buy, buy, buy, sell, sell, sell, trash, trash, trash

I know, you (the imaginary "others" who are reading this) are dying to know what is new in my little world. Mostly I've become someone I hardly recognize, some consumerist wild woman buying and selling and (worst of all) throwing things away. I have been spending most of my waning time here in Akron thinking about what I need, what I don't need, what I really want, and wondering what made me such a hoarder of junk. In the past few years I've tried to be really conscious of what I consume but recently it has set in that I was not conscious enough! I am still really overwhelmed by all the stuff I own and hopefully will not own soon.

On the positive side, I made $55 selling a bunch of my stuff last weekend at a garage sale. Plus, I've been able to give a lot of my stuff to friends who "need" it. And, if I am going to be honest I also need to admit I have acquired some pretty sweet stuff recently. I bought a new backpack, a sleeping bag, TWO new pairs of shorts, TWO new shirts, TWO new pairs of pants, and TEN new pairs of underpants! This is like a major shopping spree for me. In my own defense, for those of you who haven't seen me in awhile, I've lost some weight and none of my summer clothes fit me anymore.

I'm not sure if I should put the buying in the "on the positive side" paragraph because I feel pretty uncomfortable about spending that much money but I'm trying to be excited about all my new stuff.

My invitation is officially accepted, my passport is applied for, my visa is applied for, I've applied for graduation, I'm approaching the state I would identify as "packed and ready to move to Cincinnati", I have a dress for the weddings I'm attending this summer ($6 at a thrift store... SCORE), I have a bus ticket/train ticket TO Denver (who knows how I'm getting home), I'm really pumped for my road trip to Graceland with my dad, and I'm ready for some weird and aggressive times before I leave.

it's not even official

I admit it is not official that I am going to South Africa because I have yet to actually see my invitation and thus I have not accepted the invitation but I am so excited I'm starting a blog. I'm already ahead of myself, forgetting not everyone spends their days obsessing over my impending Peace Corps assignment... so I'll begin by explaining what an invitation is and why I have yet to accept it.

Applying to Peace Corps is a lengthy process. Applying to Peace Corps while simultaneously finishing a thesis, working in cities all over the country, traveling and trying to maintain my reputation as a minor maniac has resulted in a lengthier process. I initially submitted my application for Peace Corps a year and a half ago. After that I went through medical tests, very expensive dental work, eye exams, waiting rooms at the VA hospital (where I received my blood tests for free... thanks US government!), three very lengthy phone interviews, and lots of waiting. The waiting is for the invitation which tells you in what program and what country you are being invited to serve. The invitation is a packet of information which informs you (loosely) what your life will be like for the next two years.

My invitation... the holy grail of the Peace Corps nominee's life... is in the hands of my parents. It ended up in Cincinnati as a result of an unknown sequence of events which have had me shooting the very innocent mail carrier in my Akron neighborhood dirty looks all week. It is so very close to being in my possession. Although I gave them permission, my parents have declined to open it and peek before I see them (and more importantly IT) on Friday but they did see through the window of the envelope a confirmation of my suspicion that I am headed to South Africa!

Now I have to get rid of pretty much everything I own, move home to Cincinnati, complete the next load of paperwork Peace Corps sends my way, attend two amazing weddings, go on a road trip to Graceland, finally submit my thesis to Kent and try and learn as much about South Africa as I can. So far I'm pretty overwhelmed, but I'm using my ability to convince myself things are not as big a deal as they are to cope.

I want to keep a blog so I can keep my friends and family posted on my adventures, my great love of hand written letters, my general whereabouts, and my clever wit (humor me). I think this is a pretty cool way for me to share my life with the people I love. I hope you enjoy reading about my increasingly crazy life.