Ferris Bueller, age 44

Oh Honda, you toy with my heart. If you haven't seen the Honda CR-V Super Bowl commercial, check it out now.



First of all, kudos to you Honda. That is a two minute and twenty five second commercial you just bought during the most highly watched evening of television all year. AND you released it early to make sure it makes it way around the internet, so you get your money's worth I'm sure. Well played.

Towel wrapped on the head while wearing a bathrobe scene. Nice touch.
Museum scene. A little creepy.
Joining a random ethic street parade? Check.
Car scene where he almost gets busted. Yep. But why is the panda moving?
Actually saying the famous "life moves pretty fast..." line. Thought you were going to cop out on me with the play on it earlier, but I'm glad it made its way in.
The closing 10 seconds, when he walks back outside and says "You're still here? Don't you have anything better to do? Go on. Get going. Go." Superb. No tie in to the car, or even Honda. Just pure, 100% Ferris.


I am not in the market for a new car right now, and if I were I don't think this commercial would have sold me on the merits of owning a CR-V. But everyone loves a good pop culture refernce, and god damn do I love Ferris Bueller.

Three Things Thursday: Half Marathon Training Update

Public accountability has always been on the driving forces behind writing this blog, so with that in mind, it's about time for my first half marathon training update. This week's Three are in honor of the 13.1 miles I have to run/walk/limp/drag my lifeless body in just 8 short weeks.

1) Long Runs

Now that I'm almost back into the swing of things with school, my weekdays don't allow much free time; making my weekend long runs that much more important. I try to get these runs done on Saturday morning, and often try to meet up with my dear friend Kelly who is also training for a half marathon. Each weekend I'm tacking on another mile, shooting to peak at 11 miles two weeks before the race.

Last Friday I got home from work and decided I was in the mood to run. So much so that I clipped off six and a half miles on the treadmill. (Pause for effect) That is, by far, the longest I have ever been on a treadmill. Normally I get bored by mile two and bail. But that evening, something in my gut was just telling me "get your long run in tonight! you won't be able to do it tomorrow!" So I did some intervals, alternating speeds and inclines, and got my long run done. And what do you know, the next morning my group members moved our meeting two hours earlier, right into my normal Saturday morning running time slot. Go with you gut. Every time.

Saturday morning holds the promise of a 7-8 mile run, which right now sounds terrifying for some reason. But back in September I ran 8 miles for no real reason at all and I felt fantastic; I'm in much better running shape now than I was then, so I'm hoping my body cooperates.

2) Energy Gels

Now that my mileage is starting to steadily increase, I'm beginning to look into on-the-go energy sources for my 8+ mile runs. Runner's World recommends using an energy supplement (or snack, etc.) on any runs last longer than 75 minutes. Which for my mile pace, would be anything over ~6.25 miles. But I need help! All you runners out there, please comment on this post and let me know what you use. There are so many options it's a bit overwhelming. Gels? Bars? Gummies? Bananas? Gatorade? Love to heard the advice of all you seasoned pros (I'm lookin at you Christy, Courtney, Maggie, Hannah, and Ange!).

3) Cross Training

For the first time since I became a runner, I'm actively trying to incorporate cross training into my routine. I don't have a "training plan" per say, but my normal routine looks something like this:
Sunday: an hour of yoga, maybe a little time on the elliptical, and some light weight lifting
Monday/Tuesday: class, no time for a workout
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday: try to run two of these days (2-4 miles) a little time on the elliptical, and some weights
Saturday: long run

This is not what I look like when I attempt a back bend.

I have been loving yoga, and I can tell that I'm starting to get a little bit better. This Sunday will be my fifth class, and while I'm not nearly as good as the other people in my class, I'm at least comfortable with all the basics. I'll save the free form handstands for the pros. Warrior poses and core work is fine by me.

Any tips or inspiration for my training? I'd love to hear 'em.

Happy Thursday!

9 Random Things, pass it on

Last week my blogger buddies Christy and Courtney tagged me in their Things About Me List, so I'm going to continue to spread the love and share a few random facts about myself. (Christy's list was 11 and Courtney's list was 7, so I'm splitting the difference and going to go with 9.)

The Rules:
1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 9 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create new questions for the people you tagged.
4. Tag people and link them on your post. 
4. Let them know you've tagged them!

9 Random Things About Me

1. My first car was a white '87 Oldsmobile Cutlass. It was a beast, but it was beautiful. Every winter I miss it for 2 reasons: it's GIANT engine kicked the heat into gear almost instantly, and it was made of pure American steel and therefore weighed a literal ton and never fish tailed. Both very good qualities for an automobile to have in a Wisconsin winter.
2. When I'm uncomfortable or nervous, I'm very agreeable. Not my favorite characteristic about myself, but I'm working on it.
3. My favorite flavor of ice cream is mint chocolate chip. But it has to be green.
4. My junior year of college, my school hosted Michelle Obama while she was campaigning for her husband. I waited in line all afternoon, got to sit in the first row of a packed auditorium, and proceeded to admire her awesome brown, knee high, leather riding boots the whole time. Yes, the political message was very empowering as well; but really ladies, sometimes it is just all about the shoes.
5. I want to work in book publishing. Most people assume that this means I want to write a book. I do not want to write a book. I want to publish other people's fabulous ideas.
6. There may, or may not be, seven bananas in my freezer. I tend to overbuy bananas, they go bad, and I can't seem to throw them away. So I freeze them and promise myself that I'll make banana bread or something with them. 
7. In 5th grade, I went to a tennis/gymnastics summer camp. Why those two were together, I still have no idea. I am terrible at both of these sports, and the foam pit in the gymnastics area freaked the crap out of me. I felt like I was falling to my death. Never again.
8. I have never been to an NFL, NBA, or NHL game. 
9. I LOVE movie trailers. I spend a lot of time on IMDB, but I hardly ever go to the theaters or rent movies.

Random enough for you? Now onto Christy's questions for me...

1. How long have you been blogging and what made you start your blog? I started my blog in October 2009 as a creative outlet during my final undergraduate semester. Graduation stress and disastrous break up lead to feel the need to write. But I really got the hang of blogging with I moved to DC in August 2010.
2. What's your favorite way to spend a Saturday and/or day off from work? Wake up (sans alarm), coffee and crepes, yoga and/or a run, read, write, head to Eastern Market, phone calls with my best friends, skype with my siblings.
3. Do you wear makeup? Lately, no. But in general, yes.
4. If you could tell your 15-year-old self one thing about where you are now, what would it be? It won't always be easy, but you'll be just fine. You'll get back to where you need to be.
5. What's your favorite easy-go-to meal? Cereal. Sadly. I'm trying to change my habits, but I love cereal. It's delicious, easy, and relatively cheap.
6. Are you a sports fan? What are your favorite sports teams? Um, yes. Any regular readers of this blog should know that I'm from Wisconsin and therefore a Brewers, Packers, Badgers fan (hierarchy of loyalty in that order). From late March until late October I eat, sleep, and breathe all things baseball.
7. Do you like to travel? In theory yes. All of my travel these days is to and from Milwaukee to see my family/friends. But in the next six months I'm going to Pittsburgh and New York (baseball road trips), and hopefully spreading my wings a little more after I get done with grad school.
8. If you money were not an object and your boss said to you tomorrow, "Go take a week off and do something fun", where would you go and what would you do? I would fly back to Wisconsin, kidnap my three best friends, and go on one hell of a girls trip. Doesn't matter where we go, we'll have a great time together.
9. Do your family/friends know you have a blog? Do they read it? Yes, and yes.
10. What's your favorite fashion accessory? Scarves, but sadly the DC summer swamp-like conditions permits me from wearing them all year round.
11. Valentine's Day - yay or nay? Nay. Red and pink aren't my colors, and single or not, mushy romantic gestures make my sick to my stomach; but I do enjoy the surge of chocolate goodies that normally find their way into the office.

Tag! You're it...

Hannah @ Charles and BunBun

Ben @ Charles and BunBun (in an attempt to get the Charles part of the blog title writing a bit)

Maggie @ (Most) Everything Maggie

Brigid @ Live, Breathe, Huzzah 

E @ E, Myself, and I (if she'll have time, that baby boy of hers keeps her pretty busy!)

Sara @ Cream City and Sugar (a Milwaukee blogger!)

My New Questions For You:

1. Is there a wedding tradition that you can't stand? What is it, and why does it bother you?
2. If you were to restart college/career, what field (other than the one you're in now) would you pick?
3. What is your most irrational fear (example: mine is tin foil, hate the stuff)?
4. One week. No interruptions. Unlimited money. Go. What do you do?
5. What charity do you support most (donations, service, in faith, etc.)?
6. What is your favorite article of clothing that you currently own?
7. Have you ever had a crush on a cartoon character? Who?
8. What is your personal greatest sporting/athletic accomplishment?
9. Star Trek or Star Wars?
10. Do you acknowledge half birthdays? (Today is mine, which is why I'm asking.) Or any other fun/funky birthday traditions?

Happy Tuesday!

Advertising at its finest - "The Bark Side"

Watch this video. Now. Then read below.



Ok. Lets talk about how fucking genius this is. I mean really. Beyond the fact that they nailed the theme song (as well as dog barking can), the costumes are hilarious. The Ewok dog in the lower right hand corner? The black dog on the far right hand side with the Vadar chest panel? Chewbacca? Notice the light saber on the hip of the white dog in front? And the gold chest plate of C3-PO in the upper left? Genius.

This is Volkswagen's pre-Super Bowl Commercial, and they have a big promotion on their website that seems to be a lead to the big game. I don't know what the full promotion will be, but I will be for sure tuning in.

As an aside, this only further supports my need for a dog that I can dress up like Chewbacca. Think of how many times that would come in handy.

Just think about it.

Happy Friday.

Three Things Thursday: Two Concerts And a Song

I found out in class last week that book titles with numbers in them traditionally sell better than others. In the same fashion, people are attracted to articles/stories with lists (top 10s, 5 reasons why, etc.). Is this why I like my Three Things Thursday's so much? Who knows. Not the point. Thought I'd just share this tidbit I learned.

This week's Three: 


1) I am obsessed, I mean seriously obsessed with fun. Yes, that's fun. F. U. N. Period. They are a band, and they are amazing. (I will admit though, their lead singer looks like a guy I would want to punch in the face. I don't know what it is. Just bugs me.)

I first heard their song, We Are Young, here (yes, I'm a Gleek), but like the many other high school-ified songs on that show, the original is so, so much better. Here's the official video, but I think the acoustic version is to die for.

But this, this song my friends is what true musical obsessions are made out of. It's been on loop for the past two days. At work. At home. On my iPod. Enjoy.

Swoon.

2) And good news, world! fun. is touring! May 4 at the 9:30 Club for the whopping price of $18. I'll be there.

3) And then there's this final piece of excellent news for the day. Say Anything is going on tour for their new album. (dramatic pause) And they're actually coming to DC, so I don't have drive up to the ghettos of Baltimore by myself like I did last time I saw them. They're playing at the Black Cat on April 17, and I'll be purchasing my ticket the moment I finish this blog post. (In 2010 I made the mistake of waiting to buy a ticket. This show sold out and I had to pay over $100 to get one on StubHub. The concert was worth every penny. But I'd rather pay $25, so I'll be prepared this time around.)


If you made it to the end of this blog post, I congratulate you. This was probably one of my more boring posts, but I just felt obligated to share fun. with the world, and I can't contain my excitement about these two concerts.

Happy Thursday.

I'm sensing a theme here

Happy MLK Day to any and all reading this. Hopefully your place of employment follows federal government standards, and you are able to enjoy this lovely January Monday from the comfort of your own home. I <3 federal holidays.

In an attempt to be productive (something I did not achieve in the first two days of this three day weekend), I set off this morning to reorganize my closet. A task I have been putting off for weeks now because I just didn't have the time I was lazy and almost anything else seemed like more fun. But alas, as I was cramming my clean laundry away in my closet this morning I decided it was finally time. My extra large closet was unnecessarily busting at the seams. I've got small piles of stuff to take to Goodwill and/or Salvation Army, but for the most part my stuff just needed some organization, refolding, and general rearranging. 

The final step in this process was to refold all of my t-shirts that I keep in a closet organization contraption much like this.

Folded and sorted away by color (yes, I'm one of those crazies who organizes her closet by color) I noticed a glaringly obvious pattern in my t-shirts...

blue and yellow

orange and black

red and white / green and yellow

All of my t-shirts are sports related. Brewers, Orioles, Badgers, Packers. Every single one of them. And I wouldn't have it any other way. How many days until baseball season? Still too many.

Just thought I'd share in the glory that is my sports team fan-dom. And as a public notice - if I ever buy another piece of clothing, someone cut up my debit cards and remind me that my extra large closet is still busting at the seams (but at least now I can find what I'm looking for).

Happy Monday.

Yogi-envy

I've just recently added yoga into my weekly cross training routine, and I've found I'm actually quite terrible at it. Not really surprising, as I have little to no upper body strength. My legs and lungs are in good shape from running; so I'm not so bad at the balance poses (which is all leg strength) but the rest is kind of a crap shoot. 

Leslie posted this video on her blog earlier in the week, and it makes me incredibly envious of this girl's bad ass yoga skills. To be clear, this is not what I aspire to be someday (as I'm sure she eats nothing but rice cakes, and clearly spends thousands of dollars on yoga every year rendering her unable to afford clothing).

What I do aspire to be someday is flexible and free of shin splits; both can be accomplished through the benefits of yoga. But it's going to take a lot of sore Sunday afternoons and Ibuprofen filled Monday mornings before I reach either of those goals. 

Happy Friday :)

Midweek Confessions: Back to school

In general, I'm not a huge fan of link ups. Most of the time I think that bloggers just want to raise their numbers (although there's nothing wrong with that though) so the content often lags a bit because there's a lack of purpose. This is the third (or fourth?) week I've been linking up with E, Myself, and I's Midweek Confessions and every week I look forward to it.She's got a great blog that I've been following for a couple of years now, check her out. There are always approximately a million little comments, thoughts, ideas, etc., floating around my head on any given week; none of which would warrant their own blog post, but I feel the need to write about them as to usher the thought out of my head finally. So here we go...

School started last night, and once again I'm overcome by the sense that I have absolutely, 100% made the right decision about my career. I love this program. I love the classes. Only down fall this semester is I find both of my teachers highly irritating. Only seven more weeks then it's a fresh round of classes and all new possibilities!

Since I brought up class, I should take this moment to apologize for my upcoming absence. Both classes (ePub design and Sales Management) have HUGE projects to be done in a very short amount of time. Blogging may fall by the wayside. Or it may become my outlet for escape. Stay tuned to find out.

I read a lot of blogs written by young twentysomethings who are married, and many of them are new moms. I do not aspire to be a young twentysomething who is married, and I don't see kids in my near or even mid-range future, but I still enjoy these blogs nonetheless. I feel like it's research. My dearest Maggie is due in July, and another very close friend on mine on the east coast is due in June, so babies are in my future no matter where I am. Reading these blogs gives me an idea of what their lives post-baby are going to be like. And it's helping me adjust to the idea so I don't act like such a social misfit when these little babes work their way into my social circle.

I'm procrastinating finishing the third Hunger Games book. I'm stuck about 2/3 of the way through the book and I'm kind of bored with it. Don't hate me. I loved the first one, and was kind of "meh" about the second one. I just need to get my spark for reading back, and I'm shooting to finish it this weekend.

And finally, I'm trying to catch the pre-spring cleaning bug from Ange who has recently overhauled her closet and bedroom. I've very jealous. But when I stand in front of my closets in an attempt to purge and reorganize, I get really sad, close the closet doors, and walk away. It'll happen someday.

Happy Wedneday. Off on a coffee run because the first two cups I had this morning are not going to cut it today.

How do you make biscotti better? You add Nutella.

Wanting to expand my baking repertoire and bring something Nutella-related to Thursday's wine night at Nicole's, I scoured the internet and landed on a Hazelnut Nutella Biscotti.

Nutella Biscotti (originally from The Art and Soul of Baking but found on Mermaid Sweets)

Ingredients

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup Nutella spread at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 ¾ cups unbleached-all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped skinned toasted hazelnuts

5 ounces good-quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into ¼ inch chunks, or 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. 
3. Add the Nutella spread and blend well. 
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (15-20 seconds) and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. 
5. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
6. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix well.
7. Add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips or chunks, and mix on low just until blended. 
8. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir gently a few times with the spatula to make sure the nuts and chips are evenly distributed and there are no patches of unincorporated flour or butter.
9. Divide the dough in half. On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, gently squeeze and roll each piece to shape into logs about 13 inches long. 
10. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the logs on the sheet about 4 inches apart. 
11. Press down on the logs, flattening them slightly until they are each about 2 inches across the top. 
12. Place the second baking sheet under the first (to prevent the bottoms of the logs from browning too quickly).
13. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the logs are firm to the touch and lightly golden brown. 
14. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the logs cool completely. (If you attempt to slice them while warm, the chocolate will smear the cookies and look messy).
15. Turn the oven down to 275 degrees and position two racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven.
16. Carefully transfer the cookie logs to a cutting surface. Using a serrated knife, slice the logs on a slight diagonal into cookies 3/8 inch thick. 
17. Line the second baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cookies, cut side down, on the parchment-lined sheets (you’ll need both sheets to hold all the cookies). 
18. Toast the cookies in the oven, 30 to 40 minutes, until dry and lightly tinged with color. Transfer to a cooling rack.

dough

pre-bake

post-bake 

second-bake

Notes for next time:

• Wait longer than you think necessary to cut them. Just because the exterior is cool does not mean the inside is.
• Approximately two/three pieces on either end will crumble when you cut them. But don't worry the middle is much sturdier and will cut just fine.
• When you bake them the second time, take them out based on gut instinct, not a precise time. I waited and waited for the time to pass, and lost a few because they were burnt. 

Let's hope they go over well. Happy Wednesday night.

Three Things Thursday: Happy International Carly Fest

Happy Carly Fest everybody!


Oh wait, you don't know what Carly Fest is? Have you been living under a rock? Did that rock not have wi-fi? Then shame on you. 

Carly Fest is the holiday that my sister invented in honor of her own birthday; because one day of celebrating the birth of Carly was just not enough apparently. Carly Fest is preceded by Carly Day Eve, and the celebrations are always quite plentiful.

Carly Fest 2012 is the International Edition as she is amidst her study abroad experience in Aix en Provence and will be spending a few days in Milan. Lucky duck. All I have to say is she better send back from fabulous souvenirs if she wants those reese's peanut butter cups I'm holding hostage.


So in honor of Carly Fest, this week's Three is dedicated to my little sister, on her 22nd birthday.

Dear little curly haired sister,

1) Thanks for forgiving me for stabbing you in the forehead with a key when we were little (backstory: Mom made me get off the swing on the porch and let Carly use it. I apparently did not agree with this arrangement). I'm glad one of us learned how to share, eventually. My coworkers love your chocolate chip cookies, and your culinary secrets are safe with me.

2) Thanks for being the exact same size as me and therefore doubling my wardrobe whenever you're around. PS I still miss that black cardigan. 

3) Thanks for crashing on my futon this summer, teaching me how to build a cat fort for Slippers, fighting off the geese while picking black berries in the country, buying roadside pies then electing to eat it for dinner two nights in a row, enduring many hot and humid baseball games, and introducing me to crock-pot salsa chicken. Best summer ever.

Love, your sister

Happy Thursday and Happy Carly Fest to all!

Midweek (Literary) Confessions

To be totally honest with you, I have been dying to spill my guts about today's Midweek Confessions topic. I haven't really written much about it for two main reasons: 1)I wanted to hold of on sharing my opinions until it was all said and done. And 2)I moderately embarrassed to admit to all of it. So here we go...

Up until two months ago I had never read a Harry Potter book. I'd wanted to read them for a while now, but knew I'd want to read them all back to back, so I needed to wait for my semester to end.

I finished all seven of them between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I basically did nothing but read and go to work. Not joking, my apartment was a disaster and I was eating cereal for dinner every night. I don't know how you all waited years between books. I would have died.

I then proceeded to watch all eight Harry Potter movies this past weekend. Again, I basically did nothing but watch movies and football, all weekend. Don't judge me. It was a fabulous way to spend a three day weekend recuperating from my trip to Wisconsin.

I never doubted the hype, but now I can officially say I get it. I read the books so quickly because they're relatively easy reads and I wanted to find out how it all ended! For full disclosure, I'd seen movies 1-4 in the theaters as a kid, and I knew the general outline of the rest of the books (who dies, who ends up with who, etc.); but I was still anxious to turn the next page and soak up all the details. You get so drawn into the characters over the course of the series, I couldn't believe how attached to people I got. (Read: book nerd, points to self)

I won't go into the whole argument of the books are better than the movies (which they are) or what the movies missed (a lot). I get that I'm like a decade behind the times here, but I just wanted to share in my new found obsession. A quick run through of my favorites - Book: 5, Movie: 7.1, Book Character: Lupin, Movie Character: Sirius (close second to McGonagall).

And to close out the confessions for today - Last night I had a dream that Snape was cutting the Hogwarts budget, specifically cutting money from the "Finding Horcruxes" line item. And dream Andrea thought, that son of a bitch, he should be helping Harry! Yep. That happened. Harry Potter has infiltrated my subconscious. I think it's time to move on.

via

God damn it I'm such a nerd. Still kind of embarrassed to be posting this one. Be kind.

The anti-resolution movement: what I'm looking forward to in 2012!

Happy New Year! Hope you had a lovely time last night and are either a) trying to read this blog through your very dense hangover or b) have not been to bed yet because you're trying to just stay up through most of the day thinking it'll be easier. "A" people, bless you; I hate reading when I'm hungover. "B" people, you're fools; staying up for two straight days is never the answer, but kudos for trying. But regardless, welcome to you both and all others who celebrated in a less headache inducing fashion.

In light of my series of 2011 resolutions failures, I've decided not to make official New Years Resolutions this year. I'm still working towards completing my 101 list, and as far as major life changing resolutions goes, too many aspects of my future are up in the air to try and set year long goals. So instead, a quick list of some BIG things I'm excited about in 2012.

My first half marathon: This one should really go hand in hand with Hannah & Ben coming to visit, since Mrs. H will be running it with me. It's the Rock 'n Roll DC Marathon/Half Marathon on March 17 in Washington, D.C. I am of course electing to run the 13.1 miles, because a full marathon is just a bit too much for me to wrap my mind around. After I ran these 9 miles with absolutely no training, I'm quite confident that with proper training, I can excel in a half marathon. And after running a 5-miler side by side with Hannah in September, I'm quite excited about the prospects of having a best friend and superior running buddy beside me.

A trip to New York: I've got quite a few things on my 101 list to cross off on the island of Manhattan, and lots of new plans with the fabulous runner/blogger/thesis-writer Christy. Looking forward to a Broadway show, some baseball camaraderie, and possibly even a little run around the city.

Graduation: (Well not actual graduation, which is in May, because my program has a few extra summer classes so I'll have my Master's Degree by the end of July.) I have serious mixed feelings on this one.

I'm obviously happy to be done with my degree; I have been and will continue to work my ass off, and I've got a great GPA to prove it. But beyond the grades I've earned, I have learned so much in my program, way more than I ever could have hoped for. It was, and still is, the perfect choice for me.

But I'll be very sad to be done with school. Why? Because, well let's see, I've been in school for more of less twenty years. I don't know how to not be in school. What? I don't have to come home from work and write a five page paper? You mean I don't have to spend an entire Sunday writing HTML code? Nope. Not after July. Unless I want to. Ya know, for fun. If that's ever the case, have me committed.

I'm sure I'll figure out how to not be in school when it comes to the actual school work part, but I will of course miss my friends. I feel very lucky that I really get a long with the vast majority of my cohort, and there's two special people in particular that I know I'll keep in close touch with, if not see on a regular basis.

But what this all boils down to is this: I'll have my Master's. And I'm pretty damn excited.

And the final item the list is a big ole ??????: After graduation, I have no idea what will happen. I'm no longer tied to DC (although I am quite fond of it here) so I could pick up and move anywhere. We'll see what happens. BYM-ers be prepared to be shocked by this next statment: I am, for the first time in my life, ok with the prospect of not knowing what is going to happen. I know. Shocking. I'm going to try and embrace the post-graduate school world, as chaotic as it may be, and just figure it out as I go. Not sure, at this point, if there's any other way to handle it. Talk to me in June though, I may have different feelings on the matter.

These are just a sneak peek of the many, many exciting things I have awaiting me in 2012; should prove to be an interesting year to say the least. Stay tuned to see how everything works out. Thanks for reading, and go nurse those hangovers!