How to See the Sun Rise

Pitch black.  As if it wasn't hard enough to find the exact olives he likes with the grocery fully lit.  She could hear the grumbling of the other customers, most of whom seemed caught off-guard by the impromptu darkness of the store.  Why they were surprised she didn't know.  The storm outside was a menacing one, threatening the power lines for the better part of the day.  Had she taken the extra ten minutes to go to the big grocery across town she would probably be basking in the borrowed light of backup generators.  Not here though.  But no matter, she didn't mind.  Kind of liked it actually.  It was like an adventure, and a welcome one at that.  Her list was an odd one, the product of haste and intertwining lives.  Toilet paper - already in the basket.  Hot sauce, vegetable oil, dog biscuits, cheddar cheese - New York Sharp, beer, canned pears, and bread.  Standing in the cereal aisle (for no apparent reason) she w...

I am scared of writing Fiction.  Terrified.  I confess this to you because I feel it may be a minor hiccup in writing my novel (see previous, previous post).  I liken it to singing in front of large groups of people and crossing non-suspension, medium height bridges.  for the love of God, child, run faster! Blogging is only sort of scary.  Sure, I am putting myself out there, but it's just me.  It's how I talk if I took an hour and a half to say three paragraphs and I got to edit each word.  It's pretty much just like hanging out if I was the only one who ever got to talk and my thoughts were the only ones that mattered.  Fun for all.  But Fiction.  Fiction is different.  Fiction is investing in the part of you that dares to dream and opening it up for all to judge.  Yipes.  Over the last several years I've scaled back on giving my dreams a voice.  It's tough times for hopes and wishes ...

So it's Lent.  Big excitement.  I made fasnachts yesterday after work.  I love them, and the tradition in my family of making them.  I look forward to it every year.  Until it gets here and I actually have to do it.  Perhaps its because the last several years when I've made them I've done so alone.  Baking is always more fun with someone else.  As tradition dictates (i.e. what my dad did), I have to start the dough the Monday night before Fat Tuesday.  I'm pretty sure tradition also dictates that I don't start the process until, like, 11 pm.  So, I obliged.  By midnight I'd produced a giant bowl of potato dough, a mess in the kitchen, and a stomachache from eating said potato dough.  Tradition then dictates that you wake up way too early (6ish) to roll out all the dough, let it rise again, cut it into doughnut shapes, poke holes in it, fry it (all 60 some doughnuts), and sugar bomb them.  I set my alarm.  I did....

I've been wasting time on Pinterest again.  For those of you not in the know, it's a sort of online bulletin board/magazine.  Mostly where I go to fantasize over things I'll never be able to afford, places I've never been, recipes I might actually make, and...Ryan Gosling.  http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025362492462/  (thank me later) It has me thinking though.  I'm 27.  I'm not where I thought I'd be.  I just finished up an application for grad school, again.  This time for a Master's in Social Work.  I don't particularly feel good about my application.  Which sucks, because for the first time in awhile I actually got to a place where I could articulate (definitely in my own head, getting close on paper) what I want to do with my grown up life.  I procrastinated. (what?  you're surprised?)  I could have done a better job. But I digress.  Here's what I've decided to be when I grow up.  Stay with me. ...

Man.  I keep up with this blog like I do my journal.  It's really not promising.  However!  Tonight I have reason to celebrate and reason to write.  It's official... Newsies is coming to Broadway!!!  That's right.  I'm pretty sure Christian Bale won't be reprising his role and they've added a female reporter, so I just need to spend my time between now and Opening Night finding ways to cope with what will be some inevitable disappointment. There's a lot of talk swirling about the timliness of the release with the Occupy Wall Street movement sweeping the nation.  All I can say is if the Occupy Wall Street protesters learned to sing and dance like Jack Kelly, Davey, Racetrack, Crutchy, Spot Conlon, Boots, and Mush than I wouldn't care that I have no idea what specifically they're actually protesting. The release is good timing, too, since I can also offically report that I have a job. Don't get too excited, I'm only nannying, but it w...

My phone broke Monday night.  I tried to upload the new apple operating system and, long story short, it erased everything on my phone and restored it to factory settings.  Again, keeping this to the short version let's just let it suffice to say that I wasn't an idiot (this time) and it wasn't a matter of simply resetting the phone and backing it up.  So I was phoneless.  In 2011.  I was against getting an iPhone at first.  I didn't want to be constantly connected; checking my email and playing angry birds while simultaneously having a conversation and driving my car on a 6 lane highway.  Weird.  That said, my two previous phones had their own slight personality glitches - the first literally had to be plugged into the wall to hold a charge (and for me to hold a conversation) and the second worked fine, as long as you didn't need to use the 4 key.  So it was time. I like to think I'm still not the emailing, game playi...

We adopted a dog.  Meet Fitzwallace.  You can call him Fitz. Yeah.  Pretty adorable.  He's a 3 year old shepherd mix from Chicago Animal Care and Control.  We had decided awhile ago that we were going to adopt, but we were waiting until I got a job and we got settled in the apartment.  Of course, with no luck on the job front and Nelson starting school a few weeks ago, I was getting antsy...and bored at home all day.  I had been bugging Nelson about going to look at dogs for awhile and last Friday he agreed to go 'look'.  I got a (probably fair) lecture on the way there about how we were not going to bring anything home that day and we needed to talk more before making any decisions.  Plus, we had plans that night to visit some friends and weren't going to be home most of the evening.  I agreed, but pointed out that if we found a dog we really loved, we'd have to act fast.  Nelson kind of agreed. About 40 minutes and 2 dogs la...