The Gremlin's Place

Thu, 03 May 2007 18:06:20 GMT

Me posting in livejournal agian? what? well, yeah. Just this once because I have so many better things to do, but this is so much easier. Plus I was feeling nostalgic for the days before Myspace took over.

I am the soon to be Graduate Intern in Interp at Hocking. Which is sweet, because I get to do what I have been doing anyway, but now I will get paid for it. I know I've got the job because I've talked to people, but they have yet to send me an official letter or anything, informing me that I'm hired. That's Hocking College for ya.

I saw a Scarlet Tanager today, and I saw an American Redstart yesterday morning. Those are some pretty splendid birds, in case you didn't know. I'd never seen a redstart before.

Notice how the previous paragraphs all start with either "I" or "me." does this mean I'm self centered and don't care about anthing but myself? probably... Which isn't to say that I could do without all the fantastic people that make me happy.

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:37:45 GMT

quandery. there's a good word for ya.

I made it to the winter warm up contra weekend in C-bus. Ah, what fine times. Thank you to our most gracious hostess!
Is seems I have come to know the midwest contra scene pretty well , since there were more familiar faces than not.

My newest obsession, by the way, is learning to call dances. I haven't gotten very far yet. In fact I haven't really started, aside from a couple one hour workshops, but it is something I must do.

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:23:39 GMT

I think I write my best at three in the morning when I am floating with tiredness.

Of course since right now it is only a little after 12:00 noon, I don't have very high expectations for this entry.

Our little apple tree has apples for the first time this year, but they are stull rather small, as well as being somewhat wormy. I have found few people who enjoy a good apple as much as I do. I think a lot of people think they don't like apples because they have only tried the nasty wax encrusted red and yellow delicious apples from the grocery store. My friend Andy says that New York apples are the very best, but I have never been there to try them. Although I have tried nearly all the varieties that the farmers' market has to offer.

Peaches in the summertime
Apples in the fall
If I can't have the one I want
I don't want none at all

Late August is when you can get fresh peaches AND apples. It's nice.

Shangri la

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 01:36:24 GMT

Ahh, Augusta. things are changing here, and I'm very glad to be a part of the last year with Margo as the director. She is retiring you see...
I don't suppose I will be here next year either.

Tue, 23 May 2006 01:06:35 GMT

I think everything happens on the weekend before memorial day. I was at our own hockhocking folk festival for the entire day, and it was quite a good time. BUT, that ment I didn't make it to the international street fair, the mayapple stomp or reavenwood castle. ah well.

Banjo is fantastic, and I think I am going to learn guitar.

I smile as I think of it.

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 04:10:47 GMT

Ali and I in Donkey Coffee on a thursday evening. There is nothing like learning about cooperage, listening to the open-mic-singer-songwriter-dude and soaking up atmosphere while drinking tea with large amounts of honey.

But for a true night on the town one must follow it up with a visit to the hookah bar for some baklava, and then spend an hour on a street corner, playing my heart out on the banjo. Sometimes people walk by, sometimes they smile...one or two stop to listen, throw in a coin and then move on. But they all hear me. My banjo and I do not go unnoticed. You make a great bodyguard Alice. ;)

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:55:22 GMT

Hello folks. I know it has been a while, but then very few people actually read this, so I am usually posting mostly for my own benefit anyway.
My life has been revolving around classes lately, witch makes it very boring to write about. I pulled a couple of all nighters this week getting ready for two presentations (which I had put off until the last minute). Today tramped about in the mud while we were looking at soils in my geology class.

People often say that I'm a hippy, because I go barefoot everywhere and sometimes wear long skirts. I really don't fall into that prestigious category of free spirits however (though some of my best friends do). I like to dress up as much as I like to dress down, and in general I think dreadlocks are rather ugly. I use deodorant (except the times that I forget) and though rainbows and tie die are awesome, so are sparkles. No, I am not a hippy...there are many facettes to my character, and that may be one of them, but I am an entity unto myself. Crazy I am, and I really don't care!

This is how I see myself, but it is hard to know what others see.

Alright, I am done with my fit of self contemplation.

Who are you?

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 18:14:21 GMT

Heh. So I went, on a last minute impulse, to the valentine dance last night. On my own of course...who needs a date? It was a typical dance of our fine institution (in other words, lame). It was very dark, with a few flashing disco lights, and I think at the most crowded it there were only about twenty people there. Of course they didn't play any real dance music (as far as I am concerned) but that is to be expected. Luckily my friend Rachelle was there, so hung out for a while. The best part of the evening? When I got home and turned into the driveway I saw a little red fox in the headlights. The second best part would have to be when I was escaping the dark room for a while and ran into a guy that I used to have a crush on (note: used to.) and talked to him for a bit...and he said I looked nice. Which I did :) At least my outfit was nice.

Gah! I don't want to write a proposal for class. :( I am such a bad student, haha. I got my mid-term grades this week...not so bad, but how did I get an A- desktop publishing? I thought I did everything perfectly. hmmm.

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 01:49:18 GMT

HAHAHA! It's another day. and I'm alive. Sweet. So...yeah, I had some Mt. Dew today....not very wise, i know. I was jumping up and down on chairs in the NR lounge. and dancing :) but Amanda was hyper too, becuase she also had soda pop, and even though it wasn't caffinated, it had the same effect. We were at the Interp club meeting, and Amanda and I are the pres and vice pres, but Sarah, the tresurer, had to be the responsible one, hahaha. My friends are so awesome :) Ok, enough for sentimentality. Lets talk about something depressing. ]=(:) <---does that look like a cow smily? no, i didn't invent it...sadly.

Beer bread...mmmm.

All the guys took turns picking me up during play practice tonight. Shaggy is supposed to carry me briefly in the play, and so far it has always turned into a fiasco, so we were trying to figure out a way that it would work without anybody getting hurt. And of course all the guys had to demonstrait how it was "supposed" to be done. I think I am just too heavy...haha

Ciao Bambinos/bambinas! (what does that even mean?)

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 22:53:51 GMT

I am forlorn...

I just copied this from what I just posted on xanga....

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 16:49:51 GMT

Heeeeey, I'm updating...

Ok, so where to start? College stuff I guess. I tested out of my lowly math class, so I now only have 17 credit hours. I want to add the weekend winter backpacking trip though...Yet another of my mad impulses. Oh, and I got a part in the play (not many people auditioned) I'm Katie, the one who is supposed to get murdered in the play within the play, but then somebody else really gets killed. Dinner theater, yay! Classes in general are ok...I'm actually learning some cool stuff (when I am not falling asleep in my 8:00 am classes).

I have no current crushes. Hah. Though I did get asked out once this quarter already.

I went to an amazing contra dance weekend in WV last weekend. Hotpoint was playing, as well as a conglomerate group of some friends of mine (you guys are awesome). I got to dance with many good dancers...new friends and old, and also did some late night jamming, which is also essential. It was fun, oh yes.

I am supposed to be working on research right now...wheee!

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 19:11:22 GMT

Is this really January? Winter is melting, year by year. It makes hybrinating so much harder...

Keep laughing, keep crying...keep sighing with misery, for at least you know you are alive! -somebody probably said that at one time.

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 21:39:09 GMT

Ahh, a new quarter, filled with limitless possibilities for filling up my almost non-existant spare time. Hooray for 8:00 am classes. And bloodshot eyes. Maybe I should try out for the winter play, or join another club (I am already vice pres of two). Also, a local musician that I know hosts regular open stages, and he said he would teach me how to do sound if I show up and help him out. I might just have to take him up on that.

I should probably buy some textbooks...sometime.

Tomorrow I have a Nature Drawing class. I am rather looking forward to it :)

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 21:51:38 GMT

And so I return. It was a classic family gathering for the holidays (which is a first for us) everybody on mama's side of the family was there...by request of our ailing grandma, who is actually doing better and doesn't have cancer after all. It was nice, but there is such a thing as being too polite. On the whole though, I enjoyed getting to know my cousens more (they are both super nice), not to mention finally meeting the mysterious wicked Aunt Betsy. Let's just say that she releived the politeness somewhat...She is quite a characture, and well worth meeting. There is very little midwest left in her, she is almost wholely upstate NY now. I'm very glad we went, and I was also glad to come home again.

And now it is New Years eve. I don't drink (ok I do, but not much), I don't make resolutions, and I am generally the death of a party, so I guess I will have to content myself with making a lot of noise. Fortunately I am good at something :)

taken from kiwi_juggler...thanks christie :)

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:40:55 GMT

1) Was 2005 a good year for you?
Oh yes indeed!

2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
only one? my very favorite? well...maybe staying up all night on the last day of the first week of Augusta (cajun week), there were fine tunes, wild food and good company that night. Or any time that I was dancing...or laughing with my friends at hocking college (especially in the hay loft), skipping class to help set up for the folk fest was fun too (we got that old tent up in spite of the drizzle). So many good times.

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
That's almost harder than the previous question...I guess getting teeth pulled. Or accidentally dropping the appple on Breanden's face and seeing him double over with pain (I didn't mean to, I swear!).

4) Where were you when 2005 began?
At Cory's party, drinking sparkling juce and setting off fireworks (real ones). That was fun, but it seems like such a long time ago...

5) Who were you with?
Cory, his friends (some of whom I knew), his parents (forget their names), Don and Laurie and their kids Hadly and Kaona...lots of people.

6) Where will you be when 2005 ends?
Home? I wish I could go to Tory's party in WV though.

7) Who will you be with when 2005 ends?
Probably my family, minus Helen, who will be out partying :P

8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2005?
Didn't make any. Hah.

9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2006?
Nope, and I don't intend to come up with one. New years resolutions never work...besides, I'm already perfect.

10) Did you fall in love in 2005?
No, not quite, hehe. I may have broken a few hearts though ;)

11) Did you breakup with anyone in 2005?
Yes, I broke up with Bryan in March...and I guess Eric and I sorta broke up, though that relationship really just came to a natural end.

12) Did you make any new friends in 2005?
So many, I made so many new and wonderful friends! I got to know more of the Hocking elite, and I mustn't forget about my limitless Augusta family! I love you all! and so many others - Tory, Natalie, Cristie...everybody!

13) Who are your favorite new friends?
That is not a fair question. They are all my favorite!

14) What was your favorite month of 2005?
July I guess, though the fall was nice too.

15) Did you travel outside of the US in 2005?
um...does West Virginia count?

16) How many different countries did you travel to in 2005?
Sadly, only one. Good ol' USA.

17) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2005?
No.

18) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
Oh yes. My grandpa, the people who didn't come back for fall quarter, Everybody that I haven't seen since I last saw them :(

19) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2005?
I haven't seen a lot of movies, and the ones I have seen I seem to have forgotten about. I guess The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy...or Rent. Wallace and Gromit was good too :)

20) What was your favorite song from 2005?
EDIT: how did I skip this question before? I don't have a favorite, but one song I really like is Hills and Hollers, by Adrienne Young.

21) What was your favorite record from 2005?
Right key, Wrong Keyhole (was that from 2005?)

22) How many concerts did you see in 2005?
hmm, counting the Augusta concerts, plus the Red Stick Ramblers, the Horseflies and The Glen Miller Orchestra (yes, I danced in the isles at all three of these). I guess that makes at least 14. Oh, and I saw two live Mountain Stage concerts, that makes 16...

23) Did you have a favorite concert in 2005?
No, but I really liked the Ramblers.

24) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2005?
Eh, more than I did in 2004...I was never drunk, and I still don't like beer though.

25) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2005?
No, none...except fot the perscription antibiotcs for my teeth.

26) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
It was a whole year, of course I did.

27) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2005?
Most of them I still don't know about, so I guess the worst would be "I don't know how to do cajun dancing, will you teach me?" No wonder he cought on so fast. Huh.

28) Did you treat somebody badly in 2005?
Probably, but I hope not too badly.

29) Did somebody treat you badly in 2005?
Oh, not really.

30) How much money did you spend in 2005?
$937.21...heck I don't know.

31) What was your proudest moment of 2005?
When I tought a group of kids to swing dance, and then some of them went to the dance that night and held their own with with all the tall people. They were awesome.

32) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2005 and change something, what would it be?
I would study for the stupid woodland ecology test.

33) What are your plans for 2006?
I am going to the dance weekend in WV in Jan. and hopefully as many dances and music festivals as I can. I also heard from my boss, and I am going to be working at the Augusta Heritage Center again this summer! also I will be working at a nature center in the fall. I also hope to graduate with my Associates in Natural and Historical Interpretation.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!!

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 23:15:16 GMT

I finally saw RENT. :) Now I am not the only person in the country who hadn't seen it. It was rather phenominal, as movies go. Yes indeed.

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 07:01:04 GMT

Ow, ow, OW! I want my teeth back :( admittadly, I only had them out this morning, so I will probably feel better tomorrow...plus considering I haven't used any pain medication since the fatal tooth pulling, I'm really not in too much pain. That is not to say that I am happy or comfortable.
So that pretty much sums up my day. Pain sort of seems to override other things. I should quit complaining, since it could be worse, but complaining can be so satisfying sometimes.

La dee da dee da....I am helping to illutrate a field guide to dragonflies and damselflies. It is 2:00 am exactly.

Tue, 13 Dec 2005 03:06:32 GMT

I am getting my wisdom teeth out on wednesday :-/ It shouldn't be too bad, though I can't say that I'm looking forward to it.

I think I will play sweet melodies on my banjo now. No, sweet melody and banjo is NOT an oxymoron!

I really don't understand people who's favorite activity is shopping...gah.

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 20:49:11 GMT

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a completely made-up fictional memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - but it has to be fake. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your journal and be surprised (or mortified) at what people don't actually remember about you.

(taken from alison_caili :D muchas gracias)

Wed, 07 Dec 2005 04:42:36 GMT

Abiyoyo abiyoyo, abiyoyo abiyoyo
Abiyoyo yoyo-iyoyo-iyoyo

Pete Seeger is one of my heros

I like telling stories :) especially funny ones...I'm glad I chose to tell Abiyoyo for my campfire story rather than McBroom Tells the Truth. Even though Mcbroom is a good story too, it is rather long, and I just couldn't seem to do it justice. Night Interpretation was one of my favorite classes, and I am rather sorry it is over.

We got a new furnace, which is good because we were running out of firewood. I do enjoy sitting by a fire though. And messing about with fire. I really am a pyro at heart.

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:23:09 GMT

Hear ye, Hear ye! It is official. I am going to the Wild and Wonderful dance weekend in January! I can't wait to be back in Elkins and see some of my Augusta friends. And the Hotpoint Stringband is playing, which makes it even better.
Now if I could just figure out how to go to dance flurry...

Finals are next week, and then I am done. And I am more than ready to be done. I don't think I have maintained my straight A's this quarter, but honestly, I don't really care...I know I'm not going to fail anything.

Oh, a word of advice: if you are going to run down a steep hill in the dark, make sure there isn't a big old fallen tree at the bottom which you might trip over and slam your face into on the way down. Yeah, my friend Tim and I were racing. I really should have stoped when I saw him go down.

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 20:23:59 GMT

I has been snowing for the past hour, and I hear the roads are bad and getting worse. I hope we are able to get home ok...maybe things will be better by 5:00. Aside from the driving hazards, I am glad it is snowing. Everything looks very WWL-ish (winter wonderland).

Ho hum...I am a bit under the weather today. Last night our class led a night hike for some cub scouts, and it was COLD! I didn't have a scarf or hat either. It was fun though, for the most part. I didn't do all that great on my stop, but oh well...it's just a grade. After the scouts left we sang campfire songs and gorged ourselves on s'mores.

Turkey day is tomorrow...and my dad's b-day was last monday, and I still haven't got anything for him.

Good times make up for boots full of icy pond water

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 01:39:47 GMT

I went to the most freakin' awesomest party ever (I know that is not grammatical. It is, however, descriptive). Happy B-day Hilarie! (not that she has a LJ). So yes, it weekend long old-time music party (and birthday party). I there were many old friends from near and far, as well as strangers that are now good friends. Non-stop jamming, amazing food, nice wine (and moonshine...), and some of the coolest people ever. It was a good time (<--that is an understatement). Too bad you weren't there :D

now...to work. homework that is. I have to hurry up and get last weeks assignments done in time. heh.

I also worked on a group project for school today (see "subject").

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 02:44:04 GMT

I wish somebody would comment on my entries...I feel so unloved :(
Though I guess I haven't exactly been writing comment worthy material of late. I'm just not very enthusiastic about droning on about myself right now.

Ok, I lied, I am going to talk about myself anyway:
I got talked into playing banjo for an academic awards ceremony that Hocking was having yesterday. I actually take very little persuading to play music...or do anything for that matter. I was just playing at the beginning while people came in and sat down. Not the most amazing gig in history, but I got a $20 meal card to the cafeteria out of it, not to mention the refreshments they had there for the ceremony...when ever there is any kind of event at this college they always have exactly the same snacks. For the health people there is a nice selection of fruit (including kiwi and strawberries), as well as cheeses, cookies (always the same kinds), chips, brownies and these little sandwich tortilla wrap things, some of which are green, and always kind of taste like pickle.

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 04:23:09 GMT

the moon is veiled in clouds and the storm comes pushing a balmy november spring before it. The wind is calling....but I have no song.