Happy Everything!

I think that covers it all. There are so many holidays in late December across all cultures, religions, and regions that I can't get them all in one simple blessing of merriment except for 'happy everything'. :)

I had a great time with Priscilla (Pris) my boss. She was very nice and invited me over to her home for Christmas eve/Christmas day festivities. So last night I went over, we did midnight mass and came back and watched 'it's a Charlie Brown Christmas' :) This morning I got to experience tomales which are a Mexican dish served mostly in December and January. They were pretty good.

I'm adjusting to Texas pretty well. I like the weather a lot better than places up north but sometimes the people seem a little nutty. oh well.

Crazy Fellows...

This week started with really crummy, cold, rainy weather. I didn't like it. The week ended at nearly 70 degrees and sunny. :) The powers that be must have a sense of humor.

My current project (the Heritage Complex Museum) is coming along pretty nicely. I'm still working on any of the written aspects of the exhibit but the really big stuff is done. I'm pretty excited about one of the key activities in the exhibit: an interactive word search. We have a 5 foot by 6 foot wall that is going to have chalk paint (that basically makes this wall a decent sized and 4 inch thick chalk board) on both sides of the wall and a word search with ranching words on one side and architecture words on the other! I made it at a grade 7 level so it will take me about 20 min to complete. I'm excited about that if nothing else and the program coordinators/other fellows are fighting for who gets to break in the word searches with me once the lettering is in and installed.

Christmas letter '09

Dear friends, family, and random late night internet surfers whom have stumbled upon my blog,

For starts, I'm sorry no one is getting a typed up Christmas letter. It has been three years since I've written a good one and I don't want to shame random greatness. So, blog Christmas letter for this year it is.

This year has been very wild. I finished my Master's in Education, I moved back to the US after three school years in Bahrain, I moved to San Francisco to do the 'great Kate job hunt '09' and failed to land a full time job in San Francisco much to the dismay of Nick, my boyfriend whom I was living with, and myself. So, in late October I was offered a full time curatorial job with the Brownsville Historical Association. I moved to Texas in early December and have found the job to be quite interesting and completely different from teaching in the Middle East. Seeing as I am far from normal in my career path, why should any of what I do be 'normal' or have any logical direction...go figure.

Anyway, I'm still with Nick--we're long distancing it again--we started dating while I was in my third year in Bahrain and all is well on that front.

I hope that anyone who is reading this is having a happy and safe holiday season and has good company, food, and humor for the coming holidays.

Love always,
Kate

winter plans

So to save myself from writing a dozen e-mails I thought I'd put this here:

I will not be able to travel for Christmas. I have two days off for Christmas but a little too much work to do. So, I'm not going to travel (I'd have to do work on my trip and I really don't feel like hauling my laptop everywhere).

I know this comes as an up-set or a wrinkle in some people's plans but it is what it is. This is what happens when I start a new job three weeks before Christmas.

Thanks for your understanding.

job description: Jill of all Trades and Master of none...

There is no such thing as a job with no training. Even idiot proof jobs have training. Apparently, my job has no manual (understandable) but as much as my boss says there is no training for my job. I still need to know who to contact for things I can't do/get within the BHA. I'm a little flustered because I have the impression that my boss whom is stretched out a bit too thin to do her job properly has something of a 'well, here's the job go do it' thought complex--i.e. I'm a mind reader and know how to get the end result she wants...? At the end of the day I have to be able to do just about everyone elses job as well as my own. I'm technically curatorial, but I'm also programs, collections, and research.

So, I'm kind of at a loss but at the same time, I'm still learning the ins and outs of my job. At least I have decent people to go to for help.

made it to Texas...

Hi ho Kate the wandering nomad here. I made it to Texas with no baggage lost or broken or stolen! Thank all travel deities for yet another major incident free set of flights (had a layover in Memphis).


For those with my new phone number: this is my new number, the old one is phased out, use the new one, it is a cell number, it is a Texas number, if I'm working, I'm not going to answer, if I'm not working I'll answer. I've got much better coverage and much better reception.

Thank you for sitting through the PSA of the day/week/month/etc.

new modifications and joys of the internet

After simmering down a little and packing up a little more of my life (again), I'm making a few changes with everything. I don't have to deal with quite the winter load of clothes but I'm going back to my Bahrain standby of long skirts and button up shirts. I'm actually looking forward to the warmer weather. I love San Francisco, I hate San Francisco weather.

Introductions

Hello to those who are new to my thought process of this blog--this is not facebook, this is not livejournal, this is not myspace.

Anyone has any issues with this blog, come to me and it goes away. This is the easiest way for everyone to hear the same story from the horses mouth rather than everyone speculating on my lack of communication--kind of hard to say hey here's what's going on when NOTHING HAS CHANGED in a long period of time. Also, anyone really wants to get ahold of me, it's not all that hard--except with a cell phone. I work better with e-mail so I'm not running my mouth before I've had a chance to think on things.

So, with that, I give you the grand update: I'm moving to Texas on December 7th. I'm moving away from Nick for my potential career, and NOT because everyone has said it's a good idea or I should go for whatever reason. If no one can understand that YES this was not an easy choice to make then you really don't know me.

ok, off the soap box.

More updates later