what happens when i can’t sleep (or List #11).

Tonight is the second night in a row I have been unable to fall asleep. Neither yawn nor eye-rub has passed my way. Not even a quiet whimper.

(While I type this, I periodically look over at my partner…who has been enjoying the benefits of REM sleep for over an hour now…and feel jealous. It’s all good, though: he just mumbled something about muffin pans and chocolate pudding, so I’m sure to have a good laugh in the morning when I tease him about it and he can’t remember a thing).

To be honest, sleeplessness happens to me a lot…well, sometimes. I am somewhat of a night crawler, preferring late nights to early mornings, and mornings and I have had a dysfunctional relationship from the beginning. On most nights I can usually fake it, but not tonight. And not last night, either. I blame the ginko biloba I started taking on Friday.  I thought it would help me stay focused and have less-cranky mornings.  Now, while staying up all night in college almost always guaranteed I would be wide awake when morning happened, after 30 that little trick stopped working so well (in fact, staying up all night in my 30′s has proven to almost always guarantee extreme crankiness and the very real possibility of missing mornings all together).  Oh, the irony.

So, since I can’t sleep, I will plot adventures, instead.

1. Feeding the Wanderlust. I have been feeling anxious to wander. This time around, however, my mind is stuck on Ireland. I just want to go. Now.  Pubs, rolling hills, country towns and the Irish brogue are calling my name. All I can think about is not if, but when and how. (Disclaimer: the last time I felt a similar urge to travel I ended up spending 2 weeks holed up in a tiny bungalow along a fisherman’s beach in the Thai province of Chiang Mai… it was a glorious trip but my initial aim was for Brazil.)
2. Spelunking. Now that the weather has warmed up, I’m planning on hitting a few caves this summer.  I’ve spent a couple hours compiling a spreadsheet of all the national monuments (yes, I bought one of the NM passport books…), categorized by monument type. The Lava Beds in CA and the Oregon Caves look like lots of fun, and getting greater exposure to the west coast is a bonus.  Other caving adventures are being planned…
3. Books…yeah.  The cycle is never ending with this one, I’m afraid.  At the top of my book list this month is The Salmon of Doubt by Doug Adams.  I bought it in 2002 very shortly after it was released but never got around to reading it.  Guns, Germs and Steel is up next after that, possibly The Dresden Files series after that.
4. Movies. I’m planning to check out a few of the outdoor cinema shows this summer.  It combines a couple of my favorite things, evening picnics and films, and I think it’s a great summer tradition to be a part of since it happens all around the world.  Between Denver and Boulder, I will have several chances to see Goonies on the big screen again, as well a few other “oldie but goodies”…that is, if the rain lets up this month sometime.  If not, I’m also looking forward to seeing  The Last Airbender and Predators in the theaters.

Okay.  Seeing how it is going on 2 o’clock in the morning, I believe I am now officially obligated to lie in bed with the lights off and my eyes closed.  I do have to be at work later this morning, after all.  G’night!

Reaching for the Reset Button…

The job hunt isn’t moving as quickly as I had hoped and I’m feeling a little exasperated over it. It isn’t the job prospects, per se, it’s me. I’m a ducks-in-a-row kind of gal–it’s a security thing. Finding and keeping a good job in the area is important to me, a lot is riding on it, and I haven’t made it off to an encouraging start. I’ve had a couple of potential offers, but nothing solid yet. To make matters worse, I’ve been holding my breath for a particular one which so far has dragged the hiring process out beyond my comfort level. (Isn’t that always the way? You want one to call, but instead all the others do! LOL) As friends (and certainly Life) have reminded me, what one wants is often just a few steps ahead of what one really wants, so the passage of time can be a good thing. Nice advice for this time in my life.

During my run this morning I kept telling myself that in one month none of this will matter or be on my mind

Cam and I went to see Beowulf a couple of weeks ago, and afterwards we bought the full-length poem (this seeing the movie then buying the book thing is becoming a trend…). I’ve nearly finished it and must admit that I think there is little conceptual overlap between the poem and the movie (which I did really enjoy, by the way. I’m a big Neil Gaiman fan). That being said, I’d recommend any fantasy fan out there to go and see it…just don’t expect to whet your appetite for classical literature. They each stand on their own as distinct works of art.

List #5

Books I’m reading right now:

1. The Baroque Cycle: Volume 1 by Neal Stephenson (nearly finished!)
2. The Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (book club)
3. One Hundered Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (book club)
4. Persuasion by Jane Austen

The very existence of this list means that I need to update this blog’s Reading List…coming soon!

The Jane Austen Book Club

Yesterday, my friend Rose and I went to see the movie titled The Jane Austen Book Club. For any fan of fiction writing, literature and comedy I’d highly recommend this movie. My interest in it came mainly from the fact that I love book clubs (I belong to three), and, since I first began reading Austen when I was 12, I have most of her published works on my bookshelf at home. I wondered if the movie would bring to life some of the eccentricities one can experience while discussing writing styles and character development, forming many different opinions and conclusions from the same body of work, and it did. It also reminded me that sometimes, even books that are centuries old can remain extremely timely and relevant. I’ve always found that possibility intriguing, if not exhilarating, about literature.

After leaving the theater, Rose and I ran to the nearest bookstore to purchase what remaining copies of Austen’s work we didn’t have (for me, they were Persuasion and Northanger Abbey) and decided to read through them together.

As I rode on the bus commute into work yesterday morning I opened my fresh copy of Persuasion, our first pick, and I immediately felt like I had reconnected with an old, familiar friend.

There’s no getting lost like when you do so in a good book.

Books and Backpacks

I’m on my way to the east coast tomorrow afternoon, to attend the bridal shower I’ve been planning. I’m trying to pack, something I really dislike doing (second only to unpacking). I’d rather be snug in my bed listening to the wind storm blow around outside as I fall asleep.

I just picked up a really good book. It’s “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger. I’ve had the book on my shelf for ages, but am just now getting around to reading it. A good friend of mine loves this book, and now I see why (it’s her copy I’ve got now, actually). The plot development is unusual, but it works so well for the protagonists and their story. They relate to my younger self, my present self and, quite possibly, the woman I will be many years from now. There are life lessons, many of them subtle yet poignant – this is the most tender and intriguing story I’ve read in years. Oh, and of course, there’s time travel!

Okay, enough procrastination. Time to get down to business with the suitcase. Have a nice weekend

The Golden Compass

I’ve just been to visit the upcoming movie’s website and I like it! It reminds me of the site the Davinci Code movie had up before its release–interesting graphics, fun things to look around at, a little bit interactive, etc. For those of you who haven’t read this book, it’s a good children’s fantasy adventure novel, and the first of three in the His Dark Materials series. It’s controversial because many have deemed this series as being antithetical to the Narnia stories. I really enjoyed them (that is to say, accepted them for what they are, children’s fiction) and think you’ll just have to read for yourself and decide.

Oddly enough, the cast for the film nearly match the characters as I imagined them while reading the books, with the exception being Lord Asriel (to be played by Daniel Craig of Casino Royale). Somehow, I imagined this character as having a darker, more severe appearance, such as that of Michael Fassbender (who played Azazeal on BBC’s Hex).

I’m looking forward to the movie (out in December, I think); here’s hoping it won’t disappoint

 

New, Like a Shiny Penny.

New is good, so go to the sidebar and check out these new buttons on my page…

Reading List On this page, I’ll periodically write mini-reviews of books I’ve really enjoyed reading. Click on the link (under Pages) and check a couple out for yourself!

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Coffee Shop Reader Under here you’ll find random links of interest to me, and maybe to you too. A little funny here, a little political there…

Think About It. Okay, I’m an activist. So how can I not have a have a little somethin’ that challenges people to think about how they live their lives? That just wouldn’t be normal.

Catching Up

Hi folks, sorry for the extended absence. I’ve been feeling more introspective than usual lately, which means a lot of fast and furious scribbling in my written journal but not much on the blog. I also managed to catch a yucky cold last week, and that has slowed down the mental progress a wee bit While I go sip on some homemade chicken soup, here’s a quick recap of what’s been going on:

• During a visit to my advisor’s office a few weeks ago, we concluded that I can graduate in December!!! Woo hoo! I’m really excited and much of my attention has been absorbed with what comes next. My future prospects seem limitless, as deciding on what to do is both liberating and daunting. Being about the business of a having a career that has meaning and purpose is important to me. This begs the question, what exactly do I want? And how do I fit that into a reasonable goal? All circumstances point towards being absolutely clear on the answer and not being afraid of going after it. I predict more entries on this subject will follow.
• In my last entry I wrote about big plans for volunteering at the local hospital, but so far nothing has happened on that front. I had an interview last week Friday with the volunteer coordinator, but wrote it into my calendar as happening THIS Friday (doh!). I didn’t realize the discrepency until last Friday when I was in an airplane cruising at about 35,000+ feet above and a couple thousand miles east of Denver. Oops. Fortunately for me, the coordinator was very understanding and has re-scheduled my interview for two weeks hence. Whew.
• I’ve broken down and decided to purchase a car. I’ve been in Colorado for a little over 4 years without one, but the time has come. My schedule is so tight nowadays that the additional 4 or 5 hours I’ll save by driving to work/school a few days a week instead of riding the bus will be wonderful. This means more time at the gym, playing the cello or doing whatever else makes me happy and sane Ahhhh, sigh of soothing relief.
• A little over a week ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Stiles African-American Heritage Center in the Four Points area of Denver. It was an amazing visit, and I am eager to return and foster a closer relationship with its founder, Ms. Grace Stiles, and her community. I also made a quick tour of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library just 2 blocks away and was blown away by the rich history of the Four Points area. I regret that I’ve lived in the area for so long and have not connected with the community–and now, I’m preparing to leave it! I have the wild idea of interviewing several members of the Four Points business community and making a documentary as a testament to their acheivements and as a record of my experience there.
• Another tip of the hat goes to Denver for a wonderful spot in town called the Mercury Cafe (thanks Micah!). The decor, wine and food were awesome! I highly recommend the place to anyone who is looking for an eclectic, subdued dining atmosphere.
• Due to popular demand…well, okay, just one person’s comments (smile)…I’m working on adding a book review page to this blog. I’ve had the pleasure of reading several really good books lately, many as selections from a couple of book clubs I belong to. Stay tuned for that.

That’s it for now. I’m so happy to see the sun shining bright in Colorado again, so I’m gonna go out to get some fresh air. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Stop the Presses!

I began sorting out my paper stuff Thursday night, by separating books from magazines, articles/misc papers and mail. Since I’m determined to throw away most of it, I’ve put all of the items that could potentially get tossed into one, big plastic bin, and all of my books into 2 neat piles next to my bed. Let me tell you: TONS of open space around my desk, floor and bed suddenly appeared. Amazing. But there is sad news. Now that all the books in my room are standing alone, I see how many I’ve managed to collect in the last 2 years. It’s nearly 40 books. And for some reason, I went with mostly hard covers. Sigh. This means extra weight, and quite possibly, an extra book case, as the ones I have in storage hold all of my older books, without room for more.

Boxes. This is the second phase. My friend Mary has offered to give me the boxes from her move last weekend. That is generous of her, and I hope she has a nice big one for me to stuff most of my clothes in. That will get added to group of items that need 2 people to move them, along with my bed, dresser, desk and tall book case. I’m doing my best to keep the number of smaller boxes to a minimum.

The third phase is deciding what size truck I need. I thought of renting from U-Haul a 10’ moving van, but now I’m thinking better of it. I want to move everything over in 1 trip. So that means two book cases, one bed, one dresser, one small desk, one large clothes box, Fabien’s snowboard, and several med to small boxes with miscellaneous items inside. Oh, and my luggage. And my stereo! (Geez, I’d better make a list.) Since I need to see it to get a better idea of the space, I’m going to take a trip over to the office this weekend and check things out.

Last week I decided to not buy any new groceries and eat through what I already have so I’d cut down on the amount of food I’ll throw away next week (I hate packing food). That was a bad idea because after 2 days I got tired of Vienna sausages and chicken noodle soup. I’ve eaten out several days in a row now, and the tab (and my cholesterol) is getting high. Oh well (I still hate packing food). The bright side is that I’m moving next door to a grocery store (worthy of Wegman’s), so it’ll be no trouble stocking up the fridge next week.

Surprisingly, at this point in the process, this move seems like it will be the easiest I’ve ever had. Maybe I’m deluding myself, as executing these sorts of things is not my strong suit, and I tend to overlook the obvious. But that bit of warning aside, I really do think this will be simple…

I got it!

The call arrived last night, I have the apartment I’ve been hoping to get. BIG relief–so much relief, in fact, that I barely slept all night from being giddy over it. I was really beginning to worry that I wouldn’t have a place by the end of this month. Now on to other, smaller details such as renting a moving truck and getting boxes. I took a quick inventory of my stuff this evening, and I am pleased with how little I’ve managed to accumulate over the last couple of years. With some well-planned sorting/recycling, I should be light as a feather to unload. I tend to stick to the One-Year Rule: if I haven’t read it or worn it within the last year, it has to go. The Rule doesn’t apply to books, of course, although maybe it should. I’ve got too many of them already.