On Sunday, I bid the sun Aloha at 4pm on the west side of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I never thought I'd find commonalities between Hawaii and Maine, but like islands and peninsulas and capes everywhere, you can see the sun both rise and set within about ten miles. That's not the best part of this vacation, though. I've gotten to spend ample time with Superman's aunt, uncle, cousin, parents, and grandparents, 5/7 of whom live in Maine, in the same neighborhood. And what a neighborhood! Beautiful houses, beach access, a run away from the Portland Head Lighthouse and park, where I've run almost every day, and lovely, friendly people. My favorite dog lives across the street. She's from Delaware, as it turns out--SuperAunt's neighbors' daughter goes to UDel, and the dog was picked up on the way back to Maine one vacation. I've got to find the breeder...
Which brings me to pets. Poppette the Rockette is at the vet's this week--lovely, friendly people who exclaimed, "Oh, she's so cute!" upon her arrival. She's in good hands, and getting to play with other kitties, which she really likes, but I miss her!
Thanksgiving was wonderful. Everyone pitched in, and we had marvelous turkey, stuffing made from scratch by Super dad-in-law, green bean casserole also made from scratch by Super dad-in-law, who's a heavenly cook, butternut squash and salad made by SuperAunt, potatoes peeled by SuperUnCole and mashed by Supercute Cousin, and FOUR PIES. SuperGrandma provided one, SuperUnCole provided one, and yours truly made a pumpkin maple pie (thanks to BostonErin and Mollie Katzen for the recipe heads up) and apple pie (thanks to SuperAunt and the Mennonites for the recipe). YUMMY! The apples are from our bushel--Gold Rush, they're called, from North Star Orchards. Delish! I'm sure I'm missing food or improperly attributing some thanks, but it was a great dinner, and better yet, great company.
Back at SuperHeadquarters in Cali, Superbro, Supermom, and Mark P. whipped up the traditional Beman Thanksgiving, with a pecan pie addition from Snooky and Celeste. Apparently, there was one recipe dud, but what are you going to do? It happens.
My workout plan has also featured 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer while watching "Desparately Seeking Susan," after the beach walk on the west side of the Cape. Superman and I also swam the day before Turkey Day at the fabulous Cape Elizabeth pool. I've seen four lighthouses, been to the L.L. Bean outlet AND factory store, visited the Old Port, toured around Portland (SUCH a gorgeous city!), seen a bunch of awesome houses, passed Roberts' Woods where everyone here cross-country skis and snowshoes in the winter, visited the Scarborough Marsh, where you can kayak in the right season, played Mancala, Othello, Life, Snakes and Ladders, and Candy Land, read a bunch of books, and just generally had a fantabulous time. The Superrelatives could not be more generous with their time, food, and stuff. They're helping us pad our home furnishings and decor, and SuperAunt re-taught me to spray paint (it's been a while since Supermom and I painted my Esprit shoes gold for my sixth-grade goldfish costume). I'm ready for home projects (painting walls, desk, chairs) when I get back to DE!
Off to put some lights on the SuperGrandparents' trees! Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tea: The Legends, the Romance
Longwood Gardens is my favorite place in Pennsylvania. I've been weekly since moving here, and it gets better with every visit. Now, if only the volunteer coordinator would call me back! I am now a Frequent Visitor, as is Superman, so we get in free whenever we want to go, and get discounts for our guests (so come visit). Last night, I couldn't resist signing us up for a lecture by Jessica Litt, who owns The House of Tea (http://www.houseoftea.com/) in Philadelphia. A former jockey, Litt inherited the business when her father, who had been a soldier, a circus clown, and a chef, passed away. She is now master of all things tea, as persnickity as you might expect, but interesting to hear speak, anyway. We learned a lot about different types of tea and how it should be consumed (however, we cheapies will stick to our Lipton with milk and honey for now). Following the lecture, we sampled Witch's Brew, which is actually an infusion, rather than a tea, and is delicious--my favorite. Then we tried a white tea, which was very mild, but good. These were hand-poured for us by Litt and a volunteer, out of a real teapot! We had scones, cookies, and petits fours with our tea--so civilized. Next up was a green tea, better than any I've tried, and a Ceylon, which was delicious. The last round was a Chinese tea that we agreed smelled like stinky feet, and tasted smoky, and to be honest, a little odd. Clearly, our palates are unsophisticated. Last, we had a first blush Darjeeling (picked in spring, and did you know you're only supposed to keep tea for six months? It goes bad! Shame on me; my Lipton is a year old!). Now, Matt can talk with his officemate about his gourmet tea.
The best part about being at Longwood at night, though, was that we got a first glimpse of the Christmas decorations, which promise to be phenomenal. We were greeted upon arrival by a trea lit up with orange lights, could see down a path of Christmas trees, and could see blue snowflakes sparkling in the woods in the distance. We can't wait to go back for Christmas!
The best part about being at Longwood at night, though, was that we got a first glimpse of the Christmas decorations, which promise to be phenomenal. We were greeted upon arrival by a trea lit up with orange lights, could see down a path of Christmas trees, and could see blue snowflakes sparkling in the woods in the distance. We can't wait to go back for Christmas!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Volunteering During the Holiday Season
Today, the New York Times has a great "special section" on giving. There are a ton of really interesting articles about volunteering, charitable giving, and nonprofits. It was so heartening to see a whole section of the Times devoted to that. I always feel inspired to volunteer as the frenetic pace of fall ends and the holiday season begins. I am so lucky to have so much; I can give of myself to others, many of whom have less, or are in less desirable circumstances. I realize that life can turn on a dime; I'd hope others would be there for me if my chips were down, so the least I can do is give now, while I have the resources to do so. I certainly donate money, and I like to combine that with a dose of manual labor here, some gardening there, some work with kids elsewhere.
Two ideas I got from today's article are to raise guide puppies for the blind and to send a care package to a soldier. I never supported the war in Iraq, but that doesn't mean that my heart doesn't go out to the soldiers there. I'd like to show just one of them that I care. From the Times, I found a website that has seemingly endless opportunities to do that:
http://155.7.40.58/AmericaSupportsYou/send_packages.html
On Volunteer Match (volunteermatch.org), I found a few good opportunities in the Delaware area--some naturalist options where I could use my teaching skills, and a few pet socialization opportunities. There are also some things at the library and with the Girl Scouts, which I've found on my own. Hopefully, the Volunteer Coordinator at Longwood Gardens will call me soon, too. It's great to feel that I have a little extra time to volunteer, but I've always done it. It's important to me. It's meaningful to give to the community, on many levels, and it makes you feel good!
Two ideas I got from today's article are to raise guide puppies for the blind and to send a care package to a soldier. I never supported the war in Iraq, but that doesn't mean that my heart doesn't go out to the soldiers there. I'd like to show just one of them that I care. From the Times, I found a website that has seemingly endless opportunities to do that:
http://155.7.40.58/AmericaSupportsYou/send_packages.html
On Volunteer Match (volunteermatch.org), I found a few good opportunities in the Delaware area--some naturalist options where I could use my teaching skills, and a few pet socialization opportunities. There are also some things at the library and with the Girl Scouts, which I've found on my own. Hopefully, the Volunteer Coordinator at Longwood Gardens will call me soon, too. It's great to feel that I have a little extra time to volunteer, but I've always done it. It's important to me. It's meaningful to give to the community, on many levels, and it makes you feel good!
Supergirl and BostonErin Visit Three States in One Weekend!
The weekend began in Philadelphia, actually. I welcomed BostonErin to the city of brotherly love at 11 AM on Friday--in the wrong terminal. Therefore, I had to welcome her by cell phone until I was able to find my way through baggage claim to the proper location. We headed back to DE, where we had lunch with Superman, wandered around town and campus, tried to track down the marching band and failed, and bought new toothbrushes (we're having a little issue with pictures staying on the wall in our house, and the latest incident involved a photograph falling on top of our toothbrush holder). No one likes a toothbrush that's been behind the toilet.
After a brilliantly cooked meal (thank you, Superman) and the usual good conversation, we made applesauce from half of our bushel of apples and played with Supercat, AKA Poppette the Rockette. Supercat likes BostonErin--Erin plays mouse, and cat dancer, and is quiet and sweet around cats.
Saturday, after applesauce pancakes, we took a girls' trip to Pennsylvania for an afternoon at Longwood Gardens. We stopped for lunch in Kennett Square at my favorite place in town, the Half Moon Bar and Grill. Next, we visited a specialty paper store, where the owner thought we were the most fun people he'd seen all day (we really are quite fun, but perhaps he hadn't seen anyone else that day, either). We had quite a chat with him, and I have some plans for my Christmas cards now.
At Longwood, the Christmas decorations-in-progress are looking more and more elaborate, pansies have been planted, my favorite huge tabby cat was out and about, and we got to hear some Korean drumming. Another highlight was the traveling puppet theater. I'd been expecting several adults, several puppets, and a lightweight portable theater of some type. In fact, the traveling theater was worn by a person in tights, Converse, with the theater as her upper body. A frog puppet was available to act whenever children were nearby, and as we passed the puppet theater person, murmuring, "So cute...", the frog said, "Hi there!" So nice to be greeted.
We couldn't tear ourselves away from Longwood in time to make it to the Brandywine River Museum or Chaddsford Winery, but fortunately, I live here. Our goal for the day was to find Trader Joe's, and we did. Unfortunately, Trader Joe's cannot sell alcohol within the store in Delaware, so after stocking up on groceries, we had to locate a liquor store. We traveled down 202, which is close to the PA border, meaning that it has every store known to man, so that the Pennsylvanians can cross the state line and shop, sales-tax free, any time they like. All the liquor stores were on the wrong side of the road, so we returned to Newark and went to the one in town. Not too many pinots or zins out here, so we bought some shiraz.
Another great meal, this time with wine, followed by more good conversation and cat entertainment. My kind of weekend.
Sunday was Baltimore. We wandered around the Inner Harbor, ate Maryland crab cakes, toured a Norwegian Royal Navy ship, and visited the fabulous National Aquarium, where we saw sharks, dolphins, frogs, all manner of fish (we found Nemo!), and even some birds and monkeys. The building is a beautiful glass and concrete structure with fabulous viewing tanks and a few very real-feeling exhibits--rainforests and Australian outback. We drove home in Chesapeake Bay/Veteran's Day weekend traffic, making it home just in time for Peace A Pizza slices and a (thankfully, traffic-free) trip to the Philly airport.
Today is Monday. Back to swimming, and some work at home, which will be cozy because it's raining outside. I'm contemplating some pie-baking for Thanksgiving and cleaning the house. Ah, another fall day on the East Coast.
After a brilliantly cooked meal (thank you, Superman) and the usual good conversation, we made applesauce from half of our bushel of apples and played with Supercat, AKA Poppette the Rockette. Supercat likes BostonErin--Erin plays mouse, and cat dancer, and is quiet and sweet around cats.
Saturday, after applesauce pancakes, we took a girls' trip to Pennsylvania for an afternoon at Longwood Gardens. We stopped for lunch in Kennett Square at my favorite place in town, the Half Moon Bar and Grill. Next, we visited a specialty paper store, where the owner thought we were the most fun people he'd seen all day (we really are quite fun, but perhaps he hadn't seen anyone else that day, either). We had quite a chat with him, and I have some plans for my Christmas cards now.
At Longwood, the Christmas decorations-in-progress are looking more and more elaborate, pansies have been planted, my favorite huge tabby cat was out and about, and we got to hear some Korean drumming. Another highlight was the traveling puppet theater. I'd been expecting several adults, several puppets, and a lightweight portable theater of some type. In fact, the traveling theater was worn by a person in tights, Converse, with the theater as her upper body. A frog puppet was available to act whenever children were nearby, and as we passed the puppet theater person, murmuring, "So cute...", the frog said, "Hi there!" So nice to be greeted.
We couldn't tear ourselves away from Longwood in time to make it to the Brandywine River Museum or Chaddsford Winery, but fortunately, I live here. Our goal for the day was to find Trader Joe's, and we did. Unfortunately, Trader Joe's cannot sell alcohol within the store in Delaware, so after stocking up on groceries, we had to locate a liquor store. We traveled down 202, which is close to the PA border, meaning that it has every store known to man, so that the Pennsylvanians can cross the state line and shop, sales-tax free, any time they like. All the liquor stores were on the wrong side of the road, so we returned to Newark and went to the one in town. Not too many pinots or zins out here, so we bought some shiraz.
Another great meal, this time with wine, followed by more good conversation and cat entertainment. My kind of weekend.
Sunday was Baltimore. We wandered around the Inner Harbor, ate Maryland crab cakes, toured a Norwegian Royal Navy ship, and visited the fabulous National Aquarium, where we saw sharks, dolphins, frogs, all manner of fish (we found Nemo!), and even some birds and monkeys. The building is a beautiful glass and concrete structure with fabulous viewing tanks and a few very real-feeling exhibits--rainforests and Australian outback. We drove home in Chesapeake Bay/Veteran's Day weekend traffic, making it home just in time for Peace A Pizza slices and a (thankfully, traffic-free) trip to the Philly airport.
Today is Monday. Back to swimming, and some work at home, which will be cozy because it's raining outside. I'm contemplating some pie-baking for Thanksgiving and cleaning the house. Ah, another fall day on the East Coast.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Fall in Delaware
Last weekend, Superman and I enjoyed a pastoral afternoon at Fair Hill, a gorgeous, huge park just ten minutes away in Maryland. It was an old DuPont family hunting estate (don't you love it? They had that whole place to themselves just for hunting!) We walked for several hours, entranced by the fall colors and the crisp weather. I've dreamed of a fall walk in the woods for so many years now, I felt like I was in a book. It was rapturous. We passed groups of people on beautiful horses, a fisherman, and a few other hikers. The funniest part was when we started hearing shouts and couldn't figure out what was going on. Suddenly, behind us, came a fleet of mountain bikers. It was a club, and they were taking different paths but calling to each other to keep track of where everyone was. They'd meet at different points. The coolest thing about this park is the myriad of little trails winding through it, all connected by bigger horse paths.
Because we got lost, like we do everywhere we go, we actually found a better route to take to get there. The best thing? It passes by a family farm, very popular with families on the weekends, that sells a variety of great fruits and vegetables, plus honey, jam, cider, and other treats. We grabbed groceries there, and after a mishap where Superman waved to thank a driver who was letting us cross the road in front of him, then shattered a maple syrup bottle when the grocery bag broke, we went home to hot apple cider.
Our other fall activity was to buy a bushel of "second" apples at the farmer's market, and a very pricey food mill at Williams-Sonoma. We're going to make gallons of applesauce. We figure we can use the food mill the rest of our lives.
This weekend, Boston Erin comes to visit, and we're going to tour the sights of the Brandywine Valley. Can't wait!
Because we got lost, like we do everywhere we go, we actually found a better route to take to get there. The best thing? It passes by a family farm, very popular with families on the weekends, that sells a variety of great fruits and vegetables, plus honey, jam, cider, and other treats. We grabbed groceries there, and after a mishap where Superman waved to thank a driver who was letting us cross the road in front of him, then shattered a maple syrup bottle when the grocery bag broke, we went home to hot apple cider.
Our other fall activity was to buy a bushel of "second" apples at the farmer's market, and a very pricey food mill at Williams-Sonoma. We're going to make gallons of applesauce. We figure we can use the food mill the rest of our lives.
This weekend, Boston Erin comes to visit, and we're going to tour the sights of the Brandywine Valley. Can't wait!
Supergirl in the City
For some embarrassing reason, whenever I get ready for a trip to New York City, I start singing the song from "Annie" about New York, "N.Y.C." in my head. Of all songs. Not "New York, New York," or the U2 song, but "Annie." That aside, I was very excited to pack up my stuff and head to the Big Apple for the day to meet Wonder Woman, in town for a conference. I discovered the joys of Amtrak--real joys, because my train was not delayed, my seat was comfortable, and the scenery was lovely. I met a nice lobbyist from D.C. when a bratty child and his grandmother asked me to move so they could sit together (they were disgruntled after being kicked off the very delayed, broken-down Acela, and apperently felt that because their trian tickets were $50 more than mine, they were entitled to ask me to move.). Better than sitting with the bratty child, anyway.
I got into Penn Station on time, and thanks to Wonder Woman's excellent directions, made my way via subway to Caffe Reggio in the Village. Wonder Woman's friend Amy led us on a tour of culinary delights around the area. Caffe Reggio had great breakfast and beverages, and we followed it with a cupcake at Magnolia, chocolat at Vosges (in SoHo), and pizza in NoLiTa. At the very end of the night, after a jaunt up to the Upper East Side to get Wonder Woman's bags from a friend's house, and a long walk through Midtown to Wonder Woman's hotel, we were hungry again, so we went to the famous Carnegie Deli for some matzoh ball soup.
My favorite thing to do in New York is wander. I've seen shows and eaten at famous restaurants, but truly, I love to wander or run around Central Park, then spend the day in the Village, NoLiTa, or SoHo. It's fun to be an East Coaster and know that New York is less than two hours away on cushy Amtrak if I want to go!
I got into Penn Station on time, and thanks to Wonder Woman's excellent directions, made my way via subway to Caffe Reggio in the Village. Wonder Woman's friend Amy led us on a tour of culinary delights around the area. Caffe Reggio had great breakfast and beverages, and we followed it with a cupcake at Magnolia, chocolat at Vosges (in SoHo), and pizza in NoLiTa. At the very end of the night, after a jaunt up to the Upper East Side to get Wonder Woman's bags from a friend's house, and a long walk through Midtown to Wonder Woman's hotel, we were hungry again, so we went to the famous Carnegie Deli for some matzoh ball soup.
My favorite thing to do in New York is wander. I've seen shows and eaten at famous restaurants, but truly, I love to wander or run around Central Park, then spend the day in the Village, NoLiTa, or SoHo. It's fun to be an East Coaster and know that New York is less than two hours away on cushy Amtrak if I want to go!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Supergirl Moves to Delaware
"DelaWHERE?!" was the typical refrain when I announced to people that I'd be moving at the end of October. They'd be all interested, and then when I said I was going to Delaware (not Boston, not Oregon, not Seattle, not even Minneapolis), their faces fell, and their voices took on that incredulous (or sympathetic) tone. Matt says it's because of the way *I* said the word "Delaware." I'll admit that my attitute toward the whole thing was terrible. I'd lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 31 years, and I'd been to Delaware exactly twice: once as a pass-through on a train from Pennsylvania to Maryland, and once when we visited for Matt's postdoc interview. I liked it enough on my actual visit to the state (largely because of my visit to Longwood Gardens) to be willing to move when Matt was officially offered a postdoc. Plus, it was clear that this was the best place for Matt to do his postdoc. His advisor here is one of the preeeminent soil scientists in the country, an incredibly supportive man from whom Matt can learn a great deal. Someone once told me that the most important thing you can get out of a job is an education, and clearly, Matt will gain that here. I also think he's poised to make a good scientific contribution by being here, where he'll be able to pursue all of his interests. I knew how interested he was in coming here, and I'd been teaching for five years and knew I could handle the transition. However, no matter how prepared one is, or how healthy a move can be, the actuality of moving cross-country for the first time in one's entire life is unbelievably daunting.
At first, I figured I'd teach in Delaware. But after we made the commitment to move, and I told my principal, and passed the word to friends, family members, and colleagues, it became clear that Matt's thesis defense would be later than we'd thought. Were I to teach, I'd be moving to Delaware in August--with him to follow in October. I couldn't imagine doing that. So, I had to rethink things. I looked for jobs in the area and was rejected three times, so I decided to take stock of my interests and consider trying something else. I brought some career counseling books home from school, and discovered that I really only have two major work-related interests: writing and teaching. It's nice to have it narrowed down, I suppose.
I decided to pursue writing more aggressively. It's a little hard to teach when you move in October and may move again during the following school year! I had begun to miss my former four-year stint in writing, editing, and marketing for tech companies, and decided to see if I could go back to full-time writing.
I began by transcribing interviews for the Stanford Study of Writing. For $15 an hour, I hunkered down at my laptop with "ExpressScribe" software and typed up interviews between Research Assistants and Stanford undergraduates about their writing experiences at Stanford. A 45-minute interview could take ten hours to transcribe, especially with a fast talker. It was exhausting, but the feeling of accomplishment made it worth it.
Good news followed: My dear friend Heather left her job to start her own graphic design business. StudioPicotee.com was launched, and she immediately gained high-profile clients and hired me as her copywriter. Without even realizing it, I had fallen into my ideal job: freelance copywriting for a smart, successful designer. I have loved every minute of my work for her, and am so excited to continue it!
Having a portable career for myself made the concept of moving a little easier. The feminist in me was struggling with the idea of moving for my husband (as super as he is); now, the move was actually necessary. By living in a place with cheaper rent, and by being married to a person whose benefits can cover me, I can afford to write. My goal is to be full-time and really contribute to our household income eventually, but you have to start somewhere!
Here I am, in Delaware. I'm writing for my Bay Area clients and the neighborhood natural foods co-op, and I like it here! It's beautiful, with trees everywhere (which are currently bursting with gorgeous fall color). People are friendly, and things move a little slower. It's a real town, with a variety of people and fewer of them. We live in a cute house in the center of campus. Undergrads stream by our front door all day on their way to and from class, and we live one block from Main Street, where there are three independent bookstores, three indie record stores, and a plethora of fantastic, vegetarian-friendly restaurants with half-price bottles of great CA wine Sun-Weds, and bands Thurs-Sat. My parents visited last week and helped us whip the house into shape (I've never seen so much recycling), and we also managed to go to the fabulous Longwood Gardens AND the Newark, DE Halloween Parade (complete with a hearse, whose license plate was "6FTUNDER," that shot flames).
My mom, due to an unfortunate tooth abcess, found us a great dentist (my third father-child dentist team!), I found Triple A, Eastern Mtn. Sports, and the Gap, and Matt and I have joined the Delaware Masters team, ten people who swim crazy fast intervals but are very nice. They comprise eight of the fifteen people I know here, which is a motivator for the 5:00 A.M. wakeup call Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
The cat is still not sure about this whole deal. She misses her big picture windows and staring at the cats in neighboring condos. However, she was amazing on the flight out here, chillin' in her carrier and letting us pet her, not making a peep. She met some other nice cat people and only caused a minor ruckus when she was forced to be removed from her carrier for security screening and peed on the floor. "She's pissing," cried the security guy on one end as the guy manning the walk-through scanner calmed Matt ("It's OK; you don't need to show me your boarding pass,") while the cat howled. She did find a cozy shelf to nap on when she got here and has learned to drink out of my water glass (ew), but we've bought her some area rugs to appease her, and we notice she's spending a little less time under the bed. There was even some racing up and down stairs today!
When we got here, our house was in disarray. Apparently, the final inspection never happened, and there were transitional people living here for a while, so there were about five broken windows, the same amount of thrashed miniblinds, rusty faucets and showerhead, a crumbling stoop, etc. After my first-night meltdown, we got on the phone with the housing office, and we are now friendly with the carpenters and glass guy. Painters, masons, plumbers, and probably electricians will be next. Kitty is pissed about all these people invading her house, but she'll get used to it.
So that's the news from Delaware. I'll close with my dad's favorite thing to say whenever we talk about Delaware: "What did Dela wear?" "She wore a New Jersey!"
Cheers!
"DelaWHERE?!" was the typical refrain when I announced to people that I'd be moving at the end of October. They'd be all interested, and then when I said I was going to Delaware (not Boston, not Oregon, not Seattle, not even Minneapolis), their faces fell, and their voices took on that incredulous (or sympathetic) tone. Matt says it's because of the way *I* said the word "Delaware." I'll admit that my attitute toward the whole thing was terrible. I'd lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 31 years, and I'd been to Delaware exactly twice: once as a pass-through on a train from Pennsylvania to Maryland, and once when we visited for Matt's postdoc interview. I liked it enough on my actual visit to the state (largely because of my visit to Longwood Gardens) to be willing to move when Matt was officially offered a postdoc. Plus, it was clear that this was the best place for Matt to do his postdoc. His advisor here is one of the preeeminent soil scientists in the country, an incredibly supportive man from whom Matt can learn a great deal. Someone once told me that the most important thing you can get out of a job is an education, and clearly, Matt will gain that here. I also think he's poised to make a good scientific contribution by being here, where he'll be able to pursue all of his interests. I knew how interested he was in coming here, and I'd been teaching for five years and knew I could handle the transition. However, no matter how prepared one is, or how healthy a move can be, the actuality of moving cross-country for the first time in one's entire life is unbelievably daunting.
At first, I figured I'd teach in Delaware. But after we made the commitment to move, and I told my principal, and passed the word to friends, family members, and colleagues, it became clear that Matt's thesis defense would be later than we'd thought. Were I to teach, I'd be moving to Delaware in August--with him to follow in October. I couldn't imagine doing that. So, I had to rethink things. I looked for jobs in the area and was rejected three times, so I decided to take stock of my interests and consider trying something else. I brought some career counseling books home from school, and discovered that I really only have two major work-related interests: writing and teaching. It's nice to have it narrowed down, I suppose.
I decided to pursue writing more aggressively. It's a little hard to teach when you move in October and may move again during the following school year! I had begun to miss my former four-year stint in writing, editing, and marketing for tech companies, and decided to see if I could go back to full-time writing.
I began by transcribing interviews for the Stanford Study of Writing. For $15 an hour, I hunkered down at my laptop with "ExpressScribe" software and typed up interviews between Research Assistants and Stanford undergraduates about their writing experiences at Stanford. A 45-minute interview could take ten hours to transcribe, especially with a fast talker. It was exhausting, but the feeling of accomplishment made it worth it.
Good news followed: My dear friend Heather left her job to start her own graphic design business. StudioPicotee.com was launched, and she immediately gained high-profile clients and hired me as her copywriter. Without even realizing it, I had fallen into my ideal job: freelance copywriting for a smart, successful designer. I have loved every minute of my work for her, and am so excited to continue it!
Having a portable career for myself made the concept of moving a little easier. The feminist in me was struggling with the idea of moving for my husband (as super as he is); now, the move was actually necessary. By living in a place with cheaper rent, and by being married to a person whose benefits can cover me, I can afford to write. My goal is to be full-time and really contribute to our household income eventually, but you have to start somewhere!
Here I am, in Delaware. I'm writing for my Bay Area clients and the neighborhood natural foods co-op, and I like it here! It's beautiful, with trees everywhere (which are currently bursting with gorgeous fall color). People are friendly, and things move a little slower. It's a real town, with a variety of people and fewer of them. We live in a cute house in the center of campus. Undergrads stream by our front door all day on their way to and from class, and we live one block from Main Street, where there are three independent bookstores, three indie record stores, and a plethora of fantastic, vegetarian-friendly restaurants with half-price bottles of great CA wine Sun-Weds, and bands Thurs-Sat. My parents visited last week and helped us whip the house into shape (I've never seen so much recycling), and we also managed to go to the fabulous Longwood Gardens AND the Newark, DE Halloween Parade (complete with a hearse, whose license plate was "6FTUNDER," that shot flames).
My mom, due to an unfortunate tooth abcess, found us a great dentist (my third father-child dentist team!), I found Triple A, Eastern Mtn. Sports, and the Gap, and Matt and I have joined the Delaware Masters team, ten people who swim crazy fast intervals but are very nice. They comprise eight of the fifteen people I know here, which is a motivator for the 5:00 A.M. wakeup call Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
The cat is still not sure about this whole deal. She misses her big picture windows and staring at the cats in neighboring condos. However, she was amazing on the flight out here, chillin' in her carrier and letting us pet her, not making a peep. She met some other nice cat people and only caused a minor ruckus when she was forced to be removed from her carrier for security screening and peed on the floor. "She's pissing," cried the security guy on one end as the guy manning the walk-through scanner calmed Matt ("It's OK; you don't need to show me your boarding pass,") while the cat howled. She did find a cozy shelf to nap on when she got here and has learned to drink out of my water glass (ew), but we've bought her some area rugs to appease her, and we notice she's spending a little less time under the bed. There was even some racing up and down stairs today!
When we got here, our house was in disarray. Apparently, the final inspection never happened, and there were transitional people living here for a while, so there were about five broken windows, the same amount of thrashed miniblinds, rusty faucets and showerhead, a crumbling stoop, etc. After my first-night meltdown, we got on the phone with the housing office, and we are now friendly with the carpenters and glass guy. Painters, masons, plumbers, and probably electricians will be next. Kitty is pissed about all these people invading her house, but she'll get used to it.
So that's the news from Delaware. I'll close with my dad's favorite thing to say whenever we talk about Delaware: "What did Dela wear?" "She wore a New Jersey!"
Cheers!
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