The sound of Brother Bear's air conditioning and the smell of kitty poo

So I'm in Texas for the next couple of weeks!

I decided it was time I came to visit the brother at this place.  He and Lori have a really nice apartment.  They have two cats named OJ and Mittens and a gerbil named Lutris (Lutrice?).  Mittens is a riot.  OJ is grumpy.  Lutris is dirty.  They may be cats, but just like humans, their shit stinks too.

I've been here for a day now.  My flight in wasn't bad.  A bit on the boring side, but I'm not complaining. I'd rather have a boring flight than an overly interesting one, if you know what I mean.

We don't have too many plans so far, but the list of what we do have is something like this:

• carve pumpkins
• go to the Ren. fair
• dress up for Halloween (and find something to do hahaha)

Like I said, not a long list.

Texas is... Texas.  A little bit stereotypical.  Lots of trucks and hamburgers and twangy accents.  I think if I lived here I might pick up an accent.  It's a problem I have.  After watching Doctor Who for 2 weeks I had a bit of a british accent that sneaked into my pronunciation every so often.  It's seriously involuntary.

Really friendly helpful people here though.  Mind you, I've been to all of about 4 stores so far, but that's 4 out of 4 for nice people.

On a random side tangent, I've always thought that land-o-lakes butter tastes odd.

Back on track, I might put up pictures.... maybe.  I'm lazy, you see.  Very much so.

Off to take a shower now to wash the kitty poo smell that's wafting through the living room out of my nostrils.  It's a bit pungent.

Talk to y'all later!

Wide Eyes- Local Natives

So I'm headed off to Texas this Thursday.  I'll be visiting my brother for a couple of weeks.  I'm really quite excited.  This will be the first Halloween I've spent with him in quite a few years.  I've got my costume all in order and he's already promised pumpkin carving.
Apparently the Renaissance fair is also in town, so we might do that too.
it's not going to be all play, though.  He and Lori still have class and teaching to take care of, but that's all fine.  I'll be working on my application essay while they're busy.  I need to get it squared away in the next two weeks.  I also need to update my CV.  Then I can send it off to the recommenders.  I need to get one more person to write me a letter, as well.
Lots to do.
As for the GREs yesterday, they went alright.  Verbal up, quant down.  We'll see what kind of shape I'm in come November when my full scores come in.
I've still got an odd feeling-- that kind of out of step feel-- but that's alright.  I think going to Texas might help.  I came home on Saturday after sitting the exam and was a bit stir crazy.  It's the itch to travel starting up again.

The stagnation I'm feeling at the moment demands a new layout for The Journey.  It feels appropriate.

Also! For all you looking for some music to play but are tired of the ads in online radio stations, this is for you: 8tracks.  It's really rather brilliant.  I'm stuck on this particular playlist of late.  I like rainy day music.  It makes me consider everything.

Enjoy!

Out of time and place

Do you ever feel like you're somehow out of place; out of sync with the rest of the world? I close my eyes and picture myself in another time and I feel the same as I always feel-out of pace with the rest of the world. There's an unrest in my mind and I can't seem to make it quiet. It blurs my peripheral vision. Not in the literal sense, but in the way one would consider the vision used to forge one's path to the future. I can't take in all the angles. I take a step, make a decision, and suddenly I'm blindsided by a dozen other thing coming at me sideways. But maybe that's life. The world is just too vast for us to calculate all the angles. Maybe I should take a more buddhist perspective to it all. I'm trying so hard to make a plan, find goals, gather the things that I want, that I'm losing missing the point all together. Tunnel vision. That's it. Tunnel vision. I'm so focused on the blip off in the distance that I'm missing the beauty all around me. It may not be my ideal spot, but maybe that's a problem with me and not the location. Perhaps it's time I start turning outwards to admire the universal aesthetics of life instead of judging everything by my personal standards of beauty. GREs tomorrow. Maybe I can stop being so anxious now. Maybe I can relax and take in the peripheries of this moment. Good luck.