okay, so i have a way lot to post about, so hold onto your seats.
first, interesting class conversations
class discussions this time around've been pretty super. there's a lot to say and a lot to hear, and they aren't really contrived. don't get me wrong - i still feel like one of my classes is a ridiculous amount of work, the reading won't mean so much to me, and i often wish i were already done with school. but now i've gotten back into the late lunch, 9.30 dinner, turning on lights before i leave the house groove, and that makes things seem less stressful. and as we in the psych world know, it's not about reality - it's about perceived reality.
second, sarah's party
so last night i went to a friend's birthday/housewarming party. it was in dc, so i caught a ride with mandy and her hubby, which was excellent. i actually replied to the evite before i knew mandy and nate were going, which i consider a step in the right social direction. i figured, 'hey, for once i don't have anything planned! i'd love to see sarah, and maybe mandy and becca, and i do know how to mingle, even if i haven't had to do it in a long time.' however, i'm SUPER glad that mandy was there. not that i can't mingle, but sarah was being hostessy and talking to many, many people, so we didn't get all 4 hours with her, obviously, and then almost everyone else was from her church. and i do mean everyone. there was a pretty large group there, and i was impressed we all fit in the house - which is ADORABLE, btw, and a decorator's dream almost - but it was so weird b/c everyone else knew everyone else. so at least i had another outsider to chat with. we pulled in another non-res (the church is something something resurrection, so everyone calls it res) partygoer so she wouldn't be stranded, and actually had a good time. some very funny things happened, though. three current or former advocates employees were there! me (obviously), mandy (who'd interned there), and sam (who goes to res and is like an adopted son to one of my coworkers). sam, i'd met briefly once before, but it was kind of weird to go, 'hey! i know a lot of the same people you do!' but cool. and then, i ran into a guy i used to see at frontline. now, we're talking frontline, so that puts it at about 6 years ago. it was really random, but he was very cool about being like, 'yeah, you do look slightly familiar, but i haven't been to frontline in a looooooong time.' anyway, so that was my random, "yet so-so playful" time.
actually, the party raised a weird question for me. i'm not a beer person at all. never have been, never hope to be. it just seems somehow unclassy to me, and for me it's always associated with a bunch of greasy chip eating, football watching, t-shirt and plumber's butt guys. anyway, last night, there was beer served, along with whatever you call fruity hard liquor-ish (not licorice) stuff, which i guess is malt, but doesn't, for me, fall into the same category (as evidenced by the fact that i had one). anyway, much of this is just to show you that i'm actually a snob in disguise, and the other part is to try to figure out what i would or wouldn't have at a party to which i invited almost all church friends. now, this is a little weird b/c my church is made up of mostly older or mostly younger people, so the scenario's a little off, and also b/c i know that if i had a party, i'd likely invite quite a few people who'd have no problem getting completely sloshed. so i was just trying to decide what i'd serve if i definitely didn't want anyone puking on my furniture but still wanted it to be what we in this country have decided is a party.
third, devotions
i've really been slacking off about reading my Bible or anything decidedly Christian lately. i don't know why - likely laziness - as it's not like i've stopped believing anything written in there or have stopped thinking God is all that and a bag of chips. i know i need to get back to it, but i just can't seem to. maybe i'll make a deal that for every cup of starbux coffee, i hafta read two chapters. or maybe one for tall, two for grande... as many shots as i have, i have to read chapters. we'll see how it goes.
fourth, gchat
so i was introduced to gchat the other day and am sort of enjoying it. i must say, though, that i've definitely done the accidental sign off in mid-converation thing. whoops! anyway, if you wanna gchat me up, this is your invitation.
fifth, dvds
i've been trying to cut down on spending recently. i don't know what happened, oh, wait, textbook buying... i DO know what happened, but i've been running more lean on money than i usually care to. i've been trying to stop my impulse buying. holy cow, i'd no idea i had such a problem with it! and why do i think that $10 dvds are a good bargain? buy two, and you're out a full $20! that's not little! i'm also at the stage where i've pretty much stopped watching things on vhs. this makes me sad on many levels, one of them being that i have movies i should replace with dvds. i just can't bring myself to do it. i mean, what, am i gonna throw out all the vhses (okay, so if that were in caps, it might be vhss, but that looks funky in lowercase)? is a puzzlement.
sixth, life
i've been a total slacker as far as e-mail and phone call returning goes. i'm just at the point where my lethargy is more important to me than keeping up constant contact. that's bad, and it needs to change. right now.
happy weekend, everyone! i actually got to see SNOW the other day! not that it stuck or lasted for more than ten minutes, but it was SNOW, and that's all i needed.
