What A Week

This week was pretty much crazy.  I had work and dog walking each morning after work then passing out for a few hours if I could and then stuff around the house until work again.  On the plus side I did get two large paychecks today and feel like I am finally back ahead of the game when I comes to money.

Work this week was a mix of highs and lows.  It started out shitty with a friend getting fired and then continued slow and low with crazy assignments and people getting in the way.  On the positive side, I did get a chance to learn a bit more about more of my coworkers and to decide who to be friendly with and who to really enjoy the day with.

This weekend I am looking forward to a little bit nicer weather and a chance to get the garden fully planted and ready to go.  Other than that, I have an assignment due, and I some housework to get done.  I am going out for sushi tomorrow night and I am spending sunday at Maxwell Street Day in Cedarburg. Over 800 stands of people selling everything from plants to books to railway equipment to furniture.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will receive that letter in the mail this coming week and then I will head for Madison to get all the signitures I need and get my packet set to send to the Korean consulate.  I also have a doctors apointment this coming week to get a physical and to get the shots I need to keep myself from getting yellow fever or something while I'm there.  Afew of the vaccinations I need include Rabies, Malaria, and Typhoid. Sounds thrilling doesn't it?  It should hopefully be a big week for my plans and soon within a month I should start hearing from possible jobs.  Freaking out in a major way.

Warm and Sunny

It is finally a nice day out!  Lately I have been sleeping through the nice part of the day, only to wake to rain and clouds.  I got a chance to do some of the things I have been wanting to do for awhile like take the dogs for a real walk and work on my garden a bit more.

The garden should be pretty much planted by next week.  The weather is finally warm enough to plant the rest of the seeds I have been waiting on.  I also finished the raised bed and turned all the gardens.  I need to add some soil and return the spaces where i am not done planting and I need to dig around the edge of the garden but other then those things I am done.  Then come the lazy weeding and watering when needed.

The dogs are super out of shape.  We barely made it a quater mile before little Fargo was panting and stumbling along.  So, I will have to work them up the the full four miles a day I guess.  As for me, I feel really good.  I am five pounds from my goal for summerfest, I have lots of stuff to keep me busy, and Work is a lot of fun.  I very much enjoy the people I work with.

Other than all of that, not much has changed.  My internet was out at my house for the past four days so I didn't get my lessons finished like I wanted but I am so close I am less worried about that then I am aout money and getting the stuff I need before I leave town.

Oh, and Happy Rapture to you all.  You have been judged and your fate will be revealed in October.  See you in hell my loves!

Chugga, Chugga

And the train moves on...

Now that I finally got over the hurdle of platteville, I feel like the day I leave for Korea is rushing up on me and that I have no time to get the things I done that I need.  It didn't really help that I got a call from James today to confirm that my departure date will most likely be in August.

I have sunk back into making lists and calculations and arrangements, all of which are serving only to point out all the things I need to do and are freaking me out more.  My number one concern now is to get the class finished with by next week.  I am thinking of bringing my laptop to work to work on it there during break but I know I wouldn't get anything done.

This week, my "to get finished" list includes:

• Get back on track working out now that schedule has been worked out
• Finish lessons for online course, if nee be turn in last lesson on monday once others are graded
• Plant garden
• Open savings account and order checks
• Find the camera I am going to purchase
• Get together the lists of everything I need to get done and put them where I can find them
• Hang up tag board and calendars in office, as well as other art work
• Purchase weekly calendar and small tag boards for above desk

I have done all the math and I should have enough money to get all the things I need and still have money saved up and debts paid.  Tomorrow I am going to the bank to open a savings account so I can split my pay checks and get saving.  I have also shopped around cameras and some of the other big items I need for this and I figure I have about $500-$600 dollars worth of stuff I need to get a hold of before I leave.

I am massively freaking out but I have lots of lovely work to do tonight and I will most likely need to stay late again so at least I have that to keep my mind off of things. Plus a bonfire friday and if I am really lucky, sushi with Dana tonight.

One Down...

The first week of overnights has been completed.  It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be.  And I need to edit some of the things I thought about the people I work with at night.  I actually really like a lot of them.  They are all around my age and have similar stories to mine.  You know, college, no luck in the job department, living how they can.  I enjoy the environment and the people are all in all good people. We all go a little loopy around 4 am but that is to be expected.  The money is going to be really good and I kinda like the whole nights thing.

I just got back from Summerfest training and I took the time to talk to Bille Wesley about ERT training and I think that he is going to let me do it.  This means I will not only be almost a supervisor, but I will also make a little more money I believe.  Apparently a lot of people have been requesting that the Ops teams have ERT training so we are more prepared when people freak out that we are kicking them out for underage drinking.  I am really hoping that it works out.

I am very very close to completing my TEFL course and I am hoping I can finish it up this week.  I am about 99% sure that I have beaten Platteville into submission.  I emailed the Provost, who talked to the Vice Chancellor who talked to the Registrar.  He took time to pick apart my grammer and word choice in each email, and to tell me to delete the examples I was sent because they were not perfect, but the last paragraph told me what I wanted to know.  I get my way and I don't care if it makes them feel better to try to blame me for not responding.  I WIN! And that is all that matters to me.

This next week my daily schedule plans are: get home at 7, sleep till 2, run 2.5 miles, shower, finish classwork and submit new work, work in garden and then go to work at 10:00 pm.  Life is going good, and I am pretty satisfied with things in my world.  In the words of the chessy song that was the theme to one tree hill.... "I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been tryin' to be lately."

Mothers Day Prep

I suck at Mothers Day.  I admit it.

So this year I am going to try to make up for all the crappy cards and simple phone calls of the past.  My dad and I are going to buy my mom a truck full of mulch.  Not exactly what most people think of getting their moms for this particular day, but it is something I know she really really wants but would never buy herself.  I think that this kind of gift is the best, something the person either really wants or will use all the time but they they don't think they can afford or think they don't really need it that bad.

I am also cleaning the whole entire house, hopefully with the help of my dad and brother but I doubt it somehow.  My mom is out of town for the weekend, so I am using the opportunity to take two days to clean and air out the house for spring.  I am also hoping to get all of the stuff on her to do list done for her before she gets back sunday night.

 I won't really see her much on Mothers day because she is getting back around the time I start my first overnight.  It kinda sucks that it ended up that way but now the big paychecks start and the real saving and readying myself.  I emailed the email I got in response to my questions to James and we will see if the answers I got are good enough or if I am going to have to march into the offices and throw a hissy fit like a two year old to get some attention and real answers.

Lows and Highs

Yesterday did not start out how I imagined it would.  After getting up I was informed that my Grandfather had passed away in the early morning hours.  So I now say goodbye to my last grandparent.  It wasn't really unexpected, his health has been declining for the past few years and he had more and more close calls.  It still was not I was expecting first thing in the morning.  A little later I am going to do a Post about him and all the cool stuff he did in his life.

The day ended on a definite high note however.

 

I went to see Dead Man's Carnival at the Turner Ballroom in Milwaukee.  It was amazing and I will most certainly go again.  Cathie, and her two friends also loved it.  We had the option of dressing up in costume for it, but I sadly, did not have anything worthy of that type of show.  So I did some darker eye makeup and wore my bowler and went with it.

They had everything I could ever have wanted in a Vaudeville Variety Circus show.  With the added bonus of some amazing music.  It was like a concert/circus/burlesque show all rolled into one beautiful, gooey Cinnamon bun of deliciousness.  I don't really know how to explain other then to put up some pictures with explanations.  And keep in mind that it was about five billion times more awesome seeing it in person.

* due to a poor sitting position I was not able to take my own pictures so these are pictures I found online, mainly from Lost Albatross on Flickr. So thank you very much to her.

The Dead Man's Carnival is a rotating group of performers that has a show every tow months in Milwaukee.  Most of the performers have alternate jobs as street performers, and other such things.  Every single one of them is crazy talented and the work they have put into their skills is evident when you watch the show.

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This charming man is Gypsy Geoff.  He is the "MC" or "Ringleader" of the crew. He introduces the show, does amazing juggling and clown acts and entertains the audience between sets.  You may have seen him if you have ever been to Summerfest.  He does shows there as well and always draws such a huge crowd that we have to divert traffic around him.  He has been my personal favorite side act at summerfest since I started working there.  I was surprised to recognize him last night at the show.

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This is the Human Coin, also know as Eli.  This was one of my favorite parts of the show.  It made me want to invest in a giant ring of metal so I too could spin and twirl and leap through it.  Of course, I would really just end up with lots of injuries and a ring I had no real use for.

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Here is Gypsy Geoff again, performing the World's Tallest Gyroscope.  He balances a spinning washtub on top of an upside-down chair, which he balances on top of a broom, and then balances the whole thing on his head.  We then threw marshmallows at him.  This of course turned into a huge marshmallow war, with use throwing them at the crew and them throwing them back at us.

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 And again, here is Gypsy Geoff, clowning around. Spinning plates on Viking horns, juggling, balancing acts.... Could you ask for anything more?

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 And here is the perfect combination of Jack Sparrow and a musketeer, Sir Pinkerton Xyloma. He heads up the band and helps Gypsy Geoff man the show.  He, and the rest of the band, and pretty amazing musicians.  I bought their Cd and I've been listening to it on repeat since I got home.  It has the lovely, eclectic vaudeville feeling mixed with a little Irish punk and classic jazz.  Amazing and more bands should follow their lead.  You should all check out their page.  In this particular picture, he has an ice pick up his nose that an audience member put there.

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This lovely lady was a special guest from the Brew City Bombshells.  Vee Valentine is her name and Burlesque is her game.  An absolutely beautiful person with a silly personality and a body confidence that I hope to have one day.  Also a really nice women. 

There were many more acts and lots of great songs but I don't have pictures of them to share.  I highly recommend that if you get the chance to see this troupe, you seize it.  They are a great time, though not really great for kids, and they definitly have a little something for everyone.  I will leave you with a video that shows off some of their other characters and their acts in action.  Enjoy!