i don't even want to think about how long it's been since i last posted something of real substance here. you all do remember who i am, right? :D i know it's been ages. in my defense all i can say is that hopefully soon a laptop or internetphone or both will enter my life. i'm hoping to get blackberrified within the next month or so, and whatever is leftover from my tax stimulus money after my car gets tuned up will go into a laptop fund. then at least i can make use of wifi and that network verizon is so proud of. >.>

recent events worth highlighting.....
--lindsay's and my garden has exploded, literally. we got a zucchini that weighed at least three pounds last week, and two more that were not much smaller over the weekend. i have flowers coming up that i never thought would actually bloom, i have surprise morning glories and sunflowers that are literally taller than me, and so much more. it's so exciting, i really fucking love that i actually have a green thumb. when it comes to things planted in the ground, at least; i won't say anything about my previous luck or lack thereof with potted plants. XD

--the landlord said i could renew my lease of the house for next year. since i'm the only one of the current group that's staying (for which i say AMEN AND HALLELUJAH) it's up to me to fill the house. so, for anyone who is currently in the pioneer valley area or is thinking of moving to it (or back to it! :)) let me know. there are 6 rooms available of varying sizes and prices, and it's in a super convenient location. and plus i'd love to populate at least some of the house with people i know. XD

--my vacation with ardavana, halfdreams, linaeloisetook, sekala and usually9_15. from june 27 thru july 5 we left the real world behind and holed up in a cabin on lake sebago (one named 'our knotty place', teehee). we actually spent the first night in somerville going to dali, which is a tapas place we've wanted to try for a while, and shit was it amazing. none of us had ever done tapas before, and it was awesome-- getting dressed up especially. the less awesome part was the gash i got in my heel from my new stilettos, which while sexy as hell, are fucking painful when they're not broken in. >.> the week itself was amazing, would have been moreso if i hadn't gotten sunstroke on the second day and spent half the rest of the time feeling like i was going to die and/or sleeping, but what i was awake and alert for, was awesome. i think my favorite part was being right on the lake; getting up and seeing the sun on the water, the baby ducks that swam by every morning, being able to go swimming anytime i wanted to.... it was really just peaceful and wonderful. i could go on for hours but i won't, as i'm trying to prevent this from being a "omg she wrote a novel" entry. :)

--on another note of fashion, i finally purchased the red heels i'd been ogling on zappos months ago - they went away b/c they were out of stock but they came back and i went ahead and splurged - it's rare that i see a pair of shoes that i NEED, but i knew the first time i saw these that i needed them, and esp. after missing the boat the first time and then regretting it ever since - i'm so glad i got them.

--my 'read 50 books in a year' challenge is being blasted out of the park - i think i'm on 38 at the moment. most recently i finished 'kushiel's mercy' which was another edge-of-your-seat close to another stellar trilogy - seriously i hope carey keeps writing these books for years, they never stop awesoming the hell out of me. and, possibly more importantly, i'm also reading 'skinny bitch', and am finding myself really affected by it. i'm not drinking the vegan kool-aid, despite the fact that i live in probably one of the easiest areas in the country to be vegan-- i'm a realist, and i know that every once in a while if someone offers me a cheeseburger i'm gonna eat a cheeseburger-- plus i refuse to be That Girl who goes out to eat or goes visiting and wrinkles up her nose and says 'i can't eat thaaaaaaat...'--- but what i'm taking away from the book is really just the slap-in-the-face 'get real' attitude of it --- like, here's a list, when you eat that cheeseburger, these are the chemicals that are going into your body. these are the hormones they put in stuff. don't be a fucking idiot. the cruelty-to-animals thing is really hitting me hard too-- a whole chapter on slaughterhouses and how animals are killed and stuff-- i am such a bleeding heart, it's really gotten to me. i know, again, i'm a realist, i'm not going to give up meat entirely. but i really am grateful that it's possible for me to shop at whole foods, where they at least ensure the quality of life of all the animals whose meat is sold in their stores-- they have their own fisheries, their own slaughterhouses, they buy from farms where the animals actually live outside instead of in a warehouse-- you get the gist. i'm only halfway thru the book at the moment but i've already made a list of things i can replace with healthier alternatives and things i know i will never be able to give up-- it's all about perspective, and whether it helps me lose weight or just helps me feel better about my body, either way, i like feeling positive about the choices i make about what to eat and why. [/soapbox]

--the gnarls barkley song 'i'm going on' is stuck in my head. it occurred to me after several times listening to it that it's totally the kind of song i can see nickhornby dancing to. :D you move back to boston yet, sharon? sidebar - i feel like half the people i know in the world either now live or are moving to the boston area. i'm there reasonably often, so you people who live there should tell me that you do so i can pester you to hang out when i'm there. :)

--i am so. so. so. so. so. so. so. excited for it to be august and for my crazy fucking housemates to move out. seriously. words cannot possibly express how much. the insanity i've lived with/through.... seriously, one of my housemates i swear to god wins the prize for craziest / most fucked up roommate ever EVER in existence. thank god she's moving out first....

okay.... i have to go clean my room and put laundry away. i love you flist... i miss you. talk to me! tell me a story! i will reward you with cake (not a lie)!
<3 em

i have an egg on the side of my head the size of a kiwi and a huge stupid grin on my face.


vacation is awesome.