Update on life
It's been a while since I sat down and did a good recap of life. I've been so consumed by first the chapbook challenge and then the online poetry class I'm taking that I haven't really had time to even think about posting. It's been crazy busy but in a good way. Here's the recap, organized by areas of my life:
Ah, I'm almost put back together. I have everything of note back in my office, which had to have new carpet installed after the water heater died and dumped 40 gallons of water into my office. I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff and I'm looking to get rid of more and really organize the rest. The really good news is that when I went to find supplies to work on a sewing project, I could find them in less than 5 minutes. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in here in the near future, so this has to be a comfortable place to spend a lot of time. I've gotten a new natural light lamp and now, as I sit here, I'm thinking I need a new chair as well. Oh, and I'll have a new laptop in a matter of weeks, once I get my holiday bonus.
And the reason I'm going to be spending a lot of time in here? I'm going back to graduate school. Many of you know that I've tried 3 times to get my Master's, each time running out of money and the last time getting pregnant (and running out of money). I'm finally ready to see this through and I'm ready to get my Master's degree in what I truly love: poetry. So, I've been obsessively researching MFA programs, really trying to find the one that fits me as a person, as a student and as a poet. I think that place is Pine Manor University in MA. I am hedging my bets, though, and applying to a couple of other universities, likely Bennington in Vermont and the other to be determined. I was going to apply to Pacific University in Oregon, especially after having met a couple of alums and the director, but despite a few attempts to reach them via email, I haven't heard a word back. Plus, frankly, their application is the only one that requires I submit a critical essay (of a mere 750 words) in literary criticism and I'm avoiding that. I know I will have to write critical essays in school and I expect that. But it has been 23 years since I wrote one and I'm more than a little afraid of failing miserably. Plus, 750 words? That's an introduction, not an essay! ;-) And I'll tell you a secret: I managed to get my BA without taking a literary criticism class. Hey, I majored in CRAFT, not criticism, and it wasn't required. I took more religion classes instead. Shocking, I know. At any rate, I've been listening to lectures online and brushing up on my literary terms, reading and writing lots of poetry and preparing for my own reading on December 30th. Oh, and in there I managed to get published for the first time in a couple of decades.
Work is totally crazy. The boss finally admitted that he knew that I was working many more hours than I am being paid for (I am paid to work 30 hours a week, but I'm salaried and so whether I work 30 or 50, I get paid the same). It's nice he noticed. I've worked the last two weekends and that's gotten me caught up a bit, but not nearly enough. My co-worker/job share is also totally overwhelmed. However, relief is in sight...we were fired from one of our major factory contracts the other day and that will free her up to take on a major part of my job so I can focus on keeping Amazon happy. Really, 90% of my job consists of keeping Amazon happy and I try to fit the rest into the remaining 10%...which should actually take up about 40%. Thus the overwhelm. I only have to last until 12/31. Then I can relax a bit. Plus, once I start grad school I am leaving promptly at 2:30 every day, come whatever.
Home is getting better. The Geek is taking over a lot more household chores to relieve some stress from me and to start to prepare for when I return to school. He was in school for 8 years and for that time the household was almost totally my domain and my responsibility. It hasn't been a totally smooth transition, but it's getting better. #1 Son continues to struggle with setting priorities at school and at home. He gets a little better every year and he's certainly doing better than his father did at this age, but it's still a struggle for us all. He's a great kid, though, and I know that he'll get it one of these days. In the meantime, I can be extremely proud that he's an honest (almost to a fault), sensitive, caring young man who has no trouble focusing outside himself. He's also swimming again this year and will hopefully do as well as he did last year. We have a new coach and I haven't met her yet...he seems to like her, though. The Monkey is amazing. He gets smarter every day, funnier every day. He also gets bigger every day. Yikes. He wears a size 5 1/2 shoe...at 8. He's a whiz at math and loves to be read TO...however, reading for himself he doesn't like so much. I'm hoping he'll break through this year. Leili is doing well as an RN in MI, living with her boyfriend of 3 years. I suspect she's homesick and will eventually return to WA, but it all depends on what happens with her boyfriend. We'll see...
It's almost SMF season again. I'm working on my monologue for auditions and I'm hoping for a part this year as it will be the last year that I will be able to carry a big speaking part. When I start school there just won't be enough time. SMF makes my heart happy in ways that nothing else does, partly because of the people, partly because it speaks to my soul. I don't think I will ever walk away again...however, I will have to scale way back for a while. That's OK, it's time for Jim to have a chance to play again.
That's about it for me. I'm sure I'm missing whole chunks of my life, but I am just about typed out. I'm sure you're all read out, too.
Ah, I'm almost put back together. I have everything of note back in my office, which had to have new carpet installed after the water heater died and dumped 40 gallons of water into my office. I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff and I'm looking to get rid of more and really organize the rest. The really good news is that when I went to find supplies to work on a sewing project, I could find them in less than 5 minutes. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in here in the near future, so this has to be a comfortable place to spend a lot of time. I've gotten a new natural light lamp and now, as I sit here, I'm thinking I need a new chair as well. Oh, and I'll have a new laptop in a matter of weeks, once I get my holiday bonus.
And the reason I'm going to be spending a lot of time in here? I'm going back to graduate school. Many of you know that I've tried 3 times to get my Master's, each time running out of money and the last time getting pregnant (and running out of money). I'm finally ready to see this through and I'm ready to get my Master's degree in what I truly love: poetry. So, I've been obsessively researching MFA programs, really trying to find the one that fits me as a person, as a student and as a poet. I think that place is Pine Manor University in MA. I am hedging my bets, though, and applying to a couple of other universities, likely Bennington in Vermont and the other to be determined. I was going to apply to Pacific University in Oregon, especially after having met a couple of alums and the director, but despite a few attempts to reach them via email, I haven't heard a word back. Plus, frankly, their application is the only one that requires I submit a critical essay (of a mere 750 words) in literary criticism and I'm avoiding that. I know I will have to write critical essays in school and I expect that. But it has been 23 years since I wrote one and I'm more than a little afraid of failing miserably. Plus, 750 words? That's an introduction, not an essay! ;-) And I'll tell you a secret: I managed to get my BA without taking a literary criticism class. Hey, I majored in CRAFT, not criticism, and it wasn't required. I took more religion classes instead. Shocking, I know. At any rate, I've been listening to lectures online and brushing up on my literary terms, reading and writing lots of poetry and preparing for my own reading on December 30th. Oh, and in there I managed to get published for the first time in a couple of decades.
Work is totally crazy. The boss finally admitted that he knew that I was working many more hours than I am being paid for (I am paid to work 30 hours a week, but I'm salaried and so whether I work 30 or 50, I get paid the same). It's nice he noticed. I've worked the last two weekends and that's gotten me caught up a bit, but not nearly enough. My co-worker/job share is also totally overwhelmed. However, relief is in sight...we were fired from one of our major factory contracts the other day and that will free her up to take on a major part of my job so I can focus on keeping Amazon happy. Really, 90% of my job consists of keeping Amazon happy and I try to fit the rest into the remaining 10%...which should actually take up about 40%. Thus the overwhelm. I only have to last until 12/31. Then I can relax a bit. Plus, once I start grad school I am leaving promptly at 2:30 every day, come whatever.
Home is getting better. The Geek is taking over a lot more household chores to relieve some stress from me and to start to prepare for when I return to school. He was in school for 8 years and for that time the household was almost totally my domain and my responsibility. It hasn't been a totally smooth transition, but it's getting better. #1 Son continues to struggle with setting priorities at school and at home. He gets a little better every year and he's certainly doing better than his father did at this age, but it's still a struggle for us all. He's a great kid, though, and I know that he'll get it one of these days. In the meantime, I can be extremely proud that he's an honest (almost to a fault), sensitive, caring young man who has no trouble focusing outside himself. He's also swimming again this year and will hopefully do as well as he did last year. We have a new coach and I haven't met her yet...he seems to like her, though. The Monkey is amazing. He gets smarter every day, funnier every day. He also gets bigger every day. Yikes. He wears a size 5 1/2 shoe...at 8. He's a whiz at math and loves to be read TO...however, reading for himself he doesn't like so much. I'm hoping he'll break through this year. Leili is doing well as an RN in MI, living with her boyfriend of 3 years. I suspect she's homesick and will eventually return to WA, but it all depends on what happens with her boyfriend. We'll see...
It's almost SMF season again. I'm working on my monologue for auditions and I'm hoping for a part this year as it will be the last year that I will be able to carry a big speaking part. When I start school there just won't be enough time. SMF makes my heart happy in ways that nothing else does, partly because of the people, partly because it speaks to my soul. I don't think I will ever walk away again...however, I will have to scale way back for a while. That's OK, it's time for Jim to have a chance to play again.
That's about it for me. I'm sure I'm missing whole chunks of my life, but I am just about typed out. I'm sure you're all read out, too.