Sometimes I think it would be nice to ditch all the hoopla and wrapping paper and head to Norway or Capri or Cuba (...soon enough) for Christmas. I'm all for simplicity.
But then I start to feel that warm, tingly holiday spirit.
It all started when I saw my favorite Christmas song performed live: Bruce Springsteen's version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, complete with deep throated, reverberating voice projecting immeasurable jolliness.
Or maybe it started sooner than that, when my boyfriend inexplicably had Christmas Wrappings, by The Waitresses playing in his car: the exact song my sisters and I had spent close to an entire lifetime searching for after hearing it as the faint background music in a Gilmore Girls episode and mistakenly believing it was by The Bangles. Truly a Christmas miracle.
Or maybe it was that redemptive final home victory for the Sooners.
Anyway, scattered thoughts to keep in mind in the weeks ahead:
I want to put genuine, personalized thought into my gift-giving.
However, my own "what-i-want-for-Christmas-list" is looking a bit uninspired at an age where you either pretty much buy what you want yourself or you want something too expensive to be put into consideration:
dress pants for work.
polaroid film (...if you can find it).
a replacement blackberry.
...is it ever appropriate to just ask for cold, hard cash from your relatives?
I want to read a little bit of The Prophet every night this month. I always have the best intentions to do so, but it's gathering dust on my night stand.
I had a brief anxiety attack the other day while standing in line at the downtown Quiznos with a bunch of dowdy women with disinterested, bland faces, imagining the countless, repetitive jobs they hold that are required on every floor of every building in the entire world.
I know this is extremely judgemental of me - and my saint of a sister Meg (can't wait for her to come home!) would totally call me out on it. I am too judgemental. These women are complete strangers to me, and for all I know they lead important, meaningful lives: wonderful mothers, cut-throat attorneys, tireless volunteers, world travelers, knitting champions, CEOs, etc.
And if I've learned anything in the span of college, it's not to judge other people's life choices as good or bad, right or wrong, black or white. Somehow, it all turns out right.
But I did realize that, for me personally, doing a job to just make a living and get by may be my very worst fear.
You know how you reflect on the past and laugh or become deeply embarrassed or homesick, etc. Well, my reaction every time is: Man, I really really didn't need to worry so much. Seriously, every time.
William Faulkner trademarks: Yoknapatawpha County, Caddy, Dilsey, Addie, Thomas Sutpen, alcoholism, the Southern Gothic, texture, stream of consciousness...
The Patterson House: Nashville. Coolest bar I will ever go to in my life. Period. (Nondescript website proves it - so cool they don't even have to try).
The process of buying a car was akin to a prolonged dentist appointment and called for an immediate shower afterwards. I'm now saddled with debt for three years, like any true American.
However, I negotiated this deal myself and am paying for it myself in order to establish a good credit history, and with the new car smell and the safety and 15 years of not having to deal with this again (all fingers crossed) the pros far outweighed the cons.
There are rules to managing money wisely of course, the current economy is proof of that. But it's also important to factor in what you value as an individual. So here's to growing up and negotiating that careful balance (Well, okay, I'm still hibernating at home. So maybe not quite so grown up yet).
Since it's November, a few things I'm thankful for this week:
Contact lenses.
Good health.
Grandparents.
Google Reader. (Thanks for the user-friendly instructions Jen!)
Marigolds.
A kick ass trivia partner.
Sue Sylvester in a zoot suit.
Grapefruit juice.
Those special few I can watch Twilight on DVD with.
John Stewart as media watchdog:
Even though I am completely pro-choice, I can understand someone who has moral objections to abortion not wanting to subsidize it within the current health care reform. So I guess my thought on the issue was that it should be a non-issue: not any harder (especially for poor people) to receive the procedure, but not easier either. However, I found this article interesting:
