Wow!
I've been subconsciously avoiding the web lately (my blogs, Facebook, everything!) because I've needed to focus my attention on so many other areas of my life. I hadn't realized, but the thought of trying to keep up with web stuff TOO was completely overwhelming.
I'm feeling better now, though. I feel more settled, even if many things are still up in the air.
As many of you know, we've been trying to sell our house, on and off, for about three years now. And with DH's new job last June, it became imperative that we do so. We cast a spell to make the house attractive to potential buyers--everyone LOVED it, raved about how wonderful it was, but no one made an offer. We cleansed the entire property of negative energy--we got two very weak and too low offers. Then, finally, in desperation, I cast an off-the-cuff spell to actually SELL the place.
This went along with the risky strategy to actually RAISE the price from the original asking price set in June. We'd never done it, our realtor had never tried it, but it was the only thing that made sense, for various reasons.
Within two weeks of raising the price and within three days of casting that last spell, we had not one but TWO very good offers! (I guess it pays to be careful what you ask for.) We accepted one of them late on the evening of December 30th, just a couple of hours before the secular New Year's Eve. I don't know if I've ever been so relieved!
Since then, it's been meetings and appraisal dates and what have you. Crazy! We finally met the conditions and can now consider the house "Sold" a couple of weeks ago!
We began the process of finding a new house the first weekend in January, as soon as we could after the holiday. We found two that we really liked, even if they were a bit farther from DH's job than we liked. We were weighing the pros and cons of each and trying to make a decision when we found out about "some job thing that cannot be mentioned yet." Because of this yet-to-be-announced change, we're once more in limbo, waiting to see whether we should buy a house or just rent one. More on that later, but whatever happens, we're committed to closing on this house (and therefore being out of it) by March 30th!
At the same time those changes are going on, we've started roleplaying again. I know that doesn't sound like a big change to most of you, but trust me, it is. DH and I both love it, and we hadn't done it for the last few years because we were in limbo. (Never mind that we're even more in limbo now!) But in the space of a month or so, we've got two games going. A one-shot this weekend, and a Shadowrun campaign to run indefinitely. And, let me tell you, it feels GOOD to be writing up characters and getting ready to play again.
I feel as if we're in a grand adventure in both our real and our fantasy lives!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
A Paper
From an assignment of one of my classes at The Magical Circle School:
My Research Paper
(An Irreverent Look at Research Papers)
Wow. Any topic. But one of the resources has to be an actual,
physical, book. I decided that would be
the limiting parameter. After all, the
web is wide open. You can find at least
a little information on almost anything on it. (For example, look up mule
roping sometime.[1]) But I do not own an infinite supply of
books. (Nor would I want one, truth be
told. The ones I do have cost enough to
move, thank you very much. :) )
I also thought I should brush up on what a research paper
actually is. I’d written countless
numbers of them at university, but that was more than twenty years ago. What if they’d changed? What if I didn’t remember! What if I’d gotten them wrong all
along?! My first stop was a Rice
University page titled “How to Write a Research Paper.[2]” It talked about general forms and styles,
mistakes to avoid, descriptions of all the different sections, and so on. After that, I found “A Research Guide for
Students,” which explained “How to Write an A+ Research Paper.” [3] Wow, I thought, I really need that! It turned out to be a much more basic source,
with a step-by-step guide. Then, just to
be thorough, I took a look at “Writing a Research Paper” from the University of
Alberta Libraries.[4] No surprises there—kind of a middle road
between my first and second sources.
Alright. I had now
re-familiarized myself with research papers.
Now I needed to find a book, preferably without visiting the closest
library. I looked at my twenty or so
linear feet of cookbooks, and decided that would be too easy. The art books, computer books, and research
books in the study sounded too boring. (Although I did find a book to use for
my footnotes.[5] Once upon a time I had those rules memorized,
but alas, no longer.) I then journeyed downstairs to our actual
library. I found books on dogs, on
camping, on birding. I found biographies
and photography books and books on Wicca.
I found books I hadn’t looked at in years, books which I’d all but
forgotten I owned. And, of course, lots
and lots of fiction and literature. None
of the non-fiction really caught my fancy, and the fiction certainly wouldn’t
do! But my eye fell on a narrative that
is the basis for my favorite, favorite, favorite stage play, Wicked.[6] I picked it up on a whim, more to glance
through it than to actually consider it.
And there, though I hadn’t planned to write a paper on Wicca, was the
most appropriate line, coming from this fictional witch:
“I can make no comment on the
souls of others," said the Witch.[7]
[5]
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations, 6th ed., rev. John Grossman and Alice Bennet
(Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996).
[6]
Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and
Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, A Novel. Illus. Douglas Smith (New York: HarperCollins
Publishers, ReganBooks, 2004).
[7] Ibid.,
344.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Happy New Year
I'd long since given up new year's resolutions. I never kept them for long, and all they seemed to do was make me feel guilty, inadequate, and miserable. I do still kiss DH at midnight and make sure to have a bite of black-eyed peas on January 1st. I also try to do things on that day that I want to continue to do all year long.
But while the kissing is fun (and it obviously works--we're affectionate all year, lol!), the other beliefs have never worked any better than the resolutions did. And for the last year or two I've been playing with the idea of dropping them, also. Until now.
DH and I celebrated our third Samhain this past weekend, and we had a long talk about when it makes sense, to us, to celebrate the new year. We decided that November 1st suits us much better than January 1st. It didn't quite sink in this year, so we didn't kiss at midnight or have black-eyed peas the next day, but we did spend yesterday doing things we wanted to keep doing all year long.
It's much too soon to tell whether this will work, of course. But it feels better. It feels right. If I can keep these things up for a month or longer, which is about how long I ever kept those resolutions, I'll know that I'm on the right path.
And, either way, next October 31 I do plan to add that kiss at midnight!
But while the kissing is fun (and it obviously works--we're affectionate all year, lol!), the other beliefs have never worked any better than the resolutions did. And for the last year or two I've been playing with the idea of dropping them, also. Until now.
DH and I celebrated our third Samhain this past weekend, and we had a long talk about when it makes sense, to us, to celebrate the new year. We decided that November 1st suits us much better than January 1st. It didn't quite sink in this year, so we didn't kiss at midnight or have black-eyed peas the next day, but we did spend yesterday doing things we wanted to keep doing all year long.
It's much too soon to tell whether this will work, of course. But it feels better. It feels right. If I can keep these things up for a month or longer, which is about how long I ever kept those resolutions, I'll know that I'm on the right path.
And, either way, next October 31 I do plan to add that kiss at midnight!
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