SUPRISE! New typewriter soon!!

I love the interconnectedness of everything.

First of all, I know this woman who used to be the Image Studios office manager when my dad was still alive and boss of everything--she was also a staple at Christmas Eve dinner, and a lovely person to run into unexpectedly working in one of the engineering offices at the university when I was working there.

Well, her eldest daughter messages me on FB the other day...
"Hi there! I have an odd question...do you still collect typewriters?"

I'm thinking, welllll maybe. Depends. And then I read on.

"While cleaning out my grandma's house we found an old typewriter in a black box/case...a Smith~Corona. I'm not sure what year it is or anything, but it looks to be in pretty good condition. I looked on ebay and similar ones seem to sell for about $30. Would you be interested in it at all? I thought of you when I found it so thought I'd check and see. If you want a picture I can send one when I get home from work. 

Hope all is well with you my dear!"

So that sounds pretty cool. Could be a nice machine, but could be one I already have...but for $30? Sure I'll take a look! (that's what I was thinking, not what I actually said to her which was much more polite)

So she sends me this picture:

My response: (this is pretty accurate, I was looking at it at work with my friend/colleague Eve, who rolled her eyes profusely at the excitement)

Whaaaaaat!!!!!! OMG. WUT IZ DAT. I want it! Oh yeah!

I'm really excited. She said it was in pretty good condition, and as long as there's no mechanical malfunction I'm pretty good at cleaning, and have new ribbons if needed! AND nobody has to pay postage or risk the damage of mailing this beautiful machine (even though she is in Post Falls) because her lovely mother is going to bring it to Moscow sometime in the next few weeks! It'll definitely get some NaNo use if all goes well.

HOORAY!

I'm ridiculously excited about this.

Life is wonderful. Even if it's cold, raining, and I have no raincoats and no umbrellas.

Why can't it be a couple/few weeks later already!?

Oh right...exams, homework, and other things have to get done too. I guess I need more than a millisecond between weeks. SIGH

Satchmo Weezel signing off.

Auto-Coffee is the best. Ever.

Blog posts don't have to be a big "thing." I know this, and yet my blog sits dormant most of the year, only experiencing brief and occasional bursts of This must be shared somehow--I know! The blog! What I would really like to do is get used to posting, oh I don't know, maybe not every day, but more often.

I have everything I need: a computer, and internet at my apartment. (FINALLY, well since August) So it shouldn't be so hard! And when I get my camera back I can even typecast some of my posts!

I also have a great (free) computer desk chair my grandparents gave me recently (last night) which is definitely a game-changer. I can sit comfortably and high enough to use the keyboard on it's little slide-out thing, then raise the chair up for using typewriters on the desk's surface! THE AMAZING RAISING CHAIR! I haven't had one for a few years so it's maybe more exciting than is necessary or natural.

That's okay. That's just how I roll.

Here is something fairly adorable:

An old picture of me and my (sniffle) late best-friend Samuel Rex-Manuel the Kitty. That was a few weeks before I shaved my hair off, so it was taken over two years ago. Someday I'll take a picture of my current hair and we'll go from there.

USB Typewriter? For REAL? Yes Please!

Anyone want to give me 74 dollars? I could really use this DIY USB Typewriter Kit. Okay, to be honest, I am not capable of putting that together myself, but with $700-$900 I could have one of these!

When my roommate posted this on my wall, I thought it was a joke. But seriously? I could write on a typewriter and not have to re-type my writing to edit papers for school? FANTASTIC!

In other news, I have been blog-absent for a long few months. Being busy with school, family, holidays, and re-starting classes a couple weeks ago has been good and crazy. I got straight A's last semester. I haven't done that since 5th grade!

I still don't have internet at my apartment.

My room is so much like a Picasso painting that I haven't dug my typewriters out for a couple months, despite finding an Olympia SM9 at the Storm Cellar and being ecstatic for a few days. I wrote a few letters and then lost them.

Real updates coming in a couple weeks (I would say a few days, but let's be real here), and letters hopefully going into the mail sooner that that.

First I have to finish writing the key events of "My Life Journey" in 750 words before class. The main problem is keeping it down to 750 words.

Oy.


p.s. My roommate also posted these stickers on my wall. Seriously considering them! I'd have to get the "p" key on my (new) laptop fixed first though.

Gahhhhh Issues. On Thursday? How sad.

I am having some big issues lately. As many people (all?) do, but tonight they're all colliding. It's my favorite day of the week (Thursday! Only slightly marred by the frequency of essays due Friday), and it upsets me that I'm so upset.
I am going to vent in a list, and iron out some thoughts. Maybe I'll fix some things next week, after the Halloween madness subsides. (I'd better)

1) I went to the costume store too late and they were out of Peter Pan hats. At least they're easy to make. and the felt, feather, and little sword were the only things I had to purchase for my costume! $15 total probably by the end. Cheapest Halloween? Perhaps so far.

2) I still don't have internet at my apartment.
(My roommate B's computer can mooch internet at the dining room table from some neighbor-or-other, but mine cannot, and it is too slow to use for homework anyway.)
This is both bad and awesome.

Why no internet at apt. is awesome:

• internet is intimidating and frightening. 
• I have a terrible sense of time when involved with internet. (Where did the last four hours go?)
• People that are visiting your house always have funny videos to show you, or you have funny videos to show them, and your whole evening becomes absorbed by internet.
• The dishes get done, clothes put away, and carpet is "vacuumed" (carpet-sweeper, no vacuum) much more often. It's like entertainment, since I only own about 5 movies and 3 seasons of Smallville that I've seen 5 times each. Because it's clean we can move the coffee table next to the old steamer-trunk and have wicked-awesome dance parties. No internet = more dancing.
• internet is frightening and intimidating (enough to be listed as such twice).
• I don't like either of my two choices of companies for internet service at my apartment. Neither local company can service my apartment for various reasons, so I can have Time Warner Cable or Frontier (Verizon)...
• I have to pay for the intrusion on my time and mental stability.

Why no internet at apt. is bad:

• Posting typecasts is much more complicated, so I have a small pile of things I *meant* to post and never did, also I am bad at keeping in touch with most people without internet (semi-related: I also have trouble with phones). 
• I need internet to do my math homework, so I end up spending a lot of time at cafes, or my mom's office, doing a lot of math at once instead of spreading it out over the week, this takes time from my other homework, and I am home less.
• I also can't check my email (if class is cancelled or for other important info) or email assignments to myself in lieu of having a printer. This forces me to lug my laptop to school when I don't' need it for anything other than emailing and printing an average four-page assignment.

So in the end it saves a little of the time it consumes...but I have a hard time biting the bullet and just calling either company. B has a landline through Frontier (getting rid of her cell soon), but when she moves (March-ish) I'm not going to be able to afford the landline, since I'm keeping my cell phone. I think I'd rather do business with TWC, and I'm fairly certain the same amount of $ will result in faster internet.

3) My computer is glitchy, and it has nothing to do with 3 1/2 years of age.
My backpack fell a week or so ago, and now my computer screen turns off on its own allllll the time. Randomly. Certain angles help it stay on longer, and I can't turn the brightness past 1. I can no longer use my computer when it's light outside, so I spend a lot of time at mom's office, and way too little time at home. There's internet here. (see above)
I need to go to the bookstore on campus and talk to the Mac-dudes (or whatever they're called), but I always forget before I leave campus. Which brings me to my next point:

4) My car is kaput. (Well, it's "Mom's" car technically.)
After 5 years of being my faithful sidekick and safe-place for all thoughts, long drives, and loud music, the ball-joints gave out, and she's not worth enough to spend the money fixing her.  It was my Dad's car until he couldn't drive anymore, and I miss driving it more than I am comfortable missing an inanimate object/material possession, but there it is. Miss it a sh*t-ton.

5) I can't seem to start essay-writing until 11:30pm the night before it's due. A personal, ongoing problem with procrastination that this storm of uncomfortable (though not necessarily depressing) feelings is not helping in the slightest.

6) Still having trouble responding to any sort of correspondence (mail, phone calls, emails, etc) within a reasonable time-frame. Sorry to all inconvenienced and/or hurt. Working on it...

7) Need a second job. Probably will end up being in retail, since they're hiring for the holidays. Might not get to go to Boise for Thanksgiving (family tradition since "forever") for the 2nd year in a row. Last year it was the weather.

8) This isn't exactly an issue but more of a concern:
Monday is the "real" Halloween (as opposed to the inevitable celebrations tomorrow and Saturday)...to drink or not to drink?
It is my first Halloween after 21, and there is a Halloween party/costume contest/blue Monday combo at the bar, which I have rarely gone to since early September (baaad decisions were made, hangovers were experienced, lessons were learned). I also work at NINE in the morning Tuesday. We'll see what happens.

Aaaand last and least:
9) I don't like writing about literary criticism. Writing about writing that was written about writing is...extremely "meta" and bothers me. Maybe that's the straw that wrote this blog post.

Lengthy, but refreshing. Talk to you soon. (If I survive Halloween, get my computer screen fixed, and call TWC to install internet)

Free-writing and then some!

This is one of the free-writes...and hopefully
the ones I do for her website will be of similar
format. Or handwritten and re-typed.

At the writing table, and that's my grandma's signature hat!

Why, hello July! Goodbye Moscow...(again)

IT IS NOT ALREADY JULY. Okay it is. at 12:14 am. No typecast tonight, because I haven't gotten a picture of my birthday/typewriter day cast taken, and also had a fast enough internet connection to upload the video. Next week!!

In other news, I am going to the Rainbow Gathering tomorrow! It hasn't been in the Northwest for quite a few years, since I was maybe 11 (and I didn't know what it was back then! haha) And my grandparents haven't been since 1989, though they used to go to quite a lot of them...

Anywho, I am very excited, and there are some cool Moscowites going in our two-car caravan, and it's going to be in what looks like a beautiful part of a forest in Western Washington, kind of near the Oregon border...it's a 6 1/2 hour drive, so we're going to try leaving by 10...and I"m not packed yet! Eek!

I've been to the semi-local Santa Barter Fair almost every year since I was maybe 1 or 2 years old, but this is a completely different experience. About 20,000 people are going I think, almost as many people as live in Moscow, and probably more people than are here in the summertime! My goodness. I will hopefully have some pictures to share, and I reeeally hope I can get up the muscles to hike the little skyriter into camp, though it might be a long hike (for me) so we'll see. I may have some pen-casts instead for when I come back, in addition to the belated birthday/typewriter day update.

So I'm just postponing finishing (starting also) packing. I threw a 13-people dinner for my birthday party at my mom's house earlier tonight. The guests were: mom, birthmom, half-sister, birthdad, stepmom, dad's parents, my best friend & his boyfriend, my other best friend & his son, and a dear family friend who's pretty much my favorite uncle.

My dad put the salad together, Bobert (family friend) made guacamole for an appetizer, and I made grilled teriyaki-ish chicken, stir-fry vegetables, and rosemary-garlic pasta (from Seattle) with fresh basil. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS! If I had the cord to upload pictures I would show off a little. It took forever to get everyone sitting down, but the food was all ready at the same time! Well, within 10 minutes from each other, which is pretty amazing for me.

Gran made up some Five-Layer Dark Ganache Topped Maripan Dream Brownies and Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Sprinkles, and even gave me some aaaawesome gifts. The beginning of my own sewing kit in its own bag, two sets of silverware (that match! woa!) a book, and a little sketch kit. I love practical gifts! I never complain when I get socks for Christmas, or Hannukah. Hehe.

Okay enough. Enough. It was just a bit exciting, since I've never owned my own silverware or sewing kit, but I'm feeling a little over-attached to material things lately...it will be good to be out in the woods, with lots of people but not to many objects except writing utensils, cup, bowl, and warm clothes. My gran is lending me the pack she used to take to Gatherings!

Yep this went on a bit too long. I have thank-yous to write and objects to pack! Wish me luck. :) Hope everyone is having a good time out there in the world!

First Typecast...and things I own.

Goodbye computer-written posts. (mostly)

I am getting a new camera for my birthday! It's orange, which is only one of the faaaabulous things about it. I will be able to take pictures and almost instantly have them on my computer! Upload them! Without paying $$ to get them developed! Hello typecasting!

It's been a couple years since I've had my own digital camera, and I could hardly be more excited. Plus, it's coming early. Even though it's a birthday present and I would normally not get it til the 23rd, Mom wants me to be able to take pictures of all the excitement coming up, adventures and getting ready for the big two-one, and she ordered the camera early! Also it's being delivered right to my apartment. YAY!

We're in Kent, WA, after photographing the last graduation of the season! Central Washington Unversity's Westside Commencement. We ate at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. Sam and I split a Chocolate Raspberry Truffle slice.

We did the regular ceremony in Ellensburg yesterday, and the night before my sister brought a bag of clothes she's getting rid of for me to search through. I ended up taking about half the bag, including this awesome sweatshirt straight from the 80s. Bright colors in angular shapes...PLUS POCKETS!

Sam took the blue elf-like shirt with a funky long skinny hood. He's going to wear it for my birthday outing Thursday after next.

We are thinking of having a show, once I get my camera. Maybe I will post links to the videos here. I'm not sure what will happen during them, but it will probably be very silly, ridiculous, and possibly entertaining.

The air conditioner blows right on my feet at the hotel. I shouldn't have claimed the bed next to the window. Now we've all settled in it would be difficult to move...

I can't wait to be able to document the adventures I go on. I will probably be coming over to Seattle/Bellingham the next two weekends in a row! The best part of that is I hardly have to pay any for gas! Thank goodness for backpack-sized typewriters. I like having it with me, especially since I'll be able to TYPECAST with my NEW CAMERA after about Wednesday or Thursday this week. :)

Alright, I should go snack a tiny bit before we go into the city. (SEATTLE) Walkabouts and night pictures await!

We plan on getting me with my typewriter in the middle of a street downtown-ish later tonight, if it turns out I'll post it up here.

Typewriters and Typecasts...

Soon? I hope so.

I wish the computer that is attached to the scanner at this "Old Studio" wasn't so slow and frustrating. It's the only way I would ever be able to typecast! I photos are sort of an option, but I don't have a camera that's very good for close-up except my FM2...and I don't really want to have to wait to get my film developed just to post on a blog.

Also the cost of each frame on film is pretty high these days. Unfortunately! I love using film. 35mm and 120/220 are what I've had all my experience with, and love them both! Of course the 120/220 is much more expensive to get developed, but that camera has a built-in flash which actually does a pretty good job! It also has a wide angle lens so I can take pictures of more things at once! Haha. ah...

Anyway, lovely weather is here today! I just hope it can stay.

Especially since I am inside for most of the day, working on a report for a complicated decedent. Ahh tax season is almost completely behind us! Just a few loose ends, and I have to finish (finally) setting up mom's Quicken whatnots so we can keep her business (and personal) transactions all entered and IN ORDER throughout the year! Every other year I've had to sit down and enter the main bank account statements in an old mixed-up Quicken99 file from back when Dad was running things. It was HELL. (Excuse my language) Anyway, now the categories will make sense, the credit cards will be properly entered and reconciled with and even SHE can do the data entry. HOORAYYY! Also being able to look at profit/loss statements throughout the year would be awesome, if somewhat depressing until grads kickoff.

GRAD SEASON IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so nervous, and excited, and poor...what a perfect time for grad season to swoop in upon us and kill the month and three-quarters between the beginning of may and my birthday!

Hopefully I'll finally be caught up on rent by the end of June. Then I can re-sign the lease and not have to move in August!

Wow.

Haha, J just gave me one of those Reese's peanut butter eggs, I'm glad he's in a pleasant mood. There's a lot of tough things going on in his sphere of the world lately. He's a good friend & semi business partner of my mom's who is also an Enrolled Agent. He's the reason I started learning how to do tax returns when I was 16! And the reason I discovered that I actually ENJOY DOING TAXES. Sometimes, anyway.

Allllright. I'd better get going. I really really promise soon there will be typewritten pages up here. There's a plan in the works with a fellow people-watching friend of mine to sit at this strangely placed stone table in front of a drive-thru coffee hut for a couple hours writing and watching in the sun...it's at a busy intersection next to campus on the "strip" in Moscow. We'll see how it goes!