::sigh::

Do you ever feel like life is changing faster than you expected it to?

I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing, or just something you have to get used to. I'm tending to think it's the last of the three options.

ADMIT IT....

It's cool, even if you aren't a Harry Potter fan. If you are, well...there's no reason to not love this.

Success.

World, you should be proud of me. I went to the gym for the fourth time in 22 years last night. And I did something other than run around the indoor track. This may mark a turning point in the future of my existence.


(But probably not.)

In it to win it...

I am making a goals list for this year. And LUCKY YOU! You get to read them. Don't you feel privileged? Ok, maybe not. But at least I have witnesses now, right?

1. I will practice at least 4 out of 7 days of the week. I will, I will, I will. I will.

[source]

2. I will read the entirety of Gray's Anatomy in 356 days. So far I've made it to page two, but I started today. Give me a break, ok?

3. I want to be more...muscle-y. I have to wear a nicer dress next month, and I want it to look better than it does at present. Grr.

[source]

4. I will take part in at least one world-wide fad, just because I can. I mean, come on. Though we are not of the world, we are in it. This will probably happen sooner rather than later, while I still have motivation.

[source]

(Not this one; fear not.)

5. I will consider learning yoga. I may not actually do it, but I will consider it.

6. In two years, I will be on my way to doing something fantastic as a result of hard work.

[source]

(Ha.)

7. I will throw a dinner party, cooked entirely from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Consider yourself invited, because chances are...if you're reading this, I probably know you.

[source]

8. I will travel somewhere out of the country. That will require funding, but perhaps that will happen soon. Perhaps. I dunno...if all else fails, I could always join a convent in Italy. That's been my back-up plan to my back-up plan for several years now. Don't YOU want to become a nun?

[source]

That's all. I may add more to the list later in time. I could add impossible things, like becoming a Highly Successful Blogger, but then my list wouldn't be realistic anymore. So...bye.

And again...

Look, the color version! Can't decide which I like better...


(Does anyone else have trouble with Blogger making pictures look more dull? I feel like I need to oversaturate in order for them to look right...)

MA vs. VT

New fave picture from home.


Nothing in Mass can beat the superiority of VT cows.

Food for the Future

I will have to be moving out of college dorm housing very soon now - quite exciting, if you ask me - which naturally means that I will have a KITCHEN! Clearly I need to plan what I'm going to be making right now. Right now, I say.

Which, obviously, brings us to the the Master of French Cooking herself,

JULIA CHILD.


[source]

Wasn't she grand?

So here are some recipes with...sexy...French titles. (OMG, I just used the word "sexy" online. There goes my credibility as a moral person.)

Quiche Lorraine - cream and bacon quiche

Pièce de Boeuf Braisée - beef braised in red wine

Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme - casserole-roasted chicken with bacon, onions, and potatoes

Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence - chicken sautéed with herbs and garlic, egg yolk, and butter sauce

Purée de Pommes de Terre à L'Ail - garlic mashed potatoes
(P.S. The French word for potatoes, "pommes de terre," literally translates as "apples of the earth." Now you know something new. Maybe.)


I guess that's enough for now. I'm drooling too much to keep this up.



Oh, and you can be sure that I will be avoiding the section entitled "Brains." No.

Beautiful.

Word, equal to the Most High, our only hope,
Eternal day of the earth and the heavens,
From the peaceful night we break the silence,
Divine Savior, cast your eyes upon us.

Spread upon us the fire of your powerful wisdom
May all hell flee at the sound of your voice;
Dispel that slumber of a languishing soul,
Which has driven it to forget your way.

Oh Christ, be favorable to this faithful people
Now gathered to bless you.
Receive the songs it offers to your immortal glory,
And may it return filled with your gifts.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles...

Today I had unnaturally cooperative hair. Somehow, an upside-down-French-braid-combined-with-messy-side-bun turned out ok.

[Sorry...pictures of the back of my head don't usually turn out too well, and therefore you can't really see it. I guess you'll have to take my word for it...?]



Humidity...makes hair work better? Backwards.

Thank you, Hairdresser on Fire for inspiration. (Her braid/bun combo obviously looks better. Please don't judge me.)

Gleek out, y'all!

Confession: I love the Glee Project.

Dorky? Yes. Enjoyable? Absolutely.

That said, I have had this stuck in my head all day today, and as a result, I have watched the video at least three times since 4 pm.



They're good, right?

[Yes, I know it's not Christmas yet.]

On Fame (of the blogging variety)

At one point in time, I came up with a list of things that seem to make a blog legit. I have since realized that there is no way under the sun that I will ever become a Highly Successful Blogger (HSB). Here I present you with a list of reasons why that is the case.


1. HSBs can abbreviate any word and it sounds cool.

2. HSBs each have a Story. These Stories are different, life-altering, funny, sweet, or any other adjective that grabs your attention.

3. HSBs have husbands. Intelligent, good-looking, the-kind-you-see-in-movies husbands. From here on out, they will be referred to as "blog husbands."

4. HSBs know all the other HSBs, and are therefore unafraid to comment on each other's blogs.

5. HSBs have the best cameras available to mankind and know how to use them well.




DO NOT CHANGE THE CHANNEL; WE WILL RETURN AFTER THIS MESSAGE.

[Random side note: according to a common online acronym finder, HSB also stands for the Latin phrase "Hic Situs Bonus," meaning "This place is good." Somehow, that fits well with this topic, don't you think?]

AND WE'RE BACK.




6. HSBs are the most photogenic people in the world.

7. HSBs have the best fashion taste in the world.

8. HSBs can cook anything, with a recipe or without one.

9. HSBs have Highly Successful Blogs within a year of entering the Blogosphere.

10. HSBs have perfectly imperfect lives. [This is not universally the case, I know. But we're generalizing here, people.]



So that's my reasoning. One day, perhaps I will have a life story that merits widespread attention, but for now, I will resign myself to my relative anonymity. I have, however, coined the acronym "HSB." That should count for something, right?

Suggestions, please...

I got this fantastic pair of forest green tights at Gap for - check it - $1.18. Yeah. Best Gap deal ever, minus my favorite dress that cost me $13.99. My dilemma?

I'm not sure what to wear them with.

Suggestions, please?

Oh, and I'm sorry to have neglected to mention any food-related things here recently. I haven't been cooking at all. Instead, I eat cafeteria food. Or in rare cases like this morning, I have been lazy enough to eat a bowl of uncooked oatmeal sans any sort of topping. I promise to mend the error of my ways when it isn't so hot.

Miscellaneous

Today was a great day...for my inner child.


I sat on a rock wall and read 80 pages in under an hour.

I wrote a 3-page letter.

I met a nice person.

I sang along with some classical music I didn't know.

I ate ice cream.

I laughed at unimportant things.

I skipped and ran across a field.

I hung out with a lovely friend.

I explored new places.

I walked on a guardrail.

I did two cartwheels.

I scaled a rocky cliff.


Who says I need to grow up? (Although I did apply for yet another job today. Yay.)

Hurrah for spontaneity and good friends.

Magical...historical performance?

In honor of the final installment of the Harry Potter film series, I present you with an orchestral recording of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo that anyone in the wizarding world would surely appreciate, due mostly to the presence of billowing robes.



Enjoy.

Meine Familie und die Schweiz

Well, the fam managed to make it back from Switzerland all in one piece.


It's quite nice there.


They stayed in a teeeeeeeny tiny town way high up in the Alps.


It was even pretty at night, where it stayed light until very late.


And my mom got to sit in a little pod car thing. Evidently there are only 90 of them in the world. Volkswagen-made, of course.


Pretty cool, eh?

Now I want to go on vacation.

Goals?

I may have come up with a ridiculous but amazing plan for the future. That's all I'm going to say here, because it's too risky. If it works out, I'll let you know in a year or two when it actually comes to fruition. If not, no one will be able to laugh and say, "Well, obviously. I TOLD you that was impossible."

It can't hurt to dream big, right?

Catching Up

I have to admit...I'm not feeling inspired in the writing department these days. Probably because most days are exactly the same: babysit, beach, practice, ice cream, sleep. Sometimes we throw a movie in the mix too. So...sorry. MLIA. Whatev.

That's not to say, however, that summer is being wasted away. No sir. (Or ma'am.) It's been a long time since I've had a more lazy summer, and I'm really enjoying it. I guess I can't be completely footloose and fancy free just because - ya know - I'm looking for a job and all that. (Have I ever mentioned that before? Yes? Mmm. How redundant. Again, sorry. Chalk it up to networking?)

I've discovered a new-found love for lying on the beach with friends, even though it requires wearing sunscreen (which I hate almost as much as I hate folding laundry).

I've rediscovered the glory of ultimate frisbee, and I've eaten way too much ice cream for my own good (to the point where I finally ordered sorbet instead. Uncharacteristic).

My family is currently is Switzerland, and I miss them a lot. (As in more-than-expected-a-lot.)

I've cried too much. Also uncharacteristic. (Uncharted territory stresses me out, apparently.)

And I've seen so much more to be grateful for. Transitions really make me want to hold tightly to the things that I've treasured in the past, but I really can't do that forever. Thus being grateful for new things is imperative.

In the meantime (while I figure everything out - ha!) I will try to eat more Pinkberry than ice cream, I will try to gain more freckles than sunburn, I will try to branch out from frisbee to whiffle ball, and I will try to practice more than two hours per day.

What do YOU do on the weekend?

Have I ever mentioned how much I love construction paper? If not, here it is: I LOVE CONSTRUCTION PAPER AS MUCH AS I LOVE COOKIES.

[That's saying quite a lot. You have no idea.]

Do you still need an illustration? We'll assume you said yes.

Last Friday night, my friend Ali and I spent over three hours creating things out of it. After she left, I worked on my project for another two hours. Result? A chain of construction paper flowers. I was pretty proud of myself.