Prosaic Paradise

Under my tree this year sat, in a small unassuming package beneath all the presents I’d wrapped, my Christmas present from mom & dad. I threw several options at dad after he called my amazon wish list “anemic” (how dare he! I have carefully cultivated it to include hundreds of items!) to see if I could throw him off guard, including a pen I felt was not the Holy Grail, but might be like Joseph’s sandal buckle or something. A really nice pen. I was very surprised and happy.

Of course I refused to open it or play with it until Christmas Day, which of course we spent in Richmond. And then you know how I spent the next few days after that. So I didn’t get to play with my toys for Christmas at all until today. So I got out the camera and the pen and got down to business.

This pen has a much finer nib than I am used to, which is very unforgiving with my sloppy handwriting (I live in permanent envy of others’ handwriting), but truly a dream to use. The line it lays down is so very even, and the pen is very forgiving as far as angle; it took me no time at all to find a way to comfortably hold the pen and get an even line. I felt virtually no drag even on this rough brown art paper. I’ll probably move this into an every-day-use pen immediately after I clean out the Namiki, even though it feels terrifying to carry around such a nice pen. But what are they for if not to use?

I somewhat wonder if the amazingly even flow is a product of a marriage of the right ink and the right pen. People rave about the Sailor ink and at first blush I’m a big fan (although typically not so much a black ink gal). I also have to own up to the fact that this is my first gold nib. Everything else I have is steel, so for all I know this could just be how awesome it is to write with a gold nib all the time.

I was attracted to this pen not because of a review I read of its performance or anything like that. I wanted this pen because it looks good. Yes, I am that shallow. But come on, it has that little anchor on the cap! So now this pen is simply the best pen I have. That won’t stop me from writing reviews of the other pens I’ve accumulated though, so watch out.

Another side effect of this wonderful gift is that my pen niche on my desk is now utterly full. I have this ridiculous attachment to the boxes the pens came in which is probably a horrendous waste of space, but I’m still enjoying knowing they all have a home. Maybe someday I’ll have one of those ridiculous little display cases?

Dad got this pen from Swisher Pens right near my hometown.

Tags: Stationery, stuff

I had big plans for this past weekend. We’d have Christmas, I’d get a new tattoo, I’d see my friend Becki who hasn’t been on this coast in a decade. Then I’d settle in and enjoy my homey home. Big plans. But when I woke up on Friday viral menaces had decided a whole different fate for me.

So, my sleeve is still no closer to getting finished; Jenni is so understanding. But it’s kind of hard to get tattooed when you haven’t been able to keep anything down in about 48 hours. Becki had to go to the Library of Congress by herself, and I didn’t get to take her to Great Sage.

I am lucky, however, that I got through Christmas day intact since we took a day trip to Richmond to celebrate the day with Jack’s sister & family. It was my first vegan Christmas dinner and the chef(s) did a good job. I can’t say as I’d opt for it over the traditional fare, but I tried and liked a little of everything. (You can see pics of vegan Christmas dinner and more through the link at right!)

My parents got me a really amazingly lovely fountain pen for Christmas which I soon hope to post some pictures & writing samples of. Jack, of course, got the camera which I used to take all the photos, and my classmate brought the cats some fun toys. So a bittersweet Christmas, but certainly memorable. You kind of remember being so sick you think you might be OK with just shuffling off this mortal coil.

Which I did not do! And I am thankful for that.

Tags: christmas, Family, health

For this Purge Thursday I’m ditching two trash bags of Clothes. I found some things that look Careworn, some things that look Crappy, and some things that are devoid of Comfortableness (two sizes too small). I can tell that this is just the beginning, though. See, while I was getting all my decorations ready for Christmas, I had to attack the spare Closet. And what I have in there is less Closet and more Crypt. I could easily inverted-decimate the Contents of that Closet. But I’m not there just yet – I’m still dealing with the main closet where things are jammed in like sardines and I can’t even see what’s in there.

I also have some Christmas Crap to get rid of – I’ve got some glass ornaments that I just don’t want to risk with the Cats anymore. I will probably freecycle those.  I Cast thee out, foul Clutter!

Tags: stuff

Over the past week or so, as I look at it, I’ve been crazy social! Some by plan and some by happenstance, I have been spending time with close friends and it’s been truly wonderful to have the time and to feel that comfort. I got to attend Jen’s tree trimming & annual hamdango as well as Telf’s tree trimming and cheddarboatstravaganza. (Remind me to repost the cheddar sailboat recipe – truly phenomenal.) I got to see Jody (Plug: Custom Jewelry!) & family at a cozy gathering and play some Rock Band (still suck at drums). I even had my own entirely impromptu unplanned whoah-there tree trimming at which my wish to watch the Monkees Christmas special was fulfilled.

I also attended the 8th annual Peril Book Club Holiday Book Swap where I was gifted with the Lolcats book which is now proudly displayed on my coffee table. I attended my second annual drunken-shopping relay race (which I lost, I believe, by giving up when the winners said, around 9:30, “let’s go to Macy’s!!” and I gave up – clearly I should have been more drunk). I even got to go out drinking with my boss & many coworkers, and considering my boss lives in Colorado, this is special.

And then last night I get a phone call from Christie and Fred (plug: Dresden Files RPG & Evilhat Games!) – they are in Laurel and hungry and bonus, they just bought a matching camera so can we talk about cameras! Well, how can we turn that down. We went out to Tampico on the split in Rt 1 and we didn’t even talk about cameras that much.

So I say “cheers!” to the holidays and “cheers!” again to the winter-break social butterfly emergence. Peace.

Tags: christmas, Friends

I’d give you a drum roll but my rolls are a little rusty what with never practicing them. We bought a Nikon D90! Jack is so, so supportive. Once I decided which camera I wanted there was really no ratcheting back, and this is not the bottom-tier camera. I understand the gravity of this commitment, and in fact when we left I felt like I’d just gotten a tattoo. A tattoo I’d have to wait 6 hours for the battery to charge before I could enjoy.

So I’m standing in the store agonizing further and some stranger asks, “I hope I’m not intruding, but are you considering the D90?” and I say yes, and he says “What are you planning to use it for?” And I blurt out, “Cats” and then laugh, because well. It’s not like I’m buying the camera to make cash on weddings or become the next Annie Leibovitz. Let’s face it, some cat pictures will be taken.

Which is why you see the pic at left, which links to the first few shots I took (that I am willing to show you). I am clearly going to have to have a whole education in photography now (cart, horse, whatever order!) but the sales guy offered to get me in to a training session in February, so that’s awesome.

I am so excited, and so grateful to Jack for this present. He would not say it’s a present but it is and I am publicly thanking him profusely for this, because I know better. I hope to get real creative with this real fast!

Tags: jack, photography

I was listening to my latest audiobook It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh, when it struck me that the Unclutterer doesn’t have a corner on the market of simplifying your life! I constantly look around the house and see things I don’t use. Sometimes I find I’m avoiding something I want to do in the house, and if I examine my motives closely, I can see that it’s because there might be an actual physical obstacle in the way. I find I’m blind to entire areas of my house because that space are filled with actual items I can’t confront or figure out what to do with. Sometimes it’s for emotional reasons, sometimes it’s just plain habit.

So I’m making a pledge. Every Thursday I’m going to get rid of something. Whether I Freecycle, take it to the thrift store, donate it somewhere else, try to sell it, or simply trash it, I’m gonna try to get rid of something once a week. At some point I want everything in my home to be functional or serve a purpose that I can recognize, easily access, and actually care about.

So here’s this week’s purge. I was trying to shelve my school books at the end of the semester, and found that valuable shelf space has been taken up for the past, oh, four years by a stack of video game manuals and guide books from games I have not played in up to ten years. In addition to this I found several books on Crystal Reports (probably at least 5 versions old) from my last job. In my current job I don’t touch that program. And someone tell me what possessed me to buy a guide book for Diablo II? What does it say “click on things!” over and over? I featured the Allegiance book because that has a special place in my heart – my main internet identity for the past decade came from the handle I used in that game. But not so special a place that I can’t trash that. I have the memories. Finally, I recently got Jesus Christ Superstar on DVD. Buhbye VHS!

So now I can keep my Anatomy & Physiology textbook somewhere I’ll actually have it at hand, since I am pretty sure I’ll want to revisit that once I actually enter nursing school. And a little bit of weight of excess useless junk is off my shoulders.

Tags: organizing, Purge Thursday, stuff

Acting like an adult reaps its damn benefits. That’s 3 prereqs down, and 2 to go. If I so choose, I’ll be applied and accepted or waitlisted (since I’m out of county) at HCC Nursing school by this time next year.

Tags: class, School

Me [1:06 PM]: Because I can never do anything halfway: looking at dates for pen shows in 2009.
Friend [1:06 PM]: Awesome!
Me [1:06 PM]: Also file under: Because I am my father’s daughter.
Friend [1:06 PM]: I sadly missed the most recent one due to sickness
Me [1:07 PM]: As a kid I spent many weekends at gun shows, train shows, stamp shows, coin shows, antique shows, gem shows…
Me [1:07 PM]: never pen shows though, i have to strike out on my own

Yup, I spent many a weekend at the Virginia Beach Pavilion, now the VB Convention Center. (Note: Also where I had my one and only Big Ballet Recital, hateful thing that it was.) Nowadays it’s this huge ridiculous and comparatively elegant glass enclosure – but back then it was a kind of ugly humpbacked  building of which you could only see the rear end from the highway. I have been looking for a picture of its old facade before it was razed, but the best I could do is this picture of its destruction. If you can find me a picture of it in its former glory, I’ll give you some kind of prize!

The gun shows were probably the most frequent. I was always greatly amused by the fact that the gun shows attracted people who dressed just like my dad – Members Only jacket, short sleeve plaid shirts, khakis, white sneakers and dark socks. I think it was from a training course on what to wear when you retire from the Navy and enter civilian life. Whatever it was, all these guys at the gun shows dressed just like my dad.

So now here I am, carrying on the family tradition dutifully – I think I’ll either take a day trip for the January pen show in Philly, or have to wait an excruciating 9 months for the August DC Supershow. I wonder if I can force my parents to join me?

(Notice! for folks who read this blog on Livejournal: I can no longer access Livejournal at work. If you would like me to see a comment same-day as I made my post, make it on my WordPress blog! Thanks!)

The look on my face from 30 years ago is about the same look I have today where it regards The Holiday Season. Just one example: I don’t know what to get people! Some people say they don’t want to get things. I really just want to show people that I love them, and getting things isn’t always the way to do that, but it is a way I enjoy. Another example: My house isn’t decorated because I’m totally out of practice after going to the beach for Christmas two years in a row. (Not that the beach trips were anything to complain about!)

I was telling a friend today that I am going through a shift in my relationship with Christmas. We used to be old buddies – we knew each others’ habits, we had a predictable and comfortable rhythm, and we could gently snark about our excesses while still holding on to the nugget of sincerity behind the whole thing. Now that I’m well into adulthood I’ve been through a few Christmas alternatives: the all-charitable-donation Christmas, the work-overnight-shift Christmas, the destination-Christmas, and a few other things. Christmas and I seem to have both changed and grown apart.

I love the parties. I love wearing my glittery reindeer lapel pin and helping folks trim their trees. I used to love the shopping (having a hard time with that this year, though). I definitely love the music, judging by my 300-song playlist; particularly choral works and anything in a minor key (Emmanuel, Merry Gentlemen)

So what does Christmas mean to me when I’m not coming downstairs and waiting for my dad to have coffee before I can dig into my extra-large novelty stocking? I mean, sure, I’m not a kid anymore. But my inner kid has a vice grip on my concept of the holidays, I’ll tell you what.

I think I just need to sit back, relax, and relish the music and lights, remind my friends and family that I love them, and let Christmas be.

In other familial news: Hey dad! When I grow up I’m going to get glasses just like yours.

Tags: christmas, Family, pics

And lo there was a rejoicing!! Our rude professor is now merely a figment of our memories! And, supposedly, I have learned the things I need to know about the various systems of the body.

So to celebrate, I went to the Staples. And bought fountain pen refills. For the Parker Vector I found abandoned, dried out, and unusable in the pen cup last week. See, I’ve developed a mild obsession with fountain pens over the past few weeks. I blame stress and pen blogs.

I’ve been off work the past two days (back spasm! whee!) so when I return tomorrow it will be special. I can check email from home, so I already know just how special. But it’s OK, because when I deal with that backlog and reassimilate myself into some important project things, and it’s time to go home, I won’t have to grind my gears into biology! I had a long chat with Penny about working and going to school at the same time, and how some people are more suited to it than others. I would have to say I am not, and I am not sure if that makes me a worse person or what, but I have to really want something to put up with it. (Or one of the jobs/pursuits has to be low intensity… like shelving books… ahh, the best college job I ever had…)

What about you fair readers? Have you worked two jobs? Gone to school and worked full time? Parents, I’m curious if someone has done that stuff and parented, vs. school+job or job+job. Which was worse? What gets you through?

Tags: class, School, survey, work