sorry i fail at blogging

there just aren't enough hours in the day.

i think i've hit on a good halloween costume idea, but what do you think i should be this year?

hmm...what to do with such a lovely maine weekend...

well...it's not really my decision at all. i plan to spice it up with a quick trip to bangor at some point, but this weekend will be dominated by (drumroll...)

GRADING PAPERS!

wish me luck!

one week down, fourteen to go!

hello all,

the first week of classes went really well. i think i have a great group of students. so far they are still terrified of the college experience for the most part, so they are quiet in class and only one person in the class doesn't have perfect attendance. i have 23 students in all and yesterday i actually bought a gradebook. it's gorgeous. matt tried to convince us all to put our gradebooks in as excel spreadsheets and have the spreadsheet do the math for us as we put each grade in. that's all fine and everything, but...i want a gradebook! so. i bought one and it's blue and it has all of their names in it. (which i now know, by the way. i can identify each and every one of them. impressed?)

so - i don't have much time b/c i need to do my own readings and then some lesson planning, but i wanted to update you kids on the good times in sunny maine. by the way, it was nice and cool this week for the most part but then recently the heat wave is coming back. it's supposed to storm tonight; hopefully they will be the end of it.

alright, enjoy the pictures.

the shortcut from my apartment complex through to talmar wood (another living complex) which connects to the rangeley road which i then follow to the massive parking lot. crossing the parking lot and following another few sidewalks brings me to my neville hall. i have both my office and my class in neville. if you get an early morning call or text, i probably sent it at this point of the walk.


my desk from the center of our office.


the view from my desk. i bought this salad in the student union. you build it yourself and then pay by the weight. it's quite nice. also, the house dressing of umaine is a sort of creamy greek. who knew?


finally, the french toast i made myself today. i just thought it was a cute picture.


have a good weekend everybody! and don't forget to read for monday! :)

hello, september!

photopost!

today i was feeling outdoorsy, so i decided to walk to a local park and do some reading. it took me about twenty minutes to get there, i guess. lucky for you, it only took you a few clicks of the old keyboard!

welcome to webster park, orono, maine. the park is guarded by this awkward statue of a man with his head split open. odd. and, no, i have no idea what it means, but here he is. if you look really carefully, you can see the sun shining through his cranial divide.

after you pass the statue and the time capsule that is to be opened in 2076, you reach the real business of the park. i walked up to the river where i found this cute little bench.

sitting on the bench, i took this picture and then realized that there is a rock that is flattish and right down by the water. i think you can see it near the right of this picture. of course i had to go down there.

this is the view from down on the rock. just outside of the frame to the far left is the "portage" sign that mom liked so much.

since the rock was, indeed, flattish, i didn't have anywhere to set my bag where i wouldn't have to worry about it slowly sliding. so...i headed back up to my bench and read a bit.

is this bit of park getting popular with the critters? i could have sworn i just heard something scurrying...

at this point i moved to higher ground to a picnic table. less in the woods and less controlled by things that might scurry or make such noises.

i read at the picnic table for a while longer and then made the trek back home. it was a good few hours in the park, but my allergies are now all upset. ugh...i'm told that after the first frost i will have free reign to enjoy the outdoors without threat of allergic reactions. hmm...snowshoeing anyone?

what i've been doing lately

it's been a minute since my last update, but i've been too busy for blogtown of late. orientation stuffs kept me constantly running this week and between that and my new friends, i just don't know what to do with myself.

teacher prep went swimmingly and the instructor is really nice and very encouraging. she seems to think i will do well in the classroom and that i sound like a teacher. hopefully she is right and things will go well. i'm actually quite excited to get started.

i haven't had to buy my own food in a long time because it seems like we can go even one day without a function of some sort. TA meeting: finger foods. meet & greet for english grad students: pot luck. teacher prep class: muffins. orientation days: continental breakfast. department party: pot luck, round 2. apparently, we just like to eat together. we also like to drink together, and i hear the english department is well known for their expertise in this area. so far i am not terribly impressed, but the social lubricant aspect is much appreciated at the more awkward events.

final small note, yesterday something about my outfit was working for me and i was honked at twice. perhaps there is someone in orono that i resemble when i pull my hair back. if this is true, i would certainly like to meet this gorgeous young lady. the other option is that i really do just look that good. hmm...

NEWS!

new things in my life:

1. new adventures in the kitchen

this is a meal i made a few days ago. quite good, but as you can see below, one really is the loneliest number when you are cooking.


2. new weather

that's right, my room is hot. this will be quickly fixed when i start leaving it every day during the hottest bit. problem solved! onward and upward!

3. new tv antenna

you heard me, the antenna is here and it is finally hooked up. that means that i get this wonderful pbs in almost hd clarity! i can also now almost see nbc if i squint just the right way, and abc is the same as before. whatev, woman cannot live on television alone!

4. new hair

the change is dramatic, i know. i was actually hoping to get a gradation of red through the bangage, but i think it just turned out reddish on the blonde and brownish on the red? i have no idea, but it will work for now.

5. new experience with the soda machine
so, the other day i tried the wine we bought when i first moved in. we bought it for the label, "our daily red," and the label is undoubtedly the best part of the wine. blekh. when i passed the soda machine today, johanna sprung into my mind reminding me of the pleasures of wine and coke! dollars in hand, i eagerly approached the machine. one dollar in. nothing. i figured, bottles are usually more than a dollar. i shoved another dollar in. vending! success, i thought to myself! but no, down came a can. one can of soda. i pushed and pushed the coin return to no avail. so...later tonight i look forward to a lovely glass of wine and coke and i won't even feel bad this time b/c the coke costed almost as much as the wine! (sorry, there is no picture for this one b/c i refuse to even spend energy on that stupid can!)

out one day...

since i am making such headway on fast food nation, i decided to put the brakes on and allow myself some time out today. what does one do in orono on a day off? good question! the answer so far: you leave!

in all seriousness, there are quite a few things that i could have done today in orono, but i opted to drive a few miles to bangor to do some shopping. i was pleasantly surprised to find that though the garmin brought me safely to the mall, i knew exactly where i was and didn't need the garmin at all, really. so i packed that sucker up and continued my day free of david, or whatever the british guy's name is.

the mall is substantial but nowhere near overwhelming. i'd say about the size of patrick henry or a touch smaller. they have the basic mall fare, complete with a frighteningly dark abercrombie & fitch (what is it with all the dark wood and massive abs with the preps? clearly i don't know, i've yet to go in) and a sensory overload of a bath & body works. i did find a d. burton bookstore at which i can use my massive book award barnes & noble giftcard, (success! no shipping!) but i didn't buy anything today. i managed to limit my purchases to charlotte russe and victoria's secret and made my way to the exit.

i then stopped by target to pick up a couple of things and accidentally found myself in the designer section (oops!) where i bought another shirt and a sweater vest. both very professional as you can see above. i'm pretty sure the striped shirt will make my students' eyes do crazy things and the sweater vest will have them worried that i moonlight as a pirate. both should do wonders for my authority.

my last stop today was the orono public library. now, i know what i said yesterday about libraries and their lack of climate control, but this library was downright pleasant! first of all, the library is teeny tiny and connected to the orono public highschool which is also tiny. they have little sections divided by bookshelves that are silent and quiet, which specifies that talking quietly about homework is okay. they have all sorts of fiction and large print books on the first floor and a stairwell just big enough for one person takes you up to the world of the dewey decimal system. they have a little area for reading/writing with a couple tiny tables and two comfortable chairs for those who don't require a workspace. i sat down and read a bit of a portrait of the hamburger as a young calf. this ya gem claims that it should be read before fast food nation. if only i had known! anyway, the library closes at 5pm on mondays and wednesdays so i didn't stay long, but i will certainly be returning. i mean, i owe it to them, they proved me wrong with their circulation!

i couldn't take real pics b/c i was concerned about my street cred

alright, ladies and gents. today's post is probably one of the more random ones, but i know how you cling desperately on my every blogged word, so here you are.

today i ventured to campus. i walked what i would guess was about a mile from my apartment to the student union. with some concentrated wondering i found the bookstore, where i found a book i needed and a little bit of a surprise. observe:

see it! see it! the little taggy bit in the middle there is my class! i was so excited when i saw it that i immediately reached in my bag for my camera, but alas, a poor confused girl was searching for something so i had to pretend i was interested in a random fast food book too. she finally moved on and i quickly pulled out my camera and attempted to take a picture, only to have my memory malfunction and have to be formatted right there in the aisle! my camera has never ever done that before, but of course when i'm trying to be quick and casual. eh...whatever, i got the shot. enjoy it!

after strolling through the bookstore and reading an adorable little posterbook titled, "Goodnight, Maine!", I made my purchases and walked outside and directly to the fogler library. and, it's gorgeous. but here's the thing, no matter how fancy, libraries just cannot handle air conditioning. this library was h-o-t. so i kept moving, tried to sit in the science/engineering section but, alas, still too hot. but look at the stacks!


after leaving the library, i sat on a bench under a tree and read until i found a tiny red bug on my hand and i started feeling itchy in general. back inside for me! i decided the student union was lovely and nicely air-conditioned, so chose one of the many plush couches and established myself with fast food nation.

that's no cnu couch, am i right?

anyway, around 5:15, i decided i had read enough for that locale and attempted to walk home. since my trip to campus was not so fun, i decided to find an alternate route. well...that was interesting, as kate can tell you, but i finally did find my way out. and, after all that, i think that route is indeed preferable. i might just take that route again tomorrow...we'll see! this little dug out was the landmark that let me know that i wasn't so lost after all :)


conclusion: being a pedestrian in maine is a pretty sweet deal. and it looks like the bat might also be a viable option.

as promised

well, i won't say that my decorating is complete, but my unpacking is. i am quite pleased with how everything turned out, but there are some things that need tweaking. without further ado...


the transformation that took place in the bathroom may not be as obvious since the major pieces (crunked cabinet, sink, vanity, light) have all remained. however, the shower rod, the shower head (which was non-existant earlier), and general bathroom things were brought in to spiff the place up. also, there is a new doorknob that appropriately locks from the inside. now, back out to the kitchen.


alright, much improved, i think. i decided to decorate with a utilitarian bent since, really, i don't have room to store all these things in cabinets or my one, (count it) one, drawer. this is not the cone's final resting place, but it's currently marking the stool that might as well just be a sign that reads, "too short to live." (golden girls reference, i listened to the dvd while i worked today.)


these two pics show off my use-every-possible-surface-for-storage mentality. challenge: can you find the cutting boards?


this is my bed. surprise, i know. you can also see my solution to the lack of room for a bedside table b/c of my underbed storage drawers. to the left is one of my personal favorite perks to the room: my improvised vanity. i'm thinking about adding nails for bracelets in clusters around the top. let me know what you think.


okay, so this is a favorite too, but just wait you're going to love it in a minute. this is my reading/writing area. hot chair. nice lighting. and the capper: a rotating cabinet that houses my stationery bits around back. shown here in the rotated position, this cabinet will allow me to communicate across these united states with relative ease. if you want to see me in this position, write to me. you know the address and if you don't, just ask.


red peanut-shaped desk. i don't know what more you want me to say. it's hot. this lamp casts an oldly yellow glow if it is relied on as the only lightsource. it's this odd yellow glow under which i now sit. can you picture it? :)


continuing our leftward spiral, we come to THE BOOKSHELF. i hesitate to call it a favorite or say it's hot because i've done both at least twice already, but you know i mean them both again on this piece. i mean, just look at it. if i were a piece of furniture, i'd either be the mandal, the crazy whack chair, the peanut-shaped desk or this bookshelf. placement of books/objects is still subject to change; the books are in no particular order and you know how i feel about that. to the left of the shelf is the sequel to my vanity. this vanity is complete with scarves in the top drawer and sunglasses on a ribbon near the top shelf. and i'm not sure if you can tell, but the laminate has been tacked down with some lovely white shoe molding. challenge: can you guess which shoes i am wearing right now?


i close with this picture because i believe it gives a more accurate perspective than the pictures that i have to this point given you in which none of my "living spaces" have overlapped. in this one shot you can see the bookshelf, the kitchen, the bathroom door and my bed. you can also see that my refrigerator is naked. so, to you who have asked what you could send me, the answer is magnets. they are small, flat even, and i can't do much else with the surface of the fridge.

are you feeling optimistical about maine now? i think i am.

welcome to the neighborhood!

since i'm going to be regaling you all with stories of my life in maine, i might as well begin with a tour of my digs. i must admit, the grandeur of the place was a bit to the left of what i was expecting, but with time, all things are improved. so, sit back (but not too far from the computer) and enjoy the royal tour of my lush pad.


um...this is it. kitchen and bathroom to the left, everything else to the right. you can try to ring the doorbell, but it doesn't work. however, if you breathe at the door, i'm pretty sure i can hear you wherever i am.


kitchen cabinet. you just have to lift up a little to get them to not overlap. it's really not a big deal unless asthetics are important to you.


below and over from crunked cabinet, you can find this oddly untouched stove. measure twice, cut once, people!


this might not mean much to you, but if you step in exactly this spot and then remove your foot quickly, it kind of sounds like someone fired a gun. needless to say, this weak, awkward spot in the floor is all the security i need. :)


now for the lavatory...i mean, you can see it, right? crazy swirly weirdo sink. busted "wood" cabinet. magnified mirrored medicine cabinet with crazy (unshown) blue and white checked shelf liner. stained awkward light over head. now, here are some things you might not be able to see: the shower curtain rod has been bent and therefore can barely support its own weight, much less a full curtain and liner. the door knob has been installed backwards and will only lock from the outside. the tub has a definite lack of ledge, translation: i need a shelf if i want to use products in the shower and i am a product whore, or so i've read.


closeup! protect your eyes and send the children out of the room. it is, i promise you, scotch tape that is holding this facade together. poor effort.


back out to the "kitchen" now, as you can tell my the laminate that is freewheeling off the floor there. i'm sorry, did you want that tacked down? that will cost you...


couple things in this shot. first of all, the hook obviously can't be bothered... second, pictured along the wall is the stuff of a bit of a tiff. i believe it is the black mold. my mother just believes this is a remnant of the previous paint color. we will certainly find out, won't we? *cough*


i don't think anyone will ask why i decided to position the chair where i did. it just makes me wonder if i need to worry about whatever did that coming back to finish the job... :)


and now, we'll conclude with your average-run-of-the-mill-unidentifiable-stain.

so...as you have seen, my apartment is a little bit crunked. but, never fear, these are all things i have and will continue to deal with and improve. many things have been fixed already, but the after pictures are only impressive when presented as a whole, so you all will have to wait. probably just another day or so, but wait you shall! tonight i'm looking forward to a good long sleep and tomorrow i will continue the effort!

i hope you enjoyed the introduction,

until next time!

new blog begins....

now!

welcome family, friends and stalkers!

be sure to check back for updates on my interesting new life in maine. i can't promise greatness, but you know i will certainly try my best to keep it entertaining! :)