Neanderthal Cave-Man

Today has been pretty mellow - the morning started off with our weekly date to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market (I'll try to remember to take pictures next week). In addition to the produce and other stalls there are places that serve breakfast. The first time we went we got a huge veggie omelet, last week was apple-cinnamon pancakes, and today we got a breakfast burrito. Luke spent most of the day at his studio preparing for his exhibit and I've been at home working.

Living with Luke is fantastic and I am SO happy to be here, but.....

Luke is a Neanderthal cave-man when it comes to taking care of the house.

This is actually not news to me, but it was so much easier to ignore when he was visiting my place for a few days and on his best behavior, or I was staying at his house and could turn a blind eye to the grunge. Now that it is OUR place I have found that my tolerance for the messiness and dirtiness has plummeted. Part of it is definitely him - he can be pretty gross (toothpaste all over the bathroom sink, rinsing more than washing the dishes) but when I point this out then he really tries harder to be more considerate. Part of it is that I really like my house to be clean and we have very different standards of what that constitutes (such as whether it's acceptable to leave a trail of popcorn throughout the house or crumbs all over the kitchen counters or overflowing trashcans). Does that mean that I have to get used to doing more housework? Um, that's unappealing. And part of it is that I spend the day working from home, so the mess/dirtiness bothers me more and I end up spending more time cleaning and straightening up. However, I also don't have an hour-plus commute - does that mean that I should spend an hour more than him taking care of the house? Cause really, I can't expect him to scrub the stove-top when he's come home after evening rush-hour.

And it's only been EIGHTEEN days of living together! Lord help me.

Breakfast in Bed

Luke likes to do things like voluntarily get up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning, whereas I....do not. However, once in a while this means he wakes me up bringing breakfast and coffee :)

We've gotten into Mad Men and were up late last night watching episodes. Today it's warm and sunny and perfect beach weather. Not much going on - Luke has to work, I really should work, and may go to the UCLA library. I got set up with a library card, which is pretty freaking awesome. I'm finishing my dissertation revisions - I was not done by the April 1 deadline, and now we are aiming for May 15. Technically my graduation date will be summer (not spring) 2010, though I don't think this affects anything. My perfectionist instincts are really slowing down the process when what I really need to do is just wrap things up. I've been struggling with this issue since I defended, not really sure how to best deal with it.

Morning Coffee

I'm trying to get into the habit of posting and took this idea from another blog....I think the morning is the best time for me to write, before I get caught up in the day.

When Luke goes into school/work he leaves around 7 am to beat the rush-hour traffic, and since moving to Santa Monica means that his commute went from 10 to 30 minutes I try to get up with him and make a quick breakfast. Today I went back to bed after he left to drink my coffee and read the paper, which is where I'm posting from now.

I was in St. Louis, MO this week where I presented some of my diss research at a conference. The presentation went well and I got some much-needed motivation to keep going with my work. It was great to see a lot of my friends whom I've met on digs and travels and whom I don't keep in touch with often enough. The South Africans who discovered the newly-announced hominin, Australopithecus sediba, were there and I had actually met them and got to see the fossils and fossil site when I was in Johannesburg last year!

Luke has another exhibit next week so is working around the clock. I am trying to find a balance between relaxing, exercising, cooking, going to the beach, and also getting my work done. I miss my friends and some parts of DC but I have to say I am SO glad that I'm living somewhere else. Things were too crazy and hectic in DC and I'm still trying to get off the stress bandwagon.

DONE

I defended my dissertation on February 24th and am slowly recovering. It was such a momentous day and it could not have gone any better. I have to turn in the final draft to the university on April 1st, which is when it will be official, so I still have quite a bit of work to finish over the next few weeks.

And....

I am moving to California on March 31st! Santa Monica, to be precise. 12 blocks from the beach. Big and exciting changes :)

Back in LA

I'm here for a week and this trip comes at a perfect time. Although the computer loss really wasn't that bad I was so panicked I almost gave myself a heart attack and my environment in DC was feeling really toxic. Ben, Joëlle's husband, set up an FTP site for me where I can back-up my files on line, which is especially great for when I'm traveling so that I don't have to carry an external hard drive with me.

Luke had a review with his committee yesterday, similar to mine last week. He also got the thumbs up so even though both of us are in a great position we're too exhausted to feel relieved. Yesterday was also 6 months after our first date, so we went to a restaurant on the beach in Santa Monica to celebrate. We're both hoping to take care of ourselves and each other this week while we try to unwind and keep at it with the work.

My hard drive crashed yesterday

That is not a joke. Luckily I had backed up last week so I didn't lose too much work. Did lose a day and probably several years off my life. Ugh all around.

Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

On Wednesday I'm meeting with my advisor to get his feedback on the status of my dissertation. I'm hoping he'll say I can finalize what I have done and wrap this thing up already. If I have to do more work that could mean defending later in the year or extending into next spring (nooooooooo).

A new season

Autumn to winter, winter to spring,
Spring into summer, summer into fall-
So rolls the changing year, and so we change;
Motion so swift, we know not that we move.
-Dinah Mulock Craik

It's been chilly in DC the past few days, a physical reminder that summer is over. I cannot believe how quickly the past few months have flown by. I am kind of scared about how fast time is passing. I think a big reason for that is a feeling that I'm constantly living in a future place - upcoming dissertation deadlines, anticipating Luke's next visit, etc. It's pretty unsettling and this month I really want to focus on being more present.

Luke was in town for a visit and left today. I've been meaning to write about the adventures we've had this summer for a while now and another one has come and gone. Sigh.

In love

A few more pictures from the wedding:

Back in DC

I got back tonight and I'm pretty bummed to be away from Luke. I have a lot of dissertation work to do though and he'll be visiting DC in two weeks. We had a fantastic time together in LA that I'll write about soon - for now I just wanted to post this picture, taken by one of his friends. I think it really captures Luke's kindness, gentleness and happiness.

On the Road Again

I haven't posted much lately because I've been super busy but life is pretty much revolving around the same: dissertation and Luke. Diss progress is going ok, love is great. I've been in LA for about a week and today we're driving up to San Francisco to see a Phish show, meet up with friends, and camp in Sonoma Valley. We got in some great beach time this past weekend that included an afternoon at Newport Beach. Note Pennsylvania-born Luke in his button down shirt with the Arizona queen of tank-tops and flip-flops (not pictured).

Work, work, work

I had a great time at the wedding and afterward Luke and I spent a few days at the Outer Banks with his parents. It was wonderful and I will write more soon. For now I am working like a madwoman trying to make a dissertation deadline on Friday.

Wedding preview: Luke's girls

Sweet Picture

I love this picture even though Luke thinks he looks like a beached whale. One of his sisters took it when we were doing yoga on his parents' deck earlier in the spring. Luke's flying in on Wednesday and we're going straight to York, PA for his sister's wedding on Saturday. Looking forward to the time away and to meeting more of his family, since I've only met about 7 of his 85 cousins.

Rollercoaster

I'm about as unhappy as can be with the dissertation deadline that is looming next Monday. At least this means that things can only go up from here.

Back in DC

I returned a few days ago and am working like crazy because I have to turn in two dissertation chapters next week. My time in LA was amazing, amazing, amazing. Luke and I are more in love than ever and I am so happy that we were able to spend the month together. He'll be back in two weeks for his sister's wedding so we'll see each other soon.

Date Night

When I first got to LA Luke said that we would have date night once a week. In the back of my mind I was thinking, 'we're living together - isn't every night going to be date night?' Uh, no. Thesis work, evening yoga classes, early morning meetings all get in the way. Last week date night happened to coincide with a Phillies v. Dodgers baseball game. So date night ended up looking like...

Only in LA

Earlier this evening, as I was signing in for a yoga class, the receptionist asked me if I was an actress because she thought my face looked familiar.

Malibu Weekend

We spent the weekend in Malibu at the apartment of some friends who were out of town and who offered us their place. I'll just say that it was as great as it looks.

Bungalow Life

The bungalow

Our living room

My work space

Luke's work space (doubles as the kitchen table)

Cozy kitchen

In LA

Luke met me at the airport last night and we had a midnight picnic on the beach before heading home to the bungalow. I got settled in this morning and now I'm already set up to work at his studio. Pretty tired after all that's been going on the last few days (in Arizona, back to DC for a conference and to see Bruce, then out to LA) but I'm super happy to be here. Pics coming soon.

The Boss

Tonight I'm seeing my other boyfriend in concert, then tomorrow I'm off to LA. Life is good :)

LA Bound

My big dreams this past year have been to finish my dissertation, fall in love and move to California. Still working on the dissertation but the rest has come true. I met Luke when he was interning in DC this spring but he is a graduate student at a prestigious art school in LA where he does documentary film. At least that is what I tell people. In reality he is getting a MFA in Media Design with a focus on alternative portraiture. After two months of dating I still can't quite tell you what that means. But you can check out his work here.

He just moved back to LA for summer classes and next week I will be joining him. I found someone to sublet my apartment for a month and luckily I am at a point with my work where I can pretty much be anywhere while I am writing. So in addition to being with Luke this gives me a chance to test out whether the reality of living in California is as good as my fantasy. All in all, perfect :)

Two Students

Posting Hiatus

Yikes, it's been a while since I posted. I've got lots of good excuses - adjusting to being back in the US, getting over a bad case of bronchitis, trips to NYC and Chicago for conferences that I presented at, trips to Philadelphia and the Outer Banks for fun, dissertation madness that includes a week-by-week schedule through the end of the year. But the biggest distraction has been....

I'm in luuuuuuuv.

International Humor

What do you get when you put together two Americans, a Swiss, an Australian, and a night of watching You-Tube videos?

A pretty weird mix.

I've been fortunate to have made some great friends in Joberg, and since we couldn't agree on a movie to watch tonight we spent the evening looking at You-Tube videos. Everything from political satire (me), Billy O'Connolly monologues, Jesus v. the Terminator, and 'kicked in the nuts' scenes (not me - but why a bunch of guys would find this funny, I don't know). A very eclectic and enjoyable night, and something that would only happen when you're traveling.

Huge

This week has been monumental for two reasons: I am finished with data collection for my dissertation, and I said goodbye to something I loved and let it go before it was past its prime.

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Johannesburg, where I'll spend the next week sorting through the last of the collection I've been studying. But essentially, I'm done. All the YEARS I've spent planning this trip, applying for grants, figuring out logistics.....done. Hard to believe. I could have stayed longer and kept on with the study, but I decided a few days ago that it was time to move on. I've had a great time here - the research has gone really well, it's beautiful, I'm in great surroundings, I have the time and money to stay.....but I feel deeply that it is time to go back to DC. So I've decided to leave, and am saying goodbye to the last part of my trip.

My February Horoscope

'You appear to be on the cusp of a massive evolution within, thanks to a crowd of planets twinkling in your house of transformations.'

Yes.

I'm coming home

...at some point.

I'm really in no hurry to leave. The work is going really well, I've made some exciting research discoveries, I am collaborating on a paper with a South African scientist, I've been invited by another South African paleoanthropologist to study the fauna from a site near Joburg, and it's full on summertime in the southern hemisphere.

Helloooooo!

Since my last post from Nairobi, I've been to:
Maputo and Inhambane (Tofo Beach), Mozambique
Mbabene, Swaziland
Johannesburg, South Africa
and now.....middle of nowhere, South Africa, aka Bloemfontein

Lots going on, lots of adventures, new experiences, learning lessons, progress both in terms of my dissertation research and inner work.....more soon.