Vacancy Blog Scholarship

http://www.vacancy.com/north-carolina/charlotte-apartments/heatherwood/

When I first started looking for an apartment a few particular needs of mine stuck out. First: I have bad knees, so I need someplace where I'm either on the first floor or there's an elevator. Second: location. I'm a country mountain girl, so I don't like cities - therefore, I tired to be a little ways out. I don't mind driving - after all, where I currently live, every thing's at least an hour away ;). I've also discovered (by living there for four years) that I don't like empty plains, so I need somewhere that's got green trees and mountains at least nearby. I was also hoping for somewhere with a theater near it. Third: pets. I grew up surrounded by animals and it'd just be too weird to try living without a cat. Fourth: internet. This one's a bit obvious, as I can't imagine trying to do school or run my business (that pays for school) without it. Fifth: price. I don't have much money (sob; school costs too much!) so whatever I choose had to keep the costs down. Sixth: (a lesson I picked up from my bro's experiences) keep the lease time short. I wanted that option. I'm still sorting out what I want to do with my life, so I want to keep my options as open as possible. ( I wonder if I could've written 'so' anymore times? Bleg.)

With that done, and the state picked (North Carolina, and if you read that without a southern accent, shame. Go back and try it again) I just ran down the list and went through a couple of apartments before coming across this one. The price (naturally :D) was what initially caught my attention - $470 a month for one-bed, one-bath. (It's just me and my cat. And maybe a fish.) Since my answer to "where's that place?" has always been, "Planet Earth, I think," I went and looked it up on googlemaps.

My initial response was, "hmm, maybe?" Then I got a look at where the apartment was and I was all, "win!" It's a bit out of the main part of the city, surrounded by trees, and there's mountains nearby. So second need fulfilled.

I checked out the apartment , but couldn't find out if it was handicap friendly (like, with elevators and stuff). Since they've got several one-bed, one-bath apartments though, I figured there was a good chance of getting one on the first floor. So first... sorta fulfilled.

Third was pets, and lo and behold (I like that phrase; we should use it more) they allow pets. (My cat's well-behaved anyway. Any place should let her in ;<.)

And they have internet. I mean, what wouldn't nowadays? But it was still a consideration, so I mentally made another check mark. (alright, why does blogger want to capitalize 'internet'?)

Fifth was price. It's $470 a month for a 510 square-foot apartment, got a washer and dryer in the actual apartment (and even then, I know I'll still forget to do my laundry), bedroom, bathroom (can't really tell if it's got a tub in it - 'tears' if it doesn't :( - but I'll live), and a kitchen/living room/dining area. Good enough for me! (I didn't ask my cat, though. I don't think she'd be too big on moving... maybe I'll just keep it a surprise.)

Sixth - apparently, you can get down to a three-month lease on this? Or up to two years. SO with that, I can plan out my life as I need to.

SO there it is! And there's some other amenities - like a pool, exercise room, some apartments have a balcony, and some other random things that I don't consider necessary, but make living there nice.

An Explanation

...No, not why I haven't blogged in awhile.

It's about my next blog post!

It's something for a scholarship, and as it's a bit different from my usual chattering, I wanted to give a quick explanation. Way this works is I pick an apartment on Vacancy.com and then I tell (on my blog) why it's so perfect for me. It's for students (so I'm eligible) and it's 500 dollars. :)

Rants and Cats

Ever ranted about anything? Okay, imagine that, but with programming as the subject instead.

More seriously - my cat has been driving me crazy! She's a tabby, with orange stripes. Yoda. I didn't name her, my grandmother did. Although I'm the one that tamed her. Yod's is on a diet, cause she won't leave my room (the other cats and the dog intimidate her) and she likes to eat more than she moves around. So every morning I give her a small amount of food in an empty peanut butter jar (it's got a hole in it's side, and she pushes it around to get the food out), and from late afternoon to the next morning she pesters me for more food.

Lately, she's been waking me up between 6 and 8 am, and if I happen to wake up early, she comes up and purrs all over me. When she's happy, she purrs really, really hard, and the more she purrs and the louder she purrs the more she drools, from her nose and her mouth (eww....).

It's cute, but sometimes I just want to go back to sleep. I wake up early enough as it is for school twice a week... I guess I just have to make her stop napping during the day.

Fiverr, Transcribing, and Work

Got two orders on Fiverr!

Well, eight, really. Two separate buyers though. They each ordered an hour, so that makes eight 15-minute chunks.

I had to take a break from transcribing while play rehearsal was going on (and I was (still am) going to school) but once October hit, I started up again. Activated my fiverr transcribing, writing, and editing gigs, and my non-fiverr employer (is that the right word?) sent me two and a half hours last week. He pays better than I can get on fiverr (someone once called those "slave wages") so I always jump at the opportunity to work off-fiverr. (Side note: that particular person is awesome.)

Incidentally, that's why I've now got a Facebook page (see sidebar), so I can get a bit more than four bucks an hour. Fiverr's great for training purposes (it's where I learned now to transcribe), but you can't make a living or pay for school doing it.

There's no rehearsal this week. I think I'm feeling a little lost :D.

Little Prince Play and School

Our fourth show is done! Only six more to go!

This last one was especially exciting to me as my parents were there, and it's my mom who taught me the southern accent I use. (And it's an accent, a real accent, and it doesn't mean uneducated. Irritates me to no end that the director (who's an English teacher) has me say "ain't" instead of "have not" or "it's not.") My little part went well, although I'm starting to think that I really ought to take an improv class. I'm terribly weak at that; panic's the first thought that comes to mind whenever the Prince doesn't give me the correct cue lines.

The more I act, the funner it gets. Maybe sometime I'll be brave enough to take an improv course at school.

I kind of wanted to chatter about my classes, but there's not much to say: I like my "about theatre" class except for the kids (I think they're high school) who won't. be. quiet, I've got one computer science teacher who's way too fond of conspiracy theories ( I mean, they're fun and amusing, but... - and my Java class is - well, I'm better at theory than programming. And over the summer I'd forgotten how to speak Java... it's frustrating. And not my thing.

I like physics, understanding the "real world" (not computers), and I like to create. I think I'd go crazy without creating, whether or not I can make a living doing it. Wouldn't it be funny if I did make it as an actress, after having gotten my (very hard-earned) B.S. in physics?

Acting and Halloween

Couple of exciting things - first off, the play Little Prince opened and it's going well. We've done two days thus far (8 more to go!) and apparently have got happy reviews, though I haven't seen them. It's so weird preforming in front of an audience! But I'm not feeling stage-fright or anything - I'm loving it! (okay, so I'm on stage like, 10 minutes. but still!)

It's fun. The other bit of news is that I've recently completed another crocheted 'bug', but this one's for Halloween. Now, I'm not really one for Halloween (I'm a Christian, see) but as a business owner, I simply couldn't pass this chance up. Check out this little guy:

Ain't it cute? (eye of the beholder and all that...) I've got arachnophobia really, really bad, but I still like this guy (as you'd know if you've seen my post on twitter (speaking of which, if you're not following me, come on over! I'm friendly, I promise).

Kern County Fair Part 2!

I talked about what I entered in the fair last time; here's something about what else the fair has. One of my family's traditions is to get kettle corn at this particular booth - it's absolutely, absolutely wonderful. I don't know what they do to it, but it's actually made in a kettle and the end result has some sort of sweet coating on it. The first time I tasted it - some years ago now - I actually didn't like it, cause it was so different from regular buttered microwave popcorn. It's grown on me now.

I also purchased a bonsai tree - a bonsai juniper, I believe. It's a little one, about the size of my hand, in a dark pot with a gray rock and little bits of grass - I have to keep it 'gardened.' I love bonsai plants in general, and it's fun to maintain a mini garden. Right now it's inside the house where it doesn't get any direct sun, and I'm supposed to water it every other day (I ran out of the house without watering it this morning, so I'll have to take care of that tonight), so I'm watching it to make sure it stays happy and alive. I lost one of these awhile ago, when I was still learning how to care for plants.

One of my favorite booths to visit are the glass-making ones. I love watching the glass-maker create intricate pieces of art. During this particular visit, I watched him finish up a tiny ballerina. Sometime, I'd really like to learn how to do that myself.

Kern County Fair Contests

Once again, I find myself on the fairgrounds multiple times throughout the week. I've been attending the Kern County Fair since before I started high school (excepting when I was away for college, in a different state). When I was younger, I stuck to showing sheep, but now I'm doing (and have done) poetry, baking, and crocheting.

I've actually only done poetry once, and won second place. In general though, my poetry isn't really weird enough to fit in with that sort of forum, so I haven't done it since. Maybe some other year :).

With baking, this was my second year entering the apple pie competition, and I tried a different recipe this year - but I think it needed to have more flour. Too juicy. Tastes good (both of 'em), but neither won.

This year, in addition to the pies, I entered the sugar-free dessert contest. My parents have Xylitol, a sugar alcohol, to replace sugar (which adds fat to our bodies), and sugar-free chocolate chips (sweetened with maltitol, another sugar alcohol). Using these, I made a Pillsbury chocolate chip crescent roll copycat (not my recipe). Now yeast - single cell bacteria - when combined with sugar and water, eat the sugar. It won't eat sugar alcohols. For this recipe, the yeast and sugar are separated. So this particular recipe works fine with Xylitol. Taste-wise, there's no difference when Ii use sugar versus Xyloitol, and cooked maltitol chocolate chips are the same as regular ones. I think they're tasty little things, though they didn't win :(.

As I've been creating more and more crocheted items, I decided to go ahead and enter one this year. My latest completed project is a dragonfly barrette - here's a picture.
It was a bit of a spur of a moment entry (I was entering online), but as cute as it is, I really was hoping for something. And apparently, someone agreed with me, cause I got an honorable mention !!!! (glee!!!!) It's also for sale on at etsy.woolranch.com, if anyone's interested.

On stage in October!

I think I mentioned in a previous post (or I meant to, anyway) that I'm in a play. Like, on the stage. In a theater.

It's called The Prince, and while I think the story itself is a little odd, I'm overly ecstatic about being in it. I've only got a small part as the Lamplighter (turning a light on and off on my tiny, tiny planet that's only big enough for one person), but like I said, I'm pleased.

I think this is the fifth play that I've auditioned for, and this was the first time I'd ever gotten a callback, (and from there, the first part I've ever had). I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the email offering me the part. Rehearsal is now in full swing (and I love my costume! - even if it's a bit itchy, it looks adorable) and we'll be opening on October first. Squee!

I said it was a bit of an odd story. The Prince is about a prince who lives on a planet all by himself until a Rose grows there. The prince is all confused about how she makes him feel, so he goes on a journey to find answers. He goes to a variety of planets (including mine) and finally makes his way to Earth. On Earth he meets several people, one of which is the person who is actually telling this story - an aviator whose plane crashed in the Sahara. The aviator used to draw, when he was a child, and when the 'grownups' didn't understand his drawings, he stopped drawing. Until he meets the prince.

The ending's the odd part, since the prince has to 'die' to go back to his planet. Or he doesn't; I'm not sure. Anyway, it's a kid's story, but there's parts only adults will actually understand, and a love story (I think, though I don't think that's the main plot), and it's probably more the aviator's story than the prince's. Anyway, it's a cute story.

As an Christian actress (not actor, I'm female, thanks), I'm poking my head into a world that a lot of Christian's have abandoned, and as such a lot of what's out there for me as options for me to get involved in isn't Christian in nature. I really, really wish there was more out there. A lot of shows (on stage and film) are filled with characters that I wouldn't want to play. Kinda stifles me. And training is interesting... if there's a Christian university with a theater major, I'd love to know about it.

3 weeks into the fall semester of 2011...

School's started - been 'started' for about three weeks now, actually. I did get the classes I wanted (slash, needed), so I'll be finished with what I need for my Computer Science AS. But I'm not graduating yet; I'm stickin' around for another semester at least.

I've been working on my theatre AA one class a semester. Next semester I can focus on it, and I only have eleven credits that I need (so four classes). If they're all offered in the spring semester ( and I have some leeway, it doesn't have to be four specific class) then I can graduate, if I want. But as I don't know what I'll be doing after that semester, I don't know right now when I'm going to graduate (taking to administration about multiple degrees and continuing after getting a degree is on my to-do list).

On a side note, I enjoy theatre much more than programming. And science research more than programming. It's funny - speaking as a science person - that theatre, which is in the arts, attracts and challenges me in much the same way as science. (But physics wins way over theatre in term of challenge. In some ways that's not a contest.) At some point here, I'll figure out what I'm going to do with my life. In the meantime, that'll be school, running my own business, and trying to get on stage.

Facebook Business Page

Naturally, of course, I didn't get half of what I was hoping to get done this summer. But I did get some. Part of it shows in my latest side-badge (gadget, whatever those are called). I've got a Facebook page!

It's for my 'administrative'-type part of WoolRanch (my business name) - transcribing, editing, and writing. Incidentally, the profile picture for that page is my general business logo - it's on my fiverr, etsy, and all of my other craft sites. If you've seen it somewhere else on the web other than here, let me know!

Anyway, about my FB page. It's still very very new - at the time I'm posting this I've only got 15 fans, very few posts, and the only interaction with my fans is with family members (not that that's not great, but it'd be cool to have someone that I didn't know beforehand on there too). I'm also not entirely sure of what to post where, but I'm figuring it out. If you've got tips and suggestions handy, I'd be happy to hear 'em.

...And this post was totally a plug for my FB page. But I'm so happy to have one!!

Life, School, and Summer

Only three more weeks of school!!!

...though you wouldn't know that by the amount of work left. Three monologues (so I'm assuming from the email I got, anyway), 3 programs (2 in java, 1 in C++), 1 quiz, and 3 upcoming finals (at least, and I might have a fourth).

It's funny, though, even when school ends my life won't get any less busy. M' summer plans including making a manual for my family's property (it's extensive, trust me), creating a recipe book for myself and my siblings using our favorite ones from over the years, reviewing all my CS stuff (wouldn't want to forget that, after all the effort I've put into that) and my Physics (WEEE!), writing one book (or thirty poems, does that substitute well?), working outside the house (housework and watering plants), and working inside the house (actually creating those crochet items 'stead of just planning them, selling stuff on Ebay (emphasis on 'stuff), and transcribing full-time).

Incidentally, anyone who reads through that paragraph deserves a gold star. Not one of my best, I don't think. But it does get across that I'll be busy busy busy.

Shop Stuff

Shop stuff - mostly Etsy, actually. I know it's been a little while (i.e., way to long) but, hey there!

I mentioned this on my twitter a little while ago, (callistasteele.twitter.com), but since I haven't here, I'll go on ahead and give the long version. Etsy's closed down their Alchemy section for an unknown period of time ;(. Seeing as that's where I've gotten every one of my sales from, that's hit me pretty hard - it's been a few months since I've sold anything there. Internet marketing - marketing in general - is still a bit foreign to me, but I've thrown up my stuff on sites like bonanza, www.bonanza.com/booths/WoolRanch and Zibbet, zibbet.com/WoolRanch. Also, when I'm selling stuff on E-Bay, no matter what it is, I throw in a bookmark with my name and etsy site stamped on it.

Etsy also introduced 'Coupon Codes' awhile ago, and I've come up with some slow ideas since then. I had a sale on Cyber Monday weekend (no one came!) I've also found this neat site where you can put up a coupon for your etsy store, and here it is:
http://www.etsysaver.com/discount/woolranch-use-coupon-code-5percentwoolranch

For those of you who don't want to go to the actual site, here's the code 5PERCENTWOOLRANCH. Like the name implies, it's for 5% off at my Etsy store - so WoolRanch.etsy.com only. One discount per buyer only, please!

Another thing I'm trying out is using my bookmarks to promote in physical places, and not necessarily to a particular buyer - so today, at school, I'm leaving one with a coupon code on the back at the study table I'm currently at. Who knows what that might lead to!

Alright, I seriously need to get back to my transcribing (five jobs to be done this week) for fiverr, but I'm going to try and get back to posting twice a week.

eBay 'n school

Don't think I've mentioned this before, but I have an eBay 'About Me' page. It's not particularly exciting, but I try to keep it up to date with what's going on in my eBay life. http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=wool_ranch

'M selling wool, raw wool - mostly white, little bit of gray, some of which placed at the county fair, and about 25 or so pounds of it. After that's gone I've got a bunch of LOOK magazines, Song magazines, and a bunch of other old stuff that'll go up on eBay.

School update! I registered today and actually got all of my classes. I really can't wait until I go up another priority bump, because I just barely got them. What's funny about classes this semester is that I'll be in the same room from 8 to 2:10, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for all of my computer science classes. I just know I'll be sick of CS by 2. The teachers' are pretty good, or so's been my experience. CS isn't really my thing, and they can teach me. :)