August 18th, 2008
Change I’m Not Believin’
It’s been a solid 18 days since I last posted, which is (or at least used to be) an unusually long amount of time for me. Those of you who already own a home probably could have predicted my latest lapse in blogging, as you understand that a home, especially when it is new-to-you, lays claim to vast amounts of your time and attention. Those of you who rent may understand that a home, especially when it is new-to-you, lays claim to vast amounts of your time and attention, in a comfortably theoretical way, and therefore you may believe that you could have predicted my latest lapse in blogging, but there’s just no way. We turned in the keys to our old place six short days ago, and the lingering apartment-dweller within me is unable to grasp why I haven’t been making blog entries daily about all the wacky stuff going on at the house I just bought.
I haven’t been making said entries, residual renter, because there is work be done! Walls to paint! Boxes to unpack! Cabinet doors to remove! Fingers to bandage! Trips to the hardware store to make! Whew, I need to sit down for minute…. Furniture dearth to discover! Trips to Target to make! Chairs to assemble! Power outlets to change! Sparks to dodge! Circuit breakers to recheck! Floors to scrub! More trips to Target to make! More trips to the hardware store to make! Trips back to the hardware store to make! Receipts to try desperately to find! Tears to pretend not to cry!
We’ll get to this kind of thing, though. Today I have to tell you about the final piece in the “making my life different than it was” trifecta. While I didn’t mention getting the dog beforehand because it happened so quickly, and I didn’t mention buying the house beforehand out of superstitious fear, item number three has been building-up to its start date in such a slow and secretive manner, it didn’t seem like it was really happening until this morning.
Today was Steph’s first day of school. She is now a full-time grad student at UNC’s School of Information Science, earning her Master’s Degree in Library Science.
Though she found out she was accepted a year ago, and I told everyone I know about it, I now realize I never bragged about reported on bragged about Steph’s impressive achievement here. Steph worked hard for her admission to UNC — the #1 college in the nation at which to earn an MLS degree — putting in a first round of grad school applications two years ago, making us think we were moving to Austin so she could go to library school there, taking two “a la carte” classes at UNC’s SILS, frantically studying up for the math portion of the GREs before she took them again, and putting in a second (and more successful) round of grad school applications, all while holding down her full-time job and maintaining the requisite post-art-school regiment of being frustrated by attempts to create new art at least once a week.
As I do not earn enough at my high-powered, entry-level state job to make mortgage payments; keep the lights on; keep food on the table; and purchase the research materials, tickets to foreign film festivals, and ivory tower polish a grad student requires, Steph also starts a part-time position at NC State’s Design Library (where she’s worked full-time for the past four years) this week which involves her working some nights and weekends, which brings us to how this directly affects me: I’m not going to see my wife as much as I used to. And when I do she’s probably going to have books to read and papers to write. This is sort of a downer, as I went the conventional route vis-à-vis marriage and found someone I enjoy spending time with.
Also, with the woman staying busy, I’ll be taking on a larger part of the house- and dog-related responsibilities. Regardless, I’m excited for where this new opportunity will take Steph and, as I now have a parasitic grip on her, me!
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