If anyone's looking for me, I'm the (almost) 24-year old walking wide-eyed around a college campus in Cheney (i.e. the middle of nowhere). Since most of my MFA stuff has been in Spokane so far, I forget that I go to this huge school with thousands of youngsters. But it's SO much fun thinking that with a student status, I can take advantage of a lot of great opportunities on the main campus of a huge university.
The last couple days, I've come out here to Cheney (about an hour-long bus ride, including one transfer, actually not too bad) to get some training in the Writers' Center. I'm starting out just learning how to do the "responding" (like tutoring, but not tutoring at all), and as the quarter goes on, I'll learn more of the GSA responsibilities I'll be taking on next quarter. So far so good.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Hooray, school!!
Let's be honest... I've waited over two years to start this MFA program. And here I am, starting it :) Last night was my first class, 3 and a half hours of Form and Theory--Nonfiction I, Pre-20th Century. Tons of work--reading a book and writing a 500-word essay every week, two big research projects and two final papers, plus various daily assignments at random. A lot to fit into 10 weeks. But it felt so good to sit in a class again, go over a syllabus, have a class discussion.
I've met a bunch of people in my program now. I went to a couple Willow Springs meetings, went thrift-store shopping with Cathie, a classmate from California, went on a hike with a bunch of fiction and poetry first years, and now have met people in class. I love that everyone is from somewhere different--North Carolina, Indiana, Hawaii, Wisconsin, D.C., Texas, California, Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, Iowa. I think it says a lot about the program.
Things are almost totally together move-wise. I have all my furniture except a desk chair, and I have everything set in place except internet. Senia stopped by on her way from Minnesota-Vancouver the other day, and I was telling her how I like Spokane because it's a low-profile city...not a destination, nothing huge, just this little city no one really appreciates but which has some awesome stuff to offer. It feels really good to be here.
I've met a bunch of people in my program now. I went to a couple Willow Springs meetings, went thrift-store shopping with Cathie, a classmate from California, went on a hike with a bunch of fiction and poetry first years, and now have met people in class. I love that everyone is from somewhere different--North Carolina, Indiana, Hawaii, Wisconsin, D.C., Texas, California, Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, Iowa. I think it says a lot about the program.
Things are almost totally together move-wise. I have all my furniture except a desk chair, and I have everything set in place except internet. Senia stopped by on her way from Minnesota-Vancouver the other day, and I was telling her how I like Spokane because it's a low-profile city...not a destination, nothing huge, just this little city no one really appreciates but which has some awesome stuff to offer. It feels really good to be here.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
the end of the road (in a good way)
I really do plan on keeping my blog up. I’ve been thinking almost daily about writing in it and haven’t had the chance.
Had a wonderful time in Portland/Seattle/Maui. Spent a short flurry of time with family and friends, got to see Martha in her new apartment overlooking (kind of) Puget Sound, met her awesome boyfriend Austin. Caught up with a lot of people in Hawaii, all my old coworkers and friends from church. Went on hikes and swims and snorkels. I’m kind of amazed at the crazy vine-swinging rock-jumping water-plunging stuff I did while I lived on Maui, and was much more hesitant to do it again. The wedding prep took up quite a bit of time. We helped the family wash dishes for catering and ended up putting together all the music for the ceremony, reception, and dance (I had the honor of working the ipod at the wedding). It was all a lot of fun, and great to spend more time with Isaac’s family (not to mention finally getting to see Isaac again and knowing we don’t have to part ways this time!).
I forgot how beautiful Maui is. I must have said “it’s so beautiful” a hundred times when I first moved there, and it hit me fresh. I’m glad to not be living there anymore, but it still felt like a special place and there were plenty of nostalgia waves.
And then Isaac and I flew back to Seattle for a couple more nights to hang out with Martha and Austin, and then drove my car back to Spokane—what a feeling of homecoming! Here we are in a brand new city neither of us has ever lived in, and it feels like we can finally put down roots and establish a sense of normalcy individually and together. We stayed at Wescombe’s for a few nights, but I moved into my new apartment pretty quickly, and very shortly thereafter, God provided the perfect apartment for Isaac, and he moved in two days after we first looked at it. We both found total gems…. My apartment gets amazing light, has fantastic kitchen and bath
room floors, and has a fold-down bed, table, and ironing board; his has a balcony and beautiful hardwood floors and a gas stove (which he really wanted for cooking). Both are in our price ranges and have very few problems.
The last week has been kind of insane, what with moving, registering my car, getting my WA drivers license, figuring out new driving/biking/walking routes, going to a million thrift stores, buying groceries and other necessities, meeting with people about various school-related things, buying textbooks, setting up electric and internet, getting renters’ insurance, changing our addresses with a bunch of companies, and working out problems with mail delivery. But good. I’m having kind of extreme nesting anxieties because I’m missing major pieces of furniture—a futon (my Murphy bed is not very comfortable) and a desk—so I’m still sleeping on the floor and my stuff is still in boxes lined against the wall. I’m so antsy to put things away and decorate, but it feels like I’m (still) living out of a suitcase.
I met with the director of a program called Get Lit! through Eastern Washington U, and I think I’m going to go that route for my required internship credits. They have this huge literary festival every year that brings well-known authors to Spokane to do readings and workshops, and they also hold poetry slams and kids/teens writing programs. My position would be writing/editing assistant, and I’d put together little articles and author bios and write press releases, mostly. It sounds like it could be great experience working for a non-profit that focuses on something I love. As the time gets closer, I’m getting anxious for how hectic my school schedule is going to be, but I’m also so excited to read poetry and write again. One week to go!
Oh, and exciting news—this summer I finally got my act together and submitted poems to a couple journals. One turned me down, but the other—called Rock & Sling—is going to publish one of them! Yay!
Had a wonderful time in Portland/Seattle/Maui. Spent a short flurry of time with family and friends, got to see Martha in her new apartment overlooking (kind of) Puget Sound, met her awesome boyfriend Austin. Caught up with a lot of people in Hawaii, all my old coworkers and friends from church. Went on hikes and swims and snorkels. I’m kind of amazed at the crazy vine-swinging rock-jumping water-plunging stuff I did while I lived on Maui, and was much more hesitant to do it again. The wedding prep took up quite a bit of time. We helped the family wash dishes for catering and ended up putting together all the music for the ceremony, reception, and dance (I had the honor of working the ipod at the wedding). It was all a lot of fun, and great to spend more time with Isaac’s family (not to mention finally getting to see Isaac again and knowing we don’t have to part ways this time!).
I forgot how beautiful Maui is. I must have said “it’s so beautiful” a hundred times when I first moved there, and it hit me fresh. I’m glad to not be living there anymore, but it still felt like a special place and there were plenty of nostalgia waves.
And then Isaac and I flew back to Seattle for a couple more nights to hang out with Martha and Austin, and then drove my car back to Spokane—what a feeling of homecoming! Here we are in a brand new city neither of us has ever lived in, and it feels like we can finally put down roots and establish a sense of normalcy individually and together. We stayed at Wescombe’s for a few nights, but I moved into my new apartment pretty quickly, and very shortly thereafter, God provided the perfect apartment for Isaac, and he moved in two days after we first looked at it. We both found total gems…. My apartment gets amazing light, has fantastic kitchen and bath
room floors, and has a fold-down bed, table, and ironing board; his has a balcony and beautiful hardwood floors and a gas stove (which he really wanted for cooking). Both are in our price ranges and have very few problems.
The last week has been kind of insane, what with moving, registering my car, getting my WA drivers license, figuring out new driving/biking/walking routes, going to a million thrift stores, buying groceries and other necessities, meeting with people about various school-related things, buying textbooks, setting up electric and internet, getting renters’ insurance, changing our addresses with a bunch of companies, and working out problems with mail delivery. But good. I’m having kind of extreme nesting anxieties because I’m missing major pieces of furniture—a futon (my Murphy bed is not very comfortable) and a desk—so I’m still sleeping on the floor and my stuff is still in boxes lined against the wall. I’m so antsy to put things away and decorate, but it feels like I’m (still) living out of a suitcase.
I met with the director of a program called Get Lit! through Eastern Washington U, and I think I’m going to go that route for my required internship credits. They have this huge literary festival every year that brings well-known authors to Spokane to do readings and workshops, and they also hold poetry slams and kids/teens writing programs. My position would be writing/editing assistant, and I’d put together little articles and author bios and write press releases, mostly. It sounds like it could be great experience working for a non-profit that focuses on something I love. As the time gets closer, I’m getting anxious for how hectic my school schedule is going to be, but I’m also so excited to read poetry and write again. One week to go!
Oh, and exciting news—this summer I finally got my act together and submitted poems to a couple journals. One turned me down, but the other—called Rock & Sling—is going to publish one of them! Yay!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Military Jets Trigger Sonic Boom in Western Washington
I thought we were being bombed...a little startling:
Military Jets Trigger Sonic Boom in Western Washington
Military Jets Trigger Sonic Boom in Western Washington
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A Green Victorian House Next to a Park
I got an apartment!!! I mean, I still have to decide exactly which unit I want, sign the paperwork, and put down a deposit, but I got official confirmation over the phone today. It was a bit of a nerve-racking day. I'd like to say I gave my anxiety over to God and trusted that it would all work out, but really I was tied in knots all day. For a while I didn't think my application would go through--apparently I look pretty bad on paper because 1. I have no job, technically, nor have I since 2009; 2. I have no renting history (oh, except for the year I lived off under-the-table work-trade in a hippie town on Maui, ha); 3. I haven't lived in one place longer than a year since I was 17. I squeezed all the responsibleness I could into my conversation with the property manager when Natalie and I checked out the apartment on Monday, and they're going to let me have it :) with a few conditions--a co-signer, and 2 or 3 months of rent up front.
The apartment is really wonderful, in a well-maintained green Victorian house in "Historic Browne's Addition", right across the street from a huge park...good neighbors, a murphy bed, grocery and coffee shop and pub and bus stop and downtown and the river within walking distance. Slightly higher rent than I had hoped for, but after visiting several places under $400 a month, I quickly realized that I would probably be anxious and disturbed if I lived in any of them...think haunted houses and/or cigarette smoke and incense.
I have a home!
The apartment is really wonderful, in a well-maintained green Victorian house in "Historic Browne's Addition", right across the street from a huge park...good neighbors, a murphy bed, grocery and coffee shop and pub and bus stop and downtown and the river within walking distance. Slightly higher rent than I had hoped for, but after visiting several places under $400 a month, I quickly realized that I would probably be anxious and disturbed if I lived in any of them...think haunted houses and/or cigarette smoke and incense.
I have a home!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Furaha and Baraka: 1400 miles later
OK, it may sound a little cheesy, but I named the Focus--after officially signing the title!--Baraka, blessing in Swahili. I figured it was good luck for him to have a name before we went on our long drive together. And no, his name has nothing to do with our president. It might actually have more to do with a Ken I named Baraka a long, long time ago. Maybe.
And we made it to Spokane! It took three days of driving--7 hours, 9 hours, and 5 hours--and was actually quite enjoyable. This is everything I fit in the car:
-well...basically everything I own, besides several boxes in my parents' attic and a couple full bookshelves. It fit with lots of room to spare.
-tent, camping stove, lots of snacks
-mixes my friends made, Where Men Win Glory on CD, and a short story that Isaac read out loud and recorded onto a CD (I KNOW, isn't he sweet?)
-my bike attached to the back of the car (which unfortunately really cut down on my MPG)
First two days were extremely uninteresting, totally flat and straight. North Dakota is the flattest, hugest, most boring chunk of land probably in the whole world. Eastern Montana is not much better. The third day was better; I had to be on my toes more driving through the mountains (and I'm such a Midwestern girl--I was going under the speed limit a lot of the time because hills scare me).
I got to town early afternoon yesterday. Cathie and I took Grandma to Didier's for frozen yogurt and then she drove me all over Spokane to get a feel for the neighborhoods. It's a very manageable city and has some fantastically beautiful parts, especially along the river. I fell in love with Browne's Addition, a neighborhood west of downtown where a lot of EWU students live (though the campus I'll be attending is on the east side). It's the oldest part of the city and has a lot of amazing victorian houses mixed in with apartment complexes and condos. Today I'm looking at a place a couple blocks from the river and right next to a huge park. I am SO excited to live here!!
And I'm not too stressed (right now). The move to Hawaii really helped me have confidence to know that everything will get done and that I am a fairly capable person :)
I'm starting another facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2050399&id=110900370&l=75130d0118
And we made it to Spokane! It took three days of driving--7 hours, 9 hours, and 5 hours--and was actually quite enjoyable. This is everything I fit in the car:
-well...basically everything I own, besides several boxes in my parents' attic and a couple full bookshelves. It fit with lots of room to spare.
-tent, camping stove, lots of snacks
-mixes my friends made, Where Men Win Glory on CD, and a short story that Isaac read out loud and recorded onto a CD (I KNOW, isn't he sweet?)
-my bike attached to the back of the car (which unfortunately really cut down on my MPG)
First two days were extremely uninteresting, totally flat and straight. North Dakota is the flattest, hugest, most boring chunk of land probably in the whole world. Eastern Montana is not much better. The third day was better; I had to be on my toes more driving through the mountains (and I'm such a Midwestern girl--I was going under the speed limit a lot of the time because hills scare me).
I got to town early afternoon yesterday. Cathie and I took Grandma to Didier's for frozen yogurt and then she drove me all over Spokane to get a feel for the neighborhoods. It's a very manageable city and has some fantastically beautiful parts, especially along the river. I fell in love with Browne's Addition, a neighborhood west of downtown where a lot of EWU students live (though the campus I'll be attending is on the east side). It's the oldest part of the city and has a lot of amazing victorian houses mixed in with apartment complexes and condos. Today I'm looking at a place a couple blocks from the river and right next to a huge park. I am SO excited to live here!!
And I'm not too stressed (right now). The move to Hawaii really helped me have confidence to know that everything will get done and that I am a fairly capable person :)
I'm starting another facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2050399&id=110900370&l=75130d0118
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