Maine-ing.

I’ve been sick.

And not the stuffy nose, a bit of coughing sick, either.  The stuffy nose, a bit of coughing, with fever, headache, nausea, fatigue and more kind of sick.  And I’ve been sick since the beginning of October.  According to WebMD it could be about 20 different things, including diabetes, pneumonia, or tonsilitis.  But I’m neither of those things.  And I’m not pregnant–I have a pee-stick and a blood test to prove it (thank God).  According to the nurse practitioner, I got a virus.  And then I got another virus.  And then I probably got another one on top of that. Which sucks because I haven’t participated in any of my favorite fall activities, like apple picking, pumpkin carving, or corn-mazing.

Dang these kindergarteners and their runny noses and New England specific strains of flu-like symptoms.
Because I have every single thing that my students have.
In the order they have gotten it.

But my sickness is the reason for my blogging absence.  Because I still have to work, see, and by the time I get home I don’t want to do anything but watch The Big Bang Theory.  And I’ve been watching that a lot.  Sometimes the huzzband and I sing “Soft Kitty” in rounds.

This weekend we went to Maine.  I love Maine.  I love the old house that my husband grew up in, and the fact that you are completely cutoff from civilization in a very real and slightly disturbing way.  I spent a lot of time sleeping, taking pictures with my new (old) camera, and generally doing nothing but resting.

I came back with a migraine, more nausea, and hot flashes (early menopause maybe??) but perhaps I’ll beat this cold soon, since my mommy is coming to visit on Thursday to take care of me.

But back to the weekend.

A few weeks ago my Mother-in-Law and I did a garage-sale run and I found this awesome old camera that still worked.  So I bought it.  And this weekend I bought film and took lots of pictures.  Of course, I think I exposed the film too much to the sunlight when I was trying to figure out how to wind it back up, which is why you have all the light leaks, but I still think some of the pictures are pretty awesome.

First picture!  The husband standing out on the deck.

A fall tree in my husband’s grandmother’s yard.

Me and the husband at his “birthday” dinner.

What was even more crazy was when we got there, it was definitely fall, as evidenced by the pretty leaves.  But on Saturday night, it snowed 10 inches, so it was winter when we left.

First snowfall of the year!

Sunday morning in the backyard.

I don’t even know what kind of camera it is–nor do I really care–but I am going to look up how to use the settings and now that I know not to open the case until the film is wound back up, maybe there won’t be as many light leaks in the pictures.  Or maybe there will be.  Either way, I love taking pictures and not knowing what I’m going to get until it’s developed.

Marriaging at the airport.

I was planning on cleaning the house before my husband returned from his stint in Las Vegas.  I was also planning on freshening up my makeup, fixing my hair, and putting on a cute outfit but instead I’m sitting on the couch in my pajamas watching TV (he doesn’t get in for another hour yet).

Let’s face it.

Marriage is not dressing up when you don’t have to because the guy has already seen you when you’re coughing up mucus and haven’t showered in 3 days.  Honestly, I’m better looking now than the very early morning that I got up and took him to the airport.  So I feel like that’s enough of an improvement already, and no extra work on my part!

Yeah, sometimes we dress alike.
Okay, a lot of the time.

Revamping

After waking up before the sun to take my huzzband to the airport this morning, I’ve spent the last few hours cleaning, ironing, and watching tv.  I’m pretty sure a nap is due in there somewhere.

I’m looking to revamp the blog a little bit.  It started out as a book review, movie review, culture type thing, but now that I write book reviews elsewhere, I don’t really post them up here. And now that I’m teaching, I have almost zero time to do anything at all.

I’m thinking of changing this to more of a lifestyle blog.  A how I survive New England, as a not-so newlywed with a very long journey ahead of me kind of blog.

I’m looking for a new layout–but I have no idea how to manipulate html or css stuff, so that part will be a while.  (If you wanna help, please do!)

I’m also looking for new topics, new stories, new pictures to post.  I’m hoping this will go well.  But we’ll see.

I also really want to revamp my wardrobe and apartment style.  We’re here for the long haul, and I’m a working “professional” now.

Really, I just need change.

Until now, I leave you with this photo–my favorite one of the two of us–the one that stays in my car so I’ll remember what he looks like when he gets back on Thursday night.

and to think i took this with a disposable camera.

Time keeps on slippin’…

It’s been two months into my new job–4 weeks since the school year started–and I am loving it.

I get to work at 8:30 and am busy with parent/student drop-offs, making copies, general secretarial work, etc.  From 9-12 I homeschool a ninth grader, from 1-3 I teach kindergarten, from 330-445 I tutor a sixth grader and from 445-6 I do more secretarial work, all at the same school.  I love that my day is broken into segments so that I’m not always doing the same thing all the time.  It’s routine enough to keep me satisfied, but varied to keep my interest.  Plus, I love teaching kindergarten.

It’s been a little weird going from 12 months straight of not working (outside the home) or having any sort of routine/work schedule.  I literally would wake up and do whatever I wanted to do all day–not cleaning, not washing dishes, not doing laundry, etc. etc.  And as much as I am grateful for a job and I absolutely do not want to go back to the previous unemployment status, I have to admit, I miss having time.

I miss having time to waste, or to clean, or to read, or to take an hour long bath just because I could.  I miss having time to workout–or at least having energy to workout–and time to reorganize our closets and write blogs and watch tv on the internet.

So I’m excited about Columbus Day tomorrow, and the fact that I will have an entire day to do anything and everything I want–minus all things that cost money.  And since the huzzband will be gone on a business trip to Las Vegas, I will have nothing to distract me from my endless amount of time.

I plan on cooking, cleaning, organizing, trying to sell stuff on craigslist or getting rid of it via freecycle, reading books, writing reviews, and watching lots of netflix.  Or maybe just sit around on the couch.  I do have have sickness as an excuse for laziness.

I’m excited.  I’m looking forward to this day.  I won’t get another day like this until November when Veteran’s Day comes along.  And as much as I’ll be lonely at night when the huzzband won’t be here, at least I can do some time catchup.

nov 2009, two days after being engaged.

Yeah, I’ll miss this man.  But I sure am welcoming the quiet solitude of a lonely apartment.

A recap…sortakinda

I think this has been the busiest I’ve ever been in my life.  Scratch that, there was that one time when I had three ten page papers due in three different classes on three successive days, along with working, but after being unemployed for sooooo long, it’s been quite a hectic transition.

And by that I mean, we’ve eaten mostly take-out because I’m too busy/tired/sick/blase to cook and all everything is dirty.  Major apartment overhaul this weekend.

Recent Reads:
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (but really it’s by the memoir liar et. al)
I reviewed the movie already–I saw it before I read the book–but since I’m reviewing The Power of Six (whenever the library puts it on hold for me) for Daemon’s Books, I figured I’d need to read the first.  And wow, was it awesome. And by awesome I definitely mean in a Twilight teenage-scyfy kind of way.
I loved it.  It was so good. (I might write a better review later, but I am beat right now.)

The Legacy by Katherine Webb
I really am going to review this one better for Daemon’s, but let me just say, this book is awesome.  It had everything promised in Francine Rivers’ Legacy series and it delivered in a great way.  But of course it would, the author is English.

The Gap Year by Sarah Bird
Again, another review needed for Daemon’s.  This book is hilarious.  It’s told in the perspective of Mom and 18 year old daughter, but I found myself identifying with both characters.  And Bird had me laughing from the second page.

Awesome Tunes:
Owl City, specifically Honey and the Bee
I love electronica–when it’s done right.  Which means I love Owl City, Hellogoodbye, The Secret Handshake, and so on.  I’ve been listening to the All Things Bright and Beautiful album when I run at night.  How many times can I say awesome in a blog post?  I’m using sick-and-tiredness as my excuse.  This album is awesome.

Movie Madness:
Black Swan–Have ya seen it?  If so, you know it speaks for itself.
Sourcecode–Ahhhhh, so good.  And it doesn’t hurt that Jake Gyllenhal is so great to look at.

I think this is all I can muster for now.
Until next time, troops.

Friday’s Festivious Fives (If festivious is a word)

1.  For the first time this week, I haven’t come home crazy-insanely tired.  Well, I am now, but yesterday I was actually fine.  I know I only teach kindergarten for two hours–I tutor, homeschool, and do adult ESL the other hours–but those little kids wear me completely out.  I’ve been falling asleep on the couch before 9:00 most nights.  Which is sad, because we only have one couch, so the huzzband has been spending lots of time on the floor.

2.  We’re going out tonight!  So long story short, we visited a new church not too long ago and by golly we finally felt like we fit in somewhere!  I use the phrase “fit in” loosely, of course, because out of 5 out of 10 people had either gigantic holes (gauges) in their ears or were tattooed heavily or both.  So us (lower)middle class non-punk’d white couple stuck out like a sore thumb.  But in all honesty, we love the church.  So much so that we’re going to try out a life group tonight!  I’m excited.  I hope this means we’ll make friends.

3.  Tomorrow night is the FIRST OFFICIAL BOSTON PANCAKE PARTY!  So remember the friend that moved up here?  Well, when we were in high school him and I and a bunch of other totally uncool people got together consistently and had pancake parties.  (Yeah, legit).  It’s pretty much like it sounds:  we make pancakes and then eat them.  But not just any pancakes.  We like to put stuff in them.  Like pudding and M&Ms and Reese’s and cocoa and strawberry milk and cinnamon and so on.  It’s so fun.  And tomorrow night he and a few other people are coming over for pancake fun.  I’m excited.  It’s probably what I miss most about High School.  And Texas.

best friendzz! reflection in the tea kettle circa 2008

4. We bought new bedroom furniture, which is awesome because our clothes are no longer sitting in piles everywhere (except for the dirty ones on the floor of the bathroom, of course).  And we’re finally sleeping on a queen size bed.  It’s been so comfortable we’ve been late to work every morning.  You know, because we’re sleeping.  Like, zzzzzz.  Not like the other kind of sleeping.

5.  Remember that other job that I have?  Well, I got two more books sent in the mail today for my reviewing pleasure.  I get so happy to see a book postmarked from New York (usually) and I know that I get to read something that almost no one else has yet.  It’s fun.  Even though the first one I read was a complete dud.

I am THAT girl.

I’m sitting here looking up the time when Grey’s Anatomy‘s new season will premiere and getting excited about the fact that it’s a 2 hour premiere.  If you know me, you know what a big deal this is.  I hate Grey’s Anatomy.  Or, well, I did.  But now?

Now I’m that girl.

I’ve had an interest in blogging and reading blogs and subscribing to RSS feeds–even though I still don’t know what that means–for a while but all the sudden I find myself requesting to join Pinterest and filling up like a thousand boards.  I’ve always been one to take an interest in house design, even though I’ve never had a house to design, and I love pinning all these designing things to my board.  And then I found myself looking at clothes and contemplating making a fashion board.

Yeah, I’m that girl.

I really enjoy cooking, but never one for baking.  I don’t have the patience.  But every once in a while I take it up to the delight of my husband and for the past couple of weeks I’ve been toying with the idea of making cake balls and bringing them to work.  This isn’t really that out of the ordinary.  But while I was thinking about making them I was excited because that meant I could put them in my cupcake carrier and carry them into work.  And then maybe I could make this cute little sign that says “bon appetit” that’s cut on cardstock with those fringed scissors.  But then I stopped myself.

Because I’m turning into that girl.

I’ve probably always been like this, but my domesticity has lain dormant for all those years.  Plus, I’ve never really had reasons to take an interest in decorating, being crafty, or watching Grey’s because I think Meredith is an uber-slut.

But all of the sudden, I’m that girl.

How is it that I’m 23 and am turning into a person that I don’t really recognize?  I thought that’s what college is for, to try on different identity hats and wear them around for a semester or two to try them out.  Like a liberal/conservative hat, a sexuality hat, a popularity hat, or a drug/alcohol hat.  But I never really did that, because knowing who I am has never been a problem.

But now I kind of wish I at least wore a school spirit hat.  I wish I had painted my jeans and my body and went to pep rallies and football games and yelled really loud.  Or maybe I should’ve worn an extra-curriculur hat; I took that one off senior year of High School when I got burnt out on extra-curricularing and never had the desire to put it on in college.  And some part of me wishes I had worn the it’s-college-so-I’m-experimenting hat, though for me experimenting would be less about my sexuality or drugs or alcohol and more about coming out of my shy, awkward shell.  I wish I had been in a sorority.  Or at least not have hated them so much.

I wish I had been that girl.

Instead, I’m married and going through a completely different sort of early-life-identity crisis.  One where I get to figure out who I am as an adult, as a Mrs., as a bill-paying, student loan buried, lives 3000 miles away from momma, works 10 hour days person.

I’m finding that I’ve probably always been that girl.  But now, I’m finally okay with it.

Marriage is…

I read a post about marriage.  It was written by this twenty-something semi-newlywed and was all about how marriage is awesome but it’s also terrible and hard at the same time.  How it’s about two people trying to love each other more than their own self, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

I enjoy my marriage.  I revel in it, actually.  I enjoy the man I come home to every day, and the house I have to take care of, and the kitchen I have to clean and the dinner I have to cook.  But I disagreed with her a lot on what I think marriage is.  And I was going to write this whole entire post on how perfect my own marriage is–how we don’t fight, we share everything, we spend large amounts of time together everyday and so on–and how when I was reading her post all I could think of was, “I’m glad I don’t have a marriage like that.”  And then I realized how often I think that thought often.  I’m constantly thinking about how I don’t want that marriage and I’m glad mine isn’t like that, but then I thought, of course I would think that.  Because if I had someone else’s marriage, then I wouldn’t have my marriage, and I love how awesome my marriage is.

But then I thought, well, how would I answer the question, “What is marriage?”
And here’s what I’ve come up with:

Marriage is buying a queen-sized bed so that we have enough room to not snuggle next to each other.  Because it gets really hot really fast.
Marriage is coming home at the end of the day completely exhausted and eating a hodge-podge of crackers, cereal, strawberries, and Little Debbie fruitcakes for dinner because neither one of you has energy to cook and there’s no money to order takeout.
Marriage is when your husband takes your car to work in the morning so he can fill it up with gas so you don’t have to.
Marriage is eating dinner off tupperware lids because every single dish is dirty.  And I mean every dish.
Marriage is drinking milk, juice, soda, etc. from the carton or bottle because, well, if you swap spit on a daily basis you might as well drink after each other.  And because all the glasses are also dirty.
Marriage is going for a drive at midnight because you’re bored and there’s nothing else to do.
Marriage is washing your comforter–and all your blankets and sheets and sometimes your underwear, when you’re desperate–in the tub, because there’s no money for the washing machines.
Marriage is walking along the beach at night because it’s the best place for long, deep conversations.  And it’s free.
Marriage is sleeping on the pull-out in the living room because the bed has a giant pile of clothes on it.  And you’re not sure if they’re dirty or clean.
Marriage is eating dinner at the coffee table in front of the TV simply because you can.
Marriage is deciding on Tuesday that you’re going to go camping on Friday even though you have no sleeping bags, or actual camping gear except for a twenty dollar tent, some blankets, and a couple of old frying pans.
Marriage is spending four hours at a laundromat because you haven’t done laundry all month.  Literally.

And so on.

Lord Voldemort: A Character Analysis

Lessons to be Learned from He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named

1. Dedication.  I mean, it takes a lot of time and effort to be good at what you do.  Even if it is bein’ evil.

Lord Voldemort is the perfect evil character, and I mean perfect.

In today’s pop culture, evil has become more and more humanized.  Sometimes, you can’t figure out if you hate the bad guy, or merely feel sorry for how his past troubles have led him to become the person he is now.  This makes Lord Voldemort the perfect bad guy–he’s a guy you love to hate.  Think about it:  there is no redeeming quality about You-Know-Who.  Not a single one.  He murders without thought.  He literally blasts people out of his way when he walks.  He killed innocents just so he could live.  Basically he’s bloodthirsty, and so powerful he won’t be stopped.  But he wasn’t like this because of a past wrought with turmoil.  He’s not evil because of some neurotic psychosis.  He’s just selfish and will stop at nothing to get his way.  He craves power and wants everyone to be beneath him.

2. Ignore the naysayers.

Face it, it takes guts to overcome adversity.  And you’ll never amount to anything if you keep letting those glass-half-empty types slow you down with their verbal admonitions.  So no matter what they say, you go out and be who you want to be.  Even if it is the most evil warlord in the world.

3.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Lord Voldemort didn’t let death slow him down, and he died like a bazillion times.  He just popped right back up again, more evil than before.    He just kept comin’ back stronger than ever.  If at first you don’t live forever, keep on trying. You might get it.

4.  Always be prepared.

Voldemort knew there might come a time when someone more powerful-or just in the right spot at the right time-might overthrow his reign of terror, so he prepared ahead of time by making seven (yes, seven) horcruxes just so he would always have a way of coming back and living forever.  Take note:  By taking the time to prepare now, you could save yourself a lot of pain and effort later.

5.  In case you do die, make sure you’ll be remembered.

There’s a number of ways you could do this:  win the Pulitzer Prize, become the President, be a heroic soldier, or maybe even a murderous dictator who will stop at nothing until the whole world bows down to you.  Lord Voldemort did it by creating an anagram with his name.  I mean, with a name like Voldemort, who wouldn’t become a household name? And this way, though his bones become dust, his legacy will always linger on.

Teen Angst at it’s finest.

We hit the Borders final 10 day closing sale (our sixth trip in the 15 months we’ve been married; we’re addicted) and came away yet again with awesome loot since everything was 70-80% off.  I don’t know where we’re going to get our books once they’re finally closed.  I guess we’ll have to wait for B&N to go bankrupt.

While I was walking through all the picked over selections, I wandered through the Young Adult section–my guilty pleasure books.  And can I just say, I’m awfully tired of the way YAs are going right now.  Every book was entitled death this, blood that, and eternal somethings or others.  Even Hilary Duff is now involved in it.  I don’t think these authors get it.

People, just because Twilight blew up overnight doesn’t mean that you will too if you parody it.  Remember, it’s an ineptly written series, why would you want to be remembered for sub-par writing?

Where are the stream of consciousness?  Where are the Fast Times at Ridgemont High books?  Where is the forbidden young love?

There’s that quote I’m always reminded of, “Art imitates life,” and the discussion about whether it’s true or whether life imitates art.  And I can’t help but thinking about it as I troll through the YAs and see nothing but teens dressed in gothpunk or emogoth or indiepunk or whatever–you know, the combat boots, the baggie black pants with the chains hanging around the sides, three ear piercings in an ear because they want to defy society but momma won’t let them go to far, and that look on their face that says, “I am as cynical and as indifferent to the world as I can be at 14, even though just yesterday I bought a Lisa Frank notebook”–I see them and I think, now are they imitating these books?  Are they forming wiccan worship cults and drinking each other’s blood in hopes that they might turn into a vampire to be like Bella Swan because they’ve been reading the terrible turn of YA literature?  Or are the authors seeing the same thing I am and are deciding to just give up writing decent, memorable stuff and give the people what they want.

Either way, it’s disheartening.  I’m sure there’s a reason behind it, and I certainly hope that Stephenie Meyer is not to blame.  But I hope with my whole being that this too shall pass.