How to Read a Town

felt macarons from Little Fluff Stuff

How to read a town, how to research a city, how to figure out where to live-- it all depends on what language you're speaking.  For me, I speak walk-able, bike-able, old architecture, crafting community.  And affordable, but I'll maybe have to learn a new dialect.  Looking at a new town when you've never been to it is hard.  I have no idea what people did before the internet (guess I should ask my mom).  I'm going to share some of the tips I've figured out about judging a town's compatibility.

1. Meetup.com-  Meet-up is a good place to start.  Smaller areas probably won't have a lot of entries, but a large city should yield up a group for just about anything (Southbay Goth Meet-up, LARPers, Raw food and board games night).  Pick your keywords and see what you find.  Now, I'm not sure how wide-spread meetup is, and it may be used more by some age groups than others.  Or maybe you don't even care about age groups.  Check it out.

Knitted cowl from Nisey Knits

2. Since this is at least 40% a craft blog, I chose to do some scouting through Etsy.com. Using their Shop Local search, I found sellers from the area we're looking at.  Then, I sent a handful of friendly notes asking about the availability of craft supplies and whether there was much of a crafting community.  I got answers back almost immediately about stores to go to and offers of help once I get there.  That was probably the most positive thing that's happened so far.  I'd like to thank Little Fluff Stuff (pictured above), maukDesigns, Nisey Knits, and La Plume Ethere for helping me feel at home before it's even my home. I even got an invitation to knit with someone!

3.  Google Street View: I can never use this feature without thinking HOLY SHIT IT'S THE FUTURE.  I've used this to check out my childhood home (they cut down my damn tree!) and find bike-able roads.  Now, I can snail my way through entire neighborhoods.  Looking at things from above always make them look weird and clinical, but street view is nice. The absence of deciduous trees in California makes me sad, but using this I could see that there are plenty of leaves out there.  Through a freak occurrence, J wasn't able to rent a car for his trip, but he could use the street view maps to check out the sidewalks.


View Larger Map

4.  City-data.com- Discussions from their forum often come to the top of my searches when thinking about moving/trailing.  It's a large enough website that you can almost always find someone moving from/to where you're going.  The design leaves much to be desired, but it is chock-full of facts. You won't laugh (you might cry, looking at housing prices) but you'll get some of the big answers.  This doesn't particularly give you the feel of a place, but gives more precise information about demographics/employment/industry than any Wikipedia article.

5.  WalkScore.com lets you know how much your city respects pedestrians and cyclists, which isn't important to everyone but it is to me.  And since it's hooked into Google Maps, you also get a list of cool places, by category, near the address.  For me, if all that pops up under coffee is Starbucks, I've hit a dud.

I hope this helps someone.  When J applied for jobs in Portland, I had more of an idea of what to expect. I'd been there and its reputation preceded it.  This part of California, though, boggled my mind.  And when you're feeling boggled, it's easy to focus on the bad stuff.

How many applications?

J has finished eight applications in the past two days. He is a powerhouse.  I'm much better prepared for the future job hunt after my big job application, but helping him proofread and nit-pick on words is good practice.  I like to be a part of things, and this is more fun than scanning a dozen Google alerts for applicable job listings every day. (Anyway, I'd usually ignore the qualifications if it was in a cool city.)

We finished Game of Thrones last night, and it was so awesome at the end I cried.  Not because it was sad, but because it was the end of the book, but because the ending and what happened to one of my favorite characters was so amazing, terrifying and cool I couldn't hold it in.  And that is why I love reading.

For those of you not into reading 4,000 pages of this series, you can watch it on the TV, or on the secret internet.  The title sequence alone gives me shivers.  From a maker's perspective, this thing is intricate as fuck and so beautiful (even if it is just CGI).  It looks real enough for me.  If you are geeky enough to read an interview about the making of a title sequence, here ya go.

Game of Thrones

The first order of post-dissertation life has been to buy a copy of Game of Thrones and read to each other until I fall asleep (that's how it goes in our house).    I'd never heard of the series until the show started up.  J and I watched the first two episodes and decided with how awesome it was, we couldn't wait to get the story week by week. We needed it NOW!  If you want to read a book so bad you'll run out at 10pm on a Saturday night and buy a damn copy, it is going to be good.  You are ready for it and you obviously need it.  Sharing that kind of a compulsion with J was wonderful.

We read for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, and I'm excited to get back on the couch and get through some more. I feel like we've cheated, watching a few episodes. Now I see all the characters as the actors who play them in the show.  Luckily, I'm not familiar with many of them other than Peter Dinklage, who is fantastic. He plays (so far) the only likable person from the queen's side of the royal family of Lannister.

Tyrion, seen slapping a most obnoxious character. CLICK for  animation.

Also unexpected, the female characters are well-rounded and bad-ass.  Since I haven't read very much sci-fi/fantasy, it's easy to have low expectations of kick-ass ladies.  This series has them in abundance.  J and my favorite so far is Arya, the youngest daughter of one of the main characters (there are lots of characters).  She has a pet wolf and thinks dresses and princes are boring.  She is awesome.

from http://hes-got-bear-hands.tumblr.com/

 Ok, I will stop geeking out now.  If any readers are also into Game of Thrones (show or book) feel free to geek the fuck out in the comments. But writing even a little about this means the blog has become unbalanced in Battlestar Galactica* content.

*The only reason we aren't currently re-watching seasons 4-6 is because we started reading.  Then we can see who the final cylon is!**
**Ok, we know who it is. But it's fun to pretend!

Lazy Sunday

I made a lot of plans today, and cancelled them all. No guilt.  I finished a pillow project, and it doesn't look too bad, just a little lumpy:

This isn't exactly what I was going for when I set out for Joann.  I love to sit up and read, but I hate sliding and having to scoot back up every few minutes.  A "boyfriend" pillow would be great, but they are ugly and I don't want to buy a pillow.  Ideally, I would purchase a chaise or a fainting couch (one day, oh one day.)

My friend Anca helped me sketch out the pattern, since I can't seem to think twice about something before cutting a big gash in it. Lo and behold, she took her eyes off of me and I made the inner pillow larger than the fabric for the case.  I pretended I did it on purpose so I could make little ribbon ties.

Detail on ribbon

I'm also not sure where I will put this, since our bedspread is red.  All that matters is that I actually accomplished something.

Yesterday I made the Mother's Day Corsage from Holidash.com.  I took a tip from the comments to felt the petals into shape INSTEAD of using glue.  The tutorial said that the gluing took a while to set, and I don't think felting really took that long.  I ended up not using any glue.  Mine did not turn out as beautiful, but I'm sure that wasn't her first try either:

Next on the list is a replica of a skirt I've had for literally 10 years.  I bought some blue cotton similar to the color above, and some lovely lining (which no one will see).  I'll try sketching out the pattern today, but probably won't have much time during the week to work on it.  Spring Break is coming up, which shouldn't mean much to a working stiff like me, but my workplace is CLOSING for a few days for maintenance.  Once more, the freest of all free time.  And warm, too.

Bonus lazy pics:

She's just yawning.

Tiny dill pickle!

Designer Imposters

Remember Designer Imposters perfume? I was a big fan of whatever they called their version of Love's Baby Soft, probably called Infant Bliss.  I'm still not sure why women thought smelling like small children who couldn't yet wipe themselves was sexy. 

I'm feeling a little guilty about my latest sewing breakthrough: I re-created Kara-line's Louisa, after months of stalling.  I've still got to attach the sleeves, but that shouldn't be bad.  I took apart the muslin I'd been working on in my sewing classes (I stopped going on October) and spent 6 hours today cutting it out and putting it together (yay for vacation days!)  Here's the pics:

J left for the day and I covered the house in sewing crap.
Don't let anyone lie to you-- sewing requires space or you'll go crazy.

Dress almost done

Done!

I still feel bad about re-making someone else's dress, but it was a really good way to get into sewing. Plus, I want to wear this dress 5 days a week, and there's no way I could afford that many Portland-made dresses.  It's ok if you're not selling it, right?  If you like the Louisa dress, go check out the Kara-line website.  The dresses ain't cheap, but you fill out a little survey of what you like about your body and your favorite colors and stuff, and they'll send you a BOX OF DRESSES to choose from.  You have three days to prance around in front of mirrors and pick the one that suits you best.  I praise the designer.

Tomorrow I'll finish up the sleeves, and then to Joann for more fabric. I will make another one.  By the time it's warm enough to wear little dresses, I'll be so fuckin' cute you can't look straight at me.

Snow Day #2

6 inches of snow? NO ONE driving on our road.

Too many projects going on, nothing getting done.

I went with friends to work out on Monday afternoon, and received a call that the whole university would be closed on Tuesday.  Magic.  Then I received a call on Tuesday for the Wednesday closing. More magic.  I have spent these two snow days (not ice days, fortunately) working on a puzzle and doing some light housework.

First puzzle since I was a kid. Strangely satisfying.

I told myself I'd spend these days (if they happened) doing really productive things, like starting on the next sewing project (large floor pillow).  Nope.  The snow is really nice, power isn't going out from the very light ice and we've got enough good food to keep us happy.  It's good getting to spend this much time with J.  Some free time is good for him.  So far, he's made a batch of kombucha, biscuits and yogurt.  And not once talked about work.  He seems relaxed, and even started working on his food blog!

On Monday I got an email from Heidi at Hands Occupied asking if I might write some guest posts while she moves with her (future) husband in the summer. I am thrilled.  We've got some things in common in the "trailing spouse" department, so I'm really glad to be her sounding board, and vice versa, about identity/marriage/moving issues.  However, she'll be very likely taking that step before me.

Heidi's fiance is an excellent craft helper with their ribbon wall.

[UPDATE: we are closed for Thursday, too. As an adult, I don't think I can ever hope for such luck again.]

Photo by Chris Clanton

J. finds an outlet!

Cardamom-apple pancakes with rosewater syrup

Last month, J. and our good neighbor Tuna (also a grad student) decided to have food and movie nights with friends, where they competed with their culinary skills on a specific theme or food.   They want to do a blog, too, where they post pictures of the food and review the movies.  Last week (the second event) was a bread contest, and we watched The Holy Mountain (1973).  The bread (a simple whole wheat boule from J. and a rococo pesto loaf from Tuna) was absolutely delicious.  And the movie didn't make anyone run screaming from the room.  Though it's really just a snacks sort of event, everyone who has come has brought a dish, so it turns into a stone soup/Jesus and the loaves kind of thing.  So nice!

Pesto bread in foreground, J's boule to the left, gulab at the top, and a green bean dish by a Turkish friend that tastes very much like you'd get it in the South!

Other than futzing with his bike, this is J's only organized activity.  And as much as I complain about having to forcibly eject him from the house to go work sometimes, he really needs something that has nothing to do with work.  Both he and Tuna are haggard grad students, so they have that bond as well as friendship.  Though they call it a competition, there's nothing like that going on.  No stress, no winners, no rules.  Just food and good times.

Gulab jamun- fried dough in syrup, from India

I made a batch of galub jamun from a packet, and made the syrup myself.  The dough was not the tastiest part about the dish, but I think the syrup turned out well.  So well, we used the leftovers the next day to pour on our pancakes (highly recommended recipe).

On a whim Monday, I checked the academic and public libraries for the towns J's applied in, and actually found some openings.  They weren't ideal, but I am confident that I can eventually turn a part time job into full-time once I prove myself. Economy be damned!*  To show I was being super positive (I'm still making up for my attitude from the past) I sent J an email with the links.  His response was that he wasn't feeling very positive about his current applications because no one was responding to his last email.  It's the beginning of the semester, so I think it's just people being busy.  I hated to hear him sounding sad, and I really didn't mean to exacerbate that with my email.  He's one of the most responsible, level-headed people I know, so sometimes it's hard to remember that he's feeling uncertain and scared, too.

*Please don't ruin my delusions.

Sad day

I tried to get a good head start back to work. We made a soup from our new raw cookbook, but it made my stomach feel bad, and I got to bed late and couldn't sleep well (J. came to bed at god knows what time, and woke me up as usual).  Still, I got up, ate breakfast and got to work my usual 10 minutes early.  It only took about 30 minutes for my boss to be genuinely mean to me.  I guess since I'm writing a blog post you can tell that kind of behavior doesn't inspire me to be my most productive.

This semester's goals are to make a handbook for my job, so the next person doesn't have to waste time muddling through the little dumb details that slowed me down.  My boss knows I'm making a handbook, and of course didn't tell me she thought it was a good job.  I have a very spare handbook that I started with, that she recently told me wasn't even updated before I started all these years ago.  Awesome!  Other goals are to further clean up old files and take a good look at our training materials.  Things get outdated so fast.

My boss starting the year with anger and impatience reminded me that my imminent escape is really tenuous right now.  We still don't know if J's advisor has written any letters, or why exactly he's been held up.  I'm trying to push my anger into sadness, because I'm gonna have a pity party anyway and my sad is more responsible than my angry.  I haven't really gotten down about J's rejections, but if he doesn't get a job because of things he couldn't help that weren't his fault, I'll have trouble redirecting my anger.  I know that my anger can't do anything but makes things worse, so this is hard.  I can't imagine what it's like for him, since he is so much more emotionally reserved than me.   I wonder if he needs a hobby that has nothing to do with his work to give him some added joy/success right now.  I think Osmos is the only thing he'll geek out on right now:

Windy day, stayed indoors.

For the first time on this glorious 4-day holiday, we got up before 10am, which gave us time to watch an episode of Fringe (our new obsession) and me a whole lotta day to do crafts.  Here's my workspace:

My workspace/dining room table.

I started off wanting to visualize my idea for fabric sculpture: specifically, a fake terrarium.  A friend and I tried our hands at mini moss gardens, but couldn't keep them alive.  I decided to make one that wouldn't die.  Unfortunately, I think my moss (green velvet) is too dark.  Looks a bit drab.

My wire-sculpture skills suck, so I thought I'd try my almost non-existent soldering expertise.  Did you know that soldering is not the same as welding, no matter how much you try?  I ended up with little bits of wire with what looked like garden bells on the ends.  Very industrial Dr. Seuss (see last two pics).  Verdict: they'll make a good addition to more abstract pieces, and I didn't burn myself on my iron.

After inhaling traces of metal, I tried to make some tiny flowers from fabric, but for some reason I had chosen felt.  As soon as I tried to cut the small 4-petal flowers, everything was fraying.  So, I painted the uncut pieces lightly with Modge Podge to see if that would toughen them enough to keep together.  Still haven't checked on that project.

An old favorite: frightened broccoli. Next to that are some sweet pea tendrils and a little snake.

I'd made a pea pod ornament before, so I took it to the next level: super tiny.  The picture below shows them at about 5X actual size. Each pea is about 1/3 the size of a black peppercorn.  The flowers you can sort of see are attached to small dressmaker's pins.  I'm not so proud of those.

Pea pods

I tried working with the felt some more, sewing little flowers together (look like pansies maybe?) and tried to make sweet pea blossoms from clay.  Those are hard!  I found some solutions to making the stems by wrapping thread around the wire, french staircase-style.  Takes a while, but I think it will work.

Good thing to know: baking Sculpey at 275F will not cause bits of thread to combust in your oven.  Success!

The first of my earnest xmas crafts.  Fabric terrariums.  I knew I'd use those miniature stags I just HAD TO HAVE one day!

I think this one is for my sister-in-law.  I think she likes stags, definitely silver, looks creepy/pretty. Perfect!  I tried to stain the inside of the jar a lightish transparent blue, but I don't know if it will work in the long run.  Originally, there was a tiny turtle in place of the stag.  Why did I change it?  I must have gotten distracted, knocked off the tiny turtle, and remembered buying a packet of tiny deer at a yard sale.  It always feels great when you find a use for something you were pretty sure would be useless.

My rustic/rusty windowsill

Next, I'll see how I will arrange the pea pods.  I may go find some pretty twigs and make a bean bower, like in a garden, and attach the pods to wires, scatter lone peas on the ground.  Have I found my calling?

[Update: I gave the dog a bath.  I bet you were wondering.]

Things I Make: An Introduction

tiny robots

bird eggs of Arkansas bracelet

shrinky-dink necklace for SARPA fundraiser

birthday decorations for a friend

KISS angel

cherry hat

Orbiting, but not paying attention

The excitement of the possible appication has worn off, as it has not been turned in yet. The husband is waiting on a publication, but his drag-ass adviser won't finish his end of the work.  It's always just over the rise, but now I'm not excited. A bit apathetic.

I did finally get it through my head that his job isn't dependent on the academic calendar as postdocs don't generally teach. So I don't have to get nervous that as the end of the semester approaches, it puts us back another semester. I'm still trying to rid my mind of the idea that we'll be gone by next semester. That's just foolishness.

I also got to stop fretting about how I never see any listings for postdocs in his specific field. I set up google alerts a year ago, and get several emails a day to sift through for the keywords I know. There are fields I have learned to hate, from the overabundance of jobs available. One day I will meet one of these scientists, and I will have to remind myself not to pinch them.  It's not their fault ________ is totally hot right now!

So, he's pretty sure that the job he'll find (the good one) will result from letters sent directly to people working in his field. And he hasn't done that yet because he's waiting until after his latest paper is published. I want to poke people, make this thing move along.  His adviser also went to Large Fancy College a week ago and talked to some potential bosses.  Weee!

The latest ohmygod thing that's happened in our house is our landlord giving us the tactless news that he's thinking about letting someone else live in our house. Yup, we're renters. It's not a "I hate you! You painted the bathroom blue! I want new tenants!" situation.  It's not even something he's sure of. But it lit a fire under our asses and we want to know where we are.  I'd hate to have to make a move in town, then immediately out of town. It's a ways off, and hopefully we'll be gone by then, but we had a few days of SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT.  The husband did see the silver lining: maybe he can use this to make his adviser move faster.

So far, not really happening.

In my own news, I have fallen off the yoga/sewing bandwagon. I feel pretty ashamed of myself for getting all hyped about sewing (my new future career!) and then quitting. I haven't quit, I just haven't had the time/space to do anything. And I think I need to take some time off from my lessons and do some independent study (saves money, too).  Now is the time of year to concentrate on a different craft: Halloween costumes. I've started mine, and it will take a while. As usual, I've offered to help everyone else with theirs.  It's my only real talent, not one that will help me in the wild, but makes me feel pretty good.  I wish I could post pictures!

The job is the same, but I'm doing a little better at standing up for myself.  I've had lots of opportunities to prove myself to be a good boss/supervisor, and some to prove I'm still a little immature.  I'm working on a manual of how to do my job, since the few procedures I inheirited aren't very fleshed out.  It's hilariously conversational, and I hope my successor actually gets it.  I wish I could leave a little "hang in there!" note. 

I've made friends with two other ladies that are in a similar position, marriage/career-wise, so it's good to see I"m not alone.  It's hard to talk about this stuff with people who aren't there (thus the blog, and my failing quest to find other like-minded bloggers) so being able to bounce ideas off of these ladies is so helpful. I'm not being pitied or misunderstood, and they don't look at me like I'm a whiner. At least not yet.  And even if it sounds terrible to say it's good to see people who are having the same problems, it is. It's good to know you're not alone, and to see how people are handling life.  Hopefully we'll all have something to teach each other.

Not trailing yet, and leading quite successfully

The start of the semester is always a terribly stressful time for me.  Most of my employees are students, some of them just coming out of high school, for some their first time job.  It's difficult juggling their school schedules against my schedule of stuff that needs to get done.  So, I've been basically working 2 jobs for the past two weeks, what I do and what they'll be able to do once they're properly trained. They're all currently in the baby bird stage, needing constant supervision and info.  And that's good. If they aren't asking questions, they're probably coasting.  No coasters so far, but damn, I am tired.

On the job front, the spouse is waiting for one job to get funding so he can officially apply, and he also got an email directly from someone associated with another postdoc telling him he should apply. In the second job, it's someone who is currently working with one of the spouse's previous colleagues, who recommended him.  Nice! But that person isn't the PI, so it may not do anything. And the spouse isn't sure the job has anything to do with his skill set. None-the-less, it's nice to be thought of!

I'm antsy of course, as fall approaches and he doesn't have any applications in, even though he's telling people he hopes to be gone by the new year.  I'm distracting myself spectacularly.  The sewing is going nicely, and I've started doing a little yoga in the mornings.  I wish I could post pictures of stuff I'm making, but that would kill my anonymity. So prepare to be eternally tantalized!  I think this is going to be a great fall.

Current Status: OK

I started a sewing class on Monday, so I am officially on my way to learning a skill that will make me useful and perhaps someday be a job/creativity outlet.  And since tailors exist everywhere, I can easily carry this on my back to Whereverland.

The spouse seems pretty happy right now, and not as stressed.  Getting that application in definitely gave him some renewed confidence.  He gets down this time of year because his advisor goes on a long vacation, and he often feels like he can't move forward as fast as he'd like. 

On the depression/anxiety front, I've decided to increase my dosage (doc says it's alright). This is good, since I hurt my knee and can't go running.  I don't know how long that will last, but after only a few days my body issues (which are rare) have come back.  I don't think about that stuff when I can go out a few times a week and run around.  But I feel really even, and I asked the spouse if he'd noticed any change in my temperment, and said I'd been really even.  Maybe it's the medication, or maybe it's my attempts at productivity/meaning.  I'm not going to test either one, but just be happy about it.

A friend is taking the GRE in 6 weeks, and I've decided to join her for that.  I don't have any plans for grad school currently, but it would be a good thing to get out of the way, and an accomplishment that could help my self-esteem.

Being selfish is helping me.  I'm filling my space and trying not to say "I'm sorry" so much.

Sad little links

Most of the blogs and articles written about my situation are about two-career spouses or one-income households.  We're neither!  But every thing I find that might shed light into this life change, I'll post here.  I'll also keep these articles linked in the sidebar.

Moving Cross-Country for Spouse's Job - Any Regrets?

How to find a job in Switzerland - Advice from a trailing spouse (we aren't going to Switzerland, but anything helps)

Supporting a Spouse or Partner who has moved for your career

And this article, "Should you move for love?" is in most ways ridiculous, but brings up something that makes me feel good:

How will you like your new location?- Whether married or single, this is a big question that many women don’t spend enough time considering. They learn all about their man’s new job, they learn about schools for the kids, but they never take a look at how they will like their new location. This is a big reasons why so many women are ready to pack their bags a year or two after a move. Whether it is landing your dream job, taking classes or joining a social group, you need to have a plan for how you will adjust once the moving dust has settled. If the area that you are considering does not seem to offer any of the things that will make you happy, then you either need to look harder or reconsider moving before you agree to go.

What I've been trying to do with my journaling, classes and new friends is ground myself, in a place where I'm already quite grounded. But as these things are new*, I'm preparing myself to do it again, for real**, in a new and unexplored place.

*I used to journal like crazy, but stopped when I met my to-be husband and my life settled down from the crazy paliatives of my early 20s. Made for interesting writing, though.

**I don't mean my new friends aren't made in earnest, but when I move, I can't just be lazy and rely on who I already know. I won't know anyone.  I made these friends because I genuinely enjoy their company and am glad I know them.  I may have to hang with people who I don't really line up with, until I can make some connections.

Ways to get by

don't want to use this blog as a platform to complain about my job, but dang. [redacted].  Instead, I will use this negative to come up with the first item on my list of Ways I Get By.

1) People being unreasonable at work?   Call them out on it. Nicely. When they say something that doesn't make sense? Ask questions until they realize they are acting loony and emotional and stop the bad behavior.  This worked today, and I felt pretty proud of myself.  The hope of moving on has given me some courage.

2) Throw yourself headfirst into a new hobby.  I have chosen sewing, and am going to start a class on Monday.  I know people in the local fashion world, so I've called on them for advice.

3) Make new friends.  I've made two new friends in the past 6 months that I hang out with at least once a week. Once a week means a lot to me, because everyone is so busy these days. I felt apathetic about meeting new people during my "We're just going to move as soon as something good happens so why even try waaaaaah" phase.  This didn't help things. 

4) Relax. I am not really good at this, but I'm making a point of being selfish and sitting on the couch to read while the spouse does house things.  I used to think if I sat down, not as much would get done, but now I don't care as much.  If I relax, I'm happier.  If I'm happier, I don't feel like I have to have an iron fist around the house.

5) Remember that the spouse is amazing and you love him/her.  Being sweet to someone makes you feel good.  And then they're sweet back.  And then you remember that though life seems like a huge stressor, at the middle of it all (well, from your perspective) is you and him.

6) Exercise.  Yeah, that sucks right now, but you know you always feel better when it's done. But yeah, lots of suckage.

Flowers help, also penpals, walks with no purpose and beers.

Beers!/Cheers!


(There's no read video, but good song)

Getting myself all excited

Did you know that in England, fanny and bum do not mean the same thing?  Not that I say either of those things, but it's just blowing my mind how many language differences exist between Americans and Brits. I shouldn't be reading this stuff instead of working, but daydreaming about moving to another country is so much better than my boring job in a basement. Especially on a day when it is raining.

But maybe I'll just have a boring job in a basement in rainy England?

Or maybe I'll be stuck here indefinitely.  It's a doldrums day.

I did make some resolutions last night, of the mid-year variety. One is to start journaling again (in a real journal), to write a few entries here per week, run more, and learn to sew.  I'm going to the fabric store after work today and I'm going to find an easy pattern and just throw myself in. I need something pretty to wear to make me feel good.  That works sometimes.