I splurged and bought the Martha Stewart Holiday cookie book. SO so worth it. Made the Gluten-free, Dairy-free Chocolate Pecan cookies this weekend (mostly because they were the easiest with ingredients I had on hand). Like meringues, all light and delicate, but super chocolate-y. Stocked up on cookie tins, too, so I'm hoping to get treats out this year.

Making Butternut Squash and White Bean soup for dinner tonight. Getting back into cooking real dinners again. Just need to make the effort to plan ahead and then its nice knowing I've already got something planned for when I get home rather than tossing together something completely ad hoc each night. It is dark now at 5:00 p.m. I forgot this about Fall/Winter.

Countdown: 2 weeks to race day

Hmmm.. so insanely busy lately, entire weeks go by and I marvel that it is already well into November. I'm working like a madwoman, currently in the middle of a 13-day stretch. Frankly, a little concerned I'm going to make myself sick. Not nearly enough rest, especially on top of training for the half-marathon. It is in exactly 2 weeks. I ran 9.9 miles yesterday morning and plan on getting to 11 before the race. Apparently adrenalin will help propel me the extra 2 miles I'll have never run before. Let's hope so. It's been very satisfying though, I've never run more than 8 miles in my life and I've been adding on more and feeling fine. Makes me wonder what my old cross-country times might have been had I been this determined back then. Ah well. Better late than never. I also loaded up on cold-weather running goodies yesterday. Got my beanie, gloves, some gel electrolyte thingies to eat while running. Apparently they help to get you past the energy slump. I'm just getting psyched as the race gets closer and I'm more confident that I'll actually be able to do it. I want to finish and run the entire thing, first, but also try to beat 2:10. Definitely think it is within reach.

Better be off to ice some leg soreness and get ready for the desk job in the morning....

No work Friday!

I have the entire day off. So nice. I'm enjoying it since I already did my 4 days at the NCC and I have a walking tour tomorrow from 9am-4pm. Slept in a little bit, went for a 5 mile run!!, watched Biggest Loser and nibbled on some of the strawberry tart I whipped up earlier this week (homemade whipped cream!) and hot cocoa. I realize now typing that that its a bit silly to go work out and watch an inspirational, living healthy show while shoveling food into my mouth but.... I's hungry!

Think I'm going to read for awhile (still on The Help, its fantastic and I'm enjoying it, just finding it hard to get solid reading time) and then head to Pancho's. The weather has really settled into being cool, windy, and downright brisk out. I'm resisting, but I'll probably have to switch out my summer clothes in the closet soon. I'm trying to layer a lot so that I can still get mileage out of the tanks and tees. But the boots are coming out tonight! (Med School party to celebrate the exams they just had. I will come back to post what I am sure will be hilarious (or hilariously nerdy) stories.)

ahh. running. So very hard to motivate myself when I've gotten out of a routine. But I'm back. Did 4 miles today in what I intend to be the start of an intense training for the next 6 weeks. That Half-Marathon is not going to run itself. :-b

And it's been a month since I've blogged anything. Been very very busy. Ali came to visit last weekend and we had a great time! Getting cheesesteaks, walking all over and taking fun pictures, making a checkerboard cake and animal pancakes, playing Moose in the House, hanging out with some Philly Gators, and unfortunately, watching the Gators lose to Alabama. Besides from that, a very nice mini stay-cation for me! I am very interested to see what she decides to do next year and whether the City of Brotherly Love will have a part. Snoopy dance in anticipated excitement? ;-)

This week I started my new part-time job as the Civility and Democracy Fellow for an NEH-grant project at the NCC. This week I'm creating a Google Site for all of the participants. I'm learning a lot! Like how to import a calendar and pictures and link to a Google Groups page. haha. AND on Friday I start my very first tour for my second job. I'm cramming Philadelphia history tonight in preparation. I really hope I can answer at least like 75% of questions people might ask. yikes! But yeah, the jobs hunt, and running all around for these things is keeping me pretty busy. Trying to cobble enough together to cover my expenses.

Pancho's birthday is this weekend and I'm uncharacteristically behind in getting ready for it. I don't know where the time is going. Its October already and Fall! Gotten quite cool out now and have to wear a jacket. I don't know if I can stomach the fact that its just going to be cold now for the next 6 months... ack.

I have slowed in my reading pace. Been on The Help for awhile now and probably will need to rush before the library due date next week. The first third of it that I've read so far is really really good.

September.. already!!

Waiting for dinner. so hungry. but watching Brian Williams so I guess its a wash. :)

All this news about Hurricane Earl does not make me miss hurricane season. HUUGE sigh of relief. but its a big one and could bring us some rain in the Northeast. but I'm still expecting nice Labor Day weekend weather. Pancho and I are going to NYC for a quick trip (Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon) to see some of his friends who are in town. I recommended Calle Ocho for brunch and their delicious sangria bar.... hehehe.

We're still up in the air about what we want to do on Monday though. Make it a lazy, true American relax and grill or go out and about to a wine and jazz thing a little ways from here. Either way, day off of work!

Ok. Dinner ready. More later.

I've kept a log of what books I've read (in full, cover to cover, didn't put a lot on from grad school for instance because I skimmed so many of them) since May 2003. It doesn't really feel like I've been doing it that long, but when I go and look back over it, I have no memory of reading quite a few things there. like classic stuff. Faulkner in April 2005? Henry James in July 2004? uhh..... which is a little scary that I can't remember what the books were about, let alone the fact that I read them.

Although its nice to think back when I somehow found the time to crank out 5, 6, 7 books a month. Its also been pretty handy when authors have several popular books out and I just can't remember for the life of me which ones I've actually read. Best example of this is Malcolm Gladwell. I can't keep the books straight. In reality, I've only read The Tipping Point but always feel like I've also read Blink. I will also say to someone, oh I read that a few years ago, and go to look and its been more than a few since Nov 2003 (Ella Minnow Pea).

Lastly, I used to strive to read at least 1 book a month. Things went really well for a long time, until school did me in, but happy to report that I'm back to the pace-- and then some! My more recent obsessive habit is to have read 1 book in the top 10 on just 1 of the NYT book lists. Its actually much harder than you think. Thank goodness for Eat, Pray, Love sticking around and the movie boosting it a bit.

I love the city in the summertime. Its insanely hot --we're supposed to break a heat record by at least 5 degrees today-- but its green and lush and you can wear all the delightful Florida-esque clothes that have been packed up most of the year. I'm also now sporting a very bizarre sandal tan with lots of strappy lines. :) Its nice to be able to walk around, with none of the undergrads, and get errands done on a Saturday morning, no car required.

Got up early to go running before the heat really set in. Breaking in my new New Balance sneakers which are soooo cute (hot pink, black, and gray, they're the Susan G Komen version) and make my feet spring off the pavement. Its tough getting back out after a month off but I needed to and now I have that nice sore feeling from using those lazy muscles again.

Had a great night last night for a friend's birthday. Went to Monk's Cafe for the first time and got to have a beer that I went on a brewery tour for when I studied in Brussels-- Cantillon kriek. Also got to indulge in some deeelicious frites and a duck salad sandwich! Apparently this place is well known, even out of Philly, for its authentic Belgian beer and food. I was pretty impressed! Then back for some homemade chocolate cake with mocha icing. It was super nice to see people who were back in town and to relax a bit at the end of the week.

summer is finally here (for me)

I made it through my defense. Was not scary. I literally have to make 2 grammatical edits (insert a pair of brackets and change 'a' to 'an'). I even sort of enjoyed it. Shhh. I'm turning in the final copy of my thesis on Wednesday to the college and then my academic responsibilities are finished forever! (or at least until I want to have them again)

Seriously, since Wednesday, and not having anything that needs to be tended to in that way, has been amazing. Spent the weekend in NYC with Uncle Rich, Aunt Hester, and Eliza. It was fabulous. Kicked it off with some bubbly to celebrate the ol' master's degree. Fantastic and leisurely meals, great conversation, got to read some old The New Yorker, saw the Burchfield exhibit at the Whitney, the really awesome Bambu installation on the roof of the Met (See Facebook for photos), went bike riding along the West Side along the water to the Brooklyn Bridge. just sooo summery and fun and didn't have to think much about anything. Also, got to test the bus situation to and from the city for the upcoming Girls' Weekend. Have to say though, New York is fun, but not the city for me. Give me a Philadelphia or Boston for the day to day living.

Despite today's rainy-ness, a very lovely and laidback Saturday. I've done lots of fun reading and eating and just a tiny little eensy bit of chores. This is my weekend to relax between very hectic weeks.

Last week my co-worker was out and I was basically left to mind a LOT of things on my own, but I got through it (and fairly successfully!) and managed to ensure that an entire evening program went off without a hitch.

And this coming week is hectic but for mostly great reasons. At work, we have our last evening program for the rest of the summer and Tuesday is a day of meetings (looking at my calendar causes mild anxiety). Wednesday is my Master's Defense and for which I really, tonight, should start planning my 10-15 minute presentation. I don't think its going to be terribly difficult, I mean, I'm supposed to be an expert on my paper at this point. I just don't want to sit and think about it. Okay, maybe an hour tonight and then most tomorrow.... Nicole and Stacy are stopping in Philly during their roadtrip for a few days and I'm heading to NYC next weekend to see my aunt and uncle. Whew!

Mad Men season 3 is now my Blockbuster in the mail. I just love that show. Too bad I can't watch it when its actually on tv. I really like some of the women's clothes but something tells me it was probably a pain to wear it all back in the 60s.

so, my life these days basically revolves around Outlook and I found myself wondering (at home. what should be the last place I think about work-related stuff) hey, I should send the girls phone date meeting requests and then we can schedule it and have it on the calendar. Oh my god. But, seriously, I sort of wish I could do that instead of playing phone tag. Although, something tells me Gmail probably has a function for that. I'm sure it exists, actually.

Anyways, I feel seriously behind on keeping up with everyone. that and apartment cleaning. and grocery shopping. Things are sort of in shambles at the moment. BUT. I have turned in what I am hoping is my second-to-last thesis draft. I have a defense meeting in exactly TWO weeks. I will be done officially with all academic responsibilities in THREE weeks. !!!!

So tired, so many things to do. But its the First Day of Summer (finally, an explanation for this HOT weather) & such a thing as Starbucks ice cream exists, so I'll celebrate that.

Also, check out Nikki Yanofsky if you haven't already heard her sing. Awesome. YouTube has become my go-to for songs when I don't want to spring for them on iTunes....

Late work day tomorrow because Jonathan Alter is coming by to talk about his new book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One. Its been on the bestseller list (just slipped out of the Top 10 this week), and I think we're going to have a packed house. Hope its good!

It is almost Friday--> almost the weekend--> two whole glorious days of sunshine and freedom

Current likes:

• The new ABC Family show, Pretty Little Liars. At this point, I feel like my protestations about the terrible tv I watch are utterly pointless. So, I'll just point out that I plan on watching it. And that I wish I had dressed that well & had amazing, shiny, shampoo-commercial worthy hair when I was high school. le sigh
• Whole Foods tequila lime salsa. A-mazing.
• Vision in White by Nora Roberts. First book I have ever read by her. And only read it at home because I was too ashamed to be seen with it on the subway. even though its summer and I feel therefore that its totally justified. bah. Its the first book of a Bride quartet. 4 best friends who run a wedding company. It is exactly what you think it is. Utterly predictable and fabulous. I just put the second one on hold at the library....
• The Taylor Swift youtube channel. Its been years since I've seen any music videos. Sort of weird doing it reverse when I know her songs so well. Oh, and this is so fitting. The ad that popped up between videos was for Secret Life of the American Teenager. Basically the evil computer tracking cookies have determined my demographic as teenage girl. awesome. lol

Plans for the weekend-- catching up on house stuff, working on my thesis (due in a month-ish), and finally going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

various and sundry

--Things I have noticed while running in the last week:

• Even when I come home dead tired, as soon as I hit the pavement with my running shoes (so sadly sadly in need of replacement) my body takes over and I find hidden reservoirs of energy. Its pretty cool.
• 9 out of 10 runners (myself included) have this overheated, pained expression. The other 10% are superhuman freaks sprinting down the block, headphones in, looking as if they haven't broken a sweat. I always console myself with the thought that they either just started or this was their block to "look good" and in a moment they will be stopping to jog like the rest of us.
• I like to smile or nod my hat at passing runners. It is rare if I get a return anything. very odd. Aren't we a fraternity of runners? Just a friendly greeting, wouldn't kill anybody.

--Despite initial ambivalence, the new pretzel M&Ms are quite tasty.

--I may have (read: did) bought farmyard animal pancake molds at Williams-Sonoma. They are adorable. and the salesperson told me that my "children are going to love them!" I think I was more bothered that I looked even remotely old enough to have kids. It was actually a jolting thought. For the record, I did in fact say no, they were for myself.

Sunday in Manayunk

Got up early today and headed out to Manayunk (and my friend, Annie's) to see a bike race. I wasn't really too sure the details, so I found an article that explains it pretty well:

To some it's known as the Manayunk Bike Race, to others it's the day of the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, but to cyclists it's known as "The Wall." At 9 a.m. Sunday morning, more than 150 cyclists will start on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and pedal their way along the 156-mile course. The course consists of 10 laps of a 14.4-mile circuit traveling west on the Parkway along Kelly Drive to Manayunk, where the course is nicknamed "The Wall" because of its incredibly steep incline.

She lives pretty close to this Wall, and let me tell you, walking the block and half from the train station to her place requires some serious effort, it is basically vertical. So, got to see the cyclists go by twice then we lost track of the laps and retreated to the indoors. It was insaneeeeely hot today. Like a good girl, I put on sunblock and then preceded to sweat it right off. So gross. but I made Kahlua pudding, which was delish and a hit. I mean, you just can't go to a party and not bring something and I figured it kept in line with the drinking theme of the day.

Met lots of new people, played Kings (oyy) and have been back home now watching tv shows online and sobering. lol. Scratch those plans to go for a run and get some MA reading done. meh. Amazing to finally get to be outside and enjoying the sunny weather and its not even technically summer yet! Now that I'm cooped up inside all day at work, I really appreciate when I can be outdoors. Got to start thinking seriously about making plans to kayak or get to the shore or something.

so much to post yet so little time

In very quick notes I will update that:

My dad was here visiting for a long weekend. We tried out Bobby's Burger Palace and the Bobby Bleu burger was delicious (bacon and bleu cheese. yum), drove up to Albany to see my Nana and other family, spent lots of time outdoors which was lovely and soooo relaxing. Did a quizzo night at Local 44 with my Dad, we didn't do so well but it was tons of fun. Spent all Monday walking 8 miles (literally. I mapped it out afterwards) all over downtown. Pretty sure we saw the major highlights including: Penn's campus, walked along the Schuykill River, did the Rocky pose at the top of Art museum steps, saw the LOVE statue, ate lunch at Reading Terminal Market (a food paradise. I WILL be going back. An entire cookbook stall! and lots and lots of pastry places), went into the National Constitution Center (my new as-of-today place of employment) where we took pictures standing next to life size versions of Alexander Hamilton (my dad's favorite) and some other Constitution signers, then off to see the Liberty Bell up close and personal, meandered through Society Hill and South Street and then topped with a delightful dinner at Bistrot La Minette (my fave French restaurant of which I have raved about here before). rhubarb sorbet= cool. Tuesday we took it a lot easier, went to the top of City Hall for a fantastic panoramic view of the city and it was a perfectly clear and sunny day, got requisite cheesesteaks at Tony Luke's where we saw Tony Luke himself, and then walked along the Schuykill to check out the boat houses for the crew teams. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Yet. I started as the new National Programs Assistant today. It went well. I think I'll like it. Going to be a busy summer, just hope I can keep up. Big event tomorrow night with Lawrence Summers (former Harvard pres, currently Obama's chief economic advisor and director of National Economic Council) so should be interesting. More to come on all of this at some later date.

Stressing now because I hadn't expected to be working quite so soon and STILL have a paper to read for/ and write by Monday. gah! so I'm off to do that. and then sleep. or more likely pass out into my (w/ freshly laundered sheets) bed.

!!!

I start my NEW JOB next Wednesday.

I have so much craziness going on all of a sudden. I still have to just find the energy and motivation to write my last 2 class papers. (it hasn't been going well. I'm 5 days behind the schedule I set for myself) My dad is coming to visit me for the first time in Philly tomorrow night through Tuesday night. I will start at the National Constitution Center the following morning. That weekend I'm helping Pancho move out and its Memorial Day. and then I have to start working on/finishing my thesis during the next 5.5 weeks. ahhhhhhhh.

life is good. but oh so hectic sometimes.

Preakness

I had quite the weekend. Friday kicked off with a fantastic and gourmet-esque lunch at Fork. yes, it had icons of forks all over in an otherwise totally chic and hip decor. I had a lemongrass lemonade cocktail, finally got to try quinoa as a side to my crispy-skin salmon (I actually bought some at WF but had yet to attempt making it), and had a sinful array of dessert "bites." I think I could eat chocolate pot de creme daily.

Drove down to Baltimore and rushed downtown with Pancho to be volunteer balloon handlers in the Preakness Parade. scored free shirts, glow stick necklaces, and free $40 tickets to Preakness (the motivation). We were in charge of a pink tropical fish. what it had to do with horse racing or Baltimore is beyond me but I can now check that off my life list.

Saturday we went to Preakness. Check 1 of the 3 Triple Crown races off my list. We were in the infield, infamously known for its lawlessness and chaos. Not so bad this year though since people were no longer allowed to bring in their own alcohol. Didn't see too much drunkenness until late in the afternoon. Pancho really wanted to go because OAR played as part of the pre-race festivities. They were good, we enjoyed other bands too and I especially liked the funnel cake and the Black Eyed Susan (Maryland's version of the mint julep). Met up with some of P's friends who had made jello shots and Kahlua pudding (you could bring in food, no drinks). Deeelicious. Alas, no fancy hat and summer dress (not really the infield way) but I vowed I would for the next race. when we actually have seats. Really fantastic weather and no sunburns! We were diligent in re-applying. Oh, and Pancho won $4.60. but had bet $6. :)

And my last Check-that-off-the-list was we had dinner at the Crack Pot (an institution among Bmore crab places) and I had oysters on the half shell for the first time. Pretty good. Texture didn't bother me, but I can see how people are freaked out. Followed it up with more shellfish-- scallops for the entree.

and. (500) Days of Summer was a cute movie. Mmmm to Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I was both annoyed and intrigued with the constant switching of present time and foreshadowing. I first saw Zooey Deschanel in Almost Famous, and I still think she's wonderful. If I could get away with wearing bangs, I would want hers.

Finally. I had my interview this afternoon. Should hear back by beginning of next week. I think it went well. After the gauntlet of this past year I'm starting to build myself up again on the awesome-ness of my resume. (sounds terrible, I know, but then again.. it sort of does rock. and I need to exude this confidence for the interviews). We shall see. I did, however, get to talk about Brian Williams! They have a program with Peter Jennings and journalists, and I made an aside about how I'm a BW fan myself, and then I got to talk about how great he is. and also what a news junkie I am. Asked to list my news sources. (Nightly, Meet the Press, Time, NYTimes, sometimes The New Republic) maybe I should consider some "new media" sources. but seriously where would I get the time?

Jeudi

So. all of the excitement in my day came in a roughly 1.5 hour window this afternoon.

• I have an interview next week at the National Constitution Center. (!!!) Basically my dream job, the only sucky part is that its a temporary position... :( BUT I would love it if I got hired because I could make networking connections, get more experience for the resume, and some much-needed money! and maybe maybe they'll decide they actually DO need someone full-time. Going to spend the weekend brushing up on Constitutional knowledge... (something tells me the Supreme Court exp. really helped me out on this one). Also confirmation that my resume and cover letter must be alright to have made it into the 5% that actually get read. yay.
• I bumped up my regular run to 4 miles. It was not bad. I might be bumping it up again soon.
• While I was out running, I saw this guy laying on the sidewalk. He wasn't moving, no visible injuries from what I could tell, debated whether I should try to wake him up but felt a little iffy about it (sort of an mehhh area), I mean he could have been drunk or high. No idea. Its a really heavily-patrolled area though so I figured I would see a cop, I didn't, but there is a Penn/Police substation 3 blocks from there AND its on my route so I popped in and was like "Theres a guy on the sidewalk. Maybe someone should check it out." Felt a little bad about not having checked him myself but at least I did the next best thing? There was a thing on Nightly recently about a good Samaritan in NYC who had stopped a mugging, got stabbed, and then laid for an hour while people walked by him and he ended up dying. So. yeah, if it was a medical issue at least the police were notified within like 5 minutes of my having seen him. It totally reminded me of the time in Gainesville, though, when I helped that stray dog ALSO while out for a run. Perhaps I should carry a cellphone.
• And finally, this didn't happen today but since I made a news reference and am on the topic, I saw a local anchorwoman at Whole Foods last week. I didn't recognize her until I overheard someone else say something about who she was. She smiled at me. and she was reading the magazines stocked near the checkout line with no intention of buying it! (she said something about it to that effect)
• How can tomorrow already be Friday? yikes. Having lunch with my priest friend. It still is such a bizarre thing to me. I've never personally known a priest before. I mean, I know they're just regular people but. but. but. not really. lol. The job totally sets them apart. However, Sean is totally and completely a regular person. wickedly funny, very smart, and enjoys good food (and hence our lunch). Anyways, think I'm heading down to Baltimore for possibly my second-to-last trip there. (at least for the foreseeable future. or Pancho drags me to some alumni event)

Au Revoir, my dears.

Monday's update

Why do grape-flavored things taste so horrible but real grapes are so delicious? Where does the discrepancy enter in?

My attempt at the early 90s' 8-Minute Abs video yesterday may have strained my neck muscles. or they're just really sore. I knew I had poor form.

During my last visit to Baltimore, Pancho and I had brunch at Ms. Shirley's, hands-down the best brunch place. I'd spotted the Monkey Bread on the menu before but at $10, it seemed a little steep for an appetizer. We were feeling indulgent and split it along with our meals. I've never had monkey bread before. It. was. heavenly. Like an awesome cinnamon roll but drizzled with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar and deliciousness. So I've looked into it. Williams-Sonoma sells a mix by King Arthur Flour which sounds like it could definitely replicate it at home. But then I went to the KAF website itself, which essentially means I lost roughly 45 minutes from schoolwork this afternoon. So they have a cheaper version of the mix there (figures, should always go straight to the source) AND you can buy a monkey bread pan. I could use my Bundt pan, all you really need is a tube pan to make them, but if its actually called a monkey bread pan, well, seems slightly more proper.

Anyways, I've been using KA flour for the past year (its amazing and organic) and judging from my survey of other baking blogs, a much-loved favorite. The website is pretty cool, lots of recipes and stuff. I have an urge to try my hand at baking bread, but I'm sort of intimidated about the whole rising and proofing and other vocabulary aspects that are out of my comfort zone.

(oh, and Pancho said the pan & mix could be a gift in someone's future... moi? ;)

What I've learned so far in Grad School

1. Professors are regular people. And by that I mean you get a pretty f* upped group when you put them all together. It is unbelievable the petty jealousies and tensions that simmer just below the surface. Has anyone made a tv show about college faculty? Because they totally could. Some of them think they are brilliant (One considered his Harvard classmates idiots when he was in grad school), others think they are just impossibly busy and can't deign to make time to meet with you (even though, um... its their job..?), and still others are just plain awkward and you leave class or meetings replaying the "conversation" you had about a thousand times. But mostly they are just impressive and smart and really really competitive and can write articles and books and do a million things at once. (Oh, yeah, there are plenty who are nice, too. but its just not as fun to blog about them.)

2. I am too old to pull off all-nighters. At least successfully and in the way that I could before where I was actually productive and could bounce back the next day.

3. I've jokingly said all year that I've had a growing caffeine dependence, but last week I went 4 days without any and went into withdrawl. I had an actual splitting headache that disrupted my sleep. So I think I do actually have some sort of issue there. ;)

4. It is possible to "read" up to 5 books in a week. and sometimes more if a paper is due.

5. TV breaks/ brain breaks/ relaxation is not only healthy but essential.

6. This website is hilarious. and so emblematic of my next point: I can bullshit about Foucault and discourse and "the theoretical underpinnings of this study" (an actual phrase in my 700 paper, btw). maybe not with the best of them, but I can at least do it now if pressed to. Also not sure if this is something I should be proud of because....

7. People talk about stuff they don't really know about. A lot.

8. People talk about stuff that has to do with their particular field. A lot. Even if it has NO relevance to the class discussion.

9. Getting a PhD / writing and publishing a book is daunting. DAUNTING.

10. You can't get through it without friends. Or, well, you can't get through it happily and sanely. Grad school is a great place to meet other similarly geeky people. It can be refreshing to be "with your own kind"

11. The dividing line between undergrads and grads is huge. I will admit to regarding them now rather dismissively. I cannot wait for them to leave for the summer.

12. The library can be your friend but also a black hole into which several hours can pass without notice.

146 footnotes and 44 pages later...

I am pretty much down to proofreading and trimming my final draft of my 700 paper. Hallelujah. I'm aiming for early afternoon completion tomorrow. and then its margarita time with my cohort!

I also had a margarita yesterday at a birthday outing. What is it exactly about grad school that facilitates regular drinking? Oh yes. Must be something to do with balancing out the compulsive caffeination. Hrmm. I'd be worried about my general wellbeing if I hadn't started running again.

My score at Whole Foods this week: Ciao Bella chocolate gelato. delish.

Mailed my Mom these cute flower petal earrings from BR for Mother's Day. actually very tempted to get myself a pair! So embarrassed though when I got to the counter to buy a padded envelope at the post office and forgot her address. whoops.

Only 2 more classes to go to! (perhaps forever?....) Going to be so nice not to have reading every week. hurrah!

Kicked off my job hunting in earnest last week. Tweaking the resume, spreading the word, gathering contacts. Hopefully something will come through soon. :::crosses fingers::: (I'm on LinkedIn if anyone else is.)

Phila. Gator Club Gator Guzzle (ie pub crawl) yesterday was so much fun. I ate a hearty lunch beforehand and limited myself to a beer per place, but it was getting a bit difficult at the end despite my preparation! Ended up at one of the member's houses for a post-party, incidentally a mere 2 blocks from my apartment. So we actually drank our way closer to my house over the course of the day. Did the Orange Blue chant at New Deck Tavern, sang lots of Journey songs and We Are the Boys at Blarney Stone. Met lots of cool people (true Gators and Gator-supporters alike), lucked out being the only young unmarried female (ie drinks bought for me/never at a loss for someone to talk to ;) and just a general good Gator-y time. Talked about Timmy. Denver is also blue and orange as it turns out!

Officially registered for the Philadelphia Half-Marathon. (and I think the running bug is back. oh how I've missed it.)

Also, so many of my regular tv shows haven't been new so I've been Hulu-hunting for just anything and this weekend I got addicted to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and wait for it... Southern Belles: Louisville. (oh god. its on SoapNet. lol) Well, Jamie Oliver is brilliant and if he came to Philadelphia I would totally go take free cooking classes.

not sure how else to describe this weekend's weather as anything other than blustery. it has dipped several degrees and gotten quite windy and so back to the spring jackets...

From Friday, a recap: Went to the Penn Student Healthy center early in the morning because I had pink eye. Just in the left eye, thank goodness. But it had progressively gotten worse all week, at first I thought it was just a sty from stress and stuff but then my eye got red, and hurt, and crusty. and clearly wasn't going to just go away on its own. ughhh. The medicine has been miraculous. It looks normal again and doesnt hurt much anymore. I have become a complete germaphobe though, and basically do not touch my face anymore. lol.

Struck out for Bala Cynwyd (suburb of Phila.) to find Target and Hallmark. It was glorious. I miss the suburbs. All that PARKING. beautiful. Got cute summer sandals that are all strappy and as if I'm hardly wearing shoes, so light. Then WalMart, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. It was like a 4 hour shopping adventure. I loved it. Got to do some actual driving, more than the stopping at lights at every block like in the city. Movie night with the girls at Lori's. Watched Saved which I hadn't seen in years. Hilarious. It got us into a discussion about what happened to Mandy Moore. lol.

Saturday I met CJ for lunch at Pad Thai Shack in Center City. Humongous plates of food. Still trying to persuade him to join me next Saturday for the Philly Gators' Gator Guzzle bar crawl through University City (my neighborhood!). I've only been to 1 of the 4 bars, so this should be a good introduction to drinking spots within walking distance.

I also watched The Other Boleyn Girl which reminded me that The Tudors is still on my Blockbuster queue. I read the Boleyn book back in high school but my memory is spotty about it as is my recall of European history so I was vaguely aware of what was going to happen next in the movie. Like right as things were developing I'd think "and then she has a daughter, not a son".. and then he divorces the Queen... oh riiiight. yikes. maybe I should brush up a little more on that stuff (or just watch the movies!)

And then today, I went to a Catholic Mass. One of my friends in my class is a Jesuit priest and he was guest sermoning at the oldest Catholic Church in Philadelphia tonight so he invited us all to come. I think the only other Catholic Mass I've been to before was Pancho's cousin's wedding in Venezuela and that was in Spanish so I really had no idea what was going on. But it was really beautiful tonight. The church itself is incredible, but more in a quaint and pretty kind of way (its from the 1700s) than an ornate and over the top way. Sean's part of liturgy was personable and funny and I really enjoyed going.

Now it is 10 o'clock and I've caught up on Gossip Girl and Real Housewives of NYC (I know, I know. but they are so ridiculous) and its time to clean up and do a little more light reading....

So...

For as long as I can remember, I have had a goal of running a marathon before I was 25. (Why 25? I don't know. But I suspect that when I was like 13 or whatever, it just seemed impossibly far off and old)

Well, I'm realizing that this is like a little over a year and a half from now so I better get going. I'm in my 7th week of running 3 times/week. Doing just 2.5 miles each time but I know I could go more if I pushed myself a bit. Maybe eek out a 4 miler if I was determined to breath through it. Anyways, I looked up the Philadelphia (Half) Marathon which is in the end of November. Plenty of time to train. The only caveat is that registration prices start climbing every month after the end of April.

I believe I could do the Half. 7 months is definitely enough time. Its actually enough time to train for a Full. but I'm a little nervous about that.

SO.

Should I sign up for the Half now? or should I wait a little and see how my running goes before I commit the money? Or, do I try to aim for doing the Full in November? (I think if there are enough spots open you can actually bump or down to a different race once you've registered. So If I sign up for one its possible to change it later. If I sign up for the Full, should I also scout out a Half beforehand? to get some experience?)

Either way, I'm going to run a Full before December 9, 2011.

Well...

Here's to the next 5 (plus?!) years in Philadelphia. Pancho decided on Penn this week. I suppose it never really dawned on me that I could be living here that long. I've just been plugging along as a "well, I'm living here for a year and maybe longer." but I don't think I really thought about that last part. I like it here so far and all but well... 5 years is kind of a long time... lol.

Good thing I finally bought these really cool City Walks tour cards last week. I've been eyeing them since last summer. Its a pack of 50 6"x4" cards that have suggested walks around the city and neighborhoods. I haven't really gotten a chance to explore as much as I'd like so thought this would be a fun way to see all the requisite but also funky and out of the way places around here. 2 of the cards are in my neighborhood! (I was relieved to see that at least I've gone to most of the places listed on those)

And speaking of how awesome Philly is (yup. just full of Phila. love today) I was completely unaware that a) Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters are the same company and b)they are headquartered here! and I have passed the Anthropologie store a million times but havent gone in (just don't trust myself) but I read that the building downtown is actually its flagship store AND its in an old converted mansion that is like amazing with a lot of the original architecture and fancy staircase and an elevator with a couch apparently.

It has been Florida hot this week. I just walk outside and take a deep breath and soak it all up. Had my first iced latte of the year this morning, part of my recent rediscovery of my obsession with Dunkin Donuts.

It would be nice to read a book again. Actually read it. All the words, each sentence. and then not think about its structure, argument, weaknesses, use of theoretical frameworks, and place within the larger historiography. How long until summer????

Blehhh. Tuesday/Wednesday just sucks the life out of me. So utterly exhausted. I also think I am having a weird delayed onset seasonal depression. I think I jinxed it by being so happy about the weekend's sun. It has been 20 degrees colder and rainy since. ugh. That is all. I just want it to be Thursday night already (the end of my school week responsibilities) AND I'm going out to a Gators Young Alumni event at a dueling piano bar! Hmm. A drink would be really nice right now... lol.

Oh, wait. There was one good thing today-- Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day! Somehow a free chocolate chip cookie dough cone just tastes so much better than a .. not free one.

Spring...

is perhaps my new favorite season. It has been so warm!!! I love it. Sunshine! and bare legs! lovelovelove.

Pretty great weekend. Nothing spectacular but feeling like I actually had a weekend. Went to a history party on Friday night. We had to bring food that related to our field, so doing WWII US stuff I baked Betty Crocker brownies and brought Coke. Does it get more Americana than that?

Saturday I finally got the massage Pancho gave me for Valentine's. I was a little nervous about deep tissue because I thought maybe they would like grind me into the table but it was actually amazing. And apparently I had a lot of tension in my shoulders and upper back (hunched over the computer writing, perhaps?) so I felt like relaxed putty walking out of there. The spa just so conveniently is smooshed in between all the shops on Walnut St. so I popped into Zara and H&M. Total spontaneous purchase at H&M of new sunglasses (finally!! as I mentioned here several times before of my great need) and this super cute silk blend blue and white patterned mini-dress. Then I sat in Rittenhouse Square for awhile soaking up the sun with my new shades and Time. Great morning.

And today Pancho was here after flying in from skiing all week. Picked him up at the airport at 2:15 in the morning. Guess I like him a lot. Grabbed brunch at Rx which is literally 3 blocks from me and I've been wanting to check it out-- brioche french toast. yum yum yum. Walked around the neighborhood because it was so nice out (and to digest) and then dropped him off at the train mid-afternoon so he could get back and get some work done. Very satisfying weekend, but here comes another rather busy week. But only 6 more of the semester! (a thought both exciting and terrifying)

These people up north...

basically cannot function when there is nice weather. I was told once, back in Florida, by northern visitors "If the weather was this nice all the time, I would never get work done. How do you guys deal with it being sunny all the time?" At the time I thought this was slightly ridiculous. Well, its always nice, so we just take it for granted. duh.

However, I'm starting to see the logic to this question. Because after 5 miserably wet and cold days the weather today was GORGEOUS, sunny, bright blue skies and in the low 60s, there were about 18 times more people outside than I have seen in months. Everywhere. The teeniest patches of grass, any outdoor seating, people all over the place. Granted, there were also a ton of drunken college kids hanging out on front porches because of St. Patrick's Day... but people everywhere, reading, playing frisbee, eating, it was great. The weather guy said it hasn't been this warm since December 3rd. yikes.

Again, reminded of great need for new sunglasses. grrrrr. Though I did float the idea to one of my friends of going (finally!!) to check out King of Prussia-- only the biggest mall on the east coast!! and like a 30-minute drive or so from here. hooray.

Also, Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I made green cupcakes (dyed both the funfetti mix and the icing) for my 700 class this morning. We were critiquing drafts (mine included) so I thought it might be nice to sugar coma myself into getting through it. It worked, plus the medium latte and dunkin donut munchins the prof brought in probably helped too. I was also pretty much shaking by the end of class. lol. I also put little shamrock stickers on the 2 papers that I was a peer reader for. AND I wore my Everyone Loves An Irish Girl shirt. I just can't give it up. I know it should have been in my give-away bag of spring cleanout clothes but I can't make myself do it. It still fits! and its supersoft. I had the decency at least to wear my green Polo sweater over it for most of the day though. :)

Since the skewering of my 1st draft is now complete--except for my advisor's comments which I will have to deal with next week. which I cant even think about yet how much I'll dread that--I decided I was going to watch tv til my eyes pop out tonight. Totally need a break/it's a holiday. So behind from not watching last week while I was writing said 1st draft. Yes, my idea of a great night right now is couch potato-ing it. Or, rather, desk chair-ing it for those of us without a couch. God. I can't wait til I have a bigger place and can afford furniture. I'm going to a party on Friday night though, so shush. Grad school isn't all that lame.

I had a fantastic night last night. Pancho got into town and we went out in Manayunk with his friends from Hopkins. People were already starting to celebrate St. Paddy's. (I, of course, have had my decorations up since I took down the Valentine's ones...) So we went to Kildare's which had like several multi-level bars and spaces to dance. We ended up where the live music was. So much fun, I haven't danced in a long while and it was fantastic. Also, because the guys we were with used me as bait. "Paige, we're good enough friends I think, right? So I'm going to dance with you so it looks like I can get a hot girl. Thanks." lol. Lots of classic 90s songs that I knew the words to. Perfect. AND they played Shout. which is my favorite wedding reception song to dance to and it just makes me feel so happy. Mostly because you can jump all around. And then we were hungry on the way home, so we went to Wawa for a chicken parm. The place was packed. It made me feel like we were doing one of those totally typical things after a night out. Also, Gainesville should get a Wawa. I told Pancho- Grad school: Its like college but with more legal drinking.

lamest Spring Break ever

but it has also sort of, oddly, been a little relaxing (despite the paper-writing mania). I've started running again. It has done wonders for my unrestful sleep issues and I actually like that sore-but-in-a-good way feeling. Maybe this is the start of my finally starting to train for a marathon. I always said I wanted to do one before 25, so I better get going.

We are supposed to get massive amounts of rain this weekend, or rather, starting any time now tonight. ugh. Just when I was totally into the sunny and warm thing. What a tease.

My mom sent me a package today of : Girl Scout Samoas, Nerds, and Sweetheart Chicks, Ducks, and Bunnies for Easter. My little sugar-overloaded heart swooned. I could go on at length on the virtues of all of them. Mmmm....

Spring is on its way...

and so I felt the urge to start packing away some of the bulky winter clothes (sweaters with snowflakes, really thick turtlenecks, rolling-around-in-the-snow pants) Thought it was probably a good time to do a little Spring Cleaning while I was at it. Picked out about 12 things that I don't wear/have never worn/are way way too old (like 10th grade)/things I would still wear except that I know deep down in my heart are out of style. Many are from stores that I have literally not shopped in for years. Perhaps that should have been a clue to me. A few of the highlights: White cargo capris from American Eagle, red terry cloth zip up hoodie from Abercrombie (seriously), tube top sun dress (I don't actually look that good in strapless stuff), very short jean shorts, a knee-length jean skirt with a slit in the front, and several tops that no, I don't think I actually will wear them "some day." If you have seen me in the past 5 years, you have most definitely seen me in at least 1 of these items. It's hard, but I feel like I'm making progress. lol. It also stupidly makes me think that now I have cleared room to buy replacements. Oh, if only.... Although with the bright sun today I was reminded that I am still on a quest for the perfect sunglasses, albeit ones that won't break the bank.

And Allison. Your comment was duly noted. In my defense, I would update more often except that nothing truly worth detailing happens that often. and seriously, how often can I possibly vent about schoolwork? Its cathartic for me to write but I'm sure very very boring to read. so I spare you, my dear readers. However, I will try to remember more odd little things that happen. For instance, a couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the library near these big plate glass windows and I was reading but also people watching as folks walked by. And I see this squirrel with a full size doughnut run by. I laugh, look around to see if anyone else saw it, nothing. I go back to reading. Look up a few minutes later and I see a squirrel with a big sugar cookie. He tries to dig a hole but its not working after a few tries and so runs up a nearby tree. He leaves the cookie in the forked branch and scurries down and away from the tree! I, apparently, was the only one watching this whole thing take place. When I left the library a considerable time later, the cookie was still there. Hanging out 8 feet off the ground.

stressed.

I really thought I was doing a good job of keeping the mounting stress at bay. Thought that maybe I was finally getting to a point where I could recognize everything that had to be done, realize that it would eventually get done, and then consequently not feel the anxiety. It was working (the whole fooling myself bit)... until now. When it isn't.

Last week, I was just plugging along productively, but not sleeping well at all (going to bed at 2am every night and being tired but not being able to sleep. the worst!) and seeing what work was beckoning on the horizon but I was feeling alright about it. Decompressed a little over the weekend. Went running for the first time in months on Monday which a professor recommended for my sleeping problems. Totally worked. I passed out that night and had such a wonderfullllll sleep that I felt like a new person on Tuesday. Which was great because Tuesdays are my most hectic days (schoolwork all day usually and then class 6-9pm) and this week I had a presentation to give which went swimmingly and I got nice comments back on a paper topic idea. So, sweet, right?

Got another great night's sleep. Wednesday was about the usual. and then today. Started off okay, had a nice lunch with some girls from the dept., even went to Insomnia Cookies for the first time. They have SO many cookies (I got an M&M one), and they heat them up for you! Mostly it just made me sleepy and wanting a mid-afternoon nap. Then had an okay meeting and went to a lecture talk on the South and slavery but as soon as I got home, it just felt like a wave of stress.

So here it all is (because I just have to get it out of my system):I have my first draft due of this big, huge paper that will eventually be the basis for my MA thesis on Sunday, March 14. A little over a week from now. I have not started writing. I am aiming for at least 30 pages, but would be happy with 26. I think I can do it. I know I am capable of it. I just worry about the research I have and the amount of secondary reading that I have not done, but wonder how much I could do in the next week or make it seem like I did do. I worry about the quality of the writing, my intellectual arguments, what is everyone in my class going to think of it? Will it be just as good as my other stuff? Or did I really finally screw the pooch on this one by waiting so long to start writing? I remind myself that I have been working on the project the last couple weeks, in between all my other classwork (which seriously takes up a lot of time) and that this is only the first draft. I'll do another one and we'll discuss that in class, too. Then I get a last chance for the Final version. whew.

I worry about finding a job. Because I need to start that process. It's scary. What if I don't find something I'm willing to do/think I'm qualified for/am excited about? I waver between feeling like hey, I just spent how many years killing myself academically and I think I deserve a decent-paying job in a fancy institution where I'm doing what I want to do versus in this economy, maybe I'll be happy with whatever job I can find as long as its 30k and not completely menial. I don't really feel comfortable with either one of those, but I waver. What if I don't actually like working? but I need a break from school. I need to finally experience what its like to not have reading and homework and research always lingering. I'm stretched thin on student loans to just get me to/through August. What the f am I going to do if I don't have a job after that? Also, where exactly am I going to be? Am I going to be able to finish my thesis over the summer and then move?

Ahhhhh!!!!

Oh, yeah. Spring Break technically started for me tonight. except I'll be working on that draft. At least it means no classes (and thus work) next week. a small reprieve. sigh. Maybe I'm just having a weird hormonal period thing. or maybe withdrawl from not having Coke or espresso since Monday.

Anyways, that was a good vent. The next post will be more uplifting. probably.

Hard to believe

that it is the middle of the week already. My Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays are all my classes and tons of work and it goes by so so quickly. Have an independent study graduate reading meeting tomorrow so I've got to get through the 2nd book by 3pm. Totally fine. lol. It's true, I've become accustomed to the workload. Found out that my first draft of my big 700 paper isn't due until after Spring Break. a small relief, and now I'm amped up about spending a lot of time on it and getting my act together. Trying to channel the frenetic pace I had during fall senior year, writing my senior thesis. I was crazed. I don't know how I did it, looking back. ah well.

A small aside about what I've been reading lately--- sexuality in the 19th century encompassing publications for the first time of birth control and abortion information, the more widespread distribution and advertisement of condoms, etc etc. (some of the early stuff is insane. also, they screwed up the "rhythm method" so that basically women were told to have sex at the exact time they were most likely to get pregnant. oops!), obscenity laws, the "erotic canon", Free Lovers who advocated that the state shouldn't be able to decide through marriage about love between a couple ultimately makes links to marriage and slavery, and lots of stuff about reform physiology about how people should understand their bodies and sexual organs. For instance, the Graham cracker was invented by Sylvester Graham because it was a bland food that would "cool" down the body's passion and prevent masturbation which was seen as harmful to health. (seriously)

Valentine's

This has been quite the Valentine's Weekend. Pancho got in Friday afternoon and after sweetly driving me around downtown so I could do errands, we got straight to celebrating. He got me a deep-tissue massage (so excited), Toblerone chocolates, and these sweet flowers in a pink striped potter I can use once I've inevitably killed off the plant. (terrible, but true) I got him chocolate croissants from WS that are apparently out of this world amazing but due to the snow storm and UPS being royally incompetant, they are still sitting in a warehouse when they were an overnight air delivery. Probably no longer frozen after 5 days, so I'm a little miffed and will be on the phone to correct it very soon. But besides that little snafu, the gifts were superb.

Ok, so, Friday night we went to see Valentine's Day which has like a million famous people in it. It was verrrrry cute, I loved it, there were some really hilarious scenes that made my face hurt I was laughing so much. It was a packed theater and my guess is that there were no more than 10 guys. Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, and Emma Roberts were extra good. I liked seeing Taylor Swift but she plays the ditziest high schooler it was cringe-worthy. Highly recommend it.
Then we met up with some of Pancho's friends from Hopkins that now live in Philly and some of their friends from med school. Somehow I ended up very very drunk. By somehow, I mean, a long island and 4 beers. yikes. Needless to say, Saturday morning was rough. very rough. But we started watching some of the Oylmpics coverage and made chocolate chip cookies from scratch (I have such a chocolate monster of a boyfriend) and before I knew it, it was time for dinner.

Got dressed up (boots, black pants, black and white silk top) and we headed over to Center City to Bistrot La Minette, this adorable little French restaurant. The reviews on Yelp were all glowing and it ended up beyond my expectations. Started with this delicious apple, pear puree, cinnamon cocktail, wonderfully buttery and garlic escargot in adorable individual pots for each snail, and warm baguette slices. Pancho had terrine (chunky pate) and then orange-glazed duck. My main course was lamb stew with duck confit which was hearty, thick and like heaven in every bite. AND then, as if I could eat another morsel, we got pot de chocolate for dessert. Basically a little bowl of chocolate mouse/pudding with delicate butter cookies to dip in. Topped off with chocolates made in-house and some red wine, we were in food heaven. I love good food and every thing was authentic and served beautifully. Very very impressed. It was romantic and the definite highlight of the weekend.

Fact: I survived a blizzard.

So... about that last post, about "Snowmageddon." Ummm.. well, I spoke too soon. Because Tuesday night-- Wednesday we got hit with a blizzard. A real, honest-to-goodness blizzard. Did my little ol' Floridian heart think such a thing was going to happen in "Oh, Philadelphia doesn't get that much snow"? NO. But it was awesome. Mainly because I never left my toasty apartment, and I could look on in wonder from the inside. It sleeted, it snowed, it was super windy. And the white stuff just piled onto the snow from Saturday that still hadn't even begun to melt. yikes.

Today I couldn't take it anymore, already going stir crazy, so I just went on a walk to the ATM. lol. (I needed some sort of purpose). It was glorious outside. Cold, but I was bundled so it felt good, sunny, and with rain boots I feel invincible so I can stomp around to my heart's content. The roads were in various states of packed snow/sorta plowed/cleared and already muddy. I'm actually dreading what this is all going to look like when it starts melting. ughhh. But, its still nice and clean and white now. I posted photos on Facebook. Its difficult to explain the ridiculousness of how much snow there is. 3-4 foot piles between the sidewalk and street.

Pancho is coming in on the train tomorrow. So far there are no delays, keeping my fingers crossed. The plan was for me to do some grocery shopping and then pick him up on the way back, but I have serious doubts about the road conditions. sigh. Driving on snowy-ish roads is terrifying but maybe everywhere I need to go is all salted and plowed. Let's hope.

"Snowmageddon" of 2010

It snowed! Lots and lots and lots this weekend. It. was. awesome. (said like that little kid on The Incredibles)

It started Friday evening and didn't stop until Saturday afternoon. Estimates range from 22 to 28 inches for Philadelphia, so I'm not 100 percent sure exactly how much, but obviously enough. I spent a lot of time sitting at my kitchen table just watching it fall. Totally transformed the view. Everything is completely covered by white. Its very pretty. Looks like winter. Wish it looked like this for all of winter. Got bundled up on Saturday afternoon (when it was still 22 out but supposedly felt like 7 according to the weather report) and went playing with my friend, Noria. By playing I mean throwing myself into piles of snow, literally throwing myself, I even have a bruised knee as proof. (apparently one pile wasn't as packed as I thought so I plunked right through it to the ground) but made snow angels and tried to pack snowballs but it wasn't wet enough. It was wonderful. The roads hadn't really been plowed so people were just walking in the middle of the street, also because the sidewalks were like up to my knees almost. Very peaceful and quiet and makes all the other cold and non-snow days worth it. And we're supposed to be getting more snow on Wednesday! If I hope for a Snow Day am I jinxing it?

I was very good today and spent time catching up on my reading and getting ready for the week. Didn't watch the Super Bowl, but I did just happen to switch over during commercial on Nightly to catch the Tebow commercial. I don't know what the big deal was, it was like the lamest commercial ever and didn't even explicitly say anything about abortion. Hopefully I can see the highlights of some of the good commercials later this week, though.

Very excited that Pancho is coming on Friday to spend Valentine's weekend! We're going to this romantic French place, Bistrot La Minette, over in Center City for dinner. Haven't done anything fancy in a long time so really looking forward to it.

It's late (1:10am) and I'm tired but I don't feel like actually going to sleep. Except I should, and I need to. I will regret this tomorrow. It doesn't feel late and thats the problem. Like I just want to keep wasting time online or do something. Therefore I shall blog.

My cohort had a Game Night tonight at one of the girl's apartments in Center City. I've been to 4 other people's places in my class now and seriously, the sight of a living room as an actual living room, is sometimes almost too much to bear. Don't get me wrong; I love my apartment and I honestly think its perfect sized for one person, but having the option to have room for a couch or a cute overstuffed armchair would be nice. So we played Taboo, for our 3rd consecutive game night. I will confess to initially stumbling on "actor" as my first word. I just get a little anxious -> tongue-tied -> feeling as if there are no words in my brain. But then I found my rhythm. I also brought beer bread that I made from a Trader Joe's mix. Quite possibly one of the easiest things to make. ever. Open mix, add hard cider, pour in loaf pan and drizzle melted butter. Bake. and it tasted pretty darn good.

So there is a Winter Storm Warning for this weekend. Apparently its a Big Deal. Like, potentially 12 inches of snow between tomorrow afternoon and Saturday afternoon!! I'm envisioning me all cozied up inside, hot cocoa, catching up on all my tv shows from this week and my reading (boo) with the snow flakes gently falling.... Then I'm heading out to jump around in it and frolic with another girl from the South. (because we still think snow is awesome)

What else....?
Classes are going well. I actually feel on top of things. and prepared for discussions. Its a great feeling. Though I'm beginning to have anxiety about my research paper. Our first drafts are due in a month which is problematic because I do not feel at all ready. ugh. It will get done. It will get done. It will get done. This is true and I know it, but its the actual doing that is yucky.
Pancho has been getting some exciting news from grad schools and has interviews lined up. Looks like we'll be in Boston, Philadelphia, or Atlanta come September. I honestly have no preference at this point, I have pulls toward all of them. Crazy, considering that I wanted to live in Boston for, oh, say, 10 years but seriously now I'd be happy in any of them.

Ok, I've written myself sleepy. Guess this was a good idea after all.

the weekend is here

I have no set plans for this weekend but maybe hanging out with CJ tomorrow. Havent seen him in like 2 months which is just sort of ridiculous seeing as how we live in the same city. and these days thats about as good (and as close) as I'm liable to be from people.

This week was pretty normal I'd say. Usual hum drum school/read/meetings/life routine. Although I did come back on Tuesday morning from a long weekend in Baltimore which was basically phenomenal. I always forget to post about awesome stuff until like days (weeks) later when details aren't as fresh but we went on a brewery tour of Clipper City. It was a lot of fun, got to sample 5 different kinds of beer (in our souvenir beer glass!) and then got a tour of where they make and bottle it. Got to smush hops in my hand which is really stinky and sticky and tasted barley which was like cereal. Apparently the best way to enjoy a beer is in a non-frosted glass (not the bottle) after its sat out for 10-15 minutes.

Pancho and I also tried our hand at making homemade Cocoa Chile Truffles. They turned out awesome and were actually super easy to do. You melt butter, unsweetened and semi-sweet chocolate with heavy cream, chill in fridge for 3 hours, and then scoop out balls and roll in confectioners sugar and cocoa chile powder. Done. The chile powder blend gave them a bit of a kick but very yummy.

And one night we ended out at this bar in Fells Point that had a really wide selection of Belgian beers and I got Lindemans Framboise which I haven't had since I was in Brussels (2.5 years ago) and I loved drinking this stuff. Though it was way way cheaper there. and sadly, it was not at all like I remembered, or perhaps something got lost along the Atlantic crossing. Its a fruit beer and its supposed to be sweet but whatever I had last week was like syrupy sweet. ugh. However, the drinking was salvaged by the hard cider I had picked up earlier at Wine Source. I now do my alcohol buying in MD because sales tax in Philly just went up to 8%. It kills me.

I've been to all my new classes now and they're going to be fine. Reading is just starting to pick up, so not entirely stressed yet. And I'm still working at my resolution to have more fun. The 1st year girls had a game night last night. I brought Bananagrams which I got for Christmas. Walking with it just the 4 blocks was pretty funny because people gave me odd looks. and we played Taboo and then just gossiped and ate cupcakes. lol. And tonight I went to the joint History/History of Sociology and Science grad happy hour. Yay for free cheese and beer. In consequence, I have missed Brian Williams twice this week. Its a travesty. But I did just watch the Jersey Shore finale. so you know, I'm not totally lacking in media and pop culture this week.

free time

Back in Philly and school hasn't started again. Hooray. Although I feel I'm sort of wasting time, but thats the point of vacation, right? I did get over to Williams Sonoma today, however. I was on a mission, though, which is a good thing because that place is like kryptonite. I want almost every single item there. Ostensibly, I needed to get a baking spray for my new cookie-shaped cake pans so the cake actually comes out, but I totally got sidetracked by the over abundance of amazing cooking stuff. I think I want to be an adult and have a job so that I can outfit a kitchen with fancy and completely unnecessary but wonderful things. But I did good, got out--just barely--with the most intense looking can of professional baking spray you've ever seen. Its not kidding around. Very excited to try it out next week when I make the cake again for my visit to Pancho. I'm sitting here writing about this and like actually longing to be back at the store. sigh. Damn you grad school and your complete command over my finances.

It snowed last night. Just an inch, but it was so nice waking up to see everything covered in white. The first time I've actually been in town when it snowed. I like it.

I bought a set of 10-lb free weights this week in hopes of getting toned again. They're like really heavy though. I get fatigued pretty quick. sad. I miss SW Rec so so much. Spinning class, all those machines. Can't wait to join a gym again but going to have to wait. I should probably also figure something out about the floor so I can do crunches and all that stuff because the hardwood right now is not inviting. at all. Eh. Taking a laissez-faire approach to exercising but maybe the weights will inspire me.

Brian Williams on Leno tonight. Gonna try to catch that! Feeling like I didn't get enough Nightly over the holidays.

01/01/10

...and another year is upon us. 2010 is going to be good. even maybe momentous? I can feel it. 2009 was all about lots of change which this year probably will be, too. more of the Major Life Events category. I have 2 resolutions: have more fun and wear my retainer. Definitely doable as well as good for my health. Have yet to work out exactly what more fun will entail, but I just know I want it.

After warm, glorious, sunny Florida for Christmas, I'm now in Georgia. My last Winter Break. Boy, I'm going to miss month-long vacations. Went to Chattanooga for the day on Wednesday. The Tenn. Aquarium is awesome. I want to be a sea otter in my next life. Also went to Ruby Falls which is the tallest underground waterfalls or something. Its 1000 feet down inside Lookout Mountain. really cool. Saw stalagtites and stalagmites and other bizarre water-dripping-related geology.

Spent New Years Eve baking my new Williams Sonoma cookie-shaped cake. It was adorable. And delicious but had some serious sticking problems. Watched the entire disc 4 of My So-Called Life and then went to a party where the next oldest person was 40. yup. I basically hovered next to the food the entire night. and thereby prevented any hint of a hangover for today. score. I also looked amazing if I do say so myself. Why didn't I look this good in high school? Better late than never I suppose. :)

And so far today I have made Pancho's Mom's texmex dip for the 3rd Friday in a row, watched Suze Orman approve and deny people to buy questionable (and expensive) items, read Ms., scoured ESPN and NYTimes online, and am now left with a wonderful dilemma-- nothing to do! Sugar Bowl game tonight, though. Going to settle in with the aforementioned dip, order some pizza, and watch Tebow win his last Gators game. Although I think one of the ESPN articles had it right. We're a spoiled fan base. UF returned 3000 of its 17500 tickets because they couldn't sell them while Cincy sold out in 3 days. I hope we give 'em a good showing tonight.

And.. finally. An excellent reason for me to continue not having cable. I haven't watched MTV since early fall 2008 when I gave up on The Hills for good (seriously, best half hour of my life gained back) and so I have been blissfully unaware of whats now on. EXCEPT last week when Eduardo alerted me to the absolute ridiculousness that is Jersey Shore. and having access to my parent's tv. Naturally, I had to watch it. It is so so soooo bad. yet I will watch the newest episode tonight right before the Sugar Bowl. I go back to Philly next week, a little terrible tv is perfectly acceptable. or is it? Also, in related news, Secret Life of the American Teenager is back for new season on Monday. For that, I have no shame. I relish the terrible acting.