All I Really Need Is Ice Cream

Several updates!

The morning after I sent those resumes I received two responses. One (a data entry position) that initially sounded legitimate turned into something that sounds like a get-rich-quick scam. The other was a real estate agent who wants an assistant to work from home while he's overseas, someone who can set their own hours and such. His email sounded kind of . . . off. So I decided to wait to get some more responses before replying to him.

And it paid off! Yesterday morning I received an email informing me that I sound like a very good candidate for a job, and asked me to fill out a form with more info about myself/how I work/etc, in preparation for an interview next week. The trouble is, I don't know which job it was for. You see, when I sent out my emails of inquiry, I was very careful to reference the job position and identification number, because when you reply to a Craigslist ad (which is where all these jobs came from), you send them to an _____@craigslist.com address, which forwards your email to the recipient's personal email. And then the recipient replies to you from their personal email, not from the @craigslist.com address that you originally emailed.

So in this case, I sent an email off to the @craigslist address, and the people replied to me with their @company address without copying my email so I couldn't see which job they are. So, uh. Guess I'll find out which job that was when I get an interview next week! (Assuming they like my survey answers well enough to interview me, at least.)

Just in case though, today I went out and bought two skirts (one below-knee length and the other just-above-knee length) to match my blazer. I'm assuming below-knee is more formal for an interview. And I'm about to go out and get panty hose and mascara and a portfolio thing to carry my necessary information in. It's interview season!

A P.F. Chang's is going to be opening at Providence Place Mall sometime in the next month or two. This guy was established on the sidewalk outside what will be the restaurant's outer entrance. He's maybe twenty feet tall, and clearly intent on terrorizing the passers-by. (Or maybe being terrorized by them? His face is not a happy face.)

 And another capitol grounds shot, since I was wandering by it.

In other news, I was social yesterday! There's a writer's group that meets at the Warwick Library (about fifteen, almost twenty minutes south of our apartment), and I braved up and went to their July meeting. Only three other people showed up: Rob, Jen, and Emily. Rob is the group's organizer and writes sci-fi. Jen is a new member (though she and her husband grew up with Rob), and writes YA and memoirs. Emily is trying to break out of a several-year-long writer's block, and submitted a kind of magical realism short story that was amazing. She wrote it several years ago, before the funk set in, and I was just completely in love with it. She's quiet and quirky and reminds me a lot of Katie. We bonded a bit over the writer's block thing, since I'm in the same position. I'm hoping to strong-arm her into being my friend. =D

The group is only for people over twenty-one, which is incredibly nice. And usually, Rob told me, there are closer to six or eight people at a meeting; this was a rare occurrence. But whatever the case, they were all incredibly friendly and I loved spending two hours with them. Can't wait for the next meeting, at the end of August! Hopefully I'll even find a way to get together with one or all of them before then.

And also, last night was another WaterFire night. Took more pictures!

You can kind of see a road block protecting the white tents from oncoming traffic. And yes, those roads around WaterFire that aren't blocked off entirely are filled with almost as many people as cars. And the people tend to think that they have the right-of-way, even though they don't. =/

Buildings! Guys, my camera was taking these pictures without flash or tripod. Not bad at all!

Okay, this one's a little blurry. That's a gondola going under the bridge, and another one coming up to it.

That's Providence Place Mall rising triumphantly over the canal. The canal opens into a big circle here, with water flowing out at about 6:00 and flowing in at about 2:00. (I mean, location-wise, if looking straight ahead at the mall is 12:00. Not talking time.)

Under the bridge, chandeliers are installed, and big mirrors to reflect their light. From the surface of the water to the bottom of the bridge's arch is maybe eight feet--those fires are big.

I'm pretty sure he's Saint Francis? Need to find out. That pillar is several stories tall; I'd have to go back during the day to get a decent picture of him.

I took some videos, too, but those will have to wait until later!

A Serious Question

I just sent out no less than ten emails of inquiry plus resumes. Yes, it is well past midnight.

I honestly can't help but wonder if the people who receive these emails will look at the time stamp on them and think, An adult awake past midnight in the middle of the week? Sounds like trouble. I wonder what their problem is. Antisocial? Nocturnal? Vampire-obsessed fangirl?

Hopefully not. I mean, vampire thing aside--some things can't be hidden. Me sending out these resumes at an unholy hour of the night can't prejudice them against me, right? Surely they're more likely to think, Wow, this person must be very interested in the position! which is, after all, only a very nice way to say, Wow, this person is desperate.

In any case: ten more businesses have received my resume as of this morning! Several of them I'm even excited about. All of my fingers and toes are crossed.

Furniture!

We received our furniture yesterday! Hurray! Finally!

Andrew's mess art stuff has been carefully deposited in front of the living room's radiator, within easy reach of his new workstation:

(Andrew's nook as seen from my wicker chair.)

(And as seen from the doorway between the living room and the bedroom. Also, this is Andrew's last week of classes! Hurray! Finally!)

As well as Andrew's desk and chair, we also received another bookshelf, which I immediately put to use:

Now that my books are in the living room, I can use that open shelving space in the bedroom to store more clothes! Which is going to be perfect when it starts getting cooler and I need my sweaters and scarves and things.

Our wireless internet stuff is now craftily hidden behind the framed picture on the bookshelf. No, those are not tentacles hanging from the doorknob, those are old shoe laces that have been repurposed for Augustine's batting pleasure. (Even Sophie made a few attempts at hitting them! Failed, though.)

Also, our new futon is set up! How exciting to see a new bed that looks exactly like the old bed, huh? Still, here you go:

In other news, Augustine has realized that my wicker chair is extraordinarily comfy. I now have to pry him out of it whenever I want to sit down.

Do you know, I haven't had to take allergy medicine since we moved up here? None.

However, we've traded my allergies for really outrageous humidity. I'd thrown some thin cotton shorts over a chair last night, and when I picked them up to put them away this morning, they were damp. They weren't damp when I'd put them there. That's how humid it is. Yuck.

A long-time friend of mine, Kaly, whom I've visited once or twice during Christmas trips to Albuquerque, is in Providence right now--in fact, the friend she's staying with lives about three or four blocks down the street from me. Small world! We're going to meet at the Starbucks tomorrow morning and spend a couple of hours catching up. Looking forward to it. =)

People-Meeting, Place-Seeing

Friday night (I think?) I took my notebook down to the Starbucks a block east of home, settled down on one of the little round metal tables outside, and proceeded to . . . not write. Mostly because the two late-sixties or early-seventies men sitting at the table beside mine were speaking French to each other. Both were American; it was clearly a lesson. The one was reading out of a novel (in French), and after his pronunciation was adjusted here and there, they'd discuss (in French) what was going on in the book. Their conversations kept wandering away from the book to current politics, the area around us, and places to visit in France. Their vocabulary was more advanced than mine, but they were speaking very slowly and clearly, so I actually understood maybe seventy-five percent of what was said. I haven't heard French in years, and it was incredibly enjoyable to eavesdrop!

At around 10:00, two more men came along and sat down on my other side. One of them immediately turned to me and asked how long the giant eighteen wheeler had been idling in front of the coffee shop; it had been there for maybe twenty minutes. He went on to describe how lovely it was, and ask if I was writing my memoirs. (I still had my notebook and pencil in hand.) I laughed and said Sure, and he guessed that I was currently detailing how the noise of the eighteen wheeler--which, according to him and I had to agree, looked like a combination of Darth Vader and a Transformer--was whittling away my will to live.

He chatted with his companion for a little while before turning back to me and asking what I was really writing; it turns out he used to be a professor of English and a keen people-watcher. We wound up talking--wait, no. He wound up talking, and I almost entirely wound up listening, for the next two hours. His companion went home pretty early on, and Richard was incredibly happy to fill me in on the history of the area, his experience as an English professor in the midwest, various family stories, and a lot of random history tidbits. (He has two PhDs: one in Renaissance Literature and the other in History. Mostly Jewish history, he said, but most of the history things he told me were Renaissance Europe related.)

I learned that H.P. Lovecraft, he of Cthulhu fame, was born less than a block from our apartment. And when he was fourteen he moved another block further away. And I live within walking distance of his other homes. I am so incredibly excited, you have no idea.

We also talked about Flannery O'Connor, one of my (our) favorite authors. That was really about the extent of my contribution to the conversation, though!

Today I finally went out for a walk! Here's a map, since I'm adding a bunch of photos I took while walking. Started off on the red track, heading east on Angell until I hit River Road, then started going north.

(I probably no longer need to remind you to click on the pictures to see them full size, huh?)

There were a good number of cars parked along the road, and some people relaxing by the river or on park benches facing it. But the quality of people wasn't the greatest, if you get my meaning. Didn't see any families down there, mostly adult men.

Still, York Pond turned out to be really picturesque! Lots of lily pads and green trees and such. As you can see:

I'm just starting to figure out the new camera's outdoor settings. Not too shabby for my first attempts, unless you don't like sunbursts discoloring the image. *Wince.*

Anyway, that's York Pond. If you turn around and look at the river, you'll see, well, river. The far bank is green, but pretty well populated with not-very-pretty buildings. I did manage to get this, though:

Not bad looking at all!

After leaving the water, I met a very kindly man in his seventies who warned me that the area isn't very safe for someone walking alone, especially after dark. We talked for a few minutes, and I promised him never to come around after dusk by myself.

And then, if you look at the map again, I hit Blackstone Boulevard. That's the wide boulevard that was designed by the same man who built Central Park (something else Richard told me!), which explains why I got such a Central Park vibe from it when Andrew and I first saw it two months ago. Large, expensive, gorgeous houses line the boulevard on both sides. Down the middle is a green belt with a walking/jogging trail, dotted frequently with park benches. I wanted to take pictures of some of the houses, but a lot of people were out, and I didn't want to look like a thief scoping out her next target, you know? I'll be braver if I go really early in the morning, I think.

Also, it took me a long time to get decent shots without fellow walkers/joggers in them. Didn't want anyone yelling at me for taking pictures of them exercising or whatever. So here are just a few Blackstone Boulevard photos:

In this last one you can see the roads on either side of the jogging path.

After leaving Blackstone Boulevard, I met Andrew at the CVS, where we loaded up on ice cream and Dr. Pepper. Like true Texans. By then, my feet were very glad to take a break while he drove us home.

And here are a few other pictures for you.

Above is the vet that's about half a block from our apartment--a three minute walk, if that. I bought the cats their low-allergen food there a few days ago, and they seem both nice and competent.

This is how we get to Target. Massachusetts. (It's a ten or twelve minute drive, no big deal. But I just love passing under these "Welcome To" and "Leaving" signs.)

On Thursday, our car informed us that it was a tad bit warm outside. (We had already noticed.)

When Augustine mews and looks up at you a certain way, he's asking to be picked up. And this is his favorite way to be held. No kidding. He'll just relax into a little fuzzy puddle, eyes closed or--at most--half open and back toes pointing straight up. Cutest thing in the world.

Sophie decided to help Andrew with his self-portrait by, you know. Fuzzing it properly. And making sure his headphones were properly inserted into his phone, for prime audio book listening. (Augustine is stalking her from behind a giant pile of Sophie Fluff that I managed to get off her with the Furminator. No joke, that fuzzpile is half the size of the cat it came off of.)

She also recently found out that some centuries ago, cats were believed to get onto the chests of sleeping children and suck out their souls. She found this information inspiring.

And yes, she will fall asleep on our chests if we let her. We almost never do.

But don't pity her too much; she knows how to make herself comfortable elsewhere.

Why Yes, I Will Give You A Video Tour

Jennifer reminded me that I really need to show you the apartment as a whole, so I tidied it up a bit and took a video. Augustine helped! Please note: Andrew is a busy artist student and his supplies are everywhere. Unfortunately, our major Ikea purchases still haven't arrived (our new bed; Andrew's desk and storage system), so his supplies will continue to be everywhere until our furniture is finally delivered. Also, yes. The apartment itself is shabby. I hope we can make it look nice one day, but today is not that day! I've done a few things--bought the rugs, put marble threshold tiles over the radiators, put up curtains--but this apartment will never look really nice. Unless the landlord decides to remodel it from floor to ceiling, anyway. Oh well! It's comfortable and cheap, and that's what matters right now. =)

Here's the apartment's floorplan again, if you want to reference it while watching the video. Right-click it and select "View In New Window" (or something like that) to see it full-size without disturbing the video:

A few notes on the video:

-It starts off on the landing of the second floor.

-You can't sit on the toilet at a normal angle; it's too close to the sink. You have to sit at more of a 45 degree angle, which makes it incredibly difficult to access the toilet paper holder that's mounted on the wall. We bought a standing holder that's hidden from the camera by the sink.

-The door that my shoes are pointing at (at around 1:16) is the door that leads from the entryway onto the balcony. This door is almost impossible to open--as you see when I shove myself against it trying to open it later (at around 9:00). Oh well. I tried.

-Augustine and Sophie sometimes share small spaces! And Augustine is such a good video helper.

-I work in the living room, in that wicker chair.

-Andrew's workspace, once the furniture arrives, will be to the left of the window that Augustine is put in. Where a lot of Andrew's supplies are currently resting.

-I'm really not a fan of having the litter box in the kitchen, but the only other choices--the living room and the bedroom--are even worse. We don't let the cats have access to the entryway/bathroom area, so even if the bathroom weren't tiny it still wouldn't be an option. Oh well!

-I don't do anything except for writing stuff out on the balcony. It's my stress-free creative zone. The wooden charm with the red tassel that's hanging on the door from the living room to the balcony is a souvenir that Lizzy gave me from Japan. It's a sort of charm from the horse temple (I don't remember what it's actually called!) for safe travels. =)

-I would have gone out the front door to show you the street at the very end, but a neighbor I'd never met before left her apartment just as I got to the bottom of the stairs. She found me sopping in sweat wearing pajamas that I would never ever want to show the public, making a video of the house like an absolute creep. Her first words after "Oh hi!" were "Do you live here?" I can't blame her.

And now, the video!

New Camera!

I bought a camera today! It's a, um, Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX9. It's spiffy. Pictures were taken, mostly of Andrew working on homework and the cats. I'll share the cats with you! As always, click on the picture to see it full-size!

(Every time the cats jumped down onto the wood floor from their bookshelf, I winced. It sounded painful. So I bought them a little vanity chair to use as a step stool! They're very appreciative. Especially Sophie, who thinks I intended it to be her new throne.)

(Augustine continues to help with Andrew's homework.)

(For some reason, Augustine prefers to sidle up next to a wall, slump down it, roll onto his back, and sleep. If you ever can't find him right away, start looking around the baseboards.)

(He also really likes the front living room window, which looks out over the street and the Brown baseball and practice sports fields. Or rather, the trees that prevent us from seeing those fields. I love those trees! The lightest breeze makes their leaves rustle in a way that sounds like rain--like sycamore leaves, but I don't think that's what they are.) 

 (Woe unto those who disturb his street-watching, though. Or birdwatching. There are trees to the left of the window that you can't see; finches often bop around in them, to Augustine's unending, predatorial delight.)

(Kitties on the rug!)

(Augustine wanted to know why I was taking pictures of Sophie.)

(I call it: Domestic Roadkill.)

 (She has the dumbest looking legs.)

I'm planning to get up early and walk around Blackstone Boulevard a bit, but I'm really tired and it's already inching toward 1 a.m. So that walk might be delayed until the afternoon. Or Tuesday morning. We'll see!

WaterFire and Photos of Apology

Has it really been a month since I last posted? It certainly doesn't feel like it. Well, to make up for it, I'm offering you some pictures!

Andrew and I went to WaterFire tonight. The WaterFire organization lights more than eighty little bonfires in a nice little row down the canal that bisects downtown Providence. They're lit at sunset, but the festivities--including live music and performances--start hours earlier. Roads around the canal are strategically closed, and food vendors set up in the middle of the streets. It feels a lot like Sights & Sounds, actually, with a hint of Dickens on the Strand (from back in my Galveston days). The bonfires burn until midnight, and ethereal music (rather like Enya, but slower and in deeper tones) plays through it all. It's gorgeous.

Click on each image to see it full-size!

(We were standing on a cute pedestrian bridge over the canal. This is about a fifteen minute walk from our apartment. The bonfires cover a lot of the canal--it'd be quite a walk to see the entire display. I'm glad we live so close to it! Parking would be terrible, otherwise.)

(I was trying to show how 15 West, that building with the columns, was lit up. My phone's camera is terrible, though. Trust me, it was much more dramatic and beautiful than it appears here. Also, that annoyingly bright blue light hovering between the buildings is actually a cute old-fashioned-looking lamp illuminating the sidewalk next to the canal.)

Occasionally, a black speedboat would go by very quietly, with a team of people dressed in black who added wood to the fires. More often than that, a pontoon or a gondola (with a real gondolier!) would float by with tourists inside. It was a slightly windy night, and when the fires had just been fed new wood, sparks would be flying everywhere; I was certain that some of the tourists would get singed.

Once, a boat went by with a guy standing in it, doing some fire poi. I got a little of it on video! Let's see if videos were here, shall we? . . . Okay, so almost an hour later, the video still wouldn't load. I've loaded it to a different site instead. Hopefully I can imbed it here. Fingers crossed!

(I also tried to get on video the beautiful beautiful buildings around the canal. Hence the random shots of complete darkness. Oh well. Andrew was equally difficult to catch on film, mostly because he was ducking whenever I aimed at him!)

We bought some Korean BBQ to snack on, and it was fantastic. We also wandered away from the canal to see what all the crazy lights were going on over there. Turned out to be a concert!

 (The very bright white spot above the center arch of the building is the face of a very stern-looking godlike guy. Somebody like Poseidon, caught on a really bad day. I'll have to try to get a better picture of him soon!)

(Side view of Angry God Dude and the people on stage.)

The building closest to this one was lit up entirely in red, which was what drew Andrew and I in that direction in the first place. Spotlights of shifting colors--red, purple, blue, green, white-- were spiraling around all the buildings. Beer and liquor were being sold on the street, and are allowed within the area. The barriers that keep cars out are also home to signs notifying pedestrians that no alcohol is allowed outside of the safe area.

I also took a short video of the band that was playing, but of course I pressed Record about two seconds before they finished their song. But I got the singer talking to the crowd a bit, and that amused me. I don't think you can make out what he said in the video, but here you go anyway. You can see the red-lit building, anyway!



On our way back home, we passed by the giant and beautiful First Baptist Church that perches precariously on College Hill and stares down at the canal below. I pass by it almost daily, but this is the first time I actually read its sign.

(I had to hop up onto the hill and hike away from the sidewalk to get close enough for a decent photo. I was a little afraid that someone would yell at me. I took it quickly and scurried back to safety.)

A week or so ago, I went to Providence Place Mall. The mall is lovely, and has a wonderful view of downtown. As you can see:

(Yes, it straddles the canal; I'm in a glassed-in bridge over it. Cool!)

Once I'd finished shopping, I walked back to RISD campus where the car was parked. Along the way, I passed by the Rhode Island capital building. It's surrounded by the greenest lawns and the greenest trees I've ever seen.

(This picture doesn't even begin to capture how beautiful it is. Just so you know.)

But it's green and beautiful everywhere. Here are some giant flowering bushes of some kind that one of our neighbors is very proudly sporting in their front yard. You can't tell, but the blue-flower bush is actually as tall as I am.

Inside our apartment isn't as pretty, but it's certainly happy. Especially the kitties!

 (Augustine fell asleep in a Superman position--sans tail.)

(Well, Superman/faceplant position.)

 (He's very pleased with his place on my book/storage shelf. I'm sitting on the bed, watching him watch me.)

 (He's also happy to help Andrew take breaks from drawing homework.)

 (And he lets Andrew know when he thinks it's time for him to take a break. [Yes, Augustine climbed up onto Andrew's giant sketchpad and curled up smack on top of the drawing. Subtle!])

 (Sophie has only one leg, and it protrudes from her face.)

 (One of Sophie's favorite places is on top of this kittybox I made for her. It's hard to tell in the photo, but in the bottom right of the box is a hole I cut out. Inside the box is another fluffy pad. I think Augustine's in there in this photo, though you can't really see him.)

(Augustine loves to be near Sophie, but at least he knows better than to try to take her spot on the comfy bathmat.)

It's past three here now, so it's definitely bed time. But! I bought clothes and shoes for exercise, and I intend to go walk around Blackstone Boulevard tomorrow or Monday, with camera phone in tow! Hopefully I'll get some more lovely pictures to share. =)