Nanowrimo 2011 kickoff

1 November, 2011 in Literary Abandon | No comments

And so the first day of National Novel Writing Month 2011 is coming to an end! I am still grasping in the air for details as I start my first chapter (names, places, technologies–it’s all getting made up as I go along). My story so far hasn’t lent itself well to a short three-sentence synopsis, and it’s still missing a title, but I can tell you that it is a young adult environmental sci fi. I just ended a skype session with my science consultant. He specializes in physics and astronomy, and he is also my younger brother. Very helpful, indeed. Now I am off to get some rest so that I can start bright and early tomorrow.

Good luck to all you nanowrimo-ers out there!

Tags:

Cotton fields and t-2 days to nano

29 October, 2011 in Literary Abandon, MNvsMS | No comments

The cotton fields are being harvested now.
A couple of weeks ago we stopped to capture the scene.

Where has October gone?
I feel as though I blinked and missed it all.
(have I been saved from the library?)

Not much new to report. I interviewed for a teaching certification program – the same one that Aaron is currently in. I should hear back in 2-3 weeks.

I don’t think we are doing anything for Halloween, which is a bit disappointing. Didn’t get the motivation to make my costume because I didn’t think I’d be needing it. Haven’t even carved pumpkins yet! I hope to remedy that detail tonight.

I’ve been slowly prepping for my NaNoWriMo novel (much slower than I should be). I wanted to get rough chapters sketched out, but I haven’t even finished polishing off the characters. Only TWO MORE DAYS. Holy shenanigans!

So…I should probably get back to doing that.

Tags: , ,

Sun and the state fair

11 October, 2011 in MNvsMS | No comments

Hooray for fall breaks! Aaron had yesterday and today off from work, so we enjoyed a wonderful four-day weekend. Saturday he attended class at the university for most of the day, and we ate out at a pizza place in Oxford.

Sunday we played a little Settlers of Catan with some MTC-ers after brunch. We then headed to a nearby lake to soak up some sun (our Vitamin D levels are gettin’ much too low), and it gave Aaron a chance to grade papers in a relaxed setting. It felt good to get a sunburn!

Yesterday we headed to Jackson, MS for the Mississippi State Fair. I have to say – it does not even compare to the Great Minnesota Get Together. Read: all fairs are not created equal. Sure, there was a Midway, lots of food stands, a small vendor area, and a clogging stage (well, also a talent show stage and a couple rows of 4H booths). But it was so much smaller, and it didn’t feel as permanent–no real buildings or streets criss-crossing. I didn’t sense a fair culture. The biscuit making booth wasn’t even open! I missed the art and education BUILDINGS of the MN fair. Also, I saw a lot of cowboy boots and, in general, people did seem to dress more nicely at the fair down here. As far as food went, we settled on roasted corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, and these lovely cupcakes. We also walked away with a new jar of local honey! I guess I can’t complain too much – admission and parking were free because it was a weekday, and the kid’s crafts & nature-related displays were awfully cute. There was also a petting zoo, and how can someone really resist fuzzy animals? (even if their tongues are slimy)

Today was even more relaxing. We stayed at home, Aaron made his infamous Bulbasaur cookies (a recipe he invented – it involves pumpkin and nuts, and chocolate if you like), watched some Dr. Who, and got ready for the rest of the week. I also received my copy of Maureen Johnson‘s The Name of the Star, and Aaron’s copy of Mason Jenning‘s Minnesota album came, as well. I love it when things [that aren't junk mail] come in the mail.

Hope your weekend was just as pleasant!

ps/
Thanks to Aaron for the top & bottom photo!

Tags: , ,

Acorns in Autumn

7 October, 2011 in My Work, Seasons | No comments

Happy Friday!
This week went by so fast…oh dear.
I need to start paying attention before the whole month is gone.

I took the camera for a stroll today in the yard. The weather was gorgeous, as it has been all week, and I found myself drawn over and over to all of the tiny acorns spotting the ground. It could be because I have gotten pelted by these little fiends multiple times this past week while sitting under the oak tree in a lawn chair. They are very interesting up close and so quintessentially Fall!

Speaking of Fall, isn’t it great? I can’t wait to check some more things off of our 2011 Fall Bucket List. Tomorrow Aaron has class on campus, and then we get to celebrate a four-day long weekend for his school’s Fall break. Huzzah! We hope to get out on a hike, at least, and maybe check out the MS State Fair before it closes. You can bet I’ll be bringing around the camera, whatever we do :)

Hope you are enjoying the season as much as I am. Happy weekend!

ps/
You can see all the autumn photos I have taken
thus far over at my Autumn in Mississippi set on Flickr. 

Tags: , , ,

Happy October!

1 October, 2011 in Seasons | No comments

The best month is finally here! I found this on tumblr the other day and am making it our official fall intention list. Just reading it makes me so excited :)

Magnolia spirals

30 September, 2011 in My Work | No comments


Happy Friday, everyone!
How did September slide by so quickly?

It is officially fall, and while the leaves haven’t quite started changing colors, the overwhelming heat of summer has mostly passed, sending nice cool breezes in its stead. Tonight is homecoming at the high school, and I cannot wait to see that parade :)

Hope you enjoy this picture of our fruiting Magnolia tree out front,
and make the best of this weekend!

 

Tags: , ,

Thank you, thank you very much

28 September, 2011 in Family | No comments

My mother & father-in-law came to visit us recently, along with the family Shih Tzu, Mr. Popo! They stayed at the house two weekends ago, drove down to the coast (New Orleans, Alabama, tip of Florida), and came back around last weekend before heading home to Minnesota. 

We did some chillaxin’ around the home: grilling veggie-burgers, sitting on the faux-porch, attending the high school football game, and receiving much-needed knot-busting shoulder massages from Aaron’s Mom. And we also hit up some tourist spots: the local famous steak house, a campus tour by Aaron around the university, and Graceland of course!

I like Elvis and all, but I’ve never been fanatical about him. I found it really interesting, then, to head over to the Graceland complex, which is complete with approximately 150 gift shops. This picture was taken just inside the door of his mansion. I love the peacock stained glass windows! Elvis definitely had a signature style, some of which I could get along with (big kitchen, pops of color, indoor fountains), and others that I could do without (ahem: the carpet in the jungle room).  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , ,

Pokemon help grade papers

16 September, 2011 in Around the Home | No comments

I have been trying to get the rest of the boxes out and taken to the recycling center this week, as the parents-in-law are coming down tomorrow for a visit!

This means finding spaces for little trinkets like Pokemon, elephants, and miscellaneous rocks…and I have to say, it is a lot harder to fill up a house to the “comfy” level than a one bedroom apartment. It feels weird to want to collect things–furniture, art, etc–when we are still planning on packing up in a few years & heading overseas for two years to serve in the Peace Corps.

But that’s one of my problems, thinking too far ahead in the future. I don’t have to feel bad about acquiring more plants (my first cactus! And an orchid!) or an end table to refinish (we hit up the thrift stores). We can get things now and give them away later. Time to live the best I can in the present and not worry about what will happen 2, 3, 5 years down the road.

Need more of trying to Be Here Now every day.

Tags:

September or the month of getting stuff done

1 September, 2011 in Seasons | No comments

September is here – fall is on its way! It is going to be strange to experience the season in Mississippi. Back in MN things are cooling off, school is just starting, and leaf changes? Well they’d be right around the corner! Mississippians started school at the beginning of August, and THANKFULLY things are starting to cool down to the low 90′s :) As for colors, everything is still green and going strong. The MS state fair isn’t until October…I imagine that any time before that could be a bit torturous.

As for what I have been up to, well…the answer is not much. I am thinking of looking for some tutoring work, instead of trying to find something directly in the school system (less hours, better pay, more one-on-one time with students). I have also been studying up on interior design [using sites like this, this, this and this] in order to figure out what we want to do with the house. Gotta make it our own, you know? I hope we can make it to a thrift store this weekend to score some in-need-of-diy-love finds and our neighborhood Lowe’s to pick up what second-handedly eludes us.

And with that, I will leave you with my current desktop wallpaper – courtesy of Smashing Magazine:

ps/
That September pic is the upper corner of a garden gnome I found in the backyard. More on that later!

Tags: ,

Quote 08. 23. 11. Big thoughts

23 August, 2011 in Quotations | No comments

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tags: ,

« Older entries