Hello dear friends,
Most of you know that I lost my grandfather last Wednesday. He was truely a great man who, in partnership with my grandmother, his wife, worked to make our country and our town of Rockville a better place. He can now be with Grandma who passed away last June and with his first born son who passed away many years ago. They were married for over 62 years. I don't mean to be morose in this post, but you have all been so supportive and I thought this would be a good outlet for a tribute. Some of his projects included budgeting for the EPA in its early years, working for fair housing in DC and Montgomery County, Peerless Rockville, assisting in the foundation of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, and doing archeological digs for the Rockville Historical Society. He worked for the Federal government during the Eisenhower administration and the Johnson adminstration and also spent many years in local government. He was Mayor of Rockville from 1958 to 1962. He and Grandma Jayne gave their children black armbands to wear during the civil rights movement and took them to march for civil rights in DC. My Grandmother was remarkable too. She wrote for local papers as well as the Washington Post and participated in dozens of community and politcal organizations. They truely made their mark in this world. I thank them for my liberal persuasion and my love of nature. Some of my best memories are of Papa reading me a favorite book about the indigenous people of Canada and talking nature walks with Grandma and Papa. They would always point out the smallest wonders of nature in the petals of flower or a bud on a branch and we could sit contently and watch the birds for hours. There is so much more to say, but I will leave it at that. Thanks for being such great friends. I really appreciate you.
Now to pick up where I left off earlier:
I started writing this post on 1.27 and then saved it when I got the news about Papa... the Friday I was talking about was 1.29 and the Monday was yesterday, 2.1...
Trevor and I are currently drinking a celebratory bottle of wine because he got the job he went after in Arlington. His last day at his current job is Friday and his first day at Washington Golf and Country Club is Monday. We knew this change was coming, we just didn't realize how fast it would be here! I unfortunatelty cannot leave Charlottesville on Monday because I am in the middle of a clinical rotation at the UVA rehabilitation center. I am hoping to double up on my hours so that I can leave by the end of February (and hopefully not pay rent for March). We are both going to stay with our parents in Rockville/Gaithersburg until he finds an affordable place to live closer to work. I am in my last semester at school and will be done with academic coursework in May! I also will be starting fieldwork for school in May which means I will be working full time with the OTs at Shady Grove Adventist acute inpatient rehab from May to August and then full time with an OT at Montgomery County Public Schools from August to November. Then, in December 2010 I will graduate and take the board certification exam, eek! If all goes according to plan I will finally be out in the workforce next January, 2011.
Good news: I am going to be back in the DC area, close to family, and Trevor will have much better benefits!
Bad news: I feel like I didn't take advantage of Cville enough while I was here and I have to live alone down here for a month!
So... thats my update. Bittersweet. Most of all, thanks for your friendship!
Liz
1.27.2010
1.26.2010
slow simmer in the district.
What is Tokar doing?
I. Clerking at Maggio & Kattar. Working on a private bill for a Sierra Leonian "refugee" (well, he was in the '90s...) whose immigration history could fill a moderately sized library.
II. Working for the "Give a Day, Get a Day" project sponsored by Disney and the Points of Light Institute. Comments reserved for post-cocktail hour.
III. Planning the Wedding. Curious? You shouldn't be. It's boring. But there is sufficient information on this: http://stokar.blogspot.com/ to satiate even the most enthusiastic quadling. I have not shared this with anyone yet and will probably delete it because it is too lame for words.
IV. Not doing anything whatsoever to be proactive about packing, subletting, or finding a place to live in Mendoza.
1.21.2010
Here's one for the randomness file...
I think I have a date with Jiban:
Jiban Laskar January 20 at 7:11pm
Are you still a vegetarian?
Sent via Facebook Mobile
Abby Rotholz January 20 at 7:25pm
Why? Are you offering to make me dinner?
Jiban Laskar January 20 at 11:20pm
Sure denty. I'll cook for you :)
Jiban Laskar January 20 at 7:11pm
Are you still a vegetarian?
Sent via Facebook Mobile
Abby Rotholz January 20 at 7:25pm
Why? Are you offering to make me dinner?
Jiban Laskar January 20 at 11:20pm
Sure denty. I'll cook for you :)
1.18.2010
Howdy from the Lone Star State
Hey Friends,
Jack and I have made it to Texas! We are currently in Grapevine, a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. Today the Cowboys lost in the NFL playoffs. It was a sad day around here. Sad... but warm! It was about 65 and sunny!! Ahh... exactly why I decided to drive and drive and drive rather than working and continuing to live as a typical adult for the Winter. Today I even went running in SHORTS. Shorts! Maybe I will move to Texas if I don't get into grad school this time around. I like it round these here parts.
Nicky--Could you like Mik know I'm in Texas and thinking of him?
Today I also went to the nursing home where my sweet sweet tiny grandma ("Muffy") was recently moved. Jack came with me and got lots of pets and cooing voices from smiling old folks in wheelchairs. My grandma is actually one of the only ones not in a wheelchair. She has a walker for stability because she has previously fallen and broken her hip, but she uses it "to be safe rather than sorry" and is a fairly capable ambulator. Hmm... Quad Blog doesn't like that word, but I'm leaving it.
Later Alana (27 year old cousin) and I went to the movies on a nice little date. We saw "Youth in Revolt" with Michael Cera. Pretty funny. Not as awesome as "Fantastic Mr. Fox," which I still whole-heartedly advocate ya'll seeing. All ya'll. :)
Then I came back to my uncle Lee's house, swept the floor, drank a beer, and read a story in the newspaper about a boy whose face was burned off and who is hoping to have a face transplant. Really sad. He lost his eyes, his nose, his lips, and most of his scalp. Seriously. He came into contact with electrical wire while he was doing some work on his church. Really makes you appreciate even something as simple and assumed as having a face!
And to try to end this on a happy note, um... You all are lovely, talented, fine-looking women and I care for you each in many many ways. Night-night!
Jack and I have made it to Texas! We are currently in Grapevine, a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. Today the Cowboys lost in the NFL playoffs. It was a sad day around here. Sad... but warm! It was about 65 and sunny!! Ahh... exactly why I decided to drive and drive and drive rather than working and continuing to live as a typical adult for the Winter. Today I even went running in SHORTS. Shorts! Maybe I will move to Texas if I don't get into grad school this time around. I like it round these here parts.
Nicky--Could you like Mik know I'm in Texas and thinking of him?
Today I also went to the nursing home where my sweet sweet tiny grandma ("Muffy") was recently moved. Jack came with me and got lots of pets and cooing voices from smiling old folks in wheelchairs. My grandma is actually one of the only ones not in a wheelchair. She has a walker for stability because she has previously fallen and broken her hip, but she uses it "to be safe rather than sorry" and is a fairly capable ambulator. Hmm... Quad Blog doesn't like that word, but I'm leaving it.
Later Alana (27 year old cousin) and I went to the movies on a nice little date. We saw "Youth in Revolt" with Michael Cera. Pretty funny. Not as awesome as "Fantastic Mr. Fox," which I still whole-heartedly advocate ya'll seeing. All ya'll. :)
Then I came back to my uncle Lee's house, swept the floor, drank a beer, and read a story in the newspaper about a boy whose face was burned off and who is hoping to have a face transplant. Really sad. He lost his eyes, his nose, his lips, and most of his scalp. Seriously. He came into contact with electrical wire while he was doing some work on his church. Really makes you appreciate even something as simple and assumed as having a face!
And to try to end this on a happy note, um... You all are lovely, talented, fine-looking women and I care for you each in many many ways. Night-night!
1.14.2010
I've never been into New Years resolutions
... but apparently, this is the year that I start ;)
Written surreptitiously at work so apologies for typos and complete lack of sense, grammar rules, and editing.
dearest quadlings,
it has been a while since i've written, so i thought i would give you all a little update on erin. most importantly, i want to share with you a conversation i had recently, about which erica said i must blog ;) it concerns a plan that kelly and i have to start an inn in new zealand:
me: hmm
well, i'll start looking into plan: new zealand
kelly.m.bradley: I think so, look at the bright side, I am making an assload of money tax free
yay for charity waste!
me: :) yeah. so you can be the primary investor.
i will manage things.
and erek can work for us.
kate can cook.
nick can...
be the storyteller.
:)
kelly.m.bradley: nick could be a host
me: oh! the jovial innkeeper
perfect!so really, we're all agreed as to nick's future profession. we just have to convince him of this :)
in other news, i've been trying really hard to do something else. i'm going to get fired from my job. the only thing i've done in about a month is check my work email. the rest of the time, i've been looking at other jobs. i recently interviewed for one in eugene, or. i googled the town when i was applying and thought it would be a really cool place to live. but then i bombed the interview, so i was really disappointed and started looking for other opportunities in that area. turns out, the university of oregon is there ;)
simultaneously, nick started talking about wanting to go back to school for teaching, then my mom told me she was disappointed in me for not being back in school yet at Christmas, and i started thinking that teaching would be cool to do and a really good way to travel. so nick and i started looking into the teaching program at UO. turns out, it's really good.
while looking at the degrees they offered, i noticed one for classical studies (i.e. latin and greek languages). it kind of stuck in my head because, every few months or so for the past 6 years i've been pulling up this website http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~celtic/ and thinking about how much this is what i want to do but also thinking about how there's no way i can get in and also pay for it - and that i really don't feel competent enough in any of their required languages to apply and if i did apply and get in and decided to go, that i'd end up paying $30,000 a year to take undergraduate language classes for the first four years of the phd program, which is stupid.
so anyway, it turns out that we missed the deadline to apply for the teachers program, but i was still really interested in the classics studies. so i researched it a little more and decided that it would be a great way to make me more qualified for harvard without spending a lot of money, plus i've always wanted to study latin, and also, i'm bored to tears daily here, so doing anything academic related would be a plus.
so basically, on like monday (yes. this week) i decided to apply. i also found out that i made it to the next round in the interview i applied for (practical skills test - which i don't think i sucked at too bad) woohoo. but i felt like i was going into this really spontaneously, with little thought or research. so i looked into other colleges with similar programs in areas i want to live (pac nw, new orleans), so that's mainly what i've been doing this week. after researching other available programs and schools, i still think that UO is the best choice (language-focused curriculum, small but competent faculty, cheap). i made a spreadsheet. it rocks. i would post it here, but it's in googledocs. i'll share it with others upon request ;)
i also decided to train for a triathlon this summer. i think my mom and bit are going to do it with me - and i'm not sure yet if we'll do one here, nc, or fl, but if anyone is also interested in training slash racing with me, i could maybe be talked into another in the dc area -- assuming i'm here this summer. my training program will start in feb, i think.
oh and yes. nick and i decided that we would be together, for whatever comes next. so moving together. whenever and wherever that happens. scary. but good. i think. :)
so yeah. i guess i rarely write because my life has seemed uneventful this past year, but hopefully, there will be changes soon (please!), and i wanted to keep you guys updated. i feel a little bit like this is all really half-planned. but st. mary's was really half-planned. so was peace corps. and whatever the hell i'm doing now. so really, i just don't plan very well. and i'm hoping it semi makes sense.
i'll keep you guys posted if anything comes of the things mentioned in this post. but do let me know if you hear of any jobs. and please someone tell me how financial aid works. i can't believe i'm considering going back for another undergrad degree.... (sigh) i make no sense. but it does make sense. for me, and what i want to do. i think?
argh. well, sorry to ramble at you folks. i hope life is going well for everyone else. it was really great seeing everyone (we missed you becca!) at new years. i had a great time - and liz, thank molly again for hosting ;) and congrats again to erica tilley!
love,
erin
Written surreptitiously at work so apologies for typos and complete lack of sense, grammar rules, and editing.
dearest quadlings,
it has been a while since i've written, so i thought i would give you all a little update on erin. most importantly, i want to share with you a conversation i had recently, about which erica said i must blog ;) it concerns a plan that kelly and i have to start an inn in new zealand:
me: hmm
well, i'll start looking into plan: new zealand
kelly.m.bradley: I think so, look at the bright side, I am making an assload of money tax free
yay for charity waste!
me: :) yeah. so you can be the primary investor.
i will manage things.
and erek can work for us.
kate can cook.
nick can...
be the storyteller.
:)
kelly.m.bradley: nick could be a host
me: oh! the jovial innkeeper
perfect!so really, we're all agreed as to nick's future profession. we just have to convince him of this :)
in other news, i've been trying really hard to do something else. i'm going to get fired from my job. the only thing i've done in about a month is check my work email. the rest of the time, i've been looking at other jobs. i recently interviewed for one in eugene, or. i googled the town when i was applying and thought it would be a really cool place to live. but then i bombed the interview, so i was really disappointed and started looking for other opportunities in that area. turns out, the university of oregon is there ;)
simultaneously, nick started talking about wanting to go back to school for teaching, then my mom told me she was disappointed in me for not being back in school yet at Christmas, and i started thinking that teaching would be cool to do and a really good way to travel. so nick and i started looking into the teaching program at UO. turns out, it's really good.
while looking at the degrees they offered, i noticed one for classical studies (i.e. latin and greek languages). it kind of stuck in my head because, every few months or so for the past 6 years i've been pulling up this website http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~celtic/ and thinking about how much this is what i want to do but also thinking about how there's no way i can get in and also pay for it - and that i really don't feel competent enough in any of their required languages to apply and if i did apply and get in and decided to go, that i'd end up paying $30,000 a year to take undergraduate language classes for the first four years of the phd program, which is stupid.
so anyway, it turns out that we missed the deadline to apply for the teachers program, but i was still really interested in the classics studies. so i researched it a little more and decided that it would be a great way to make me more qualified for harvard without spending a lot of money, plus i've always wanted to study latin, and also, i'm bored to tears daily here, so doing anything academic related would be a plus.
so basically, on like monday (yes. this week) i decided to apply. i also found out that i made it to the next round in the interview i applied for (practical skills test - which i don't think i sucked at too bad) woohoo. but i felt like i was going into this really spontaneously, with little thought or research. so i looked into other colleges with similar programs in areas i want to live (pac nw, new orleans), so that's mainly what i've been doing this week. after researching other available programs and schools, i still think that UO is the best choice (language-focused curriculum, small but competent faculty, cheap). i made a spreadsheet. it rocks. i would post it here, but it's in googledocs. i'll share it with others upon request ;)
i also decided to train for a triathlon this summer. i think my mom and bit are going to do it with me - and i'm not sure yet if we'll do one here, nc, or fl, but if anyone is also interested in training slash racing with me, i could maybe be talked into another in the dc area -- assuming i'm here this summer. my training program will start in feb, i think.
oh and yes. nick and i decided that we would be together, for whatever comes next. so moving together. whenever and wherever that happens. scary. but good. i think. :)
so yeah. i guess i rarely write because my life has seemed uneventful this past year, but hopefully, there will be changes soon (please!), and i wanted to keep you guys updated. i feel a little bit like this is all really half-planned. but st. mary's was really half-planned. so was peace corps. and whatever the hell i'm doing now. so really, i just don't plan very well. and i'm hoping it semi makes sense.
i'll keep you guys posted if anything comes of the things mentioned in this post. but do let me know if you hear of any jobs. and please someone tell me how financial aid works. i can't believe i'm considering going back for another undergrad degree.... (sigh) i make no sense. but it does make sense. for me, and what i want to do. i think?
argh. well, sorry to ramble at you folks. i hope life is going well for everyone else. it was really great seeing everyone (we missed you becca!) at new years. i had a great time - and liz, thank molly again for hosting ;) and congrats again to erica tilley!
love,
erin
1.11.2010
1.02.2010
Miss you already. And Becca always.
The word "friends" seems insufficient at this point. So, thank you for being my quad blog.
Cheers to another year,
Tokar
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