Quote of the week

I have a giant bowl of quotes that I pull from every week and post on my dry erase board.  This week's quote is appropriate for the holiday season.

"We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives." - Robert Kennedy

Google Forms

Google forms may be the COOLEST thing I have ever used.  I know that some people have been using them forever, but I haven't been.  I am truly amazed and impressed by them.  It is so easy to make them.  They have pretty background options.  It provides me with a wonderful excel spreadsheet.

I have made 3 google forms in the last 30 minutes.

I am a nerd.  These make me happy!

BABIES!

Friends having babies! 

yay!

I can't say anything else but I am so happy for my friend.  Yay!

Friends w/ Triple A

I have awful car issues.  I am not sure what happened but in the last year cars just don't seem to last when they are around me.  My BFF is out of town and I have his car.  This morning I go outside and the damn car is dead - D-E-A-D. 

I freak out.

The car worked this weekend.  It drove beautifully.  It was so nice and smooth and wonderful.  Then DEAD! WTF?!?

Once I got past the freak out, I walked to work to deal with it later.  I am lucky to have people in my life that are willing to help.  JC came to help me try and push the car out of the garage to jump start it but the car wouldn't move into neutral.  Apparently, newer cars won't allow you to switch to neutral when the battery is dead.  Who knew? Not me. 

Now what?  Well she called Triple A and  had someone come out.  Her and her husband waited for over an hour with me until they came and started the car.  It was the battery. 

I am blessed to have wonderful friends. 

I also need to get my own Triple A membership.

Wii Bowling

My niece is a Wii bowling savant...seriously, if there were competitive Wii Bowling, she would be a superstar.  Once of the best parts of this weekend was watching her demolish all the adults at the game.  She had never played the game before and she has only been bowling once in her life.  Her highest score of the weekend was a 211.  Craziness..

She is a bit of a trash talker too.  Sassy little girl.

I have a bit of a competitive family though.  So, people played lots and lots of times in futile attempts to beat her.  I think of the many games played, she only lost one or two.  Provided hours of entertainment.

Thanksgiving recap

It is Monday and back to the daily grind of work.  I will admit that I feel like I need a bit of a break after this Thanksgiving break.  It was a successful first hosting of the thanksgiving dinner, but boy was it tiring.  13 people, tons of food, two days of cooking....but over all good times.

My niece helping to mash the egg for the potato salad.

Thanksgiving morning "breakfast" spread of bread, butter & cheese.  

My glorious niece in her Thanksgiving Dress.

My first Turkey!  It came out really good.

Family - aunt, niece, sister, brother, stepfather & sister's friend.  Mom and I don't really do pictures. 

I stand...

Such a BUSY, BUSY 3.5 days.  Cooking..family..Re-energizer...

I am ...tired. sore.  fulfilled.  proud.  inspired.  hopeful.

There has been so much to be joyful and thankful about.  Right now, I am excited about going to sleep and not waking up to an alarm clock.

On that note, one of the amazing things about this weekend was a new CD of SLTP music and the below song was the first.  It is "I Stand" by Idina Menzel...

I stand for the power to change.  I live for the perfect day.  I love til it hurts like crazy. I pray for a hero to save me.  I stand for the strange and lonely.  I believe there's a better place.  I don't know if the sky is heaven but I pray anyway...



"I Stand"

When you ask me, who I am:
What is my vision? And do I have a plan?
Where is my strength? Have I nothing to say?
I hear the words in my head, but I push them away.

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

And I don't know
What tomorrow brings
The road less traveled
Will it set us free?
Cause we are taking it slow,
These tiny legacies.
I don't try and change the world;
But what will you make of me?

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

With the slightest of breezes
We fall just like leaves
As the rain washes us from the ground
We forget who we are
We can't see in the dark
And we quickly get lost in the crowd

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

Skipping School

This morning I got a call from my niece.  My niece is 5 years old.  This is her first year in kindergarten and she LOVES school.  She had a fever and was sick and still wanted to go to school.  There has been no moment that has made her think...hmmm...maybe I should skip school today.

UNTIL

this morning...

She called me and the conversation went like this...

Niece: Titi, I don't have to go to school today and we can go to New Hampshire now.

Me: No, you have to go to school and when school is over you can come to New Hampshire.  Titi has to work today too.

Niece:  Titi, we can pretend to be absent.

Me: (holding back laughter) No Nana, you have to go to school.  I will see you later today after school.

Niece: (sigh) Okay Titi.  Bye bye. I love you.

Me: Love you too.

And boy do I love her.  :)  Can't wait to see her.  She should be here in 3 hours or so.

Thanksgiving!

Okay, so my family will be here tonight for the Thanksgiving break.  So many things to do.  So many things to be joyful and thankful about.

I will have pictures of my first T-Day feast that I prepare and stories of the family visit.

On this Thanksgiving break, I am thankful for:

• this bog
• my students
• the little, unexpected and hilarious moments
• Gilmore Girls
• Glee
• SLTP - Can't wait until Saturday!
• Ovens big enough to cook a turkey and a ham
• Days with no meetings
• my family of birth
• scarves
• reusable grocery bags
• vacuums
• books & libraries
• youtube.com
• Elixir
• pinky swears
• holiday music & holiday decorations
• internet radio
• cute shoes
• knowing that people care
• my BFF & family of choice
• forgiveness
• love

I am truly blessed to have the amazing people I have in my life.  It sometimes feels lonely in my everyday life but then I remember that my deepest connections are often to people that live far from where I am.  I am thankful to be doing work that is fulfilling and gives me deep satisfaction.  I am blessed to have a roof over my head, food in my fridge and a few extra bucks to buy a drink at the bar.  I am deeply grateful for the care and love I have received over the years of my life, particularly this year.  

Happy Thanksgiving.

Little Mermaid

One of my favorite movies (animated or not) is Little Mermaid.  Here is a clip that I found today on a friend's blog of the song "Part of your World" in Dutch.  It has the dutch and english subtitles.  The words to this version are incredible.  I have never really thought about how the words would need to be changed to keep the idea of the song but to meet the tune as well.  That translation must be very complicated.  They seem to mostly get it  - although there are some strange phrases.  I do appreciate that they use the word rebuke.

Enjoy

Chores

There is  quiet joy in a task accomplished. This is part of the reason I love get-to lists.  I didn't have a super productive weekend but the things I did accomplish make me happy.

1. Shopping for T-day dinner 85% completed
2. Letters to friends written
3. Laundry done and laundry put away - this is an impressive task.  

This I believe... (the book)

I just finished reading the book "This I Believe".

This a compilation of the NPR statements by all kinds of people.  I have never actually heard the NPR show - which I know makes me a heathen in some people's minds.  A few entries ago, I wrote my own belief list that I have been carrying around with me for a few years.

The statements of belief in the book are really powerful.  As I have said before, sometimes we find reminders of what we are hoping for, right when we need them.  On the two month anniversary of the start of this blog and journey, as my heart and passion have been shaken and tested...this book and the statements in it, came at exactly the right time.

"I believe in being a good friend, lover and parent so that I can have good friends, lovers and children.  I believe in being a woman - the best that I can be, like my mama said." -Phyllis Allen

"Give, give, give - what is the point of having experience, knowledge, or talent if I don't give it away? Of having stories if I don't tell them to others? Of having wealth if I don't share it? I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world, and with the divine." - Isabel Allende

"I believe it is important to recognize and appreciate joy when you feel it.  Every once in a while, and not just on special occasions, I've suddenly realized that I am truly happy right now.  This is a precious experience, one to savor." - Elizabeth Deutsch Earle

"I believe that families are not only blood relatives but sometimes just people that show up and love you when no one else will." - Cecile Gilmer

"I believe that we learn by practice.  Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same." - Martha Graham

"Presence is a noun, not a verb; it is a state of being, not doing.  States of being are not highly valued in a culture that places a high priority on doing.  Yet, true presence or "being with" another person carries with it a silent power - to bear witness to a passage, to help carry an emotional burden, or to begin a healing process.  in it, there is an intimate connection with another that is perhaps too seldom felt in a society that strives for ever-faster 'connectivity'." - Debbie Hall

"I believe in the ingredients of love, the elements from which it is made.  I believe in love's humble, practical components and their combined power." - Jackie Lantry

"I believe in the absolute and unlimited liberty of reading.  I believe in wandering through the stacks and picking out the first thing that strikes me.  I believe in choosing books based on the dust jacket.  I believe in reading books because others dislike them or find them dangerous.  I believe in choosing the hardest book imaginable.  I believe in reading up on what others say about this difficult book, and then making up my own mind." - Rick Moody

"Action is what separates a belief from an opinion.  Beliefs are imprinted through actions." - Eboo Patel

"I believe we are more than the inhabitants of our cubicles, more than engineers or even parents, husbands and wives.  I believe we are transformed and connected by the power and beauty of our creativity." - Mel Rushnov

"I believe that like sunshine and great sex, no day is bad that has barbecue in it." - Jason Sheehan

"I believe in the pursuit of happiness.  Not its attainment, nor its final destination, but its pursuit.  I believe in the journey, not the arrival; in conversation, not monologues; in multiple questions rather than any single answer.  I believe in the struggle to remake ourselves and challenge each other in the spirit of eternal forgiveness, in the awareness that none of us knows for sure what happiness truly is, but each of us knows the imperative to keep searching.  I believe in the possibility of surprising joy, of serenity through pain, of homecoming through exile." - Andrew Sullivan

"I believe in both my right and my responsibility to work to create a world that doesn't glorify violence and war, but where we seek different solutions to our common problems.  I believe that these days, daring to voice your opinion, daring to find out information from a variety of sources, can be an act of courage. ... I believe that words are easy.  I believe that truth is told in the actions we take.  And I believe that if enough ordinary people back up our desire for a better world with action, we can, in fact, accomplish absolutely extraordinary things." - Jody Williams

Being heard

Today I was heard.  I spoke and someone that cared about me listened.  They listened.  They asked.  They stayed long enough to hear the full answer.  Today I trusted long enough to say my piece and to try and be understood.  Today a friend showed me how very much he cares by taking the time to ask the important questions.

Today was a good day.

Pinky Swears

The pinky swear is a sacred thing between two friends.  It can not be used lightly or frivolously.  Nor can it be broken once sworn.  This simple hook of the pinky between friends secures a lasting commitment.

My BFF and I take the pinky swear very seriously.  We don't whip out the pinky for any situation.  Today my BFF requested a pinky swear from me for something very important.  He asked that I be honest about something that I don't EVER really talk about.

The timing was completely awkward because we were sitting at a bar.  The approach to the conversation was not gentle.  Regardless, it came from a place of deep love and care for me.

I hesitated.  He asked for a pinky swear.  If I was going to pinky swear then I intended to talk.  I'm not very good with the sharing sometimes.

I thought.  I mulled.  I processed.  Then I reached out with my pinky and I closed the pinky-swear.

One of the great and amazing things about my friendship with my BFF is that we both know that the other person is doing the best they possibly can to be the best possible friend.  As Garth Brooks says, he may not be big on social graces, but he has the biggest and most amazing heart.  His capacity to care is just tremendous.  I trust him completely, which is huge for me.

To friendship and many more years of pinky swears

Starting the morning

with music....it really is the way to go.

It is only 8:28am....

and here are the great things about today so far.

1. It is rainy outside.  Doesn't sound great.  But I like the rain.  
2. Yellow - I am wearing yellow.  First, I look pretty nice in yellow.  More importantly, it makes me feel nice.  yay to yellow!
3. Chobani Greek Yogurt - delicious, raspberry-flavored.  Um...yum!
4. exercise - day 2 of waking up and exercising.  It always makes me feel better during the day but sometimes I just want to stay curled up in my bed.
5. Hilarious phone message from my long-time friend DRN.  He and I have been friends for what seems like 4-evah, since our first year of college in the "new dorms" of East Wheelock.  (note: this makes us very old because EW is no longer new)
6. The songs "teenage dreams" and "Forget you" sung by the cast of Glee - Is it wrong that I like them more than the originals.  
7. Ceiling fans - when it is too cold to open the window but too dang hot in the office, the ceiling fan regulates the temperature
8. Seeing my BFF first thing in the morning.  I usually see him at least once a day - but rarely is he the first person I see.  It adds a special joy to the day when the first person you see is someone you love so dearly and loves you.  yay to friendship.

And now it is 8:35am.  I have had my yogurt and cup of coffee and it is time to get down to business.  

Board games!

I love board games.  I have for as long as I can remember.  Growing up we didn't necessarily have a lot of stuff,  but we always had games.  From Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders to Sorry and Trouble to Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary - games were a huge part of my childhood.  I wonder why I don't play them more often these days....

Hmm...Maybe I should organize a game night?  New favorite games of my adult life Boggle and Bananagrams.  :)

That said, I ran across this picture on another blog.  I agree with the author, I adore books and want a giant library full of them....but this would be pretty damn cool too.

Funny toys

The nerd in me finds these "stuffed microbes" hilarious and kind of cute.

If at first you stall...refocus on others

I have hit my stalling point.  This is the point in any endeavor I undertake where I (1) get bored; (2) get scared/anxious; (3) freak out; or (4) get "busy".  I have also been known to get any number of those in combination.  When this happens, I stall... I am hitting this point with the blog.

So I have run through the categories.  First, am I bored? The answer is no.  I actually really enjoy writing the blog.  I like going back and reading some of my other posts.  I am enjoying it and not bored.  Okay, one eliminated - unfortunately it was the easiest of the four to admit to and to get deal with.

Second, am I "too" busy?  Well, sure I am certainly busy at work..but...the answer to this one is also no. I can find a couple of minutes every day to write something.  Dangnabit...the second easiest one is eliminated.

Am I scared/anxious? Am I freaked out? Well, the answer to this question is YES! Like I said in a previous post - i have issues like tissues.  LOL

So, while I figure that out...I am refocusing my joy away from myself and on the people around me.  I have some incredible people in my life that are doing amazing things.  I am very proud of them.  I am proud to call them friend. 

Issues like tissues....

Issues...I have them...If I let them, they can stop me in my tracks and I will be immobilized for a while as I try to push through them.  I have learned tricks over the years to help me dig out of my own dwelling...

I am thankful for the following things:

1) the patience of my friends, particularly my BFF - to answer questions calmly, to reassure me that I'm not crazy, to hug me when I need it, to listen to me dissect a problem/conversation/issue until it is in little bitty pieces, to recognize my issues and my insecurities and love me still, to laugh at me when I need to be laughed at...and so many other reasons.

2) my chest of goodies - I have a small chest that is full of little scraps of joy.  Magic notes from camp.  Cards/letters from friends.  Mementos of moments in my life.

3) the library - yesterday I wandered through the public library and ran my hands over the bindings of hundreds of books.  I picked up books that I had read many times before and flipped through them and remembered their stories, the characters, the lives of the book itself.  I checked out three books for myself.

4) books - they can transport you to another time.  Books for me allow me to reflect and to refine my own points of view.  They take me out of myself in order to better understand myself.  The stories and characters remind of so many things but the very books themselves remind me of moments of time.  The books themselves have their own stories.  Some of my books have travelled with me since I was a young girl.  Some are newer acquisitions.  They had a life before they reached my hands and will have a life after they leave my hands.  I adore books.

5) sleep - sometimes I just need to sleep it off and in the morning things are brighter

6) tears - and sometimes I need to cry it out. Tears seem like a strange thing to be thankful for but I am thankful that I am able to release my emotions.  I am a crier...I cry.  It took me a long time to be okay with it.  When I am happy, sad, lonely, moved, angry...all kinds of emotions illicit tears...I have learned to let them come freely most of the time now.

In a strange way I am even thankful for my issues...they are part of who I am and part of my story.

Twisted sense of humor

Sometimes I find that my sense of humor is really twisted.  I was reading my dear friend JF's blog and she had a link to euphemisms for menstruation.  Of course I clicked on, who can resist a link to something called a "Menstruationary".

These euphemisms are making me laugh really hard.  I love euphemisms.  I think it is hilarious the number of ways we, as human beings, will come up with to say things that make us uncomfortable.  Instead of saying sex or penis or menstruation, we will come up with eight million ways to say these things that are more awkward, often offensive and mostly gross.

Still...my twisted sense of humor finds them hilarious.

JEM!

Oh my goodness.  There are days when I feel very old talking to students.  Today I mentioned Jem and the Holograms and no one knew what I was talking about.  One of my students was telling me about the fact that she wakes up in the morning and thinks, "today I'll be Biker Barbie."  Her statement made me think of Jem and a song she used to sing called "Mood I'm In".



I used to own Jem's music on tape and would listen to them all the time.  I adored Jem.  I liked her computer Synergy.  I liked that Jem's boyfriend Rio had purple hair.  I liked the rival band "The Misfits". 



Jem was such a good show.  When it comes to cartoons, I will admit that I have quite a nostalgia for the days of yore

ThunderCats



He-Man



The Snorks



OMG! I just thought of the Wuzzles. I adored the Wuzzles...It was an obscure and random show but I loved it and remember it fondly



holy crap! This just made me think of Zoobilee Zoo.



And of course, there was the classic Kids Incorporated...Martika, Fergie...that girl from that girl group "Wild orchids" or was it "Wild Horses" hmm...All from Kids Incorporated. Jennfer love Hewitt was on the show briefly..



Oh goodness..I could do this forever.  I clearly digressed from cartoons...Such good memories from my younger years.

School pictures

What is it about school pictures that just makes us awkward looking?

I adore my niece.  I think she is beautiful.  I am curious where her upper lip went in this picture.  My mother has a folder of school pictures that are a chronology of haircuts and clothing styles.  They show my years of wearing hyper-color shirts, giant door-knocker earrings and lace bows in my hair.  Then there is the year of the afro-mullet.  Yes...I had a haircut worse than a regular mullet - an afro-mullet.  Just awful awkward smiles and uncomfortable eye twitches.  Clothes that were too itchy or too "cool".

School pictures are the a history of us trying to look our best and failing miserably.

And here is to my niece.  I love you very much.

When I Grow Up...

Ages ago when I lived in New York and worked in Rockefeller Plaza there was a "Rock the Vote" event in the plaza.  During that event there was an incredible spoken word session that included a poet named Sekou (tha misfit).  He performed a poem called "When I Grow Up" that has stuck with me for over 5 years.  When I first heard the poem, it struck a chord with me immediately.  In the last few months it has come back to mind again and again.  The poem is about putting all of your passion, desire, fire, care, and self into whatever it is you are doing.  It is about working from the heart and living from the heart.   I knew it was something I aspired to years ago and continues to be so...

When I Grow Up – by Sekou (tha misfit)

Ask me now mommy.
Am I too late?
Ask me now what I want to do for a living.
Am I too late? Cause I think I finally figured it out

I don’t want to do for a living
I want to be for a living

I want to be life.
I want to make things grow, and move, and breath, and reproduce, and respond.
I just want to make things respond and react and rejoice and relax and relate and release and receive
as soon as I recite.
When I grow up,
I don’t want to be like those other kids mommy who want to be doctors and ballers and astronaughts.
I want to be passion, and heat and energy.

When I grow up,
I don’t want to be a fireman mommy, let me be the fire
The explosion behind the soul’s big bang theory that leaves in it’s place . . . desire
That burning within that gives life to the word “aspire”
Let me warm the cold souls of the despairing and heartless
Let me light the paths of those wandering in darkness
And provide children with their first definition of “hot”
And when the artists of the world have become so infatuated with ice that the whole world freezes over,
Let me be the poet that melts the ice-caps, drowns the planet, and starts this world over -
2 poets at a time like Noah. . .
When I grow up

I don’t want to be an astronaut mommy, I want to be the space that he explores -

Not the doctor mommy, let me be the cure.
The prescription for a better life . . .
the way through which the sick and the shut-in can find hope, health, happiness, and healing.
I want to be the pill of which they take two, and the call that is placed that next morning.
I want to be the white blood cell that strengthens the immune system,
the clot that stops the bleeding,
the antidote that counters the poison;
I want to speak antibiotic poetry that defeats your life’s viruses,
but only if you take my words in 3 times a day until the entire bottle is gone;
I want to be the perspective of the world through the eyes of an autistic child who is diagnosed with a sickness when in fact she merely sees the world with a clarity that the rest of us could only dream of having. . .
When I grow up

I don’t want to be a preacher mommy, I want to be the word

Not the artist mommy, I want to be the art
Not the painter, let me be the canvas
Not the choreographer, let me be the dances
Not the poet, let me be the stanzas

When I grow up

I don’t want to be a singer mommy, I want to be the sound!
The song you sing the way you sing it when you think aint nobody else around

When I grow up,
I don’t want to be a lawyer mommy I want to be justice.
Not the philosopher, but the philosophy that the brilliant minds try to follow,
Or the brilliance in those minds,
Or even the elusive concepts that they can’t quite figure out like
hope, purpose, faith . . . and time.

I wanna be time mommy!

So that the world will go to sleep every night feeling like they never got enough of me.
And will panic when they feel me slipping away.
Time! So that I will never feel this depression I feel now for being abandoned by it
Time! So that I will never again be before myself, never be out of myself,
Never be too late, never be too early,
So that for once in this life of unfulfilled dreams that have left my cheeks streaked from salt water erosion and my mouth pertpetually coated with the bitter aftertaste of disappointment,
for once I can be right on me!

When I grow up,

I want to be the antonym of void,
the antithesis of without,
the contradiction of silence,
the inverse of absence,
the reverse of regression,
the antilogy to emptiness,
the illumination of shadows,
the opposite of darkness . . .
I wanna be the opposite of darkness when I grow up mommy!

So that when the greatest poet in existence
recites the first line
of the greatest poem ever written

“let there be light”

. . . then I can begin.

So excited

about GLEE! tomorrow!

Healthy mind, healthy body

I have discovered that when my head is all out of whack, then everything else in my life is too.  When I am sucked into a negative vortex, then I stop taking care of my house, my body, my relationships.  In those moments it takes all of my energy to get basic daily life done.  In those moments, I tend to focus on tasks.  I focus on getting work done.  What I am unable to do is focus on me...when really in those moments I should be focusing on me and then I would be better able to take care of everything else.

This blog has been vital in re-centering me.  It was the first and very important step for me to start taking care of myself.  I always tell my students that they can't take care of other people unless they take care of themselves.  I know that I am better able to focus, to help people and to be in a frame of mind to think clearly when I am taking care of myself.  I know that it is not selfish to do so and that taking care of myself is the first step to taking care of others.  I know all of these things intellectually but I have always had a hard time living my life that way. 

The act of writing one thing (or 5) that brought me joy in a given day has been important for me.  It has allowed me to focus on my life.  It has allowed me to breathe in happiness.  It has helped me start taking care of myself physically - exercise, eating better, clean apartment.  All of these things help me feel secure and safe in my own life and in my own presence.  Every day I take a teeny tiny baby step towards being more comfortable in my own skin, in my own mind and in my own company. 

I didn't think this blog would be such hard work for me.  It started as a whim. A momentary idea that flitted through my head.  It has turned into a journey for me.  It is allowing me to share parts of myself with strangers when I usually keep most things tucked away.  It is inviting myself into my own life.  While I know that there are other people reading this, the main audience for this blog remains me.  I write everyday for myself. (Although I am glad to have whoever is reading along for the ride)

It is helping me to love myself in a way that I haven't in a long time.

November means

that I can start listening to holiday music without being mocked a lot.  Until Thanksgiving, there will be holiday naysayers BUT I don't care.

I love this time of year.  I love holiday music. I love Dean Martin crooning Baby, Its cold outside to Doris Day.  There is nothing quite like Bing Crosby singing White Christmas.  Eartha Kitt as she purrs Santa Baby.  Little Michael Jackson as he catches Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.  Contemporary classics like All I want for Christmas is you, Grandma Got run over by a Reindeer....And of course the always crowd favorite The Chipmunks singing Don't be Late....

I love holiday specials on television.  I love christmas lights twinkling.  I like the sparkles.  I like the crisp air.  I light that main streets across the country put up giant lit bows and wrap their lampposts with garland.  I love Christmas trees and sugar cookies.  I like holiday decorations and pine scents.  I love Santa Claus and rudolph.  I love hanging stockings.

November 1 thru January 6 make me very happy!

I'm hosting

Thanksgiving this year!  yay!

I got the phone call from my mom this morning confirming that the family is on their way up to Hanover for Thanksgiving deliciousness.

I am not sure why I am excited about this, but for some reason it makes me happy.  I wonder if i will feel the same after they have been here.  The other funny thing about this is that I can't actually host ANYONE at my own house, I mean I can barely fit 4 people in my apartment, so I am hosting Thanksgiving at my BFF's house.  He's won't be here and he has such a lovely kitchen.

woo-hoo for thanksgiving & a generous friend with a lovely home.

I may love the snuggie....but....

this is too much.  Introducing the "Peekaru".

HAHAHA

Oh my goodness.  It reminds me of the scene from Alien when the baby comes out of the guys chest.  This is just absurd.

Day of laughter

My ab muscles hurt from laughing so hard today.  So many hilarious things to laugh about...

Some of these things are unable to be shared on this blog but they are making me laugh out loud (literally) right now.

Here are the other things that have made me laugh today:

• Cliches used in  ways they were not intended to be used.  Check out this cliche website

• Ellen Degeneres gets a phone call from Gladys - best quote "I love Jesus but I drink a little"

• Xtranormal video called "So you want to get a PhD in humanities".  It is hilarious because it is partially true in some ways.  LOL

There were any number of other things that made me laugh today.  I think I laughed non-stop all day.  It is incredible to work in an office that works very hard but has a great time while we do it. 

Old journals

For some reason last night I decided to reread some old journals.  They are incredible.  First, I was super melodramatic at times.  Some of the "drama" going on in my life back in the day makes me laugh a lot.

There is something incredible about old journals.  They have all this history of things that I have forgotten.  There are these moments in the journals that were so important in the moment but I don't actually remember those moments until I was triggered by reading it in the journal.  Some of those thoughts consumed huge chunks of my time and energy and were so unproductive.

What is nice about looking back on the things I used to write is that I can actually see that in many substantial ways my life has changed and I have changed.  For the most part, those changes are in good ways.  It is nice to see evidence of growth.  I like to see that I have been able top change patterns of crazy behavior.  It is also interesting that there are some things that drove me crazy when I was 12 that still drive me crazy at 31 and will probably still make me nuts at 87.  I also discovered that no matter what age I am much more angry when people that I love are mistreated than I do when I am mistreated.

Twizzler straws

If you bit both ends of a twizzler off, it creates a straw that you can actually drink with.  Awesome!

It makes me chuckle and makes me happy.

A good day...

Yesterday I had one of those days that was good just because it was good.  There was nothing particularly amazing about the day.  It was a day that was a beautifully cold autumn day.   The air was crisp.  There is this really beautiful tree that is still full of gorgeous richly colored red leaves.  It is hat, gloves & scarf weather but I'm still able to get away without wearing a coat.  I was happy to be at work and around my students.   I enjoyed time with my friends.  It was a "normal" day. 

What is nice is that I am able to see it for what it was. There were lots of little moments that were funny or challenging or disappointing or strange but the sum total of the day was peaceful and shiny and comfortable and joyful. 

It was a pretty damn good day.

Student of the month

My niece has been selected student (or citizen) of the month in her class.  She was so excited about it.  My wonderful and fabulous niece is in kindergarten and she loves school.  She bubbles over from the joy of being in class and learning things.  It is so amazing to watch and to hear.  I, of course, worry that she will lose this joy or hide her love of learning as she gets older but for now I revel in it and support her with it. 

Love her!