I'm on my way!

I've taken the first steps in my big move to Cambridge. I brought a whole car-load of stuff to my mom's house this weekend that's going to be in storage while I live in Cambridge. The majority of that car-load was made up of my books. It pains me to be without them, but I kept a choice few with me that I'm hoping to read in the relatively near future. Plus, there are these new-fangled things called "public libraries" that I suspect I'll be able to access whilst in Cambridge. So, I should be able to keep myself supplied with books. In fact, the main branch of the Cambridge Public Library is less than a 15 minute walk away from my new apartment.

Now that I'm finally making progress on the move (I've also contacted some movers and I'm working on a game plan for The Big Day), I'm feeling a lot less stressed and a lot more excited about living there. Before this, my nerves about moving had been outweighing the excitement, but now that's switched and I'm really looking forward to it. Not to mention that I'm looking forward to selling my car, which means a) no longer having all the expenses that go with a car and b) getting some extra funds from the sale. Good stuff! Because it's all about money, of course.

I'm going to Cambridge tomorrow night for a "practice run" at being roomies with my future apartment-mates. Of course, we don't really need a practice run, but I had to go there for the night anyway so we figured we'd play it up. I'll be there for the night because on Wednesday I've got to go to a Simmons Advising Day. I'm looking forward to getting oriented on campus and to signing up for classes and setting up my plan of study. It should be a good day, if I can just keep myself from being too nervous.

After spraining my ankle pretty badly a couple of weeks ago, I'm finally feeling mostly better... and just in the nick of time for having to traipse around Cambridge and Boston tomorrow and Wednesday! Things are looking up! :)

Even Your Favorite Music Artists Have To Grow Up....

So I was doing one of my favorite things today- browsing through iTunes- when I remembered that in two recent TV shows I could have sworn I heard a couple of my absolute favorite artists: Rocky Votolato and Patrick Park.

Now, I have never owned tons of their music, but I desperately love each and every track I have bought; and it was with great sadness that I waited one year, two years, and then three years to get some brand-new music (even though they released stuff in the meantime, I never seemed to be on the right bandwagon to tune in).

And they BOTH have released new albums within the past six months- and Patrick Park even had a song featured on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy! And you know what? I previewed both new albums on iTunes, and they ROCKED!!!

I haven't bought the whole albums yet- part of me remembers that I only bought a few songs originally (but as I also know, it can take me a few years to warm up to an artist- take Spoon for example- that took me almost four years to really decide I loved them, and now I can't help but love every song they release). Another part of me fears how I will now perceive these two artists- originally I had my wonderful little view, unmarred by any sub-par tracks and was simply some fave picks for the lazy nights... but now I'm going to have a full picture of what they sound like.

Will I remember how it felt to hear that first song by them? Or will it just be lost in the throng that I will soon possess? Will I get the same sense of nostalgia when one of their songs plays- especially since both artists were discovered in the France year, which always makes me insanely nostalgic anyways? Or will that all change.

Part of me wants to run to my room and listen to all the songs I first owned, just to capture that feeling one more time; but part of me is excited to plunge forward to see what comes next. A pretty good metaphor for growing up and living your life, right?

It makes me realize that I'm not the only one that has to grow up- everything that influences your life keeps growing up and moving forward; I can't let myself fall behind, now can I? But I can take a moment in homage of the first time I heard those golden chords.

(Side note- Just heard a Patrick Park lyric that said: "Oh, it's time to let go of everything we used to know/Ideas that strengthen who we've been/It's time to cut ties that won't ever free our minds/From the chains and shackles that they're in." Pretty perfect, if you ask me)

Bookity Book Books!

So I will admit... the new world of technology and film, television, and music entertainment have always held me in thrall, and this past year has been no exception. I've watched my fair share of TV shows (Bones, Fringe, House, Dollhouse, Weeds, Leverage, Psych, White Collar, In Plain Sight, Life Unexpected, Justified, Chuck, Cougar Town, Parenthood, Glee, Castle, Lost, Lie to Me- just to name a few!), and with my new Netflix subscription, I get plenty of movie watching in too! Plus who can resist updating statuses or finding new music for the daily car ride- it takes up a hefty chunk of time! Not to mention my more responsible duties like working, purchasing groceries, etc.

Sadly, this has left little time for one of my favorite things: books, and reading. Now, don't get me wrong- working for a book vendor means I get to do a lot with books- but for someone who loves trashy romance, sci-fi, and young adult chic lit, learning about academic titles all day doesn't really contribute to my usual joy of books.

But this weekend has changed all that. With most of my TV show season finales behind me, and a three-day weekend to indulge, I finished one book I was reading and just today read two more! *Sigh*, life is complete!

And now with the advent of my sister's and my new book club, it's almost like reading is mandatory! I feel this will be a very productive book-reading summer! :)

My First Farewell

So, today I had to say my first goodbye in what is sure to be a long line of them. Despite my insistence that I want to leave New Hampshire and have an adventure (and I do, don't get me wrong), I also realize that I've really found a comfortable life here. I care a lot about the people I know, the things I do, the places I go... and now I have to say goodbye to them all and start over. I won't be totally starting from scratch, but it won't be easy (especially because I'm notoriously bad at making this type of transition).

Anyway, in mid-August I'm going to have to turn my world upside-down and move away from the life that I've just started building here. It's sad and exciting at the same time, and tonight I'm feeling more sad than excited. I had my last yoga class, and I really, really adore the instructor, Kristen, and I'm honestly very upset about the fact that I won't see her anymore. Not to mention that I'll just miss the class itself, too (and Stacy, Seth, Kelli, and Sondra, my constant companions in that class). As I left class tonight, I was holding back tears... and it didn't help that Kristen was sad to see me go, as well. And of course once I got in the car, I wasn't very successful at holding the tears back.

When I leave in August, I'm going to have to say goodbye to a really big number of people... I guess that's normal when you live and work somewhere for a while. I'm thinking of all my colleagues and friends, my roomie, and my surrogate family members, and I realize that the last week of work is going to consist mainly of me running to the bathroom to sob at random moments (and quite often).

The annoying part is that it's not like I'm going THAT far away, and I'll be able to visit pretty often. It's not like I'm really saying a permanent goodbye to any of these people... but I'm sad to give up a life that has finally seemed natural and good to me. I struggled to feel comfortable for most of my life, and now that I've found a situation that suits me I have to give it up. I'm doing it for good (and inevitable) reasons, but I'm not particularly happy about it at the moment. And although the city will be a fun adventure, I sincerely doubt that this country bumpkin is going to take to it quickly or permanently. Don't worry, NH, I'll be back soon.

True Blood True Blood True Blood!

So I uber adore viking vamp Eric in the Sookie Stackhouse books and in the show; I admit that I've done my share of drooling and Googling to get some rockin' pictures of this man all vamped up- but, it is amazing what you come across when you dig a little deeper.

In my meanderings today, I found the below gem:

"Comic Con attendees and observant fans eagerly awaiting True Blood Season 2 Episode 7 (titled Release Me) peeped an extended teaser this weekend that appears to drop some interesting bombshells.

Fangirls and Sookie/Eric shippers (represent!) will be most intrigued by a split-second shot of a very contended Sookie in bed with what appears to be OMG our favorite viking vampire Sheriff of Area 5 (1:23). Also spotted in the teaser- vamp advocate and Bill Maher guest Nan Flanagan looking less than Today-show ready, Sookie laying her smack down on “vampire ho” Lorena, and Maryann pulling her bail yo’ ass out of jail schtick. Another disturbing snippet sees Eric writhing in pain whilst shackled to an altar in silver chains. Nooooo!

Amid the respective cries of “Beeeeel!” and “Suckeh!” it’s pretty difficult to work out any real spoilers, and we all know HBO is staffed with wizards when it comes to creating misleading and action filled trailers. It was honestly the most exciting 1:37 of my life.

Comic-Con also saw the unveiling of a new product tie-in for the show- a replica of Tru Blood that’s really a blood orange soda priced at $4 a bottle. And one last note for book fans- series creator Alan Ball put the kibosh on any hopes of seeing the undead man from Memphis on the small screen. Ball feels it would be impossible to suspend disbelief enough on TV to have beloved Bubba be a viable character on the show adaptation. Burn.

While topping episode 6 (Hard Hearted Hannah, as crooned by Guillame) will be pretty hard, episode 7 looks like it’s going to be pretty fierce, too."

My favorite part of this little description- the imitation of how they say Bill and Sookie (my favorite thing to make fun of on this show). It doesn't get much better. Also sad that there's no Bubba! He kind of rocks the book page. Plus, I kinda wanna try a bottle of Tru Blood... and my spellcheck just missed that "kinda" and "wanna" are not actually words. Oh, the fall of grammar! I saw someone spell it "grammer" today who was talking about spelling mistakes on a Chinese takeout menu... but I ramble.

Screw you, Simmons!

Okay, so, I love Simmons and I'm excited to go there... but I'm seriously upset with the admissions department.

Last Monday I submitted an application for a fellowship that was perfect for me (and I was perfect for it!). On the information sheet about the fellowship on Simmons' website, it states that "review of applications will begin on April 1st." This did not suggest to me that April 1st was the final deadline to submit by. Am I just being a dunce? Either way, I didn't submit until the 12th, thinking that it would be fine (unless some stellar candidate had already been offered the job). I guess I was figuring that because they'd want to do interviews with candidates and so forth that they didn't have a real solid ending deadline - that basically it was open until filled, with the understanding that applications would be considered in the order they were received, with no applications being considered before April 1st.

I guess I'm just a moron, because I just got an email that said I wasn't being considered for the fellowship because I missed the deadline. It would help a lot if they made it clear that there WAS a final deadline.

I'm not really sure what to do. I sent an email back explaining that they should probably make the deadline clear for future years' applicants... but I'm not sure if I should badger them more and try to convince them to consider me, or if I should just let it go and not be a pain in the ass.

But I'm so good at being a pain in the ass. Just yesterday I suggested to our landlord that if they don't fix up some of the shit that's wrong with this place we shouldn't have to pay full rent. She didn't seem to like that very much. Too bad.

Anyway, I'm really, seriously upset about this and will probably bite the head off the next person who so much as breathes wrong near me. Good thing I'm home alone. I'll just take out my anger by typing REALLY HARD. That'll show 'em.

Maybe I'll start a petition to get considered for it. I mean, I could easily get, like, 7.5 signatures. That should be enough, right?

I have to say this. I just have to.

You know those couples who have been together since high school (or even earlier) and they are STILL together even after college?

Well, I can't help but wonder what's wrong with them.

Seriously. Talk about being co-dependent.

Eh, but I'm obviously biased on the subject.

Summer breeze makes me feel fine...

The sliding glass door is open and the sun and breeze are filling our apartment while we drink iced coffee and relax. Ohhh Spring, I do love you.

We had brunch with a couple of friends this morning and we sat out on our little balcony. It was really wonderful, although it did get a bit chilly after a while. Our porch is mostly in the shade... Sarah pointed out that we'll probably be really grateful for that once it's really hot out, and she's definitely right.

I'm doing some work for the research assistantship that I'm doing. I just read a memoir by the woman I'm studying, and now I'm reading a few chapters from a book about women authors in her time. It's all pretty interesting stuff, especially when you consider it from the point of view of how much she contributed to the whole field of women authorship... pretty awesome, if you ask me. But there I go again with my crazy ideas about women's education!

In other news... well, there isn't any. :)

Insane in the membrane- no joke here, peeps...

I can't believe this effing day. Excuse me in advance for being so cranky, but I think I legitimately have a reason!

So today I was really not feeling well- cold to the max: stuffy nose, cough, headache, sleepiness, and just general sucky. So, I decided to head out of work early today and head home.

Only to hear the sound of our neighbor's carbon monoxide alarm going off. So, after opening the door to my apartment, having a panic attack about whether I should try and save the cat or run for it, getting really dizzy and shaky, I decided to call 911 and have them rescue the cat.

When the fire department showed up, they very kindly rescued Tiggs from a horrible brain-cell killing death. She awaited patiently in my car while the firemen checked out the sit.

Long and short is that the heat is off, because it is extremely faulty and leaking CO, and won't be fixed until Monday. The CO registered VERY high, and we had to have the gas company come out and see what was going on before we were clear to go back in the building. Insane.

And it's making me really cranky, because I found out that:

1.) Our carbon monoxide detector is posted so high on the wall that it is essentially ineffective.

2.) Our boiler system for heat is a big no-no, and must be fixed before we can get heat- absolutely annoying and cold!

3.) I still have a super sucky cold, and now I have to sit in the cold and wallow in my misery. Not the weekend I had planned.

Well, thanks for letting me complain, universe! I'm just glad it worked out ok is the important piece. Everyone's ok.

Sarah did it, not me.

Don't believe a word she tells you. Seriously.

I just enrolled at Simmons (HOLYLORDGODFUCKFUCKFUCK). I'm a little freaked out. It's not my 100% decision... just my 85% decision. So. We shall see.

I'm going to visit the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe tomorrow with the professor I do a research assistantship for. She's chum chummy with those folks, so I'm getting a private tour, which makes me feel like royalty. Seriously though, I'm really excited and feel very lucky to have such an opportunity. I'm hoping I might be able to do an internship there during grad school.

I'm terrified (ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED BEYOND FUNCTIONING) of living in the city. Ter. I. Fied.

We had our birthdays this week. Fabulousnessss. We're awesome (obviously).

We just watched the SNL "Jizzed In My Pants" skit. Too good. Love it. Want to make it my ringtone, but feel it could come back to bite me in the ass in a big way... awk.

That's really gross, I wish you would stop doing that

Book I am currently reading: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

Abby just tried to pass a burp off on me.

And to top it all off, I just got a new theme for my Google Chrome- best browser evah!!!

There's just a feeling in the air!

Spring is coming!

I'm in such a terrific mood today! It's a nice reversal of last week when I was horribly cranky for absolutely no reason at all. I'm convinced I was channeling the moods of friends and family.

I went to work today from 8:00 to 1:00, which should have sucked because, a) I don't usually work Fridays, making this a very long week (particularly after last week when I worked two days and the week before when I worked two days, LOL), and, b) I usually go in at 9:00 and mornings and I are not traditionally friends.

Today did not suck, however, for which I'm quite thankful. Work flew by, and I've spent the afternoon working on my research assistantship (and surfing the web). I'm being quite productive, amazingly, and I'm happy to boot.

I was just reading this book, An Epistle to Posterity by Mary Elizabeth Wilson Sherwood, for the research assistantship I'm doing. In the chapter I just finished, MEWS describes a trip to Switzerland that she took in the 1860s... and it sounds majestic and enchanting. I'm enamored, and I suddenly have a burning desire to visit Switzerland and much of eastern Europe. Dorkily enough, her passages remind me of the non-creepy passages of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. I get the sense (and rightly so, I think) that eastern Europe has an immense, rich history that is greatly complimented by the lush beauty of the region. I wonder if I could do a semester abroad there?

Speaking of semesters anywhere, I'm still trying to decide where to go to graduate school. It's between Simmons College in Boston and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I love Ann Arbor, but I don't love the idea of being in the Midwest. I think Boston could be a great adventure and an excellent horizon-widening experience for me. Plus Simmons DOES have study abroad in the MLS program... I'm really leaning toward Simmons lately. I can't really pinpoint why, but I guess I'm just drawn to the intellectual scene there (in Boston and Cambridge), plus its proximity to my family and friends is deeply appealing.

I've just been imagining summer in this apartment, and I love what I've created. It's nothing special, but the sliding glass door to the balcony is open with a fan in front (it's hot!), and Sarah and I take long walks in the evenings (it's light out past 4pm!). I'm hugely sad that I'm not going to live here for longer. I need to go elsewhere, though, just for the experience if nothing else... and of course for grad school. I strongly suspect I'll come back, and perhaps not too far in the future. Imagine... I could work at Dartmouth... it could be wonderful.

In other news, Tiggs and I have officially made up after our falling out of last week (she peed into a suitcase of my clothing because the door was shut to the bathroom when she needed the litter box - excuse me for showering!). She's snuggled up to me now, probably mostly because she misses Sarah, who is away on a sales retreat in South Carolina (North Carolina? I should know this...) for a few days.

Next week is Birthday Week 2010 as I've dubbed it. Monday is my birthday (and I even have the day off!) and Wednesday is Sarah's. We're going out for a nice dinner on Tuesday night, and tomorrow my mom, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece are coming to visit me for dinner. They're bringing me a homemade carrot cake! Yum! And my mom got me a new yoga mat and blocks and a strap as b-day gifts; she seems to have rightly predicted my growing obsession with yoga!

I guess I've rambled on for long enough now... off to do more reading and writing!

Neither Wind, Nor Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow....

I hate it when the power goes out. But, even more than that, I hate when I still need to go to work when the powers out. Here's the plus:

The power is on at work (obviously, I am writing to you right now).
I can flush the toilet here.

Minus: I had to come in sans shower- and while that is a state that most people today are accepting, I am still not really cool with it- especially with that cute new guy who works a few desks over. Not my idea of fun.

And, while my work follows the strict rules of the postal worker's code, PSNH seems to have forgotten it entirely. And I KNOW that over 200,000 people are without power- but couldn't they put my little town a little higher on the list? That would be awesome folks.

So here's for a weekend with no power- I think I am going to roast a chicken in our gas oven to help keep the apartment warm.

"I feel like we're on a hobbit quest now."

Yes, Sarah JUST said that. Just now. About blogging. I am NOT JOKING.

The Heroes are Lost in the O.C.- A Roswellian Experience- Veronica Mars Sent to Investigate alongside House M.D.- PSYCH!

As my roommate and I sit here and watch television, I must comment on how much TV we (or I should say I) really watch. Here's the short list of favorites:

Bones

House, M.D.

LOST

The O.C.

Psych

Roswell

Veronica Mars

Dollhouse

Fringe

And the list goes on as I add more vague favorites. Add into that all the shows that my roomie likes to watch, and that's a lot of TV. All I can say is it would be much worse if we had cable.

So, to express my adoration of these shows (and to express one of my first ideas as to what we should have called this blog- but I can't be mad, Proverbial Gauntlet was totally my idea, too!) I decided to create a post with as many TV show titles in the name as possible. I'm pretty impressed with being able to get seven TV show names in one sentence- and it mostly makes sense!

And, in a race against time (Abby totally started her post first) I will end there so I can be the FIRST to post! MUAHAHAHAHA!!! (queue evil laugh and creepy music). :-P

Cold Tomatoes

SO, I thought I was going to write the first post. Looks like my roommate (who needs to go back to her home on Whore Island) beat me to it!

The current state of my life:
- watching Lost Season 1
- doing laundry
- general lazing in the living room of the spacious apartment I share with my fabulous roommate

My roomie, who shall henceforth be known as Sarah (because that's her name...), is also enjoying our delightful living room and comfortable furniture and Lost.

Our lives, as I'm sure you can tell, are wildly fascinating and thrilling at every turn.

So, here's the run down:

I graduated from college in May of 2009 with a BA in English. I then took a job at my old college and currently work in the library there. I am planning to attend graduate school for Library Science (concentration in Archives and Records Management) in the Fall of 2010. I took a year off (sort of by accident...), and I'm glad that I did. I've had time to really assess my goals and motivations and come to some conclusions about where I'm heading in life (I hope you're in the mood for cheese). I lived on-campus over the summer (peculiar, yes, since I'd already graduated), then moved in with a friend and her husband for 3 months while I looked for an apartment (first with one potential roommate, then by myself, then with my current amazing roomie). Now, we live in a fabulous apartment and have dance parties when intoxicated.

My mom just called and told me about Chatroulette... which I am going to try RIGHT NOW (or, at least, as soon as I'm done bloggolating). I am fascinated by it and feel the need to, um, never sleep again so that I may spend as many hours as possible participating. I hope I see someone I know and we wave awkwardly. The end of the conversation with my mother:

"Hey, Abby... I just got to tell you about something online." (pause)

I burst out laughing, realizing what she's getting at.

"I'm really proud of myself," she says.

"I'm really proud of you, too, Mom," I say. And I mean it. This is a milestone in our relationship if ever there was one.

Last, but not least, in this first installment of the list of things you should know about me:

- I have recently developed an absurd crush on Evan Lysacek after watching his free skate.