What's up

(Source.)

It's been nearly a month since I've last written and while I could say that lots has happened or that nothing at all has happened, saying either would be a lie. But here is what is up, actually:

-The Great City Search: The beau and I have been looking at cities around the eastern part of the country, considering where we'd like to move next. Our requirements: have a college w/an environmental studies program, have a French teaching position, be awesome like Asheville or close to it, and not be too, too far away from our families. The candidates? Charleston, SC, Pittsburgh, PA, Nashville, TN, Athens, GA, Washington, DC and Raleigh, NC.

-A second job: At a bed and breakfast! I love it. It's a good pay. It's a good workout. The owners and other housekeepers are awesome. They have a doggy. And I actually work! (Way different from my bookstore job.) Plus, there are tips! ;)

-TGR: I'm getting more involved in The Global Report again. Formally the Asheville Global Report, TGR is now has at least three formats. These are online, a wkly. video broadcast, and a wkly. podcast. This time around I'm helping with the podcast. Having my voice recorded and hearing it podcasted is weird beyond all imagination.

-Reading lots of books: So many. I'll write a post soon about all the books I've been reading lately.

-Spending mucho time w/friends, in prepartion for my eventual departing of Asheville: to outdoor theatres, house parties, movie marathons, dance parties, local restos, the great outdoors, bbqs, dinner gatherings, and general goodtimes.

<3

support

I'm so happy to know that I have such great amounts of support right now. From the long emails with lulu, to the sweet messages from a person I've never met, to hanging out at all hours at a time with old friends to receiving a random, heart-felt message from a college acquaintance, I am happily overwhelmed by the support I've been receiving through this new and stressing time.

I've been pretty motivated in my searches of apt. and jobs. I've already looked at one house today and I am supposed to look at another one later today. I've responded to 9 ads so far of people looking for housemates. And I've applied to 8 jobs and counting.



I've also been listening to a lot of M.I.A., Santogold, Micky Green, CSS, Regina Spektor and Feist. This blend is funky, female, and soothing all at once. They are really the only music I can listen to right now without analysing every word and intimately relating it to my situation.

This week should be pretty busy. Wednesday, the 20th, is one of my best friend's birthday. She's turning 23. So I'm going with her and our third counterpart to Pigeon Forge tomorrow. We'll be staying there until Tuesday evening/night. I'm also going to Carowinds on Saturday. And really the only reason I'm going is because I was retarded and forgot the tickets the last time I went earlier this summer. And then I might, not sure yet, be going to Sliding Rock on Sunday. I've just heard that my french friends will be coming on Saturday and I'm really sad. I was hoping to see them, but I won't be at home on that day. Hopefully, I might be able to convince them to come on another day, like Wednesday or Sunday (I can go to Sliding Rock on another day).

(The lovely Heather.)

Some other plans of mine that I'm working to:
1. Car! I have to wait until I get a job, but I've been scouring craigslist looking for a good one $5,000 or under. I will have to get a loan to pay for it, but that's just how the dice roll right now.
2. College, v.2! Getting my mind and ideas together so I can apply for my master's in Vermont. I need a lot of help with this because, as usual my ideas are broad and I need to narrow my ideas down.
3. Photography ideas. I want to do Suicide Girls. I've wanted to it for a really long time, but now just might be the time. To do this, I've been planning poses, locations, backgrounds and clothing. I also took some pictures of a friend, not nude or erotic, mind you. But cute "pin-up" pictures and I think they turned out well. This has inspired me.
4. Clothes creations. I've been slowing getting some sewing supplies. Meanwhile, I've been drawing designs, thinking of colors, ways to reconstruct things and be sustainable at the same time.
5. Making delicious creations. I love cooking. I really loved to do it before the Frenchman broke up with me. That love has dwindled a bit since then. This is unfortunate. I am trying to get that fire raging again and those smells wafting throughout my kitchen.

I hope to keep this blog updated more regularly now. I've also been writing on another blog and love doing it. Writing is therapeutic. I'm finding a variety of things are therapeutic. I am so happy when I can find a new form of therapy. I suppose life has its own form of therapy. :)
<3

A Perfect Weekend

This has so far been a nearly perfect weekend (gotta leave room the perfect weekend). Yesterday afternoon I went to Greenlife & got some great cheese and baguettes for the play I was soon to be attending with my parents later in the evening. After a nice 30-40 min. roundtrip walk to the store, I got everything prepared and loaded up my tote bags with the yummy goodies.

(The Hazel-Robinson Theatre, where the Montford Park Players perform every year.)

Once ready, I started my much shorter walk to the outside theatre. The play was "Antony and Cleopatra" and was done by the Montford Park Players. This theatre troupe does at least four plays a summer in the outside theatre. This is a super fun and super relaxed thing to do in Asheville in the summer. I met my parents there & had a good time munching on French Bread, Camembert, Morbier & D'Affinois.

(Some characters + the stage.)

(Antony & Octavia [Ceasar's sister].)

And then today: Today I went with my bf to Nine Mile, a sweet little resto that is located right across from our house.(The inside of the Marley-esque restaurant.)

And now, I'm getting ready to go to the Westville Pub. It's a short 10-min. drive away. We're going to have another informal, somewhat-awkward high school gathering there. Some high school acquaintances of ours are having a show there, while silmitanously having a benefit for the local t.v. station, URTV. I'm so happy with this weekend! :)

lu n' am blog!

yes, i'm going for pure vanity and publicity on my part, but i just wanted to let everyone know about my newest joint blog! my oh-so-lovely future sister-in-law & i have created the lu-n-am blog, which is about "affordable. sustainable. creative. living." although we're still tweaking it occasionally...trying to figure how to make it the most super awesome joint blog out there...we definitely want people to check it out and let us know what you think about it! :)