I know I missed peer reviews...

I am wanting to create a student reading/ open-mic series, that would meet once a month or so throughout the semester.  At IUPUI, we had something like this and it was a great experience, and I thought maybe we could use something like that here.  I was wondering if there were any suggestions for locations or any suggestions in general?

one big blur

over the course of the past couple/few weeks, I don't really even know any more, I have had difficulty after difficulty in the world of the automobile.  Blowing power steering and having to get that fixed is one thing... I put the for sale signs in the car, and quickly started getting phone calls.  Some were turned off by the high mileage, well shit, so was I that thing was a ticking time bomb and I wanted to get away before it blew!  But I had two potential buyers lined up to come and take a look at it on a Friday afternoon.  After the long week I decided that I was going to treat myself and sleep in. And so I did, and I got up and at a leisurely pace put on my robe, made some hot tea and oatmeal for breakfast.  I snuggled up on the couch with my breakfast, excited with the potential of getting rid of my car and buying a nicer, newer vehicle-  CRUNCH!  I look out the picture window only to see my car rocking back and forth.  I quickly threw off my blanket and slipped into my slippers and ran outside.  Sure as shit, my car was smashed.  Who ever hit my car, and I have my theories, took off without a second thought and that was that.  There was no way now, I thought, anyone would want to buy my car and especially not for the price I was asking.  I only had liability insurance, so there was no way of fixing it either, unless I paid for it.  And being a hit and run with not a single witness, the cop said that the chances were slim to none that anything would come of it...  So I had nothing else to do but cry! It was one of those moments where I thought, yeah everything was going a little too well... I should have known that something would have to give or it just would not be my life. 

Needless to say, someone did buy the car though it was for a significantly smaller dollar amount, and I was able to find a car for myself.  It is far from free of problems, but my fiancee is trying to convince me that I at least have a car that is worth putting money into now...  Except my issue is that I had to spend $3500 on a car worth putting money into, and I have already put another $400 into it. I am about tapped out in the department of funding.  So, while I love being able to get from point A to point B, I hate cars!

Is this much snow really necessary?!

As a new resident of Fort Wayne and Northern Indiana, I cannot help but wonder if this much snow is a usual occurrence around here.  I only moved two hours north of where I had been living for nearly five years, but I really do not feel as though we got that much snow.  So is this what I am to expect in terms of a northern Indiana winter if I find that I am here for more than one!?

Last weeks winter storm dubbed by the news as "BLIZZARD 2011!" resulted in a fairly decent amount of snow accumulation, but even prior to that it had snowed frequently whether it ended in much accumulation or not.  But this so called blizzard required digging.  I live in a house on Jefferson that is split into apartments, so when I woke up Wednesday to the expected snow and canceled classes I didn't think much of it... That is until I realized that there would undoubtedly be class on Thursday... I bundled up to step outside and see the damage, only to find that the city plowing truck who had worked so diligently to clear the streets had buried my car.  The snow, which was no longer the pretty, fluffy, light snow that had fallen, was heavy, compact, and mixed with salt.  I set out to undo the damage, and it only took two and a half hours... Two and a half hours of shoveling, heaving, sweating and back breaking efforts.

But my car was free and I would be able to make it to campus the next day.  And that is exactly what happened, and while I was at school my fiancee, who was unable to make it the day before because of the snow, surprised me by coming to Fort Wayne while I was in class.  She kindly informed me  that she had not taken my highly coveted parking place and had shoveled more snow making room for both of our vehicles.
When I got home, I quickly found this not to be the case.  Yes, there was space for my car, but there was not a way to pull into that space without going over a big bank of snow and the space was so tight between the front of her car and the wall of snow that in the oncoming traffic I was supposed to somehow fit my car in... I gave it my best, but quickly became nearly enraged because a) I had spent so much of my time and effort making sure that I would be able to get my car out of my spot and also have a spot to pull into when I returned, b) I was now stuck, ass-end of my car in the road as I was being honked at and cursed by passersby, while trying furiously to shovel my way out.  I did finally make it out of my little predicament, but not without blowing my power steering.  I immediately went to get it looked at, and after much discussion I had to schedule an appointment for the next day.  After sitting in the waiting area for almost two hours the mechanic informed me that it wasn't the hose, and it wasn't the motor as had been thought but instead my tie rod was on the verge of breaking, and would need replaced.  After all that my power steering still is not working and I had to make yet another trip back to get a belt readjusted to stop the chirping that commenced after my second trip to their shop.

I woke up today to find my car covered in snow again, and though the snow was not as high as it had been on Wednesday, it was still too high for my liking.  I suppose it could have been half way up my car door and packed underneath too, but I am still beyond over the snow, the shoveling and the salt! 

I think I can be done with this rant now...