Egad. More than a month has passed since my last post. How can I recap the damage I’ve done in that amount of time? Some list-related highlights:

-I had an impromptu massage. I will now allow the nice Mongolian lady to bring relaxation to me. No more driving to massage (worried about being late) and driving home (undoing the work of the knot-unwinding with my frustration about traffic)

-I had a pocket of time during which I finished reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and then gobbled up The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Both of these titles are excellent and I would highly recommend them to most anyone I know. A student (not one of mine, but a sweet girl who has spent time in my classroom being friendly) recently finished the latter at school and spent the day battling tears because of the moving conclusion. I, thankfully, was at home where I could bawl on my couch in peace. Further reviews are forthcoming.

-I crocheted scarves and hats for friends and family during the winter break (ok, that’s pre-January 21 but speaks to an item on my list) but have failed to send them. When I finally do, the weather will negate any need for wearing them, but hopefully my beloveds will think of me when they pull them out of the winter clothes storage next fall.

-In the past week, I have made three new recipes (links forthcoming). The night before Valentine’s Day, Jorge and I had a quiet dinner at home. I made pork chops and green beans with almonds. This past Monday I made lentil soup and last night we hosted Jorge’s cousins Vero and Eloy for a schmorgesborg – I made pasta and garlic bread and Vero and Eloy brought baked ravioli and a lovely fruit platter. I have never in memory overeaten at home - to the point of discomfort, that is - I do, however, often do this when dining out. Last night I had my fill of excellent food and had perhaps just a tad too much wine for a school night. Jorge said he's just happy to be alive after all of my recent culinary experimenting. My coworkers chide me for practicing such domestic habits.

-I have yet to join a political organization, but doing so is in the works – I have a friend who is a member of a local group and has invited me to come play. Plus Jorge has been nearly nagging me on the issue. He, too, wants to take advantage of our pre-election energy and enthusiasm and hang out with blue bleeding hearts. I did join an online group for one of the 2008 candidates.

-I have NOT stuck to the for-fun budget. I recently took a trip to one of those mega-mart shoe stores and walked out with 4 pair of shoes (and about $200 fewer dollars in my bank account). People, I am going to Costa Rica (and possibly Hawaii) this summer – encourage me not to be so reckless!

-Jorge and I celebrated our seventh anniversary in Avila Beach. We went on a wine tour, ate excellent food, and took a stroll along the pier when the rainy drip drip dripping stopped. I felt heartbroken back at home, facing a full 5 days of grading and listening to myself talk while standing uncomfortably in heels. The trip truly was a much-needed getaway and it serves as a reminder that we need to budget more time for such adventures – even a short drive up the coast is a sufficient change of scenery. I felt rejuvenated and so grateful for the time well spent with the man I love.

-I haven’t been doing so well with limiting soda. I continue to buy it at the market, telling myself that when, in the rare event that I have people over, they will want something other than water and milk. So I buy the pretty red cans then I drink them.

-Ditto on the gym. I don’t go. It’s boring. And I just downloaded a rather disappointing class schedule. I was hoping to find something mildly interesting and aerobic (I must be forced to sweat because I will usually choose not to get dirty or uncomfortable and that’s why my pants don’t fit). Le sigh.

Unrelated to my list, but still a relevant tale:

-I won a parking lot standoff. I faced an entitled woman who tried to save a parking spot with her body for her friend in the car behind me. Jorge and I were both indignant and he (almost uncharacteristically) supported my usually overly-principled self in defying her demand that I find another spot. I didn’t care that the spot was steps from the mall entrance. I almost didn’t care about the line of seven cars behind me. This woman was not getting the spot because she stood in it. Nu uh. No way. People were laughing at her, telling her to get out of the way. The woman in the car behind her friend’s vehicle got out of her car to tell her she needed to move and to tell me to hold fast, that I was in the right. Jorge got out of the car in search of a security guard (none to be found – in fact, during our shopping we saw a few and I don’t have any faith that they could have accomplished much. This woman was mean and the guards were a little portly and a bit too baby-faced). The woman finally yielded the parking space, but not without crouching down to my car window and telling me that I could have the space but that I shouldn’t expect my car to be undamaged when I returned from my shopping. I sat in the space for five minutes, waiting for her to return. She didn’t and I decided that since I had already won, I would find another space and save my car.

I’m currently teaching:
-Huck Finn and Romeo and Juliet. Students think good ol’ Bill (Shakespeare) used some alien language. I tell them to suck it up. More on this later.

That’s plenty for now, friends. I am hoping to post more regularly and thus leave space for interesting topics. For now, these are the highlights.