Return of the Prodigal

Hey there.
Remember me?  I used to hang out here.

There's plenty to update on.  I've relocated to Arkansas, changed jobs.... Settled in. In a way it's surprising how little time it takes to create a New Normal. On the other hand, Bentonville is a lot like Norman, in the way most small to medium sized towns in the middle of the US are like other small to medium sized towns in the middle of the US. Our ecountry has become curiously homogenous through the magic of Big Box stores, corporations and chains.  So I feel pretty much the same in the Starbucks on 14th street in Bentonville as I did in the Starbucks on Main in Norman.  Even the barrista looks the same.

That's cynical, and I don't mean to be. I do like it here a lot. I like how things are nearby. I like the people and the schools. I like my job. I really really like the landscape. That's probably the best perc of being here. It is really beautiful.  So green. I love Oklahoma, and I'm a plains girl to the bottom of my big, flat, feet.  But I belong in the forest.  I need running water and rocks.  It feels like home here in that respect, as much or more than my home felt.

I'm back to pretty much normal as far as routine goes, as well. The tension and drama of moving and starting a new job have settled down. Fortunately, the drama behind the scenes in my personal life has also settled down. I made peace with the X. (Some might say I cratered, but I did what I needed to do to make the escalating insanity stop.)  I think I've reached a manageable lifestyle with the Boyfriend, who just bought a house in Norman, so he's been busy moving, picking out upholstery fabric and home accessories, which certainly helps take the sting out of my defection to Arkansas. I've even settled into a routine of regular drives to the Missouri border for my weekly wine ration (Benton is a dry county).

I've pretty much gotten the hang of the job. I've learned almost everyone's name, can find my way around the building, and stay busy most of the time.  Sometimes I find I've got four or five projects going, but they're all in review and so I'm in waiting mode.  It's not natural for me.  I don't.... wait.  I'm accustomed to having thirty things going at once. If one project gets stonewalled, I move on to something else. There is no lag time. But here, well... I'm here to do two things: write, and edit. There are other people in charge of updating the web site and Facebook, booking advertisements, making TV appearances, talking with reporters, sizing ads, raising sponsorships, and doing voice overs. Me... I'm the copy writer and grammar police. My Chicago Style manual online is my best friend. It's a strange sort of vaccuum for me. It feels...guilty somehow... like I'm not really doing it right, somehow.

For those who were hoping for some inside scoop about life at the Next Great American Museum, I'm sorry to disappoint. Because the museum doesn't open until November, I've taken a strict Vow of Silence regarding goings on here. Everything is a big Surprise, so you'll just have to wait like everyone else.