adorable

guess who that is!, originally uploaded by marinatina.

My mom found my first passport photo last time I was home. Wasn't I SO ADORABLE OMG?!!

This weekend has gone shockingly well; I've gotten so much work done.

open face meatloaf sandwich

open face meatloaf sandwich, originally uploaded by marinatina.

I went out last night! Nathan and I got dinner with friends! Comet Cafe, to be exact--I got the open face [fake] meatloaf sandwich, which is fucking delicious. Then we got a beer at Burnheart in Bayview! (alliteration!) Then I got really tired and cranky, and we went home and I fell asleep within about 5 minutes of laying down. So the last hour of being awake was lame, but the parts before that were awesome; I haven't seen most of my friends for weeks. (Grad school is awesome!)

Anyway. I have about twenty more hours of work to do this weekend, so I guess I'd better get back to it!

SHITCAKES

Apparently you can split up posts in Blogger now? Or maybe that's been going on for awhile? I'm gonna warn you, if you click on Read More, there's gonna be a whole lot of whining, but hey, what better way to test out a feature that let's you give a short preview/warning of what's ahead?

tortillas

tortillas, originally uploaded by marinatina.

I finished my paper early yesterday, so I made some tortillas, using our [Nathan's] new tortilla press. Sorry about the low light; we need a lamp or something for the kitchen.

momentary break from the mountain of work

So, I have another 560 words to write for one paper and then 100 pages to read and 1000 or so words to write for the second paper, but I needed to take a small break to share two things.

First, I had this conversation with my mom about how the last week or so has been ridiculously busy but also shockingly low on stress. I wake up, work all day with a minimum of procrastination/panicking, then I go to sleep and do it again the next day. It took me a lot longer to say that on the phone (have I mentioned how patient my mom is when I call her and go on long, rambling, highly caffeinated rants about whatever is bothering me?), but I ended by asking her "is this how normal people feel all the time?" And that's kind of how I feel, like things have gotten easier lately, or at least easier to deal with. I don't know why that seems so significant I guess, that's just exciting to me.

Second, I had my last sewing class yesterday, and it was AMAZING. I missed two of five sessions due to funeral & family obligations, so I was way behind everyone else, but I spent yesterday making a bodice pattern block. I still need to make one adjustment, but after cutting & adjusting 4 versions, I have a bodice pattern block that actually fits me! For those of you who don't sew, that means I have a properly fitted pattern that I can now adjust to make any style of shirt or dress that I want, while still knowing that it will fit me properly. Awesome! I have a bunch of ideas for summer dresses that will now be closer to becoming reality.

Of course, none of that will happen until I get caught up on work, so probably I should get back to it.

stalled

tricolor, originally uploaded by marinatina.

I made it to the third & final skein of yarn and then immediately stalled. Well, no, immediately got pulled away to deal with all of these "responsibilities" and "commitments" and "things that allow me to keep my job and continue to eat and pay rent." BORING. But after I finish the two papers I need to write over the next five days (only 9 pages total, so really I'm practically finished before I start) and catch up on grading (slightly more than 9 pages of things to read), I will knit the shit out of this scarf.

yellow + brown

yellow + brown, originally uploaded by marinatina.

Life is exhausting, currently. I'm trying desperately to not get too far behind. Going up north last weekend to be with family was a bit of a setback, productivity-wise (though it was quite necessary and fulfilling, family- and sanity-wise). I'm going up north again this weekend, in about 5 hours or so actually. My grandpa's funeral is tomorrow; I just realized that I haven't yet located my black dress. My aunt from Virginia will be flying in; nice that I get to see her, sort of awful that this is the reason why. I still need to pack. Traffic leaving Milwaukee is going to be awful, and I'm making the drive alone. It looks like rain, too.

Yikes. I'm a bit of a downer, huh? Here's hoping nothing else bad happens for awhile.

I'm going to like this book

"I often ask myself a similar question: How does someone with no real academic aspirations end up spending seven years in suburban California studying the form of the Russian novel?"
- The Possessed by Elif Batuman

changing colors

Scarf, originally uploaded by marinatina.

I taught myself how to change to a new skein of yarn. Well, I stopped at Loop before we left Milwaukee, bought another skein, had the awesome saleslady explain the process to me, and then did that. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I anticipated.

We left Milwaukee to drive up north because my Grandpa died, my dad's dad. I found out on the way up that the funeral will be next Friday, so I'll be up next weekend too. I'm glad I'm able to be with my family for sure. My grandpa was a difficult man, and it's strange to see the different shapes that grief can take.