i will not be the girl...

1.) I love fall. I missed it so much when I was in Africa, and it is not the same in Oregon as it is in Michigan (seriously, Oregon, don't you understand that the leaves are all supposed to turn pretty colors?), but it is still FALL. I am excited. I walked home from school in a zigzag path, stepping on all the crunchy looking leaves. It was satisfying.

2.) School has been great, in a different sort of way. All I want to do anymore is write. And it's kind of all I am doing. So I take part in discussions in my other classes via reading spark notes (or common sense, in one of the classes), and do not do the reading. And then I read five thousand things for Fiction Writing and write a million pages and spend hours on Google Maps and Google Earth figuring out where my characters lived in NYC before the world ended (both in Queens, one in Kew Gardens, the other I can't decide which neighborhood). It's just kind of bad because I only want to learn things if they pertain to my writing, which, eventually, could be a lot of things, but currently is about New York City and guns and the end of the world (and, in another piece, Kansas and airplanes and the Air Force and strokes and Paris and espresso and cutting and Seattle).

3.) English Boy is not going to join the English Army, after all. At least not immediately. He is going to teach English in Palestine instead, which is a bit of a relief.

4.) I love Jim Croce.

5.) I am going to be Peach for Halloween! From Mario Kart! It basically just means I get to wear a big pink dress and a tiara! I am so excited. I do not think there will ever be a time that I don't want to dress up for Halloween.

6.) I'm trying to get the Old Spice Man to record a video for my anniversary with The Boyfriend. Any suggestions on how to get him to do it? I have tweeted at him and sent him a message on youtube and am off to find him on facebook. I feel like I should write him a real fan letter and send it--I think he lives in Portland even? Perhaps I could stalk him and deliver it personally, because that wouldn't be weird.

7.) Did I mention that I love fall?

I haven't properly updated in a month. I'm on LJ every day, apparently I just lurk now.

Life has been really good the last couple of weeks. Thursday was the meteor shower, and enough (but less than I would have liked) people showed up, and the meteors were AWESOME, so it was really fun. And then yesterday my mom and I and my Other Sisters and Other Mother (#2) went tubing down a river for four hours, just lazing around. Twas grand.

The Inappropriate Older Man is recently back from Peru. I have to see him soon since I am leaving for Portland in A WEEK. Crazy.

Work is really fun--I adore one of the guys I work with and like a few others quite well. It's sad to think we'll probably not talk much after a week, especially since he doesn't use facebook that much. :(

( lots of information on my weird-from-the-outside relationship plus a bit of panic )

Anyway. Happier things. Anniversary with Other Sister tonight = Olive Garden then girlygirlygirly sleepover reminiscing about our former days. Seeing the Inappropriate Man sometime soon. Going back to Ptown in a week. ♥

I'M DONE WITH MY JUNIOR YEAR! HOLY CRAP.

It was quite anti-climatic, as I finished with a take home test. Usually it's something more like finishing a test, turning it in, and walking out of one of the academic buildings for the last time. Instead, it was, "Well. Um. I guess I'll email this to him. I'm done." But still very exciting.

BASEBALL SOON. We have ridiculously good tickets. I don't know exactly where, but in the "on-deck circle" section, which stretches from dugout to dugout, including behind home plate. *dies*

Mom seems nervous that I am sad that I'm coming home for the summer--since Texas, Roommate Boy (who will be Roommate Boy again for real!), and The Boyfriend are staying out here, together. But Portland doesn't have the Lake, or a beach, or les filles, or my family or Other Families, or Tigers baseball, or the IOM, or that feeling of home. Nowhere but Michigan will ever be home to me, especially in the summer. And this summer, the aunt and uncle aren't living with us, so I'll have my room again and much more peace and quiet. I will bike everywhere and write everything and I can't wait.

( LOST spoilers )

MEME TIME!:

1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

( questions from leiascully )

Oh, friends, my spring break was so wonderful!

( behind a cut for your convenience )

It all was rather fantastic. I was very happy, and The Boyfriend has been less stressed out of late, meaning he is being completely adorable. My mom says she knows when we're getting along because apparently I talk more like him on the phone. I'm not really sure what that means, but it's kind of sickly cute anyway.

FINISHED MY FIC FOR bsg_remix!!!! It's my first time doing it, and I really liked it. I've offered to pinch hit if they need me, too. I miss writing.

I think I'm going home for the summer. I love it out here, and I know I'll miss people either way, but that's home. I always wanted to do big things with my life, but it turns out the biggest things in my life are the people. Summer will always be that house and that beach and everyone who shows up at that beach. Memorial Day softball games and Wednesdays at Wisners'. The more I travel, the more I realize I want to go home. The world is beautiful, and everyone should see as much of it as they have a chance to; I have wanderlust, but I have a home, too.

And I think this to myself every summer, but I'm really going to do it this time: write a lot and lose weight. I think I'm going to start biking around with a chair and a notebook and just stop and write wherever I feel like it. And eat from the Farmer's Market like it's my job.

Other Sister and I were talking on FB the other day, and we've realized we can do whatever we want with our lives, as long as we can feed ourselves. I feel like most of the time when you're told you can do whatever you want, it means, "Go accomplish big things." But we can also accomplish little things. We don't have to go save the world if that's not what we want; we can live in our little dinky small hometown with the people we've known our entire lives doing what we love, and that's okay. You're not a failure if you return to your hometown. I think it's good to leave it at some point, because you don't know what's out there if you don't, but it's always okay to go back.

♥

I've been a bit MIA lately. I think it's at least partially because a lot of my friend list has also been MIA. I've been reading everyone's entries, just not really writing my own. I still have to work on a meme from coffeesuperhero, but that might take a while.

Things going on in my life:
- The day before Valentine's Day, the Boyfriend took me to a barbecue place for dinner. The wait for a table was supposed to be about thirty minutes; after an hour, we decided to just make our order take out. Oh my God, you guys. The pulled pork was life-changing, I swear. It was the best thing I have ever had. Ever.
- The Olympics make me happy, but make it hard to get any work done.
- My parents are coming out to visit soon! I am tres excited! I miss them. ♥
- Having a big thing tonight for my birthday. I'm excited, but last night was bigger than I expected it to be, so mostly I'm tired. I'm trying to have a slow day and maybe take a nap, but Texas is being pissed at me for saying we should go to Avatar and then changing my mind. She wants to go still, I'm hoping we can just go some other time. But I also don't want her mad at me. Blegh.

We watched Firefly last night! I'm a crazy person who has never seen it, so that was exciting. Just watched the first episode, but it was fun and I liked it, except that it has the worst music ever. :P Nathan Fillion just always makes me happy. One of the girls I watched with said, "He's so cute. In like an adorable way, not in a hot way." I'm pretty sure he's cute in a hot way, just saying.

Baseball spring training is happening and it gets me so excited! ♥

I am still a little broken, but mostly doing well. The fall down the stairs seems to have only caused bruises, nothing worse.

My computer, however, is definitely broken. I'm waiting for a new hard drive to arrive in the mail. I didn't realize how much I was attached to my specific computer until it got taken from me. D:

But the weekend, prior to computer breakage, was actually quite wonderful. We had an African party Friday night and an Africa party Saturday night. The African party was for people actually from Africa, who are friends with some of the housemates, and the Africa party was for people who came with me to Africa. Both were fantastically lovely. It was really good to see the Africa folks who were able to make it, and we didn't spend the whole time only talking about Africa, which would have upset Texas (who applied but didn't get in).

I also had my first shift at the Phonathon yesterday and got people to donate 35 dollars. I was excited. The job is going to involve a lot of doodling I think, maybe some secretive writing (which I don't think I'm supposed to do because it is distracting). But money. I need it, the job lets me have it. I just have to remember that.

Valentine's Day Sunday. I think we're doing dinner on Saturday night. I don't know. I'm weird about Valentine's Day, because I don't *want* it to matter, but it does to me. I mean, last year I had a SHIT time all day with my Science Olympiad girls outside of Seattle, and then came home and I don't think The Boyfriend even said, "Happy Valentine's Day." I wanted to break things. All that was needed really, was a happy valentine's day and maybe a piece of chocolate. I'm not that high maintenance, I swear.

Anyway, then next Sunday is my birthday, which means sometime that weekend we'll have to do sloe gin fizzes because they are the best.

♥

Oh hello there.

I am back in Portland, which is positively lovely. We have a HOUSE, which is crazy. Roommate Boy hangs around even though he is technically no longer Roommate Boy, so that is exciting. The Book of Eli comes out today, which is also exciting.

Last night was ridiculous, as first nights back to school are wont to be. Got in, ate, slept, etc. Some ladies came over and we ate and the night started. Dancing and pong playing and snuggling. Roommate Boy and Texas seem like things may be happening, which is kind of HILARIOUS.

I should probably buy books and set up the room and clean (there are wine bottles and donuts *all* over the dining room table) and such. Instead, I will make some food and continue watching Universal Sports--an all-Olympic all the time network--with Roommate Boy, Texas, and The Boyfriend. Obviously, life is good.

Sorry I've been AWOL. The boy came to town. :D

( Christmas )

On Christmas, I took the time to type up something I'd written in Africa: honey, it lights up the sky. Cross-posted to fluff_friday too.

( Boxing Day of Love (aka les filles, the IOM and the Boyfriend, oh my) )

After he left I went to lunch with Flo. No matter how long we've been apart, we always fall back together without anything missing. It's perfect. Our lunch lasted even longer than that of me and the IOM. We just talked and talked and talked. I think the restaurant workers thought we were a bit crazy.

The Brother has also been around. He got back from Ecuador last night (his girlfriend is studying there and Christmas is also her birthday). I missed him tons. The fam sat around and watched sports together. :D :D :D

Tomorrow a party is planned chez moi. And by that I mean girl party with only like six of us, but that kind of makes it better, in my opinion.

♥

MY LIFE HAS BEEN MADE: leiascully's Anonymeme

Seriously.

Just spent 15 minutes reading everything and LTHEFUCKOL.

leiascully and coffeesuperhero have trolliepop and ninamazing right now and I am so jealous I can't even handle it. Who would have ever thought I'd be dying to go to Arkansas? :P

Speaking of you crazy kids--I need a cornbread recipe sans sugar so I can try it out and probably decide that I'm totally a Yankee and WHATEVER I WILL USE SUGAR IF I WANT. But yes, I am willing to try the other side at least once.

T-minus six days to big drama to happen with the Inappropriate Older Man, T-minus six days to TIGERS BASEBALL GAME, T-minus seven days to go visit the Boyfriend.

Life is good. Fangirls make it even better.

Sorry for disappearing, internets. The boy is around, and so I am busy.

The boy is also sick, which is very sad. But I am taking very good care of him and being a wonderful girlfriend, which is rather fun in and of itself. It just makes me sad when he is not the most happy.

This just in: I am a big sap.

Anyway, he is here for another day or two, so I will be gone still. I have tried to keep up. leiascully wrote a lovely gen Housefic that I managed to keep up with, and I've been reading/skimming all your entries, just not commenting. Anything important about which I should know?

Also. I felt I should post on January 1, 2009. It feels strange, starting a new year. Knowing I will go to Africa for a whole semester and it will change my life. Realizing I want to be a writer, fiercely and with everything I have.

Resolutions/wishes/hopes for the new year? Share 'em with me.