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My closest friend Caitlin will be here in less than four hours to spend four days in DC with me. She's the BEST. Ten reasons why:
- Her brain is as convoluted and quirky as mine, which leads to fantastic conversation.
- She makes me laugh. Hard.
- Her creativity and artistry inspire me.
- She's always up for high jinks such as founding a Kite Society or sitting on other people's porches (people we do not know who are probably sleeping) late at night.
- She sings Spice Girls and Weezer with me at the Tavern even though they always yell at us that it isn't a karaoke bar.
- She cries at movies. As much as I do.
- She introduced me to Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks. Need I say more?
- We have the same curly hair woes.
- She can bake laps around Martha Stewart.
- She's been around to take care of me for nearly four years, and I can totally imagine us growing old together and sitting in rocking chairs on (someone else's) front porch watching a sunset.
Can't wait to see you!
From left: Aaron's sister Stacy, Caitlin, me, my sister Nicole
From left: Caitlin, Nicole, me
Apparently I am not good at keeping resolutions.
I think I must have just written them to set myself up to fail.
Sure, it's only been two weeks, but I'm driving myself crazy. Already. What's worse is that I have plenty of productive things I could be doing, and I run the list in my head constantly:
- make things for my etsy shop, as I have ignored it since March
- search for houses
- fill out and send my wedding thank you cards (I know, I KNOW)
- clean out my closet and donate
- reorganize our office space-- it looks like a tornado ran through there
- go to the gym
- find a place to volunteer
Seriously, I haven't even been doing the fun, leisurely things I promised myself I would do. I have been putzing away my time and then wondering where it went, I've been staying up way too late for no apparent reason, and, the worst, I've been getting sad.
I can control this. All of it is my own doing. These are my choices.
So why does that leave me useless rather than empowered?
On a slightly happier note, I got new glasses.
So, any suggestions on how I can kick this crazy affliction? I know what will help temporarily (CAITLIN'S COMING ON THURSDAY!!!), but what about after?
When I think of starting a family, I cannot make up my mind.
At times I think I'd be better off with no kids at all. No other lives to screw up but my own.
But then seconds later I want ten. Yes. Ten kids. Ten other people to make my house happy, loving, and warm.
Sigh.
I now have more living things inhabiting my dwelling. I am keeping them alive, and I am so very proud of myself. Sylvester, my basil plant, has now tripled in size since the day we bought (adopted) him. To his left is one of our new little ones, a mint plant affectionately named Hamid, after the family that gave him to me from their garden. The pot to the right contains a German Thyme plant Aaron cleverly named Chronos.
We have a family.
I am learning to be an adult. I know this for four reasons.
- Caitlin's egg test. On one of our late nights out in Saint Augustine the three of us had gone to Denny's (I think it was around two-thirty in the morning... ah, to be young again). We began relaying our orders to the server, and I ordered my eggs over easy. After the server had left, Caitline proclaimed that I was no longer a kid because every kid orders his or her eggs scrambled-- no exceptions.
- Coffee and tea. I have not been making a conscious effort to drink these beverages with less sweetener, but somehow I have begun to prefer the slight bitterness. I now find typical drinks at chain coffeehouses to be cloyingly sweet. At times I can't even stomach it. I recently ordered a latte at Panera Bread and I had to force myself to finish it just because I needed the caffeine.
- My basil plant, Sylvester, is thriving. He has tripled in height since we bought him-- he's so tall I am afraid he will die from having lopped over from the weight. He also has new shoots growing from the base of his two stalks. Just call me the basil whisperer.
- Baking. I am learning to be more exact with measurements and cooking times, resulting in better outcomes. I used to consider myself strictly a cook-- throw a little of this in, a little of that, when it smells and tastes done, it's done. Now I may be able to do both because of the adultness setting in. Does being able to properly measure, mix, and time a baking cake make me more responsible?
Anyway, since school is over, I'll be able to try all of the recipes I've been seeing lately on all the blogs I click through before I start my day.
Lemon bars, via Bakerella:
I've been invited to visit with a student's family tonight.
I made rice crispy treats with halal marshmallows for the occasion, and I think I'm going to bring a small gift as well.
I'm feeling excited, but very nervous. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I ask the wrong questions? What if I am awkward or boring?
I have to go down to Woodbridge early to avoid the traffic, so I might go to Borders or Books-a-Million to waste some time. Read any good books lately?
- Get up before 8:00am everyday.
- Make a solid effort to find a place to live in Virginia.
- Go to the gym at least every other day.
- Read a book a week.
- Get my Etsy shop up and running again.
- Make things.
- Wander in the city.
- Make a game-plan for next school year.
- Keep the apartment clean.
- Don't get sad.
Yes. The plant is the baby. No bi-genetic parasites as of yet.
I have been able to keep this basil plant alive for a whole month. This is quite a triumph, as I have killed every dependent living thing that has ever entered my dwelling... thus, our fears of having children. So, maybe if we can keep the plant alive, perhaps we can graduate to a goldfish, next a small mammal of sorts, and then down the line until a kid might not seem like such a far cry.
Today I re-potted him in a larger pot with organic soil. I hope he takes well to his new home.
I named him Sylvester, because I anthropomorphize everything.
Fingers crossed that he makes it one more month.
Aaron and I will be going home Friday for a weekend visit. I was asked by several former students to attend their graduation on Saturday, and I have graciously accepted their invitation. However, this is not my primary motivation for going home... it was a convenient excuse.
My true reason? Caitlin.
It was difficult enough moving away from my parents, but it was just as painful to leave knowing my closest friend would be so far away.
About a year before I moved, after I had just gotten my teaching position at Menendez, Caitlin and I were seeing less of each other. We were no longer working together, and our schedules barely meshed. So, we decided to make a date at least once a week.
That date became the Ancient City Kite Society.
I remember sitting at Barnes and Noble looking at a book called Get a Hobby; there was an entry on kite-flying. Next thing, we were in the car on the way to Walmart, hell-bent on scouring the toy section for those flimsy plastic kites with cartoon characters and streamers-- a two dollar bit of nostalgia.
We went every week to the Castillo de San Marco to fly. It gave us an excuse to see each other, catch up, be outside-- relish a carefree moment.
Our plan, this Saturday, is to go out again, picnic packed, kites strapped to our backs like medieval shields, and take to the wind.
Oh man. It's going to be great.
Click the picture for a slideshow of our strawberry picking / kebab / baking excursion.
I'm going on a platonic date with a guy who works at my school.
Before you freak out and tell me married women don't do that, don't worry, Aaron's coming too. I just say it's a date with the other dude because Aaron doesn't care as much about going to a concert as he does about just hanging out, while Bowen is as insane about music as I am. I think I may have found my local concert-going buddy, and, surprise, it's actually another educator... well, guidance counselor, anyway.
Too bad I feel like I'm getting sick, though. Guess I'll just have to suck it up. Take one for the team.
I think I'm going to try to convince Aaron to take me out to Levante's beforehand. Levante's is one of my favorite restaurants in the district. It serves Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Turkish cuisine. My favorite thing in the whole world is their Sutlac, or Turkish rice pudding. I feel like I should try to make it myself, but I have a feeling it won't compare.
COOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNCCCCCCEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTT!
I think I may be starting to feel more confident in my profession. Hell, it's taken a few years, but I feel like I might just be moving closer to where I want to be.
My lessons for my advanced classes are air-tight this week. I spent a good five hours this past weekend putting everything together, doing some research, and drafting materials. I feel like they're interesting, but they still fully encompass the necessary concepts. Granted, SO MUCH MORE can be taught with Shakespeare. Although I have alluded to connotations and references in class, unfortunately, given my audience, I've had to censor much of the message. But, aside from promiscuity, venereal disease, and erections, there is so much more I could cover.
For instance: Juliet's constant firing of questions during the balcony scene. Not only does she defy the expectations of the Petrarchan heroine, she shatters Elizabethan constructs by refusing to play coy and demanding answers from her potential mate. What's most puzzling, though, is that she very rarely receives any definitive answer from Romeo; his intentions, although seeming obvious upon his proposal of marriage, remain unclear. Instead of waiting for clarity, she interrupts with more questions and insinuates his answers.
God, I'm such a nerd. Why do I like this literature crap so much? Why can't I just be one of those normal people whose idea of good reading is Us Weekly or TV Guide? I'd probably be better off.Anyway, I think I could be good at this teaching thing eventually.
