why my day was good
So my day was pretty good. How about yours? Here's a day in the life of Lesley with tangential memories/details/thoughts/questions....
Ok, so, my day didn't start well. I always think I can and should be a morning person. But I'm not. Especially not today. I was grumpy for no reason at all. A friend of mine calls these 'saggy diaper' days -- perhaps those of you with kids get this even more than me?? Anyway, my lit students had papers due today (yes, cursed witch that I am, assigning poetry explications), so I figured they would be reticent and grumpy, too. And my freshman comp students are in their usual "we're only here for a few more days, what more do I need to hear from you about writing?" mode this time of semester. I was predicting a morning of me holding discussion with myself (seriously, this happens sometimes).
BUT my lit students rose to the occasion! We had this great discussion about how and why poetry can function as a medium for political expression. And if it does or can function in this way, then why don't we see more poetry that voices such social concern on a day to day basis? (And why don't we? Every values poetry in this perfunctory way, but is anyone -- and I mean general public -- really reading it these days?) They really got into this debate about how much power and meaning we should assign to the author in these cases -- it was nice. And everyone turned in a paper! My day was much better.
Then, after my office hours (to which no one ever comes -- I must seem a beast or something), I had lunch with my friend Aleks. We ate at the Bread Company in Urbana -- a place that reminds me of restaurants in Lawrence like Wheatfields. She just completed her fields exam two weeks ago and is still replaying the two-hour interview in her head. She's also a few months pregnant, so via her vomit schedule, I'm learning a lot about what it means to have horrible morning sickness. She's had it really really really bad. Like can't cook food it makes her so ill. So I need someone, SOMEONE (hint, hint, any of you with positive spins on pregnancy) to tell me this is not always the case. She is one of my best friends here -- we always have lunch on Wednesdays. And you know, we both look forward to that lunch more than anything. It's just so important to have that time for a friend. I mean, I've met some people here who are good friends, but who don't make the time, or don't contact me. It's kind of like deciding when to call someone after a date or something -- do I call, or should I wait for them to call? You kind of have to date your friends, put down a time, plan where and when to meet. It doesn't just "happen."
Btw, I look forward to lunches/dinners/coffees with all of you in the future! **By the way, who is pro-coffee around here? I know Hannah is, but that Ellie's trying to kick the habit, right? And how do you take it? I'm a skim latte, w/extra shot whore --- but I also love plain black coffee. Seriously, folks, how you take your coffee is important -- but if you abstain from it, I won't think TOO much less of you ;)
Ok, anyway, I walked around our campus after lunch, running some errands. If you ever have a chance to visit us and tour Illinois's campus, please do! Today was such a cold, bright early winter day, and everything looked so crisp. The English Building used to be a women's dorm when the University was founded. (okay, isn't THIS pathetic?! we have no cool name. we're just the English Building. that's it) According to campus myth, a girl drowned in the swimming pool that used to be in our building. Her ghost now haunts the place, but I've never heard her. Still, the building is bizarre -- like Hogwarts, I'm sure the rooms and stairs move around at night. Even numbered rooms are on one side, odds on the other. Hidden stairs lead to offices I didn't even know existed. Weird. BUT facing the Quad, the building has these massively tall white columns. It looks all nice and academic, and while not nearly as cool as Altgeld Hall (the Math CASTLE!), it's still one of the most adored buildings on campus.
Ok, later in the day, I picked up Topher at his work, Volition, and we grabbed huge amounts of Chinese food before sitting down to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on CBS (digitally remastered, no less! Rudolph, that is, not Chinese food or Topher). Yes, I still love that show and have to watch it every year. I even have Yukon Cornelius, Rudolph, and Bumble ornaments on our tree -- yes, I am still that much a geek. But Topher says if you're going to geek out, geek strong. Some things really don't change. Then, Toph departed for his weekly poker game and I watched Lost, my favorite show right now. I recommend it so highly -- it's the only thing I watch on tv now.
And now I'm posting. And now I'm done. And now you are all thinking thank goodness.... :)
Good night all.
Ok, so, my day didn't start well. I always think I can and should be a morning person. But I'm not. Especially not today. I was grumpy for no reason at all. A friend of mine calls these 'saggy diaper' days -- perhaps those of you with kids get this even more than me?? Anyway, my lit students had papers due today (yes, cursed witch that I am, assigning poetry explications), so I figured they would be reticent and grumpy, too. And my freshman comp students are in their usual "we're only here for a few more days, what more do I need to hear from you about writing?" mode this time of semester. I was predicting a morning of me holding discussion with myself (seriously, this happens sometimes).
BUT my lit students rose to the occasion! We had this great discussion about how and why poetry can function as a medium for political expression. And if it does or can function in this way, then why don't we see more poetry that voices such social concern on a day to day basis? (And why don't we? Every values poetry in this perfunctory way, but is anyone -- and I mean general public -- really reading it these days?) They really got into this debate about how much power and meaning we should assign to the author in these cases -- it was nice. And everyone turned in a paper! My day was much better.
Then, after my office hours (to which no one ever comes -- I must seem a beast or something), I had lunch with my friend Aleks. We ate at the Bread Company in Urbana -- a place that reminds me of restaurants in Lawrence like Wheatfields. She just completed her fields exam two weeks ago and is still replaying the two-hour interview in her head. She's also a few months pregnant, so via her vomit schedule, I'm learning a lot about what it means to have horrible morning sickness. She's had it really really really bad. Like can't cook food it makes her so ill. So I need someone, SOMEONE (hint, hint, any of you with positive spins on pregnancy) to tell me this is not always the case. She is one of my best friends here -- we always have lunch on Wednesdays. And you know, we both look forward to that lunch more than anything. It's just so important to have that time for a friend. I mean, I've met some people here who are good friends, but who don't make the time, or don't contact me. It's kind of like deciding when to call someone after a date or something -- do I call, or should I wait for them to call? You kind of have to date your friends, put down a time, plan where and when to meet. It doesn't just "happen."
Btw, I look forward to lunches/dinners/coffees with all of you in the future! **By the way, who is pro-coffee around here? I know Hannah is, but that Ellie's trying to kick the habit, right? And how do you take it? I'm a skim latte, w/extra shot whore --- but I also love plain black coffee. Seriously, folks, how you take your coffee is important -- but if you abstain from it, I won't think TOO much less of you ;)
Ok, anyway, I walked around our campus after lunch, running some errands. If you ever have a chance to visit us and tour Illinois's campus, please do! Today was such a cold, bright early winter day, and everything looked so crisp. The English Building used to be a women's dorm when the University was founded. (okay, isn't THIS pathetic?! we have no cool name. we're just the English Building. that's it) According to campus myth, a girl drowned in the swimming pool that used to be in our building. Her ghost now haunts the place, but I've never heard her. Still, the building is bizarre -- like Hogwarts, I'm sure the rooms and stairs move around at night. Even numbered rooms are on one side, odds on the other. Hidden stairs lead to offices I didn't even know existed. Weird. BUT facing the Quad, the building has these massively tall white columns. It looks all nice and academic, and while not nearly as cool as Altgeld Hall (the Math CASTLE!), it's still one of the most adored buildings on campus.
Ok, later in the day, I picked up Topher at his work, Volition, and we grabbed huge amounts of Chinese food before sitting down to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on CBS (digitally remastered, no less! Rudolph, that is, not Chinese food or Topher). Yes, I still love that show and have to watch it every year. I even have Yukon Cornelius, Rudolph, and Bumble ornaments on our tree -- yes, I am still that much a geek. But Topher says if you're going to geek out, geek strong. Some things really don't change. Then, Toph departed for his weekly poker game and I watched Lost, my favorite show right now. I recommend it so highly -- it's the only thing I watch on tv now.
And now I'm posting. And now I'm done. And now you are all thinking thank goodness.... :)
Good night all.
posted by Lesley at 7:14 PM
9 Comments:
Aw. I love it. I absolutely love hearing daily details about people's lives, particularly my friends.
My day:
Wake late, per usual. (I also have always wanted to be a morning person. Or a night owl. Hell, anything but a late-afternoon girl, which I so totally am.) Have trouble getting out of bed, as I am penned in on one side by a sleeping Tim and the other by two black cats, who, you know, are really just too adorable to move.
Work starts out busy, with two immediate meetings with clients as I walk in the door, but slows down, as I only have four clients right now, which is average but not bad. I catch up on people's blogs [note to y'all: get a blog. Now. I love reading them.] and play around online (messageboard fiend. Don't judge).
I have lunch with my friends Sally and Fran, and Fran's weird boss Chris. I'm always bugging them to bring their food back to the shelter, as I can't afford to eat out all the time, but I like spending time with them. Chris is weird because he's the only guy who works at the agency, he makes me slightly uncomfortable, and he has a weird sense of humor. (Sarcasm--which appears lost on most of the entire population of Southerners, Sally and Fran excepted.) S&F are dear friends, wholly unlike the type I had in Chicago. There, I encountered a lot of what Lesley complained about: friends that just didn't keep in touch. It seemed the norm there, and I was used to it. Here, we spend a lot of time together, and I love it. (Hey, I have the free time anyway!)
My afternoon was spent in our weekly case review, and anwering the crisis line. I talked with a woman who checked herself into the hospital a few counties over last week after being raped by a hotel manager when she sought refuge from a domestic violence situation. She wasn't really appropriate for our shelter, so I consulted with a mental health agency, and gave her referrals to look elsewhere. It's dumb, but one of my strengths is phone crisis counseling and coordination with other community resources. I really love it. I have a great, soothing phone voice.
Then I was fixing to go home, exhausted, when a woman we had accepted for shelter showed up at the emergency room (our pick-up location). She's not going to be my client, so I don't know why I had to pick her up, but whatever. She was dirty, bruised, and sobbing the whole time. I got her back to the shelter, got her installed in a room, and left before I got sucked into spending the entire night soothing her. And proud of myself for that. (I figured me sitting beside her, patting her on the back and saying, "you'll get through this; just get some rest and take it one day at a time" more than the one time I did wouldn't have made one bit of difference, considering the state she was in.)
Home for our favorite easy meal: Tex-Mex casserole (Lesley, I was sooo craving some good Chinese today!) and an episode of "Veronica Mars."
(My dudes. This show fucking rocks. If you aren't a fan yet, you MUST check it out. If you need any references, it's a natural progression for Joss Whedon fans, as currently there is one--maybe two--Buffy alum on the show, and Joss himself is a huge fan.)
Then I helped Tim practice for his Man of La Mancha vocal audition Monday. I realized how little I play the piano anymore, and I miss it. Tim volunteered me to help some of his classmates rehearse as well, so I suppose I'll be getting some more practice this weekend.
My brother-in-law sent me back his edits to my statement of purpose (UIC! Loyola! Ah, Chicago...!) so I worked on my grad school applications, then ended the evening by calling into work and talking to my newest client, a woman who is in her third entry into the shelter as my client in the past year, touching base, and arranging a meeting with her for tomorrow. She may yet leave this man for good. I'm not holding my breath, but we'll see.
(Did y'all know the average is 10 times that a woman will leave before she succeeds, or is killed?)
So it's time for bed. The cats are getting restless for me to settle in, Tim is already asleep, and I've just finished burning some musical CDs for him to listen to and pick an audition song.
Hi, I'm Wordy McWordson tonight.
Lesley, I'd love to sit in on one of your classes!
OK, I'm wordying out tonight, to. (And yes, Garrett -- wordying is a word if the English teach says it is. Ha!)
Ellie, this is so cool and so weird because just tonight Topher sat down and said, "Lesley, we have to start watching 'Veronica Mars' -- everyone at my work says it's great." And everyone says, "if you like Buffy and company, you'll love VM.." And we've been hearing this from countless people -- like Ellie! -- whose critical opinions we value highly! (Of course, YOU KNOW I have to wait for DVDs -- Lost is still my show of choice at that time slot!)
And Ellie -- I'm so eager to hear how your grad applications turn out! That's exciting.
Doy. I forgot about Lost. Last night's episode--oh my god. Season two wasn't hooking me the way season 1 did, but this one may have gotten me back on track. I'm tired of the new castaways (want to punch Ana-Lucia's face off) and think they need to get back on their mystical, mysterious track. And then the ending... whoa. I can't wait until next week!!
I am actually more of a tea drinker. My favorite part about coffee really is the smell and cafe-culture. My body can't handle the caffeine. Green tea caffeine seems to affect my body differently--less brutally, so that's what I drink.
So grad school applications: ack! I applied to a bunch of schools two years ago, and was accepted to all of them, so I don't know why this time around, I'm scared. (I am definitely an even stronger candidate this time.) But I WAS wait-listed at UIC, so I guess that's why I'm worried. Loyola and UIC are the only schools I'm trying this time, and though Loyola is really better for what I want to pursue, UIC is also a strong program, and will be considerably more affordable, so I'm hoping for it.
My personal statement was particularly uninspired, but my BIL Chris is a great writer and editor, so he really spruced it up for me. I think I'll be ok now.
What I meant to write last night after coming down from my Lost high was.....
Ellie, I am amazed at the work you do. And I'm not just saying that. I really admire what it must take for you to work with the clients you encounter each day. It takes levels of mental and emotional fortitude I can only imagine. The highest emotional levels in my job usually only include the occasional undergrad who bursts into tears in my office because of finals week pressure. And I can take care of that, fine. But your job certainly must take a lot out of you in so many ways, and there's only a certain committed, special kind of person who can do social work. So bravo! And good luck in the grad school process.
I am floored by that 10X statistic as well. It made me wonder -- do you only work with female clients, right Ellie? I always wonder about men in abusive situations, and how things are different/similar? And I also wonder what the statistics of abuse are for homosexual couples. Hmmm, just pondering.
I must say, I love getting these play by plays. I like imagining Gretchen cursing at Utah drivers during rush hour and Ellie trying to push cats or Tim aside in order to get out of bed in the morning! And that makes me laugh b/c our two cats always sleep on my side -- one by my side, the other at my feet-- so I always have to push them off before getting up. (And I call myself a member of the Humane Society, sheesh). And I'm a fiercely nasty driver when I want to be, Gretchen!.... even though C-U really has no rush hour exactly. Just a lot of dazed college kids.
Tim always tries to one-up me by mentioning that walking onstage opening night has the same stress level as a combatant during wartimes. Whatever. I think he's being a wuss. He loves being onstage.
I don't know much about men being abused, both in hetero- and homosexual relationships. I am wholly uninterested in working with straight men, but I'm interested in LGBT issues, and there's a counseling center in Chicago, so maybe I could do that in grad school!
Addiction is a completely different beast to me. I'd love to learn more about it, but I sometimes wonder if I could ever be effective in an area that's so far removed from my realm of experience.
Oh. My. God. Y'all don't know bad drivers until you've visited Montgomery (please, do! We have 9 more months here!!). We have frontage roads all over the place that people don't know how to properly navigate; it appears that NO ONE is taught in drivers ed to USE THEIR TURN SIGNAL; and everyone is completely erratic and unpredictable. And the parking lots! Oh god, the parking lots! Wide expanses of dangerous territory. The first accident of my LIFE occurred about a year ago, in a grocery store parking lot where a gigantor SUV sloooowly backed up, right on top of my little baby Corolla!
Anyway, at least in Chicago, people's craziness is pretty predictable, and they KNOW HOW TO MERGE! I miss the city driving.
Dude, I´m having the most annoying day. Most of the time I wake up at dawn and linger in bed with coffee and a book or knitting and an audiobook(anyone want to send me more books on CD? I love them. Right now it´s book four of Harry Potter.) Anyway, this morning I got up and was tweaking the shortwave radio, when my neighbor came over and asked if I wanted to go to a meeting in town. The real answer is, No way in Hell. But, because of my central Kansas guilt complex and fear of being called lazy, I went. Got dressed and ready in ten minutes, and then waited around for a truck to come by and take us to town.
Then we got to town, and stood around outside the coliseum where the meeting was to take place. Turns out to be a huge conference thing, with the mayor and everything. Nothing starts on time, ever, and people seem to enjoy standing around. It makes, to quote gretchem, my ass twitch. An hour and a half after we were supposed to start, it actually commenced, lots of speech making and meaningless blather about getting ahead, and building a better community. It´s going to last all day long, the idea being that the longer a meeting, the better it is, which is an absurd notion. I had trouble enough sitting through an hour of class.
So, I´m a little worked up, and thinking about how nice it would be to be in my little hut, listening to a story and finishing the scarf I´m making. Or, outside, actually working on something, instead of talking about it.
But, how nice to hear from you all. That always cheers me up. I will write more when I´ve got more time.
All right, so you all have way more exciting days than I do. Here's a typical one of mine right now:
5:30 to 6:00 am Punch snooze on the alarm clock for Jason who finally gets up at 6. I have to have the radio REALLY QUIET on the alarm so we don't wake up the urchin; consequently Jason doesn't hear it. Not that he ever did when it was loud.
6:30 Stealthily sneak down the hall to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. I make a point of getting dressed every morning as though I was actually going out somewhere...at least jeans, if not cords or something akin to. That makes me feel more like I am going to my job even though my job is in my house. I put on a little makeup and everything, just so that I feel as though I'm going to be doing something productive. Then I read a Psalm and pray and eat breakfast.
7:00 (or 7:30 if I'm lucky, which I have been this week) Go find Asher in his bed, who struggles to his feet amidst all his blankets and rattles the side of his crib. The next 45 minutes or so are spent getting him his breakfast and cleaning the kitchen up while he eats Cheerios. I truly appreciate the plastic Baby Bjorn bib with the pocket at the bottom. He drops a lot of food in there.
8:30 After Asher is dressed, he goes to his playpen for "me time"...his, not mine. I'm teaching him to play on his own, which is difficult with a little guy who is home all day with mom. He cries sometimes, but he's learning. Then we usually go out and do Things That Need To Be Done. You know...these are the things you try to fit in after work when you're working, and then end up cursing when you get out of the office late and end up having to do on Saturday instead. Grocery shop...get gas...wash the car...get an extra key made for the front door...pay a bill or two...make people's dental and hair appointments...etc. This is one of the greatest perks of my current job. I can do all of it during regular business hours now. Yes, the banks are actually open in the morning and afternoon, and not just over lunch or after 4:30!
10:30 Naptime. This is when I get to maybe veg a while, hang out with the cats, come down here and find out what you all have been up to, and just generally not think about parenting.
12:00 Asher is ready for lunch. I really like mealtimes with him now, because I can start to feed him some really cool foods. We're still mostly on fruit and vegetables though.
After lunch, since we can't go outside in the cold any more, we pretty much have to play indoors. We go visit friends some afternoons, and sometimes when we stay home he watches a Baby Einstein DVD. He likes the caterpillar and the song at the beginning. We read a lot too...I have "Barnyard Dance" and "Who Lives In the Pond" completely memorized.
3:30 Naptime. Hurrah. More time for myself, and this is when I do some baking quite often. We need to have a bunch more kids, I think, because the two of us certainly should NOT be eating all of the stuff I like to bake. Jason comes home around 4:00 or 4:30 and we watch Jeopardy sometimes, and sometimes he vents to me about his repulsive students.
5:30 Supper. Jason plays with Asher while I cook, mercifully. Tonight it was mini tostadas, beans, and rice. Asher had diced carrots, green beans, and Veggie Puffs, a marvelous baby food invention.
6:30 We go out sometimes and shop around, or rent a movie, or whatnot. Or, if not, we all lie on the living room floor and play with Asher's toys. The cats hate him, by the way. He chases them around the house.
7:30 Bathtime!
8:00 Bedtime and the glorious remainder of the evening as a complete non-parent. Usually, of course. We play games or watch TV, or read...Jason wants me to learn to play the Playstation 2 games he has. We'll see.
10:30 Bed. Although some nights we (stupidly) stay up much later talking and then pay for it the next day.
Wow. How bored are you all now??? It's really not as bad as it sounds. We get out and do stuff quite often during the day, just not all the time. And Asher is really good about staying with babysitters so Jason and I are going to try to start to go out more often, which we've been really bad about so far.
I miss my job, but not very often!
Oh by the way...Lesley, I was never sick ONE time during pregnancy. But, just in case any of you ever need this information, I became sick 2 or 3 times while in labor. Don't eat anything after you've started. Pregnancy, though? Total cake walk.
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