Fly me to the moon! and let me play among the stars, let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars...dancing in the living room with my boyfriend is so romantic, even in my socks.

Life's been hairy, midterms. enough said.

grilled some amazing burgers this evening, salad with crumbly bleu and candy corn. why is it that when you move out of the state, the beer you have been drinking for years is cheaper than in where it's made. Shippy and Sea Dog $6.99, bargain prices. that alone should get you to move to NY.

perpetual headache. paper done, keep 'em coming.

spoke to a wonderfully inspiring friend today who has the strange ability to center me, make things clear and put a smile on my face. intrigued watching her life unfold and her inner self grow and morph into so many different ways. her friendship is such a gift, like so many of my friends...thank you.

random photos taken at Naz, by moi.

week 6

well, oddly enough we have settled into a routine of eating after i get home from classes, choosing one thing to do on the weekends and homework first.

the workload has been manageable, which scares me...it's a lot but I keep signing up for more. i like the stuff though :) so far I have straight As and I would like to keep them!

Went to Bristol Mtn Sunday and looked at the changing leaves. They are still not at peak but the yellows and orange color were beautiful. A gorgeous warm Fall day. Apple picking and pumpkin picking this weekend YAY, Dre found a cool place that even has horses .

One of my best friends from college surprised us Sunday afternoon, with a txt saying I'm in town, let's hang out! So Andre, Josh and I went to dinner and picked up Nick for drinks. It was so nice to see him and Dre and Josh had fun playing pool...good times. good friends and the homework still got done!

Week 5 continues...

After many ours of homework, a graduate student decides to put a paper mache bowl on her head. You gotta have fun with the work, right? This is a work in progress (obviously). I thought I would post a picture, though, giving myself a break from the copious amounts of work I have.

Break over...

Week 5

This was my first attempt at oil painting. The application was a little thin, but I didn't really mind. I painted this at Michele and Mike's while Mike and 'Dre made dinner/watched the oven and Michele taught me oil painting. I am enjoying this painting thing, maybe you've got something there Greg! ;)

Week 5 is proving to test our knowledge of APA style, our endurance and dedication. I got it though! Got my first paper back and I got an A!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving Break, although I am not sure it will be much of a break! A few papers and projects due over the break. Not sure where we will be heading, only time will tell.

Week 4?????

Losing track of weeks, days, time :)

I hear this is coming in graduate school. It's amusing to me.

I feel very supported currently and have to thank my friends, family, classmates and professors for that. I also need to thank myself, although uncomfortable, I thank myself for trying hard and wanting to do well and push myself. It's hard to do that when we have so much on our plate already, o want to do more and get the most out of everything.

my diet as of late, includes coffee and flavored creamer. That's the only splurge I have been making lately, those yummy international house creamers...white chocolate mocha currently, recently pumpkin spice. flavored creamer makes me happy. since we make coffee at home, I don't feel bad about buying good creamer.

I signed up for an extra credit assignment/pilot class and am very excited about it, not about the pressure of extra work, but about pushing myself and trying to get the most out of these 2 years. only 2 of us signed up.

time to cram in some reading before my grad assistant job.

smile folks, our time is limited, why spend them with ulcers...i like my new outlook on life, don't you?

ME!

My first self portrait (ME!), possibly ever, but definitely first in paint. I used acrylics on an 8x8 canvas board. I don't use paint. This was outside my comfort zone, but I am glad I pushed myself. I do not feel comfortable with paint and I know I need to try more of it. With that said, more pushing in the near future. I felt I needed to portray not only my self, but also my personality, hence the expression.

Art opening this afternoon: High Falls Art Gallery 3pm-6pm. I will post pictures afterwards. Friend throwing me a small reception to follow at his loft. Looking forward to it.

week 4.

week 4.

first papers and art projects handed in, anxiously awaiting a sign, a grade, something. went on a cupcake date with a classmate and trying to pick up some everyday sign language, among other things, so we can communicate better. the readings are taking over my life. i don't know what day of the week it is and am surprised I show up to the right places on the right days. everyday blends together when it's all reading....

some big projects this week/weekend. Still treading water. my art show is Sunday. exciting and my friend is throwing me a private opening reception to follow at his loft. my life is odd and unfamiliar right now, but i like it.

things are falling into place, like Tetris, maybe i left the game on easy, or my skills are improving at navigating those moving blocks! have faith friend, you just need to navigate the blocks, don't try to get rid of them. :)

Week 3

Week 3 proved to supply the most reading and assignments yet. enjoyable, interesting and i even got to get my hands dirty. still doing the homework, so this will be short!

Took a digger this afternoon, for no apparent reason except that the pavement grabbed me. totally wiped out shoulder, wrist and foot all throbbing. a good way to start the week.

made Mimi's famous zucchini dish today so we will have dinner/lunch for a few nights. i think i finally perfected it. you can't make homemade recipes healthy, the secret was in using the beef and not ground turkey...an amazing casserole with zucchini, ground beef, tomatoes, onions & green peppers...and a little melted cheese on top never hurt anyone.

Saturday eve we grilled and had a late dinner. up till 2am doing work. tomorrow's my longest day, let's hope for the best.

It's winter already

It feels like we went from summer to winter, so much for buying that fall jacket...but it'll save me some dough. Settling into a routine and learning so much. It's been fun, nerve-racking and sweat-provoking to practice what I read in the texts. The community service newsletter is coming along nicely and I am making many community connections which makes this place feel more like a growing nest, rather than a still clean box. Our knowledge of places and people, restaurants and parks are merging and solidifying into a semi-coherent map we call "home?"

Starting to push myself a bit and make friends with new people, so I am proud of myself of getting out of my comfort zone. It seems very uncharacteristic for me to use that phrase...proud of myself, but I am glad because that's what I am. I feel mind mind growing, my vocabulary expanding and my stressed out self giving me a break and becoming more chill and happy. i miss that carefree girl. welcome back. this was definitely a good move for me and for Dre too.

a late dinner awaits, made with love by the best boyfriend in the world, who not only cooks me dinner, but waits to eat when i get home from school. :) life is good.

week 2

Week 2.

Week 2 is weird, given the holiday and the recent high school reunion. it was anxiety provoking, yet enjoyable and i actually rekindled some relationships. a wonderful farmer's market, wine tasting, the Bagelry (need i saw more), 2 amazing homemade breakfasts with my family, Cantina, margaritas, yummy salsa, Jreks subs!, Kelly and the drums, the angry mob aka band, bagels with Dre, Christine and Kelly at midnight, and hanging with old friends. the next one won't be so scary 'cause we decided on a 15yr reunion. everyone who worked on it did an amazing job! i think Dre enjoyed himself too. definitely some cool conversations and even bonded with some people i never even spoke to in high school, thanks to my baby who loves the art of conversation.

grad assistantship = fun, boss is SO nice and compliments my work, flexible and awesome! Making some friends, which is cool. I think my second semester we will all be pretty tight, due to the nature of the work and the small group of us.

making choices. not always easy. growing though through choices and choices not chosen. looking forward to the readings and slightly avoiding the written work due Monday, at least until tomorrow.

got a phone call today from my doctor regarding injections and a B12 deficiency. shots start tomorrow. not sure what to think yet, but at leas there is some sort of jumping off point. a nice girl in my class is experiencing many of the same health issues I am and it's comforting and so random that we paired up together on day 1.

looking forward to making brownies this weekend to bring to Dre's cousin's for dinner. mmm...brownies.