Things I'm Learning

Hello,

I am not very good at maintaining a blog. Oh well.

Moving to Virginia and starting grad school has taught me a lot. Here's a partial list of the things I've learned thus far:

• Thrashing and lurching is an important stage of the novel-writing process.
• You should not put aluminum foil in the microwave.
• The people in this program--my friends--are extraordinary.
• Leaving that guy was a very good thing, and I'm glad I left him.
• Not every novel looks like a novel.
• Kroger is amazing.
• It's important to take a break from writing every once in a while.
• I'm incredibly lucky.

Grad School Is The Best

I love my grad program so much. Yes, sometimes we have to read really annoying Robbe-Grillet novels two weeks in a row, but that's okay. I'm writing at least 15 new pages of my novel every single week, which still blows me away. They may not be 15 great pages, but they're 15 pages, and I am loving it.

Here's a list of some of my favorite things about being a grad student:

• Writing all the time
• Reading all the time
• Reading my classmates' work
• Managing my own schedule
• Being unproductive in the grad lounge
• Singing and drinking on porches with my friends
• Not having to wear work clothes
• My professors
• Cubbies
• Spending hours and hours at coffee places with my friends
•  And again, writing

Yay!

Turn Signals

Dear The Other Drivers Here,

Our cars are equipped with these things called turn signals. Their purpose is to let the cars behind you know when you are going to turn or change lanes. Please use them.

Thank you!

Amazing Things

Yay! I can log on to my blog again. It wouldn't let me for a while. Anyway, hello. I am very tired. My grad program is amazing.

So I've been here for over two weeks now. Here's a partial list of the things that are amazing about living in Virginia:

• Taking my groceries in the car, instead of carrying them blocks and blocks
• Doing laundry in the apartment
• Having my own, private, air-conditioned mode of transportation
• Cheap stuff, like a box of cereal for $2.99
• Hearing Southern accents all the time
• Pretty mountains
• The fact that there is a restaurant in town dedicated to chicken and waffles
• Cubbies! My grad program gave each of us a cubby
• Sitting on porches at night
• Theme parties with my awesome classmates
• The cool coffee place nearby

Also, my neighbor has a rooster. That was amazing for about two days, until it started crowing. Now it is not amazing. 

Okay, I have to go to a thing. Being here is great!

Most Useful Aisle Ever

One of the local grocery stores is very, very sad. But it also has this aisle:

Also, note the sleds on top of the freezer.

That's all for now! Stay tuned for Why Are Blinds So Difficult? and I Need To Work on Parking.

Leaving Work

 Warning: This post may get sentimental. You have been warned.
    
Wednesday is my last day of work. I have been working at a wonderful adult literacy nonprofit for over two years now. While I didn't always love LP, I'm so glad that I had the experience. Adult literacy is important work, and I've been lucky to work with some outstanding coworkers.

This job has been tough, especially during the year that I had six different bosses--sometimes three at a time and sometimes none. But it's also been so uplifting and joyful. I've had so many happy moments, from completing a kickass set of meeting minutes, to seeing an event succeed, to seeing one of my students get it. My students and my coworkers have helped me become more confident, and I will miss them.

List time! Here are some of the things I learned at LP:

• I'm so fidgety because I'm a kinesthetic learner
• Bitching about something only makes it worse
• Adult literacy students are some of the smartest, kindest and greatest people ever
• They can also be the most challenging
• I do not know how to walk in heels
• Proofread even after you've spellchecked
• If you memorize too many numbers, your coworkers will think you know everyone's phone number by heart
• Focusing on the positives actually helps (so keep starting those meetings with highlights of the week)
• A five-minute walk, even if it's just laps around the office, can really clear your head
• There is always a cheaper option
• I'm really, really lucky

Things I Am Not Going To Miss

Two posts in a row? I'm on a roll! Yay beer.

Anyway, I just finished my list of things I will miss about living in New York. And now, also in no particular order, are the things I will not miss:

• That block on my way to work that always smells like pee
• The subway when it's not working
• Penn Station
• Nasty people on the subway, especially the people who get into fights at 8AM when the train is packed
• The A train
• The 6 train
• Ridiculous rent
• Overpriced everything
• Getting stuck behind slow-walking tourists on my way to work
• My old apartment management company
• Living in a fifth-floor walkup
• The Second Avenue construction
• Carrying a week's worth of groceries more than 10 feet
• That other really smelly block near my office
• Time Warner. Goodbye, $51 a month for internet!
• Times Square. It is the worst part of the city. Do not go there.
• Pushy people in line at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I actually got pushed at Whole Foods once
• Spending $11 on a basic lunch

Okay, that's all for now. Is it too early for bed?