Oh, the food

Since I'm out of school, and don't have the money to go ride coasters every day, food has become a major time-consumption strategy for me. To combat this, I'm actually, like, exercising, in, like, a gym. But that's another post. Today I finally made a successful crusty bread, so I'm pleased with myself. More about what I've been cooking later. Right now I want to talk about a wonderful restaurant experience.

I hadn't planned on blogging about this, but it's been on my mind all month. We went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure at the beginning of June, and stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort, which was great. The breakfast buffet, if a little pricey, rocked, and I ate enough smoked salmon to satisfy me for a while. Inside the Islands of Adventure theme park is an award-winning restaurant, believe it or not. The place is called Mythos. I wasn't sure whether or not it would be worth it to take an hour or so out of the day at the park for a sit-down meal, but the reviews I'd read made up my mind.
The meal began with the best bread I've ever had served to me at a restaurant. Light brown, with seeds galore, an incredible crunch. I thought I was going to eat the whole loaf. For the entree, I had the Mythos Bistro Filet: three medallions of beef topped with truffle butter and spicy, battered, deep fried onion strands. Eric had (get this) the Blueberry and Pistachio Crusted Grilled Pork Chop with a port wine sauce. It came with the best "smokey" mac and cheese ever. Because Eric is low-carb, I asked for options. The server said they'd give us some sort of grilled vegetables, and we both were served perfectly prepared grilled asparagus- which was not on the menu.

I can't tell you how good this food was. I mean, I probably give the food an 8.5 out of 10. The reason I'm raving quite so much is that the place is on a price point comparable with Applebee's or Chili's or any of the big mediocre chains. We both ate this great meal for under $30, if I remember correctly. Of course, being a theme park, you could get a burger and fries and Mythos, too. I'm sure they're really good- but why on earth would you order that when you could have what we did? Other choices include a Chicken a la Oscar with lump crab and Pan Roasted Covina Provencale.

Anyway, if you're in Orlando, check out Mythos. You don't have to actually buy a ticket to the park to eat there. You can get a dining pass for a couple of hours. Make a reservation, then go to Guest Services and tell them. They'll run a credit card for the price of a ticket, then let you into the park. Go have your meal, come back (be sure you're out within half an hour of paying for the meal), and Guest Services will tear up the admission charge. It's a fantastic meal.

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. :)