Solstice Tidings

Dear friends and loved ones,

I didn’t get a Solstice letter out to you all last year, but now I find myself ready to report on the happenings of 2006. The year began in Kansas City, MO (aka: The City of Fountains, or as I like to call it…My Fair City) and a frenetic post-doc search which culminated with me accepting a post-doctoral residency at The University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA). I moved in early August and when the time came, goodbyes were tough. I parted ways with my cozy 1950’s apartment building on the Plaza and said until we meet again to new and old KC friends.

I wish there was happier news to report, but before my departure, I learned my dear friends, Ken & Brenden, would be leaving the city for St. Louis. This nearly coincided with the unexpected end of my beloved Thursday night Karaoke hosted by Ken at a KC dive formerly known as The Back Door. Count yourself among the very lucky handful of people if you got to hear Brenden's and my version of Love Shack!

Things were looking up when I fell deeply in love with a young male, he moved in, had the run of my apartment, then as quickly as he entered my life he was gone. A mysterious feline illness took Goldie on the fourth of July. He was only 9 months old. But the tragedy doesn’t end there. In October my faithful and emotionally complex companion of 11 years also passed away. Silver is deeply missed.

With endings come new beginnings; RaeLynn Nicole Rymel entered the world on July 19th, 2006. She is my grandmother’s oldest daughter’s youngest daughter’s only daughter and my sweet niece!

I was buoyed by a six week visit from the Canadian-Italian boyfriend in October. While in San Antonio he more than tolerated my domestic tendencies and gave me some hope for appreciating the culture and finding the romance of the city. Walter fully appreciated my menu ideas; he even helped me carry them out, but I don’t think either of us really saw what this city has to offer.

The losses combined with the stress from the move and UTSA’s never ending flow of mentally ill, damaged, and trauma ridden university students have taken its toll. I’m exhausted. Exhausted from 6 years of working towards a doctorate, plus working to support myself, 12 hour overnight shifts, comprehensive exams, practicums, crazy people, drunks & drug addicts, dissertation data analysis, dissertation defense, internship, job search, two major moves in two years, and post-doc position minus a training component. Just call me Dr. Mueller, it’s official!

I’ve joked about hibernation during this time of year in the past, but it’s less of an option with the constant 75 degree weather. I won’t complain about that! Just the same my favorite Holiday Jingle this year is I Need a Little Christmas and it goes like this: For we need a little music, need a little laughter, need a little singing ringing through the rafter, and we need a little snappy "Happy ever after" ...need a little Christmas now!

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

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