THE SEMESTER IS ALMOST OVER.
Love,

black sheeped

THIS AWESOME THING.

Love,

blacksheeped

There are still a lot of boxes in the basement that are waiting to be unpacked, and I need to brush Cab, and the dishes haven’t been completely caught up since we moved.  Most of our clothing is still wrinkled from being packed, I have not put one thing on one wall yet, the back door is accessible only after the navigation of a treacherous obstacle course consisting mostly of cardboard that needs to be recycled, and I’ve spent the last few weekends painting every room on the main floor of the house (almost done) (there was so much peach that needed covered) (seriously, the exact color of the peach Crayola crayon, or silly putty).

The cats have been bravely coping with all the changes by acting like they have lived here since the dawn of time:

The monarchs are migrating and a great horned owl lives somewhere near our back yard.

I like grad school.  My first little critique was positive, I survived my first quiz, I’m not getting lost on campus anymore (though I still carry a map in my bag, and have given dismally confused instructions to the poor people who have asked ME for directions), and I haven’t gotten a parking ticket.  I have about twenty books checked out from the library, and as a grad student, I get to keep them until MAY.  I’m absorbing the work of new artists, and I’m trying some new things in my drawings.

I feel old on campus, especially when a vacantly texting student walks right into me.  I might have to break down and get some sort of coffee making device.

But I feel happy about what I’m doing.

That primitivism article isn’t going to read itself, and I need to work on a painting.

Love,

black sheeped

Which, really, is okay.  Flip-flops hurt my feet and toes SO MUCH.

We took a carload of art supplies to the new place yesterday.  We found a blue bowling ball in a closet, engraved with the name “Juanita.”  The holes fit Jut’s fingers perfectly.

Important things to know about the new house:

1.  It’s a ton bigger than our current place.  This means that when Jut and I are on the couch, and the four pets cram in on/around us, it will make even less sense, because there is A TON OF SPACE, IDIOTS.    GET OFF OF THE LAPTOP KEYBOARD.

2.  There is room for a table.  (CRAZY.)  It has a pantry, lots of (dry) basement storage, an appropriate amount of  closet space, and a bathroom vanity that is big enough for two people to use at the same time.

3.  There are two (2) toilets.

4.  It has a laundry chute and a can chute.  (No cats will be dropped into chutes of any kind.)  (They will, however, be threatened with chute-dropping.)  (Especially when one of them vomits in a shoe.)   (Which happens more than it should.)

5.  Two of the rooms, adjacent to each other, are perfect for my studio and Jut’s office/writing space.  His room has built-in bookshelves.  (I know!)  The closet in that room is where we found Juanita.

6.  The lawn has been carefully landscaped, with mulch and landscaping block and shrubs and a little fountain/pond.

a.  THE FOUNTAIN HAS GOLDFISH IN IT.

b.  How soon until I and/or the dogs crap up the painstakingly manicured lawn?  I’m guessing…soon.

Important things to know about the new town:

1.  It’s tiny.  As in, there’s only one employee at the post office, so we had to get a post office box.  I think it has around 1000 citizens.

2.  They pick up recyclables on the curb!  With the trash!  And the town participates in a recycling program for used clothing.

3.  Everything is within walking or biking distance.

So, tomorrow!

While I was freaking out about the fish yesterday, and poking around the fountain to learn how it works (still no idea), I noticed something horrifying growing in the mulch.  Um…it looked like this:

And this:

And…this:

Elegant stinkhorns.

The best part is, they smell putrid.  I read the scent described as a mixture of “rotting carrion and feces.”

Love,

black sheeped

1.  I got into graduate school.  I’m going for my MFA, which is the terminal degree for studio art.

2.  We have to move a few hours north.

3.  Jut just got an awesome job in at a school a few hours north.  Better pay, better workload.

4.  We have to sell our house here and find a house up there.

5.  There are three weddings (out of state, all of them) to attend this summer.

6.  I had to give notice at work, which was tricky.  My co-worker/supervisor (small company) was diagnosed with breast cancer this spring.  She starts chemo next week.  Things are insanely busy there, and I feel on the verge of losing control every ten minutes or so.

7.  There’s some cancer going on in members of Jut’s family.

8.  A childhood friend of mine died.  His motorcycle was knocked into a cable barrier by an SUV and the wire cables killed him.  He was a coach and a teacher.

9.  My old middle school burnt down!  It was a stupid prank gone horribly awry.  (No one was hurt.)

10.  I haven’t seen my parents or sister since Christmas, and I don’t know when I can get down there, because of the house/wedding/etc. stuff.  Too long!

What’s new with you?

Love,

black sheeped

Fairly disappointing.

Love,

black sheeped

You remember my sister?  The one with the dachshund?   (I don’t know why he can’t audition.  Just LOOK at that charismatic snout.)

Love,

blacksheeped

But! I’m going to do the Five Minutes of Happy:

1.  Results of the big project are scary but good.  More on that later.  And, in case you’re wondering, NOT PREGNANT.

2.  I’ve read some really good books lately.

3.  My sister-in-law gave me a gift subscription to Discover magazine for my birthday, and I am wolfing down each issue.  Along with the Christmas gift subscription to Bark.  SO. GOOD.

4.  Also, my husband gave me the Best Birthday Gift Ever:

If you don’t know what it is, SHAME ON YOU.  You should be watching Craig Ferguson more often.

5.  The tulip and daffodil shoots survived four or five inches of fresh snow, and they are growing quickly.  The bleeding heart is coming up, along with a handful of other perennials I planted last year.  It seems like a miracle every single spring.

6.  I found something to remove dog hair from my car.  My generic Furminator.  BEAUTIFUL.  This means I will be able to get the car fur-free enough to sell it.  This is exciting, because for the last two years I wouldn’t let anyone else even get in the car because the amount of Cab hair was embarrassing, and I hate that car, and Jut hates that car, and now we can be fur-free AND stupid-car free.  Once I, uh, actually finish removing the hair.  And then get motivated enough to do something about selling it.  Like…putting it up for sale.

7.  We got tickets to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros on our ANNIVERSARY in June.  I am PUMPED UP to the MAX.  The MAX!

8.  TYPING LIKE THIS STILL MAKES ME FEEL GOOD.

9.  It’s warm enough to open the windows.

Love,

black sheeped

(The original ad made me so angry it dampened my Puppy Bowl high.)

Love,

black sheeped

Edit:  Original ad here.