Tell Me What, Tell Me What You Want

This is a quick update to inform you of the following:

- I love my new apartment, and I'm all moved in. It's quite pretty, and you're welcome to visit any time you like. There was a housewarming party last weekend, and it was a great time. Here's Colin and I, enjoying my new (free!) futon:



- I've been at my new job for a little over a week. It's been a little better this week than last because at least this week, people are talking to me. It was a little weird to just be at work with no one talking to me other than the few people in my department. I like it, though, and I get my first grown up paycheck soon. Yay!


- I'll be forcing my musical taste upon Memphis on July 5th at Printer's Alley, starting at 10 p.m. I'll be playing the usual mix of indie rock, old pop songs, girl groups, and French goodness. As far as I know, there's no cover, which means you should be there.

- Most importantly, I have internet at home now, which means that this blog will be updated regularly again. Yay!

it never happened to me,
Kerry

I May as Well Get a Job at Target

I've been to Target three times in the last four days. As much as I love Target, that seems a little excessive. It's amazing the things that I didn't have. Like a bottle opener, or a sharp knife.

Anyway, I'm pretty much all moved in now. I still need to get a slipcover for my couch and have two of my chairs reupholstered, but that all has to wait until I get a paycheck. Here's what it looks like:










Who wants to come visit?

In other news, Colin, Andy and I went to watch a Memphis Roller Derby double header. It was really awesome, and when I get paid, I think I'm going to get some skates and start going to the MRD open skate nights and learning how to play in the hopes that eventually, I'll feel comfortable enough to try out for the team. Most of the girls seemed pretty cool. The league seems to have concentrated all of the scariest girls onto one team. One or two looked like they may have joined roller derby not for the team sport aspect, but for the fact that they had agression issues. They faced off against a team of cute girls in pink shirts. Needless to say, the girls in the pink shirts got their asses kicked. I've already got some names picked out, but I don't quite want to share them yet.

I start my job tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited about it, mostly for the fact that I'll have something to do during the day. Tomorrow will probably consist of filling out all sorts of forms and reading the handbook and such, but I'm still excited about getting up, getting dressed, and going to work. The whole grown-up thing is starting to feel right, and that makes me happy.

Tomorrow (or maybe Tuesday), I'll have a First Day of Work post. Yay!

gotta go to work, gotta go to work, gotta have a job,
Kerry

Welcome To The Old Apartment

Sorry I haven't really updated this week. It's been a little hectic. On Tuesday afternoon, I went to look at an apartment near Overton Square, and I fell in love with it. It was really big for a one bedroom in Midtown, and very affordable. I filled out my application, and on Wednesday afternoon, the leasing office called to tell me I had gotten the apartment. I spent all of yesterday moving, and I'm still not quite unpacked. It was nice to finally get to open all of the boxes that I packed two months ago.

With moving also came one of the biggest, most expensive trips to Target of my young life. I'm now the owner of some very nice new appliances and bedding, though.



Colin, Jamie, and my mom drove a lot of the bigger things that wouldn't fit into the back of the Fightin' Focus. Linsey and Eric walked over to help get things into the house. I'm on the second floor of my building, and though it wasn't bad moving some of the smaller boxes, there was almost a disaster with my antique china cabinet. I don't have many pictures yet, but I'm going to take some more once I get everything properly situated.





So, to recap, somehow in the last week, I've become a functional adult. I have a car, and an apartment, and a job. I have a power bill. I have a toaster oven and lots of button down shirts. I don't really feel any different, which I suppose is probably a good thing. A few months ago, in the Ball Bearings office, Trent took an informal office poll to see who thought I would ever be a grown up. It was unanimously decided that it would never happen. I'm not sure if this counts or not.

Wednesday was Andy's birthday, so Colin and I took him out for some delicious cheesecake from Cheesecake Corner and a run through the Bum Wash. The Bum Wash doesn't wash butts, but it does function as a chlorinated public shower for lots of downtown's homeless. It's also really fun to run through. I don't have any pictures of the three of us splashing around, but I wish I did. Afterwards, Colin and Andy took their shirts off in my car so that they would be less soggy. We were almost back to Colin's house when we caught two frat boy looking dudes in a car with a W sticker on the back laughing at us. It wasn't mean laughing, it was more like they felt some sense of camraderie with the soggy girl and two shirtless boys. It made us laugh, too.

The aftermath:



Anyway. I need to find a putty knife and get back to my apartment. The combination of humidity and new paint made my cabinet doors stick together. Later this weekend or possibly Monday, expect thrilling tales of the Lil' Film Festival and Memphis Roller Derby. There will also likely be pictures of my furnished goodness.

up the stairs,
Kerry

Living Among the Bears

This morning, I logged onto my favorite internet soul sucker, Facebook, to do the usual sorts of Facebook things when something caught my eye. A guy I know wanted me to add something called an "Honesty Box". Apparently, this handy little device allows others to annonymously comment on you for all of Facebook to read. Intrigued, I added it to my profile. Now, before anyone even comments, I'm wondering if maybe that was a bad idea. Even though its annonymous, just think of all of the potential drama this could lead to. This is not a tool that should be placed in the hands of 16 year old girl. Cliques will disband! Entire high schools will crumble! It'll be MAYHEM!

Right. Yes. Anyway.

I got back from Paducah yesterday just in time for the second installment of the Civil War Drinking Game. The good news about the trip to Paducah is that we found my grandmother's driftwood without having to visit the dump. The auctioneer that had taken loads of things from the old house had it. And for some reason, he gave it back to her. My mom and I spent at least three hours in her garage trying to find a place to put all of the driftwood. During that time, we came across all sorts of fun things: at least two sets of crystal, my great grandfather's WWI gas mask, helmet and boots, a box of human hair, some baby shoes, and a bottle of Creme de Cocao that had a price sticker for $2.33, which means it had to have been purchased before 1970. Ew.
The rest of the weekend was spent watching my grandmother read every Christmas card she's recieved since 1940.

And I learned something from watching all of this go down - I really don't want to turn out like that. It was enough to make me want to come home and throw away any personal correspondance I've ever recieved just so that my kids never have to try to do it for me.

I'm going to look at apartments today, and thankfully, they'll likely all be too tiny for me to keep much of anything there. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to take all of the furniture that is crowding my mom's car out of her garage and into her driveway. I'm excited about apartment hunting, but I've got such monetary restrictions that it's going to be a little difficult. I'm going to look at one today, and a few more tomorrow.

In about a week, I'll probably start my job.

Somehow, I've managed to turn into a grown up really quickly. A grown up with an "honesty box" on her Facebook.

annonymously,
Kerry

When it Rains it Pours

First of all, I'm happy to announce that my team came in third at Trivia last night. There were 27 teams, and we won about 65$. So, yay! Go us.

About a month ago, my packrat grandmother moved out of the house that she had lived in for about 50 years. She moved into a smaller duplex, and thus was forced to get rid of some things. I inherited furntiture as well as some fabulous hats and old books. It's hard to really describe just how much stuff was in that house. The woman had pickled duck eggs in her pantry from when she went to SanFransisco in the 1960's She had recipts from 1952. She was holding on to baskets full of pinecones.

Anyway, right after I graduated, she sold her house, moved into the duplex, and seems to be happy. However, last week, she noticed that the driftwood that she uses in flower arrangements is missing, along with some of the pinecones. A normal person would chalk it up to moving error and go, I don't know, find some more driftwood. There's got to be tons of it out there, right? Instead, she called my mom and asked where the local dump was.

This weekend, my mom and I are going to Paducah for a night. Mom suggested that we might be going dump diving in order to find my grandmother's driftwood. The thought of poking around a dump sounds kinda cool (I'm really into found items), but I think it might be easier just to go down to the river and scavenge for driftwood. I'm not sure how I feel about all of that, but I'm sure I'll come back with stories.

Anyway.

I got a full time job offer today. I also got a call from my internship, saying that I would be able to start soon. I have no idea what to do.

It's exciting, though.


Of two minds,
Kerry

Protecting My Head and My Reputation

Call me dorky or whatever, but I'm about to buy the coolest bike/roller derby helmet ever. After a friend of mine's dad got in an accident last week, I decided that maybe it was time to invest in a cool helmet. That, and some of the people who drive in Memphis treat bikers like target practice. I just need to figure out what size my head is so that I can order it.

Sorry I haven't been around much this week. After the unfortunate foamy accident of last Tuesday, it was a busy week. The newspaper called me on Wednesday to offer me a paid internship at their website. I start in about a week, and it'll last through August. Following that, I'll have to find a real job. This internship is for a job that's pretty much my dream - I'll be working on a website, taking pictures, working on stories, possibly blogging, and learning a whole lot. I start in about a week, and I couldn't be more excited.

Other than that, my week was filled with such good times as locking myself out of my dad's house for 2 hours (with no shoes on), drinking with Zach, and buying work clothes. Buying decent clothes for work was hard - everything I liked was too expensive, and everything else was either too casual or too ugly. It's as if designers forget that during the summer, people still have to go to work. Maybe you can go to work in shorts and halter tops, but I don't think I can.

Last night, Colin and I (along with assorted friends) went to see Knocked Up. I liked it just as much, if not slightly more, than "40 Year Old Virgin". Maybe it's just because I think that Seth Rogen is dreamy. Anyway, the movie was funny, and I highly reccomend it.

I'd better get going, though. I need to leave the coffee shop and go home. We're cleaning up the house so that we can host the first installment of the Ken Burns Civil War drinking game. There are rules, and they are complicated, and I'll post pictures of it soon.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

maintaining my sexy,
Kerry