Perfect Jumping Off Point

Things I want to begin doing more of:

-baking
-cooking
-gardening
-writing
-organizing
-photography

I sort of want to start a new blog to record these new ventures. What do you think? Worth it?

Life Goes On

Did I tell you that I sliced my finger at work? Yes... I was slicing tomatoes, and also sliced my pinky and paid yet another visit to the Emergency Room and received, again, three stitches. It was soooo much fun. I got the stitches out yesterday, which was nice.

I haven't written in a while, which I am very sorry about. I just haven't really been motivated to do so.

I had a monumental birthday last week. 25! I can't believe it. I don't really feel that much older, and I was dealing with this milestone pretty well, until A mentioned that we would next reach 26. Okayyyy... I do not need to think about that. Because THEN, I start thinking about how much closer to 30 I am and how scary that sounds to say. Oh boy. Anyway, the birthday was super fun. The day before was R's birthday and we went out for drinks. We were joined by her sister, her sister's friend, K, and CLRG. On my actual birthday, I did not have to work, so I met CLRG for lunch and then came home to do laundry and hang out with los gatos. On Friday, I had some people from school and that I know through CLRG over for drinks, and we just hung out. On Saturday, K and I went to East Liberty to attend Gene Kelly's birthday party at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. It was so much fun! We had free cake and punch, got a tour (not really, though, in my opinion), and attended a $2 showing of "Cover Girl"!!

Anywayyyy... things are good. The room is not yet done, so CLRG and I are still sharing a closet, but it's all good.

Dance Floors and Magazines

Just a little while ago, I was cooking some hamburger (for future tacos... maybe tomorrow?) and Roommate C (I think I probably named him something else once, before I lived here, but I can't remember) came down and informed me that, since I moved in, the kitchen has seen more use than ever before. That's probably true, because all he ever eats is chicken patties and hamburgers. I am impressive, it seems, because I used the crock pot yesterday (swiss steak- turned out nicely), and I've made jambalaya and homemade mac & cheese here and tuna noodle casserole, among other things, since CLRG moved in here. Yes, indeed. I can't really remember where I was going with this, but whatever. I cook things sometimes. I got stuff to make a mac & cheese pasta bake thinger later this week (to eat with salads), and little shrimp to eat with pasta and pesto. Mmmm.

Fact is, I like doing these homey things. I have been doing my laundry with CLRG's and I enjoy doing it this way. I like going grocery shopping for us as a pair, but I don't like figuring out meals by myself. He never really has suggestions so I have to think really hard about meals. I really like living here. I will like it even more when the new room is finished.

Our set up plan for the new room and this other room is such: bed, love seats (couch won't make it up here, oh well), TV in the new room. Desks, dressers, storage containers in the older room. I am hopeful that my bookshelf will make it into the new side. I don't know why. We will soon each have a closet, rather than having to share one, and I will think about getting some drawers of some kind to make up for the shelves I won't have in my closet. We'll see, we'll see.

All Good Things

I bought these measuring cups today. Aren't they adorable? I went out with K. We saw Letters to Juliet and then went to Anthropologie (dangerous place, I tell you!) to browse and I came out with the cups. So, today my interest in a) going to Italy, b) decorating a house and c) cooking has been peaked. I was actually just talking with CLRG about my interest in going to Italy, so I was already thinking about it. Hopefully, we will have money to go before we are too old. My visit to Anthropologie led me to think about beautiful aprons and cookware and cups and saucers and cookbooks and plates. I know I do not need and cannot afford any of these things at present, but it's nice to be able to imagine them. Haha.

We Fought a Silent War in the Hardware Store

I am just so tired. All of the time.

*sigh*

The Clouds Are All On Fire

As it gets closer to the end of the end of the semester, the end of graduate school and the beginning of actual real life, I have been thinking about what I am excited to do with my time once it is not consumed by reading and writing and research. I am looking forward to:

-reading non-school books
-painting my nails (presuming that I get a real job, that is... the factory doesn't allow that)
-taking photos
-getting a subscription to ancestry.com
-not having a homework to do list

Those are just a few things. There are many more that I can't really recall right now. *sigh* It's going to be nice.

P.S. If you know the job fairy, could you send her to my house?

Maybe Memphis, Tennessee, Maybe Not

My emotions have been sort of all over the place the past few weeks. I've gone from happy to sad, from miserable to okay, from stressed to... slightly less stressed. This week has been actually pretty good. I have only cried like once, and that was because I watched the episode of Sex & the City where Charlotte goes to a singles mixer thing after she and Harry break up and he's there and he proposes and it's perfect and sweet. I cried then.

School has been trying to put me under ground lately. I have more work to do than time in which to do it (like you've never heard me say that before) and sometimes I just want to hide. A friend asked me yesterday how many weeks I had left and I just kind of stared at her before I realized she was asking how much longer I had in the semester. I replied with, "I'm just taking it one day at a time." I feel like, normally, I would have some kind of countdown, but this semester is more than that. I can't really hide from real life in school anymore. I need to get a real job and start actually doing the things I've been thinking about. YIKES.

The weather in Pittsburgh has been pretty lovely this week, which is helpful in being in a good mood. I walked home today without my cardigan on, and that was lovely. I think it was 65 degrees or something! The sun has been really happy. And especially happy because, last weekend when it was rainy, I went shopping with K and we felt compelled to buy mini greenhouses at Lowe's. Mine has three types of herbs in it. The cat nip is the only one making any progress. I'm glad it's working. I promised CLRG's cats I would share.

Remember Singing the Whole Way Home/About an Indian Summer So Long Ago

I feel like it is necessary to pinch myself sometimes. I am living such a lovely life (and, apparently, an alliterative one) here in the Burgh. I have good friends, a marvelous boyfriend, a cute apartment (come August), a job (yes, it sucks, but it's a job) and am generally happy. One of my coworkers came up to me the other day and said that he had been talking with his therapist and they decided he needed to ask me how it was possible for me to be so cheery at work all of the time. It's a good question, and the answer is obvious: I don't really have anything to be down about. I don't think it's necessary to let stupid customers or little annoying, pointless things bother me. For the first time, I really feel like I know what I am doing. I know where I'm going and I have future thoughts and plans. I'm comfortable with the way I'm turning out. It's a big step for me, one that should be acknowledged, because I'm second-guessing myself less and less and am not as concerned what others think of me as I have been in the past. It's a good feeling. :oD

The countdown to Idaho is down to three days. Yesterday, CLRG and I went to the Waterfront to find him some new shoes. We also went to the bookstore to get some reading material for the plane and such. I purchased two books. He did, too. Hip, hip hooray!! Now I just have to pack. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Hockey tonight. Game 3. GO PENS.