I truly rock.

Why, you may ask. For the simple fact that I got into school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited about the whole thing my head feels like it may explode. I can't tell you how long I've fantasised about going to a real university (sorry P.C.C.) to study photography. No, wait. I can. Since I was 17. I never really thought it would happen, there just aren't that many places in Oregon you can get a degree in photography. I must admit, it does take the sting out of moving so far away.

But there's a catch. There is absolutely no way in hell I can pay for it. I mean not a chance, no way, no how. In order to hold my place they need £1,000 in the next 14 days. Which we don't have. We could borrow it, but then what do we do when December rolls around and they want the rest of their £9,00o?

I've been looking into funding but, of course, there's a catch there too. As an international student you have to apply for funding from your home country and at least one year in advance of your start date. Shit! I can feel the dream slipping away. So I went to the school yesterday and talked with many folks about my situation. I can get on their "Fund Finder" computer and look to see if any money is left anywhere for people like me. But a lot of the money out there for 2008 has been scooped up already, as I have left it a bit late.

So now what do I do? You can defer your position for a year, but that won't really help me. I could get a loan from the bank but would only end up spending more money, and I'm already uncomfortable dealing with the amount of money I would be spending. If you add everything up (materials, equipment, etc.) It would be closer to £10,000 (or $20,000) and that's a down payment on a house, every year! I can't tax us financially to that degree. We both have other things we want to accomplish. Paul wants to start a business, we want to buy a house, have a kid or two. I'm the poster child for going to college when your young!

But all hope is not lost. I always have the option of waiting for 3 years and then I would qualify for home fees. Not only would I be spending a mere £3,000 a year on college, I would also qualify for all the amazing grants, scholarships, charitable trusts and "Aw hell, just take the money!" that they have here in the UK. I would also have plenty of time to save up money, look into funding and totally prepare myself and Paul for me to go back to school. I just hope they like me in three years as much as they like me now and let me in again!

If I'm being honest, I am gutted. I'm crushed that I can't start in September. But I am so very proud of myself for getting in. That's the prevailing feeling. I'm lucky to have so many friends and family that supported me through this process. Let's do it all again in a few years!

In the meantime I will deliver some photographic essays about life in England, just to keep my skills sharp.

As most of you know, Paul does 90% of the cooking in our house and I do most of the cleaning. But I've been looking for excuses to get that man in the bathroom to clean up his own bad aim. So with no job and tons of free time, I've been trying to teach myself how to cook. One of my first projects was onion soup. The recipe looked dead easy and I was excited to get started.

Any cook will tell you that preparation is key

Step one: Cut up all the onions you have in the house. I used one red onion, one small yellow onion, one massive yellow onion and one spring onion.



Step two: add one washed and chopped leek

Step three: in a thick bottomed pan add butter, olive oil, sage and garlic. Then add your onions and leeks. And cook the shit outta them, for like an hour. After that add your chicken stock (which I must point out was home made by Mr. Paul himself)


Step four: with a crusty baguette and some sharp cheddar make a few pieces of cheesy toast.

We sat down with our big bowls of onion soup and I was so excited! And then I took a bite and remembered...I hate onions. But if you like onions, here's the real recipe.

My Latest Progress Report

I've got loads of boring school talk ahead, so you can skip to pictures of a puppy and what's tickling my pickle if you want. I won't mind.

I've gotten so much done, I must say I'm quite proud of myself! I completed my UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) application. I wrote my personal statement, which is basically why you want to do what you want to do. My good friend Kori wrote me a glowing reference. Leggo and I have been emailing back and forth. I sent him some scans of my black and white photos from my portfolio and some of my digital photos. He liked my work and said that if my application landed on his desk he would certainly consider it. He doesn't actually teach the course I was interested in, he teaches a Media & Communication course at the same university but at a different campus. He thought his course might suit my needs and asked if I wanted to apply. So I checked it out and it looks even better than the one I was going for. It includes more chemical photography and portraiture, which is right up my alley.

Leggo put me in touch with the admissions officer for BIAD. I called her yesterday and got some good news and some bad. What do you want first? I always like the bad news first so I can end on a good note. The bad news is since I've only just moved to the UK I might be considered an international student. That's pretty much the worst thing that could happen for two reasons. Mostly because the fees go from £3,000 a year to almost £9,000. That's a lot of money, that's like $18,000 a year. I might as well go to school in the states for that! And secondly there is little funding for international students. I would have to look for funding from America and that's harder to do from here. But the good news is I'm not too late to apply. In fact it's a good time since I've missed the initial rush, my application won't be in a big pile of other, lesser applications.

So my next step is to gather all the evidence I can to prove that I'm settled here and not just talking with this British twang so I can get cheap schooling. But at the end of the day (side note: I swear to god, the older you get the more crap clichés you come out with. Like "I'm busier than a ten peckered dog in a hydrant factory" or "same shit, different day". I think I'm turning into my dad) it depends on the rules. If anyone out there knows anything about college funding, share your wealth of knowledge with me, please!

Then as soon as I get my confirmation number from UCAS I'll know that my application is on it's way to Leggo and then he will make me an official offer, fingers crossed. I still have to get my college transcripts sent here and she told my to get my high school ones as well. WTF?? That was nearly 15 years ago!! They don't know exactly what high school is here, I think. But I'll still try.

I've been told that as a mature student I should have no problem getting a place in the program, and that I should be most concerned about funding. But I'm a "don't put the cart before the horse" sort of gal (there I go again) and can only put all my good worrying skills to one matter at a time. So I'm focused on getting in right now and then I'll fret over how I'm gonna pay for it all. Paul and I talked about the very real possibility that my schooling is going to cost an arm and a leg (okay, I'll stop). He was supportive and just wants me to exhaust every possibility for funding before we go into panic mode, but that no matter what it costs us, we can do it. Awww...ain't that sweet? So I'm starting to look on line and getting a rough idea of what's out there.

Everything else is going really good. We still have no car but Paul's boss Ewan let's us borrow his a lot, which really helps. Bean is well but has to go to the vet on Monday for some Frontline and to have her itchy ear checked out. The weather has improved a bit. It's your typical spring time stuff, sunny one minute and hailing the next. We've planted some potatoes, garlic, wild flowers and strawberries in the backyard. The neighbourhood cats have planted some poop trees and Bean has been kind enough to harvest them.

Bean's looking very Yorkieish these days

She enjoys a good trash mag every now and again


Here are a few examples of the photos I put in my portfolio. Please overlook the shitty black & white scan job. I'm open to any comments...as long as they're good :)

What Tickles My Pickle about England is L plates! You put these on the front and back of your car if you're just learning how to drive. L stands for learner. It's the equivalent of having a huge bumper sticker that reads "I'm Still Learning, So Back Off, Jack Off!" As a new driver myself I think these are the greatest idea and wish they were used in the states. Even after you pass your drivers test you have to have P plates put on your car for awhile, so people know that you just passed. The only experience I had with L plates was on my "Hen Night", or bachelorette party, when it's tradition to make the bride wear a big paper L on her shirt, but it really complimented my penis earrings.

Personal Note To Sam: Hi Sammy!!! So happy to see you on my blog!! Thanks for the comment, would you believe I'm still using that same ol' SLR? My plan is to take incriminating photos of someone for blackmail money and upgrade. I miss all my bugs so much, but I really miss Dave the super millipede.

College: Stage One-Complete

I don't want to get too excited (in case I don't get in) but I found the perfect place to study photography! It's the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, or BIAD for short, check that link. It's a part of the Birmingham City University, they call any university "Uni" over here. I went there for an open day today. I took a tour of the campus and then had a short presentation about the school and department. I was with a group of very young, pimply faced art students feeling quite old and out of place. It's a very well known school that has cutting edge technology and it's just downtown, practically right across the street from where I was meant to be working. I got a good feeling from the place.

So the next step is to fill in the application, which won't be easy since the school system here is completely different from in the states. Then try to get an interview. Then sort out my funding. But I have two important people on my side. My friend Ang works in college administration helping students find funding and grants. I will be meeting with her next week to get some help with all that. Also Paul has a friend named Leggo and he's (get this!) the main photography lecturer at BIAD. How great is that?!? I haven't actually met him, but hope to very soon so I can get some advice on my portfolio. And perhaps even a recommendation. Which would practically put my name on a seat and order my lunch for me.

In some ways I hate to even write stuff like this down because I'm a big believer in jinxes, but I'm so excited I just had to share. Who knows where I'll end up, but as my Mom always says "Everything happens for a reason". I hope this will work out and unfortunately it's not one of those things you can just leave to fate, I will have to work my bollocks off to make this a reality. But at this point there's nothing holding me back from doing everything I have to do. It ain't like I got a job or anything.

Speaking of the job, the pain is wearing off more each day. I think it was so upsetting because I hate to let people down. It's just not my style. I have limited time to get all my paperwork in and meet with the appropriate people, so not having to go to work each day makes that much easier. And of course a big shout out to my fantastic husband who is behind me 100% and doesn't mind eating Top Ramon for the next few years.

In other news....

Bean is doing really good. She's learned to walk up the stairs but can not physically get back down them, which has lead to multiple "accidents" in our bedroom. She's getting used to her red sweater, walking in the park and being bullied by all the other, bigger dogs. I've had a few questions regarding the Beanster. First off she's a GIRL, which will warrant the bows I'll be putting in her hair in a few more months. She's a Yorkshire Terrier with a bit of Jack Russell throw in for good measure. She turned three months old April 4th, which makes her birthday January 4th, the day before mine. Cute, innit?

Paul is rocking steady. The powers that be are working on getting him a full time position with CMI. It's by no means in the bag yet but it would mean more money, a company car (aww yeah!) and steady work. Again, I go back to the jinxing thing, so act like I didn't even bring it up. But one good thing that has already happened is they helped pay for a new laptop! I think we'll still repair our old one, that "someone" stepped on, and it will be mine for school. Ya know, I think my Mom was right.

The weather here has been crazy! It snowed a few days ago. And not like a little snow either, a lot! Of course it was all melted by dusk. Bean was a bit freaked at first but after awhile she was diggin' it with two shovels!

Thankfully, the largest underwear in the world was saved from the snow storm

Our backyard was not

Moms love this sort of thing

The great Gaddesby Road

"Don't you eat that yellow snow"

Oh Bean, why you so cute?