State of the Union

Currently:

• I went back to work which is always painful after a long break but especially so this time.

• I've been exceptionally, and I really do mean horribly, depressed over Harry Potter again. After my last bout with the Harry Potter blues I swore off them. I just can't handle the pain of finishing the last book again. It's like a death in the family. But last weekend I decided to finally watch those last 2 movies so we had a Harry marathon; watched them all in row ending with that final torturously emotional scene 19 years later. You know the one. I thought I shed my last Harry Potter tears back in 2007 but alas, I had a whole heap more to expel and these perhaps the most painful of all. I've been in a wretched rut ever since, moping round the house and snapping and Quinn. It's awful. I finally resorted to reading Jeeves again to at least try and take my mind out of Hogwarts and off of Snape. OH SNAPE!!! Did you know Harry Potter is the reason I am a Language Arts teacher. Well it's true. I'm still depressed that it's all over. First ever author billionaire. JK deserves every penny.

• Today I resorted to Velveeta Mac & Cheese as the "healthier" option. I mean really, Velveeta? When was the last time you ate Velveeta? Here I am actually reading the directions whilst wearing sunglasses to use my computer since it sits right in front of a direct sunlight window. Oh, and I'm 4.5 months there. Halfway to baby squared. I dream of days like this when I can wear sweat pants all the day long!
  

• I go to the thrift store to buy toys now. Why haven't I been doing this all along. Yesterday I walked away with a huge play kitchen, a barbie ride-on SUV for toddlers, and some sort of musical wobble contraption and Annie played with them for more than 5 minutes. The damage: 19 bucks!
  

• THIS little cutie is wild and crazy and all things difficult but she is also our entire world. We think she is the smartest, most talented, cutest 18-month-old on the planet. As it should be I suppose. This has been a demanding year at work for both Q and I. Lots of long hours away from Annie. Seems like we have to work a lot harder to pull the same income we use too. It's worth it though if we can hang on. We have this amazing house that is perfect and huge and gorgeous on the inside and now I can watch HGTV with this smug little look on my face because we did all that and it worked out and you really can get more for your buck if you renovate. So after an entirely exhausting day at work, Annie discovering sunglasses for the first time totally makes it worth it!
  

• Piggies. Annie can have real piggies now. Can't believe she is a girl... still, after all this time. I found all these little blue boy clothes I bought for her before she was born. We were positive she wasn't going to be a she. We are so glad she is though. There is nothing like doing hair and having tea parties (which she is so into). She even puts her little pinky up when sipping from her tea cup and her favorite thing in the world is to try on shoes. So Annie is the best. She is exhausting, but the best.
  

• Sometimes we have dinner parties. They usually involve Meree cooking and us inviting ourselves even though we live here. If it weren't for Meree, we would starve.
  

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

You MUST read this book. I didn't set it down until I was forced to abandon it because the darn thing ran out of pages before I ran out of interest! Snap.

Go HERE to read all about it (my book blog that no one reads but me, but I don't mind because I finally have a way to organize the library inside my head).

Juliet is SO Alana!!!!

-n

P.S. We've somehow managed to paint a room in our new apartment lime green. How on earth did that happen? And worse yet, how does one manage the will to live with it since the will to repaint it is non-existent?

I quit

Yesterday I officially quit my job. I thought it would feel all-empowering but it really just felt like I was swimming the wrong way in a sea of fish.

Question of Yesterday: Honestly, should I really be quitting my job in the middle of a recession? You know, the one I went back to five years of school to get another degree for?

Answer Today: Resounding yes. I feel confirmed that this was the right thing for me for now. I won't be able to stay away forever, but for now- I need my life back.

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In other news: Quinn has parasites.

It has been pretty bad. Neither of us is 100% since returning from South America but I think I've been spared the worst of it and am nearly normal. Q on the other hand is not. We had to get him to a few doctors and get lab work at the hospital. Hopefully he will get rid of his nasty little anti-friends soon.

I haven't posted any Brazil pics because I haven't been able to look at them without thinking about beans and rice and warm coke and then my stomach starts cramping up. It's like I'm one of Pavlov's dogs or something. I'll get on it this weekend... along with finally unpacking my bag (that happens to smell like a heard of dead elephants). I think my gag reflex is finally in check enough to deal with at least looking at my bag with a thick strip of vics vapor rub smeared under my nose.

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In the meantime:

I am "obsessed" (to quote Stephanie Meyers) with these Hunger Games books! I have even dreamt about Peeta. Why oh why do I have to wait until August for #3? Seriously, YA is THEE BEST!!! My students have created a waiting list for these at our school and I'd like to think it's because I can't stop talking about them in class. The only thing I could do to try and get over them was to read something else so I finished the Ember series (HUGE dissapointment), am nearly done with The Mayflower (just so I can still call myself a real adult), and heaven praise the Lord if I ever see "The End" of Brisingr. Seriously Christopher P, do we really need 17 pages describing how a sword is forged? Next stop: Enders Game. Wow- Prime time must really be lagging if I've upped my weekly book quote to around 10. It's like I'm doing my lit degree again. See... this is why I need to quit my job- think of how many book I'll be able to read come June!!!