Friday, June 11, 2004
09:22 a.m.

I was supposed to be at work at 8 a.m. this morning. It takes about 15 minutes to walk to my workplace from my dorm. I figured I'd wake up at 7:00 and have plenty of time to eat, dress, and go. Even though I was up until 1-ish last night packing and moving (thanks so much to Michio, Eric, and Jose!!), I'd still get a solid 6 hours of sleep.

I stirred awake to the soft but persistent intrusion of the (radio) alarm clock on low volume, conscious but drowsy -- only to leap out of bed when the radio announcer mentioned that it was 7:37. XP

I did manage to be dressed and semi-presentable within five minutes or so (of course, today is the day that I'm sitting at the front desk) and fly out the door. Something in me was foolishly hopeful and I bought a quick breakfast on the way out. Of course, coffee and a bagel in a paper bag tend not to do well when one is running across campus. ^_^;; Anyway, within eight minutes I made it to a quiet office (most of the staff is out, which is why I'm here so early) that didn't particularly notice I was three minutes late. And I salvaged half my soggy bagel. So all in all, not so bad. XD;;

Buuuuut ... now it's quiet. And I'm able to think. And I really don't want to start crying at the front desk, so I'm going to not think about last night and saying goodbye to my best friends in Seattle for a long time. >_< Because it's really not long at all -- three months? What's that? A blip in the radar. The same amount of time as this last quarter, which flew by so fast. And I'll see some people sooner, and some not so soon; it may be one or several months apart, but then some months together again. I'm used to doing that with friends now (not that it makes it easier, but).

Packing last night was a nice distraction. (Of course, by 'packing' I mean, "Look! There's a container! Let's fill it with crap." This past week has not been a time of organization.) Of course, then everyone left to ship things to the house, and I was left in the room, with an empty and quiet hall, and the half dozen or so people who are left on my floor were outside in the lounge. I like being alone, but only when *I* go away somewhere. I don't like it when my solitude is brought about by other people leaving. ^_^;; I was saved by the fact that I was dead-tired, though, so luckily I didn't have time to brood.

And I'm not brooding now. Really. ^_^; But for the next three months, I'll miss quirky dinner conversations, and bumming around at Yunnie's, and ruthless mockery of movies, and late nights spent talking, and Dragon's Pen meetings, and general geekery, and being able to walk over a few blocks to visit people. And the fact that I never got enough of people or places or stuff that happened, where I could get to the point where I thought I was bored, or tired of it, and ready to take a break and leave. I just had a lot of fun, you know? It has been a very good year.

Thursday, May 27, 2004
04:17 p.m.

It's raining outside, that solid, drumming kind of rain that feels like tapping against your umbrella. And I'm blissfully inside, doing one of my favorite things -- which is just to sit and watch the window as it's securely closed. There's such a wonderful simultaneous feeling of contact and security, like the kind you get with an umbrella (but better because the water doesn't splash back up and soak your ankles XD). And I'm boiling myself a nice cup of tea to ward off the damp cold.

Though that wouldn't explain why I just ate ice cream. ^_^; The reason for *that* is one of my other favorite things to do, which is to treat myself to a Snickers ice cream cone after a final. Hey, it was philosophy -- after the exercise in frantic hand-cramping scribbling, I feel entitled to have 45% of my daily saturated fat in one go. XD And it went pretty well, especially in contrast with the midterm. This time, not only did I finish the exam, I jettisoned the pesky concerns about analytical organization and literary aesthetics that burdened me last time, and simply vomited information. This makes for a less pretty exam, but also one that's easier to grade and hopefully makes the instructor feel more charitable. :P

And now, off to tea. And homework.

Saturday, May 22, 2004
10:55 a.m.

Guess who's the new intern (well, one of them) at a literary agency? XD XD XD Despite the fact that I missed my first scheduled interview last Friday (cursed confusing bus system ...), it doesn't seem to matter; the woman I've been in contact with is very cool and just let me come again yesterday, and ... well, hired me. Despite how annoyed I was at myself last week, I really have no complaints on how things worked out. ^_^;

The place where I'll be working is beautiful, too. It's in an old, white converted apartment building, and the room that houses the agency itself is all white brick and wood. The layout is very relaxed, with a desk and computer on one side, couches for reading and discussion of manuscripts, and, of course, bookshelves everywhere. And lovely clutter. There's also a fluffy brown and black cat in residence who decided, upon meeting me, that he loved me and must show his affection by rubbing his long-haired self along the legs of my dark grey pants. Oh well. XD;;

My interview was really brief, probably because it's not a job where previous experience matters so much; the position involves reading manuscripts for the agency, so they wanted to know what kind of reader I was. When I applied, in fact, I had to include a description of my reading interests along with a resume. So my interviewer asked me a few questions about particular authors or works I liked, but that was about it. I made sure to discuss Dragon's Pen, and how I HAVE EXPERIENCE EDITING, and sit around and CRITIQUE WRITING FOR FUN ... I think she got the point. ^_^; Anyway, I remember hesitating for a moment before describing the club in detail, because I know this agency doesn't do genre fiction ... but then I decided, "screw it, if she looks down on my involvement with sci-fi/fantasy, then I don't want to be working here anyway." But she didn't! And she actually said it sounded fun. ^_^v

At this point, she asked when I would be available to work, so I told her when I would be free, were I to get the position. Then she grabbed her calendar and flipped through it a little, tossing out, "Oh yeah, you're hired," as an afterthought. Luckily she was looking down at the calendar, so I could have a moment of spasmodic joy without embarassing myself. I managed to say something normal-sounding, like "Oh, great!" And that was that.

Heh. XD

Then last night, I went with some friends to the campus fair-thingy, at which I ate a lot of good junk food. And then we rented Finding Nemo. I <3 that movie muchly, even the second time around. So, I'm feeling relaxed and happy right now. If a little hungry. *eyes clock* Is it time for lunch yet ...?

Tuesday, May 18, 2004
11:19 p.m.

GYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

I am thisclose to having my own place. All on my very own (with two roommates XD). The details need to be worked out -- technical stuff to make everything legal -- but otherwise it's done. We all love the place, the owners love us (or at least like us a lot), and we can afford it, so come June I will be renting an apartment with sister and friend as roommates. I'm kind of scared. Actually, I'm pretty darn scared, and I can't let myself think too hard about it or I freak out. ^_^;; But it's excited-scared, and there's really no reason I can't do this.

The place itself is wonderful. It's the ground floor of a triplex, converted from a nice little house in a residential neighborhood -- kind of old, but remodeled with nice new paint and windows and such. The kitchen is gorgeous, big and tiled with lovely shelves and a little area for a dining table. The first time we saw it -- after a day of unsuccessful apartment hunting in which we saw small, ugly, and downright sketchy -- I fell in love. Everything about it just fits. It is a little far from campus, but Seattle has a nifty public transit system and I can get to and from my friends' places (er ... I mean my classes :P) easily. Plus, the bus stop is right there, so I don't have to wake up extra early to trudge to the bus in the mornings. XD

Anyway, enough gushing (for now). The place is great and we've pretty much gotten it. Now I get to think about things like furniture (OMG bookshelves!) and even decorating (OMG wall art!!). Of course, my home-making endeavors will have to wait until I have the time and money to dedicate to them, but I'm still looking forward to it.

I was talking to my mother about it, though, and she mentioned that she and my dad would be giving us a little financial boost ... and I started crying, because I am a pansy. ^_^;;; I don't know what it was, exactly -- gratitude, certainly, but also sadness at the realization that I was talking to my mom about setting myself up to live on my own. Not completely, of course -- I'm not ready to be totally independent yet!! -- but I'll be at a different residence, working in Seattle, and paying for home and school on my own. I knew going into this that I was looking for semi-permanent living arrangements, at least through the end of my undergraduate studies. So when we were talking about furnishing the apartment, I was aware that I needed to get things I could really live with for a long time ... and also, since my desk and bed and everything at home are hard to transport and somewhat old, I wouldn't be able to bring them up. It almost felt like ... I don't know, that it wasn't my stuff anymore -- I'm going to have to choose what I want to bring up to my "new home" and leave the rest in the old one. It's not forever, and it's not like I can't visit my parents again. But it's different, even from what it felt like to leave home and come up to the university.

I think that sounds more melancholy than I feel -- all of this is a sort of wistful nostalgia, but nothing really depressing, and certainly not disheartening. Onward I go ... to look full-time work (that is, various part-time jobs)! I'm hoping to amass enough money for rent during the school year by working through the summer. Things are looking good -- I've got one job interview Thursday. Then Friday is my interview for the internship (unpaid, but like I'd pass up an opportunity to work at a literary agency!). And next week I'm interviewing for another job, which I'm really crossing my fingers for.

"We'll see, boys~~"