Shiredancer's Dreams

Hmmm, last posted in May 2012. Not bad! The funny thing is, I just re-read that post and could almost post the exact thing over again. Instead of having moved to Isla Vista, Kidlet has moved to West Hollywood (got her double BA in Film & Media Studies and Communication in June). She's busy auditioning and looking for gainful employment -- but we're still paying the rent. (For the first year, anyway.) She has a cat, so I now have a grandkitty.

I never got the management job, but I did move to a new department -- the same Film & Media Studies that Kidlet was in. After three years there, I'll be retiring at the end of June. I feel like I'm about to reboot my life, and I am SOOOO excited.

We still have one aging cat, now 18. We lost Sasha shortly after my last post in 2012, and the bunny lived to be 14 1/2, until last fall. I still miss her.

I drive down to Oxnard two days a week to be with my 95-year-old father. We drive around and explore, and I fix his dinner. He's doing great and still lives on his own, with morning and evening caretakers dropping in.

Peter is still commuting to Valencia, but he gets to come home on Wednesdays and work at home the last two days, so that's a huge help.

So... not much has changed, and yet everything has changed. My social media world is now on Facebook and weekly chats, with a little email thrown in. Once I'm no longer enslaved to the work computer and daily email crush, perhaps I'll be more present in the journal world. Writing is one of my retirement ambitions. Perhaps I'll post again before four years are up! Hugs to all.

Wow. I'm in a bit of shock. After 15 years at my job as graduate advisor in a religious studies department (and in the last three years, in the East Asian department as well), I've accepted a new job. Same gig (grad advisor), but a different department at the university: Film and Media Studies. I'll start there on July 15 at 50%, and continue where I am through August at 50% to help with the transition. Then I'll be 75% at the new place -- it's my way of easing into retirement, I guess. I'd been thinking recently that I'd like to retire from the University at 60 (next year), but my husband lost his job a few months ago, so that's not in the picture. Of course, reducing my time at this juncture seems absolutely ludicrous too, but honestly, I couldn't take the doubled-up job situation for more than another year, tops. I'm hoping this new situation will give me a whole new lease on my work life, and I'll stick around until closer to 65. We're crossing our fingers that Peter will get a new job sometime soon, but as everybody knows, times are tough.

I'm feeling such a mixture of emotions -- excitement at doing something so new, worry about what the new place will be like, sorrow at leaving my beloved grad students and faculty and colleagues... just, wow. Sending the email to announce my departure was excruciating. I still can't quite believe I'm doing this. But deep inside is a very positive feeling that it's the right thing to do.

Kidlet has moved back into the house with us after a year in her apartment. She ended up having to deal with some really crappy roommate situations, and ended up coming here whenever she had to seriously study. This will save some money, and we're happy to have her back. She brought a cat with her, which isn't going down well with our elderly Tigger. Bouncy young Indie is plaguing him constantly, but they don't get into serious fights. Indie thinks the bunny is a fun toy to poke his paws at through her pen, but she takes it in stride.

Four years and three months, give or take some. That's how long Peter and I have spent watching the entirety of Dr. Who, from The Unearthly Child through the Tenth Doctor, and swinging in Torchwood at the proper time too. Four AMAZING years! Tonight we watched Parts 1 and 2 of The End of Time, and kissed David Tennant farewell. *sniffle*

Dr. Who was a big subject back in 2008 here on LiveJournal, and my curiosity was piqued by all the references to the different Doctors -- Ten, and Nine, and Four, etc. I asked gillyp about this, as she seemed particularly expert in all things Who, and she really set me on the right course with a whole bunch of information and history. I'd taken a look at the then-currently-running episode The Unicorn and The Wasp, as well as Silence in The Library, before I realized I was too unaware of what was going on and decided I wanted to start at the beginning. Peter's always up for good sci-fi and had always heard about Dr. Who, so he was game too. Now four years later I caught up with myself (and Donna Noble), and moved right along. Watching The Unicorn and The Wasp again felt like, I don't know, a real landmark -- something to celebrate, for sure. Now that we've caught up to the Eleventh Doctor, though, we want to drag our feet a bit. We're going to be soooo unhappy the day we find ourselves without the luxury of lots of shows to catch up on, and have to actually wait for real broadcasts (or worse, wait out a whole season until we can Netflix it). We're already in that position now with Torchwood, and whoa, wasn't The Children of Earth a downer! Now I know what all the uproar was about.

There's still Game of Thrones ahead, but I want to read the books first. I think there are about five of them out so far? So that'll be awhile -- and that's good, because I've kinda gotten in the habit of having something to look forward to, viewing-wise. Alons-y!

Thank you, laurie_ky, for the cute little blue dragon! Awwwww...

Happy happy birthday to akamarykate!!! I hope it's been a wonderful day for you, and is the start of a wonderful year. ***Big Hugs***

Hope you're having a wonderful day, Birthday Twin! 40, huh? Just starting out! I'm somewhat ahead of you, but I'll vouch for it all being good.

Let's see, the last HobbitCon was celebrating your Coming of Age -- wow, seven years ago already? My, how time flies...

♥♥♥

Happy New Year Everybody!

Here's to a wonderful, better, kinder new year for all of us. Here's to friendship. Here's to good communication (yes, that one is for me).

Great love! Great hugs! Great smooches!

I'm late, but I want to wish a happy birthday (yesterday) to vamysteryfan. I hope it was a fabulous day, filled with everything you like! *Sprinkles sparkly confetti*

What is this thing that I'm doing? It feels vaguely familiar... wait, I'm getting something... it's coming to me... oh YEAH! I'm posting!!! *giggle*

Pardon the drama, I'm a bit giddy. It's been so long. And probably the only reason I'm doing it now is because I'm home sick. :( Stupid cold.

So here is my pirate-y question, or maybe it's pirateish -- or even piratical? Anyway, since I trust many of you have seen the latest Pirate movie, can you tell me whether I should see it in 3-D or not? It's playing both ways here, so I have a choice. Or maybe I should see it both ways? There's a thought! Please let me know your opinions. In general, I find many 3-D movies not living up to the effects -- it seems a bit wasted on a lot of them. Some, though, are definitely worth the extra cost.

Thanks, lovies, and hugs all around!

Wishing a sparkly-bright, rainbow-confettied, chocolate-covered-cabana-boy-filled HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Queen of Fridays, the gorgeous, hilarious, ever-lovin' snailbones!!!

So, how do you like THEM apples, Snailie? ***SMOOCHES***