One Month Mark

Okay, it's been one month. One month married and one month in Ohio. I still don't have the urge to run home screaming (still an option though) but I am sure David would tell you I haven't been the easiest person to live with lately. Aside, from the run of the mill: "Can you find it in your heart TO NOT LEAVE YOUR SHOES IN LIVING ROOM FOR ME TO TRIP ON?" and his reply "WTF is your problem? Yeah, AS SOON AS YOU LEARN TO NOT LEAVE YOUR HAIRBRUSH ON THE BATHROOM SINK!" I expected all that, those exchanges are normal as we spend the next few months training each other. However, I did not expect to feel resentment toward David's job.

Resentment that his job takes him away from me, that he has a place to go everyday and something to do, that he interacts with people and those people have become friends. It's flawed, selfish thinking, I know. David needs his job in order for us to survive. I still find myself longing for the days David would go in early and come home early. The whole afternoon would stretch before us full of promise. We could go out and do all the things I love and David hates. Aimlessly driving and walking, coffee shops, ice cream runs, shopping. Now, we have to cram all that into the weekend with the rest of the population. The days when I was Samina and not "The boss's wife" and David did not work long hours.

I know what everyone is saying, "Get a job, Samina. Go out and find people." Those things are difficult when you don't have a car, there are no jobs and nowhere locally to meet people. I see people my age around. If they are female, kids are attached to them. I like kids but it's hard to hang out with the "kidded" when you are kidless. I'm not going to hang out with a bunch of random dudes. I already do that on the weekend. Excuses, excuses I know.

David and I are still trying to figure out if it's even worth it for me to get a job right now. We plan on moving in less than a year. Wouldn't it be better for me just to sit tight for a bit until we find a house then get a job? I'm not sure if it is but it sounds smarter. I'm sure it will all get worked out. We will find a nice, reasonably priced house. We get situated, we buy another car, one that isn't stick and actually likes to start when you turn the key. I use this car and get this I DRIVE to places. Yeah, yeah good plan, right?

Snow in April

A light snow fell for about two days. It wasn't a whole lot but enough for me to frantically text everyone I know in California with "OMG It's snowing!" then they texted back with "OMG IN APRIL?! R U OK? That sux." Obviously, I survived. I don't really go anywhere so the "weather" is a novelty I observe from within the confines of my dismal apartment. Actually, it's less dismal since my stuff arrived. There is finally some art to look at and bookshelves lining the walls. All my clothes and shoes arrived unharmed. Life could be better but like I said I'm surviving.

Also making my life miserable are the crappy radio stations they have around here. I found, on iTunes, a station called KROQ Cleveland and got excited. KROQ! YES! Then I listened to it. The music they play sucks and the commercials are folksy and irritating. A station that is called KROQ should not play: Lonestar, Shania Twain, Los Lonely Boys, Leona Lewis and cheesy 80's Pop. This station is fail. I thought Cleveland was all about Rock 'n Roll? KROQ Cleveland is all about "soft rock & yesterday's favorites". I switched back to the real KROQ where I can live in denial with No Doubt, Nirvana and Sublime.

Another thing to add to my list of "Things I hate about this apartment" is the oven. It doesn't work. David forgot to mention that when I moved in and continued to forget to mention it even when I talked about baking cookies. Even when we went out and bought stuff to make cookies. A whole week of baking cookies talk and nothing jogged his memory. I can't decide if we should ask the manager to pull an operable oven from an empty apartment or just forget about homemade cookies and cakes. Sigh.Oh well.

The good news is the sun is shining and the corner store sells bottled ice-cold Frappuccino. I have plenty of books to read and the Internet is constantly being updated. One day, I'll learn how to read the bus schedule and get the hell out of the apartment. I still haven't seen one bus drive down our street. I am beginning to think that the LCT (Lorain County Transit) signs are just for show. The last thing I want to do is wait in the cold wind for a bus that never comes and if it does end up coming decides to drop me off on the highway in front of the Ford Plant.

Lawn Jockeys & Barn Stars

David and I drove around the neighboring communities this past weekend. David hates driving around where as I could sit in the passenger seat of a moving vehicle forever. I should thank my lucky barn stars that David was willing to drive me around. We had to do it though, its part of the "buying a house process" we will soon start.

As we were driving along in our automobile I began to notice all the crap people shove in their unfenced yards around here. Its like everyone's yard is a friggin' TGI Fridays.

Particular faves are:
Fake animals, mostly fake deer. I don't understand the fake deer thing. We live in a mostly rural, wooded area, near a big ol' lake. Wait ten minutes and real deer will walk into your yard. I promise.

Large stone baskets that look kind of like wells. But, I don't think they are wells. In fact, I am not even sure they are baskets.

Of course, as in any heavily Catholic area there are Virgin Marys in almost every yard. I'm down with that. I'll put a Mary in my yard. Until I went online and saw the price. The statues range in price from $100-$1,000. Holy Mother of..! You mean to tell me ya'll spent $250 on something to put in your yard to get rained and snowed on!? In fact, most all high quality lawn ornaments are super expensive.

Silhouettes of cowboys,dogs,Amish buggies,tractors and horses.

Barn Stars are not lawn ornaments they are house ornaments. The stars are 5-pointed and made from tin or thin steel. They match or coordinate with the paint of the house. They are an Amish good luck charm and sometimes were the signature of the person who built the barn. The Barn Star is a Colonial American hold-over. Amish country is down the highway from here and in the state next door, Pennsylvania. None of the stars I saw were actually on barns or in Amish Country.

Vignettes. I am probably using the wrong term but I can't find another to describe when people make a little mound of dirt or wood chips in their front yard and cram a bunch of stuff on it. Stuff like wagon wheels and cherubs.

Lawn Jockeys. These were the most disturbing to me. Especially, when I saw an early model. Early models look like this:
Now, I couldn't scream "OH MY GOD! IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?" grab David's arm and make him pull over. You don't scream and grab the driver unless death is imminent. Apparently, these little lawn statues have cultural and historical significance dating back to Colonial America and the Underground Railroad. However, several internet articles I read dispute that. I don't know who or what to believe. All I can think of is that quote from Napoleon Dynamite, "Look, Pedro, I don't know how they do things down in Juarez, but here in Idaho we have a little something called pride. Understand? Smashing in the face of a pinata that resembles Summer Wheatley is a disgrace to you, me, and the entire Gem State."

So there you have it. A breakdown of lawn ornaments in suburban Ohio. I am going to troll the thrift stores until I find a Mary. When in Rome...gotta blend in you know? Or, at least the house we purchase needs to blend in. Lord knows, everyone here already thinks David and I are from Mars.