Whew!

Why, hello there! So, I'm pretty sure I mentioned in my last post that I'm taking a summer class. While my professor is definitely laid back, the structure of the class schedule makes it so it's a little crazy. Generally in workshops, we're required to turn in three stories over the course of the semester. Since a semester is about three months long, with breaks, that works out to about a story a month. Additionally, professors typically assign due dates for everyone's work. I had one professor who had everyone turn in stories on the same day, and another who worked out a schedule on the first day of class by having us draw numbers. The professor I have now prefers not to assign stories, which means, as I suspected, we now have 13 stories to workshop in the last 4 sessions. Ouch! The entire class is only 6 weeks anyway, so we were sure to be pinched, but I'm really looking forward to finishing this class! I love the professor and I'd love a chance to take a workshop with him during a full semester. Anyway, this explains some of my absence and the fact that my vest still isn't done!

In non-school news, I've been doing yoga!

I bought a Living Social deal for classes and fell in love. For most Sundays this month, I've been doing this thing put on by a yoga shop in town with a friend from work. We run two miles then do yoga outside in the park. Every week is a different teacher, which is cool because I get to try them out. I'm superpsyched about tomorrow, because the yoga teacher is my favorite! I've even gotten into running! I mapped out a route using MapMyRun and have been running most mornings or evenings, depending on whether I'm working.

I missed one Sunday of yoga to go to a wedding back home:



This is my favorite picture from the wedding. I worked with the bride at the old folks' home. She was working in the activities department, and it is the perfect job for her. I promise, you will never meet a nicer girl. The wedding was beautiful! Her husband's band did a couple of acoustic songs (the groom is a drummer and played the bongos), the groom's dad sang a song during the ceremony, and some other friends of their also performed. The DJ was terrific! Plenty of '90's hiphop! Awwwwwww yeah!




The wedding was on Peaks Island in Maine. The day was super hot, but just beautiful. It was so wonderful to spend the day with some of my dearest girlfriends for such a joyous occasion. Sigh.

Some linky goodness!
My Drunk Kitchen on YouTube is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
Likewise, this video had me rolling, and then I got sucked into the vortex of this kid's YouTube channel.
I'm reading Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. I really liked the movie, and after reading a collection of Yates' short stories last fall, I really wanted to check out the book. It's wonderful. Really great. I'll write more when I'm finished.

I'm soclose to finishing my vest! I'm predicting some FO shots on my next post! (And won't it be funny if my next post is like three months from now, ha ha)!

As Promised...

Progress!

While this vest isn't moving along as quickly as I'd hoped, it's nice to see a recognizable garment forming rather than an endless ribbed tube.

Ribbed tube aside, this has actually been a fun little project. Particularly the top which has a sweet waffle stitch pattern that is so textural but also so simple.




All I really have left now are the straps and finishing! Too bad Boston has reached a sweltering 90 degrees and the idea of putting wool anywhere on my body gives me hives. This may be a job for my dress form when it's finished.

In other news, I had a birthday since last we talked.



My sister came to see me and we went to the North End for dinner, drinks and cupcakes. All were delicious! That drink in front of me is some grape martini thing they serve at Cantina Italiana that I can't get enough of. Then we moved on to Assaggio for dinner where I had some of the best gnocchi of my life. And how could we end the night anywhere else but Mike's for dessert? I usually don't stray far from the cannoli case (the Florentine Cannoli in particular gets me every time), but since it was my birthday, a known cake holiday, I had the most amazing, extravagant chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting ever. Seriously. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. For once I'm glad I don't live in the North End!

Tonight is the first night of my summer class. I'm nervous! Isn't that silly? It's my third semester, technically, and I'm still all jittery.

Day 10: Secrets

So here we are at the last day of the challenge. I have to say, I've been dreading this one a little. I know I could throw out some funny, jokey little secrets, but I don't think I have ten of them. I certainly don't want to reveal any serious secrets to the Internets... my secrets are usually completely secret. Either no one at all knows them, or just one or two people. And I don't think there's anyone in this world who knows all of them. So yeah, not blog material. So I decided I'd share with you 10 secrets I've learned to make my days happy. I used to be so angry and tense, and in the last few years I've definitely mellowed out. I'm sure some of this has to do with age, but I also learned some lessons.

10. Store avocado/guacamole with the pit to prevent browning. Because nothing can ruin your day like icky brown avocado.

9. It's only money/stuff. Even now, being a relatively poor student, I don't let money hassles get me down. I understand there are people out there in way more dire circumstances than I, but I suspect most people fall into my category: have enough for what I need, not enough for what I want. Despite that, I am so thankful to have family and friends who love me and support me. That trumps money and things every time.

8. It takes nothing away from you to be nice. Let someone else go before you. Say please and thank you. Smile. Doing these things take nothing from your day except perhaps a moment of your time, but being polite adds something to other people's days, as well as yours. And who knows, maybe if enough people do it, manners will make a comeback!

7. You're never too old. I learned this from the folks I used to work with at the assisted living home. The most vibrant, vital ones were the ones always craving new information, the curious ones. The ones who wouldn't accept age as a limitation. I'm sure they had some influence over my decision to start a Master's program at 35.

6. Don't take too many medicines. Another lesson from the home. The healthiest, happiest residents were the ones who took the least medication, and who had never taken medication in their lives. I've been lucky enough to not need much in my life, but it's definitely a goal of mine to be able to avoid meds in the future.

5. Get out into the sunshine. Even if all you can get is a ten minute break from work sitting outside. It makes the rainy days more bearable to know you've enjoyed the sunny ones as much as you can.

4. Always choose kindness. Making another person happy makes you happy. Period.

3. Give. Money, time, compassion, whatever you have. What good is it if you hoard it all to yourself.

2. Be passionate. About something, anything. I mean something that affects the entire world. I'm passionate about animals and their care and welfare. My BFF is passionate about children's rights to medical care. Other people are passionate about the environment. We don't all have to agree or care about the same things to the same level, but everyone should care about something. It'll make the world a better place.

1. Forgive. It's not easy, but carrying around hate and discontent really is worse for you than the person you're harboring those feelings against. Forgiveness is something I constantly struggle with. I'll think I've done it, and then I find myself having to start all over again. But I really do feel better in those moments when I hold no ill will in my heart at all.

So that's that! I know I said I'd take a knitting picture, but that didn't pan out obviously. I've made progress though! Hopefully I'll get this vest done in the next week!