The joys of unity

S and I are both working with our insurance guys to figure out the best coverage for our cars and since we are in an apartment, renters coverage as well. I really like my insurance guy, and I just got off the phone with him. Coverage for our rings would be a bit cheaper if we added a rider to the rental insurance, so I my have to debate switching that over. I'll have to see if S's insurance guy can add the quote for jewelry coverage as well. Ahh, the joys of unity.

Update from the new homefront

It's been a while since I've updated, mainly due to the fact that we don't have internet access at our new place yet (Monday!), and I am lazy. It seems that every evening this week, I've been going over to my parents' house, picking up a few miscellaneous items, then going to pick up S from work. He's working evenings now, which means I see him far less than when he was working days. It's kind of sad, but I'm hoping he can find a different, more rewarding job that will see him through the fall semester at least. Last night I hung out with my sister, and we played Wii golf and went for a bike ride which was great. Tonight when she gets off work, I think we'll swim, since it's like a sauna outside.

It's kind of weird to be moved out of my parents' house, but it's also weirdly nice. Our apartment is lacking furniture, but I'm hoping to find acquire seating this weekend, and add some artwork to our very bare, very white walls. I don't yet have my summer routine down without class in session, so I feel somewhat lazy and bored, until I realize I have books to read and wedding things to do...

Wedding plans are down to just a few things; S needs to buy a suit, we need to call people and confirm that they are coming and what they want to eat, figure out a seating chart, and ask the restaurant how early we can set up the room with place cards and such. The week before the wedding, we'll have favors (chocolate truffles) to pick up and box, I'll have flowers to arrange and assemble, announcements and programs to print, and we'll have our rehearsal. Really, there's not too much left to do, or that I have to do, anyway. Now it's up to the kind people who are helping us out to do their part! Oh, and S's aunts are throwing me a bridal shower on Sunday, so that should be fun, and they are both awesome cooks, so it should be a yummy time as well.

Ch-ch-changes

Have I mentioned how much I am loving having an online class? It's been really convenient—no driving, and I think I'm learning as much if not more than in a traditional class. I do miss the human interaction, but I've gotten to e-mail my professor and share a discussion forum with my classmates (many of whom I've already had a class or two with, so they are familiar to me) which has resulted in some interesting threads. We've read about tagging, OPAC web-based adaptations, Drupal, social networking, Library 2.0, search engine optimization, openness/copyright, and so on. I've successfully learned how to develop a webpage using (X)HTML and CSS, and have really enjoyed pretty much every facet of this course. Here's hoping I can take another one before I graduate, since this class ends tomorrow with a final exam...

After class is done, I'll have a new task to look forward to: moving! Here is my new neighborhood, showing the distance from our place (B) to the new library (A, completion date: sometime at the end of August—in the aerial view, it's still a big parking lot):



On the right of the aerial view, you can see the dense buildings that make up the campus of my alma mater and S's current place of education. We'll both be within 10 blocks of the place we go to most frequently. We're going to try to be as green as possible, factoring in that I drive a total of 3 hours merely to get to my school's campus and back at least once or twice a week. See the green spot on the map? That's our 'lake'! And currently, my friend Amanda lives on the corner of the green field near the dot you see in the image.

We have a bit of packing to do, and the plan is to start moving in some larger furniture on Tuesday evening, culminating with the delivery of our new mattress on Wednesday. I see a trip to IKEA in our future...

A positive outlook

Unfortunately, the dermatologist said the bumps on my hands were, and I quote, "the worst I've ever seen on the tops of the fingers," but fortunately, it seemed like they think they are pompholyx and they gave me a shot (of what, I didn't ask, I was in such agony; I assume cortisone of some sort to decrease the inflammation) and a prescription for some lotion and scheduled me for a follow-up in two weeks.

S and I went to the pharmacy immediately to pick up the Rx before leaving for my first class in St. Paul last night. The pharmacist informed me the prescription would cost me over $200 (!) because I have minimal health coverage right now. She was very helpful and said the same drug in other formulations would work just as well, and offered to call my dermatologist to see if they would substitute something less expensive. I said yes, but I had to leave for class, so the plan was that she would call me if that would be all right with my doctor and fill the prescription, which I could pick up the next day. She said, "Honestly, I would never pay this much for a prescription." I agreed it was ridiculous and that I would rather save the money if I could. I walked away from the pharmacy, went to buy a soda for the drive, and as I was headed toward the exit, my cell phone rang. It was the pharmacist saying she talked with the doctor and he OK'ed the change. She said she would have the Rx ready in about five minutes, was I still in the vicinity? I said yes, doubled back, got the $30 version of what was originally prescribed, and left very happy. I thanked the pharmacist so many times, and her reply was, "I hate seeing people spend more money than they need to."

The bumps were looking better (S agreed) after I got out of class, and are looking even better today. They also don't bother me nearly as much. Still ugly, but not itchy constantly, nor even painful (the ones on my fingers really hurt on Tuesday). So, I'm optimistic that in two weeks, they will be entirely healed.

The doctor also asked if I was under any stress. I said, "Well..." and gave him a pretty honest answer I can't really write here. One of the things I need to do is learn to let go of past hurts, and just move forward knowing that everything is as it should be. S helped remind me of this today, and I feel more positive about the future. In order to prevent the awful pompholyx from coming back, I'm going to really need to watch my stress levels and know when I need a break from everything. Not such a bad thing to be forced to do for my health and happiness.

Just thought of this...

It's not true yet, but will be once I graduate. I think I may actually get these printed and send them out to prospective employers during my last semester. Script for card generation from Blyberg.

Not just yet

With our two year anniversary of dating fast approaching (Wednesday), I'm sure there are a lot of people who expect me to get a "sparkler" like the photo here. Well, I know not to expect that, but isn't it a beautiful ring?

When I told a co-worker this morning that I was excited to see what S has planned, she asked if I thought I would get a proposal. "Oh, no," I said. "S needs a laptop more than I need a ring." Which is true. "But," I joked, showing her my left hand, "he did give me this," and showed her that S, with his artistic skills, had drawn a ring on my finger. It's about a 5-carat asscher cut, by my estimation. My co-worker wasn't as amused as I was.

When I told my sister that our two-year anniversary was coming up, she said, "Two years? It seems like a lot longer than that!" I guess, in a way, it does.

S has assured me that he has a number of things planned, and part of the plans began yesterday with a very thoughtful, sweet mix CD that went from the time we met until the time we started dating, titled, "Anniversary, Part I."

Now, for my own anniversary plans...

I'd rather dance than talk with you

Work changes are afoot. I feel a lot of anxiety about it, and a lot of that is just uncertainty on my part about how everything will go, which is normal. The new library building is also raising some questions about working during the transition from one building to the next. We're seeing just a slice of the probable confusion with one of our branch libraries closed for moving right now. What will happen when it's the main branch that's closed, and how will items be routed, and how will administration work, and on and on with the questions...

A large part of me is just glad that if I hustle up and start taking two courses at a time in the spring, I can graduate in May of 2009, which is also when S graduates (and when my sis graduates from undergrad! Sweet!) so we could look for jobs wherever (East Coast, West Coast, somewhere in between...) and go off to live ______ ever after.

The pressure is on me to find something good where I could see staying long enough for S to get a teaching job and possibly tenure at that teaching job. We know he'd probably have to substitute teach for a while before finding a job, but if my job can pay the bills, we'd be all right. Of course, everyone who graduates with an MLIS wants a 'good job,' but everyone's definitions of that job are going to be different. I want a place where Library 2.0 practices are in place and working, and where attitudes are positive, and in a geographical location both S and I can enjoy. For me, this means urban and diversity, for him, this means nature and outdoor activities. Really, entirely up in the air at this point.

No plans and never a worry

I'm sitting in my dad's office, typing this for mysterious reasons, listening to Saves the Day, "In Reverie," an album that brings me back about a million years (rather, to 2003). I bought the album and listened to it in my sweet ride, my Saturn SL2, tooling around Lincoln, Nebraska, leaves blowing around in the streets and the weather still warm, cool nights offering free air conditioning in my apartment... the year I graduated from undergrad.

Now, it's about two weeks until I'm back in graduate classes, getting closer to being out in the ever-more-real world. I'm excited about this fall for reasons I can't explain at this point in time, or in this very public blog. I haven't got anything figured out yet, I guess is all I can say. It actually feels surprisingly good instead of terrifying. I can't plan anything right now, and it's great.

I am closer to realizing some of my goals, and further from others. It's all good, though, and all I can do is choose how I react. I feel more at peace than ever before. It's wonderful.