asteroid B612

Big plans forming for the premiere of Harry Potter 3 this Friday night! Woohoo!!

And it is SO hot. My weather.com sticker said this morning 87 degrees/feels like 97 degrees. Yep, I say to myself. That's about right. We're clinging to our poor little window unit, wh. mitigates the situation only just barely.

Today is the first day both Chris and I have off of school. It's really nice. It'll last for about a week, since he's teaching summer school. We've been figuring out our summer budget. I got more funding for Italy approved by LSU today, so I'm excited about that. I need a job, but we're not destitute without it.

I'm still really tired, and my left arm feels numb and sore from tendonitis flaring after a massive typing project. I just can't wait until I feel like I can function when I wake up in the morning. Right now, I groan wishing morning away. I feel headachy and sleepy all day, loathe to move or to read or anything. Recovering from awful semesters is serious business.

Sidewalk Chalk Recipe

This recipe is for one (1) piece of chalk. You will need to multiply the amount and use different colors of tempra paint if you would like different colors.

3/4 cup Warm Water
1 Toilet Tissue Cardboard Tube
1-1/2 cups Plaster of Paris
2-3 Tablespoons Powdered Tempra Water Based Paints
A roll of wax paper
A plastic container for mixing the ingredients together.

1. Close up one end of the toilet tissue tube with duct tape. Place inside the tube a loosely rolled piece of wax paper to create a liner. The liner will keep the chalk plaster from sticking to the cardboard tube. 2. Pour water into the mixing container. Slowly sprinkle the plaster of paris a little at a time into the water until the plaster no longer dissolves. Stir the mixture. Now mix in 2 or 3 tablespoons of the tempra paint. When it is is throughly mixed you can now pour it into the cardboard tube. 3. Stand the tube up with the sealed end on a flat surface. Slowly pour the colored plaster. With your fingers tap the sides of the tube in different areas to release any air bubbles. Now let it dry for 1 or 2 days (depending on the humidity in your environment). When it is dry slowly tear and pull off the cardboard mold. Have fun drawing!

Okay. Instead of going through moments of panic. I'm just going to lay it all out in an organized fashion and proceed in an organized fashion.

Academic

• write papers:
  1. for medieval music: something to do with Johannes de Muris/magister thing.
  2. for Josquin (due over a year ago. *sigh*) on a psalm motet?
  3. for 20th c. music (in the coming fall): something on minimalism?
• do some reading in preparation for my seminar in Italy
• do the readings for the medieval survey for the fall
• plan out the class I'm teaching in the fall.

Work
I've been calling Banana Republic every day. I'm apparently very low on their priority list. What would be really nice if the class I'll be teaching in the fall was actually this summer. Then the finances would iron out a little more neatly...

Travel

• my sister's wedding
• Joanna's wedding
• Italy

Okay. one, two...let's go.

...you have a dream about generals.

I can't believe it! Last night I had very vivid dream about my doctoral exams, wh. I'll probably take in about a year. I haven't been thinking about them too much, obviously, because there's plenty occupying my mind, and they're not for a year or so. But I had this dream. I could picture the exact faces of people on my committee (and then some unidentifiable EveryScholars). They were all sitting around three sides of a wood table, and I was sitting in front of them at a smaller wood table. They asked me questions for a while, about what I can't remember. And then I had a certain amount of time in which to write an essay on everything I could think of about the tradition of Orpheus in music. So I began writing (this is all still in my dream!). I talked about his importance in Greek mythology, how the first operas were settings of Orfeo, Gluck's setting of Orfeo, and some other things which I can't remember now. What a nerd!! I can't believe I dreamed all this!!! Not to mention the fact, that I was writing on paragraph per piece of paper, so at one point in the dream I was wandering around looking for a computer to type it all out on!! I need a vacation.

Wooohoooo! I just bought my ticket!!!! WOW!!! This is so incredibly exciting!!!!!!

About a year and a half ago, our best friends here in NOLA had their third kid. She is the cutest chunker in the world. Holding that cute, tiny baby, I thought, "i could get used to this." Three years ago when we got married, I felt unsure about the direction of my life and thought it could be solved by having a kid (but at the same time, I thought that that wasn't a good reason to have one, besides we couldn't afford it.) We still can't afford it.

So I've spent a good amount of energy brandishing away the little sentimental yanks to have a kid. Well, for about the last 10 months, all those yanks dissolved and having a kid was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. Actually that's still true. I had a very vivid dream recently that I was pregnant (i think it was indigestion), and in my dream all I could do was sob because I was so upset. I went to a baby shower today for a woman my age who is having her first. Baby stuff is really cute...those soft little elephants sewn onto the diaper bag. I just can't even think about having a baby.

I actually enjoy just enjoying cute plush elephants, because most of the time I can only think about the hard realities of having wee ones. The diapers, the whining, the expense, the my-life-will-never-be-mine-again, the exhaustion, the mess, the constant attention, the inability to turn them off, the inability to sleep until 10 am, the hauling of strollers. I was the oldest of 5. I may not be a mom myself, but I know when there is a baby, life completely changes for it. I just can't bear to think of the juggling and the change I would have to do if I were to have a kid. Not to mention the fact that we just plain can't afford it.

But we do talk about when a good time would be in the future. I've talked to a few women faculty members at LSU who have little kids and/or are pregnant. The word on the street about having kids and being an academic is: 1) there's never a good time, 2) having them sure helps you use your time better, and 3) at least wait until your generals are past. So far I plan to wait until the end days of my dissertation. I wouldn't mind waiting past that until more of the student debt is paid off and the possibility of buying a house, well, becomes a possibility. At any rate, I would at least like to live in the same building as a washer and dryer before I have a kid.

Today Erica came down from Baton Rouge to spend the day with me. We had a lovely time.

One thing I've discovered: the Lebanese restaurant serves fantastic coffee at a low price, with free refills, and the wonderful sidewalk cafe atmosphere that makes this city feel European. Forget Starbuck's. I'm taking my book to the Lebanese restaurant for a cuppa from now on.

The people at Banana Republic seemed happy to see me, so I hope I'll start getting some hours with them soon.

When Erica and I were walking around the Quarter, I saw the distinct picture of masts looming over the trees. New Orleans is a port town. A three-masted frigate from Mexico was parked along the dock. It was beautiful, wood gleaming. The crew was sharp in their white sailors' uniforms and jolly music lent a festival atmosphere. Many curious onlookers were gathered around the ship. And they were letting people saunter on for a look around. So we walked around on the boat. It was fantastic. I would've liked to have lingered, but it started to rain. So we said good-bye to the flapping flags of the regal lady.

Well, it appears that I may be teaching a class at a local university (not my own) in the fall as an adjunct. The funny thing is that I will still be in my coursework...not even ABD. It's a pretty basic class, so I'm not worried on that account. Just kind of weird to be thinking of writing my own syllabus. That always seemed to be an activitiy of the distant, foggy future, but here we go. I'm really looking forward to getting some more experience. So that I don't go completely crazy next sem, though, I'll really have to plan out my summer work carefully....