Well, after a weekend of hard work, good friends, and lots of beer, it is done. The move.
I do believe that moving a household in a thing of unspeakable foulness. Not something one should do nearly as often as Alex and I have done previously, but now, at least, we are planning to stay in this new place at least a few years, then buy land and move, being done with moving altogether.
The move was smooth as I have ever seen, and that is thanks in large part to a great group of friends. From skills with lashing furniture to the walls of the truck, to tetris mastery, I could not have asked for better. So, cheers to all of you.
I am now back in Austin for this week, cleaning the old place to return it to the landlord and working my last week at ISAC. It pains me some to see how attached people are to me here and how upset they are that I'm leaving. I never did find time to tell my boss, Dr. White, that I was moving out of town, though I did tell him that I will not be working here anymore as of the end of July. I feel really bad about that, and will have to tell him tomorrow. He is my friend also, so I do hope that he isn't too angry at me.
Being finally settled in Waco, though, feels good and right. I really like where we are living more than I have liked just about any place I have lived since I moved off the farm. I cannot say that enough. The vibes are good and it feels full of promise. We are still in the process of getting it set up, obviously. Yesterday and late Saturday was spent with our friends, Jay and Katey, relaxing and setting up the house as best we could. Little things had to be done, like changing the power cords on the dryer, etc. but in the end all seems to be functioning well. Likely, by the time I get home again at week's end, Alex will have most of the place unpacked, considering that she had the kitchen done by dinnertime on Saturday. Last I saw she was unpacking books, doing laundry, and setting up the guest bedroom. She is wonderful, and I cannot wait to be home at the end of the week, though doubtless I am a little sad to be leaving the good people I know here. Still, Waco is not a far drive, and I have no qualms about visiting or having visitors. After having been apart so much, though, Alex and I will likely stay home for a long, long while.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Triumphal Reentry
Hey There Spacecadets:
So, if you read my lovely wife's blog, you know I'm home. If not, well, you know now! That's right, on Monday evening around 8:30 I touched the ground of my beautiful homeland, sacred as it is. A great surprise, I came down the escalators in the Austin airport, looking for my friend Elissa Sloan, who was nice enough to come pick me up. Old goat that I am, I saw a lovely pair of legs sitting in a chair a little ways off, and enjoyed the view for a while. I said to myself "Goodness, those look like Alex's." Then I looked up a little and said "Wow, that really looks good (okay, that thought is a little white-washed, but you know...)" and then I looked at the smiling, wonderful, perfect face of my wife, who had come to surprise me. Needless to say, it was a very, very good night.
My time in the Czech lands was spent beautifully, and it will take me a while to write out it all for you, though I fully intend to detail many of my thoughts and musings during that trip. I kept a diary there, which right now is in the hands of my wife, as it was written to her specifically, so she too could enjoy the trip with me. I'll take passages from it and put them here, as well as photos.
To tell you, it was fascinating to be in the land of my forebears, to walk among the streets ancient, to touch the trees from time immemorial. To get to flex my linguistic abilities was nice, too. After a few days, I kicked off the rust and dust there, and impressed myself with just how much I could understand and speak. Still, being a Texas Moravian, my accent and dialect was a little strange for most, except for the elderly, who always remark I sound like their grandparents. I enjoy that.
I lived in Prague most of the time, in communist-type housing filled mostly with Ukrainians and some Gypsies, and that was an experience all itself. Like nothing I've ever seen before, but I am here to tell you, those Czechs treat peoples of color and other ethnicity like trash and chattel. It really bothered me, as a Texan, who embraces the idea that here in our home any can be whatever they want. I would never look at a man or woman of African, Hispanic, or any other origins and say they weren't a Texan, for in truth, they may have been in this land hundreds of years before my family. This is a land we all hold a stake in.
As most of you know, Alex and I are pulling up the stakes in Austin on Friday, moving on to the Waco area, in what is intended to be the next-to-last move we make before moving onto land for good. I can't tell you the excitement I feel right now. For while the move going off well always makes me nervous, I can feel how good this is going to be for us. I hope you will all come visit us in our new home, for there we will be whole and complete again after the last month or so of being apart, both in the country and without. The house in various stages of break-down, and our hearts strained in various ways. No more, whole and totally complete in a rush of fire of wind we will be.
I will have to come back to Austin next week to finish my last week at the job I've held for the past 6 years, but it is good, since I need to clean the house and turn the keys back over anyhow. There may be a few odds and ends left to take to Waco, too, but after this long, I am ready.
I also should mention I was so lucky to have already found a job in Waco, no mean feat in this economy and in a smaller town. Fresh out of college, I certainly can't complain, and am very proud of what I have. Ironically, I am to be the registrar at my old High School. Those of you who went there will know how funny that is, as the registrar who worked there at the time was my sworn enemy, who, in fact, I organized a resistance against. So, now, I go to actually be somebody where I work, and I am excited about that. I am the kind of guy to wear a suit and a hat to work everyday, and they will learn to love me. They only think they're impressed with me now!
Additionally, my department here at UT is inclined to make me an appointment to be their liaison to the Texas Czech community, which trust me, they need. I am excited about that, too, as I will be acting in an official capacity and being paid to do the things I love to do already, as well as have the ability to organize guest lecturers for the program, held involve the community more with the program they endowed, and get the students some exposure to native Czech speakers living all around them. I do hope this works out.
For now, I'm back to work, but I hope to see you all soon. I look at the skies of my homeland, and I weep, to be home and safe in the land I love the best.
So, if you read my lovely wife's blog, you know I'm home. If not, well, you know now! That's right, on Monday evening around 8:30 I touched the ground of my beautiful homeland, sacred as it is. A great surprise, I came down the escalators in the Austin airport, looking for my friend Elissa Sloan, who was nice enough to come pick me up. Old goat that I am, I saw a lovely pair of legs sitting in a chair a little ways off, and enjoyed the view for a while. I said to myself "Goodness, those look like Alex's." Then I looked up a little and said "Wow, that really looks good (okay, that thought is a little white-washed, but you know...)" and then I looked at the smiling, wonderful, perfect face of my wife, who had come to surprise me. Needless to say, it was a very, very good night.
My time in the Czech lands was spent beautifully, and it will take me a while to write out it all for you, though I fully intend to detail many of my thoughts and musings during that trip. I kept a diary there, which right now is in the hands of my wife, as it was written to her specifically, so she too could enjoy the trip with me. I'll take passages from it and put them here, as well as photos.
To tell you, it was fascinating to be in the land of my forebears, to walk among the streets ancient, to touch the trees from time immemorial. To get to flex my linguistic abilities was nice, too. After a few days, I kicked off the rust and dust there, and impressed myself with just how much I could understand and speak. Still, being a Texas Moravian, my accent and dialect was a little strange for most, except for the elderly, who always remark I sound like their grandparents. I enjoy that.
I lived in Prague most of the time, in communist-type housing filled mostly with Ukrainians and some Gypsies, and that was an experience all itself. Like nothing I've ever seen before, but I am here to tell you, those Czechs treat peoples of color and other ethnicity like trash and chattel. It really bothered me, as a Texan, who embraces the idea that here in our home any can be whatever they want. I would never look at a man or woman of African, Hispanic, or any other origins and say they weren't a Texan, for in truth, they may have been in this land hundreds of years before my family. This is a land we all hold a stake in.
As most of you know, Alex and I are pulling up the stakes in Austin on Friday, moving on to the Waco area, in what is intended to be the next-to-last move we make before moving onto land for good. I can't tell you the excitement I feel right now. For while the move going off well always makes me nervous, I can feel how good this is going to be for us. I hope you will all come visit us in our new home, for there we will be whole and complete again after the last month or so of being apart, both in the country and without. The house in various stages of break-down, and our hearts strained in various ways. No more, whole and totally complete in a rush of fire of wind we will be.
I will have to come back to Austin next week to finish my last week at the job I've held for the past 6 years, but it is good, since I need to clean the house and turn the keys back over anyhow. There may be a few odds and ends left to take to Waco, too, but after this long, I am ready.
I also should mention I was so lucky to have already found a job in Waco, no mean feat in this economy and in a smaller town. Fresh out of college, I certainly can't complain, and am very proud of what I have. Ironically, I am to be the registrar at my old High School. Those of you who went there will know how funny that is, as the registrar who worked there at the time was my sworn enemy, who, in fact, I organized a resistance against. So, now, I go to actually be somebody where I work, and I am excited about that. I am the kind of guy to wear a suit and a hat to work everyday, and they will learn to love me. They only think they're impressed with me now!
Additionally, my department here at UT is inclined to make me an appointment to be their liaison to the Texas Czech community, which trust me, they need. I am excited about that, too, as I will be acting in an official capacity and being paid to do the things I love to do already, as well as have the ability to organize guest lecturers for the program, held involve the community more with the program they endowed, and get the students some exposure to native Czech speakers living all around them. I do hope this works out.
For now, I'm back to work, but I hope to see you all soon. I look at the skies of my homeland, and I weep, to be home and safe in the land I love the best.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go....
A brief post, kids:
I'm off Monday morning to the Czech Republic for two weeks, for a conference and vacation. I'm excited, but nervous to leave Alex for that long. It isn't that I don't trust her, but I hate the thought of 7,000 miles between us. She always has a fear something will keep me from getting back, like a volcano. If that happens, though, you can bet I'll be winding my way home via England, Scotland, The Hebrides, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, Canada, then home by way of those beautiful country roads, back to Texas, Waco, Texas, where my heart is now home.
I'll be spending the weekend with her, soaking up as much of her radiance as I can before I fly out to the land of my ancestors. I look forward to all seeing you when I return.
-John M. Tomeček
I'm off Monday morning to the Czech Republic for two weeks, for a conference and vacation. I'm excited, but nervous to leave Alex for that long. It isn't that I don't trust her, but I hate the thought of 7,000 miles between us. She always has a fear something will keep me from getting back, like a volcano. If that happens, though, you can bet I'll be winding my way home via England, Scotland, The Hebrides, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, Canada, then home by way of those beautiful country roads, back to Texas, Waco, Texas, where my heart is now home.
I'll be spending the weekend with her, soaking up as much of her radiance as I can before I fly out to the land of my ancestors. I look forward to all seeing you when I return.
-John M. Tomeček
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Always something new to learn for when SHTF
I love fun acronyms. Take SHTF, for instance. On first glance, it looks like STFU, but no! It is "Shit Hits the Fan," referring to a possible total breakdown in infrastructure, etc.
For those of you who know me well, you know that I have this firm feeling that eventually, one way or another, the shit will hit the fan. For that reason (and just because I love to know how to do everything) I am always learning new crafts, skills, and trades. I rarely use powertools, and prefer the simplest setup on just about everything. For that reason, I'd like to share a few things that have tickled me this week.
Most know that I am an avid reloader, meaning I handload firearm ammunition from components. The advantage here is not being beholden to big manufacturers or the tide of the market (after the election, it was nigh impossible to find most calibers of ammunition). Also, the accuracy one can achieve with handloading is insane. Think of it as a custom-fit tailor-made suit verses one of the rack. Big difference, though they both work. Since I came into a large collection of reloading components after a friend's father passed away, I have been paring that collection down to the few components I can use and trading the rest for stuff I will use. I'm thoroughly enjoying that pursuit.
Also, I've been getting excited over the prospect of our new home in Hewitt, and the fact that my lovely wife is encouraging me to go ahead and spend the money to set up my smithy in the garage. I'm pricing anvils, looking at tools, and overall very excited. I hope to have it up and running by Christmastime.
Otherwise, this website and its ideas tickle my fancy: zombiehunters.org. A website of a group designed along the same lines as some of the survivalist militia groups, but with the MO of being prepared for Zombiepocalypse. In an age when most men (not to exclude women at all, merely discussing traditional pursuits) no longer engage in shooting, hunting, camping, fishing, or anything that their forefathers did, this provides an acceptable outlet for such skills to be learned. It's like the Boyscouts for Grown-Ups, with guns. I'm tempted to get involved, I will at least check them out.
A new thing that I am curious about this morning is HAM radio operation. It seems to be a wide and vast field, but the concept of amateur radio operators is a wonderful thing that I believe requires more investigation.
That's what is rolling around in my head since I'm home alone without Alex, but at least I get to see her again in a few days! :)
For those of you who know me well, you know that I have this firm feeling that eventually, one way or another, the shit will hit the fan. For that reason (and just because I love to know how to do everything) I am always learning new crafts, skills, and trades. I rarely use powertools, and prefer the simplest setup on just about everything. For that reason, I'd like to share a few things that have tickled me this week.
Most know that I am an avid reloader, meaning I handload firearm ammunition from components. The advantage here is not being beholden to big manufacturers or the tide of the market (after the election, it was nigh impossible to find most calibers of ammunition). Also, the accuracy one can achieve with handloading is insane. Think of it as a custom-fit tailor-made suit verses one of the rack. Big difference, though they both work. Since I came into a large collection of reloading components after a friend's father passed away, I have been paring that collection down to the few components I can use and trading the rest for stuff I will use. I'm thoroughly enjoying that pursuit.
Also, I've been getting excited over the prospect of our new home in Hewitt, and the fact that my lovely wife is encouraging me to go ahead and spend the money to set up my smithy in the garage. I'm pricing anvils, looking at tools, and overall very excited. I hope to have it up and running by Christmastime.
Otherwise, this website and its ideas tickle my fancy: zombiehunters.org. A website of a group designed along the same lines as some of the survivalist militia groups, but with the MO of being prepared for Zombiepocalypse. In an age when most men (not to exclude women at all, merely discussing traditional pursuits) no longer engage in shooting, hunting, camping, fishing, or anything that their forefathers did, this provides an acceptable outlet for such skills to be learned. It's like the Boyscouts for Grown-Ups, with guns. I'm tempted to get involved, I will at least check them out.
A new thing that I am curious about this morning is HAM radio operation. It seems to be a wide and vast field, but the concept of amateur radio operators is a wonderful thing that I believe requires more investigation.
That's what is rolling around in my head since I'm home alone without Alex, but at least I get to see her again in a few days! :)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A New Home and Sour Powder
So, a very important bit of news for Alexandra and me is that we will have a new place to live in Waco. We have put down our deposit on a duplex that is a 3/2/2, and backs up to a pasture. It is a lovely place that we intend to stay in for at least a few years. And the yard has a rabbit hole to the pasture beyond, demonstrated by the rabbits traveling in and out while we were there. It has enough room for us do what we want, and even enough room to put in a metal shop and brewing shop in the garage, as well as my reloading bench, with room for one of our cars. (We decided that it was more important to us to have the shop space than both cars in-garage.) That means that as soon as we're in there, I will ramp beer and mead production back up to full-tilt, and get started establishing my smithy!
On another interesting note, I was reloading some bullets last night (.25-06 for long-range shooting, to be precise), and to my shock, when I opened a can of the gunpowder that I came into when my boss's father passed away, an intensely acrid smell passed my nose. Now, powder always smells a little of acetone or alcohol, that is its nature, but it shouldn't make you regret having smelled it nor leave you feeling like you just scoured the inside of your nose. Sadly, I will most likely have to dispose of something in the neighborhood of 4 lbs of the powder I use the most. Oh well! I was having trouble with those anyhow, since the old man had repackaged them and labeled the containers "4831," which is fine and dandy, except for the fact that TWO companies make a 4831 (designed IMR 4831 and H4831 respectively) and they are NOT interchangeable. These were not marked as to which. I guess that solves that problem for me.
So, Alex and I are enjoying our last week together for some time. It is not all doom and gloom, at least: we will see each other on weekends, and our house repair stint has been much reduced to be reasonable. The intervening time will pass quickly.
How is everyone else out there?
On another interesting note, I was reloading some bullets last night (.25-06 for long-range shooting, to be precise), and to my shock, when I opened a can of the gunpowder that I came into when my boss's father passed away, an intensely acrid smell passed my nose. Now, powder always smells a little of acetone or alcohol, that is its nature, but it shouldn't make you regret having smelled it nor leave you feeling like you just scoured the inside of your nose. Sadly, I will most likely have to dispose of something in the neighborhood of 4 lbs of the powder I use the most. Oh well! I was having trouble with those anyhow, since the old man had repackaged them and labeled the containers "4831," which is fine and dandy, except for the fact that TWO companies make a 4831 (designed IMR 4831 and H4831 respectively) and they are NOT interchangeable. These were not marked as to which. I guess that solves that problem for me.
So, Alex and I are enjoying our last week together for some time. It is not all doom and gloom, at least: we will see each other on weekends, and our house repair stint has been much reduced to be reasonable. The intervening time will pass quickly.
How is everyone else out there?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A Bachelor Again?
So, I must preface all this by saying (and it is no shock if you read my lovely wife's blog) that, no, Alex and I are fine, and I am happy about her going.
We've told very few people so-far, but since Alex now has acquired a new job and we creep towards it, it is official: we are moving in August. At the end of July, our lease and my job here are up, and in keeping with our dreams of moving onto land in Bosque County, Alex and I have decided to move in that direction. So, to make it clear: we are moving to Waco. She is working for Baylor, and has secured a job that not only pays more than her current here by a fair amount, it provides benefits and permanence. From there, she is going to undertake a teaching certification program, and hopes to teach middle school science.
For my part, I'm planning on finding a decent 8-5, finishing my thesis to receive my MA in December (beautiful thing is I don't have to live in Austin to do it, since I am not taking classes nor teaching), and perhaps engage myself in teaching 4-8 grades history at some point. The point is that I don't feel the University is where I am supposed to be, though I would still love to teach, especially a subject like Texas history.
I realize to some this is a shock, and others may not want to keep up with us. That happens, but Waco for us actually will make is equidistant from a number of friends we currently don't see much, which will be nice. It is only a 1 and a half hour drive from Austin, and let's face it: it can take that long to get across town in Austin in rush hour. Not so bad, so come visit us! We've scoped out a place that is a 3/2/2 that backs up to a park in a quiet part of town...and it would be a 15 min commute for Alex. Oh, I can't wait!!
That all being said, from the 21st on, I'm a bachelor again for a while. I'll be packing up around here and getting ready to move on. I'll also be in the Czech Republic from the 5th-19th of July at a conference. Hooray!
We've told very few people so-far, but since Alex now has acquired a new job and we creep towards it, it is official: we are moving in August. At the end of July, our lease and my job here are up, and in keeping with our dreams of moving onto land in Bosque County, Alex and I have decided to move in that direction. So, to make it clear: we are moving to Waco. She is working for Baylor, and has secured a job that not only pays more than her current here by a fair amount, it provides benefits and permanence. From there, she is going to undertake a teaching certification program, and hopes to teach middle school science.
For my part, I'm planning on finding a decent 8-5, finishing my thesis to receive my MA in December (beautiful thing is I don't have to live in Austin to do it, since I am not taking classes nor teaching), and perhaps engage myself in teaching 4-8 grades history at some point. The point is that I don't feel the University is where I am supposed to be, though I would still love to teach, especially a subject like Texas history.
I realize to some this is a shock, and others may not want to keep up with us. That happens, but Waco for us actually will make is equidistant from a number of friends we currently don't see much, which will be nice. It is only a 1 and a half hour drive from Austin, and let's face it: it can take that long to get across town in Austin in rush hour. Not so bad, so come visit us! We've scoped out a place that is a 3/2/2 that backs up to a park in a quiet part of town...and it would be a 15 min commute for Alex. Oh, I can't wait!!
That all being said, from the 21st on, I'm a bachelor again for a while. I'll be packing up around here and getting ready to move on. I'll also be in the Czech Republic from the 5th-19th of July at a conference. Hooray!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Shout the Battlecry of Freedom
So, here I am musing right now, listening to the Confederate version of the "Battlecry of Freedom." This morning, on a whim, I was reading Wikipedia's series on the History of Texas. I have to say I really do love the history of my state. It is unique and full of unexpected twists. For example, who knew that the Republic of Texas was the first nation in the world to ensure homestead protection from creditors? A tradition we nobly carry today. Also, following Mexico's example, they were the first State in the Union to declare property in a marriage, no matter what its source, the joint assets of both man and woman, unlike the Anglo-based law which deemed it all the husband's, even if it came from the wife's family or inheritance.
I live in a place with a wonderful sense of self and a monumental wealth of history and tradition, bursting at the seams, that one doesn't have to look far to find. I ended up on the wiki page of some secessionist groups. Now, I am not saying I advocate secession, but I think that it should be something permissible in a nation that says it is an collection of states. Texas vs. White (1870) decided that that was not the nature of the Union, but do small nations not have a right to be free, when they decide that greater nation to which they belong no longer serves their best interests? I wonder.
I live in a place with a wonderful sense of self and a monumental wealth of history and tradition, bursting at the seams, that one doesn't have to look far to find. I ended up on the wiki page of some secessionist groups. Now, I am not saying I advocate secession, but I think that it should be something permissible in a nation that says it is an collection of states. Texas vs. White (1870) decided that that was not the nature of the Union, but do small nations not have a right to be free, when they decide that greater nation to which they belong no longer serves their best interests? I wonder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
