Catching up.

So I survived the first quarter of school. I must say that due to scheduling conflicts I had a rather light introductory period. So next quarter promises to be cruel. However, looking back, the most difficult part had nothing to do with me being a student, but with my new experience of being an instructor, I was suddenly responsible for other people's grades and to a certain extent their performance. I spent the majority of the time working for my students instead of for myself. That will also have to change next quarter.

I spent most of finals week grading (I took my one and only final on Monday). Although, I must say it went spectacularly faster without my own schoolwork to do and also because I had company. The first two pages I graded in one go while watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with two of my fellow TA's. We sat there eating popcorn and pretzels and took turns calling out the best wrong answers on our respective tests. The multiple choice just flew by. (Unfortunately it was 2 pages of multiple choice, 2 pages of short answer and 2 pages of essay).

So, having needed less time to grade (I thought it would take me all week) I was able to use the weekend before grades were due to cast a fresher look on the bathroom (and entertain my Mom, who was visiting). We had replaced the flooring, molding and faucet in the summer during the 'great' improving period, but my imagination only goes so far. Everyday I stared at the walls trying to figure out how to make it look less awful. Apparently I had writers block.

After a visit from the Freeds (in which we got to play at the kids science museum!), and picking Michelle's imagination we decided that paint, specifically, cream colored, would help. My Mom offered her veteran painting skills. So, Joe and I found some zero VOC paint in a nice light cream color. I don't generally paint walls. I have only ever purchased one gallon of paint and it was for the outside of the house and barely matched due to light exposure. All my other painting experiences come from using paint already...er...'in stock' at the house we were at...or otherwise used in another potion of the house. (The pantry paint is leftover from previous owners). So this was really my first true interior painting experience. The cream is really buttery, as in yellow cream ...on the walls (as opposed to at the store and in the paint can...). So not exactly the color we were going for, but attractive nonetheless.

We also finally found a light fixture that we both liked to replace the ridiculous hollywood light. In previous visits we had been hanging out in the bathroom lighting section (disappointing, gaudy, expensive, ugly) go figure. This time we broke protocol and took an extra step left into the kitchen track lighting section. Actually this was Joe and my Mom, I was busy trying to swindle some carpet tape out of an employee (they only sell it in extremely long rolls and I really only needed 5 inches). In any event, we spent the weekend in the bathroom as a team, Catch even tried to help. The only thing left is to figure out what to to with that super sexy cabinet. Another day perhaps. But for now I'm spending my time on the couch, next to the heater, watching various forms of precipitation fall and switching off between getting ready for next quarter and being a complete sloth (it is break after all).

Frosting on our house

Snow! Almost 6 inches.

I took a really crappy panorama (see above) which I will have to redo if we get another dusting and/or I gain the strength of will to leave the indent of the couch where I've been cozily reading all day...


We took Catch out to play in his first snow and he bounced around and mewed loudly at being brought back inside...

Some things.

While traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, we spied this at JFK. Imagine trying to scrounge change for one of those...

Ipod vending machine at JFK

We had opportunity to spend some quality time at JFK on the way home, and let me tell you, the baggage claim in terminal 3 is not the best place to catch a nap when waiting on a flight. It was an otherwise lovely trip and despite the weather and flight interruptions and although short, well worth it.

During our trip, people inquired about life, the universe and everything...of main interest, classes, jobs, the house and the car. We had been mostly winding down on the house and after 30 seconds of my chattering about classes it's really only interesting to me. The car is always a topic of interest to my family because it is getting on in years and mileage (274000 or so at last count) and because it was my Dad's for 11 years before it came to us. We're always happy to report that it is doing well, and so of course that means that something is bound to go wrong with it once we get home.

After almost 17 years things start to wear down on a car, in this case, the motor for the driver's side window. The window went down one day shortly after arriving home and just wouldn't go back up again. This was Joe's way of getting home over the Santiam pass without freezing.

It's about fucking time.

Two years is way too long to have to watch an election campaign. Tonight, two years of effort will be played out in just a few hours. I can't wait.

Something has to change.

Hug a tree

Joe and I, along with Laurel, who was in town visiting (brave and daring), struck out with a small group of geography students Saturday morning to attend a tree planting out on Green Island. It has been a very long time since I went tree planting...at least since high school. And oh my goodness, it is so satisfying.

Our group consisted of about 12 people, but the volunteer 'task force' was about 100 to 150 when we got there. A bunch of friendly and funny people gathering around eating organic pop tarts and bagels or enjoying coffee or apple cider. (I'm not going to lie. I ate a pop-tart. It was delicious.)

The McKenzie River Trust had 14,000 trees to be planted to restore the riparian habitat along the McKenzie River. That's right 14,000 trees. It was kick ass. We had about 15 people per group and a set of rows we were responsible for. So we spent the morning leap frogging each other as we planted (in pre-dug holes--thank goodness) a nice variety of trees, including: oak, cottonwood, red alder, valley ponderosa pine and big-leaf maple to name a few. I think I could even identify some of these trees now. In four hours the task was done. It was glorious and immensely rewarding. Although, I woke up this morning feeling like I had been in a permanent crouch all night. So stiff.

It was a beautiful sunny day, punctuated with funny story telling, some politics, some Micheal Pollan talk, fly-fishing tales, and some tree-lovin'...I actually saw a little girl run up and put her arms around a seedling as tall as her and give a big hug.

*Thanks to Leslie for the photos*

How time flies...

Tomorrow will be the fourth official week of school and my fifth week as a 'productive' student and instructor wandering about campus. FOURTH. I feel as though I have barely even started and now it's almost half over. I have stars in my eyes and a healthy sense of fear. I have an office that is shared with three masters students and I have office hours, sometimes students even come and see me and ask questions. I have classes, I have seminars, I have weekly meetings and reading groups....I love it. Some days I feel in my element and some days I cower at the responsibility of it all and wonder at all the things I don't know (how did I get here?!)

The past few weeks have been mostly devoted to being an instructor and trying to remember what it was like to be a freshman (I'm having difficulty there).

I'm both excited and overwhelmed. Some days favor one over the other.
Just some things:

- the library. I love the library. and it is dead sexy to hear that my books are due back in April. APRIL!

-the people. they are brilliant. they are totally immersed in their research and keen to hear what mine will be.

-the students. they are unbelievable. the don't read, they don't take notes, they don't talk and they turn in papers that have no clear direction or demonstration that they read the assignment.

- the campus. It's huge and beautiful. I'm getting a lot of exercise and have spent some quality time marveling at the trees.

- the academics. Oh the things you can think! I'm taking climatology, two graduate seminars, and two reading groups...it's incredible, I won't bore you with the details.

- our house. It is such a joy to come home to. Joe has been doing some finishing touches and has been taking care of me as I wend my way through all this new territory.

Moving and Improving - Part 25 - Smothering the grass.

I had this wild and crazy idea about how to kill the grass over the winter. In my mind, it was a lot simpler. In any event, I collected all the newspapers I could over the last month of our stay in Portland and we spent this past weekend papering the lawn to smother the grass.
We had some compost delivered. Er, some meaning, 17 yards. We got enough to cover the front and back lawn at about 3 inches deep.

It was amazing. Smelly, hot and a lot of work, but we managed it. Now it's time for some nitrogen fixing cover (I'm thinking alfalfa...but we'll see) and some winter veggies.

Front:
Back:

We saved a small plot in the back (near the porch, Joe is standing on it to take the picture) that was previously covered in bricks to plant some winter greens over...but everywhere else got newspaper treatment.

Moving and Improving - Part 24 - Odds and Ends

Well we made the mudroom a room, and really all that was left was the finishing touches.

Like adding shelving and molding.

Moving and Improving - Part 23 - Mud for the mudroom

We think we're clever.

Actually, on a trip to Ecohaus while looking for milk based paint, we discovered American Clay. We thought it was a great medium for a room that would possibly see a lot of wear and tear, and it was fantastic to run your hands over the gritty wall in the showroom.

Because of the grouting of the tile, we had most of the tools needed to work with the clay, so, after we deemed the inner mudroom complete we mixed up the clay and primed the walls. The primer required for the clay was primer + sand. I spent some quality time stirring the two or three inches of sand into solution and ruined a paint roller adding it to the walls.

The clay was mixed, by us, per the instructions to "pudding like consistency." We were supposed to trowel it on to the walls. The first attempt went splat on the floor. Not encouraging. The second attempt made it onto the wall, but just barely.

I tossed the trowel to the sink and grabbed a giant sponge....deviation from the instructions. But it worked. Joe also adopted the sponge approach and the walls now have a bit of an eclectic feel. Now dried, you can see where my large sponge applied the clay evenly and in squares, at the top of the walls, Joe's smaller sponge has given the room a "starry night" look.


The first pictures I took made the wall look like crap.

But after everything had dried and there was better natural lighting in the room I was able to capture a more lifelike photo of the 'mudded' mudroom.

Moving and Improving - Part 22 - Press button if assistance is required...

We did everything we could (read: actually had ability to do) in the week leading up to Mary and Robert's visit. We patiently waited to attack them with our remaining questions regarding electricity, painting and plumbing. We are so lucky to have such a valuable natural resource in our parents.

While they were in town we crossed most of the remaining projects off our list and got things done that we didn't even know needed doing.

We had talked about removing this cabinet ...and with tremendous effort, this roadblock was removed and the kitchen was opened up to more light.
We cut yet another hole in the house...for the dryer. I got to take the crowbar to some of the siding and replace it.









Our grout mess was removed by Mary and the tile left sparkling.The plumbing was completed. And our tricky light switch was mastered.
Over the weekend we also replaced the siding and purchased new paint to match the outside of the house. The previous owners left every color of paint imaginable, except for the outside. The paint I had mixed matches pretty well, it just needs to have some sun exposure...