Rollin' with the homies

So I got accepted. And so did Astin--September 22nd will find is in Madrid. I can't really believe it, but it definitely got a lot more real. We'll be there at the school for a month taking classes on how to teach english to get our TEFL certificate, plus student teaching. Then after that, we're guaranteed 15 hours a week at the school and then we have to find private students.

We also got a puppy. She's a chow mix named Electra.Shoot, time to go to work, more later.
-----
Back from work. Which is, by the way, excellent. I still work at the coffee shop but I also work with 1st-5th graders at a day camp. They're hilarious. I'm used to working with jr. high kids, so the complete inability to reason throws me off. Really, all they care is that somethingdid not go their way. Nothing else matters. I have a new respect for my old comrades at Cannon Beach.

Tomorrow, Astin and i are meeting to discuss financial matters. We're trying to decide if we'll have the finances to make it by September or if we'll have to wait for the next program in October. We'd liketogo in September, but I'm just not sure.

I do know that Anne's spacebar doesn'twork...

Housekeeping

So, I got another job. I still work at the coffee shop. But I also got a job at a community center working at their day camp. It's 1st-6th graders and I work in the afternoons. In some ways it reminds me of Cannon Beach, and in a lot of ways, not at all. I thought a lot about CBCC when we were training though. Lots of the same stuff--games, training, and cleaning :D I firmly believe that you can do all the get-to-know-you games you want, but until you clean something nasty or disastrous for an extended period of time, you don't really bond. I'm still not quite sure what I'm doign, but I knowenough to punt. Quote for the day comes from Vince. I was on his case a lot so i wanted to build him up. I noticed he had a ton of accents and voices he uses.
Me-"Vince! You have like a million voices. Where did you learn them all?!"
Vince-"Actually 99,921. 99,921 is the limit that humans can learn. And that includes like elk and other animal noises."

I evenutally coaxed a demonstration of "elk noises" from him. It was a cross between a dog and a cat I think.

I'm currently looking for another job. I did the math and there's no way I'll make it to Spain on my current salary, especially since rent just went up. And I didn't realize how long the drive is to the day camp. Good thing gas is awesomely priced at 4.07.

In other news, we're moving into the new house. Anne and I are still housesitting, so we move bit by bit. The first night, we were shocked to find out how much touch up paint we'd need. Then we also had the touch up wall. When I had toured the house I thought it was textured. Nope, just really crappy :D So Anne and I, who are sharing a room, got some paint and did the whole wall, boom boom.

I'm excited for the house, and for a routine, and for living with some amazing girls. Word to your mom.

So, in a creepy facebook way, I was looking at someone's pictures of Cuba. A friend of a friend, but it's nice to be able to look through their pictures. It was amazing to be taken back there and remember those things. So damn lucky. To Hamlin street in the art district and see stuff that I could have never imagined. The psicoballet and how hysterical and beautiful it was. The hospital, the doctor's office. Pain I will never know, beauty I'll only see once. Even as I write this I can really only think about the water and how blue it was. You can read about it, you can see photos and you never really get it until it takes your breath away. And you stare at it and drink it with your eyes because it's so blue. It's like bathing in sunshine.

And the people you love and who love you. The ones who journey with you as you feel like what you knew crumbles in your hand and trickles through you fingers. The ones who laugh with you, skinny dip with you, ask questions, listen to questions, cry, get mad, run, spin, eat weird food. The ones you never see again. The ones who teach you more in a week than you wonder if you've learned in your life. They give more with a meal than you think you can give with your whole heart. They don't care that you don't get it. For some reason, you get to be loved by them.

It wasn't always magical. I hated parts of it. I was lonely, frustrated, scared, sick, pained. But it was really small in comparison to the magic in the smiles, the you-have-no-clue-what's-happening laughter, the aha! moments, and sharing.

Just as magical as a street corner popsicle between friends.

Give me a reason to fall in love

So, really, living with five girls in a two-bedroom apartment is pretty rad. I'm sure the light sleeping will either take care of itself or I'll get tired. But now is great. Life at the M is good, except that I have to pee. Life in general is good. I just feel unsettled. I wonder about that whole in-the-moment thing when I think "If only I had a house, if only I had another job..." I suppose It's fine since I'm enjoying myself, just a little stressed out. Dangit, I realized I forgot a scrubbie.

Also, there is the sweetest guy who works at the flying M. He reminds me not to be a beeyotch to the rude customers. After Sydney and I had a very nerdy conversation last night about coffee and customers, everyone was amazing today. Some of the nicest customers I've ever had. I forget how much you change someone's day by the look on your face and how much your perfect order means to you.

The house hunt continues. I feel like we get close often, but not close enough. And then we all talk big about how we will go in and wrangle our way into the perfect deal. Mostly just for laughs. Hopefully the current prospect will work out. I asked them to leave the "I kiss better than I cook" sign above the sink.

I haven't started missing everyone yet. I don't think it feels real since we're so wrapped up in finding a house and jobs. I really would like to be settled. And I think once we just get there, it will be time to move to Spain. And really, after that, I might be temped to move into my parent's garage just to have roots.

I think they're closing shop for the night. Adios

How lucky, how lucky we are

Several things have struck me lately and I haven't captured my thoughts for most of them. But here are a few.

The recent salvation of my future boyfriend from the lake of fire. One of the cutest old couples ever came to the drive through, and as the girl making the drinks was taking 9 trillion hours, I was chatting with them. Below are excerpts from our conversation. Too bad you can't hear my vocal inflections. Sidenote-lots of laughing from both sides of the window took place.

K: So do you guys have any fun plans for your Saturday?
Them: Fun plans? Did you have anything in mind? We're seventy years old! What kind of plans are we going to have?
K: Well, the car in front of you is going to a soccer game.
Them: Well, if our grandkids were playing, we might go, but they're not playing today.
...
Them: So. Do you have a boyfriend?
K: Nope!
T: WHAT?! A pretty young girl like yourself without a boyfriend?
K: It's true.
The wife: Oh, yes, but are you married?
K: Nope, not married either.
Them: *general noises of shock and dismay* How old are you?
K: Twenty-two.
T: Twenty-two!!! Why, at your age we were married and having children! We got married when we were 17 and 18.
K: Times they are a-changin.
[man slides thick tract across to me. Glancing down, I notice it is titled "Bad Bob" a bearded man with an underbite, sunglasses, & frown is featured across a confederate flag background]
T: Well, you give this to your boyfriend when you get one. You make sure he's not like the man in this book.

Later on I will scan the most exceptional frames from "Bad Bob" and post them on here. It is the most hysterical tract I've ever read. And those two older people where some of the cutest I've ever met. They also told me that their church is a good place to go for the men. They have lots.
----

Yesterday I sliced up little pieces of an avocado to put on crackers. Meiko's song "Lucky" was playing in my head. The lyrics begin, "One day we'll get out of this shitty apartment" and feature "and I'll say how lucky we are." I thought that was a little ironic because Kimberlea and I have not always been satisfied with campus housing. This year has been pretty good. I had one of those, 'Yes, but it's good now, too' moments. Thinking about how lucky I've been, too. The last time I mashed up avocados to put on crackers I was at a hot purple hostel in La Fortuna and Becky was teaching me the art of salt and avocados and saltine crackers and swearing to me that the brown parts are edible. It was a simple meal and it rocked my world...things often do when you're famished from ziplining :) Eating saltine crackers and mashed avocados was one of the happier moments in my life and I hope to always think of it when I use avocados. This is quite possible since they are ridiculously expensive so I won't buy them often enough to forget.

I'm lucky now, too. Lucky enough to have a roommate who is as crazy as I am. Lucky to have people to share life with. As graduation is finally dawning on me, I reflect that it's been a good four years. It was and it wasn't what I expected. I kept my promise not to kill myself academically, but I gave it a good shot that paid off. I think I've learned a lot and changed a lot and remained a lot the same. And I still like naps.

My conversation with the unicyclist

A guy on a unicycle just rode by. I looked up with my customary smile and realized he was on a unicycle. My expression changed to, "You're on a unicycle. No one around here rides a unicycle." And his changed to, "You're totally realizing I'm on a unicycle and you don't know what to do with it." He kept riding on with a grin and I sat there with a bemused expression on my face.

Keep on a'rockin' me baby

Hmmm...blogging. This could be dangerous. I haven't blogged for quite some time. This is probably because a lot of blogs annoy me. They are either 1) a way to vent feelings that you should just share in-person 2) emotional ramblings 3) spiritual barf 4) pseudointelligent showing off 5) boring.

I don't buy that whole nonsense that "If you don't like what I write, don't read it." Get yourself a damn diary, that's what I say. And yet, here I am, writing a blog.

The paper is only 6 pages and it was due a week ago. Yet it is only natural that the smell of blog would be more alluring right now than the smell of paper. It's not a bad paper, I'm learning lots about Edna St. Vincent Millay. One of those poets that is often forgotten but shouldn't be. I'll post an excerpt: