… that people who whine about how much they hate personal blogs will eventually start one.

Welp, hell has frozen over and here I am.

As time goes on and I move around the country, it’s becoming more and more obvious how bad I am at keeping in touch with the people I care about. I really mean to, but somehow days turn into weeks and suddenly I realize that I haven’t talked to my friends and family in months. And having lived in several different states over the past few years, my network of friends has become pretty spread out and it’s getting harder and harder to individually keep up with everyone. So I’m taking the cheater/easy way out and starting a blog. I’ve whined/snarked/generally talked down about personal blogs a lot in the past. Like, A LOT. I think they can be very narcissistic and disingenuous. I hope that this blog will not be those things.

What will it be? Probably a random, hopefully frequently updated, account of what I’m up to, for those I can’t see or talk to as often as I’d like. It will also serve as a record for me, because my memory is terrible and I’ve become a compulsive documentarian (like a less violent Leonard from Memento). Likely topics include sewing, knitting, and general crafty things; home improvement projects; the occasional recipe; anthropology ramblings; grad school updates; and lots of pictures of my pets. Are you excited yet?!

The name of this blog has a lot to do with a major emotional turn in my life over the past 6 months or so. Last fall, I was finishing my post-bac degree in anthropology and getting ready to apply to graduate school. I had my eye on some programs in far away locations. My favorite was a Visual Culture Studies MA degree in the far reaches of Northern Norway. It was going to be a great adventure – the latest in a string of adventures that started when I moved away from Fort Collins a few years ago.

Then, last August, I found out that I had breast cancer. I’m finished with treatment and healthy as can be now, but my mindset about the immediate future is much different than it was. I’m ready to hang up my wandering shoes, for now. Lately all I want is a safe place to nest and recuperate, to feel at home, and to serve as a base of operations for future adventures. I decided to apply to grad programs closer to home, and to take it easy (geographically speaking) for the next couple of years. I’ve been accepted into the graduate anthropology program at Colorado State University, and I’ll be moving back to Fort Collins sometime in mid/late April. I’m headed back to home base, and I’m really excited.

For those who don’t like reading long rambling things, here’s the quick and dirty version:

1. I had breast cancer, but I got better.
2. I got into grad school at Colorado State University.
3. I bought a car.
4. I’m moving back home in about a month (sometime mid/late April).
5. See you soon, Fort Collins!

This is my new car. It’s way too fancy – I can make calls and change the radio with my voice. It needs a name. Any ideas?