Incredible!

As quoted from the website of Worcester's EcoTarium, "Cockroaches are almost indestructible. Some can survive freezing for more than two days, go without food for three months, and live through nearly 100 times the radiation dose that would kill a human."

No wonder apartment-dwellers in big cities can't get rid of them!

Am I an artist too?

I am surrounded by artist friends - they draw, paint, build, photograph, sing, entertain and educate. I can do those things too...but do I have a niche? Today was stART at the Station, a well-attended crafts fair in our historic Union Station. Gorgeous. I wore my new suspenders and as excitedly expressed by Grace, "They have lace!" Tom and I tried on some felt animal hats and M&D met my local artist friends. They are a lovely bunch! I am fascinated by their talents and local involvement with the ever-expanding artist community around here, though find myself in the shadows wondering when I will finally tap into my inner artist too. Where is she?

I've just spent the last hour checking out some Industrial Design websites. I was linked to them from Shoham's Girls Gone Wild Dot Me and then from other pages. Inspiring stuff.

Cards. Greetings. Birthdays. Paper & ink & marker & glue. Canvas too?

We broke up.

And it hurt...a lot. I am still reeling from the split and wondering if this is permanent or just a break. Weren't we just getting serious? And what is "ready" anyway? There are still so many unanswered questions and I hope to get some answers next time we meet. I would prefer to see him face-to-face and have another conversation. Are the broken bits fixable? Are there changes worth making? Do we have enough patience to make it work? Only time will tell, everyone says. And until the day I "know" I will remember that I AM GOING TO BE OKAY. That I AM OKAY now and I am getting better. Ugh.

And it was good.

Studying for the GRE. Applying for jobs. Interviewing. Studying. Thank you letters. Choosing a career path. Getting serious about the relationship. Weddings (not mine...yet). Applications. Stress. Communication. Not enough time to eat lunch. Chocolate milk. Garden vegetables. Paying bills. Going camping. Eating more meat...again. Summer in Wormtown!

Source

Do you know the source of your catfish?
http://www.vimeo.com/11817894

Shame on the USDA for allowing unregulated items like these to hit markets and restaurants. Not to mention the innumerable recalls on items made in China that contain unsafe levels of lead, etc, etc.

What about the 100 mile program? Keeping it local? Reducing the carbon footprint? Know where your food comes from and you will lead a healthier, happier life...I am sure of it!

Where is Mark Bittman?

Even though I observe a mostly vegetarian diet, I love Mark Bittman. His recipes are fabulous and he chats with some great chefs! Enjoy! :)

Waiting

What could I be waiting for, you ask?

- An answer from grad school...Did I get in?!
- An answer from my landlord...Can J. move in and can we get a kitty?
- An answer from the jobs I've applied for...Am I hired?
- Graduation...One month to go!
- Time to visit the jeweler...I finally know what I want!
- Composition class...starts in 23 minutes! :)

More later...

Letter to a friend

Hey,
I miss you. I haven't been able to stop by the house and see the furballs. How's NY? I'm broke. Literally. Found out today. It's snowing heavy and wet here...hoping for a snow day. When you coming back, or are you here already? If you wanna come stay with me anytime, please do. Bring the rugrats. They're always welcome :) Maybe if you don't have plans when you move out of the house, you should just move in with me for a while. Sleep with me. Eat with me. Play the piano when I'm not home. Sigh. A girl can daydream, can't she? :)
Love you.

Comune di Montegrosso d'Asti

I've really been missing my Gram tonight. I just finished looking about the internet for photos of il Comune di Montegrosso d'Asti, the small village where Gram's family originated. It's located near Torino, in Northern Italy. I found this crest (above) that is the symbol for Montegrosso and happened upon some vineyards in that area as well. I am going to try to find some Montegrosso wines here in town, to get a taste of the grapes of my antepasados. I love you Gram, and I am thinking about you tonight xo.

Cambiando

I used to hold on to my past and carry it with me...everywhere. The efforts of such a burdensome task have made me realize that the weight is too much and not worth the energy. Seguro, hay memorias que no quiero olvidar. Sure, there are memories that I don't want to forget, pero hay las que me molestan mucho y no me permiten a seguir adelante con mi vida. Recientamente, empecé a borrar las fotos de mis amantes pasados, borrar mis conexciones con algunos de ellos y pensar en cómo planear mi futuro con Jorge, el amor de mi vida. Nuestras almas se están entrecruzadas y sé que nuestro camino estará lleno de felicidad, niños, éxito y amor. A fin de que podamos seguir adelante juntos, necesito borrar estos fantasmas de otros tiempos....

¿Cómo puedo borrar la tortura de tu memoria?
¿Me devolverás la bandera de mi abuelo?
¿Me dejarás pensar en las vacaciones australianos sin pensar en ti?
¿Me permitirás pensar en mi futuro con certidumbre y sin miedo?
¿Por qué me torturan con las imágenes de tus caras amables y promesas no permanentes?

Estamos a punto de ser comprometidos...pues, en algunos meses, pero ya hablamos de este asunto (¡woojoo!). Quiero tener una corazón que esté listo para este futuro y una mente que esté libre de la pesa de pensamientos de Uds. Estoy segura que puedo dejar en libertad estes demonios para que pueda empezar mi camino nuevo...pronto...pronto.

oxidation or rejuvenation?

I may be getting a bit rusty in the blogging department, but I am blossoming in other parts of my life. Four months ago I met the love of my life...yeah, you've heard that one before, right? Well, it was all lies (before) :)

J and I met on the dance floor, where he literally swept me off my feet. He was an instructor for a while, so has the skills necessary to impress any woman. Apparently he chose me, and two weeks prior to meeting him, I had already chosen him. How, you may ask? I went to the studio's open house to sign up for a dance class, and there he was...handsomely helping instruct students in the night class that was going on during the open house. I was immediately attracted to his smile and kind face. So, naturally, when I saw him a second time at the social, I couldn't let him go!

We exchanged phone numbers before I left the night of the social and when I got home he had already sent me a text saying how wonderful it was to meet me, dance and talk so much. He said we should go out again soon. My response: "You're on!" :) We talked and sent text messages all week until our first date. (We met on a Saturday and the first date was the following Thurs.) It was incredible - we drove to the Canal district, walked around to a few different bars, talked a LOT. When he brought me home he almost didn't kiss me though! He told me later that he didn't want to come across too pushy, but I had been waiting since the moment he picked me up for that first kiss - haha...I had talked about it all day with my friends!

In any event, the first date quickly turned into a second date two days later, and then the ball kept rolling faster and faster from there. Now, here we are four months later, already talking about what's to come this summer when it's time to review our leases. We're eager to move in together and...yep...eager to get engaged :) It's come fast, but I am absolutely sure of my future this time, and so is he. So, I am researching rings so that he can get me something I like and will be comfortable wearing. I keep saying that due to my active lifestyle I need a flatter ring so that I can put my hands in and out of my jean pockets and do all of my favorite activities (or most of them) without losing stones or breaking prongs. It's amazing that I'm even telling you all of this...I haven't even told my mom!

Ah well...time to wash up for dreamtime. Tonight I get to cuddle with my bear :) I hope you get to cuddle too!