Insert Expletive Here...

This has been an ongoing thing since the last post. And I am almost too angry to even write about it.

I just had to go beg and plead to have my move out date rescheduled. I now owe an additional month's rent, and must interrupt my precious pre-leaving the country family time in order to go and check out of my house. Why? Why, you ask?

Because the bleeping movers need at least an additional 10 days in order to simply schedule me! Not only this, but they can't guarantee that 10 days will be enough. They won't even guarantee that they will come and move me EVER!!!

I'm just so mad. madmadmadmadmad. GRRRR!!!!!

I have no idea when they will move me. And now I'm spending additional money because they can't get their act together. And I suppose it should be ok, since money grows on trees and all...

My goal: the additional I have to pay to stay here had better come out of what I have to pay them. I'll be calling supervisors today.

The Problem with Invisible Movers...

Last week I had a bit of a mid-week melt down. I was re-reading emails from the moving company, just to make sure I wasn't missing anything, as I seem to be obsessive about doing lately. And in it, I read that I was supposed to receive a call from this one particular guy in charge of scheduling the time for the move. I hadn't gotten a call yet! Had I missed it? Was I FALLING BEHIND?!?!?! So I fretted about it for about 30 minutes, until Stephen finally got fed up with it and told me to just knock it off and call them already. So I did. The conversation consisted of the following:

Amy: (panic filled voice complete with bulging hysteria eyes) Blahblahblah have I missed it did I screw up when when ARGH!!!

MoverGuy: (quiet calm soothing voice complete with aromatherapy) Relax. I won't set a date until Friday, and I will call you on Friday and let you know.

Amy: (still panic, but muffled) Oh, ok. I guess I will talk to you Friday then. (But in her head she is THINKING "oh no now he thinks I'm obsessive compulsive and he will think I am being too strange and will not want to work with me ARGH!!!" and on and on.)

So time passes and Friday comes and I almost sit by the phone, waiting for MoverGuy to call until Kelley comes into town which I forgot about and then it is 6 pm and I realise that he never called.

I fume for the weekend. How dare he think me obsessive compulsive! How dare he when it is not him moving to England, packing up an entire house and having to choose what to take and what stays, it's just HIS job, who the heck does he think he is anyway?

So Monday I call. No answer. I leave a message and then I manage to wait an hour and call again. No answer. Message. The third time I get someone, they put me on hold, then MoverGuy gets on the phone.

Amy: (semblance of calm hiding panic) I really just need to know what time you all will be here tomorrow because it is tomorrow and I don't know what time you will be here tomorrow...

MoverGuy: We have been trying to get ahold of you all week. We won't be there tomorrow. We haven't scheduled you yet.

Amy: (all semblance of calm shattered into a bazillion pieces) WHAT?!?!?!?! But I have to be out of my house and... *sputter sputter*

MoverGuy: Let me call you back today and we will schedule you.

So I wait... and at 4:30 call them back. He needs 20 more minutes and he SWEARS he will call me back. He does, 45 minutes later. To tell me that he will call me in the morning because he can't schedule me.

ARGH!!!

So I am NOT moving today. I have NO IDEA when I am moving. I have to be moved OUT of my house by Monday next, and I have NO IDEA when I am moving.

Why does 8 seconds on a bull seem like a lifetime? I'm holding on by the skin of my teeth but it just doesn't seem to help. Breathe, breathe. Ohm. Ohm. Ohm.

Is it Just Me, or is This a Cruddy Update?

So much...

1. Unconditional acceptance letter arrived from the University today. That means that I can FINALLY apply for visas.

2. Loan signing happening tomorrow, but I can't be sure about the time because my daddy left his phone! So I can't call him.

3. Tristan is now officially 6 years old. Happy Birthday to my sweet Sunshine baby.

4. Tuesday the movers come. Tomorrow Chris, Pat, Ashley, and I go crazy with trying to put everything that goes into 1 room. I have always wondered what my couch would look like in the kitchen. I'll find out, because it is one of the things that is NOT going, and the kitchen is the official not going place.

5. I'm sick. Some sort of face throbbing, sniffly nose, hack hack cough cough, sore throat from too much nasal drainage thing going on. It sucks; I am too busy to take time to rest in order to get better. I'm prolly sick now for exactly that reason: I am stressed.

6. As of Tuesday, all animals are gone. Chanco found a lovely home with Kamy, Daddy has taken Donis, and has asked for Muriel too. Trudy is going back to Dar's. It will be a lonely house without animal company. Noone to drive away the nightmares. (Not that they did a very good job of that before anyway)

7. Still not enough news on house stuff to post - are all of you waiting with bated breath? Is it torment, keeping you up at night to not know? Oh well. Wait you will.

8. That prescription that I was stressed about getting filled? Done. The clothing that needed sorted? Done. Yay.

That's it for now... I will definitely keep you posted as things happen. I'm ready to not be stressed over this whole thing anymore. REALLY ready.

¡Mí Principe está el Rey!

Stephen's interview was today.

He totally rocked, of course. As a matter of fact, he rocked to the point that they called him back today and offered him a job. Which he has accepted!

I am so proud.

He was really very nervous. We had stayed up working on his powerpoint presentation for three days. He researched, and had a great resources list. His speech was well written, clear, and concise... plus fun. Anecdotes and pun-ny jokes. I'm not biased at all, am I?

He texted me during class, causing an Amy to scamper and run full tilt down the University corridor to get to the commons so she could talk, and we ended up calling each other and talking on the phone for a few minutes, which was very well worth the bit that it cost to call international.

PLUS I actually got a lot done on the house in preparation for the move, so I am feeling a lot less stressed. There is news on the house front, too. But that will wait until there is a bit more. Consider this your teaser.

Angst Angst Angst...

I can tell it is crunch time, all the way around.

We are stressed. Beyond stressed, even. So far beyond simply stressed that an FTL drive couldn't get us back in a reasonable amount of time.

Ashley's response to stress: sleep. Lots. And I'm jealous of the fact that she can sleep until 5 pm, so I don't wake her up. I let her sleep off her stress, so at least one of us can feel less of it.

Stephen and I, on the other hand, seem to be basking in the glow of stress. Time limits and things not going exactly as planned, deadlines that approach far too fast, and things that are tossed up into the air and never exactly seem to come back down; all of them dump their little stress-straws onto our backs and all of a sudden, we both feel slightly camel-ish.

There are so many repercussions of this stress cocktail. Physically, we are both worn out. I find my volume goes up and up, until Stephen stops me, tells me to breathe deeply, then tells me to stop yelling at him. Thank goodness he knows that I am not 'yelling at him', only struggling with volume control. Hormones (gotta love that cortisol) dumped into blood streams and make me feel like I am in eternal PMS, and I am blessed with everything that goes with it. Tears would be so nice, but I have no reason to cry. I wonder if Stephen regrets my female-ness yet. And then there is this wierd red splotch on my eyelid that just won't go away.

It is a total of 8 days until the movers come. The house is a hurricane; I stack things in one place or another only to be unsure about what is stacked where. So much travel: Las Vegas for Wedding Wonderlands, and then a great trip to see Gramy, but the travel wears me out. Kids pick up on stress. Clothes to be packed, birthdays coming up, familial drama, muddles and muck, am I really out of freaking trash bags?

Then 1 week to clean out the entire house. Yard sale (yuck), Salvation Army, scrub-a-dub-dub. Homelessness sleeping on a friends couch. No stability. I'm grateful, I'm grateful, Ohm, Ohm, Ohm.

Not to mention other things. I have a presentation (1/2 my grade) in class tomorrow, Stephen has a big job interview on Wednesday, and so many things to avoid forgetting (Medical records! Dental records! Forward the mail! Last minute doctors appointments! Did I fill that very important prescription yet! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD WHERE ARE THE TRASH BAGS?!?!)

It is 29 days until Stephen arrives. 2 weeks until the other side of Crunch Mountain. And I haven't even received what I need to start the application for the visas.

I just have to hold on... rides are made for their thrill right?
(But I don't like rides... and did I remember my scopalomine patch?)
TOO LATE! HERE WE GO!

That's my Scholarship Story... (and I'm Sticking to it)

The University that I will be attending offers 12 scholarships to reduce tuition by almost half. That is a huge reduction, and would make paying for school so much less difficult in year 2. (Original tuition=about ₤8,000. Tuition with scholarship= ₤5,000.) Especially with the dollar so weak lately, that is a whole lot of money.

The requirement for this competitive scholarship was a 600 word essay. First of all, a 600 word ANYTHING is difficult for me, as in I am so verbose. (verbose=Amy can't ever stop talking.) So I knew that is was going to be a little tough. To top it off, in 600 words they wanted to know WHY them, WHY the degree that I am going for, ABOUT me, and my FUTURE plans. That is a lot to cover, especially since I also have to throw in the gratuitous, please-give-me-money-I'm-a-poor-broke-college-student-with-kids-wah! bit.

I didn't put it off to the last minute (yay me!) and worked on it quite a bit. I am proud with what I came up with in the end. And I thought you might like me to share it with you all too. So, here it is, all 568 (including citation) words of it.

“Why I should be one of the twelve to receive a scholarship.”

I am a 32 year old, non-traditional, returning student with a family, raised on the border between the United States and Mexico by a Scotch-Irish, Anglican family. My culture is a blend of many countries. I have been professionally teaching for 9 years without a degree, and my qualifications have been consistently seen as lesser based on the fact that I have not yet completed a Bachelor’s Degree. I am a driven and motivated teacher working actively towards my goals in higher education. I am also an honours student, with a current Grade Point Average of 3.812, out of a 4.0.

Teaching is my passion and life’s work. For 13 years, I have worked with learners from birth through adulthood, in general education and special needs classrooms, in both traditional and non-traditional settings. I believe in the sanctity of education as a universal human right and as a method for human advancement. I believe education is the key to social change.

Through my teaching experience and studies, I have learned that both American and British schools are ripe for change in classrooms and pedagogy. Educational research has shown us more about the workings of young minds and their capability to learn; and we have a greater understanding of practices that best enable learning than we have ever had before. Learning to learn is now seen as a skill that is vital to a student’s life achievement.

Furthermore, through the Internet, our world has become larger in perspective than ever before. Our children no longer think in terms of their city, or even their country: we live in a truly global society. Teaching requires an understanding of this global and technological perspective, and I feel optimally primed to meet that challenge. I have successfully blended technology and multimedia into my methods. I am of three cultures, immigrating into a fourth. I understand bias and discrimination from both sides. I have experienced societal integration and second language immersion. I am a product of my own culture, which cannot be bound by borders.

I chose this university for multiple reasons. England is considered to be cutting edge in its educational praxis. This University is recognised by the Times Online to be one of the top 20 Universities in the field of education in the United Kingdom. ¹ It is also a multi-cultural University, apparent in both its setting and its student body. The city is a city of many languages: being so close to France, and with so many students from other countries, this multilinguicity is also a part of the University campus. In the end, my choice was easy. This University is the best University in the best city for me to attain my Bachelor’s Degree in Education.

Following completion of my Bachelor’s programme, I intend to continue on with my education, by seeking first a Master’s, then a Doctorate Degree in fields of Multi-Cultural Education, Critical Pedagogy, and Social Justice. I envision myself staying in England, moving to the forefront of educational research, and using my cross-cultural perspective to create environments of shared learning in which pre-service teachers can learn in hands-on settings. I feel I have much to offer, and a scholarship would ease the burden of being an international student.

¹The Times Online (27 May, 2005) Full Subject Tables, Education. [Online] Available from:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article526747.ece

further, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,13407,00.html [Accessed 12^th July, 2007].

Sir Stephen and the Quest for the New Job...

Stephen is a computer god. Don't let him tell you different.

Right now he works for a University that is a bit away from where he lives, requiring a train into work every day. And while he isn't seriously underpaid, he has shown me similar jobs to his that earn significantly more than he does. One of them is at another University that is much closer to home.

This is the second time that jobs like his have been posted. Both times he has put in an application for the job... but this time they called him to interview. He will have to do a 10 minute presentation, have an interview, and take a tour on the same day. Wednesday, July 18.

He doesn't seem all that excited about having to do a 10 minute presentation. I am very excited for him, enough for the both of us. (Perhaps I'm excited because I am not the one having to GIVE the presentation... but then again I dig that sort of stuff.) If he ends up getting this job, it means far less travel time, more pay, and perhaps other happy sorts of things.

Now if I could just get him to stop telling Ashley to slap the cat, things would be good.

Calculitis...

Grades from the first Summer Session posted yesterday.

You might remember that I took Calculus. It was my last math class in the States, which was a little emotional for me. I love math. Turns out that I really love calculus. It has been my favourite math class thus far.

Anyway, back to grades. I expected to get a B in the class, as I had high B's on the midterms, and all of my quizzes were 18, 19 or 20 out of 20. But the final, I had no idea. There was one problem that I really ended up struggling with. So I figured a B was a safe bet.

I got an A.

Stephen called me his... well, lets just say it was a sweet term of endearment involving me and calculus and a word not appropriate for younger viewers, but expressing his opinion of my physical appearance.

Viva Las Vegas - or not.

The drive was long.

There were pretty rocks. Really, really pretty groovey sedimentary, calcite based rocks. Rocks that Amy really wants to go climb on and study.

We drove through Flagstaff, so now I know where to go when Stephen and I go to the Grand Canyon.

I managed one decent sketch in the car before feeling like I was going to puke my guts out of the window. Damn motion sickness.

Took 2 hours to find a room, spent the weekend on a total of 9 hours of sleep since Friday, but the weddings were nice, and spending time with great friends was worth it. I, however, hate Las Vegas. It is all glitz and money and glam and shallowness and suck-you-in greed. I didn't waste 1 penny on gambling.

Thank god that Dar went with me. I really think that I would have pushed myself so hard that I would have had an accident and died.


Lesson learned: the Pythagorean theorem is truth. The hypotenuse of a right triangle is a shorter distance than the sum of the other two sides. And that means it is quicker to drive the hypotenuse rather than the sides of said triangle. We KNOW this. It saved us 2 hours coming home.

Ashley is home, too, and Grace here also. We were so excited that we stayed up far too late. Now working on a total of 11 hours of sleep since Friday.

Who needs sleep? (No, you're never gonna get it.)
Who needs sleep? (Tell me what's that for?)
Who needs sleep? (Be happy with what you're getting: there's a guy whose been awake since the Second World War...)
-Barenaked Ladies

The Weekend...

We have learned that it takes extra work for couples to stay connected when there is 5,000 miles and lots of things to do in between them. The closer deadlines get, the more there is to do, and the more exhaustion sets in. Sleep becomes more vital than spending time. Waking up early leads to "please, baby, can I sleep just a little bit longer".

Stephen and I make time to talk at least a bit every day. It keeps us connected. It helps so much when things get overwhelming. It shares the load.

This weekend, Dar and I are going to Las Vegas for a wedding weekend. We are leaving to drive there on Friday, wedding craziness on Saturday, and leaving to drive home on Sunday. Stephen will spend his weekend at the WyeFayre, a three day music festival in Wye, a small town near-ish to Canterbury. We are both going to be very busy. Neither of us will be taking computers. It will be the first weekend that we won't talk in a while. Perhaps a few one-off text messages, but no talking.

On some level, its good. We both need to go and do things separately. I am glad to be going (except for the drive, and the heat... supposed to be 111 F in Las Vegas this weekend... and that is not hot, comparatively.) I am glad that HE is going (though a very very tiny bit jealous... I love music festivals. Perhaps next year I'll get to go too.) And yet, there is that other level that is bogged down in moving muck and being overwhelmed that feels a touch of panic. Will my equation still work without my constant?

I know this is silly. It is a weekend, not a month. We are not /always/ going to want to be around each other every minute; that's not healthy, or even really fun sounding. But it tells me something that things are messy and overwhelming, and the lifeline I reach for to keep me from going under is him.

So here is to weekends floating unfettered and bobbing adrift. Just because my constant is rocking out at a music festival doesn't mean he does not exist at this point. It just means that the music is good.

I'll make us both tell you about our respective great times upon our return.
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Oh! And did I mention that Ashley comes home on Sunday, too?!?! Yay!!!!

Moving Madness

The time is getting closer and closer. 20 days until the movers come. And I'm feeling all angsty about it. It is too soon, I am stressing out over it, there is not enough time to get everything done, and yet I wish they would hurry up already. My space is trashed, what with boxes and lists and inventories and papers all over the place. I can't tell which way is up anymore.

Originally, Kelli was supposed to move into the house when I left, and I would be leaving furniture and such. But that is not happening now. So I need to plan in the fun of a yard sale. (fun=Amy being sarcastic. Yard sales should DIE. ) In the end I think it will work out better, but it is one more list to write and one more thing to do.

One of the daunting, tedious tasks that I must do is inventory every single book that I have chosen to take with me for the insurance company. I keep putting it off. I made it through 3 boxes and have 4 more to go. Stephen, being so wonderful, found me a program that uses my web cam to read bar codes, and input each book directly into a database on the computer. He has a program like this on his computer, which works great. But he has a Mac. The program for Windows that he found for me doesn't work on mine. So he is chortling and happily inputting every book, CD, DVD, and computer game he owns onto his computer. I'm writing book titles by hand. (Little does he know that his fun has only just begun... because all of these books will need to be added to his list when they arrive there, and since he has /such/ a good time doing it...)

As of yesterday I am finished with my summer Calculus class. I think it has been my favourite math class thus far. I am a tad sad that it is my last one. I think I ended up with a B in the class... but I won't know for sure until the 6th. Next week I start BACK to school, for the last class of my career at NMSU. Spanish. Not even intermediate Spanish. Basic. I wanted easy to go with my stress level. If I get a bit of vocabulary and some practice conjugating verbs, then I will be content.

20 days seems like forever... and tomorrow.

With her First Appearance!

Hello People!

I just wanted to explain that I'm not really posting, mostly because I have no clue what's going on. I usually find out when Momma and I talk. Which doesn't happen too often lately.

I'll have many more things to say when I get back into town and I really get to be in the thick of everything. The one thing I do know that I don't think has been said is that the movers are coming for our stuff on the 24th. So Momma and I will be floating around the city for awhile.

Well, I don't have much to say currently. If you have questions you would like me to answer, please comment and I'll get to them.

I love you all!
<3
Ashley