anj
We left Bellingham on June 19th, arrived here in Sausalito the 22nd. Obviously, since four full, busy, exciting, draining weeks have passed, it's difficult to cover everything; I'll just start writing for now and see what shows up.
We're settling into our third/top floor 2BR 2BA apartment quite well. There's something about small spaces that's lovable: utilizing wall space, cupboards, closets, highs, lows, insides and outsides creatively is a rewarding challenge to meet. The loft beds in the kids room seem like our best idea so far: Aubrey's got a little table, hanging cupboard, stove/kitchen set under hers--they call it "the cabin"--and Dane's got his train table under his. For a room that's only about 12'x12', they've got plenty of floor space. I haven't unpacked all their toys yet either. It feels a bit sneaky on my part, but I've mostly left the stuff they don't miss unless they see it (all stuffed animals, lame books, random gadgets) so the room stays clean and organized. Dane likes to help me "organize" it nearly every day by putting like objects into their separate bins; Aubrey's not so interested.
Mick started school at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni Dental School (a.k.a. "Pacific") on July 11. It seems they're laying some basic foundations for future learning right now, so it's not the challenge and commitment it will be in perhaps a week or two. That doesn't mean the 9 hours of daily classes doesn't wear the little tiger out, though--he's always loved a good evening nap that you can't shake him from. When he gets home some time between 4:30 and 6pm, he's got a few things he works around his naps: dinner, reading/playing/wrestling/biking with the kids, walking to 7-11 for sugar-free Slurpees, checking ebay for misspelled superior espresso machines that might miraculously sell for a song, or donning his riding gear for a solo cycle. Around 9 he seems to start to study, whether that means carving a wax tooth, reviewing notes for a quiz, organizing his folders in his laundry room "office," logging onto his laptop, or home roasting coffee beans on his AirPopperII. I think he goes to bed around 1 and gets up at 6.
So far, Mick's been a relaxed, mellow, happy, fun student/dad/husband/guy. If there's any stress about school, it's probably been manifested more in me, and then, perhaps, only once: I woke up yesteday morning with my stomach in knots. I'd dreamt I hadn't graded all my English 202 essays and that I hadn't prepared my class lectures/activities. When I came out of my grog, I realized I was nervous about Mick's first quiz (to be held that day); what really seemed significant to me, though, was that I realized that I felt those same knots almost every night/morning while I was teaching at Western and taking care of the kids as Mick was doing his pre-req's in Bellingham these past three years. Now that I'm not teaching, life seems like a vacation! Perhaps in 6 months or so I'll try to take on a comp course at a local community college part-time--but just one... For now, I'm happy to make sack lunches, keep the house organized/clean, play with the kids, and read books.
Since we arrived, I've read A Conspiracy of Paper, The Bookseller of Kabul, and something else... can't remember. I just checked out some Leo Tolstoy and Salman Rushdie to see what all the buzz is about. Anyway, the Marin Free Library is right across the street--right across the street! Dane and Aubrey have 32 books checked out right now, and we're all reading like crazy (well, the kids are learning their alphabets and we're working on getting them to recognize words). The Librarians are divine--storytime is held with deep voiced, smiling Eva; I check my books out from sturdy gray-haired scratchy voiced Elizabeth who's read just about everything I chat with her about--and I can't wait to join the monthly book club when it starts meeting again in September.
This is enough for now. I'm sure I've neglected far too many important aspects of our life here ; hopefully I'll be able to include them soon.
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