I Love What You've Done With the Place

I've been a Eugenian for 2 weeks now, and I'm already more unpacked than I was after 2 years in West Seattle. Of course, I have more space here, and no roommates, which makes a HUGE difference. And I can't claim to be completely moved in, because there are still a number of boxes taunting me from the corner. But, overall, I'm quite comfortable here.

I wish I could say I've been too busy to unpack everything, but I've actually done a lot of nothing since I moved here. Work doesn't start until Monday, so I've had all kinds of free time, and have spent most of it exploring the town, shopping for small appliances, and sitting on my ass, thinking that I should really unpack some more boxes.

The highlights so far have been going to the roller derby and the symphony, both very enjoyable & entertaining in their own ways. I found the closest Target, and I'm minutes from Trader Joe's, so the essentials are covered. I've only gotten lost on campus once so far, but I'm sure that'll happen a few more times. I know which buses to take to get to work, since the parking situation is rather challenging. I haven't met any of my neighbors yet, although I did say hi to one of them yesterday. Everyone seems quiet, and I'm on the top floor, so I don't have to worry about any loud walkers.

So, there's my exciting first 2 weeks in a nutshell. I'm looking forward to meeting my colleagues & finding out my schedule next week, so I can maybe start planning some lessons. Or maybe I'll avoid working by finally unpacking some boxes.

Mormons and Cheerleaders and Mathletes, Oh My!

I'm just about in the middle of a 2-week teaching job on the UPS campus in Tacoma. We've got 50 Japanese & Chinese high school students who are spending the next 10 months as exchange students in various cities in the USA, and it's our job to prepare them for the horrors of the American high school experience.

At the same time, there are huge groups of Mormons, cheerleaders and mathletes on the UPS campus, doing whatever it is those groups do. It's actually been great for our students to see some "typical" American students, and we've forced them to interact a little - on a scavenger hunt the other day, they had to find out who the founder of the Mormon religion was.

What I'm finding most interesting is my own reaction to the various groups, particularly the cheerleaders. You see, I was in the band during high school. We didn't exactly mix with the cheerleaders. It was from my band teacher that I first heard the term "cheerthing." And even now, every time I see a group of them, with their little skirts & their pom poms & their never-ending cheerfulness, I find myself wanting to smack them. Hard.

I'm sure that these girls are perfectly harmless, normal kids. They go to classes, they hang out with their friends, they eat dinner with their families. But then they put on tiny outfits, jump around and shout. And it makes me hostile.

It's probably good that I don't have any nieces.

I'm the Kind of Gal Who Likes to Live on the Edge

I've decided not to go to Saudi Arabia - at least, not this year. I've also worked my last day at the ticket office. Which means, I'm currently unemployed. Sort of.

I have a 2-week teaching job that starts next week. After that, I have no idea what I'll be doing for work. I'm hoping to get a job at the University of Oregon, but I won't know for a few weeks. And if I don't get it, I'm back to where I was last January.

I probably should be more stressed than I am about all this. I'm sure it will kick in soon and I'll start to freak out. My apologies in advance if you get caught up in the maelstrom of my insanity. But in the meantime, enjoy my unexplainable calm about the whole mess.

You Can't Be Allergic to All Of It

Here's my list of known allergies:

cats
dogs
feathers
molds
trees
grasses
weeds

I probably live in the wrong place. There are 3 dogs and a cat in my house. It's over 30 years old (the house), so I'm sure there's mold. I sleep under a feather duvet. There are trees, grasses, and weeds everywhere I go - it's the Pacific Northwest!

In 6-12 weeks, I hope to be a little less allergic. I'm taking vaccines that are supposed to desensitize me to my allergens. If nothing else, it's an exciting way to take medicines - I get to use syringes! Thankfully, there are no injections involved. At least, not since the day of diagnosis - there were a LOT of injections that day!

At least I'm not allergic to dust! I'm not exactly good at keeping things tidy, which includes dusting. I just hate the idea of turning perfectly harmless bunnies out of their homes, when they're really not hurting anyone.

Sometimes You Just Stand There, Hip-Deep in Pie

Well, the fellowship does not seem to be working out as planned. Which I'm sure my father will be thrilled about, since he really didn't want me to move to Bosnia. Just wait until he hears what I'm considering now... :)

I do have some ideas about my next step, though I've decided not to publicize them until they're much more likely to actually happen. I really don't relish the thought of going through another round of "Hey, weren't you going to _____?"

I spent the afternoon with my former colleagues in Auburn, cheering for graduating international students and eating Thai food. I really miss spending time with those incredible people. I learned so much during my all-too-brief stay there, and not just about teaching! I keep hoping the stupid economy will shape up, so we can all go back to work there again.

I do have to mention my pride in one particular student who graduated today. When I first met her, she was in Level 2 (out of 5) and only stayed in my class for 2 days before deciding she didn't like me and transferring to another class. I taught her again in Level 4, and really enjoyed having her in my class - at the end of the quarter, she even apologized for her prior behavior! And today, she graduated from Level 5, and told me how much she missed me. She is the reason I love teaching - she and all the students like her, whether I witness the transformation or not, make my (former and - I hope! - future) job completely and utterly worth all the planning and grading and stress.

Now if I can just find the right teaching position again...

One Does Want a Hint of Color

As I stood at the bus stop last night, having thoroughly enjoyed a reading by David Sedaris, a party bus pulled up in front of The Lusty Lady. Which just happens to be next to my bus stop. It's kind of a fun place to wait for a bus. But I digress.

So, this party bus pulled up, and a group of people got out. This was clearly not their first stop of the evening. I don't think it was a bachelor party, because there were women in the mix. Although it's difficult to say nowadays - I don't wish to jump to conclusions without all the evidence. But what really struck me about the gathering was that there was a definite theme to their merriment, and that theme was plaid.

A couple of the men were wearing plaid suits. One of them (the suit, not the man) may have been seersucker, although I wasn't close enough to know for sure. And another gentleman in the group had donned a full-length plaid skirt, possibly wool. A few of the women had also chosen cross-gender attire. In all, it was quite an amusing sight to see while waiting for a bus.

My only regret is that I wasn't invited along. Of course, I wasn't dressed for the occasion, having not a stich of plaid on me at the time. I shall have to be better prepared for such eventualities in the future.

OK, I'm Sorry I Ate Your Fish!

And I'm sorry for my long absence. Honestly, I just haven't felt like I had much to say. But here's an update:

I'm working again, at the Seattle Symphony ticket office. I'm doing the same job I had before I moved to Poland in 2003. I'm trying very hard to be grateful that I'm employed, rather than feeling like I'm going backwards. It would help if we were getting more than 1 call every 20 minutes or so.

I'm hoping to be heading back overseas this fall. I've applied for a teaching fellowship, very similar to Peace Corps except I would actually get paid. I should hear by the end of May if/where I'm going.

Um...really, that's it. My life just doesn't have the same here's-something-interesting-and-foreign-that-happened-to-me quality that it did in Poland. You can see why I want to leave the country again!

But on a different note, my title does put me in mind of a question I've been wanting to ask for a few years now. What, exactly, constitutes an apology? Let me give you an unfortunate real-life example:

Him: I owe you a big apology.
Me: OK (expecting something along the lines of, "I'm sorry for saying something mean to you & making you feel bad about yourself.").
Him: That's it.

Apparently, there are people for whom the mere expression of the intent to apologize is equal to the act of apologizing. While in my mind, I am STILL owed an apology by someone who shall remain nameless, especially since I haven't seen him in almost 6 years.

I'm curious, not only to find out what others think, but to discover if anyone is still out there, desperately waiting for my long-awaited return to blogging. So please submit your opinions: did he apologize appropriately, or should I hunt him down & demand proper atonement?