So I'm in Syracuse. The apartment is cute and very cozy. I'm really happy with the area we're living in. It's typical suburbia, and we live right on the main street, so we're within a few minutes walk or drive of pretty much anything we'd need. It's safe and pretty and right near the bus stop.

I ventured out on my own this morning for the first time since I got here. Took the bus to campus to do some work in the library and steal the school's internet until we get roadrunner set up at the apartment. The bus was an experience. I was sitting between two "exceptional" women who were engaged in a dually one-sided argument about religion. The one across from me kept spouting off information about different types of churches, insisting that the word "catholic" means "church of god" (which it doesn't) and that the word "pentecost" means "restraining the cost or pent the cost, the price, the cost....." Now, she was going on quite contentedly without any outside interaction, occasionally falling silent and then starting up again when she felt like it (or whenever we passed a church). The woman to my left, however, decided that all of this was directed at her, and she felt compelled to respond. Her responses did not match the other woman's conversation, though. She spent a lot of the bus ride reciting the same prayer over and over in a language I did not recognize. Occasionally she would utter a line of the Hail Mary or insist that she prays in her own home. Finally she got fed up with the other woman's list of awkward church-related information and started complaining that the catholic church allows impostors, that not all priests are priests and they're ruining "us", the jews, the catholics, at which point the woman in front of me started nodding in agreement. At long last the woman to my left exclaimed, "I have to get off this bus!" and walked out at the next stop.

Welcome to Eldyrwo - I mean, Syracuse.

This past week has been busy, catching up with friends and family in NY. Tomorrow morning we pick up the Uhaul and trek down to Jersey to collect my belongings and schlep them upstate. There are moments when I feel the weight of this change, but ultimately I don't think it has hit me yet.

This week has been interesting, if not as productive as I would have like. ( How LJ Saved My Thesis )

Aside from general budgeting woes, things are mostly falling into place. Now I need to fill out my FAFSA and hope to god I qualify for the loan I swore I wouldn't have to take. Stipend my @$$.

So the new apartment in Syracuse finally came through - I move in July 10th (or as soon after that as I can afford the Uhaul). The current apartment is 70% painted and 70% packed (read: stuff shoved in boxes and put into a garage awaiting the aforementioned, presently unaffordable Uhaul).

Attn: Dia - don't read this.

Assuming we're productive after dinner tonight, I get to head down to Maryland tomorrow and Sunday for Artemis' Turkish Master Class. I was going to crash at the beloved's mom's house Sunday night and head back here on Monday just to sign the move-out papers, but it looks like I'll be leaving Artie's a little early and heading back here on Sunday to continue packing and cleaning and so forth into Monday morning in hopes of finishing everything in time for the move-out papers.

OK - Dia, you can start reading again.

Actually, I guess there's not much more at this point. Need to figure out what to have for dinner and develop an appetite for said dinner, as it's late and all the restaurants will close soon. I'm really in the mood for expensive Italian, but my wallet does not agree with this, so a new idea must manifest. I'm off to think something up.

The move became official today. We got most of the furniture moved into the garage. Haven't moved the actual stuff yet, so our apartment is more of a wreck than usual. Tomorrow the boxes go down and I start painting the living room back to white. I have realized: I have a LOT of stuff. 13 boxes full of books alone. 2 boxes and 2 bags full of costuming. I had to actually go buy luggage so I'd have somewhere to stash my actual clothing (Target had a sale: 5 piece luggage set for $50 and it's never bad to have travelin bags).

On the bright side, I think our application for the apartment was approved. I haven't actually had the energy to call the woman back after her cryptic message that she had "good news." I'll call her in the morning.

I wish we had Lucky Charms.

-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

When you boil water for one cup of tea, you do not need to fill the entire teapot.

Thank you for your interest in the Assistant to the Director position at New York University. There were a considerable number of candidates for this position, and we have identified a candidate whose experience is more commensurate to our current business needs.

We appreciate your taking the time to apply for this position. We wish you the best of luck in your job search.

Sincerely,
FAS HR

I had a dream last night... there was a lot of craziness in that dream. Fellow dancers and robots and something about towels and cars and breaking glass.... At one point, I remember being on Long Island with my parents and Dia and there was a horrendous storm that was wrecking buildings, making it impossible to drive. We wanted to leave, but we couldn't get anywhere - the roadways were blocked, bridges and highways were twisted and mangled and destroyed, and toward the end there was something about a payphone but we were having trouble finding the correct change. I can't shake the feeling of weirdness.

Has anyone else had weird dreams this week? Care to share?

I had a really nice weekend, unwound a lot, got some quality time with the lovehead and a few other friends, and was generally feeling pretty happy until about an hour ago when my mood started to shift. A rude phone call seemed to be the catalyst but I have a feeling it was more the culmination of a bunch of worries that I've started thinking about once more.

I can feel myself starting to shut down again. My workday has been productive so far, but I'm starting to zone out and just stare at the wall or my computer screen. Now, Office Space suggests that this is common, even practical office behavior, but I know it means I'm feeling down. I have other, more productive ways of avoiding work I don't want to do.

Instead, I'm just sitting here, daydreaming about the laceweight yarn I shouldn't have bought this afternoon, and the shawl it will become.

Some of our local schools may be closing early due to the heat. This is a phenomenon I have not heard of in the past. To be honest, I'm pretty bothered by it. Here in suburbia, at least, we're caught up in a cycle of heating and cooling: the air is hotter, so many people turn on their air conditioners, which, in turn, produce heat, raising the temperature further, and causing more people to use their air conditioners more often, thus creating more heat, and so on, and so forth.

The a/c at my office is on so high I'm getting sick from shivering day in and day out but everyone argues with me when I ask them to raise the temperature just a little, or to turn on the fan instead. I try to keep our house ventilated to avoid the a/c except late at night to help us sleep, but it was so hot last night that with the a/c and the fan on, we still couldn't sleep through the night. And I feel guilty everytime I turn that thing on.

I wish more people were willing to sweat a little bit to balance this out. It's not a fix, but it would be a start. Ecological awareness is frighteningly hard to come by.

And the skin on my peach tastes vaguely reminiscent of nail polish remover.

I can't decide if I should sleep or knit. I want cereal, but we don't have any and all the stores are closed (except Quick Check, but I'm not paying $6.00 for a box of Honey Nut Cheerios).

Tomorrow I get my day at Spring Caravan. I had performances I wanted to see each day of the festival, but Sunday has the most "checks" next to it, and since I can only afford to go one day, tomorrow is it. A non-dancer friend from the area is going to accompany me for at least part of the day (which I am very looking forward to as I rarely get to see her outside of MJ), but I'm more or less determined to get there at noon and stay til close. I've got a bag of knitting projects ready to keep me entertained inbetween performances (yes, Jessikah, your cloak will be in that bag). I'm still not sure I can sit still that long, but for the sake of my empty wallet, I must.

I started Knitty's Laminaria today. At least as far as ravelry.com is concerned, I'll be the first person to try this pattern in Silky Wool. I've got the first of 3 sections completed, and it's looking good so far. I sized up the needles to match the yarn, but now I'm worrying that I won't have enough yardage. Since I've only got two balls of this now-discontinued color, I'm going to need to be creative, or give this a color-change on the last section like I did why my last lacy shawl. I'm hoping to avoid the color-change on this one, though. I want it to be a relatively simple scarf. It's supposed to be practice for tackling this in the same yarn (different color) a little later.

My life is unraveling in front of me, and I'm desperate for the change to come, but I wish I could see the new threads starting to come together. Gods, I want that job......

You need at least six hugs a day to maintain your soul's integrity, and at least nine hugs a day to better yourself.

I can't find my quill nibs. You'll have to be a nib-less famori this weekend. I'm sorry babe. *hugs* We'll get you properly quill-and-inked in the fall.

We just lost the only two viable apartments we could find. I'm really not happy right now. Wish me luck. I have about 2 weeks to find somewhere to live.

I think I need to stop going to MJ for a little while. Things there are starting to mirror too many of the issues I'm dealing with on a day to day basis. Larp is supposed to be an escape. But the more Ayela's problems and frustrations become a reflection of my own, the harder it is to leave her baggage at the game site.

Without spoiling any plot (although anyone for whom this is relevant probably knows everything I'm about to type:)

The forest there is corrupted (read - environmental destruction, global warming, deforestation, pollution)

The people who corrupted it think they were doing something for the "greater good" (read - technology and other environmental policies that are responsible for most of said issues were for the betterment of society)

The unbalanced natural forces are starting to fight back, taking society down with them (has anyone read a newspaper recently? Tornados, monsoons, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.?)

The people in power are more concerned with waging a war over territory than they are with actually fixing the environment (does that one really need to be stated in an OOG way????)

Those of us who actually care more about getting nature back in balance can only do a little at a time, we are fixing things much slower than they are being corrupted (again, obvious enough for you?)

The ACTUAL situations don't correspond at all, but the issues underlying them, the issues that are frustrating Ayela, are the same sentiments that piss me off on a regular basis. I don't like my larp stress being my real stress. It gives me knots in my stomach that a weekend away is supposed to relieve.

Edited to Add:
I was complaining to tearmycastldown about the above frustration, and this was her response:

"Poor Ayela. Sojourned and silent. Someone give that woman a bull horn and a cookie! For The Trees!"

Dia, I love you.

Seal molests penguin.

Wow..... just, wow.

Recap:
Thesis: 7,478,536
Raven: 0.2
Yarn store: 123,496
Raven's friends: 2
Youtube: 1