Ready To Go

This afternoon I woke up slightly hung over but ready to try to run it off. I put on my running shorts and shirt and was lacing up my shoes when I finally looked out the window. Large flakes of snow were falling at a steady pace. At first I was unhappy by the weather’s new developments. I wasn’t quite sure if I am ready for snow, it’s not even Halloween yet. I don’t know what Massachusetts winter is like but in Minnesota once there is snow you don’t see the grass until May.

I finally came upon the decision that the snow was a good thing. Mainly because this means I can go snowboarding soon.

I didn’t grow up snowboarding or skiing. This is a fairly new hobby for me. Last year Casey talked me into going snowboarding and after a few times I fell in love with it. I even bought my own board and bindings so that I can use my own equipment and get better. For by my birthday last year my dad and I went snowboarding and it was a great birthday present.

While access to the mountains in Massachusetts is a bit more difficult due to the fact that I don’t have a car, I am ready to go already.

One Sleepy Bitch

Junior year of college I lived with my friend Casey who always would sleep in class, or at least look like she’s sleeping in class. Our friend Becca use to call her “one sleepy bitch.”

The past few weeks I’ve been one sleepy bitch as well. It’s not that I feel exhausted most days. Sure I have to go to work at 6:00 am but I’ve been doing that for awhile and I don’t feel it’s the source of my lethargy. I’ve been going to bed at midnight the past few weeks, and on day when I don’t have to work, I’ve been waking up around noon or one. The next night I feel tired again. I’m not sick or overly stressed by anything right now so the only explanation I have is that I am one sleepy bitch.

Check List

When I was in high school teacher, coaches, and advisors use to always talk about how it was important for me and my peers to set goals. Weather it was a time goal in swimming or a life goal we were always told we needed to set these types of things.

My life goals have pretty much always been:
1.Go to college and get into nursing school.
2.Become a nurse
3.Get out of Minnesota

Well at the tender age of 22 I have completed all three of my life goals. The entire time I was in high school and college I was always working my way up to being a nurse. Now I’m a nurse and I’m not sure where to go with this structured goal setting that I have always been taught. Does “try to become an adult” count as a goal?

Bonus!

As of late I have been listening to Minnesota Public Radio online. I love hearing the familiar voices of radio DJs from home. The Current always has new eclectic music that always seems to fit my mood.

This year when they were having their membership drive I decided it was time for me to contribute. That’s right, I became a member of MPR. Not only that but because of my donation I get these cool gifts. Bob Dylan’s new CD? Mittens made by mentally challenged adults? Making a donation to public radio has never been so cool!

Gym 101

When I was in junior high we had mandatory gym class every Tuesday and Thursday. I hated gym. Not only was I tall and awkward but I was really bad at most sports. To top off the public humiliation we had to wear gym uniforms that consisted of a bright orange t-shirt that had a St. Louis Park logo on it and black shorts. No one looks good in a pumpkin orange shirt.

But that was apparently the olden days. this kid has the right idea.

The Leaves

Now that I live in the New England area people keep saying "Oh, now you can go see the leaves." I assume they mean see them as they change colors for autumn. I always find this an odd comment because I lived in Winona for years and every year saw the leaves on the bluffs change bright yellows, reds, and oranges.

Needless to say I've seen leaves. In fact, I've seen them change almost 22 times. I have a friend from Texas who never has seen leaves change in the fall time. So for her "seeing the leaves" would be a novelty.

The fact that I don't have a car and I work all the time has really hindered my leave seeing. This last weekend Steve was determined to see the leaves. We woke up Sunday morning with the sun shining in the window. It was our chance to seize the day and see colors. By the time we got ready to go a slow rain had started.

I still haven't seen the leaves.

A Good Deal

I went to the Garment District on Saturday. Not just to look for a Halloween costume but also because Steve “thought I would enjoy it.” The Garment District is not a district but a store equivalent of Ragstock. It has used vintage clothing and also new trendy stuff with many a hipster browsing the aisles.

This weekend was their Halloween blow out. New Halloween costumes lined the store as well as old clothing the staff had made up to look like costumes. “Look” I would say “you could be a pimp astronaut?” Steve would just shake his head. After walking around the store for a half hour and not finding what I wanted we decided to go downstairs. The downstairs area is filled with shoes and wigs and the most overwhelming site I had ever seen.

To be a used vintage clothing store one assumes that people bring their used vintage clothing there in large trash bag and exchange them or just leave them for the people who work there to through. I imaged the people who worked there much like Goodwill workers sort through the clothing and separate stuff that could be sold and stuff that should be thrown away. This is not the case. The old things that people bring are just dumped on the large warehouse floor for customers to sort though and buy at their leisure. The scene in front of me was the equivalent of an elephant grave yard with the exception of instead of bones used sweaters, blankets, pants, and dresses littered the floor. People tromped around in the mass of clothing in their galoshes as if it was one large ball crawl. I looked up, I was standing by a sign that said “$1.15 per pound of clothing.” People sat in the mess wrapping themselves in blankets that they had just freed from the mass of fabric.

After staring at the sea of clothing I turned to Steve and told him I didn’t think I could handle standing or sitting in a foot of clothing trying to find something I would ever want. In response he then drove me home and made me some hot chocolate.

Baby It's Cold Outside

When Adrianne and I were looking for apartments this summer we had a specific budget. We knew that utilities would run us high so we tried to find a place with utilities were included. We were successful but we were slightly weary.

What will it be like in the winter? Will be warm? Oh well! Sweaters are fun and I just got a new down comforter, it will be so cozy!

It’s beginning to get cold out and the house is not cozy. It’s cold. My hands are cold and so is my noise. We have the oven on and open to warm the house. It isn’t working well. We’re beginning to face the ultimate truth.

We need space heaters.

Hurt My Pride and my Butt

“Hey Nice Ass!”

“Hey Baby!”

“I Love You!”

“Nice Hair!”

All of these things have been shouted to me as I walk down around in Boston. I usually ignore all comments yelled to me by guys on the street. Usually it’s not even worth me to acknowledge them. I thought this was the case Friday night.

I was walking back towards Fanual Hall after getting my bag out of Whitney’s car. It was raining steadily and I was fighting my way through the drunks of Boston. I could hear a group of young men yelling at me but I figured they were just being obnoxious. That was when I fell. Turns out they were yelling “Watch out it’s really slippery there!”

Make Me Well

Last week I had a tickle in my throat. This week it has moved on to a very swollen throat and a nasty ear infection. I woke up my throat on fire, unable to swallow without intense pain. I ran to urgent care yesterday with fears of strep throat. My fears were unfounded. I spent most of yesterday in bed. Steve came over and rubbed my head until I fell asleep.

Today the pain persisted. I managed to relocate to the futon wrapped in my red blanket to watch season one of Gilmore Girls. I rediscovered the herbal heat pack my dad had gotten me for Christmas last year and dozed with it on my chest slowly taking deep breaths of mint and chamomile.

My sinuses are now draining and I hope my ears are soon to follow. I don’t like being sick when the weather is beautiful.

I’ve got Folk in my Soul

I was sitting in the laundry matt reading my book when a familiar song came on the TV no one was watching. I looked up and realized the cast of the show “Las Vegas” was doing the Potta-Potta.

I guess there is something decent on TV on Monday nights.

Why I Love the Grocery Store

When I was a kid my dad worked second shift and would have most of the morning off to take care of my sister and me. One activity I always loved was going grocery shopping with him. We would sit in the cart as he went up and down every aisle getting food that was on sale, he had a coupon for or we needed. At the end of the shopping trip we would sit at the bakery and he would buy us each a glazed doughnut and go over his list to make sure he had gotten everything we needed for the week.

I still like grocery shopping, even though I don’t get a doughnut. It’s not the same to go by myself and try to carry my heavy basket.

This week when I was grocery shopping I got excited about the large stock of Shaw’s pizza. A few times I have tried to buy generic pizza and there are none left, but this day the pizzas were plentiful and I pulled three out of the deep freeze. I tried to balance them on top of an already full basket. One fell out and almost made an elderly lady fall. “I am so sorry” I apologized.

“I’ve never had a pizza fall at my feet before” she exclaimed before she went to buy egos. This woman reminded me of why I love the grocery store.