Things are going well at Casa De Normal. I’m just finished doing systems and procedures testing for our new software implementation at work, and it was really fun and exciting. Also exasperating, realizing just how much they need work and it goes live in two weeks. My schedule has finally changed to a real person work week. I’m losing about $10 a paycheck from it, but oh well. I’ll make it up in overtime in November.

Nick is doing well in school, even if he has contracted my ADHD and procrastinates on work. The placement he is on now is all severe and profound adaptive, his least favorite, but the teacher likes him and so do the kids and hopefully he’ll get used to how different it is than to what he wants to do.

I’ve kinda stopped cooking, trying to get back into it, but it’s hard when you aren’t that hungry. Same for working out. Dance class started back up and I totally dig the new choreography. It is so much fun. I need to work on my own soon, as soon as nick’s done organizing in the living room. His papers are everywhere!

That’s really about it from here in Normal. Trying to decide what I would like for the holidays, and when I’m actually getting off and all of that. It gets terribly confusing sometimes. Even after a year here at the Farm.

Engage in a more healthy and mindful life

there. That’s my resolution. And here is how.

A. Food.
1. Steal from Michael Pollan: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.
2. Eat foods I prepare myself (or nick prepares)
3. More from scratch, including pastas.
4. Focus on healthy foods and meals.
5. Local foods and storage when market starts back up.

B. Fitness
1. Dance class on Monday/Thursday (when I have drop in cards for mondays. Otherwise, a video or workout)
2.Gym at least two other times during the week, for both strength and cardio

C. Mental/Emotional
1. Cultivate a more mindful life.
2. Start a gratitude practice.

There’s other little things too, reduce debt, a weight loss goal, using sparkpeople more etc. But those are ongoing. This is a damn resolution, and I will do this

My voice is apparently soothing and comforting. I think it’s the giggling myself.

In other news, I am mostly exhausted, still waiting for nick’s doctors to write a “yes he can drive” note and I’m totally off the healthy living kick while I get used to just living with my new schedule.

Also, most of the Christmas shopping is done and gifts are starting to arrive from Amazon. Mom’s was here first.

Took the money I made from babysitting this weekend and bought Nick his birthday present and a couple of things for myself. I have a very pretty purple sweater now and a new foundation/powder brush, because at some point I became a girl. I’m also testing foundation colors, which is rather crazy.  I think I sort of understand pink and yellow undertones now. (By the way, the color that looks the best? Light Olive; go figure)

I haven’t decided what I’m going to make for Nicks birthday dinner tomorrow: I’ve got steak defrosting, but I need something to go with it.

I think the rest of the family should blog. I think Philip would have awesome insights into the human condition. And dad can blog about, I don’t know, biking and running. Eickhoff family blog time!

We are going to get on the phones tomorrow, doing scenarios with some of the mentors and reps. We listened into a couple of calls today. I think the phone thing is getting better. I still get the anxious feeling in my stomach when I think about it, but it’s not lasting as long as it used to. We head into transition next week, and we might even take calls at the end of next week. I got a little time to get it under control.

I do sort of like the atmosphere and the people. The fifty million steps to do anything sucks, but at least when I have a question, I can find an answer, and I don’t have to run around finding someone who knows something about what to do.

Otherwise, things are pretty good. A minor school crisis has been averted, and I really don’t want to go into details because, yesh, it sucked for a couple of days. All that got done? I think we watched an entire season of West Wing this weekend and ate a ton of pizza. Finished a few books, attempted NaNoWriMo and utterly crashed and burned after 9k words when I remembered that I write short stories. I’m babysitting this weekend, which will be nice. It’s for my old student and her younger brother. Easy money.

Got my dance DVD. I will share with mom. The rest of you can go away.

And you would not believe how hard it is to find someone to go shopping with me.  I do not trust myself, just like I don’t with my hair. Still can’t decide how I’m getting it cut and shaped at this length. I look like everyone else and that is a little bit distressing.

Combine this with still not getting my formal job offer yet and I’m a wee bit harried. They got my background check finally, so I’ll probably get the call on Monday. I’m glad I didn’t wait for that offer to formalized before giving notice because I’d be a little bit screwed otherwise.

Oktoberfest was fun. I did nothing but enjoy myself, which is such a treat. The site is beautiful, but I forgot my camera so no pictures. Apparently, in my garb, I look Indian. I believe that this is doubtful.

So not Indian, just garb-tastic

Otherwise, things are going smoothly. I might make a trip up to Naperville before the new job starts. Apparently, I’m attending a knighting next weekend (I just found this out myself) but maybe the 1st and 2nd, providing that y’all are around.

I’ve spent a good amount of time editing work this week, drinking too much caffeine, and contemplating redying my hair or just getting it cut so it has some shape while growing out. I’m getting antsy with it being long but it really does look nicer.

The apartment is really just a mess, too. More than usual. Ugh.

For the first few weeks, I’ll be in training 8-4:15. Afterwards, I will have WTHF of 5:45am-4pm and Sat 7:45am-6. ‘Goza says those are actually really good shifts, since I have three days off in a row. It’s like a three day weekend every week!

Now, I just have to get used to talking on the phone for 10 hours a day. That should get me over the phobia, right?

I need to finish getting ready for Oktoberfest, so I’ll have more when I get home on Sunday.

For Mom: I got lots of compliments on my outfit. I wore a lot of stuff you made me: green pants, purple skirt, the purplish side of one of the vests. No pictures yet, but I looked great. I’ll have the video in a little while, I have to buy it first.

My solo went well, BUT, in the last 10 seconds, the sound cut off! I managed to keep myself going as if it were all right, with only a slightly deer in headlights expression. I was complimented on poise and confidence, which is really amusing.

We got a good reaction from the group piece as well –although for both, I could tell you every mistake I made. But no one noticed, so that was awesome.

Afterwards, we hit Maggies with Lori and Faline.  I had curry fries. Mmmm, curry fries.

I haven’t heard from State Farm yet, but something EVEN better has hit the radar. A library assistant job at NPL! I’m sure having been a prior employee and continuing my education is going to help a lot, and at least get me an interview. It’s also even more money. I’m hand delivering my application materials in the afternoon on my ride home from work. Then running up stairs to tell the Librarians that I’m applying and to see if there is weight to pull.

In other news, I’m making preperations for Oktoberfest. Looking forward to NOT running an event and just enjoying it. And wearing pretty garb.

That’s about all from the land of Normal.

This one is less reduxes of Classical Music and almost more mash-ups and reinterpretations. They start off with Ride of the Valkyries and “The Ride” which they’ve written lyrics to, to sum up the action in that part of the Wagner. The result is way more Nightwish than I like, but man, those first thirty seconds are powerful as a duet.

My next favorite is Help Me (Jove in Pity) massively redone from Handel’s Semele. This may be my favorite track, as it starts very coy and delicate and by the end it’s soul-wrenching feminine indecision. They have another selection, “Where’re you walk” which is much closer to the original in lyrics but man …the form is different. They reframe this song by Jove into a gospel song which edges right on the subversive.

Soldiers, takes from Faust, and juxtaposes a childrens choir singing first a patrotic song and then into “Eye for an eye/eye for an eye/means the blind rule the blind/means the blind will survive” with an anti-war and establishment freeverse section. It is the East Village, after all. I love the form, but the content is a bit much for me.

I like the other songs, but these were the ones I picked out as the best for my tastes. I think I like their older album better, but Help Me has been stuck in my head for days.

In other news, I finished another week of work without any children dying and they occasionally listen to me in the halls now. We are learning about Mesopotamia, so today we had them “bartering” items they didn’t want anymore.  Which for some kids included games for the Wii. I wish I had brought stuff and gotten Philip a Christmas present.

So I had my interview; I looked damned good. I go with skirts for interviews, and I wore a mock collar shirt. I even broke out the pantyhose and heels! I hope I made a good impression with how I spoke and the examples I pulled were clear enough.  I pimped out my CPI certification (why yes! I know how to de-escalate situations! I can also block punches!)

It’s not a dream job, it’s a start to an ends to a means. I would like it — stretch my comfort zone a little bit, but I also love what I’m doing right now, and that saddens me. I feel a little like losing either way. I suppose I can flip that and look at what I’m gaining either way.

But the rest of the day? I took a short nap (I tend to, after interviews) and read a little, danced a little, ate a little (lot) of chocolate, enjoyed the sunshine and I tidied up the bedroom and made the bed. That always makes me feel better.

Dinner tonight was ravioli, and then some potstickers I bought to try out. I loved the sauce that came with, but not so much the potstickers themselves. Tomorrow I’ll make soup for myself before class and let nick fend for himself. I really want to learn to make the ravioli myself, to be honest. I’ve discovered a love for actually cooking and preparing, and it’s helping me learn  patience and observation. Like Sunday, when my bread didn’t rise. Why didn’t it rise? Because the “warm place” was too warm and started cooking it. Logic!

Tomorrow it’s back to the easy-going grind. And I’ll be better for this day.