Monday Morning

I think there's a song about Monday mornings... Anyway, I spent the weekend working on RA work and at the mansion. I am happy to say that I got a lot done, but I had hoped to get even more done. This week's crazy. Two presentations, two-three papers, a birthday that I'll be spending at home, ack! Life's busy busy, that's for sure!

Well, I should get going. I've got a couple of stops on campus before sitting down to write.

Hugs!
Christi and Lily (second breakfast)

Backpacks

Marquette had a display yesterday that really hit home. They had backpacks laid on the grass in between LaLum and the library. On the outer edge there were stories of people who had committed suicide while a teenager/college student. 1,100 College students do this every year. One really hit home, about a girl who blames herself for not seeing the signs. Every day she lives with that regret. So I'm glad that our story has a happy ending. No matter what, always listen.

The Bucks won a nail-biting game last night. Did you know that they were in the playoffs? Pretty cool.

Well, lots to do. Hugs!
Christi and Lily (Second Breakfast time!)

Not enough Hours

There just aren't enough hours in the day to get done everything I need to. Argh! I try to spend an hour on me every morning. I'd hate to have to cut that out. I usually get my Wii-ing, e-mails, online sales, and the like finished. A good note is that I only have 12 days of coursework left. And no job after that. Ack!

Well, like I said, lots to do and not enough hours!
Hugs, Christi and Lily (bathing on the couch)

life remains...

...crazy busy. Would've written earlier, but I've been busy. Lots of RA work, homework, school work, and trying to find work. Sigh. Life is supposed to slow down sometime soon!

I wish I could win the lottery so I could pay off all my debt. That would be nice.

More work today, this time a the Mansion. Haven't been there in a while, so I'm looking forward to it.

Well, I should get moving. Hugs!
Christi and Lily :)

Thursday

A good time today. I got to see my Mom, who was in town for to check out what her transfer job might be like. She bought a bucket of dirt to try it out in her container gardening. LOL. She brought me a couple of size-smaller jeans. One pair actually FITS! Yay. Another old pair of mine, my "skinny jeans" are also close to fitting. I can't believe I can get them on at all. YAY!

Lots to do. RA work, group work project, 30 page paper work, housework, roommate/housing search, job search, etc. Sigh. I want to take a nap.

oh, and my paper was 26+ pages when I turned it in yesterday!!
Christi and Lily (happy because Moogie brought her kitty grass)

Why am I here again?

I think its about that time in the semester when I question my decision to go to grad school... I do that every semester. It is important, because it reminds me why I'm here in the first place. To get an education and get ahead.

Had a great dream where it was last Saturday and I had days to get this paper organized, not hours. Right now, best dream ever!

Sigh, I don't know why I always do this to myself. I guess that's why they call it a "rough draft".

Hugs, Christi and Lily (who used the bed for a racetrack around 5AM)

Ain't no sunshine...

Well, I mean it is bright and sunny outside. A truly beautiful day, like yesteday. Only I'm stuck inside writing my paper. Again. Yesterday I did get two job applications done, one for the State Historical Society (polished off from Friday) and one for the UWM library. I think it's going to be another very poor summer for me. Boo on that.

Well, lots to do. I've got books upon books stacked all around the cubicle so i should get to cracking some of them open again!
Hugs,
Christi (and Lily from home)

Great Saturday night

Well, I got lots done yesterday. Not everything I needed to, but lots done. Laundry, check. Dishes,check. RA work, check. A little relaxing (it is Saturday after all), check. Perfect thank-you present for Sarah, check. 30 page paper due Wednesday, TBA.

I was in kind of a crappy mood when I picked up Sarah (well, I did almost hit 3 people...stupid drivers). Thankfully she let me blow off the steam, and we headed down to Muskego for her friend's church's trivia night. Our team got 5th place (not as many Disney questions as I had hoped). But I did win some of the drawings. I rarely win ANYTHING so it was a real treat! I got a movie that I'm going to sell on Amazon because mine was the only ticket in the bag. I also got an iTunes gift card which Sarah and I will be using for Glee music. Also got two luggage tags for the trip and a bag of gummy bears (Sarah actually won them). I SHOULD have won girl scout cookies but didn't realize that it was my OTHER set of tickets that had won! Oh well, I didn't want the daisy-go-rounds anyway. I was in it for the thin mints.

Speaking of thin mints, I'm proud to say that I've now lost three inches off of my waist! Even my old super-tight tees are hanging a little baggier now! I'm hoping to be able to fit into a large-medium or medium-large sized clothes by the end of 12 weeks. Fingers crossed!

Anyway...after we finished up there (they raise $1,000 for scholarship and special events money, hooray!) we went back to Milwaukee to Ryan Braun's Waterfront bar and grill (he is a Brewer baseball player and it is brand new). It was a little fancy-schmancy for our jeans and t-shirts, but we didn't care. We didn't know either. Oh well. Had our drink and our conversation and left. I had asked St. Isadore for a close parking spot, which I totally got, but it was over the bridge. Sarah is scared of walking over the bridge. Hilarious to me though. Next time SHE can ask and put the stipulations in!

Well, what I didn't get done yesterday MUST get done today. Lily's asleep again. Now that her perch is cleaned from the Friday AM sick wake-up call, she's a happy girl again. I'm happy because I can finally move Artie the arthurium plant to THAT window and get my kitchen table back. Not that I eat on it anyway, but it is still nice to have!

Hugs, Christi and Lily...she's awake now! Must've known I was talking about her again. She's freakishly smart!

AWESOME Friday

Going to Madison is like going home. I drive down my favorite streets, eat at my favorite places, and hope that I'll randomly meet up with a Bucky. I'm always in style in my favorite jeans and a clean t-shirt, although some fashion sense is also welcome. Carrie Bradshaw would never fit in though. I get this warm, fuzzy feeling inside whenever I see the capital. Most places hold special memories. I worry - will it be this awesome should I finally be able to return?

I spent much of the day at the state historical society www.wiscosninhistory.org I didn't find much for my project that was helpful. I did get to meet the guy I had been playing e-mail tag with. He was very kind (I did drop-in unannounced, of course) and got me an application. I am going to send it in on Monday. If everything goes well, I could potentially have a part-time job in my field before I even get started. It could last up to a year. Sure, I'll be commuting to Madison every week, but for the experience and networking possibilities, I don't think I could beat it! PLEASE USPS, DON'T LOSE MY APPLICATION PARCEL (like you did my college transcripts to UWM)!

For lunch I went to Charleys, my favorite sub place on State Street and had a sub and their delicious fries. Crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside, a little bit of skin left on the ends. That's a real potato there. It's like eating a little piece of heaven. I couldn't get anyone to come to lunch with me (Zondra had to work, Michelle got a last-minute call to work too), but I ended up talking with Mom on the phone the whole time. She was driving away from Madison after finishing up her meetings.

I met Becky on the Terrace at two. We actually sat inside in the Lakefront. Great table, great view of the lake. Great conversation. Man, I miss that lady. I had to go at 4:30 to pick up the car from Don's, and she had to meet another friend. Charlie needed an oil change. Is it a bad sign that when you walk into the carman's place, he asks you right away if the check engine light is on again? LOL - last month Charlie had 3 O2 sensors put in after the original died. Apparently they aren't all alike because the first two I killed off because the voltage was wrong. Thankfully I didn't need a ride again (I had to take their truck to Milwaukee last month for my interview and I couldn't park the thing!) because I could catch the free 80 bus to campus with just a little short walk. Good thing there was a free bus, because I hadn't any cash on me anyway!

Megan kindly picked me up from the Union and drove me out to Don's. I've rarely seen a line so long at their place for car pick-ups! By then I'd hit some serious rush-hour traffic, so it took a bit to get back to their place to unload the boxes. Since we were running a little later than anticipated, Matt was able to join us for dinner. We went to Bluefies out on Monroe Street. The most interesting menu I've ever seen! We had a little wait before we could get a table, so we decided to walk to the lake a couple of blocks away to kill time. I didn't realize the Arboretum was so large because that happened to be one of the trails that we found that walks all the way around the lake! We didn't pursue it though. We were too hungry. We got back just as our table was ready and ordered. It was ALL delicious. However, because we ordered an appetizer and planned on dessert, much of the main meal went home in boxes. Dessert was delicious. I had a raspberry torte-cake, Matt a cheesecake burrito, and Megan cookie dough eggrolls. Matt's strange "Wisconsin Sushi" (bacon, sausage, and all sorts of other meats rolled to look like sushi, with mashed potatoes and beer-spinach) came up "Pork sludge" on the check. Hilarious!

My favorite gas station on E. Wash closed down. They always had the cheapest gas. That's probably why they went out of business though. Now where do I go?

I am sorry to say that I didn't get to see Sarah. We had hoped to go to the Ryan Braun (baseball player) bar. She was tired and so was I so we have a raincheck. I pretty much got home, checked my e-mail, and went to bed. But what a great day!

Lots to do, including more laundry and some paper-writing.
Hugs, Christi and Lily (who ate breakfast and went back to bed!)

To Madison!

Good freakishly early morning!

I'm trying to get as much time in in Madison today as possible. And Lily was sick. So that's why I'm up so early. Heading to Madtown today - lots to do! I've got to hit the State Historical Society. Not only do I need to get some study time in, but I also hope to meet the guy who is SUPPOSED to hire me. Why? Because I'm awesome, of course! Then I get to see my old friend Becky, who I have known since College for Kids days back when I was living in Darlington. Wow. I hope that Zondra is working today so I can bug her too. I'm dropping off boxes and eating dinner with Megan. Then I'll be back to Milwaukee to hang out with Sarah. We are hoping to go to the Ryan Braun bar tonight. A busy day in store. I hope Lily doesn't have any more illness while I'm gone. I'll be doing laundry tomorrow anyway.

Well, better get going. Hugs!
Christi and Lily (asleep on my bed, which is why she wakes me up in the first place!)

Grandpa dream

Hello,

I had this weird dream a few nights ago. We were at our next family gathering in Madison. As I walk in, I see Grandpa sitting next to Gloria. He looked pre-2007 good. Gloria was talking about how we had to do something with his eye because he could see perfectly well out of it now. Yet I knew he was already dead. And he looked at me. One of those knowing looks. Although it bothered me because I knew he was dead, it was nice to know that he was still there for us.

Ok, so I think I figured out the meaning. He IS still here for us. He's watching over us with his perfect eyes now. So we'd better behave and make him proud. Somehow, its comforting.

Lots to do in order for me to do that. Hugs!
Christi and lily (playing with all the rugs in the apartment)

Decisions decisions

Job: to give up on the librarian internship and take another job or not...
If I gave it up, I'd need to find another job. Get health insurance. Massive task.

Apartment: to give up the search and stay or move?
If I move, do I go to the East Side (roommate required, apartment search required) or Tosa (MCHS has a historic site in need of a caretaker, cheap rent v. long commute and lose weekends) I've pretty much given up on purchasing anything because I don't have the funds. With the added debt of UWM graduate school (which would be considerably less if I had the librarian internship) I will be unable to buy a home for probably about 5-10 years. And I'd love to put down some roots somewhere soon too. Unlike many others of my age, I hate my nomadic lifestyle, bouncing from apartment to apartment every couple of years. I feel like an old lady - only one cat though!

Sigh. Too much to think about right now. I'm going to campus instead. I've got RA work to do by the boatload, Monica's dissertation defense, and a 30 page paper due next week. Ack!

Hugs,
Christi and Lily

UPDATE

Oh, and I was accepted to UWM with lots of financial aid in loans. I'm never going to be able to buy a house... :(

A long reply

Hello,

I'm sorry that I have not written lately. A few things have happened since my last posting.

First, I stropped seeing Stephen from eHarmony. We only went out on three dates. He's a great guy, but not the one for me. Grandma took it hard. She wants me to be happy. Although for the present I've stopped actively looking (via eHarmony), I still hope to meet a compatible guy in the near-future.

Second, I took and passed my Masters exams February 15 and 16. It was hell getting to them. It was hell getting through them. I thought I'd have an option to pick from a list of questions for my major, but I ended up having to do all of them! That worked out to my advantage in the end. My minors were awesome because I had a huge list. I didn't know which to do first! I thought that life would slow down afterward. HAHAHA.

Third, my maternal grandfather passed away March 5. He had a stroke in January and was in the nursing home, which he hated. I wanted to see him multiple times, but exams were in my way. I did get a chance to see him after those were done, but he wasn't up for so many visitors. He seemed like half of himself. I had hoped to see him alone on March 8th, but he passed away the Friday before. I took two weeks off of school in order to spend as much time with the family as possible. I miss him.

Fourth, my NZ family came back! We went to the Kalahari, Milwaukee, Madison, and otherwise spent loads of time together. It was good to have all three of them here to be with us.

Fifth, life did not slow down. I changed my official graduation date to August in order to push off my Masters essay due date. Now I can concentrate on school. However, I'm also trying to massively increase the amount of time I'm spending on RA work, family time, friend time, and CPM time. If I can, I also want to continue going to MCHS. I'm freaking out about summer jobs, fall jobs, and fall housing. Sigh. Life just got busier while I keep falling behind.

A few things to look forward to. First, the finishing of my schoolwork in early May. After my birthday, but that can't be helped :) Second, Sharon will come back to work on getting things ready for the sale. Apparently massive amounts of coins aren't the only thing Grandpa left my family. Third, I'll get to walk in the Marquette ceremony on May 23rd. Hopefully Aunt Sharon and Gloria will be able to come. Perhaps most of the family. It would be nice to celebrate with the whole family. And it'll be nice to make Grandpa proud. I look forward to leaving a graduation announcement with him. Fourth, I'll get my Grandma's hope chest (not sure how though), which maybe will bring me some luck. At the very lease it can hold some of my most precious treasures. Fifth, Matt and Megan will hopefully be moving to their new house. Although I'm not allowed to stay for long periods of time, it's nice to know that someone in the family is putting down some SERIOUS roots. Sixth, Mom's going to have a sale of her own so we can get her packed up and moved to Madison as well. Seventh, Sarah and I are still tentatively heading to Washington, D.C. We haven't heard when the sale will be because no one has contacted an auctioneer. I'm also looking forward to turning in a shorter version (perhaps several) of my Masters essay to MCHS for publication. I think that would just be awesome. I've also been trying to lose weight, for serious this time. I want to be healthier for my own good. Seeing what Grandpa went through the last few years has really frightened me into getting more exercise and watching what I eat. I am realistic enough to know that I'll never reach my "ideal" weight, but cutting off and KEEPING off a few pounds will be helpful.

Speaking of getting more RA work done, I'd best get back to my editing duties. I'll write more often. Even if there's nothing really to say. It is important to remember the past, keep my head in the present, and always look toward the future.

Hugs, Christi and Lily (sleeping on the couch)

Working for the...new semester?

Wait, I don't think that's how that line is supposed to go!

Well, a couple things happened between December and today. First of all, a new year! Welcome 2010!

Second, I went home for a couple of days. Saw Jason's basketball game, went to see Disney's Princess and the Frog with Sarah and Mom, and watched the Badgers win the Champs Sports Bowl with Dad. It was a lot of fun, but very busy!

I worked at the Mansion on the 31st for a lovely wedding. Then Sarah from Milwaukee came over to watch movies on the BATV and enjoy the new year with me. BTW - Dick Clark looked pretty good on his Rockin' New Years Eve show!

On New Years Day Sarah and I went to the Milwaukee Art Museum. We had a great time looking at all of the unique pieces and taking lots of pictures. It was awesome.

Then the unawesome part of the day occurred. After I dropped Sarah off at home, I decided to take my tree to the basement. On the bottom three stairs one of my neighbors had left a very large puddle of laundry detergent. My feet went out from under me and I fell. I had hit my shoulder pretty hard and had sprained my ankle, so Sarah took me to the hospital just to make certain that nothing had been broken. All clear. Whew! I did get a brace for the ankle which I've been wearing pretty much ever since because it does still act up on me. It doesn't like being at a 90 degree angle for a long period of time and I still can't walk too far for long. Grr....

Work on Sunday was tons of fun. Sarah kindly came in early to help me turn on all of the lights. I didn't get much rest off of my feet because the house was hopping. It didn't help that a docent decided to take a rather large group down to our off-limits basement. I had to quickly hobble down the stairs and get them out of there before anything got broken. We just got some new antiques that were not put away yet and in the roadway. Last Wednesday I was up for a quick walk to Marquette (about 7 blocks away) but found that I need to put up the ankle and rest a bit before I could make it home. So I stopped at the Union and sat in their comfy chairs and played Oregon Trail on my iPod for about twenty minutes. Somehow all three of my children were taken away by eagles - explain that one to me?!

On Saturday the family came to town to check out the last days of the Christmas lights at my mansion. I used my free pass to get the family in and walked them around personally. My mom felt bad and made up for her lack of ticket purchasing with a trip to the gift shop. LOL. From there we went to the Cheesecake Factory.

Ok, I'm not morally opposed to the Cheesecake Factory. I just happen to know that there are a lot of great restaurants in Milwaukee so I don't understand why we keep going back there. Does my mother really have to try every salmon menu item? And I seriously don't think it was funny that for MY Christmas present they got something THEY wanted - a Cheesecake Factory meal. I feel like I was cheated. At least I should've been allowed to spend it on cheesecake. Boo. Oh well, at least I could then feel like I was helping by "paying" part of the check. We wandered around a few of the Bayshore Mall stores (I like shopping, but going there makes me feel like I'm bowing to the Gods of Commerce...a little dirty). We realized that we weren't going to make the Pabst Brewery tour, so we decided to drive down to UWM instead and take a car-tour of the campus and surrounding neighborhood.

Much of UWM was built in the 1960s and 1970s, so the architecture isn't very pretty. However, the campus is nicely situated in a green area of the city and with many interesting older homes in the surrounding areas. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to be moving out of my (detergent death trap) apartment at MU next year and up into the Eastside or if I'll just stay and commute the 20mins car / 40 mins bus. Mom wants me to stay because 1) she doesn't want to move me and 2) she doesn't want to drive any farther into Milwaukee. I explained that it wouldn't be much more difficult to get to the Upper Eastside, but she doesn't seem too excited. Hmmmm.... We hit Whole Foods before heading back down to my apartment and they left.

My second bad-ankle Sunday at work was a little easier, but still too busy to sit down for long. Too bad too, because I had a date. Yes, a date with a real live and very nice guy. We went out to coffee at a local shop and talked for almost two hours. I got tired near the end, so I headed home to put my ankle up and watch the new Chuck premiere before heading to bed.

This week I'm trying to get some work done before the school year starts. Technically I only need one class to graduate, but I've decided to take two. The other is a public history course, very similar to the oens I'll take at UWM. However, each professor teaches it differently, so it'll be interesting to see how they each see public history. In the meantime, there's lots to do around here, including studying for exams and writing up transcripts.

Until I hear about UWM, I'm in limbo. Housing, summer job, and future job all depend on if I can get in and if I can find funding to pay for it. My hopes are on a internship/job at the Public Library with city benefits...if I'm accepted to the UWM Library Sciences program. I hope my visits and phone calls to the departments will help me. As for housing, I found a foreclosure that could be a great place for me. My credit score is great and everything. Too bad my little moneys now and large school debts make me look bad to the bank. He never did call back to shoot me down personally. I think I've at least earned that courtesy. I've worked hard to earn that excellent credit score...and that mountain of student loan debt! I'll have to decide soon just how much I want to move because my landlord is going to raise the rents on my place if I don't sign a lease by the end of the month. Ack!

I've linked all recent photos to this page. Please feel free to check them out!
Hugs, Christi and Lily