A Busy Few Days

News Flash:  I am NOT writing this from my bathtub. 

The last few days have passed by so quickly that I don't know how to describe them. But I'm going to try. 

First, with Yvette taking on the monstrous task of setting up my kitchen, that room is probably the most complete.  She has also generously stocked my shelves and fridge, so I will not starve for quite a while. She's been so in charge of the kitchen that Maddie, when asked to do the dishes, sincerely stated that she thought Yvette liked to do dishes. Yvette dispelled that idea post haste. 

My bedroom has been left up to me, and thus it remains a big ol' mess. Maddie put away all my DVD's, meaning that they are now arranged in alphabetical order. We all have our strengths. 

I have all sorts of plans for my new space but no desire to nest as yet. I know that desire will come, but it hasn't so far.  Instead, I'm doing some relaxing and also learning important things like how warm the pool is (pretty nice) and how to do laundry in the complex's laundry room (not exceedingly difficult).  

We have explored a bit of the city over the last few days. Yvette has fallen in love with west Knoxville, and with good reason. There is one main drag, Kingston Pike, and you can find everything you need either on it or on a street off of it. Traffic isn't bad, lines aren't too awful in the stores--it's actually a very nice place to live. 

We tried Calhoun's for dinner on Tuesday, and I ate the best fried pickles in the world. And their own label lager was delicious also, as was the IPA that Yvette enjoyed. Maddie found the bartender poured a generous amount of Jim in her Jim-and-Coke, a circumstance which always makes her happy. 

Today was orientation for GTAs (Graduate Teaching Assistants). Yvette drove me over so she could use the car to go exploring, while Maddie slept her customary twelve-hours-a-night. 

The orientation was held in what I assume is the arena where both basketball and volleyball are played, as banners for these two sports hung from the walls and there was a huge digital scoreboard thingy in the middle. The Graduate Studies Department laid out a nice continental breakfast, and the presentation was only two hours long. The information was quite useful, but I'll feel better when I get the rest of the story at the History Department GTA training next Tuesday. 

Yvette picked me up when it was over and drove us to the Market Square section of town, which she had scoped out while I was at the orientation. It's a lovely place, a pedestrian street with shops and restaurants lining the sides and a wonderful sculpture commemorating the suffrage movement. We stopped at a place called Tupelo Honey for lunch, at which meal I again ate fried okra (damn, I can't get enough!!). After lunch, we walked through the little sculpture park, a really nice space for relaxing and people-watching. 

Back to the tiny flat, and it was Maddie and I who set out next. She has been such a doll-baby with helping out through this entire ordeal that I took her for a little shopping spree at Barnes and Noble. With her nose in a new book, we may not see her again for a while. 

One more important item to cover before I go jump in my bathtub (yes, I know). With the kitchen in working order and with my two new frying pans from the SaveMart giveaway back home, yesterday Yvette put her culinary skills to the test. For breakfast, she delivered up a savory breakfast casserole made with eggs, sausage, cheese, and hash browns. Dinner was even more spectacular with salad, baked ziti, and garlic-cheese bread. Thank heavens, there are leftovers. 

OK, I have a copy of Civil War Times and a hot bath waiting for me....