Surprise Undecided Voter of the Week

"I just saw part of Sarah Palin's disastrous interview with Katie Couric. I think I'm voting third party in November." -my socially conservative brother

Perhaps there is a light at the end of the Palin Tunnel (or bridge).

Where is my hairbrush?

Holy crap. We're so busy. Everyone I know is so busy. The entire world is so buuuuusy!

We can't even sit down in my house... one reason being there is no place to actually sit, but also because we're too busy packing up our lives. We're also very busy pretending to know what the hell we're doing when it comes to buying a house. We're surrounded by legal documents and certified checks, and our consuming doubts over the distressed economy.

I normally have a comfy-cozy schedule which involves coming home from work, practicing flute (nerd alert!) playing some guitar (redeems my nerdiness), working out, cooking dinner, hanging out with my man or friends and then falling asleep to Letterman. Obviously my schedule has been greatly disturbed over the last week... I don't do well with disturbed.

Oh yeah, it's my birthday on Thursday... would you look at that.

Fall-ing for crispy air and orangish leaves...

This weather makes me want to buy school supplies.

We're moving in a week! I have tons of stuff to go through and throw away... and some things to sell on Craigslist and lots more to buy... fun! I love the whole concept of "out with the old, in with the new."

I find it fitting that this transition is happening during an election year, since that's exactly how I feel about these candidates: Ready for a change. Out with the old, in with the new...

I'm ready to pull out my sweaters and walk around Prospect Park with my sweet lad. We do it every fall... even when we were long distance, John came to visit and we trampled the leaves of our favorite park and snuggled under hoodies. Love it. New house, new president, favorite season....

All I need now is a bowl of Halloween candy. Oh yeah, and Obama needs to win.

The little things in life...

It's been pretty much doom and gloom around these parts the last couple of days. My job security has taken a serious hit along with this economic meltdown and my mind has been going to dark places. Signing on the dotted line for a mortgage in a week terrifies me a bit more now. Dipping into our savings to pay for a wedding makes me cringe a little. The "what ifs" are popping up left and right during an already stressful time for us.

But then something lovely happened: On my way to the train, a stray cat came up to me, meowed, rubbed my leg, let me pet her, and then moved on. This is the part of the day where I stood on a street corner in Brooklyn, Joni Mitchell piping in my ears, and I realized life was going to be ok.

It's the little things that bring us back to our own realty- you know, the really good kind of reality that we create for ourselves. Mine consists of neighborhood stray cats, friendly people, artists, music, love, and really only enough money to satiate our needs. I would much rather focus on that one.

I'm about to 'moon you.

Last night, the future-mister and I spent some quality time talking Honeymoon. We've been tossing around a couple of ideas for where we should spend our unfortunately short, but hopefully relaxing and blissful 'moon. Our criteria:

1.) Incredibly beautiful
2.) Domestic (mostly due to the amount of time we're allowed to take off)
3.) Cooler climate (preferably nothing hot and sticky)
4.) Preferably near one of the following: mountains, lake, ocean, trees

5.) Vegetarian-friendly

6.) Near decent wine.

7.) Comfy bed ('nuff said!)

What we've come up with so far:

Alaska, Jacksonhole, WY and Mendocino, CA.

I have to say, I'm currently most excited by the idea of Mendocino. It's on the ocean, near the redwoods, cool climated and about 3 hours north of wine country. Doesn't it sound damn near perfect to fly into San Francisco, drive up the coast (stopping in Napa to stock up on vino, of course) and rounding this all out by staying in a cliffhouse overlooking the ocean? Excuse me while I run off and get married today just so that I can go there tomorrow.

I also love the idea that our actual wedding is taking place where I grew up and the honeymoon would be just up the road from where J grew up. He showed me last night where his boyscout summer camps used to be and they literally dot the map just around Mendocino. I like the idea of making this wedding special and what better way than revisiting our roots... only this time not as children but as a married couple.

Hopefully we'll decide soon so I can start getting excited and planny. Because, you know, moving into our first real place and planning the actual wedding isn't enough for me.

Selfishly?

I hope I don't lose my job...

In a Blog Fog

One of my girlfriends and I have recently been talking about blogs... we both work in an office that sometimes throws a lot of dead time our way, which has made both of us take an interest in other people's stories and ideas. You know how it is: you start reading one blog, you click on a link to another... before you know it, you're reading 15 different blogs at one given time. You find yourself feeling deprived if your favorite blogger doesn't post for a few days- or you feel cheated if your favorite political blogger doesn't report on what you felt was the most insane news of the year.

I started to become more interested in creating my own blog when I first moved to the city, but never felt like I had anything interesting to say-- that was before I started reading other people's blogs and became intrigued by a complete stranger's life. My life is far from crazy and/or interesting, but there is nothing simple about it. Like most New Yorkers, I am one who was born and raised in a different zip code/time zone, but flocked straight from college to the Big Apple to "chase my dreams." I have several friends and acquaintances dotted across the country, which got me to thinking: Is this the new way of keeping people up to date?

Or am I just being slightly pretentious to think someone might care...?