Freedom is sweet. : – )

Went to be at 9:30am & got up at about 12:30, shuffled downstairs for hot tea & oatmeal while barely keeping my eyes open. I put off getting ready by browsing my email, Facebook, Flickr, you name it. Thankfully, something reminded me to check MSC’s website, and I could hardly believe it when I saw that my afternoon class was canceled – hallelujah! I was able to go right back to bed for a couple more hours & listen to the pouring rain on my windowpanes…perfection. While I do hope my prof feels better soon, I could not have had a more wonderful surprise & nap yesterday! Last week before finals…and it’s all good. <3

This semester marked my return to college, and it’s been a crazy ride, but a good one. I have never valued my free time so highly, and I have grown as a student. It’s been interesting in Sociology, challenging and fun in World Lit, and a trip back into time in Biology. It’s funny to study pelicans & their ecosystem when you’re proficient in more advanced sciences such as anatomy & physiology. But, I have survived & balanced working full time nightshift with dayshift school. I can’t wait until May! Not only do I want to relax at home and sun bathe by the pool at Mom & Dad’s, but I also look forward to a beach trip with my honey & a weekend in Savannah for a wedding. Almost there!

Often caused by an increase in physical activity, especially running…check. Standing and walking on hard surfaces for long periods of time…yep, that’s me at work. Running in shoes that don’t fit well…guilty, most likely. I’ve been meaning to replace my old Adidas kicks for a while now. Well, I am really in the market for quality shoes now. And I am taking it easy for a little while and reverting back to walking.  Which will forevermore be addressed as powerwalking because it makes me feel cooler. And because I don’t meander around…though I might for a while between icing and stretching my lower leg & foot. Ick…just when I started getting back in the groove of running on a more regular basis after a brief hiatus from including quality workouts in my time management. But, I hope I can kick it fast, and take the proper measures to keep it off my radar. For good.

I’ve been so moved since I got the phone call from mom. I just can’t believe he’s gone. I miss him. And my heart is with Linda.

P.S. Welcome, April! Hope you bring lots more beautiful springtime weather & adventure. <3

Granted, this picture I am painting is naive (partially intended that way because it’s my imagination), because in the world we live in information can be bought & owned…remember that John Mayer song? And because we are human…it is impossible to be entirely impartial, and we’ll always break off into groups with similar ideas…it is human nature and a sociological function. However, I think we could all be a lot smarter about they way we absorb and use the facts around us…it scares me to think that people don’t think. If Glenn Beck or Obama says it, they just do it. And while I clearly favor one of those well-known figures, I do still use my brain to evaluate the motives, the ideas, and the motions set into action that come from him. Thinking critically does not mean I don’t like him, trust him, or support him. It means I am exercising a basic right, I am an educated individual, and I want to make good choices that will affect my life and the lives after mine in a positive way.

Watching Capitalism: A Love Story last night got the wheels turning in my head, and really did an excellent job of highlighting a lot of scary, crazy shit that is going on in America. Stuff that started years before I was even born…if these actions were in place then, one could argue I never had a chance to achieve that “American dream”. What, then, can we say for children today, those being born, and those not yet conceived? The economy is in bad shape, and no matter how much people try to not focus on money, it is the backbone of a civilization. You cannot have cities, entertainment, or any abundance of food without money. Money, trade, and free time led the industrial revolution, and remains what molds the world’s priority list today, whether wealth be calculated in dollars, chickens, or acres.

Back to my issue with labels…I suppose I am a moderate, because I can see good on both sides, and I can see corruption on both sides. But the world is too vast to be viewed in only two sides. However, we’ve been crippled by two main party labels in America, and it’s become as ridiculous as rooting for opposing football teams. Certain networks are more hell-bent on this, and it makes me sick to my stomach. I like to think people can be reminded how to think for themselves, that this disease can be slowly righted, slowly nursed back to some state of mental health. But reading sad articles like this one today makes me think it might never happen.

Still, I am an optimist…and perhaps a rambling one.

watching: The Marriage Ref, American Idol (yeah, yeah…I resisted for years but got hooked!), music videos (my constant love), The Office, Tosh.0, and a stream of Netflix.

listening to: Cage the Elephant, Solid Gold, Phoenix, Flaming Lips, Pixies, LaRoux, MuteMath, and Pandora radio!

wearing: big earrings, Old Navy Sweetheart jeans, headbands, Burt’s Bees anything & everything, Ulta lipgloss, Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer, boots, Lemongrass Cardamom stress relief lotion, and pearls.

pining after: this adorable gold-dipped mint leaf necklace and recycled sea glass jewelry, both on Etsy, as well as a pair of red Toms Classics!

pursuing/enjoying: running, Pilates/Yoga, power walks, stability ball stretches, hot tea just after waking, making endless notes and to-do lists, keeping a notepad by the bed for “remember this” purges before sleep, homemade popcorn, and planning a garden with red flowers to jazz up our greenspace at home as soon as the weather permits. Whee!

…self-indulgent compilation, perhaps. But I imagine that one day I’ll look back on my current favs and passions, and compare them to whatever I happen to be interested in then. It will be a nice peek into my past, and…this is my blog! wink*wink

I first found them on one of my fav MTV projects ever, You Rock the Deuce, and then last night on Subterranean, where I learned how to find & download this song – finally! iTunes, you disappoint. You should have all of their music! Tsk tsk.

So here’s the video & the song I can’t get out of my head. Enjoy!

Solid Gold-Matter of Time

Oh, and did I mention I am officially at the start of my Spring Break? Yes, glory & hallelujah!!!

Notice the lovely fire roaring away – it helped me concentrate & kept my toes toasty! So nice to have not one, but two of these new beauties working now. Complete with a remote to make it sweet & simple – warmth with the click of a button. Now that’s my style.