The Weather Outside is Weather

Best part of being on the school's schedule: snow days!! Ah yes, I was free to sleep this morning knowing I would not get a call before 8 am asking me to come in to work. And it felt wonderful!

Yes, I know I've been totally MIA for the past month or so. In my defense, I've been busy. I finally started getting called in to sub, which is keeping me all kinds of occupied. My first day was the Thursday before last, and with the exception of today and this past Thursday, I've been called in every day. Huzzah! And I also started up at Java on Main, the new coffeeshop in Princeton. I started on Thursday and am scheduled to work that day every week, although this week Tina asked me to work Tuesday instead. It's great being back behind an espresso machine, which is, after all, my natural habitat.

I've also spent a lot of time reading, which is one of the perks of substitute teaching. Yay getting paid to read! I just finished reading East, West by Salman Rushdie, which is a collection of short stories about Eastern and Western culture and the how they intersect. I also read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, who I have completely fallen in love with. I officially want to go to Spain and take part in the bull fighting fiesta. I picked up a copy of Bobby Kennedy's book Thirteen Days, which is his memoir on the Cuban Missile Crisis. It's a quick, interesting read.

And my frequent stops at Family Video have started up again. I used to go there once a week when I was in high school, but I stopped going in for a while there. Since I have an unending list of movies I have been dying to see, I figured it was high time I started working on it. There is, naturally, another reason I started going into FV so much, but my creepiness is not what we are discussing here, people. Anyway, I've been able to see some good ones. I re-watched Whatever Works and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, both of which I had watched as inflight movies last year. I rented The Extra Man, with Kevin Kline and Paul Dano, but didn't actually make it all the way through. A Single Man is one I could watch and re-watch a million times. Visually stunning, starring Colin Firth, set in the 1960s. Yes, Tom Ford, yes on all counts.

Other than that, I've been hanging with friends a lot. Reconnecting with high school pals, spending evenings at Fitzgeralds with the Princeton gang, getting to see the crew in Peoria more often. On Friday I had what can only be described as a great cross section of my social life since being home. Despite there being no Andy and Katie at the bar (sadly), it was a lot of fun. I was there with friends from high school (starting at 4:30, although I didn't drink more than two all night), Garv and Whitlock showed up, and I randomly bumped into Devin (which is sort of the only way I ever see him). But it was funny being up at my fave bar with my old friends, the people I've hung with for the past few years, and then someone I've recently started kicking it with more.

Granola Crisps

Sometimes in life, you find a food so magnificent you can't imagine how you lived without it. This is what happened when I stumbled upon Yogi's new Granola Crisps in Wal-Mart recently. Lured in by the "Fresh Strawberry" flavor and promise of all natural deliciousness, I figured I'd shell out the couple bucks to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did.

I am a huge snacker. Large meals and I don't get along, but I can slowly eat my way through a whole bag of ravioli in one day. So, in my quest to eat better, I have to keep easy, grab-and-go type stuff around to keep my hands out of the chocolate chip bag. These granola crisps are perfect for that! They kind of have the consistency of thick frosted flakes, with all these fantastic whole grains and seeds. But they are sweet (I've had both the strawberry and blueberry flavor, and hear the cinnamon raisin is great too) without being sugary. And the ingredient list is not only remarkably short (with special explanations of what the grains are), it isn't just a never ending list of chemicals! Hurrah for actual food!

I'm telling you, a handful of these and a chai hot chocolate make the best start to the day ever!

One Month Mark

Today is officially one month that I've been home. Yep, it's only been one month. Somehow it feels like it has been so much longer! I've been thinking a lot today about what I've done in the past four weeks, and the overwhelming feeling is that, while things haven't all gone exactly as I thought they would, I'm still so glad I am here!

Sure, getting registered as a substitute teacher turned out to be a total pain in the ass -- please, Lord, let me get that certificate this week! -- and fewer restaurants than I thought are actually hiring. But all of that feels very, very small compared to everything I've been able to do. Like, send in my application for grad school (still have to edit my writing sample -- stupid Mom's computer), or spend a lot of time with my friends, or have the comfort of curling up in the Big Bed with Mom and Margaret to watch Dancing with the Stars. Getting to see my dog whenever I want, getting to see my lovely ladies at the drop of a hat, getting to gorge myself on Oriental Gardens multiple times in one day -- these things are what I am all about.

Plus, there is the fantastic feeling of freedom that I thought would subside after a while, but honestly hasn't. I can change my mind three times in one day about what I want to do after I get my Masters and it doesn't matter at all. Maybe I want to get my Ph.D., maybe I want to get a second Masters at a school overseas, maybe I want to teach English in a third world country, maybe I want to work at the UN or the CIA or the State Dept. It's all wide open, and the only person I have to make happy or accomodate is me. And Snicket and Draper, but they are really surprisingly easy to please if you give them adequate food and cuddle time.

I have the joy of feeling like anything could happen, which is a feeling I absolutely love. I could move to New York, have some fantastic diplomatic style job, and meet a Ted Mosby. I could live in Virginia, in some cute small town, and be an analyst. I could fulfill what I'm sure is my destiny of meeting and falling in (reciprocated) love with a Kennedy. I could go overseas and be that quirky American girl everyone finds a little strange, but very charming all the same. The possibilities are endless, and I positively love it!

I'm Totally a Bridget

When I was in high school, I read Bridget Jones' Diary. I also loved the movie, but who wouldn't with the pleasure of admiring Colin Firth? After high school, I forgot about the book and let it live on my bookshelves for years. Then, on returning to Illinois and unpacking my books, I decided it was high time I re-read it, as I now have far more experience with breakups and hookups and waiting by the phone for texts and phonecalls than I did at age 15.

The thing about Bridget Jones' Diary is that, as is the case I'm sure for all women, when you read it you can't help but think, "Good God, I would totally do that" or "That is exactly what runs through my mind!" Particularly at this stage of the game, I can relate to the friends who willingly feast on junk food and alcohol with you, more than willingly bashing on whatever guy has driven you nearly off the deep end and offering up advice and guidance as needed. I think, more than anything, that's what made me smile the most, besides Bridget's own neurotic thought cycle, with which I can all too easily identify. The dynamic between Bridget, Shazzer, and Jude reminds me very much of my own relationship with co-best friends, Kim and Helen, with the married and rational Magda being a very fitting stand-in for Katie.

And of course, would positively love to have someone like Mark Darcy fall in love with my quirky and sometimes off center self. Especially since he is played by Colin Firth in the movie. As I often say, that man can wear the hell out of a sweater.

While watching NatGeo's awesome show Inside the State Department, I started contemplating my own career. And while doing so, I had the most fantastic realization. If everything goes as planned, I will have my Masters degree before my 25th birthday (by like three months). If I'm able to get a job lined up and start at least around my 25th birthday, I could seriously put in ten years at one place and still only be 35. The idea of having two degrees and ten years working under my belt before I'm 35 is seriously so exciting, especially since a few months ago I didn't even think I'd be starting my Masters until I was at least 25. Love, love, love this exhilaration!

Christmas

Feeling particularly proud of myself for already starting my Christmas shopping. Granted, all I've managed to get so far is a few stocking-stuffer type things and something for my mom, but I also have ideas for other people. And I bought some Christmas cards a few months ago (on sale from Hammerpress). It's a start at least!

I'm oddly excited for Christmas this year. I mean, I get amped every year because I love holidays dedicated to celebrating the people in your life, and Christmas/New Years is perfect for that! And after the past couple months I've had, and the endless support my people have given me in my hour of need, I can't wait to have a chance to just enjoy them! As if that's not what my life has been about since I've moved home, but still! Haha! Not to mention the lovely Gronli baby that will very shortly be in the picture, making it not totally crazy for me to fawn over all the adorable infant things in stores. THAT is something worth being excited about!

Anyway, this holiday season I feel free to fawn not only over baby things, but also over my loved ones. Between Ugly Sweater, a rumored Peoria dinner party, and a proposed potluck there will be nothing but chances to get drunk and sentimental with a wide array of the people I adore. And since I'm not jetting overseas or heading across country, I'll be able to fit in time with anyone else I need to see over the holidays! This time of year is about surrounding yourself with the wonderful people in your life, and I plan on doing just that! And then providing them with sweets on which to gorge themselves, as is also mandatory this time of year.

The Most Marshmallow Time of the Year

Yay! It's officially marshmallow making season! And since I'm not busy planting trees in Kenya this year, I will be free to experiment with flavors until it's time to start churning out batches for my pals. Also on the list to make (and possibly hand out) this year: various caramels, brittles, shortbread cookies, and truffles!