Field Notes

I've really lost momentum on NaNo, mostly due to the fact that Matt and I opened a whole can of worms with the whole "moving up North" thing.

On the one hand, it's a very natural conversation for the two of us. On the other, it's something I never really considered possible. Now that we've talked about a 5- or 10-year plan, I'm more excited than ever to get on with the next part of my life.

Yesterday I the train I rewrote my entire Stayement of Purpose - and you know what, it's better. I'm eager to get in to school, to get started on research that will place me up there. Work is hard, in the meantime.

I'm trying not to get worker up about it. Yesterday was Marian's first day back, and I was expecting her to be a really anxious micromanager, but she wasn't as bad as I expected.

There's a part of me that feels bad, because I'm not that interested. I'm not the right girl for the job, my heart isn't in it, and I just don't want to damage the organization with my presence.

This is crazy. Why do I feel such loyalty? I was put through so much this year. There are some really backwards practices at work. ... But the organization is necessary.

Right? It must be.

I'll figure it out. I'm having dinner with a very good friend on Friday, and she's got s good head for this stuff.

In the meantime, it's a very good thing I'm so excited for school.

Now ... Need to get some writing done tonight. Not giving up on NaNo yet!

Can I count this toward my word count? Jk. But no really.

Ugh, moving. I was getting really anxious about the whole process last night, and so I talked to Matt about it and I think we've got a good plan. What's really making me anxious is that the week before I'm moving, I work 10-4 on Sunday, I have two 11-12 hour days (including the Thursday before the move), Matt's sister's surprise bridal shower is on the Wednesday of that week, so pretty much my only day to get everything packed is Tuesday of next week. Ahhhh!

Matt was able to talk me down a little bit. Thank goodness. But this is gonna be crazy.

So, I started making a list last night of all the things I need to do to move. Here we go:

1. Show apartment - it's gonna be crazy, but just remember: they'll take $100 off the re-rental fee if I find the person to move in.
2. Today: Send Matt home with box of kitchen appliances, maybe some books, dvds, tchotckies, and electronics boxes.
3. Friday: Pack up sewing and camping stuff and take to St. Paul.
4. Saturday: Show apartment, but also pack up books. Take wall shelves out (will need to borrow Matt's drill), spackle, paint.
5. Sunday: Varnish bed? Not necessary - but it would be a good idea to treat the wood, and moving is one of the best times to do that. Pack a bag of clothes for the week, pack the rest of my clothes and bring to Matt's. Unpack all the boxes at Matt's so I can reuse them.
6. Tuesday: Pack EVERYTHING ELSE. Live out of a suitcase for the week.
7. Friday: MOVE.
8. Saturday: Spend day unpacking and rearranging apt. Meet Matt in Hibbing for his sister's wedding. May need to leave early if he's going totally bazonkers with family.
9. Sunday: I have NO idea where I'll wake up. Like, we could be at home, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we have a family sleepover or something. (His family can be a bit cagey about plans - I usually don't know what's going on.) TRY to get to book club - this could be tough if there's a wedding brunch I didn't know about. But oh my word Wuthering Heights, I really want to discuss it. Then: possibly check in on the Whittier Walkers shift from 12-2. Then: Relaxxxxx.

Ok ... that plan seems ok. It all depends on if Matt can do it too. He's coming over tonight, and we'll go over what this all looks like.

On a different note: It looks like he has work for next week! Yay!

Some other things I'm thinking about lately:

1. I NEED to get back to working on my novel. I've been too busy lately, but I have been getting a serious writing bug.
2. On a similar note, I want to do that mythology challenge. I've actually been thinking of ways to build that into the current project.
3. I'm getting kind of serious about stargazing. It will actually be a lot easier in Lowertown - less light pollution, and closer to the highway out of town. I'm trying to find an app that will help me out with that, but since I have an iPhone I can't get the one I want - google stargazer. Grrrr. There's gotta be a good comparison app.
4. I really miss sewing, and working with fabric. When I get to the new space, there are several mending projects I need to finish, but there are some patterns I have that I should really start working on. It would be good to hone my skills a little more.

Oh goodness. Time for me to get to work. BUH ALL THE THINGS.