Sunny Wednesday

I took a walk today. I saw yellow daffodils, fruit trees in bloom, and I crushed acorns under my feet. Thirty yards ahead of me an old man walked his dog. The dog's walk was a strange, dance-like sashay that made me laugh the whole way home.

I feel lonely, but with the weather so beautiful, I don't mind as much. I've been reading a lot, as usual, and watching movies and listening to music, and though I really love doing all these things I wish I had more adventure in my real life and more people to share it with. The most exciting thing I do weekly is go to Denton to hang out with a friend, or write practice lesson plans. I can't wait until I have enough money to travel, but until then, books are the next best thing. Any ideas on how to drag some drama into my life? A guy would help, I know...or maybe I could take up a new hobby, like tap-dancing. That seems fun. Or hang-gliding. Or I could take up shrooms or something. Speaking of, I borrowed a friend's classroom management book and it had a whole section in there about drugs and their nicknames and such, presumably so I as a teacher can know when my dastardly students are trying to speak drug lingo in front of me, or whether they show signs and symptoms of a drug habit. I have to say, I learned a lot that I didn't know from that section. I feel much more worldly now.

I finished "The Old Patagonian Express" by Paul Theroux. It was not quite as fun as his first book; I think the most interesting part is when he meets Jorge Luis Borges, the famous Argentinian writer. On a lighter note, I watched "Fantastic Mr. Fox" yesterday and I loved it! And I saw a trailer for a movie coming out called "Pray Eat Love" that is based on the book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert that was wonderful! I also decided that Passion Pit and Neon Indian are my favorite bands on my ipod right now...that and "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me." I had forgotten how much i like that show. I just have to take it in small doses.

I'm off to the living room to watch "Coco Before Chanel" and maybe work on my depressing short story. If I like it at all I'll post it here where all my many readers (haha) can read it.

Spent the weekend in Lampasas and Austin shopping with my aunt. Drove back yesterday listening to the Rolling Stones, Dave Rawlings, Allman Brothers, and Ryan Bingham....the gray clouds to my north looked like mountains. It was almost like being in Denver.

I gave a nice lady a ride today. She is Burmese but lived in Thailiand for 12 years. She and her husband both clean offices for a living and they have 2 children. She invited me into her apartment-a government funded duplex that was surprisingly clean and well-maintained. I am glad she and her husband both have jobs-maybe they can even find something better in time. They have only been here in the US for 2 years.

Started another Paul Theroux book-"The Old Patagonian Express," about his travels from Boston to Patagonia by train. Kind of interesting, but also depressing. It makes me happy to be home instead of my butt going numb on a smelly train.

I am going to be going to job fairs soon to look for a teaching job! Fingers crossed!

I watched "Julie and Julia" over the weekend (the book was much better) and it gave me an idea to do something day by day that I could write about. Maybe what I do best...reading? So I took a list of all the Pulitzer Prize winners to Half-Price Books and look around to see if any of them sounded interesting. I couldn't find most of them, ( I really wanted South Pacific by Michener and Lonesome Dove by McMurtry) but I did buy a book of Eudora Welty's short stories and N. Scott Momaday's "House Made of Dawn." The Pulitzer Prize winners overall may be too boring for me to read. But if I read about one a week I could finish in a year. I just don't know that I really care that much to read them all.

I saw a book the other day that seems intriguing...."The Know It All" by A. J. Jacobs. He is the editor of Esquire and an NPR contributor. His book is supposed to a funny, insightful account of his experience of reading all 32 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in a year. Umm, a bit nerdy? Yes. Fun? Hell yes.

Can't wait for a slew of fantasy movies to come out! "How to Tame Your Dragon," a new version of Robin Hood, and "Clash of the Titans." I'm like a 14 year old boy in a woman's body!

:)

I have neglected my blog....I've missed it. Here's what I've been up to mainly:
1. new job hunting-yay! I need a change
2. reading: Paul Theroux's travel book "The Great Railway Bazaar" (loved it!), 1850's British mystery novel "The Moonstone" (kind of tedious), currently reading a steampunk novel "The Court of the Air" (seems good so far)
3. seeing friends (I had Nepali food at my brother's house last Friday and laughed harder than I have in a long time), dinner and Academy Awards watching on Sun. night (I now can't wait to see "The Secret of Kells"), had a friend over tonight and ate broccoli cheese casserole and watched "Jane Eyre"

I feel like I have so much to be thankful for lately!
Including...
1. finding out that some medical bills I had are no longer owed! That was a great relief to me and very unexpected!
2. people who make me laugh and feel better-my roommates, my brother, another friend in particualar....really everyone I interact with (including on facebook)
3. the bookstore (where I go to relax and be around people. The people at the Starbucks counter now know my face :)

Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Fantastic Mr. Fox coming out on video
2. The Secret of Kells coming out in the theater
3. going hiking next week with some friends

The End