Spring Cleaning

I am a cleaner. I love to clean because I like the process and the finished product. In the Spring, the desire to purge also comes into play. I've gone through my books and other entertainment to ensure that I don't have repeats or anything that's no longer of interest to me. I go through my clothes every season, so that I'm not so worried out.

However, in this house, I have more than my own things. My former roommate (2 ago) has just taken the last of his things from the house, though the garage still has quite a lot. And it's made me want to clean more of it out. The problem when it's not all yours is that you can't just be rid of it. Consensus and process has to be observed.

I've moved several times as an adult, and each time I've moved I've done a very strict inventory of my things. In a year, I'll move again and I'll be moving out of the house I've been in the longest and that is the largest, so I have the most stuff I've ever had. I'm starting to prepare now. For example, most of my photos which sit in boxes are getting digitally scanned and disposed of. They're just sitting in boxes anyway, but this way they're stored and I don't need space for them. Document which I no longer need originals of are getting similar treatment. Slowly yet surely, I'm clearing out things I no longer want or need, or don't want to take into the next iteration of my life. This should make it easier to move next summer. And it fulfills my need to clean and organize.

The Sad State of Progress

In addition to spending a great deal of time at Disneyland in my childhood, my family also visited Knotts' Berry Farm. I distinctly remember one such visit when my father and I went alone (I think my sister was still very small). Specifically, we rode the Soap Box Racers more than once. Dad used the ride to demonstrate how weight distribution can influence speed when going around corners. The lesson has never left me. Also, it helped that we won every race.

Tonight, while avoiding writing a research paper, I did a little research on the current rides and status of Knotts'. Most of the history I was already familiar with, but I was heartbroken to realize that the Soap Box Racers were removed in the late 90's and replaced with yet another roller coaster that is nearly identical to several others.

So sad. Completely heartbroken. When Disney replaced the traditional submarines with a Finding Nemo ride, at least the subs are still there - you can point to them and say what they once were. But the Soap Box Racers are just gone. This is what happens when something owned by a family for decades is moved into corporate hands. All the soul has been leaked out in the name of money, which is exactly why the Knotts family didn't sell to Disney. Makes me sad to see.

However, we shall never forget that Walter Knotts invented the term boysenberry to name and market the hybrids of his friend, Boysen. Knotts and his family ran a road side berry and jam stand way back at the beginning and our modern knowledge and use of boysenberries is the result of his developing and marketing. In the summer, Knotts' Berry Farm still does boysenberry pie eating contests.

Why can't I adsorb information on Seljuq Empire as easily?

The Evening Tea

Surprise surprise, I have more Calculus to do. It never ends.

To make my evening more enjoyable while doing trigonometric integrals, I made myself a nice tea. Isn't it pretty? The teapot is my new one while the milk and sugar are from my guest set (the one I use when I have a ton of people over because it holds a ton of tea). The cup and saucer are a beautiful china set I got when I toured Canada with the All State Choir my senior year of high school - it's marked with the British Columbia Tartan. Finally, the macaroons are from my birthday - they're such high quality that they're still good months later. They're so rich I've been eating them slowly. For the record, I got them from Isaac (along with a bottle of ice wine) and they come from the Macaron Cafe in NYC. Utterly decadent.

That said, back to Calculus!

Family Ties

I have a gigantic family. Part of this is because my parents took a lot of effort to make sure that we actually knew our family, so none of it gets lost. This, plus large birthrates in my grandparents' generation, has produced a large family that spreads across the nation, though manages to miss out on the north east.

When I was young, I got to see what I call the "southern family" about once a year at the family reunion, which was centered around my great-grandfather's (Pap-Pap) birthday. Considering the distance from California to Alabama, this was quite a journey and always a treat. I had three cousins in particular who were right around my age and with whom I spent those trips. When I think of that part of my family, those are the first people I think of.

During the course of life happening, we went less and less. Pap-Pap died, as old men do, and our driving need to go to spend time with him fell off. My time got busy in high school and I didn't go all the time. My parents worked and couldn't always take the time off. Years went by.

Faceboook turned out to be a beautiful thing for my connection with my southern family and I reacquainted with those special cousins through that. The girls both have children, which I remembered my mom telling me about (she's the keeper of information in our family) but whom I'd never seen. And by lucky happenstance, one of those cousins lives in Va Beach and I've had a chance to meet her husband and beautiful little girl. The other two live in Gainesville and I'm hoping to see them when we visit. It will have been about 15 years since I last saw them.

Tonight, my cousin and her little girl in Va Beach were hit by drunk driver. Of course, I heard this from my mother. My cousins are alright - the mom came out of her car fighting mad, like any mother would. What amazed me is my own reaction. My heart stopped while I was reading mom's note until I got to the line "they're both alright". Logically, if someone had really happened, my mom would have called, so I didn't have much to fear, but there was that moment.

I've seen them twice and before that it had been nearly 15 years. I guess some family ties never fade.

OH! And....

While I was down in Va Beach for Spring Break, I got to visit Williamsburg with Angel. I've never been and MUST go again, especially to do a run of historical Williamsburg. But we had lunch at the Old Chickahominy House, where the food is made fresh and mouth-watering delicious. It also had a really cute little store attached, which I always love.

For those who don't know Angel, she is a very generous woman. So in addition to taking me to Williamsburg and treating me to lunch, she got me two wonderful gifts. One is a teal blue wrap that I am wearing as we speak. The other is the most recent addition to my favorite thing to collect - teapots.

Isn't it fabulous? The picture isn't great because I don't have an actual camera yet, but my phone did an alright job. The flowers on the side are etched in a light green and the blue at the bottom is a rabbit. The pattern continues on the other side. I LOVE it! I think I'm going to try to find some blue or green teacups to go with it at some point.

Thank you, Angel!

The Strain of Today

So March can be summed up with the following: Flu, Midterms, Flu, Spring Break, SNOW??

Today, however, was a doozy. I have been in a panic since when I got home from break yesterday, my computer was doing a mean impression of a paperweight, but failing to do anything else...and I had a draft research paper due today. Not to mention a Calc Quiz due tomorrow. So that sets the tone for the day.

Got up early, made hair pretty (thanks, Aunt T, for all the advice!) and got out the door early enough to go to the cobbler to turn in leather boots from the winter that need some love. My heart broke to discover that my cobbler has gone out of business! I adored him and now I need to find another one. Very sad.

Work went well. I was booked the entire time I was there, which makes it go quickly, and one of the sessions was with a fellow Psych student who needed help with a lit review, so Jody (the director) assigned her to me specifically. I'm happy to be getting a good rep!

Checking in with the HC, I discovered that the bookstore messed up my book credit and told me the wrong amount at the beginning of the semester and thus I now owe them a ridiculous amount of money. I'm furious and the HC director is understanding of my fury. I'll go see them tomorrow to see what we can work out. FURIOUS.

However, a reprieve - In class I discovered that the draft was moved from today to next Monday. Happiness ensued. I can write it over the weekend and focus on my calc test that is coming up on Thursday. Oh happy day! I followed this with a wonderful discussion with my professor on a topic change (as well as discussing historical religious fiction such as The Red Tent and Mother of Believers) and she asked me to focus on a topic that she thinks I could shed a lot of light on even though it's not really covered in class. I'm thrilled.

A quick hustle off to Macy's to spend my gift card on the pair of shoes I've been coveting only to discover that the designers have gone off their heads this season and the toe box of the shoes doesn't cover the toe cleavage (tops of the toes). Now, I have previously railed against unnecessary toe cleavage in my livejournal. While I can accept it in casual shoes, such as flat, I find it rather horrid in heels, especially to the level that it was in this case. Nine West, Anne Klein...all of them! The shoes I really want, of course, are at White House Black Market, but I can't justify the expense. So I'm going to fume over this for awhile until I come to a solution.

Finally, to Best Buy in the hopes that the death of my Lappy is a a result of a faulty power source. They are ridiculously expensive, it turns out, but this entry is proof that the problem was indeed a power issue. I suppose I can be comforted to know that $80 is better than buying a new laptop.

Evidence of Spring

Walking to my car this afternoon, I heard the dulcet tones of geese doing their mating ritual.

Good heavens they're loud!

Our campus acts as a preserve as well as a campus, so for the second time in my life I share an area with animals who are highly irritating, if not kinda adorable in their innate biological demand to mate. Previously, I was stationed at Ft. Meade, along with a wetland preserve. Wetlands are beautiful...and loud. Especially in spring.

We had rain instead of snow. Twice now I've gotten a whiff of the wet and green newness that signals the earth awakening from its' sleep. It has me very excited. I can't garden since I won't be here to enjoy it, but I may plant in pots some.

I love spring. It's a time of rebirth. Winter kills off and wipes away the past and allows for new growth. Transition seasons are my favorite. As much as I enjoy the heat of summer and even the stark, cold beauty of winter, spring and autumn are the seasons that stir my heart. One of the few things I will miss about living in the northeast is the changing of the leaves. I am determined this year to take pictures. I'll bring them with me.