Summer

digital painting- polyvore and photoshop

So, Hello, How is everybody?  It seems like I have been AWOL forever, and so I have been- taking a break, even though there has been lots to write about and I feel more centered when I share/write out all the things that have been going on.  Find a firm footing, become grounded, get a move on.... all of which I need to do as I find my way back into some sort of schedule and personal discipline.  No matter how boring that sounds (after all it still *is* summer) without it I find myself happily consuming pizza on the couch while watching multiple episodes of 'Toddlers and Tiaras', which is stunningly non-productive, makes me just a bit dumber, and installs a strange urge to hot-glue rhinestones to everything and learn how to wear makeup.

On to a ketchup- went up into the mountains for Grendel's birthday, and it was amazing- from over heated tropical swamp land to the high mountains with fog, endless rain, and the cold.  Sleeping on the futon on the sunporch of their house, watching the rain, waking up with the sun, all the doggs cuddling when they could sneak aboard.  Way to much food- but so good- birthday banana pudding and up at the games bread pudding with whiskey sauce, fresh fried fish and chips (wonderful, wonderful- that was my 'go to' food), Eccles cakes, shortbread.  Music and mountains, and Melissa bought a magical woolen cloak.  Grendel and Raphael  roamed the grounds, flirting with the whiskey-pudding girl and assorted belly dancers.  (Yes, I know, but somehow or another it has become appropriate for belly dancers/ hula hoopers to be part of the Highland games. Long lost tribe I suppose...).  Raphael entered the wrestling competition and won first place in men's light heavyweight (oxymoron that) which was a HUGE silver plate.  This was amusing because Raph is black, and was wrestling men that were the most part older/larger than he was- barefoot, in a kilt, with highland rules- but he happily toppled them right over while we cheered from the sidelines.  Very, very fun.

After the mountains I was working on dpi/ school stuff (dpi = department of public instruction) which consisted of two day classes at different locations x 3.  And they kept us the whole day- 7:30 until 5:00, and it was mostly fun.  The first set was over by New Bern- new school, catered lunches- best food was the chicken Marcella with roasted eggplant.  Not your normal conference food.  The next set was over by ECU in the Rose high school- which came with assorted roaches roaming about, no janitors and cafeteria food which was....well....return of the mystery meat.  Except it was mashed up and served over baked potatoes (mine was black on the inside- ew). And recycled fruit salad that turned up all day both days.  The last one was over in Lee county, in the middle of the state, Panera catered so breakfast included pumpkin muffins (awesome!).  I learned quite a bit at all of this- and spent as much time as possible networking (which wore me out- I am not all that networky by nature) and dressed pretty much like a grown-up- because of the overlap of people, I considered this as a type of dress rehearsal for my interview. 

The interview itself went well- I wore my $5.00 gray dress with a black cardigan and low heels- it all looked good thanks to the dress sausage.  I had my cv all printed out neat, I *love* answering questions so that wasn't a problem (I am, oddly, never nervous about direct questions or small conversations.) and the *surprise*  timed writing sample went ok.  Good thing that I love to write, they let me use a computer, and the prompt wasn't so very difficult.  I have a call-back interview on Tuesday- trying to prepare for that, but nervous none-the-less (do I wear the dress again? or something different? take copies of cv again? how many? is there another test?  what do I do if they offer me the job? - take it, of course, figure everything out later.  Easier said than done, though I will take it in a heartbeat....but where to live? how to sell the house? argh).  Anyway, I am happy and excited and will be a bit disappointed if I *don't* get the job, but that is liveable because I do have a job I love, am ready for this school year and it will not be a big issue. But for some reason I find myself oddly attracted to the false utopia of working in a small grey cubical with a BIG new computer and all grown ups in a very quiet environment where I can actually hear people when they talk..... and I also believe that I can do some great things, not sure what, but something-

As for Mr. Owens, he has been working diligently with the roadside knight-in-shining-armor job, but also has a budding new career as a film extra.  I submitted his photo on a whim, and he was picked to be an extra in a feature film that is being filmed locally.  He has had to work all night long (literally- 6pm to 6am) for the past few nights, and has at least one more night to go.   It's been very exciting- he loves meeting all different sorts of people, the way makeup/hair folks fuss over his beard/hair (they love it- one has declared him 'their favorite'), seeing the special effect and sets, and, of course, the action of the actual filming.  He is fairly worn out now- last night was unexpectedly very physical- but this would be a cool side job for him if he gets called for other projects.  Fun, fun, and we will all have to go see the opening sometime next March.  I've married a movie-star, who woulda thought!

Otherwise, all is well- Grendel is fine, doggs are fine, cat is fine, we are all ok- I am eating *way* to much again, trying to cut back (and the walking didn't resume when we got back from the mountains, mainly due to work-aways, lots of rain and lots of bugs-that-bite.  I can't stand bugs-that-bite, would rather be very hot and dry). I'm full of good intentions that sometimes end up on the couch watching T-n-T.  But that's ok to, I suppose- at least I'm finally relaxing.