my leave of absence

sorry its been so long- as some unknown person commented- i have not frolicked in awhile.

i have been away from my computer, contemplating what i want to be when i grow up (this is a recurring theme, im aware). and while tiger tunes this weekend did remind me of how far ive come... well, they boarded up the pretty room & that leads me to question many things.

so here are some of my options (fueled by female folk musician and hot chai):
1) run away & join the circus. this was a viable option when i was 4... why not now?
2) hide out at some farm in kansas and write a dissertation about how modern corporate america is sucking my soul (appealing except for chiggers and cliches)
3) find an experimental school to teach at & explore my desire to live in a commune (problem:i like to be the strange one... and all that patchouli?)
4) go to grad school. get a degree. (this plan has potential but is currently a little vague)
5) find a nice amish boy and get married. (i could learn to love floral)
6) research the qualifications needed to become a tollbooth operator and fulfill my childhood dreams

reason #273 why i am in love with a 63 year old man

Dear Mr. Keillor,
I just graduated college and just about every adult I've encountered has given me advice about what to do now, and most of them contradict each other. For example, some say to do what I want and find my passion after dilly dallying and travelling for a few years. Others completely contradict that advice and tell me to go straight on to graduate school, get a decent job and start putting lots of money in a 401k.
How do you sort through the infinite, contradicting pieces of advice people always have to offer?
Best regards, David Polk Highland Park, IL

David, Be careful who you ask for advice, and don't ever ask advice on these big What-do-I-do-with-my-life questions. You can ask for advice about grad schools, or job seeking, or investment, or where to travel, but go to people with first-hand experience and no axe to grind and weigh their advice carefully. But when it comes to What-do-I-do, you have to follow your heart. And if your heart isn't talking to you, maybe you need to spend some time learning how to listen to it. I believe that a young person needs a period of freedom in their life, an interim period of a year or two or three, during which you get some experience, see some of the world, before you decide which chute to go down. But that's only my advice.

ship out on the sea

with apologies to kevin- but i realized i wanted to ask everyone...

"i'm in love with the garden
that is down the street
and the earth is a warm thing under my feet...
plant me in the garden
don't you let me roam
cuz love is a feeling like a warm dark stone"
the be good tanyas

i bought two cds this week. which is a budget blowing treat in my public-school teacher world. but they were definitely worth it. brandi carlile and the be good tanyas. both have added to this week. last night i brought out "extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds" and it brought this week's grad school longings to the surface. its title alone contributed to this week.

this week is always my favorite week each year- treasured because you never know when it is going to come. the first real week of autumn. the first week i can break out my corduroy blazers and mocs and sit outside and read beat up novels with obscenely large cups of coffee and the occasional social cig- and remember that life is good.

last night was one of those nights. and it formally brought autumn with it.

we are reading through grudem's Bible Doctrine. and last night at b&n with corporate coffee in hand, was an impromptu discussion of God's sovereignty, neo-theism, and what we bring to the table. the discussion and the friends made this week.

how are you enjoying autumn?

5 things that have made me smile today

1) my new cd- Brandi Carlile
2) the weather has just the promise of autumn, its almost here...
3) emily's teasing about "schoolmarm charm"
4) caramel light fraps and the guy who has it ready by the time i walk to the counter
5) alternating readings from borrowed chick-lit and the rise of modern china,