So.

So. I have started reading the Twilight books.

I have been completely sucked in.

It's a little terrible. I started last week, and I'm already halfway through Eclipse.

I was avoiding them so well! But then. . .

Oh well. If all goes according to plan, I should be done with Breaking Dawn by the end of the week, and then I can start reading books that engage my brain* again.

*Which is not to say Twilight et al do not engage my brain. But, well, they kind of don't. They're still pretty fun, though. Like junk food. But books.

Here is what I love:

telling the same stories over and over again

drinking much too much two-buck chuck

laughing harder than I have in quite some time

forcing everyone to listen to my new favorite song

spontaneous dance parties

my friends

Today and tomorrow I am grateful for:

kind strangers.

friends who would get teeny tiny tattoos with me.

my awesome, completely unexpected (and maybe undeserved) job.

parents who taught me that the most fun part of thanksgiving is taking in as many strays as we can find.

a sister who, no matter how much we fight, wants me to meet her at the finish line of her road race so we can walk home together.

Man, people are awesome, no?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a Bad Day.

It's okay, though. I spent twenty-five dollars on magazines, and now I'm going to go get into bed and read them.

Tomorrow will be better.

This much I know is true.

I am not naturally a people-pleaser.

I'm not meek, not in the least, and most of the time, I'm too obsessed with how awkward I feel to worry about giving others what they want.

The one exception to this rule? Cookies. At the first job I ever had, I baked cookies so my coworkers would like me, and much to my surprise, it worked. I did it again last year, and I even started accepting requests. Now that I know everyone at my new job well enough that it's not awkward anymore, I can bring cookies into work again. I like it. Especially on Mondays.

Mondays are hard. Cookies help.

Honest Scrap

Last week, Anna tagged me as an Honest Scrap!

Thanks, Anna! (You should all read her blog- it's so cute, and makes me think that maybe grad school isn't so scary, after all.)

Anyway, Honest Scraps tell you ten honest things about themselves. I talk about myself so much already, I tend to avoid these things, but I love Anna's blog and I was touched that she tagged me (nobody had ever been tagged me before, then she and Rhianne went and did it within 24 hours of each other!), so here goes:

1. I am a crier. I cry when I'm sad, but mostly, I cry when I'm angry. Whenever I argue with someone, before I can get my point across, I usually burst into tears. The loud, dramatic, ugly kind. I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that. . .

2. I'm not very articulate. It takes me forever to get to the point, and I usually don't realize exactly what I'm trying to say until a couple sentences in. When I write, I can fix it with editing, but when I talk, it's just awkward.

3. I can be really shy. I have a loud voice and I shout a lot, so people don't believe me, but I developed those habits in part to cover up the fact that I just didn't know what to say or how to talk to new people. It's gotten lots better as I've gotten older, but it still comes out every now and then.

4. I secretly worry that I'm really, really stupid.

5. I am one of the more melodramatic individuals you'll meet. I feel all my feelings in a big way. Sometimes, I feel bad about it. Sometimes, I like that about myself.

I know that's only five, but it's late and I need to get to bed. I'm not going to tag anybody (I'm shy about stuff like that), but please, do play along. It's fun to be an honest scrap!

I love birthdays. I love birthday cake, and presents, and showering people with attention.

I'm just not very good at birthdays when I'm far away. (Sometimes I even forget to call.)

I am trying to change that, though, so when Lisa's birthday rolled around, I got her a little present, tied it up with a pretty bow, and sent it off in the mail. Here's to hoping that this trend continues.

Today I took a baby step.

I had a little free time, so I went to the coop, climbed up their crazy stairs* to the third floor, pulled a book off the shelf, and plopped my little** butt down on the floor, and started to read.

About graduate school.

I'm definitely not ready to apply to clinical psych grad programs this year, but I'm ready to start thinking about going through the process next year. It's a little overwhelming, so starting early seems to make a lot of sense.

I can totally do this. Right?

*It has always seemed inefficient to me that they make you walk through the cafe just to get to the next flight of stairs. Alas.

**My butt and my jaw are the littlest parts of me. Perhaps that's more than you needed to know. Alas.***

***Alas is apparently my word of the night. Alas.

This is Lisa. (Isn't she pretty?)

Lisa is one of my favorite people from Dartmouth, and today is her birthday.

I love Lisa for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. She tells it like she sees it. But in the most gentle way possible.

2. She is an excellent planner. Her wedding this summer was the perfect combination of preppy New England and Midwestern charm (and barbecue!)

3. She let me put on a pretty dress and fancy high heals and be her bridesmaid.

4. She knows everyone, and thanks to her mad crazy skills, she is able to remember everything about everyone.

5. She gossips with me.

6. She absolutely wishes the best for all her friends, and will do anything in her power to make sure that they get it.

Happy happy, Lisa!

I am so glad you were born.

{Picture borrowed from facebook}

{Source}

I am starting to think about moving out of my mom's pretty house once again, and I'm getting really excited about how I'll decorate a new apartment. Wouldn't one of these Wooly Pockets full of lush drapey plants look just lovely on a wall full of black and white photos?

{Spotted via Oh Joy!}

I am in love with the weather in Boston this week.

Today, we had lunch outside.

Tomorrow, our boss offered to take us on a picnic.

Come January and February, we'll be up to our eyeballs in snow, and that will be magical, but right now? I'm just enjoying this little bit of spring that we're getting in November.

Outdoor running and picnics all week long! Hooray!

Wise Words

Gchat from November 8th, 11:02 p.m.:

me: I just don't know what to do

whenever I fight with people

I end up feeling like the worst person in the world

Emily: ick

you are NOT the worst person in the world

not even close!

me: hitler's way worse

Emily: exactly

Thanks for cheering me up, Em.

You guys.

I just downloaded poladroid.

It is my favorite internet invention ever. (And really, that's saying a lot.)

{I thetalove gang symbol these girls.}

{Without a doubt, the only thing better than duckling bums is pola duckling bums.}

You should try it out. Really.

P.S. Tomorrow I'm going to a Dartmouth Young Alum event thing. I'm a little nervous, since I'm terrible at things like this. Wish me luck, please?

My massive incompetence surfaced again this morning, when I had to meet my friend at her apartment in Beacon Hill at 8 o'clock to pick up the i.d. that I left there last night, that I needed to even get into the building where I work.

All was okay, though, because it meant that I had an hour to walk from Charles Street to the South End, so I got a latte and took some pictures.

I am kind of in love with my city.

{duckling bums!}

Now I am going watch Castle with a mug of hot cider, and then read The English Patient before bed. (I am loving The English Patient, by the way. It's so good!)

Good night, internet!

Monday

As it turns out, it's hard to blog and work.

Especially when your sick.

Even ignoring the blog, I've been failing at life lately:

This morning, I got up super early to go to the gym. I stumbled out of bed, threw my clothes on, then ran around getting everything I would need and stuffing it into my gym bag.

I had a great workout and a really perfect shower (the water was just the right temperature and my muscles got all relaxed and it was just absolutely excellent), and then, as I was opened my locker, I realized that I'd forgotten half my clothes at home. Oops.

(Needless to say, I was a little bit late for work.)

This weekend was excellent and I made the most perfect halloween costume, and maybe tomorrow I'll actually upload all the pictures. I sewed ten yards of tulle. I was very fluffy. It was fantastic.

Now, though, I'm going to bed.

Sweet dreams, internet!