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January 31, 2006

notes from an absent-minded twenty-something

In the last 3 weeks I've developed a very strange habit in regards to the bathroom (and no, this isn't anything the squeamish need to skip over). Nearly every time I've used the bathroom, especially while home alone, I've forgotten something.

It started out that I was forgetting to flush. After the first time that happened while Lauren was home, I was thoroughly embarrassed and it hasn't happened since. However, since then, I've been doing things like walking away without turning off the light or the sink. One time I put soap on my hands and walked out the door without ever even turning the water ON.

I have no idea what this says about me, but it must say something.

Posted to Miscellaneous at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)

washing dishes IS my life

I know that to most people, this is not at all noteworthy, but I'd like to share my excitement anyway. Here it is: we FINALLY found a good dish sponge. I'm serious. I'm very hard on our dish sponges (we prefer the kind attached to a dispenser), and they tend to crumble and get sliced up when I do the dishes every day. The last one we got also failed to dispense the soap.

Today I did the whole weekend's worth of dishes (making up for what didn't get done during the lack of dispensing time) and it was just so easy. I love it.

That's truly the most exciting thing in my life right now, unless you count reading a pregnancy book and two novels, as well as watching almost half of the first season of Popular, in the last three days exciting. Luckily, Lauren and I are off to San Diego on Friday for my cousins' B'nai Mitzvah, so perhaps I'll have something more exciting to share after that.

Posted to Miscellaneous at 12:42 AM | Comments (1)

January 25, 2006

Leslie Grossman + lesbian movie = great happiness for me!

I just got the best mindless entertainment related news of the year: Jamie Babbit, who I have to love because of her involvement in both Popular and Gilmore Girls, not to mention But I'm a Cheerleader, is directing a lesbian movie called The Itty Bitty Titty Committee. And best of all, the cast will include not only Carly Pope, but also my VERY FAVORITE comedic actress, Leslie Grossman, both of whom were in Popular.

This is so exciting I don't know what to do with myself. Seriously. I'm so excited that I came thisclose to applying to be on the film's crew.

Now I only hope that Leslie Grossman's part is big -- but the good news is that with Jamie Babbit directing, even if her part is small, it should at least be funny.

Posted to Mindless Entertainment at 06:04 PM | Comments (3)

January 24, 2006

I haven't talked about RRC since November, when I went to visit, have I?

I've been thinking a lot this week about my future career plans. Lauren and I decided that she was going to do a job search in two places, Minneapolis, which is our home, and Philadelphia, home to RRC, and that if she didn't get something in one of those places, she'd stay here (if possible). Somewhere along the line, we got so homesick that we sort of... forgot about Philly. But this week, I've found myself wondering about our focus on MN. I mean, if we end up going home, will I ever want to leave to go to RRC?

I know that if it's important enough to me, we'll make it happen. But at the same time... We're talking about starting to have kids in the next couple of years, and we've been looking at the housing market to see how reasonable it is. If we bought a house and got pregnant in the next couple of years, would I really want to pick up and move to another state, where we don't know anyone, right in the middle of all that? It would be hard. And I'm not willing to put off the nesting-related plans we're making for anything.

I don't have any answers, except that we'll keep considering both Minneapolis and Philadelphia, but just for today (and we all know I change my mind about life every damn day), I'm kind of feeling like Philly might be the better choice...

Posted to Jew-mania at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2006

What do other people do with their time?

I'm so bored that the idea of drilling a hole into my eyeball with a pencil sounds appealing, just for the entertainment value. Seriously. Even goofing around online is boring me lately. And as I mentioned in a recent post, I'm waiting for a book to arrive, so I'm not even reading right now, since I don't want to read something else before reading the final installment of this trilogy. Lauren's on call, so we can't get out of town just for a change of scenery. And, of course, I don't really have friends here in Oberlin. That's the hardest part. All of the rest of this stuff would be bearable if I had someone to talk to.

I don't know what's with me. Even though I'm not always terribly stimulated, I usually know how to stay occupied and entertained pretty well. The most excitement this weekend, however, was catching up on over 3 hours worth of dishes from this past week, when our dish sponge was broken and the dishes were piling up. Right now I'm sitting in the dark because Lauren has a migraine, playing Sudoku and watching a women's figure skating event for which I already know the outcome.

My life is thrilling.

Posted to Miscellaneous at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2006

This is a much better way to choose baby names than looking through a book.

I've decided that if we have a son, we're naming him after that disgustingly cute little boy on the Disney World commercial who says, "We're too excited to sleep!"

If anyone can find out that little boy's name, I'll either pay you big bucks or make you our son's godparent.

Posted to Mindless Entertainment & Nesting at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2006

My other strengths are learner, competition, achiever, and intellection, by the way.

I'm trying very, very hard to let go of starting to PLAN our future kid-getting life. I've spent the last few months doing very abstract research, participating in a conceiving/pregnancy/parenting board, reading personal websites (I'm sorry, I think I'm allergic to the word blog), and skimming pregnancy books. I've looked through a sperm bank's files. I've spent too much time at Name Voyager and have an actual list of names that I not only like, but would actually bestow upon a child. I've learned all about the panel of Ashkenazi heritage genetic tests.

The thing is, there's not much more I can do between now and the actual time when we start trying to start our family, which we estimate to be any time from a year and a half to three years from now. I'm doing everything I can. I've recommitted to getting healthy and losing weight, and I'm keeping an eye out for jobs, since those are two of the three major things that need to be in a row for us to start. But there's nothing else I can do.

And honestly, I need to back off a little. It's only fun to research what kind of potential sperm donors are out there for so long before it starts getting... stupid. I mean, that's what it's come to. This is all stupid. We have a plan for what needs to be in place before we start. I have a plan for what I need to do to get to that spot as well as what I need to do once we get there. What more can I do? Nothing. And if I haven't driven Lauren crazy already, I'm surprised, because even I am starting to get annoyed at myself.

This is just who I am. I like to take action (activator is my number three strength, after all), and when I can't take action, I like to have a plan for action.

But what do you do when the (loose and flexible) plan is in place, but it's not time to start acting yet?

Posted to Nesting at 11:21 AM | Comments (3)

January 18, 2006

Everyone should go read Beggars in Spain. It's very good.

I hate that time in between finishing one book and starting the next. Especially when they're part of a series, so you don't quite have closure.

A few years ago, Elena recommended a book to me called Beggars in Spain. I read it right away, and I fell in love. It was definitely one of the best non-young-adult books I've ever read. Shortly afterward, I bought the sequel, Beggars and Choosers, but despite multiple efforts to get through it, I never made it past page 50. It's such a different book from the first, and not nearly as intriguing of a concept.

Last week I finally read it. Once I got past the initial stuff that had always bored me in previous attempts, I actually really enjoyed it. It really is totally different than the first book, with a focus on plot more than character (hear that? I read a book with a PLOT), but it was good.

And then I discovered that there's a third book, Beggars Ride.

So now I'm anxiously awaiting the third book. I bought it from amazon, using the free shipping option, which means it could be quite awhile before it gets here. And if I'm smart, I'll save it for my upcoming trip to San Diego, since I don't have any other books to read (except a pregnancy book, which I think would freak my family out pretty badly).

I do hate this feeling, though. I hate finishing a good book enough as it is, but knowing a follow-up is looming but unavailable sucks.

I'm such a nerd.

Posted to Books at 11:24 PM | Comments (2)

January 13, 2006

She's getting so old!

Y'all have to listen to this voicemail that my five-year-old cousin left me yesterday... Anyone who listens to this and still doesn't understand why I want children clearly doesn't have a soul.

Babies? Now?

Posted to Nesting at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2006

Just so y'all don't think I'm always depressed

The sun is shining for the first time since we got back to Ohio, and I have the curtains open. I haven't felt this good in weeks. Maybe I should look into buying a light box or a natural sunrise alarm clock after all.

Posted to Mental Health at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)

I'm not good with waiting.

I have discovered, upon reading my daily journal/blog reading, that this week is considered Delurking Week, and that those who read anonymously and never comment (and those who do comment) are supposed to take this opportunity to reveal themselves. So go right ahead!

Moving on.

So, yesterday I discovered that I'm quite a bit more upset about how these two jobs turned out than I thought I was. I spent most of yesterday crying, and while I did have other reasons, the main item that was setting off my PMS-enhanced tears was this whole work situation. I finally feel ready to give it a go, to start working again, to work in a field that I'm really interested in pursuing for the rest of my life, and I'm very frustrated that these two things didn't work out. And I'm BORED AS HELL right now, too.

On the other hand, after speaking to a friend who has the same position at another synagogue as the job I turned down, I'm more convinced than ever that I made the right choice. She gets paid four times as much as they would have been offering me, and she also told me the approximate salaries of two other people with that job who make five and six times as much as they would have paid me. It was the right choice, difficult as it was.

So I'll keep my eye out for other appropriate jobs for myself, but most likely, nothing's going to happen while we're still in Oberlin. That's ok. It's now really, truly job-searching season for Lauren. I actually really enjoyed organizing her search last year, and I'm looking forward to it again. Placement registrations are in, spreadsheets are out, resume is updated, and hopes are up. That'll have to do for me, for now.

Posted to Hardly Working at 10:33 AM | Comments (1)

January 10, 2006

Dammit.

Well, I have an update on the job I interviewed for last week. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. Only this time, it was my doing. It turns out that the salary is half of what I made as a grad assistant, for what would probably be a lot more hours. It's barely even enough to cover my bus trip every day, let alone enough to warrant me spending 4 months away from Lauren. It's too bad, because I was really excited about this job, but I just... can't justify working for $6.00/hour. At least not as the sole reason for moving away from Lauren.

So that's that. I'm sad about it, but what can ya do?

Posted to Hardly Working at 12:37 AM | Comments (0)

January 09, 2006

Please laugh at me. I did.

Last night Lauren and I were lying in bed watching Kitchen Trends (hoping it would lull us to sleep), and they began showing a newer version of the kitchen sprink sprayer. Here is the conversation that followed:

Me: We had a sprayer in our sink growing up. It--

Lauren: Rebecca?

Me: Yeah?

Lauren: We have one of those sprayers here.

Me: What?

Lauren: Yeah, you know, that black thing next to the faucet?

Me: Are you kidding me?

Lauren: No, I use it all the time.

Me: I've never noticed. Are you kidding me?

Lauren: Do you want to go look?

Me: Yes!!

So we got up and ran to the kitchen, where I was greeted by the site of this:

We've lived here for five and a half months, and I've honestly NEVER noticed that damn sprayer. I do the dishes in our family. Almost every day, I spend between a half hour and an hour staring right at that faucet. And yes, I am truly that unobservant.

At least now that I know, I'll have an easier time cleaning out the sink after I finish the dishes, right?

Posted to Miscellaneous at 10:48 AM | Comments (2)

January 05, 2006

Should I be concerned about posting this in a public space?

Our luggage has returned. It got here late Tuesday. I swear, I almost kissed it. And then I ignored it. I haven't even opened it to make sure that everything is in tact. Screw deoderant; I managed a day without it, and I can keep going, dammit. And the same can go for my winter coat!

Besides, yesterday was a very full day. And by full, I mean two separate things happened that each took under forty-five minutes that wore me out.

The first is that I found out that I did not get the job I interviewed for while I was home in Minnesota. I had my first interview on the 26th, and it went pretty well. Then I had my second interview on the 29th, and I BOMBED it. I walked out knowing that the chances of this happening were slim to none. But that doesn't mean that I wasn't still hoping, a little... But no, yesterday I got the "no thanks" email. However, I was really pleased that the woman in charge of the search, who I felt I clicked with, offered to help me network when I look for a job in the field this coming spring. That was very nice.

And then, four hours later, I had a phone interview for another job. I'll already know about that one by next week, and my head is swimming about it. However, more info will have to wait until I get it or don't. But the interview took a lot out of me, emotionally. Thinking about what moving home without Lauren for a few months would be like tuckered me out.

And that has been my exciting life since returning to Ohio.

Posted to Hardly Working at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)

January 02, 2006

My common sense is warring with my anxiety, and it ain't pretty

I'm back in Ohio. So is my computer, which we carried onto the plane. The same can be said for my iPod, my wallet, my cell phone, and my book. The same cannot be said for anything else I brought with me to Minnesota.

We got in only a few minutes late today, around 12:20. At the baggage claim, we watched as the carousel eventually stopped, leaving about 20 people from our flight still standing and watching as though it would begin again any minute. After about 10 minutes of that, one of the women went to the airline's luggage office and came out yelling about how ALL our luggage was lost. That's right, nearly 20 people's luggage from the same flight.

I figured it was no big deal. I've never had my luggage lost before, but it happens all the time and very rarely are things ever gone for good. We all got in line and when we put in our claim, we were informed that it was very likely that our bags would be delivered to us tonight. I believed them. After all, when at least 20 bags from the same flight are misplaced, they ought to be together somewhere. And flights from Chicago to Cleveland are pretty regular. Other than enduring the agent's near freak-out over our insistance that it would be ok to deliver our stuff to a college dorm and that YES, we WOULD answer the phone and be there to let them in, it was pretty painless.

But now it's been nine hours, and I just called the phone number on our "receipt", and our luggage still hasn't even been located, let alone sent on its way to Cleveland. It's not like I need the stuff in there immediately, although Lauren will have to use my shampoo to shower tomorrow, but it would sure be nice to know that it's going to get back to us. And if it's not, it sure would be nice to know that so I can move on. I hate waiting for things. Not as much as the crazy, upset, yelling lady, but it's not fun.

I guess at least it's a good thing we didn't pack the hand-me-down KitchenAid mixer my grandparents gave us while we were in town... Right?

Posted to Miscellaneous at 09:15 PM | Comments (1)