Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Here it goes again.

Another friend is engaged. This time it's one of my oldest friends. We met when we were three years old. So I've known her practically my whole life. We went to nursery school, grade school and high school together... and we were roommates in college. I'm happy for her. But she's been dating this guy for two years and I've only met him twice, so I really don't know him. Anyway, now they're engaged.

I found out about the engagement while I was in Avalon at a reading conference with my co-workers (and teachers from other Catholic schools in the area). I was telling my co-workers about it, and talk inevitably shifted to me. Three of my work friends started discussing my love life (or lack, thereof). Apparently, the consensus among those friends is that I'm quite a catch. That made me laugh, because it's not the first time I've heard it. It seems that all my female friends think I'm awesome. Whenever they discuss guys and dating with me, they always tell me that any guy would be lucky to have me... that I'm smart and funny and caring and creative and fun. Am I? I guess. To some extent, at least. And while it's nice to hear the compliments, I'm just tired of it always coming from girls.

You know, I had a whole rant planned when I started writing this blog, but now I just don't feel like getting into it. I'm sick of talking about it and I'm sure you're sick of reading it. It's just that the news of the engagement brought it all to the surface, so it's fresh in my mind. I'm gonna read for a little bit and then go to bed and (hopefully) be less bitter in the morning.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Cruise with me, baby...*

As I drove to work today, I kept getting the feeling that I'm stuck in a rut. It feels like I do the same thing every day. Wake up, shower, dress, fill my travel mug with coffee (half regular Colombian, half flavored... today's flavor was Butter Rum), drive to work, teach, drive home, eat dinner, and then do any combination of the following: read, watch TV, email, check myspace, scrapbook. Then I go to sleep, wake up and do it all over again.

So I was in the car this morning, listening to Preston and Steve (as per usual), sipping my coffee (as per usual) and ignoring my rumbling stomach. I had my oatmeal in my tote bag, ready to be cooked when I got to work. But the thought of eating yet another bowl of oatmeal was suddenly unbearable. I drove past a diner and had the most intense urge for a thick stack of French toast with a side of crispy bacon... and fresh squeezed OJ... and a bottomless pot of hot coffee. The thought was pure bliss. And the fact that I couldn't just pull over and indulge my fantasy made the remainder of my drive even more depressing.

So then I had the idea that I should just play hooky. Wake up early one day and call out sick. Drive to a diner when everyone else is at work and eat my dream breakfast. I could bring a book and read until I was finished my meal... or kidnap a friend and have one of those amazing rambling conversations that you only seem to have over a pot of coffee in the back booth of a diner.

Then I carried my daydream further... what if I spent the rest of the day doing something adventurous? I thought back to college... the good old days, when I didn't feel guilty about cutting class. Rick and I used to hang out all the time back then, and he would call me randomly and say, "Wanna go to lunch in Long Island tomorrow?" And we would. We took many random day trips while I was at La Salle. West Virginia, Baltimore, Pottsville (and the Yuengling Brewery), Long Island, Atlantic City. We went to Richie Ashburn's viewing at Memorial Hall and spent the rest of the day touring Philadelphia. But not the historic tour of the city. We went to the Plateau, the Water Works, drove around old neighborhoods... nothing planned or specific. And one day I came home from class and he was waiting on the front step of my apartment because he wanted me to go with him to the car show. So we went. Just like that.

It seems like it's such a hassle to do anything adventurous these days. Take today, for example. I had the urge to just skip work and hit the diner, but I couldn't. Calling out requires too much planning. In order to call out of work, I have to make sure my classroom isn't a complete mess, I have to leave lesson plans for a sub (or email them to my principal), and I have to wake up early enough to call out. Unless it's something I know about in advance, and then I can request off ahead of time. But where's the spontaneity in that?

I really want to be spontaneously adventurous again, but since it's not as easy as it used to be, I'll settle for being just adventurous. Sometime soon... perhaps in the spring... I'm going to call out of work, go to a diner for a huge breakfast, and then take a day trip somewhere. With some kickass music in the car. Nothing too far or expensive, just something different and fun. And I want a partner in crime. Any takers? I'm totally serious about this. I need to carpe my diem again. It's been far too long. ¡VĂ¡monos!

*Bonus points if you can name that tune.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Attraversiamo!

Happy New Year to all!

Out with the old... I spent the last hours of 2007 in good company, eating good food, drinking good drinks, and smoking good cigars. There was lots of laughter and best of all, no drama. It was the perfect way to end an amazing year.

In with the new... I celebrated the beginning of 2008 into the wee hours o' the morning. I got very little sleep, but it was well worth it. And I spent all of New Year's Day camped out on the couch doing nothing important at all... uploading pics, watching bad TV, eating ramen, recovering from my hangover. It was great.

Even though last year was awesome, it had to end sometime. In the words of Elizabeth Gilbert... Attraversiamo! Let's cross over.

Last year I posted a New Year's missive bitching about resolutions. This year I went ahead and made some. Go figure. There are only five of them, and I think they are good ones.

1. Read 40 quality books this year.

2. Make serious effort to find another job.

3. Keep track of expenses. This involves making a spreadsheet listing the bills I pay each month and writing down everything I purchase.

4. Cut the clutter. Teachers are notorious pack-rats, and I'm guilty. I always save things that "I might use someday." So it's my resolution to keep only what I need and get rid of whatever is weighing me down. That might apply to people as well as things. We'll see. Simplify, simplify...

5. Keep doing what I'm doing. Last year was a year of self-discovery, adventure, accomplishment and socialization. I've started to shed some of my insecurites and look at myself in a more positive light. I want to continue doing that as much as possible.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

my book goal

At the end of last year, I decided to keep track of how many books I read in 2007. I made a personal goal to try to read 50 books by the end of the year. I had no idea if that was even possible, but I figured I'd pick a number and go for it. As it turns out, I was unable to meet that goal. Seems it was a bit too high for me. So as of today, I have read a grand total of 33 books in 2007. Not too shabby. I'd like to try for 40 next year, now that I know what I'm capable of. Any recommendations?

Books I've Read in 2007 (*indicates a book I've read before)

  1. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
  2. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
  3. Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins
  4. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
  5. Good in Bed* by Jennifer Weiner
  6. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
  7. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
  8. Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs by Paula Marantz Cohen
  9. Sotah*, by Naomi Ragen
  10. Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
  11. The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
  12. Bet Me* by Jennifer Crusie
  13. The Year of Living Famously by Laura Caldwell
  14. The Autobiography of God by Julius Lester
  15. The Cat Ate My Gymsuit* by Paula Danziger
  16. The Next Big Thing by Johanna Edwards
  17. Swapping Lives by Jane Green
  18. The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner
  19. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
  20. How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean
  21. The Buenos Aires Broken Hearts Club by Jessica Morrison
  22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
  23. Outer Banks* by Anne Rivers Siddons
  24. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
  25. Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
  26. Night by Elie Wiesel
  27. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  28. Among Schoolchildren* by Tracy Kidder
  29. Promises by Belva Plain
  30. Jephte's Daughter* by Naomi Ragen
  31. The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
  32. The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
  33. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert