Life in August

3.5 months until my lease ends and my time in Ithaca is slated to come to an end.
I have come up with a strategy to make moving easier. Instead of freaking out and not knowing what to do with all my stuff when it's time to go, each day I'm getting rid of one thing I don't need. I have gotten a little behind, so today I need to find 4 things of which to rid myself. So far I'm giving away my organization's "Celebrating 60 Years!" mug, my seed collection (seeds are not very good in years subsequent to their intended year anyway), and... haven't figured out the other two yet. There's a Salvation Army bag in the hallway with a few delicate things in it, so I'm thinking some clothes would pad the oddly-shaped vase and "Celebrating 60" mug well. At this rate I should be living a simple, easy to manage life, with no more than I need come moving time... right?
Moving plans: ...
Moving ideas: Driving to Asheville in a few weeks to scope it out, decide if I want to live there next. I will have the lovely company of Ms. Becca Wickizer, and maybe (cross your fingers!) Erin McSpadden!! In truth, Asheville does pretty much constitute a plan. I mean, I moved to Ithaca pretty much on a whim and it was awesome. Asheville has lots of hippie/artist/environmentalist/outdoorsperson cred, and I'm sure it would work out.
In the past couple of months my household here has gone from three women to me and two men. Slow changeover as my women friends have taken steps towards manifesting their full potentials. The dynamic has certainly shifted, and while it is more laid back (which I can appreciate) it is also sometimes reminiscent of Bushwood. A LOT cleaner, and certainly older, more mature guys than that crowd, but you know what I mean? I mean, I think Matt and I were on a similar wavelength there, but...
Jack has lost 3 collars in the past month. When he goes swimming his massive mane gets droopy and they must slip over his head. After much effort to replace the collars and get him new name tags he now proudly wears a brown ribbon around his neck.
Work life: a permanent position opened up in the group home where I had been working as the primary sub. I asked for it, deciding that the flexibility inherent in being "relief" and only committing to shifts on days I wanted to work wasn't as exciting for the fall as it had been for the summer. I also asked for a promotion, had a performance review meeting with my boss, and, hopefully, will be a "Senior Residence Counselor" soon. There's a little bit of a raise, and I'm sure it will look good when applying for other jobs in other places. My boss knows about my Asheville trip, etc. but still agreed that I was deserving of a promotion for the time being.
I saw District 9 last night. Exciting. Made me cringe a few times. Made me like aliens and think Nigerians were scary. I'd recommend it, especially if you're going to the movies with a guy and he doesn't want to see The Time Traveler's Wife with you.
There's more, but I feel like the basics were covered! Time to walk the dog!