wayfinding

cannot explain how essential long breaks from school are to maintaining my sanity. working with junior high school students sucks every ounce of patience from my bones and the exhaustion wears on the deepest fibers of being. were it not for breaks like this weekend, i would surely have strangled several moody middle schoolers. having a 5-day weekend is one of the few incredible perks to working in a school. as much as i am enjoying the thoughts of this being my last year, i already miss the occasional respites.

knowing a move out of minnesota is coming makes me nervous and excited; knowing that we will not know where we'll live until mid-february turns my stomach to giddy butterfly knots. b is applying to PhD programs this month, and most announce acceptance in feb. the current list of possibilities:

San Francisco

LA

Boston

Princeton, NJ

Baltimore

way west or way east seems to be the plan. yet if all of these schools have their heads up asses and don't accept my smartypants sweetie, and if i am unable to sell my townhouse, minnesota could be added to the list...ugh. but even if that happens, i want to leave my current job. it is time. to move. on.

why is it so hard to get myself excited about the idea of a terrifically terrifying new adventure at, gasp, 36? clearly, i will be much more able to adjust to new surroundings now versus when i am 40, right?

what am i thankful for this spanksgiving freakend? a lot. it has been a lovely, if long long distance, year. my health remains spry, the love of my life keeps becoming more fabulous, my amazing group of friends, a solid healthcare plan, a roof over my head, a warm comforter on my bed, and plenty of pop tarts in the cupboard. oh, and the fact that i can (and will) take a nap anytime i want today. that's pretty sweet.

think i'll take one right now.

and then it was white

of course weather is a subject of small talk everywhere, but minnesotans have a special flare and incessant need to review discuss and predict it. perhaps it's because of shit like this week (here i go) - it was 70 degrees on tuesday and now it has been snowing for 12 hours and will for about 24 more. why the hell can't this happen on sunday night?!?! what good is snow if there is no snow day closing school?

this sudden shift to winter that is never sudden but always feels surprising has inspired the need to hibernate and fire up the crockpot. on today's menu, migas - a recipe i have wondered about for a while and finally decided to try. i have never cooked an egg-based meal in the slow cooker. yeehaw.

i miss palm trees.

ooooooo and a fabulous friend sent me this link to some awesome nerdiness. not a new idea, that we are all made from the remnants of a supernova, but a fascinating one to contemplate again. i love thinking about the comment that when you look at the night sky, the starlight is literally photons from that star touching your retina. photons that have traveled hundreds of trillions of miles for billions of years. the cells of your retina are their final (?) resting place.