show I'm assistant director for starts rehearsals next week. On Monday, I'll have three different rehearsals, lasting until at least 1:00 am, and I'm loving every minute of it, even the days when I'm on campus for 14 hours, working the whole time. And I also got to keep my job, with a much-reduced early-morning schedule.

There were about ten days when I didn't love it last month, though. All my neuroses kicked in, and anxiety got the better of me. I was convinced I wasn't good enough, they were going to kick me out of FSU, we'd upended our lives for nothing. Of course I was wrong, but thank goodness I can recognize warning signs when they happen. Everything's great now- better than ever actually.

The house is all furnished, finally, and I and Eric and the cats and the dog are all quite happy in our little rural home. I did a bunch of landscaping and couldn't be prouder. In January we'll put in the fence in the backyard. I'm glad we love our house- with the economy the way it is, we may be here for a while after I graduate. I'm a little concerned about our electric bill, though. I can't believe we used FOUR TIMES as much electricity in August as we have so far this month. I think a $400 electric bill for a little house like ours has to be a mistake.

The calibre of students here amazes me every day, and I'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many talented and driven people. The undergrads an unbelievably dedicated, and the faculty are, well... all I can say is that I'm learning SO much. I'm taking what might look like baby steps, but they seem like leaps and bounds to me.

Oh, and thank God for the iPhone. I'm HORRIBLE with time and scheduling. Horrible. Time means nothing to me. Nothing. It's a concept that exists outside of my frame of reference. But that little phone has my whole schedule in it, and makes my life much less chaotic than it would be otherwise. I rarely know what I'm doing till 5 minutes before I have to do it... I know enough to be prepared for it, usually, but seeing the whole day at a glance without having to pull a book out of my backpack rocks.

Mom and Dad and my sister and brother-in-law and niece and nephew came through for a few hours last weekend, and they absolutely loved the house, which made me feel great. We're having Student Orphans Thanksgiving here for the people who can't go home. The number of people seems to be growing... I think we may end up taking the food down to the beach for a picnic. I also think that instead of spending hundreds of dollars on entertaining like I usually do, I'll just buy a pre-roasted turkey from The Fresh Market and pull out the board games. I don't have time to be Martha Stewart anymore.

That's the news from the front porch, which is unseasonably chilly. Since I like the cold, I couldn't be happier.

Long Day

Today, I was supposed to work from 10:30-7:00. Didn't happen. I told my office that I had to be at FSU "general auditions" from 9:30 til 7:00 or so, and I'd work after that. When I got to the auditions, I was told that call backs for the show I'm Assistant Directing were scheduled for 7:00 tonight. OK. Guess I can't work.

I said earlier that I might need to quit my job. I said, "If a faculty member says 'Can you be here tonight at 7:00?'" I need to be able to do that. Well it happened tonight- and classes haven't even started yet. But it happened, and will continue to happen. So I have to quit my job and be a traditionally-poor grad student. I hate to give up the money, but I was SO HAPPY all day today- back where I belong. And that's even with being at auditions from 9:30 this morning till 11:20 at night.

I'm so excited about this school and all that I'll be doing. It's not what I expected. It's so much more. There's a reason FSU is one of the top directing schools in the country. I'm so happy- and so lucky. :)

Nerves

Oh, my...

I've just been looking at the webpages written by and things written about my fellow directing students here at FSU. They all have, like, credits. And resumes. And existing careers in the theatre. I have... a BFA, a number of years of doing very little artistically, a nearly-completed degree in Storytelling, of all things, a good mind (hopefully), and very little else. What have I gotten myself into?

I feel like I'm going to be Eliza Doolittle at Ascot (without the admirers). "Come on, Dover! Move yer bloomin' arse!"

I have to remember that the (hopefully) good mind is exactly that. I didn't get admitted to this program based on my resume. And I have to tell myself (over and over again) that I didn't get admitted to this program because they needed to fill the space and quickly. There were hundreds of other people it could have been offered to- and they gave it to me.

I feel like I have a lot to prove. I didn't apply. I didn't try for it like you're supposed to. It was just handed to me, really. I have the fear that on Monday, when we have to sit in a circle and introduce ourselves, as you invariably have to do, I'll hear lists of achievements and accomplishments and well-thought-out goals. Then I'll say who I am, and everyone in the room will think, "How the f@ck did he get here?" Like when I was in London, I took a working-class guy to Harrod's for the first time. He'd never been because he thought the doorman would know he didn't belong, and wouldn't let him in. And that's not really the right mindset to enter into this with.

Anyway, I have to remember and believe that I'm here for a reason. I may not have the experience or training of the other students, but I do have what I have. I'm talented, I'm smart as hell, and I'm here to learn.

New Homes

Hmmm... a quandary.



We're finally in our lovely little house in Florida. Unpacking, all that stuff. Trixie's been playing the front yard on a tie-out (only when one of us is outside, too, of course). But this morning, around 15 minutes after I brought her in, here came two very large white dogs to sniff around my yard. They both appeared to be boxer mixes- possibly boxer/pit mix. Certainly large, muscular, un-neutered dogs. So Trixie's only going out on a leash until the fence is built. And here's the quandary- do I risk pissing off the new neighbors (none of whom we've met) by calling Animal Control next time I see these roving behemoths? Or do I just accept it and wait for the fence? I'm sure you know what I'd like to do. It remains to be seen what I actually do. What would you do?



In other news, we're in such a small town that we have to read our own electric meter. And I'm still not accustomed to the dirt roads.

Wreck

I'm a wreck. A WRECK. Can't sleep. Low appetite. My mortgage application has been sent to underwriting. There's no reason why I shouldn't get it. I meet all the criteria. Low credit score just means it has to be looked at a second time, but it shouldn't be a problem. Again, there's no reason why I shouldn't get it. There's a good chance we'll find out tomorrow.

So what's the worry? Because it's still not certain and we have to move BY WEDNESDAY. A week. Whether I get this house or not. The plan is to leave for FL on Tuesday for closing on Wednesday. But I have to give Marjorie possession of the TN house by Wednesday morning. And the ReloCube is here... and it's leaving for Florida on Monday. 6x7x8 is a lot smaller than I'd thought. So the couch and recliners are going to the Women's Shelter.

Anyway, that's all. I'm just a nervous little thing. Most of the upstairs packing is done; time to start bringing things up from the basement and making trips to get rid of trash (boxes and packing things and such). Freakin' out... as I am prone to do.

Pride (in the name of Truck)

So you may or may not remember back when I broke the thermostat housing on my car. I was performing one of the very easiest of automotive repairs- replacing the thermostat. And I didn't get the housing seated correctly and I broke the damn thing trying to tighten it. The repair that would have cost me $14 ended up costing well over $200.

Well, a few months ago, I was trying to figure out the source(s) of rattles and pings under the hood of Eric's truck, and I discovered it had the wrong serpentine belt on it. Completely wrong- 6 grooves instead of 7. And it had been like that since he got the truck, about 5 years ago. Today, in preparation for the move, I replaced the serpentine belt. Let me say that again: I replaced the serpentine belt. The tensioner was really tight and that's what ended up being the only problem, but I got it done in, oh, less than an hour. And I swear, it sounds like a different vehicle. It sounds great, and the little vibrations and shakes are gone (we had chalked those up to the fact that it's a 16-year-old Dodge). It's pretty sweet now. And I didn't break nothin'.

Fires

So, those of you involved in academia will know that there are always little fires to be put out- usually just before the start of something or just before the end of it. Here's the fire I had to put out today:



My mortgage people in Florida wanted a copy of my final letter of acceptance from Florida State. Sure thing, I thought. I'd gotten it about a week ago. They needed it because the documentation of my assistantship said (of course) that it was contingent upon admittance to the University. No problem. I should have read the letter more carefully when I got it. I pulled out the final letter to scan it... and noticed... at the bottom... that my acceptance to the MFA program was contingent on... having received a Masters degree. What? I'm going into a Masters program. Nowhere is it written I have to finish this one before starting a different one. No one else has to have a Masters degree to get into this program!



So Friday, I called my contact at the School of Theatre. She gave me the number of someone in admissions. I had to leave a message, and I also sent an email, because I've found, when dealing with University administration, it's always best to attack on every possible front. If I weren't almost ten hours away, I'd have shown up at her office, too. I also forwarded my email to my advisor.

I had no response by late this morning, so I called again. Guess what? She's on vacation. So I pressed 0 For Immediate Assistance. I was routed through 3 people, and left a message for someone else. Someone Else called me back a couple of hours later. They were just a little confused, since you're not supposed to be enrolled at two different schools at the same time. I explained that I wouldn't be in classes at both schools at the same time- I'll be at ETSU again next summer, when I'm not in classes in Florida. Oh, well, that explains it all. No problem. The condition is removed and he's sending me another letter of admission. And I got him to send me an email saying just that.

So here's what I don't get: why was my admission contingent on completing my current degree program prior to starting there? I had all the required criteria for admission. I can understand how they might make it contingent on "not being enrolled in any other Masters degree program," but why was I required to finish it, when no one else would be required to have a Masters degree already to get in. It's beyond me. Luckily, though, this is the first and so far only glitch I've run across in dealing with FSU administration. After dealing with ETSU for two years, I'm just beside myself about it. ETSU is quite possibly the worst-run University in the country. It's certainly the worst I've dealt with, and I've dealt with a lot of colleges.

So that's pretty much all. I'm in a holding pattern now, waiting for the appraisal of my new house to come in, and waiting for the mortgage people to tell me when closing is- and, of course, that I've actually got the loan. Just... waiting. I officially picked out my refrigerator (and I'm spending $50 more for the "EnergyStar" rated one- it'll save me around $15 a year on electricity). It's very cool; I've wanted a side-by-side fridge my whole life. It's big, 26 cubic feet, and has filtered ice and water in the door and shelves that pull out, and it's "stainless look," meaning it's steel, but it's got a finish on it that doesn't show fingerprints. And it matches the range and dishwasher and microwave. Here's a picture. I'm such a House Nerd, excited by a refrigerator. Here's a picture: Unfortunately, some of the reviews I've read say it's kind of loud.

Anyway, I started thinking today about all the things I'm going to have to buy because the house is brand new, things I wouldn't have to worry about if the house had been lived in before- like window coverings for all the windows. I don't even have cheapo mini-blinds. And some sort of outdoor storage thing for the lawn mower, since there's nowhere to keep it currently. And, of course, a washer and dryer (I sold my old washer and dryer with the house, and they were less than a year old!). When I say I'm moving to a small town, I mean it. The nearest laundromat is 18 miles away, in Tallahassee. And a fence for the back yard, so the doggy can go out by herself. And a mailbox- can you believe my house doesn't even come with a mailbox? And hopefully, I can pick up off-air TV signals with an antenna, and hopefully I can still get them if the antenna is in the attic, so it doesn't have to go on the roof, and hopefully, it won't be too hard to wire electricity to the antenna in the attic- which is accessed through a little square in the roof of a bedroom. Not in a closet. A bedroom. Without pulldown stairs (I guess my ladder will be living in the outdoor storage thingy).

I don't want anyone to think I'm all "Woe is me; I have to buy a bunch of stuff to go with my brand new little house 15 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico." I'm just thinking out loud/in print. Feel free to skim, or not to read at all. I've said it before- if this saga had started six months ago, I'd be all set. As you may know, all this started six weeks ago, so I'm still playing catch-up.

What else do I need? I can tell you what I want, that will have to wait, probably: a back door. Daddy says it won't be hard to do, but with all these other things I really need immediately, the back door is on the back burner. And I need some sort of decking for the patio furniture and the grill I already have.

OK, enough of the thinking in print. I'm sure you have better things to do, like plan gender-neutral bedding for your fetus' crib from IKEA. I'm all for gender-neutral bedding. I've slept in it for years. By the way, I think that "Dos Equis" is a lovely name for a child. That or "Marmoset." Of course, I have a niece who calls herself "Bug," so what do I know?

Moving, Mortgages, and Idiot Bankers

Latest updates:

1) I officially don't own my house anymore- it closed on Thursday. Whoo hoo!

2) I can't get the super wonderful USDA-guaranteed mortgage because USDA won't count my assistantship as income. Because it's temporary, only for three years. Like I couldn't quit my job or get fired within three years! That's just dumb.

3) The flaky mortgage guy at my bank- who takes days to return calls- discovered yesterday that he can't process an FHA loan for Florida. It has to be processed either in the state where the house is or a state bordering that state. How it took over a month to find that out, I'll never know. So he's passed me along to a banker in Georgia. Hopefully she'll be much less flaky than he was. He assures me they can count my assistantship as income. Which it IS.

4) The original plan was to take the proceeds from the sale of the TN house, and use them to pay off my car, and to pay down credit cards, in order to get my debt-to-income ratio down to within limits. Eric did some research, and for installment debt (like a car payment), FHA won't even count it as debt if it's within 10 months of being paid off. So I paid the car down to that.

5) I'd thought I'd throw the leftover from the car at the credit cards. Flaky Banker Man said he thought I should not pay down the cards at all till after the house is bought. He thought it would be better for me to have some cash reserves. I asked, "What about my debt to income ratio?" He told me that when he ran the numbers, he ran them as if I'd paid off the car but not the cards, and I was fine. So that's very, VERY good. To further the goodness, I got my yearly review at work this week- and a nice little raise, which will help with that ratio even more.

6) The real estate agent who brokered the sale of my house is also the buyer's current landlord. Because he has 4 apartments coming open in August, he told her he's willing to be "flexible" about making her move out. That means that if we can't close on my house in Florida by July 31st, it's not the end of the world, and gives us a little more time to work with if we absolutely need it. And that's VERY good news.

So that's where we are right now. Cross your fingers that Georgia Mortgage Woman is on the ball. It's still possible to close by the 31st if all goes well and quickly. I checked into how much it would cost using PODS, and it was WAY WAY expensive. I also checked ABF U-Pack containers, which were still expensive but half of what PODS are. The ABF container is about twice what it would cost to use a U-Haul. Since I've got some cash on-hand, I'm thinking VERY seriously about it. It would make things a LOT less stressful. With the U-Haul, I'd have the truck for (I think) four days. That's a day to pack, two to move, and another to unload. Doable, for sure, but really stressful. The U-Pack container would sit in my yard for two or three days, then they'd bring it to my new house for me, and I'd have another couple days to unpack. Plus I wouldn't have to drive the truck, my parents wouldn't have to help, and we wouldn't have to take four vehicles (the truck, my car, Eric's pickup, AND my parents' car). I think that's a pretty good option.

I guess that's about it. Mom and Dad are coming to Pigeon Forge this weekend to take the kids to Dollywood- like I've been trying to get them to do for more than three years now. Dad will go crazy over the Thunderhead and Mystery Mine. I think we'll have a great time. Eric doesn't think he'll come, though. He has no desire to pack and stuff when he comes home from work during the week, and needs to use Saturday for that. I don't blame him. I forced him to Dollywood and Splash Country last Saturday. It was fun, but I can think of very few people I know besides myself who would want to go to a theme park two weekends in a row.

In other news, Minnie Pearl has decided she wants to go outside, I'm getting tranquilizers for her and for Kitty Wells for the long drive to Crawfordville, and Trixie Cornbread has become a Great Huntress and has developed a taste for the moths that congregate on the front porch. Before she goes inside, we have to lift her up and help her pick them off the wall. Bless 'er! And bless y'all!

Today

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT.

Whoo hoo!

I just realized that I've been posting to my myspace blog, but not this one.  Guess it's time to catch you up.  When I say "you," I mean the one person who reads this.  Hi!

My house is officially, completely, contracts-signed, and inspections-done sold.  We close on Thursday, and I get to stay here till July 31st.

I went to Florida with my mother and nephew a couple weeks ago to find a place to live there.  I now have a sweet little house under contract, just waiting for my current house to close to really get the ball rolling. It's about 25 miles south of Tallahassee in a very small town with dirt roads, and we'll be only 15 minutes from the ocean, and a beach covered in tiny little sand crabs.  It's a lovely little yellow house, with three bedrooms and a screened front porch with a ceiling fan- necessary for Florida.  And (amazingly) it's brand-new construction.  No one has ever lived there before, and when all is said and done, it will cost about $200 a month less than my current mortgage, even though the purchase price is much higher.  And Eric and I will each have our own bathrooms. And a kitchen pantry (not a pantry each, silly)!  And steel appliances, and enough counter space that I won't have to move the coffee maker to cut up some chicken.  I'm really, really excited about this wonderful little house.  Even though I'll be out in a rural area, I can be at school in about 35 minutes. The only things about the house that need fixing are that it needs a fence in the back (that'll be done, like, immediately), and it doesn't have a back door.  Isn't that bizarre? The only door is the front door.  But putting in a back door really won't be all that difficult or expensive. I expect to have it by Christmas.

We got the house found and under contract in about 4 days, and then we took my nephew to Busch Gardens in Tampa.  Turns out for the same price as one-day admission, you can have unlimited entry till Dec. 31.  So all three of us now have passes.  I upgraded mine for an additional charge, and now I get free parking and 10% off food and souvenir purchases.  It's already almost paid for itself.  Busch Gardens is a GREAT park.  My nephew said he likes it more than any of the Disney parks, except maybe Epcot.  He thought Epcot might be a tie.  And, thanks to some well-placed plexiglass, I got to put my face within an inch of a sleeping tiger's face.  I can't even begin to tell you how amazing that was. They're impressive when you're 10 feet away.  Being 2 inches away will take your breath.

So that's the news from here.  We haven't even started packing yet.  It's just too daunting.  If I weren't selling the house to good friends, I'd just leave some crap behind.  That would be rude to do to strangers, and extremely rude to do to friends!  We've got to pare down, though.  The new house is 200 sq ft smaller, and doesn't have a basement.  My house in TN is FULL- and so is the basement.

Hope all is well with you and yours.  If the Wondrous Chain of Events continues, I should own a new lovely home in Crawfordville, FL in about 3 weeks.  Cross your fingers!

I am just beside myself with glee. The wondrous chain of events continues.

These little guys are my new best friends. I picked them up at Epcot about a month ago. I've been meaning to get a maneki neko (lucky cat) for years now, but never did. And the daruma is pretty wonderful, too.

For those who don't know, the cat isn't waving- he's beckoning, inviting in the good stuff. In this case, because he's holding a coin, he's leaning towards cash. His gold color helps with that, too. The daruma, as you can see, has only one eye. When you buy a daruma, they have no eyes at all. You make your wish, and concentrate on it while drawing in one of his pupils- I filled in the wrong one, but he still seems to be working. You fill in the other eye when your wish comes true. I hope the wrong eye thing doesn't, like, come back to haunt me.

Anyway, they're sitting on the china cabinet facing the front door. You want your neko to beckon out the front door.

So what's made me write about them tonight? Well, a couple of days ago, my acceptance to FSU became "actually" real when my file became complete. I now have an FSU email account, and access to student services online. When I go down to find a place to live, I can even pick up my student ID. Which leads to the next thing- living arrangements. I should have a contract to sell my house in TN tomorrow or Monday, all ready for me to sign. Marjorie and Harry are quite happy with the notion of closing ASAP and letting me "rent" from them til August 1. That means I'll be able to get the money I get from the sale BEFORE I actually have to leave- which is very good because of the next wondrous event. I got a call from the loan officer at my bank today, and he's pretty darn positive I can get an FHA mortgage to buy a house in Florida. This is great on a number of levels. First, rent in Tallahassee would be more than my current mortgage payment. Second, an FHA loan will have a much lower interest rate than my current mortgage. I mean a LOT lower. Third, because I'll have a more sizable downpayment than FHA requires, and with the lower interest rate, I'll be able to buy a house a third more expensive than my current house was AND I'll pay less each month.

I tell you what, this internet thing is pretty fantastic. A whole lot of what I've been able to do- and the unexpected rewards that are coming from what I've been able to do- has been based on information from the internet. You have to sift through a lot of crap, but I swear, if there's something you want to do, you can probably find a way to do it on the internet. Especially if you want to improve your credit and do something like buy a house. For instance, did you know that USDA Rural Development has a program for low-ish income people to buy homes in "rural" areas? And I mean for people who make, like, poverty line money. As a matter of fact, they offer the program in the town I'm looking at in FL, and if the bank doesn't make me a good enough offer tomorrow, I'm going to see what USDA can do for me. Oh, and if there's anyone reading this on limited income who lives in Cookeville, the program is available for pretty much ALL of Putnam county outside the Cookeville/Algood city limits. You can probably buy a house through this program, and it'll be less per month than renting. They'll even make the downpayment FOR you. The USDA Rural Development office in Cookeville is in that little strip mall near KMart, Fountain Square. ;)

So that's the news from here. If I get my selling-the-house contract over the weekend, and if they have good news for me tomorrow, I will probably go to Tallahassee on Tuesday to try to find a place to live. I might actually stay for a while. Mom wants to come help, and she can come down on Friday and stay all week. She'll bring my nephew, and she told me she'll pay for the hotel and for food while we're there, so I may stay in Tally a week or more. So that's good- and I can work my normal schedule from the hotel, and we'll take a day to go to Busch Gardens. Once I've got my student ID, I can go ahead and get my Florida Residents Annual Pass- which is the same price as a regular single day admission! Whoo hoo!

I swear, y'all. I don't mean to gloat. And I'm really not gloating. I'm just amazed and shocked at how well things are going, and I have to share it. And, well, I do have to pat myself on the back a bit- I've worked really hard for it. I'm just... surprised. Surprised that it's paying off. I've always had a tinge of pessimism (it won't work out!) but I went ahead and tried anyway- and it worked. Life is good!

I hope all is going well for all of you. If it isn't going well- hang in there. Work hard. You'll be OK. :)

Ego

It's 3:30 in the morning, and I'm on the front porch listening to the rain. We're having lovely, intermittently torrential rain tonight, and I love it. I've spent the past few hours reading interviews and biographies of some people whose work I admire (specifically Jim Henson and Frank Oz) and catching up on the doings of the Henson company.

I'm having some trepidation about going into the directing program at FSU. Not so much that I won't do it, of course! But those typical "Am I good enough?" "Can I do this?" kinds of thoughts. In the third year, I'll direct a season show. I know that quite a few grad students have an idea of what their Big Final Project will be before they even start. Me? Hell, I haven't even finalized my capstone project for the Storytelling degree... and I really need to have that project ready a year from now. And what about the show at FSU? I trust that my explorations there in the first couple of years will lead me somewhere. But honestly, so far, most of the work I'm proudest of has been brought to me, like, "Oh, Curtis, I think you should do this." So what do I want to do?

Gosh, I don't know. Perhaps those people who have it all planned out are so wonderful and talented because they're so focused on their artistic and philosophical and spiritual and technical and whatever-else goals. Me, I'm scattered. I'm all over the place. I don't think you'll find many people as interested in "The History of Department Stores in Nashville, Tennessee to 1985" as I am, or, I don't know, "Edie Sedgwick as Cultural Marker." My mind moves from one esoteric subject to the next, dragging me along with it. So my final project at FSU? I dunno. Maybe a musical. Maybe not. Maybe something with puppets, or children, or.. hell, I dunno. Do I have the ego to say? We'll see! I'm excited to find out.

Florida

OK, I'm looking for a place to live. If anyone who happens upon this blog can help, please, please comment. I'd like to buy a house for under $100K within a 30 minute drive of Florida State University. 45 minutes if the house or area makes it worthwhile. All I know about the area is what I saw in the 10 hours I was there earlier this month. I'm beginning to freak out! Here's what I wish for the dream home: At least 2 bedrooms. I don't want to hear gunshots. I don't want to worry about leaving the bedroom window open while I sleep. I would really like to have a yard for the dog to play in, though it's not essential. Is that too much to ask?

More kismet

Oh, my GOD, I sold the house. Took all of 8 days, got my full asking price, selling to really good friends so both they and the neighbors will be happy. Wow. Just waiting for their agent to get me the contract. AND they probably won't want to take possession for a couple of months. Wow.

Interest

Selling the house:

I put an ad in the paper- it started on Tuesday. Someone came to see it Tuesday afternoon. I put a sign in the yard. I saw someone stop and write down the number. He and his wife came to see it today, and either they're really good actors or they REALLY like my house. I put an ad on craigslist Tuesday night. 2 people have asked for interior photos. Wish me luck!

So much to do!!!

Anybody wanna buy a house in Johnson City, TN? Asking price $87,500. *read the following out loud in happy lady advertising voice:* "Walking distance from the University and in a very friendly neighborhood! 2 bedrooms and an office or 3 bedrooms. Great for first-time home-buyers or investment property. New interior paint, full basement for extra storage, large fenced yard, and a relaxing front porch, complete with swing! With a spacious eat-in kitchen, welcoming entry parlor, and architectural details like 6-inch ornate baseboards and multiple built-in bookcases, this charming 1930's bungalow is just what you're looking for!"

Gonna put out a For Sale By Owner sign and an ads in the paper and online while we get it ready to sell. Hopefully we'll get some bites during that time. Then, in a couple of weeks, go to an agent if I have to. An agent's commission would probably eat up any profit I might make. I'll have an open house, too, once I get it ready.

IN OTHER NEWS: Eric and I had a mostly wonderful time at Disney World. I shouldn't have spent the money, but I'm still glad I did. We stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort inside Walt Disney World. It's one of their "value" resorts. I really liked it, though Eric wasn't as impressed. I loved the theming- we were in the "Mighty Ducks" section, but he was underwhelmed. The room was small, but comfortable, and housekeeping was darn good and the sheets were not scratchy. I hate scratchy sheets.

Wednesday morning we went to Hollywood Studios, which isn't as good as I'd remembered. Since the Tower of Terror now goes up AND down a random number of times, the first drop is nowhere near as intense as when it was only one 13-story drop. It was disappointing. The Rock-N-Roller Coaster was better than expected, Eric didn't care for Star Tours (though going into "Star Wars Hyperdrive" is more than enough excitement for me). Muppet Vision 3-D was still the best attraction in the park, I think. So we left there around lunchtime and hit Future World at Epcot, and had a great time. Let me tell you, Mission Space (the one the guy died on from intensity) is AMAZING. Easily the best non-coaster ride I've ever done. I mean really, really incredible. Test Track is a lot of fun, too. Eric wished there were more "thrill" portions, but I enjoyed the whole thing. We also went to Animal Kingdom on Wednesday. Since we'd heard that it wasn't that great a park, we only hit the three rides we'd expected to be really good: Expedition Everest is FANTASTIC; Dinosaur is the best dark ride we've ever been on, and the spinning mad mouse was a lot of fun.

Thursday morning we were at the Magic Kingdom at 8 am for the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and It's a Small World. I made a mistake with Small World. We did it first. I love love love love love It's a Small World for two reasons: It is the PINNACLE of mid-century graphic design. I think it's visually BEAUTIFUL. AND I love it for its place in Theme Park History and entertainment history, two subjects I love to explore. Eric HATED It's a Small World. I mean HATED. It tainted the rest of the day and neither of us think he'll ever recover. It was enough to make him denounce the entire Walk Disney Company until we were nearly home the next day. After lunch, we went back to Epcot for World Showcase and Soarin'. Our fastpasses for Soarin' gave us 2 and a half hours to kill, so we went to World Showcase. Eric hated it, I got tired and cranky, we snapped at each other for 2 and a half hours, and even though Soarin' was really good, it wasn't worth the misery we went through for it. Eric was sick of Disney enough that he didn't want to go back to the Magic Kingdom for Space Mountain and Tomorrowland and the fireworks, but after a nap, I decided I would go alone. So I went back and as soon as I walked in I found myself in a great spot for the SpectroMagic parade, which rocks (Eric wouldn't care for it) and for the fireworks. The current fireworks show, "Wishing," is amazing, timed perfectly with the audio, and more than made up for the miserable afternoon.

All in all, it was a good vacation. It would have been great if I hadn't fallen into the trap of "IpaidalotofmoneyforthiswehavetoGOGOGO!" I think the best thing to do would be to go every 5 years for 3 days each time. 1st morning, park for 4 hours, then long break, then 4 hours at night, maybe at a different park. 2nd day no parks. 3rd day, 4 hours in the morning, then break, then go back that night if you feel like it. Leisure time should be leisurely.

So, back to the move. On the way out of town, we stopped at IKEA in Orlando for a couple hours. I've never allowed myself to order furniture from their catalog because I was afraid it would be crap. How comfortable can a $150 sofa be? How good can a $30 coffee table look? The answer is VERY comfortable and VERY good. We'd planned to have a yard sale before we left. Comedians have said that IKEA is Swedish for "cheap crap." It IS cheap, but it's NOT crap. And if your $30 bookcase falls apart after 5 years, so what? It was $30 and lasted 3 years longer than the more expensive one from Target or Wal-Mart. Since IKEA is 3.5 or 4 hours from Tallahassee (in Orlando or Atlanta), we're now going to have a HUGE yard sale. Big enough that there will be stuff in the yard, and we'll invite people inside like an estate sale. We're going to sell pretty much everything we own, and use the money to get new stuff at IKEA when we get there. We don't need 75 plates and 30 coffee cups. We don't need a couch and 2 recliners and 3 other chairs. We need one couch and ONE chair. We've decided we're only going to take what we can fit in my car and his truck. No U-Haul this time. SO if there's anything you've seen at my house that you want, come up to Johnson City in a couple of weeks and take it home with you. You're welcome to sleep on the floor (since we'll hopefully sell one of the beds and the sofabed and the air mattresses). Like my recliners? They're YOURS. Though with gas prices what they are, that cool round mirror for $3 might not be a bargain if you live in Cookeville.

That's all from here. I'm absolutely overwhelmed. Enough so that I'm sitting on the porch freaking out with a beer instead of, like, pressure-washing the front of the house. Again, wish us luck. There's a slight chance Eric might be able to wangle a transfer with the company he works for to their Tallahassee office, which would be the best thing in the world. Oh, and did I tell you I got a tuition waiver, an assistantship, AND I get to keep my job? I'm sure I can drop down to 20 or so hours a week for work. Whoo hoo! I got a daruma (look it up) from Mitsukoshi at Epcot- put your wish-making powers into it for me!

The Immediate Future

I got in to Florida State. I will start the MFA Directing program in August. :)

I'm at Disney World. I'm really happy. :)

Huh?

I can't believe I considered, even for a SECOND, the notion that I could move house and not take the angels with me.

Wish List

OK, here's my current wish list. Cross your fingers, pray, do whatever it is the hell that you do.

1. I get in to Florida State.
2. Even though the deadline has passed, they want me enough to give me a Fellowship.<
3. They ALSO give me a GA position.
4. I need either a Fellowship or a GA. If I only get one of the two, the school must to allow me to keep my job on a part time basis.
5. I can sell the house quickly and for a profit.
6. Graduate student housing apartments at FSU aren't already full.
7. IF I can get in, and into student housing, that
   • I can reconcile with the idea of someone fostering my Precious Angel Baby Girl Kitty Wells for a while.
   • Someone worthwhile is willing to do it.

Those are the wishes. Please make them for me!!!

Oh, and I did just fine on the GRE this morning. And I have a new wheel for the car. :) And my applications are in, and transcript requests sent, and letters of rec lined up. I have had a busy, busy week. Now all I have to do is clean the house tomorrow. :P

Overwhelmed

The past few days have been a whirlwind.  Here's why.  OK.  Let me do a little prefacing.

As you may know, I'd decided not to go get an MFA in Directing when I finish the Storytelling program.

As you may NOT know, the Storytelling program is set up so that I could take no classes this fall and spring, take classes in the summer, and graduate then.

SO- OK, I'll make a long story short.  On Saturday morning I was told by an old friend that Florida State may have an opening in their MFA Directing program for next year.  The head of the program wasn't sure what he'd do if the last accepted person declined.  Then he told my friend, who had mentioned me, that I should submit a resume.  I just want to point out here that I've never contacted the school, not even for a brochure.

So I sent a resume.  Yesterday morning, I got an email saying that if it turned out there were an opening, they'd be contacting me in the next few days.  I got a phone call this morning... and I'm going to Florida next week to meet with them on Tuesday afternoon.

So- I know I'm starting every paragraph with so: bite me- um, one of the best schools in the country for what I've ALWAYS wanted to do with my life basically contacted me out of the blue, and if all goes well, I'll be moving to Florida in August.  Eric would stay here till next summer to finish his degree, I'd come back to finish my current degree program,  sell or rent the house, then he'd come to FL to join me.

SO- I've got a lot to do.  Gotta get letters of rec, apply to the university, get transcripts sent, take the GRE on FRIDAY (no time to waste), replace a bent wheel on my car, all sorts of things.  There's a lot of kismet going on. Every time I start to freak out about some aspect of this, something IMMEDIATELY happens to negate the freaking out.  For instance, I said, "I'm not completely sure I can afford to go to Florida next week!  Gas is insane!"  God said, "Oh, I didn't tell you, but I just had citibank increase your credit limit.  By enough to finance FOUR trips to Florida. Try not to use it." I'm just shocked and overwhelmed.  And EXTREMELY excited.

Wish me luck. Cross your fingers, and hope for orange juice, hurricanes, and palmetto trees.

Decent food, FINALLY

I'm so excited.

I've finally found a GOOD restaurant in the Tri-Cities. Not a decent one, not a good-enough one. A GOOD one. Before, we made do with Carabba's, the Italian-esque chain. It's not bad- actually pretty tasty, but it's heavy and kind of expensive and the service is AWFUL (I do like to get caesar salads for take out).

The place I found is (I think) called "Volcanoes Bakery." At least that's what the little sign says to make checks out to. The banner out front says something like "The Real McCoy Tamales Tortas Tostadas" Painted on the side of the tiny little cinder-black building are the words "Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo's Gallery." Huh?

Anyway, they have two tables outside. Inside, there's one table, but it's pushed up against a wall so only 2 sides are usable. There's also a long bar-shelf on the long wall with stools. Opposite the bar is a display case full of fresh-made pastries, a cooler filled with ice and Mexican sodas (no Coke here), a table which appears to be used for food prep, and a small case with desserts inside and the cash register on top.

They make the best tamale I have ever had in my life.

I was having my brakes done at the Meineke next door ($353- oof!), and had been meaning to try it out. The reviews are fantastic: check out the Roadfood.com forum discussion on the place.  The chicken tamale I had was the best tamale I've ever eaten.  The tostada de tinga (a tostada covered in chicken and onions in a red chipotle sauce, lettuce sour cream, cheese, and a slice of avocado) is hard to describe.  It's a wonderful mixture of crunchy and soft, hot and cold, oh, it's just wonderful.  So I'm happy happy happy.  And I'm going back tonight.

He's a demon on wheels

Can I just tell you how excited I am about the upcoming Speed Racer movie?

Speed Racer IS my childhood. I don't know it for a fact, but I probably watched reruns of it as a little bit in Japan (I know I watched Kamen Rider. Anyway, after a year and a half of Japanese TV as an infant, when I saw Speed on TV back in Tennessee, there was something familiar and wonderful about it. This show, which began airing in Japan in 1967, has been a major cultural touchstone for me. I absolutely love Speed Racer.

So then they began making a movie, and I was scared. It could be great, but it could also be AWFUL. Seeing the trailers, I'm so excited I could DIE. I watched a 4-minute trailer on the film's website today and almost wet my pants. They even had Speed in the bizarre arm-across-the-chest pose from the TV show's title sequence. I'm a bit worried about the introduction of the Mach 6... but we'll see on May 9.

Everybody's Job

With a title like "Everybody's Job," I bet you think I'm going to talk about saving the planet, or the children, or something. No, not at all. I'm going to ask, "Why do I know how to do everybody's job better than they do?"

So for the past couple weeks there's been a little crack in the topcase of my MacBook. Aspreading crack. Now, I already knew MacBooks are prone to this. It was just a matter of when to get to Knoxville to have it repaired, for free, of course. So, after some of my past experiences is dealing with the Apple Jeenyuses at the Genius Bar, I called AppleCare. I was hoping they'd be able to check inventory at the store (for the needed part), and let me know whether or not the Knoxville store does repairs onsite, since I can't really afford to have my computer missing for days and days. The AppleCare guy was good, but they can't check store inventory. He did take down everything that happened, and assigned me a case number, so the store would know what was going on when I got there. And they'd know that I'd already contacted Apple.

So I called the store- because I wasn't going to drive to Knoxville if the part wasn't in stock. She gave me the canned answer that no one was around to check the stock and that even if it were in stock, the repair would take 3-7 DAYS because I'd be placed in a "Repair Queue."

First instance of me knowing a job better than the person doing it: When someone calls to ask if you have a part in stock, because they live two hours away, and it costs $20 in gas to get there and back, you find someone who CAN check the stock, and then you might even ask if there were a way to get the repair done quickly. And if there's no one around to answer those questions, you get the customer's number and call them back. I don't care HOW you've been trained to brush people off. It makes a difference, and even if your manager doesn't recognize it, I promise that the manager above that recognizes it- especially when they get letters and emails saying what a good job you did.

So I decided to risk it and went to Knoxville. I knew that if they had the part in stock I could get it fixed. The repair itself only takes a few minutes, and I've read numerous forum posts from people saying they got theirs repaired in no time. And if they didn't have it in stock, I'd ask them to order it and call me when it came in. And if they wouldn't do that, I'd resort to the tactic that I've had to use to get good service at that store before- throw a fit and fight with them until they do what they ought to do just to get rid of me.

Here's a little story about that- Eric bought a MacBook there about a year and a half ago. When we got to the car, we opened it up and discovered there were two dead pixels in the screen. So we went back in to exchange it. The manager told us that a couple of dead pixels weren't reason enough for an exchange. I said it was. That went on for a few minutes, during which I told her that I understand pixels go dead sometimes- however it is perfectly reasonable to expect a pixel or two to die over time- but there's no reason to expect dead pixels to begin with. Back and forth. When we got to the point of "If you opened a new monitor to put it out on the floor as a floor model, and found it had two dead pixels, would you leave it on the floor as an example of what a new monitor should be?" When she said that no, she wouldn't, she agreed to exchange the computer. We opened it right there in the store to verify the monitor. The whole exchange took three-quarters of an hour. And I knew she only did it to get rid of us, as my voice carries quite well in a small store, and customers were leaving in droves.

Anyway, so I took it in to the store at my allocated appointment time. The guy pulled up the stock, discovered they had four topcases, then went to the back to ask if they could fix it right then. Guess what!? They COULD! He said it would be an hour, and they'd call me when it was done. So I walked around the mall for an hour. An hour and fifteen minutes. An hour and a half.

So I went back to the store, where I was greeted with Smiling Smug Apple Lady.
"Hi!!!!!! Can I help you?!?!?!"
"Yes, I'm here to see if my repair is done."
"Did they call you?"
"No, but they said it would be about an hour, and it's been over an hour and a half now."
"Well, if they didn't call you, it's surely not done yet. They're very, very good about calling as soon as repairs are done!"
"Well, I was thinking they might have gotten busy and forgotten to call, or it might have gotten lost in the shuffle."
Instance number two of me knowing a job better than the person doing it: When this happens, you get on that handy high tech headset you're wearing, and ASK IF IT'S DONE.
She said, "well, if you really want to be really sure..." she said this as though I'd asked her to vote for Hitler for President... "you can go back and ask one of the people in the blue shirts at the Genius Bar."

So I went to the back, sat down, and looked at the Genius Bar for a few minutes, knowing that eventually someone would come to ME to ask if I needed help, because I didn't want to fight my way through the crowd.

Dude said, "Are you waiting for something?"
"Yes, I wanted to see if my repair is done."
"Did we call you?"
"No.
"Which repair was it?"
"Cracked topcase."
"What was the name on that?"
"Curtis Y."
"Let me go check."

Guess what? It WAS done. They'd put it on the top shelf and the person who makes the phone calls NEVER NOTICED IT.

I made sure to tell Smiling Smug Apple Lady that on the way out. Her smile faded.

New Title

If you know not only the name of the movie it's from, but also the name of the character who says the new title of my blog, put it in comments and maybe I'll, like, send you a Holiday World postcard.

More fun in Theme Park World

Today, I took my friend Marjorie to Dollywood, and we had a blast. Marjorie is 65, a grad student studying Storytelling, known all over Michigan as Mother Goose (complete with costume), and quite enamored with the notion of retiring to East Tennessee.

We got a late start, so we didn't make it to the Apple Store in Knoxville, but went straight to Pigeon Forge. On the way, I discovered that not only had Marjorie not been to Dollywood, but she'd never been to the area at all. So after taking my shortcut from Sevierville all the way around Pigeon Forge, we headed up through Gatlinburg and into the National Park. It was a misty, misty morning, so the views were pretty limited, but the Park itself is glorious no matter what the weather. Turns out Marjorie is a kayaker! We came back around and considered having lunch at Pancake Pantry, but for some reason, Gatlinburg was absolutely packed, so we hit the bypass and headed to the Theme Park, which was really only about half full. After picking up a Q-bot and reserving a show, we started looking for lunch, and, of course, ended up at the Giant Delicious Super Wonderful Hot Dog stand. I wasn't sure if Marjorie was a Ride Person, but after taking one look at the Thunderhead, she said, "Well, I've GOT to ride THAT!" We pretty much walked on, and had a nice chat with a ride attendant who asked me about the Voyage since she noticed my Holiday World t-shirt. She asked if it was really a better coaster than the Thunderhead, and I told her "I hate to say it, but yes." We chatted a bit about Holiday World- the ride operator said she really wants to go check it out. She said she thought the reason Holiday World beats out Dollywood was because of the free sodas. I said, "May be." What I wanted to say was that it's the free sodas, the ticket price that's $20 less, the included water park, and the fact that it's so clean you could lick the sidewalk if you wanted to. I wanted to say, quite honestly, that it's just a better park. As much as I love Dollywood, Holiday World really is just a better park. What I did say was that the two are similar in a lot of respects, and that Dollywood is the only park I would compare with Holiday World.

Anyway, Marjorie had a GREAT time on the Thunderhead, and yelled her head off. She told me she hadn't been on a ride of any sort in about 15 years, and I said that she couldn't have picked a better one to start back up on. So it was drizzly and chilly. The Timber Tower wasn't running in the morning, and Mystery Mine was a bit much for her- I made sure she knew about the 2 93-degree drops before she even considered riding it. We headed up to River Battle- and since it was rainish and chilly, no one was riding- except one lone family: Mom and Dad and a little girl. I made sure to blast them with a water cannon, and they sprayed me right back. Big smiles all around. On around to Blazing Fury, which had a 10 minute or so wait. Behind us in line were two little girls, so excited about the ride that they were talking excitedly to strangers (us) about it. "We've been on it six times in a row! After five, we said only one more but we have to do it again and THEN we won't ride it again and I love Blazing Fury and Mom bought me a necklace and do you like the Thunderhead and I like it when Molly says she's going to jump and Luther says he has a bad back!"

We caught a few minutes of the Zambian Vocal Group show, discovered that the Dollywood Express wasn't running today, and caught a show of Heartsong, one of my favorite things in the park- a multimedia paean to Dolly's love of the Smokies. It's really well done and emotionally manipulative, and gets me a little choked up every damn time. Marjorie loved it, of course. Then the 65-year-old grandma and I hopped on the Dizzy Disk, had dinner at Aunt Grannie's (and the sky opened up and it poured for the rest of the day), then saw the Russian National Theatre show (which is much better this year than last year). At one point four of the women came into the audience, picked out male partners, and had them dance onstage. One poor guy, a big guy in his early twenties, really experienced some Plumber's Crack Showing every time he bent over. The audience giggled, and I thought, "Oh, Lord, his family will be talking about that at Thanksgiving and Christmas for years." "Remember that time at Dollywood when you showed your ass to the whole audience?!?!?!"

After that, we hit the Chasing Rainbows museum, and saw the Coat of Many Colors, which Marjorie hadn't realized was REAL, and she announced she could spend all day in there studying the construction of Dolly's costumes. And then we headed home. It was a really nice time with someone who is pretty darn cool, and she really loved the park. She decided that a trip to a theme park is a NECESSITY when you're in the middle of a really stressful time- like during the crunch at the end of a semester at grad school.

So that was my fun, wonderful, quite low-key day. It might have been better had the weather been a little more cooperative, but it didn't stop us from having fun, and probably helped, since we had no push to make the water rides, which meant a more leisurely stroll around the park and not having to find time to fit them in.

One other thing stands out. We went into a woodcarving shop I'd never been into before, and they have the most wonderful custom-carved mantles for over fireplaces. They're carved and painted with thin paint or stain, just lovely. They start at $800, and if I were in a house I was planning on settling in, I'd absolutely find a way to get one. Most were plain rectangles, with scenes carved in bas-relief. One was a mountain scene with a peaceful little cabin. The carver told us that if you ordered one, you could give him a photo of your house, and he'd replace the cabin with YOUR HOUSE! Isn't that great? And there was one that was not bas-relief, but full 3-D, from the top and the front, of a stream, complete with trout, and pebbles, and a life-sized raccoon on top of the mantle reaching into the stream. It was spectacular. The same shop had a coffee table, and the top was about 4 inches deep- a 3-D stream bed, as though looking down into the stream, with fish, a turtle, and even a discarded fishing reel, all covered by a plate of glass. While it wasn't they style of a place I would probably furnish, it was absolutely lovely. And at $799 (more than I would ever pay for a coffee table), it was much less expensive than I had expected. I'm sure they could sell it for $1200 and still find buyers.

So that was today at Dollywood with a friend. Next weekend, if I have my schoolwork done, I may actually head back, since Dolly herself will be touring the park. Another friend wants to go. While three weekends in a ROW at Dollywood is probably overkill, I do love to get my money's worth for that season pass, and I sure would love to have Dolly wave at me as she passes in the parade. Kinda like the Pope, you know, but very, very different. :)

Ribs, bitch!

I love to barbecue. I love pork.

And I've figured out good ways to do it in my gas grill, using LOTS of soaked hickory chips. I'll usually smoke a pork shoulder for about 12 hours. And it's better than any restaurant- well, better than any restaurant around here, anyway. I'll never best Tops or the now-defunct Three Little Pigs in Memphis. Today, I thought I'd try my hand at ribs. So I put them in about 4:30. I didn't think they'd take too long because they're so, well, THIN. Five hours later, they're still not done. I think another half an hour, maybe a full hour, and then I'll be eating WELL. I also made some homemade barbecue sauce, and it's turned out ALMOST just the way I like it. Good time.

Tomorrow, I'm taking my friend Marjorie to Dollywood. She's a fellow grad student, retired and very cool. It's my chance to FINALLY see the shows, because Eric has no interest in the shows and he's not coming. So tomorrow I get to hang out with a cool friend in one of my favorite places, have another gigantic, delicious Dollywood hot dog, and see some sides of the park I don't often get to see.

Speaking of Memphis, I never thought I'd say this, but GO TIGERS!

Bible Stories

So I'm taking a Group Storytelling Class this semester. I took it last year, too. Last year, we made a little "story theatre" piece out of a bunch of Jack Tales and "youngest daughter tales." This time, we're working on stories from Genesis. We're trying to focus on them as stories, but dogma seems to be getting in the way for a lot of people. When I told my version of Joseph and the coat and the pit, and named his brothers Bobby, Peter, Greg, Cindy, Jan, Marsha, Keith, Laurie, Danny, and Rueben, there were a few looks of consternation. Anyway, my prof wanted me to co-direct this year. And I was up for it. I was expecting to really CO-direct the show. And I had expected my part would be to focus mainly on the visuals, staging, and imagery, since that's what I'm best at (and most interested in).

It hasn't turned out that way. We perform this thing in three weeks. And I'm just now figuring out that when he said "co-direct," my prof apparently meant he'd work in an advisory status. He's a forceful guy. I'd expected to be the advisor, the right hand, the second. Seems he was thinking that was his position.

So I've spent the past few days trying to bang out a script, using what the rest of the class have written. Combining them into something. But there are a number of stories we're working with that the class didn't write down- they extemporized. So I did what I could. And now I'm exhausted. I ended up not just compiling, but actually writing about a third of it, which is really not what the class is about. And the script that I turned in has a few holes in it. Things that no one wrote. I don't think any more of it should be my words. That's not what this class is about. I've had a few ideas beyond the stories I was originally assigned- my favorite of these is Noah's sons as the Three Stooges- but I can't conceptualize new versions of half of Genesis in a week. And though the class lends itself well to my own Pop sensibilities, well, I'm not the whole class.

Anyway, tomorrow morning- in 6 and three-quarter hours, actually- we'll be reading through what I put together from what people provided to me, and what I added. I don't think it illustrates the themes we're work with: scattering and reconciliation. But I think once I hear it read I'll be able to take that and re-write to draw out the themes. And then there will be a scant few hours of class time and a few extra rehearsals to actually stage it. So that's all I'm going to be able to think about for the next few weeks. Of course, I have another, very intensive class on educational research methods that is absolutely KICKING MY ASS. Luckily, most of that work is done now... I hope. We'll see how that professor responds to my rough draft. If it's positive, then I can devote my time to the Bible Show. If not, well, I'm fucked.

In other news, my mortgage goes adjustable in the middle of June. Time to find out how to refinance with mediocre credit and no cash on hand. And Friday (if she's free) or Saturday, I'm taking another Mental Health Day and taking my friend Marjorie to Dollywood, dammit! Eric's not coming- so we'll get to see the shows. I've been trying to see the shows for two years, but Eric won't see them. So we're going without him. HAHAHAH!

They've done it again

You know, I'm not a big gamer. I love old school video games, you know, where the story is short and you can't save and all that. Today, they call those "platformers." Today's platformers have more in-depth stories and such, but it's a very, very rare game that captures my attention enough to play it all the way to the end (I really miss the days when games didn't have ends).

Anyway, I love the Playstation 3, for its beautiful graphics and mostly for its Blu-Ray player. But so far, not a single game on the PS3 has kept me interested for more than an hour or two. The Nintendo Wii, on the other hand, is pretty great.

I mentioned a few months ago that Super Mario Galaxy ranks up there with the best games ever created. Prior to it, the only modern games I'd played all the way through were Final Fantasy VIII and Kingdom Hearts, and really, I'd lost interest in both of them by the time I was done. I just finished them because I'd already put so much time in.

Well, Nintendo recently released Super Smash Brothers Brawl. It was their present to me, because it came out on my birthday. I didn't get it for my birthday. But I got it as an Easter Bunny present for myself and for Eric. And it's FANTASTIC.

For those of you who don't know, the Smash Brothers games take characters from the most popular Nintendo games, like Mario, Pikachu, Kirby, and Zelda, and put them into a fighting game. It's a Nintendo-fied fighter, though, because there are all sorts of bizarre "weapons" that you can use. New for this edition is the "Superspicy Curry," which will make your character breathe fire for a few seconds. There are 35 characters in all, and a number of them have to be unlocked. Plus, for the first time in a Smash Brothers game, there are some characters that aren't owned by Nintendo, like Sonic the Hedgehog (I haven't unlocked him yet).

In addition to the fighting game, there's a platformer with a story featuring all the characters that will take probably 10 hours to play. I'm about 8 and a half hours in, and it's loads of fun. I haven't tried it yet, but it also has online play, so you can battle against people all over the world.

Like I said, it's loads of fun, and you don't have to know the original games the characters are from to enjoy it... I certainly don't know all of them, and there's even one playable character who is from a game that wasn't ever even released in the U.S.

So the Wii is just wonderful, even though it isn't in high def (it will support 480p as its highest resolution) and even though it has virtual surround sound (Dolby Pro-Logic versus true 5.1), it has absolutely the best games. After the dominance of Sony's Playstation 2 for years, I'm really glad to see Nintendo on top again. The Wii outsells the PS3 four to one in Japan, and apparently they're still hard to come by here in the States.

If you've got one, go get Super Smash Brothers Brawl. You won't be disappointed.

The Future

Today, I'm thinking about The Future. I'm starting to think that, as much as I would really love to teach theatre at the university level, I'm not so sure I want to go to school anymore. I'm already really in debt from student loans, I'm 36 years old, and, honestly, I'm kind of tired of school and work as my entire life. So I'm thinking about what kinds of jobs I could do with a BFA in Theatre and an M.Ed in Storytelling. Really, there are lots of things I could do that would be useful to lots of companies, but the problem is the companies don't realize that this position would benefit them. I could create training programs. I could motivate. I could work in creative advertising. I could do all sorts of things.

If I'm not working directly in the theatre (oof- no stability) or in education (oof- no opportunity), my dream job would be to work in the theme park industry. With my love (and deep understanding) of what makes rides and park shows work, along with my grasp of pop culture, imagery, and most especially, my knowledge of Story- and I mean DEEP Story, I could head teams that would turn the ride and attractions business on its EAR. in fact, I just had an idea for a show/ride attraction for Dollywood what would really, REALLY be popular. I'm not going to say what it is. :) But how do I get into that line of work? Most of the parks don't actually create their own rides. The attractions are contracted to various companies, who are remarkably nameless. I've found one company, Thinkwell Attractions, that I've been planning to put together a proposal to. They're based in LA (which would be great weather for Eric).

The only other company I've found that deals directly with this is Disney Imagineering. Another dream job, and one I would really be quite perfect for. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find any inroad there except internships- and that's something I really can't afford to do.

The point is that I would be extremely valuable- if only someone else had done it first! I've always wanted to Make My Own Path- but damn, figuring out how to do it is a bitch.

Spring Planting

Yesterday, it snowed for about 3 or 4 hours. Didn't amount to much because it had been so warm earlier in the day, but there was enough of it to dust everything. Judging from what was on the table on the deck, must've been about a quarter inch. It was still there this morning. But today, Spring is here. It's so beautiful out that I did a little planting. I bought some iris and tulip bulbs in the fall and never got around to planting them. 50 tulips and 40 irises. I figure they won't grow, but I might as well try. Turns out the packages say now is the time to plant them, but I'm not sure. They've been under the deck for the past six months, and all the tulips have sprouted; so have about half the irises. So I planted them all, and let their little green tips just barely stick out where they could get some sun. Just BARELY. If you know better, let me know. I also planted 50 caladium, the edges of the raised beds and in front of the boxwoods along the front of the house. I'm sure they'll grow. I love planting. Actually, I hate planting, but I love plants. And I do not have a green thumb. Plants die when I simply get near them. But since we moved here, I've gotten better. My pansies bloomed through the whole winter outside and are still thriving, even though I killed my palm plant. It didn't like being inside over the winter. Anyway, the buttercups are coming up all over town. I just wish there would be some buds on the trees. After last year's late (very late) snow and freeze, followed by a really bad drought, I worry about them. I'm afraid my dogwood may not come back at all, and the rose of sharon looks pretty piddlin'.

So that's the news from here. My jaw still hasn't unlocked ( haven't been able to eat a hot dog without a fork since January), so I'm going to have to go to the dentist for it. I can afford to go to the dentist- but I can't afford the TMJ treatment. I've tried some stuff myself- massage, magnesium, glucosamine and chondroitin- but I still can't open my damn mouth. Which sucks since Spring makes me want to sing!!!

Be good.

My Tennessee Mountain Home

I wasn't going to buy Dollywood season passes this year. I really can't afford it. But about a month ago, when I got the email telling me to Act Now And Save Money Before Prices Go Up, I just couldn't resist. I really love Dollywood and since it's less than 2 hours away, I love being able to go down on a Friday or Saturday on the rare day I have time and/or just need a break. So I did it. A Gold Super Pass for me, which gives me free parking and a discount on food and at the shops, and a Super Pass for Eric. Usually he buys his own. But he couldn't afford it this year either. And if he doesn't have a pass, there's no reason for me to have one. So I got them for both of us.

When I was young, I was always jealous of people who had season passes to Opryland. Season passes are expensive, you know! But these days, park admission is expensive, too. A single ticket to Dollywood is almost half the price of a Super Pass, and the Super Pass will get you into Dollywood and into the water park, Splash Country. In fact, if you're going to go to Dollywood twice- and they're open through December 30- you're only $18 shy of the Super Pass. And the water park is almost as expensive. So it's really a good deal. Plus it got me a great discount when I took my friend to Biltmore. I think I saved about $20 on those tickets because of it.

So, guess what? It's opening weekend at Dollywood! But I had lots of homework to do. Guess what? Screw that! I went to Dollywood, and had a great time. And I needed it. We rode all the big rides, Thunder Road is back in the simulator theatre, and the new River Battle is GREAT. Little kids (and big kids) will go CRAZY for it. It's a gentle boat ride, except you don't face forward. You face off the side, 4 people on each side sitting back to back. And you have a water cannon that you fire by turning a crank. There are lots of targets to hit that make things happen to get you (or someone else) all wet. And the "course" is laid out so that three or four times you come face to face with the people on another boat- and you work your darnedest to soak them with your water cannon. And there are even more water cannon set up for people not on the ride, but watching. It's very gently, wet (but not too wet), I've never been on anything like it, and, like I said, kids will LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Associated with River Battle is another big change at the park I've been looking forward to for years. Originally, the park was laid out sort of like a Y, or like a tuning fork, with an entrance area, and then two long "fingers" leading to Craftman's Valley and up to the Country Fair area. A few years ago, they added a third finger. It's not quite trident-shaped, but that image works well enough. If Craftsman's Valley is the "middle finger"-haha- then then the newer finger is on the far left. It leads you to the Thunderhead, Timber Tower, Mystery Mine, and River Battle, in that order. And now, it continues past the River Battle and connects with the end of Craftsman's Valley, just past the Tennessee Tornado. It makes the park much more maneuverable and really cuts down on traffic on some of the older paths that weren't wide enough to handle all the traffic.

So we had a great time, pretty low-key, and ate some food I've been craving: Miss Lillian's fried chicken and the giant 1/3-pound hot dogs (we split one). I needed to do the homework, but I also needed to have some fun before I could DO the homework. So I took a Mental Health Day and rode roller coasters. Eric was very pleased with the looks he got now that he's skinny and hot, and wants the water park to open. Not that he's into the water park, but now he'll look good in trunks.

I took a lot of video with our little HD camera- and I found out (when we got home) exactly why I've had problems getting it to focus. There's a switch on it that moves you from close up to more distant focus... I didn't know about the switch, so it's always been in close up mode. I'd planned on putting together a little trip report video to upload, but 90% of it's out of damn focus. Guess that means I have to go back. As soon as possible.

Oh, and I was happy to see that Ghost Town in the Sky didn't fold after last summer. There's a big billboard for it on I-40. Their coaster should be running this year, and I can't wait to try it out.

Be good!

Oh, and...

I told my office time and time again that the problem with our website was a firewall at the server. Of course, the people who own the server swore that wasn't it. They finally got it fixed. Guess what? I was RIGHT.

Little Friends

So when we got this house, there was a washer and dryer under the back deck. The "office" was apparently an addition, and it juts out of the house next to the deck. There was an electric range under there. The washer and dryer were gotten rid of after a few months, but I kept the range. I kept saying I was going to bring it inside to see if it works. It's actually a nicer range than the one in the house- it has a ceramic glass top- and when you spill on the stove as often as I do, that's wonderful. It's a Frigidaire. The one in the house is a Hotpoint. The Frigidaire is all pristine white. The Hotpoint is white and has a black door and the coils are all crooked and it's kind of ugly. And the thermostat in the oven is off by like, 25%.

So today I finally brought that range inside. Guess what? It works just fine! The oven thermostat is a little off, but it's closer than the current oven. I was really happy. I spent about 5 hours cleaning it (God knows how long it had been out there- we've been here a year and a half), and it looks really good! But... one of the things I cleaned out was a rat's nest on each side of the drawer. It was no problem to clean out. Of course, it's all sanitized and stuff. And of course, when it gets hot in the oven, you smell- you guessed it- mouse pee.

Now, I had a mousy-smelling oven once before, in Murfreesboro. I managed to get rid of the mouse, and after a few days, the smell went away. I don't think this smell is going to go away. I've got to open up the back of the range and clean it out. That's not too big a deal. If the insulation is soaked, I can actually replace that. I found a place online that sells it (I'm a little worried that the website doesn't show prices).

So then I started thinking... what if there are mice in there right now? The last thing I need is to bring mice into my kitchen! I'm sure the cats would be pleased. But I wouldn't. So I lugged the thing out onto the deck and it's staying there overnight. Anyway, wish me luck with my new (free) range. I feel like I was on The Price is Right! "What's Curtis won, Rod Roddy?" "A NEW RANGE!!!"

Plus, I have a friend I think might need a new range herself. She told me that she cooks on the woodstove at home. Now, if she cooks on the woodstove because she wants to, that's one thing. But if she's cooking on the woodstove because she needs a new range and can't afford it- well, hopefully I'll have one to give her soon. If she doesn't want it, I'm sure it'll just end up on the curb for a passerby. I can't imagine selling it quickly through the classifieds.

That's all. Be good!

On being a Good Student

Being a Good Student entails more than just getting everything done excellently. It involves more that doing Everything That Is Assigned to the best of your ability. It also involves being able to say, "Fuck that! It's unrealistic and I'm already doing better than everyone else in the class!"

Nerd Post

OK, this is going to be a Nerd Post, so I beg indulge. And if any of the people who read this blog - either of you - have any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

As you may know, I work from home. My job involves downloading large pdf files from a server. Over the weekend, my company moved its service from a company in St Louis to a company in Minnesota. My company's website and the pdf files are located on two different servers. I can access the website just fine, but the pdf files now take FOREVER. I mean, like half an hour for what used to take a few seconds. My IT dept is busy putting out all kinds of other fires that the move has created, so they're too busy to help me.

I talked to Charter, my ISP. They weren't any help. Twice they put me on hold and hung up on me. Once, I tried their online chat. They couldn't help either, saying they tried to ping the server I need and got no response. They couldn't trace it, either. I can't trace it, myself.

I went to campus and tried to access the server using the school's network, and it was just as slow. Eric's computer is just as slow, even when running Windows through a virtual machine. I'm tempted to install Windows using Boot Camp, but I'm sure I'll have the same problem.

Here's what I think. I think the new server has some sort of firewall to block Charter IP addresses. I've had no problem at all with any other sites/servers on the web.

What do you think?

Good music

I'm currently loving Lily Allen's "Alright, Still."  Check it out, if you haven't already.

Now in cinemas

I was just thinking about the movie industry, and then I realized the Oscars are this weekend.  Chalking it up to serendipity, I thought I'd write was I was thinking about.

I've been wanting to see Cloverfield. I was very very careful to avoid spoilers.  I know nothing about it, really, even though I did happen across a photo online of a prototype collectible action figure of the monster.  Dammit.  I hit "back" on my browser real quick.  I'm hoping it wasn't real.  


Anyway, since I don't work on Fridays, and Eric does, and since he never wants to go to the movies, I thought I'd go see it today.  Either that or U2 3D.  I had my mind made up for me when I discovered that Cloverfield isn't playing in Johnson City any longer.

How long has that movie been out? Like, a month?  What is it with the Opening Weekend Phenomenon?  Has DVD really made such a difference that movies only run for a few days before being pulled from the cinemas?

I think back to the '80's, and even the early '90's, the heyday of the VCR.  Movies still played for more than a week then.  I used to see movies I liked more than one time.  I think I saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off seven or eight times at the cinema.  As late as the '90's, I went to see Pocahontas at least three times.  You can't do that now- unless you see it twice on opening day and once the very next day.

Anyway, it's not about seeing things multiple times that I'm writing.  It's that I wish the distributors would allow things to play a bit longer, so that wishy-washy people like me, who don't decide to go see something till they've heard about it from others who have seen it, will actually have the chance to see the movie!

Oh, and I didn't see U2 3D.  I was productive and painted the kitchen cabinets instead.

I love these kids.

Gosh, I love my meds. Day 13 now, and I'm back to myself as of yesterday. Drinking much less- OK I don't have to get up early tomorrow. Shut up! Going to school this morning wasn't difficult. Staying up to read homework last night wasn't difficult. This morning, in fact, I was up a half-hour before I needed to be.

Eric has a new permanent job that pays decently, so he thinks we might ought to stay here a little longer than planned. We'll see. I think we need to get me that MFA and get me teaching. Professors don't make a lot, but they make a lot more than I do now, and a lot more than he does now. I think it's best for the future to do that. He's afraid he won't be able to find a decent job when we leave, but honestly, neither of us have ever had to search for more than a few months to find a decent job, and he'll have a degree by then. He says he was lucky. I say he's marketable and a good worker.

In other, more boring news, I got rid of the satellite TV service in a money-saving effort. Got rid of the DSL, too, and the phone. Moved it all to cable. Was going to save, like, $50 a month. But I wasn't happy with the cable TV. And I realized that probably 50% of what I watch is on broadcast since we got the HDTV. And the few cable-network channels I watched aren't worth the huge amount I was paying for them. So now we have cable internet, no pay-TV, and no home phone, and I'm saving, like $100 a month. And though I miss Doctor Who and Trading Spaces, that's about it. Yay economizing! I have huge antenna on the roof- that's enough.

That's all. Be good.

Status Update

6 days into the meds. I think I may be over the hump- there's an initial period where sometimes you feel worse for a few days before you feel better. I felt worse yesterday than I have in a long time... and I feel better today than I have in a long time. SO there ya go.

Patterns

I doubt that the lone person who reads this blog, or maybe the two of you, knows that I have a long history of clinical depression. It's usually not a big deal. It seems to be cyclical. Or rather, once I managed to take action years ago, it's become cyclical. Every few years, I'll notice patterns re-emerging, and I'll know it's time to see the doctor. I'll have a flare-up (like some people do with bad hips or knees) every two or three years, go on meds for nine months or a year, and then I can be off them again for a couple more years. So I have an appointment with the doctor in two weeks. This time's a little different, though. Normally, just making the appointment is enough to make me feel a little better. One of my symptoms is avoidance, so knowing that's I'm at least doing something is a boost. I made my appointment on Thursday, but I didn't feel better. In fact, and completely contrary to past instance, the decision to get help seems to have almost given permission for the beast to get more aggressive. Saturday was awful. I wasn't sad, I just... wasn't, in a metaphysical sense. Eric and I had planned to go see Cloverfield, and I just didn't feel like it. We did a little shopping, mainly so I could avoid doing homework, but I didn't find anything I liked enough to buy, not even a nifty pen- normally the collectible Muppet Xmas ornaments for $2.50 each would have been brought home with absolute glee. When we got home, Eric asked if I were all right. I said no. I wasn't sad. I wasn't anxious, I was just, well, depressed. More so than I've been in a loooong time.

Luckily I can recognize it for what it is. Sadness has a reason behind it; depression doesn't. And if anyone happens upon this blog finds themselves thinking they might need some help, well, I'm the poster child for It Can Get Better. I know in a few weeks I'll be me again. And if you've been going through it for so long that you don't remember what it's like to Be You, I've been there, too. I was so depressed through the last couple years of high school and my first, oh, ten years of college that I barely remember them happening. And I know that if I can make myself put up with the day-to-day for a few weeks till the meds kick in, I'll be back where I want to be. Till then, doing homework is almost painful, and going to class isn't much easier. It's cliche, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Snowy Mountains Retouched

Snowy Mountains Retouched
Originally uploaded by Curtis and Eric

I tried to make it look like an old postcard, and got rid of the power lines

Snowy Mountain

Snowy Mountain
Originally uploaded by Curtis and Eric

The view from our back deck, 1/23/08

Classes and such

School has begun, and I'm happy about it. I've resolved to walk to and from class this semester. That's Monday afternoons, Tuesday mornings, then again on Tuesday afternoons. Takes about 20 minutes each way. One of the reasons we picked this house was its proximity to campus. When we moved it, we immediately bought bikes, which have sat in the basement ever since. I don't trust Johnson City drivers not to hit me. Plus there's a big hill that's difficult to peddle up if you're as out of shape as I am. Walking is great, though, and my metabolism is picking up pretty quickly because of it. Because I work from my La-Z-Boy, I've been amazingly sedentary for the past year or so.

Speaking of classes, I ought to be doing homework right now. I think I'm gonna have to rearrange my work schedule so I don't work 10 hours on Wednesdays. I can do that on Mondays, but I need more time on Wednesday for the homework assigned on Tuesday that's due on Thursday. I was assigned yesterday to learn and tell a story tomorrow- a story I really don't know and have no idea how to perform. In other academic news, I'm thinking I might reconsider getting an MFA in Directing when I finish this current degree. Now I'm thinking a PhD in Performance Studies might serve me better. What do you think? I'd like to do something on effective visual actor-created imagery in narrative performance as my dissertation. Besides the Performance Studies option, the University of Colorado offers a PhD in research for directors, and that really might be right up my alley. Plus it's in Boulder, and you know I love me some Boulder. But Eric would hate the winters, even as I joyfully made snowmen.

There was some lovely snow on the mountain behind my house today, but I didn't really notice it till it was too dark to take a picture. There may be more snow tomorrow- I'll post a pic if there is.

I went to the Counseling Center on campus yesterday. Since ETSU has a medical school, they have honest-to-gosh psychiatrists who can prescribe my meds for me. I'll still have to see a psychologist in addition to the MD, but the counselor agreed that I really don't need it and once a month is fine just to fulfill the requirement. I should have my meds in 2 weeks, thank goodness. Eric says I'm having mood swings that I don't recognize. All I know is that it's way difficult to get up in the morning, I'm not eating enough, and A Beer After Work has turned into Three Beers After Work. And I know that when that happens, it's a pattern I need to do something about. I know meds are too frequently prescribed for people who don't actually have brain chemistry disorders. But for those of us whose chemistry is out of whack, meds can do wonders. I'm also hoping that when meds manage to bring my stress level down, maybe it'll do something to help my TMJ, which has gone CRAZY. I keep all my tension in my neck, and right now I can barely open my mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich. A Big Mac would be out of the question. And that's not good for a singer. I started taking glucosamine and chondroitin for the TMJ, and it has helped a lot, believe it or not.

Anyway, it's a lovely (if very cold) night here on the front porch. Hope all is well with both of you who see this.

Sing Along, Everyone!

It's one of those crisp, cold, clear beautiful mornings when I wish life were a musical.  If I knew the music and lyrics to The Lovely Morning song, I'd sing it right here on the front porch.  Of course, there's that song from Oklahoma! but it isn't quite right for today.  There's Joni Mitchell's Chelsea Morning, but that's not right, either.  Oh, well, I guess I'll make up my own.

Waiting

God, God, GOD, why do they make me wait so?

So Eric bought an Apple TV the week they came out. So far we've been pretty unimpressed with it. He even tried to sell it on eBay last week- and there were NO BIDS! Here's a list of all we didn't like about it:

• It doesn't support a whole lot of popular video formats. This really, REALLY limits it in terms of high-def video- which is what we really bought it for. We wanted to stream hi-def content to the TV. You CAN re-format files, but to get HD content on the Apple TV, you had to use a certain bit rate, one that was pretty low, apparently, so the video quality suffered.
• Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound was not supported. So even if you streamed a standard definition video to it, one that had surround sound, it only played in two-channel stereo. Again, you could reformat. The Apple TV will play DTS 5.1 sound. But almost NOTHING has DTS encoding. I sent it a file with DTS and it played fine... but after watching it, it wouldn't go back to its regular sound codecs and had to be restarted.
• Even if you bought a movie from iTunes, the video quality was slightly less than that of a DVD. So why bother?

So at Macworld, Steve Jobs made me really happy by announcing that iTunes would start offering HD movies, WITH Dolby 5.1 sound, available for purchase AND for rental! And that I won't have to use the computer to do it- I can do it straight from the Apple TV. Whoo hoo! A software update will enable all the wonderfulness.

So where's the damn update? Yesterday, iTunes said movie rentals were available, but I didn't see any movies that could be rented. Today, there are movies to rent- but none are hi-def. It's not a bad deal. $3.99 to rent a standard def movie. You have, I think, a month to start watching it. Once you start, you have it for 24 hours. I'm not one for watching movies on the computer, though. When hi-def is available, it'll be $1 more. And if you have a flat panel monitor or a laptop, your comp will support hi-def. If you have a hi-def TV, and DVI output on your computer, you can get a cable to connect the two, even if you don't have an Apple TV and feel like putting the computer next to the television.

So where's the damn update for the Apple TV? It's coming "sometime" in the next two weeks. TWO WEEKS??? No!!! I'm whining like a baby about this. I know I am. It's pure greed and childishness, but I WANT IT NOW!!! DAMN!!!! Want want want!

Speaking of TV's, as you know, broadcast is moving fully to digital soon, a year from February. So, the Government will help you buy a converter box that allows your analog TV to receive digital signals. You can get $40 off the cost of the converter box by applying online for a coupon. However, the coupon supply is limited. So, avoid the rush. Get your coupons ordered early. Your coupon will be mailed later when the converter boxes are in the stores. Sign up now. It’s first come first serve. Now, if you have a cable box or a satellite box, you won't need a convertor. You'll need one if you use an antenna and don't have a TV with an NTSC tuner in it (if you've bought a TV in the last year or so, you may already have an NTSC tuner). BUT, even if you don't need a converter, sign up anyway. I'm gonna sign up and sell 'em on eBay.

Been waiting all day for the weather. We could get 2-4 inches of snow tonight. Or freezing rain. Or rain. Depends on the temperature. I WANT SNOW (along with my Apple TV software update). Right now, at 12:42 am, it seems to be giving me some sort of "wintry mix." I see some snow, and I hear some ice. Go away, ice! I want snow!!! I think I may also hear some regular rain, but that could be the neighbors' "water feature." Now I definitely hear regular rain. Dammit. Not good for sledding- we've got a great hill just down the street.

I tried to make an appointment with a doctor yesterday to get back on my meds. Yay, meds! But the receptionist was confused by my insurance. The member number didn't start with what she wanted it to because I don't work for a local company. She said she'd call back. She didn't. Now THAT'S a great way to treat psychiatric patients. Makes me think of the lovely University of Memphis. They have a counseling center (which turned out to be pretty useless) staffed my students getting their Masters degrees in Psychology. First off, both of the counselors I saw told me that to help my depression, I should do something nice for myself, like go to dinner or see a movie. I said, "The PROBLEM is that I HAVE to do nice things for myself to keep myself from drinking bleach! I see 4 movies a damn week when I ought to be in CLASS!" The other problem was their receptionist. You know how low-paid retail workers sometimes act like they really, REALLY don't want to help you? That was the receptionist at the U of M counseling center. Your mental breakdown and attempted suicide was interrupting her game of Minesweeper. Oof!

That's the news from here. Since Monday's a holiday, I thought it might be nice to go out of town Sunday night. Have a break. I thought we might go to Cherokee since we haven't been to a casino in a long time, and stay at this really cool, haunted hotel. Check out www.balsaminn.com. Eric was up for it. Then, when he got home from work, he decided he didn't want to go anywhere, we didn't need to go anywhere, and we're not going anywhere. Dammit!

So that's all. Be good, kids.