Of O-HI-O. (Or, How I Visited Family and Won Some Cash.)

I guess it’s been a busy week or so. On Tuesday ( the 12th), I packed the car, did some errands, and then drove to Cincinnati to visit my aunt Jo and uncle Dave. The drive was not bad. I listened to Yelle and Madonna, and I tried to not get killed by stupid people on the roadways. One person tried to merge while I was right beside him, and he honked his horn. I checked my other side, moved over, and sped up. Then, he followed me closely, tail-gating me. I was super uncomfortable and wished I could punch this person in the face because whatever rush he was in, no matter what it was for, it did not matter compared to my LIFE.

I arrived there a little bit before dinner, which was a black bean /avocado/poblano wrap and I helped Aunt Jo prepare it. When Uncle Dave came home, she left to go to a meeting, and Uncle Dave and I had dinner together. It was tasty. Then, I went downstairs to get some work done, trying to take the flowers off these purple velvet drapes Aunt Jo had made. I listened to Soma.fm while doing it, and got almost two hours of work done. When Aunt Jo came home, I stopped and we had ice cream.

I went up to bed around 10:00 and talked to Alex. Then, I read some of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which was my aunt’s and I had never read it before. I only got through one story and fell asleep. I was very tired from the drive and the work.

Wednesday, I did some more flower removal and business card sorting. I did that for a total of eight hours or so. Aunt Jo and Uncle Dave also got Stella on that day. She is a retired racing greyhound, and she is very shy since she does not know how to be a pet yet, but she is adorable. I think she is a big sweetheart, and Aunt Jo and Uncle Dave finally have a “child” of their own to take care of, since I have been the baby of the family for the past twenty-two years.

I also finished reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard that evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I miss so much about Harry Potter. I wish I could have gone to the midnight showing of the last film Thursday evening, but I could not. Plus, I would not want to be in a packed theater like the time I went to see Goblet of Fire during opening weekend.

Thursday, I woke up around 7:00 and had a breakfast of turkey sausage and chocolate chunk scones that I had helped Aunt Jo make. Iwas busy all day doing business card stuff. I scanned them and sorted them in Aunt Jo’s database, I took all the bookmarks and labels out of her books, and together, we finally got the last of the flowers removed from the purple velvet drapes.

We also spent a lot of time trying to get Stella acclimated to her new home. She seemed to have taken a shine to me, and liked it when I pet her. She wouldn’t eat that much, which was worrisome. Stella’s funny, though. I went upstairs to talk to Aunt Jo, and when I turned around, Stella was at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at me. She also stood on the newspaper while Aunt Jo was trying to read it.

I worked a total of nineteen hours while I was visiting, and I also helped Aunt Jo with one of her projects for school before I left on Friday morning. I drove out of Cincinnati to Fairborn, and let me just say, I hate, hate, HATE driving in Cincinnati. Coming in was not so bad, but when I was going north out of the city, it felt like I was having an ulcer and a heart attack. My hands were shaking. I felt sick. I was so glad to be out of it.

I drove up through Dayton, about forty miles all the way. I thought of my childhood while listening to the Juno soundtrack and David Bowie. I was born in Dayton, and so even though I have not lived there in over seventeen years, it still has a special place in my heart. I remember the Air Force Museum, which Alex and I visited on a camping trip once. There were just so many familiar things to me as I was driving, and I missed it a little bit. My life is good now, and I do not think the life I have now would be anything like the life that I would have lived had my parents actually stayed together. So in a way, everything works out.

Anyway, I made it to my grandparents’ house. Grandpa was at the festival already, so Grandma and I had lunch. She was baking bread, and then she took a nap later. I tried to take a nap. It didn’t work. I sat out on the back patio, mooching their neighbor’s wireless and surfed the Internet until she woke up. We did have coffee, though. I had so much coffee.

We left around 5:30 and dropped some books and movies off at the library, then we went to the festival run by their church, which started at 6:00. Grandma and Grandpa have worked at every festival for the last thirty-five years, and Grandpa used to be one of the head workers there. He stepped down a few years ago, but he is still very active in it. I have been to the festival since I was very young. Mom used to take me and put me on the kiddie rides, or get my face painted. My attendance, however, had been sporadic. I can’t remember the last time I went to one of them – probably when I was a sullen teenager, since I know it wasn’t in the last four years.

Now, since I am an adult, I don’t go for the kiddie rides or the games or the face painting. There’s crafts and a flea market to look at, and a book booth that has always been a hit for my family. I browsed the selection and didn’t see anything I really wanted, but I did keep tabs on a few books, though in the end, I didn’t buy anything.

On Friday evening, we ate with Ed and Mary and I had a pulled pork sandwich with French fries. It was a good choice. I spent the most of the night chatting and counting money in the air-conditioned office. It was my second time doing it, and it was a lot of fun. It was even more fun to come across people who have known me since I was small, and gasping at the young woman I am now. It makes me laugh. I also like seeing the different generations. For instance, if my mom could have made it, we would have three generations at the festival this year. As it stands, another family had the grandmother, the mother, and her son in his first year as a counter. It’s very interesting, but it does go to show how big this festival is for some people.

Grandma sent me down for a funnel cake, and we shared that. It was good, though rather pricey. I also got to talk to Alex, though that wasn’t until midnight, and we were still at the festival. I went out into the hall, and I noticed they were filing out with the money and they started turning the lights out in the hallway. I thought they were going to leave me! They were just going to the bank, though, and I stayed in the office until Grandma and Grandpa came back.

We got home around 1:00, and then we had ice cream. Yeah, I kid you not. My grandparents are awesome. They also gave me a belated graduation present.

I finally had the chance to sleep in on Saturday morning. I needed it, for sure. I got up and sat out on the back patio again, and I ended up talking to Teddy. He got a job near Lafayette, so he cut his trip out West short.

I helped my grandma bake lemon coconut bars and two batches of brownies for the festival. She took a nap afterward, but I have trouble taking naps, so I just stayed awake and knitted and watched television. Grandpa was already at the festival, he was there all day. We went around 5:30 and looked through the vendors’ tent, the book booth, and Bars & Bells. Grandma and I played some Bars & Bells – it was my first time, and I won twenty-five dollars! I was super excited about that.

I had a meatball sandwich for dinner – my favorite festival fare. I hung out in the office for a while, knitting, talking, counting money, whatever. It was hot and muggy outside, so the air conditioned office was a haven. I met Joe and Ben, who’s grandparents are part of the festival like mine. They’re nice guys.

Later, Grandma and I grabbed some pie and coffee. I spilled hot coffee on my hand and part of my shirt, so that was embarrassing, but the sugar cream pie I got was good. We did some more time in the office, and I was just going to hang in there and knit, but Joe, Ben, and Courtney invited me to join them. They were meeting a friend and going on a ride. I decided to join them. We all pitched in four dollars and bought a sheet of tickets, though between the five of us (including the friend, Mary), we could only ride one ride, the Sizzler (“The Scrambler” everywhere else). I crammed into a car with Joe and Courtney, and I felt embarrassed about my big hips. We could barely squeeze in together. I was so much bigger than Courtney and Mary, and about as tall as the boys. Then, I thought about my age. Joe would be eighteen, Courtney, seventeen. Ben is a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati, and so that would probably make him nineteen. I’m twenty-two, old enough to drink and at least three years older than all of them. I felt awkward. They didn’t treat me as so, but I felt self-conscious, like I needed my own kind. I invited Alex to come to the festival next year so maybe I won’t feel that way again. Hopefully, that’s a possibility.

After the ride and splitting off from the others, I joined Grandpa on a run. I picked up money from the booths and ran it over, escorted by a deputy. It was my first time and I felt very important! I also passed out bags before the last hour of the festival, also a first. I spent the rest of the evening counting, though I took a break to call Alex. After midnight, I went with Grandpa, Kim, and a deputy to the bank to deposit money. I felt even more important! I was super giddy because I had never done anything like that before.

 

We got home a little earlier than the previous night, and then we had ice cream. I had a hard time falling asleep and had “The Name Game” going on in my head. Crazy. I did sleep, though it was hard to get up at 7:00 in the morning after a late night. I went with Grandma and Grandpa to church, and then helped get some things together for the festival. I said goodbye to Grandpa, and Grandma and I went back home. I had some coffee and read some of the newspaper. Then, I packed up my car and drove to Richmond, where I met up with my paternal grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa treated me to lunch at Applebee’s, which I requested because I knew I could get a nice salad there. We came back home, did some visiting, and had some ice cream. I was going to head to Muncie, but I realized how tired I was. I took a nap because I thought I would be at Muncie late. It was interrupted because Alex texted me. His car overheated in Fortville, so he couldn’t make it to Muncie. Another one of our meetings thwarted.

I spent some more time with Grandma and Grandpa, and around 4:00 I headed off towards Muncie. It took me about an hour to get to Krista’s apartment, and we talked and watched the first episode of the new season of True Blood, since she hadn’t seen it. Robin came up to visit, too, and we went to Wal-Mart and got pizzas. It was tasty, and nice because I really didn’t feel like doing any tough cooking tonight. We watched The Birdcage, and after that, I decided it was time to come home.

Overall, I’d say it was a great trip. I saw and experienced a lot of different things, and came home with brownies, scones, zucchini, green peppers, rhubarb, yellow squash, storage containers, three knitting books, and a small sum of cash. Most of all, though, I got to spend some time with my family. And a deputy. And I got to sing in my car at the top of my lungs.

More car problems plagued us, though. Mom’s clutch went out, and so I had to drive her to work on Monday and Tuesday and pick her up, which I wasn’t too pleased about. At least not on Monday, since I was exhausted from my trip.

The good news is that got fixed, and hopefully, in a few weeks, Alex’s car will be fixed, too. I got to see him on Wednesday, and we went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, and had dinner with his parents. I also got to see him this weekend. That was pretty much the only notable thing this past week, besides seeing my girls for So You Think You Can Dance on Wednesday as well. Anyway, though we didn’t do anything too interesting, it was just nice to be with him. I took him home this morning, and I miss him already.

 

So yeah, lots of stuff going on, that’s why I haven’t been here that much (that, and utter laziness). That’s all.

Of Stop Signs.

I must be having the best week ever. Seriously. On Sunday, I drop my phone in the toilet. Today, I run over a stop sign. Yeah. I’m just full of awesomeness this week.

When the incident happened today, I was close to home and turning. The asphalt was slicker than anticipated, and though I tried to stop, my car just kept going. I watched my car roll over the sign in slow motion. This man saw me assessing the damage, and he helped me get my car off the sign, so bless him. I really appreciated it. I reported the accident, and luckily, the stop sign was just knocked over, not damaged, and my car and body weren’t damaged either, so the sheriff said I didn’t need to file a report, but he took my name and address down just in case. They’ll get the sign up soon, thank goodness. I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.

The rest of my week has been nice, actually. I visited Alex on Monday. We saw Easy A (lots of fun!) and had dinner with him and his parents. I got a little lost in the dark and snow on the way home, but I was all right. Just another part of the “new driver experience.” Then yesterday, Mom and I got pedicures and then stopped by her friend Amy’s house and I got to meet Amy and her family; they’re really nice, and I am so jealous of the amount of books they have in their house…

Besides my stupid stop sign incident today, I was watching my mom’s friend Janice’s granddaughter (whew!) Danashee. We hung out for a few hours, I got my replacement phone, we ate lunch at Steak ‘n’ Shake, and  we were going to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but the next showing wasn’t for another hour. So it was a relaxing day, except for that one incident.

Tomorrow I’m off to Richmond! I’m looking forward to Christmas at my grandparent’s house. Let’s just hope, with my luck, nothing bad happens.

Of Thanksgiving Break! (Part II)

I have to go back to Muncie in a few hours, but it sure doesn’t look that way at my house. None of my belongings are in the car. The house is a mess. There’s still laundry in the dryer.

I don’t want to go back.

I have been fortunate, enough, to have such a great Thanksgiving Break. Enough food in my stomach that I’m sure I could hibernate for the winter and be fine, a big cozy bed that actually has a bed frame, a shower that I don’t have to share, and a kitchen that is big enough to support all my cooking/baking endeavors.

Mom and I went to my grandparent’s house, where my Aunt Jo and Uncle Dave were there as well. I worked on my unit plan most of the day, but I took breaks to chat and snack. That could sum up our visit, really. My pie and cheesecake were hits, and we came home with leftovers, which my mom is sending with me back to Muncie.

We came home on Friday. We had to stop in Indianapolis and ask about my car. Turns out, the service center won’t be able to look at it until tomorrow. So I’m returning to Muncie without my car, and who knows how long it will be until I’ll have it back. I am lucky that one of the girls in my practicum is willing to give me a ride to the middle school until further notice. I did a lot of crying about the whole situation, though, since I’ve only had the car for two months and now I feel like I’m right back to where I started from – depending on others for rides and feeling like a loser. It’s funny how one thing can change everything. For instance, I was looking forward to driving down to Alex’s house yesterday, and instead, he had to come pick me up. Same as it ever was.

There have been some accomplishments, though. My car is finally registered, and I now have a license plate! Ironic, isn’t it? There was also a special upgrade offer for my phone, and I now have a shiny new phone that I like, but it’s a little weird to get used to. The texting on my old phone was much easier, I’ll say that.

Mom and I also put up our Christmas tree. Let me just note that we never do this. NEVER. It’s like living in the Twilight Zone. We put up the tree and a few other decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Mom had a point, though. Last year she decorated and I wasn’t a part of it, and if we waited for me to come home from school, the tree would only be up a week before Christmas and it wouldn’t be worth it. So, yeah. We’re one of those weird people this year.

Like I said before, Alex and I got together yesterday. We hung out in Indianapolis, saw Despicable Me at the dollar theater and thought it was cute, and then had Skyline Chili for dinner. He also brought pumpkin muffins and an entire pecan pie, courtesy of his mom. I nearly cried because I know that all my months of working out are just going to go to hell this season. I retaliated by sending him home with slices of my pumpkin spice latte cheesecake, though.

It’s been quite a break and, despite my sadness, I’ve been lucky for what I’ve got. My list of things I’m thankful for hasn’t shrunk at all since last year. I’m thankful for my family, my sweet, caring, awesome boyfriend, my friends, the roof over my head and the food in my stomach, my job, and my opportunity for an education. So what if my car’s in the shop? At least someone in my practicum is willing to help me out. And so what if I only got five days off? At least I didn’t have to work, and I only have three weeks left to the semester. Next week should be difficult, but I know I can make it.

Of Thanksgiving Break! (Part I)

I love having a car, you know that? I don’t know why I was so afraid of driving the past five years, but I’m loving every chance I get to drive in my car. It especially comes in handy when you need to go home from college. Yesterday after I left the middle school, I went home, packed the rest of my stuff (consisting mostly of laundry), ate lunch standing up while doing dishes, ran back out to my car, and put everything in my car before I drove to work. I didn’t even take off my coat, and when I was at work, I realized that I still had my badge on for when I’m in the schools. I traded that for my work name tag, and was busy for the next three hours.

I made it home shortly after 3:00. I put in a load of laundry, had a snack, and drove to meet my mom at work. I then followed her from there to the auto repair center at the dealership that would be taking care of my car. I had separation anxiety from her, my Hannelore (Yeah, that’s my car’s name. You can guess what one of my favorite webcomics is…). We have good times. I blast Electric Six, Depeche Mode, and Devo in her, which comes in handy when I’m stuck in traffic. I’m really sad that I’ve only had her two months, and already, we’re having major issues.

Mom stopped at Starbucks and we got coffee. We got stuck in the traffic on the way home, but we got to talk a lot. At home, we ate dinner, I did more laundry, and watched Glee while Mom did homework.

I slept in until 10:00 today, and that was great. I bummed around for a bit, worked a little on some crafty projects I’m doing, and I have now made one dessert for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. It’s a Dutch Apple Pie for Uncle Dave. He doesn’t like pumpkin, and my other dessert for tomorrow is a Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake – Thank you, Sprinklebakes! I’ve also been listening to the Electric Six albums I don’t own on Grooveshark. It’s so much fun. I hope I’m able to go to their show in April, even though it’s on a Tuesday and I’ll be student teaching…

I got a call about my car today. They sent it to another affiliated shop to specify the problem, but yeah, it has something to do with the transmission – exactly what I feared. I still don’t have the car’s title or registration yet, and it’s the damn transmission. Sigh.

I should be working on homework. I have an eight-page paper for Victorian British Lit due next week (I think), and I have a huge unit plan due in about two weeks. I just can’t get motivated. Part of me is saying, “Stop being lazy!” but another part of me says, “You really deserve this break. Enjoy what you can.” I like the latter’s point of view on all this. Besides, I know I’ll get everything done, one way or another.

Of the Bright Side of Life.

This has been a terrible week, and it culminated in a rather disappointing weekend. Alex came to visit me, which I was grateful for, but I wished things had gone better. I had to work, and then I was tired, and I was upset because the car I bought not even two months ago – the car I still don’t have a title for – is now having issues, and it might be something as serious as the transmission. There were some other things, too, but I won’t get into the details.

And now it’s Sunday. F-ing Sunday. I don’t want it to be true. I don’t want next week to happen. I want it to be Thanksgiving week already. Then, I can rest – a little.

I will say this, though. Despite my sorrow, misery, and whining, I am trying to keep some sense of optimism. I thought about it while I was at work yesterday morning, and I don’t have it that bad. I’m just immensely stressed, once again. Not all of life is bad, and I believe that it can only get better from here. So, on the bright side…

The middle school kids might be hellions, but I only have a few more weeks with them.

My car might need thousands of dollars of work, but I at least have a car that can get me from Point A to Point B. And I actually enjoy driving – I guess it took five years of not having a license or a car to make me appreciate it!

My roommates may annoy the piss out of me, but at least my rent is cheaper than how it would be if I didn’t have them. And sometimes, we get along, and that’s nice.

I might hate my job as of late, but at least I have one, and I am able to earn some semblance of a paycheck from it.

I might not get to see my friends as much as I like to, but at least I have friends I care about and who care about me.

We’ve had our issues as of late, but at least I have a family who loves me, and we’re (mostly) healthy, and let’s hope that it stays that way.

I might not be able to pay for things I desire, but I at least can pay for the things I need (for the most part).

I might be tired of school (really tired of it!), but I am at least getting an education, and that is more than I can say for a lot of people. Besides, I only have four (five?) weeks left of this semester, and only a few more months until I graduate!

I might not get to see my boyfriend everyday, but I know he loves me and I appreciate him and the support he gives me. I praised his goodness and patience multiple times this weekend.

And…

Even though my life may seem like it sucks, I at least know and am able to appreciate what I have, and the fact that it will get better. It will. It has to.

Of the Car.

I’ve been better than how I was in my last post. It was just a long day, and the days and weeks have just been dragging along and blending together. I’ve started to really only care about how long I have before I get off work, how many days I have until I have a day off, and the days when I can sleep in. I’ve still been keeping up with my classes and doing my best, but it is still rather difficult.

In my free time for the past week, I watched the entire series of Daria and worked on my newest knitting project, and when I feel like socializing, I come out of my room and watch the Venture Bros. with my roommates. But I spend a lot of time in my room.

But… Great news! If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that I’ve had a rather unorthodox situation as a twenty-one-year-old. This summer, I finally got my driver’s license. Over the past few months, I’ve been lamenting my lack of vehicle and actively searching for one. Being car-less sucks because if you’re like me and have to bike or walk places, there are certain dangers. I don’t like biking at night, and I often have to do so. Last Saturday it rained when I got off work, and I was soaked by the time I arrived home. I was desperate for a car, but I couldn’t show that to the dealers, of course.

Well, this weekend, Alex came to visit. He just left about an hour ago for home, and I wished I could have had more time with him, since most of this weekend wasn’t really full of fun, to say. It was productive, though. He came up on Friday, and then we went to Indy for the Irish Festival. We got in for free, watched a sheep herding demonstration, some bands, some dancing, and I bought a ring (like I do every year I go). The food sounded good, but seeing as we were trying to save money, we had to forgo what the booths had to offer. We left after a while and ate somewhere else for dinner.

We stayed at my house for the night, played Alex’s new board game, Torres, and researched cars. Saturday morning, he, my mom, and I went car browsing. The first dealership was overwhelming, and I wasn’t a fan of the car we looked at. We had an appointment at another dealership, but there were so many in the area, we got lost. We ended up at a different dealership that was actually on my list, and we looked at the car I had seen online.

We turned the car on, looked it all over, and Alex and I each took a turn behind the wheel. Some negotiation took place, and, well, long story short, I drove my first car off the lot! It’s a 2001 Nissan Maxima in fantastic condition, and I’m almost certain that someone else would have taken it off the lot that day if I hadn’t. I’m also incredibly grateful that I have Alex. Without him, not only would I probably not have a driver’s license, but I wouldn’t have such a good car (or a car at all, probably). I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to show him how thankful I am, but I will try.

Currently, the car is in my mom’s driveway. We’re hoping to get it up to my apartment next weekend, but I need to take the registration to the BMV and apply for one of the parking permits in my apartment complex, among a few other things. I have my fingers crossed that I’ll have it up here next weekend. I’m so excited that I’ll be able to have authority and independence at long last.

Not much else has gone on this weekend, though. Alex and I returned to my apartment Saturday afternoon, and I made baked ziti for dinner. We hung out with our friends for a little bit, and we watched some Top Gear. I’m really sad that it is Sunday already, but I’m eager for the next twelve days to go by so I’ll be able to see Alex again. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to keep me busy, anyway, with my lesson/unit plans, reading assignments, exams, papers, and work…

Goals Completed:

#2: Buy a car.