Happy Birthday, Beyza

Happy birthday, Beyza. We all love you very much.

Abandoned Madison

It's that time of the year. The last day of classes are over, finals have been turned over. People have moved out of their dorms, sublet their apartments, and have moved on to bigger, better things--for the summer. What does that mean for us Madsionites? It means a near empty State Street and a visibly diminished attendants of Memorial Union.

For a few weeks, some peace of mind is to be found, certainly.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

I've finished Lady Chatterley's Lover today. I know that many of my writer/ English Lit. Major friends don't particularly like this book because of the erotic scenes in it. But I thought they were done well with class and sincerity. There are quite a bit of rawness, even naughty elements totally exposed. But I think they are probably mild in comparison to erotica today. Though, I guess it's not the point considering the fact that this book was never written or published as an erotic book. Human sexuality does make some nervous, and adding into the values of the day then, it is understandable how much sensationalism this book had caused, during its days.

The story explores human sexuality and the requirements of a body and heart. Since when did that become wrong, or not real literature? The idea isn't about sex, the idea is about the connection between body, love and recognition as a human being, as a man, as a woman. The triangle of difficult relationship we have with our desires and flesh and the morality so we speak of.

While as a writer, I didn't much enjoy the category writers were put in, because certainly, we're not all like this, Clifford was probably my least favorite character. He feels overbearing. I figured he would be the most interesting character to read about, considering his own situation and the power he gets to wield and I was interested in finding out the different dynamic that would create. He is in an awkward situation and I think Lawrence could have shown Clifford at a different light that could have made him at least a slightly less revolting. We all have back stories and reasons for the way we are. We never got to explore Clifford's past, his difficulties with returning as a handicapped person from the war. We never discovered his sexual frustrations, the challenges he obviously faced in his marriage with Connie. Instead we got a very passive-aggressive Clifford. Nothing particularly is wrong with Clifford being this way. Obviously this is the way Lawrence has decided to carry him. He becomes so annoying that I wanted to choke him by the end of the book.

I loved the descriptions and scenes, such eloquent writing and the narrative summaries, expositions were done beautifully. However, I found the pacing to be a little slow, though I do enjoy such books. I am not much for people categorizing others so cruelly, coldly and having such negative outlook on the whole world. It feels like the writer is constantly comparing every single woman to Connie and no one could just come near her beauty, her reality, her personhood and her womanhood. It's impossible. No one, nothing is ever as good, as real as her fucking, as her personality, as her intelligence, as her womanhood. It becomes a little repetitious and boring after a while. I didn't understand why there was anything wrong with Hilda, her going after her own pleasure, her own understanding of the world and her will. That's obviously the feminist within me and its another way of analyzing texts.

I wouldn't say that this is my favorite book I've recently read, but it is a good book that definitely deserves its place amongst the classics. It definitely gets your wheels turning to think and rethink and analyze. It gets a great discussion going.

What did you think?

26th

Today is my 26th Birthday. I am getting old. When did I turn 26. It feels like after I turned 21, years became a blur and passed right by me. Sometimes, I still feel 21. Where is all these years go? They just slipped from between my fingers, I was unable to hold on, to make good of them and have them be good to me. But, that's all in the past.

Last year, I woke up as someone who had recently just begun a new, promising relationship with someone who ever increasingly piqued my interested and quickly gave me a new set of wings to fly on my own. Whose hand I had come to expect at every turn, never letting go of me, always firm but with a gentle hold.

This year, I woke up as a married young woman to the love of my life whose hand that four days ago, I had promised to never let go, in front of a judge and a large group of friends.


Let's walk together on the road we build ourselves, with no help other than each other's.
How lucky am I to be waking up next to you, everyday for the rest of my life. To the man who loves me for who I am, as I am, gently, passionately and in good humor.

Farewell Parties

It's sad that this day has come. Truly. A few days after our wedding ceremony, it's hard to attend their farewell party.
This feels like leaving home, being abandoned by your parents. I can't believe it's almost time to leave home.

On the other side, this is a testament to MK's ability to make friends. He's made such wonderful friends and so many of them that they're all here today, at the pool party and everyone is sad, visibly. I think everybody also understands that this is also a necessity in MK and SN's relationship.

If anyone knows how to put a get together well, it's definitely MK

Writing Critique Group

Now that I am taking my writing seriously, I think it's time to write seriously, finish catching up on my overdue readings, writings and writing exercises. I have to meet other writers, more writers and find out information about the literary, fiction, writing community of Madison. I've waited too long for this. I should have done all of this, years ago. But better  late than never.

The only problem is me actually having a manuscript to hand in for critiquing. I'll have to find out a  critiquing group to join in which I can push myself further. I am not going to become a better writer by sitting at home. It's not like I am writing by myself anymore. My writing circle and cycle and process is out of whack. Looking at a blank page paralyzes me. I am so afraid of scratching the surface that I am terrified of what will come out underneath it all.

It's time to conquer my fears, true, but there is one more thing to do before I could come to that. It is true that in order to join a critique group, I would actually need to have something, I don't yet. But at the Fiction Writing class I eventually will. I'll begin there, with that. I need something to motivate me with. This needs to be cleaned up. I need to return to being a writer, not just a sensitive, intensely feeler.

The Next Day

I can't believe that we had our wedding ceremony yesterday. Today, I woke up as a married woman. Huh, who would have thought. I can't believe how fast the days leading up to the ceremony went. It's been a blur, really.  Yesterday was wonderful. Our friends showed up, all dressed up and with huge smiles on their faces. It was great to be officially recognized and thanked, congratulated.

It doesn't feel any different other than the fact that I am simply happier now. Much happier.

We've made such a great and better decision. It was time. We became we, actively made a decision and followed through. It feels great.

Marriage Ceremony

In the few hours I was able to squeeze in sleep this morning, before our big day, We shared a dream. I have no idea what I truly dreamed, because I was so tired that I just passed out. What I mean is that we shared our dream of a life time, where we promised to work together for our dreams, the very dreams we share in the long and short run. We've made our commitments long ago, in secret, between just the two of us, but today, we would be repeating our promise, commitment and dreams in front of a judge, a group of friends, among them people we count as family.

S and I have never been shy from one another, especially when it comes to honesty, communication, and sharing secret details about one another, including those extremely humiliating stories that could shame us to the grave and all the embarrassing things we've said since the beginning of our consciousness. By now, so much has happened that, we even know things about one another that we really ought not to, considering some of these were difficult things to accept, understand, relate and digest. Though we did and are closer for it as we truly were able to examine one another's mind, logic and truly come to see each others soul with all of its vibrant and dull colors, in all the shapes, forms and memories it carries with it. Besides, everyone is entitled to privacy and some of their own past, is bound only to them and should only be shared with the people concerning the particular experience of the past. On a brighter side, we've always been upfront about the things we wanted to have, we wanted to achieve. We were upfront about the things we desired of one another, the good details we found in one another and the expectations of each other, from each other and of our relationships. We shared the dainty, the firm, the solid, the leading, the ever changing and the never changing dreams one by one. We embellished them with our individualistic traits and then merged together to have one common goal, where our personal goals were realized, recognized and we had plans to work for them, to achieve for them. I and You and She an Her, became US and WE and WE had a plan for us and individually we knew of one anothers plan for the future.

To be able to marry the love of your life is an incredible lucky thing that should never go without being appreciated and always thanked for. Not many of us end up down the aisle with the people we both passionately love and feel we were destined to be, meant to be.

To have married you, to have meet you, to have married you has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is true we had a fairy tale beginning and a fantastic growth, but it's also equally true we've had our share of troubles, difficulties and near impossible things we thought we couldn't get over. And yet today, we knowingly said I Do to a world of troubles that will be assaulting us, first thing in the morning. If you are with me though, no matter how rough, how difficult the storm, how high the mountain and how impossible the track is, we'll weather it through, because I've got my hands in yours, and you've got your eyes in mine.

To a happy, healthy, fulfilling life where the passion never dwindles and we grow with each other, against all odds.

Excitement

Tomorrow, I will be married. Today, I am elbow deep in food, grease, oil, and garlic, and sweat, trying to make these food items available to our guests.

I am happy, excited and so very tired. I can't believe we've gotten to today. It's been such a long walk, and we deserve this peace, piece of mind and happiness. It's great to be able to take a short break, even if it won't last for more than a day. But tomorrow is the day to be merry, happy and cheery.

I can't believe I will be marrying to the best man on this earth. To many years.

Overcoming Fear

This one huge problem is staring at us. How to solve it when you're afraid to move?

I've been beginning to desire writing. There is a tight shackle that bounds me into silence. It's called fear. It's useless sometimes. I wouldn't go so far to say that fear is never a useful emotion. That would be a huge lie standing from a biological evolutionary theory. As humans we developed fear to assess dangerous situations to our survival and extinction. It is often intuitive. There is some sort of an association of dangerous territory, unknown results, information that we're lacking and we have no idea the change it can create in us. This is the latter kind of fear we have developed as we slowly made our way into the modern world as humans. Our collective conscious tells us we no longer to fear for our survival on a daily basis, however there are other things that we fear now for our existence, the psychological, mental balance of our lives.

I am empowering myself with information. It's looking more horrible than before. But now, we are beyond desperate. So, we'll have to overcome it, grit out teeth and finish the last item on our agenda. Here we come.

Yet, More Sad News

Today, we found out that MK and SN will be relocating to Turkey. It's incredibly sad news to us, considering MK and SN are like a brother and a sister to us. They've been the people we're closest with, resembling family. Scratch that, they've become our family in here. We've always only kindness and help from them, always including us, trying to make us into one big family. They have. They've been there when we needed them the most. I am so very happy to have known them, and when they're gone we will miss them incredibly. I don't know what we will do without them.

But, to them, this brings a new future, a promise and a new beginning without the daunting task of getting over and cleaning the past. As a woman, I agree with SN and they will have a chance of surviving there as a couple.

We wish you the best of luck. We hope everything goes the way you want them to.

Another Set of Bad News

It seems S can't catch a break. I think he caught my bad case of luck from me. He is the person whose life has went according to plan, and things happening, what he wanted, even if they were delayed. Now that he knows he won't be teaching either, we just don't know what to do financially. We were getting by hardly as it is, now this. We are definitely in a tight situation.

I hope S can recover from this. Even if he does, it's going to take him the whole summer, I can see that. Two things happening so close to one another. He is still venting over the difficulty of his emotions and how much he feels like he was used.

All of this hard work? For what? I wish I knew what to do, other than just listen to him. I wish I could give him a solution, keep him focused and allow him to have unlimited time to mourn and get over it. He was there when I needed him to be, and hopefully I can fulfill that role for him just as well.

Out of a group, without a teaching position, our summer is already looking like a nightmare.

E

E is good friends with my husband, S. He's been living in the Southern part of the country for the past seven years or so. He's married and is expecting his first child in June. He came to visit us recently.

It got me to think a lot. He has all these grand ideas about business, making money. He thinks everything is easy and he is after big but also easy money. As if there was such a thing. Somehow, he still hasn't finished his school, I don't particularly understand what he does for living as it continually changes. He doesn't instill a promising future to me. I have no doubt he's a good person. He seems very kind, but his arrogance irritates me in the wrong way. He is a typical Turk in the sense that he thinks just because action A worked for person A, under  unknown circumstances that it will work for everyone. He doesn't understand that situations are relative and one answer, or solution is not universal. There are different versions, like drafts of essays, editions of comic books.

I don't wholly understand his choice of the partner he has decided to be with. Of course, I don't know her well, but she seems shallow, and a bit too snobby for my taste. I am waiting to hear from them once we get married. If we don't get some sort of congratulatory remark from them as a couple, I will come to know where she stands with S and us as a relationship. I will also edit my actions according to her behavior. After all, it is a world of give and take.

Overall, I just wish he'd keep his grand ideas of us opening stores and closing stalls to himself. It's tiring to hear other people make dreams  out of our lives without consultingus.

Wondering About the Future

I've been thinking about this circumstance a lot, wholeheartedly. It's difficult to make up from down. I had always pictured this moment, and it was a cornerstone of my future dreams to one day come to realize it. It's a cold reality to face when things happen so grossly out of your comfort zone and dreams. Better yet, the things you've been delaying and in hopes of achieving working your hardest, to find out that you're in this situation, have this opportunity and cannot under any circumstance accept it. Because if you do, your own version of hell will be wreaking havoc here, on earth.

Thinking about it too much, lead to being sad about it from the bottom of my heart, which made the pain all the more stronger, searing through my flesh. A glass of wine will help I said. But things did not end well when I finished the whole bottle myself. I ended up quite drunk, and a sad drunk at that, that blabbered, cried, screamed and would not take no for an answer. It's hurtful to me, it's hurtful to S. My actions are inexcusable.

I wonder what kind of a reaction I will have if this was ever to be found out. What kind of treatment would I get from others? Would I be scorned? Would I be disrespected? Would I forever be banished from heaven? What kind of an explanation will I be able to give on the day of judgment. What kind of an answer will I be able to give my own child? These answers are terrifying and I can't bear to know the answers.

Marriage Certificate Proccess

Why didn't anyone tell me why it was so damn expensive and so damn difficult to arrange a local ceremony? The judge costs a tiny fortune (according to my budget), it's been difficult to search, get in contact and find an eligible, compatible, available judge. Judges, I've found out, also don't like to reply back to common people such as myself. I must admit though, I was able to, after much seeking after, found the perfect judge who is awesome. If you're in the Madison Area, look for Judge Hepfinger to officiate your wedding. He does a wonderful job, who is a lovely, lovely man. The booking, applying, process are another ordeal.

Anyhow, we've made it to here, finally and we're officially on the roster, the date is reserved, the fees are paid and those who were supposed to be made aware--official, familial and otherwise--have been notified. All that is left is the details, such as what I will be wearing, if we'll be buying a new set of rings as we've been advised by our well meaning friends, or to purchase that weekend getaway to Door County?

It seems, we'll figure the rest of our questions shortly, considering that we have no other time left and that the day of destiny is in front of our steps.

Reasses

Well, we've removed Item One, Item Two is well on its way. Number three remains. We have to come to a decision about it soon. We've set the required amount of money to take care of this obstacle as well. So, I think for now, we're in good situation.

I've definitely made the decision to go back to school and even taken the first steps by meeting with advisors at UW, researched MATC catalogue and have enrolled in Journalism Certificate for the fall. I am beyond excited for that! I don't know how much I can afford in the Fall, but being registered definitely puts my mind at ease. I've registered for two UW Mini Courses as a remissions classes in the world of Fiction to warm me up for the upcoming class haul.

I am in desperate need of a job. With all of these stringing bad news, extra cash would make our life a little better to soften the blows.

Imagination

Lack of imagination and possessing a lively world has never been my weak suit. I've been blessed with a strong and vivid imagination, which is one of the reasons why I've loved reading, role playing and writing as a child, and have continued to foster as I've slowly became an adult.

My imagination doesn't go away. I am a creative person by nature and I like to create, whether it is meals, home projects, dancing and dance routines, stories, or drawing and painting. However, my imagination is dependent on my mood and the perception of level I perceive myself to possess. If I am feeling sad, going through difficult situations, and experiencing the blues, my creations resemble that. My paintings tend to heavily carry darker tones, greater amount of shadowing and other darker elements. I tend to reader more macabre stories, with tragic drama in them. Even the world I experience, is entirely different. The trees, the sun and the noises outside tends to reinvigorate me and tends to inspire me to see the pure beauty in nature, i myself and in people in a more humanist, optimistic and lighter way vs the more darker elements charged within my veins.

Does this hold for true others, I wonder.

TIME

My ability to judge the passing of time has been permanently suspended. I can't relate, understand and work within the given parameters. It seems like a blur. I wake up, I do something and sleep. We're always clearing up the table, I am always washing dishes, doing laundry and making boxes. More and more. It feels like this moving out is taking me out of my skin. I already want to be over with it and enjoy my summer. It seems the least likely available option to me currently.

I can't understand due dates, availabilities, meetings, responsibilities and important dates. My mind is confused and I just can't catch up. Can we throw away calendars, time and any kind of promises away?

Anime

It's a slow day, I am tired and I am just hoping to catch my breath. So it's a day to watch anime, to catch up, re-asses and motivate me. Animes tend to have a lot of information,interesting story world, complicated characters that are rich and diverse, dire circumstances and the protagonist usually pulls through at the end of the episode. These shows ends up giving me so much encouragement that I become brave enough to possess courage momentarily, enough to do something about my own situation, however dire I might think it is. Each episode tends to have a good dose of optimism. I think it's one of the reasons why I love anime.

The world these characters are set in, sometimes are so different then mine and sometimes, similar to mine. There is no end to the human imagination and there is no border of human emotions that can be limited to several. Even though, conceived, created and eventually evolved by people from across the world, from a language I have no ability to understand and culture unlike anything I've seen, yet I can and do empathize by so many of its characters. The struggles these characters go through are strong enough to create a powerful emotional response in me and move my own wheels about the situation and compare myself with another character from a make-belief character. The art work itself is beautiful. There is much to learn from the world of anime. I've learned immensely about Japan, culture and have gained valuable insight to people, and even character sketching from watching anime episodes.

Today, it's time to sit back and enjoy several of them thoroughly and watch the magic work in the next several days.

MK and SN to the Rescue

As we were desperately wondering about what to do about the venue part of our after ceremony question, SN and MK came to our rescue, offering their home, balcony and enormous backyard. I don't know what we would have done without it. I was growing desperate by the minute. At least, we now have a place, that is not just a place. It holds a meaningful connection to us and a wonderful place to be having a small reception.

Thank you MK and SN. We will never forget this.

The Day After

We walked a long time with S. For hours, up and down Madison, in the middle of the night He just can't say anything else, trying to convey his emotions in a thoughtful way that and in a way that would make to an outsider like me. Someone whose any kind of Chemistry knowledge came from a basic Chemistry class, years ago, I cannot understand the Scientific Method, process or how things move along. But I can sympathize and understand the emotions he is going through. Telling him that does no good, because the less he feels I understand, the more he will tell me, which means the more he will vent, without censoring his own emotions, which will eventually get better with time.

He just doesn't know where to begin to hold on to light, how to make himself feel better, and what steps to take next. Our obvious concerns are, what will happen, what should our next steps be and how could we get over this with the softest blow?

Bad News

We've discussed this option for a very long time, since December, over and over with S, continually. From evening to dawn of the next morning. I thought we were prepared for this. We can't seem to take a breather for a very long time, it seems. Something is happening to someone, with short intervals. At least, I am getting better bit by bit, so now, I can support S.

S received some heart breaking news today. His professor no longer wants to work with him. This was shattering to S. The always humorous, always optimist S that I knew was in shambles today, his voice shaken and his eyes sunken. this is hard news to hear for someone in the academia who has worked 16 hours a day trying to make everyone but himself happy, trying to meet expectations. For someone who has given his whole three years, he feel so stifled and short-changed and I can't blame him. His wound is big and hurtful. He doesn't know what to do, what to say. His sadness is visible and I just don't know what to say to him to soothe him better. He feels like it's a big slap on the face. People who thought academia was face, you have no idea how wrong that is and how competitive everything is in these institutions' walls.

Long walks is all we can take. Maybe the fresh spring air will make him feel better. At the moment, this is all we can do.

Missing Mom

Berra is here already. I can't believe I can't see her. I have no idea when we can go up to Rochester to see her. It feels so broken to be so far out here, without my family. I wish they were just a car ride of a few hours away. I know that would come in handy, on times like these. I wish I could tell all these feelings inside of me. I wish I could tell the truth. Maybe, they would understand me better. The hurt and perhaps I could meet with sympathy, but I know I won't. I can't. In this dilemma, I am perfectly alone.

I miss my mom though. I would love to be nearby enough so that I can take her out to coffee and spill her whatever is bothering me. Meet her embrace and gaze. I would love to be emotionally supported so it wouldn't suck so much to be in this situation.

MK and SN

It's always great to see MK and SN. True, they're much older than we are. But they are wonderful people individually and as a couple. Always so understanding, caring and giving. The only thing they want to get out of anyone is their warm heart and friendship. There just aren't enough people like that in the world. S and I are happy that MK found someone like SN. They truly belong to one another, although it doesn't seem like MK understand that just yet.

I think they're doing better now then they were originally, when SN first came here from Turkey. She seems less out of place and more adapted then before. She also seems to have removed English as an obstacle from her list. I wish I had her patience.

It's good to see good people marrying good people. Especially when they're so close to your heart.

Not As Planned

I wanted to have a wedding ceremony that was small, nonchalant and expense free--well, other than the license fees--and it seems like everybody else has other opinions on how our nuptials should be celebrated. Everybody from my mom to our friends, wants this big ordeal so that we can enjoy the beginning of our partnership. Although, I understand this, we will be having a wedding (much to my protests) and I just don't understand why we need to have to separate parties to celebrate the occasion?

It looks like I will have to wear that white dress, have flowers, do my hair and invite people to a party, I have no idea where I will be hosting!

Berra

Yesterday, my uncle's first child was born. Considering the fact that he is only 8 years older than I am, it feels like my first niece.
Overall, probably the best Sunday once can wish to strive for. Waking up after a great night filled with fun to hear wonderful news of an addition to an ever growing family, one that has been greatly anticipated and have been waiting for.

Berra, as cousins, we're at least  whole two generations apart. I will be more like an aunt, than as a cousin. We certainly won't have the same kind of relationship as I had with my brother and my aunts first child, in which we were all more or so the same age, who truly grew up together, experiencing the same joys and pains in the family. We certainly won't have the same relationships as my aunts' and uncles' second children, in which I was already several years older and had the honor to show them around in family, in the neighborhood and in the world. I had a responsibility as older sister to teach the right from wrong. You could have been my child, if the circumstances were right and had I meet your uncle S a few years earlier and if life had been a little bit easier on me, allowing me to get my way. Of course, though you are not and instead will always be a beloved cousin, whom I will always feel that you're more along the lines of a niece. Your father, my uncle has always been more of a brother to me, then an uncle, allowing me to feel like you're my own, or a niece.

No matter how our relationship can be defined due to the blood relationship, time constraints capped by circumstances, you will always be precious, loved, cared for and nestled at the warmest spot in our hearts. I will always look at you longingly, draw your scent in, as if I am always trying to make up for something, and feel like a sinner because I will always be living further away in one way or another.

But, welcome to earth, may you have a long, happy life, filled with joy, understanding and appreciation.

MATS' Turkish Night

Last year, on April 24th, MATS held its annual Turkish Night, where I attended, a little out of pressure, a little out of having nothing better to do for the night, a little reluctantly to say the least, where due to circumstances and people, where I've meet the love of my life.

So, here's to MATS for bringing us together, to a wonderful new year.

Our Next Step In Life

Quite a while ago, S and I have decided to put on silly rings and eventually get married. In order to show our efforts on that front, we held a closed, intimate and small engagement party at my parents' house. When we came back, much happened and nothing at all happened at the same time that we were too busy being alive, we left little to none consideration at all about the future. It was hard enough getting by, the extra stress of thinking, discussing, coming to a conclusion and taking action towards a future seemed undue burden and unusual and cruel punishment. We put it all aside and focused all our energy and healing, getting better and moving on. Now that we have, it was time to have the proper discussions, arguments and to drive at a common, similar goal and conclusion with a clearly stated action plan.

We have, and S and I believe that it is now time to move on to the next stage of life. We should be officially and legally married. We're in love, engaged, living together and planning a wedding for August 2014. There is no reason why we shouldn't be married now, instead of later. We've realized that we have been living like a married couple, acting, thinking and planning like a married couple. There is absolutely nothing at all that's different about us, then about any other couple roaming on this planet, freely. Why not officially document and have our commitment and love be sanctioned by a body of government? We're ready and have been test driving these responsibilities. It's time we thoroughly mounted the task and responsibilities on our shoulders and made everything real, rather than pretend.

So we will be getting married and have started applying for our marriage certificate. We will be married on May 24th, 2013. I can't wait until the day is here.

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

I began reading "Lady Chatterley's Lover" today. I couldn't get very far, but that's okay for now. I haven't been able to read anything in months and being able to pick up this book simply, is enough success to me. I am slowly getting better. Slowly getting back on my feet. Slowly beginning to return to normal. Today, I am lucky and thankful. I could still be in such a worse condition that I don't even want to draw comparisons. Long walks and some sunshine have been instruemental. Maybe, now S is tired and needs more attention has got to do with it. It doesn't matter. What matters is that I am getting out of this depression and I am happy about it.

The book looks promising to me so far. I like the character Connie. She is so time forward for her age. I enjoyed the writing so far, though I don't know what I think about Clifford. I guess we'll have to find out, how I feel about Clifford in time.

Have you read Lady Chatterley? If so, what do you think? Any recommendations by D.H. Lawrence?

U Haul

I cannot tell you how happy I am that we now have a place to move into. It's like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. That is one less thing I have to worry about.
To celebrate, I boxed nearly our entire closet. Just the essentials, I don't care if that means I have to do more laundry! This tells you how much I just want to get out of this apartment.

UHaul is being a stingy corporation, but we'll have to comply. There is no other option. We'll have to find people to help us move. We will only have Uhaul for 8 hours (which is fine for our purposes, but is that enough time for everybody else?) and it is only reserved. You can be made to wait and what not. How is that a proper management of a business?

Found It!

This is great news! I needed this! We are officially moving in on August 16th. We found a great apartment at Capitol Center Apartments. The rent is expensive. It is downtown, Madison. It is inescapable at this point, much to my dismay. But we have signed a lease this morning with them. We will be moving. Now, to get the other arrangements off my list!