Post #200!!! Giveaway!

Whoo HOO!!

It's my 200th post! Kind of amazing that I got here so quickly but we're going to celebrate properly. Or we would if I was able to mail alcohol.

But I'm taking a cue from RachelSmiles and I'm giving away a t-shirt from Sharing Machine. Hey look: three designers in one site!

I personally am slightly attached to these:

So to enter you can do a couple of things. First, become my follower and leave a comment to let me know that you have (or if you already follow). Also head to the site and pick your favorite shirt. Leave a comment letting me know which shirt and size you'd want. For an additional entry, follow me on Twitter (@whatagrandworld). For a 3rd, RT this giveaway -- be sure to include my Twitter name in the Tweet so I see it!

It's a Thanksgiving miracle!

This giveaway will go on until Nov. 30th at midnight. And I'll announce the winner on Dec. 1st.

Thanksgiving Fail.

I love Thanksgiving. Odd since I'm not a huge turkey fan, but nonetheless, I love Thanksgiving. My turkey day experiences I gather from talking to friends and colleagues are kind of different. Most of my extended family is no farther east than Nevada so spending the holiday with a gaggle of aunts, uncles and cousins never happens for us anymore. When we lived briefly in Boise, we did a full-out family gathering complete with flag football, lots of pie, and tons of cousins -- one of whom managed to get his head stuck in the banister one year. It was so much fun, and I miss that kind of atmosphere, but now that its just me and my parents on the east coast, it's not really a possibility.

But it's okay. I love my little family, and the holiday weekend has become one of all-day eating (and damn, can my mom cook); football; Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; a movie in the theater; and reading in sweats and slippers. Inevitably we trek out to a Christmas tree farm and cut down one to take home and decorate it that weekend too. (And by "we cut down" I mean of course that my mom and I pick out the perfect tree and then stand around drinking hot cocoa while my dad cuts it down).

This year, I expected to have much the same kind of holiday weekend. I'd planned on throwing a little pleasure reading in since I was off from classes for the week, as well as do some research for a final paper for one of the classes. Nothing crazy.

However.

I just checked the syllabus for one of my classes. The class taught by the Polish professor. When I say Polish, I mean that he actually lives in Poland. Yay online classes. Which means he doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving. Which means apparently his students shouldn't either. I don't know if this was just oversight on his part, since he doesn't have a sense of the significance, or if he just doesn't care. Nevertheless, he's assigned a ton of reading for that week and I'm seriously frustrated. I don't know if I should say something to him at this point. Is it just too late? I know it's work that I'll have to do anyway, but it feels like, if he doesn't know, someone should say something. Any ideas?

Guess I'll have to leave The Girl Who Kicked A Hornet's Nest and Await Your Reply until the winter break.

Weekend Recap

Okay not really. All I'll say is that it was a gorgeous wedding, a great party, and a wonderful de-stresser.

I got to hang out with almost all of my favorite people in the world, and I was able to do it without feeling like I was rushed or stressed out with the travel and the hotel and all that. It was great. Really great. Oh and a big thank you to everyone who made driving music suggestions. I had most of that stuff on my iPod already so it was super easy to make a playlist. However, I discovered that I do actually understand technology and I also discovered that lo-fi is sometimes the way to go. So my car has a cassette player. Very handy after I went to Best Buy on my way out of town, and a salesguy informed me that the best way to hook up my iPod to the car stereo is the old-school tape adapter. I plugged that baby into my iPhone and listened to some great Pandora stations the whole time. Who knew I would be happy that my car still had a tape player?? FTW.

In other news, this wedding marked the end of my 2009 wedding season. It was certainly bittersweet since there aren't any weddings planned for next year for my group of friends so we're going to have to figure it out on our own. But I think that means Boston for New Years again this year. I also experienced that ever-familiar ache in my stomache at weddings that I go to alone (so...all of them) when the DJ plays a sweet, slow song and I'm sitting alone at my table downing champagne and watching all my coupled up friends sway all romantical like on the dance floor. It's a tad depressing, needless to say.

But my wedding attendance isn't really taking that much of a break. My uncle is getting married in January in California. So I'm taking a short break, for things like, ya know, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In other other news, I'm looking for some help over on my book blog. Got some classics you think I should read? Let me know here.

Stressball

I like to think I'm a pretty relaxed person. I get stressed but I think I've learned to handle it well. I used to not handle it well. Trust me -- not pretty. But more recently, like in the last couple of years, I've had a pretty solid grip on my level of stress. I enjoy my job -- I actually like coming to work every day (shocking, I know). I love the people I work with. I threw a couple grad school classes into the mix and thought I'd be fine. My job is the type where I don't have to bring work home, no blackberry, nothing to worry about once I walk out the door -- so I thought I'd be totally up for adding some fun classes about a subject I really enjoy. Turns out I'm not superwoman.

I am the biggest ball of stress ever -- similar in look and feel to The World's Largest Ball of Twine. I still can't run on my knee, so my best and most effective method of stress relief is out the door. Our bathroom is being renovated so no bath time most nights. My time at the gym is spent on the elliptical so I can read articles for class at the same time, so I'm not swimming which is another surefire way to chill me out. I don't have time for TV so I can't zone out. I also don't have time for any pleasure reading. I'm broke because I'm paying tuition so I can't engage in a little retail therapy. I don't drink anymore because, since I'm not running, I'm watching my weight more carefully, which means no extra calories in the day for a beer. It also means no dessert. I'm seriously deprived, people. And it's starting to take its toll.

To top off the school-related stress, work is not as hunky-dory as it usually is. People are snippy with each other, and the team is hurting. It's difficult to manage when one part of your life is super-stressful, but when multiple things start to disintegrate, I start to freak out. I spend my life at work, at the gym and at home. When I'm home, I'm doing school work. And now when I'm at the gym, I'm spending at least part of the time reading for school too. In the car to and from work, to and from the gym, I'm reading (my mom drives).

I need a break.

Tomorrow I take off to Philly for my last wedding of the year (until January at least)! I'm driving the 2.5-3 hours up and I am so excited. Not just because I'm going to get to see my best friends in the whole world who understand that when I'm so stressed out that I want to cry, the best thing for me is cuddles and beer. But that drive itself will be so relaxing. I'm not one of those people that dreads driving, especially long distances. I love it in fact. One of my favorite drives is up to my Alma Mater, a 7-8 hour trip depending on weather and construction. It never gets old.

I'm looking forward to having some time alone -- just me, the radio and the road. And snacks. I'm almost tempted to create an old school mix for the trip.

What good, old-fashioned driving music would you put on the mix??

Note to Self

Do not blush furiously the next time you see a friend's boyfriend. Who you had a dream about. A not-so-appropriate dream. I repeat: DO NOT BLUSH. And don't accidentally give him that look. Because you do not mean that look. You don't. It came unbidden to your unconcsious. You don't mean it. So STOP IT.

Well, that blows.

I should really try and think positive here. I'm working on it -- reciting stupid cliches about getting back on a horse after it throws you off, or if at first you don't succede, try try again. Yeah it's kind of bullshit.

Actually it's really bullshit. But I'm taking it to heart. Or trying to.

I've posted a lot here about how I'm trying to put myself out there, date people I normally would reject because they don't fit some arbitrary "type" I've got worked out in my head, take chances, just be available. And this week I really tried to do that.

Hokay, so...I received a message from a guy on OkCupid that I was, at first, pretty skeptical about. But most of my reasons for being skeptical were my own issues, not because of anything he did or said. The first thing: he's 34, which is 8 years older than me. Which is NOT that big of a deal. I've dated someone older than me with that same age difference. But I had to really get over myself in coming to terms with the fact that, yes I am 26, which means that my acceptible age range for potential mates has to stretch beyond 30. There's something a little depressing to realize that I'm closer to 30 then I am to 20 and my dating pool now reflects it.

Anyway, this guy seemed really great in a lot of other ways: literature and writing professor, who likes diner food and Post-it notes and Scrabble. We seemed to have similar sensibilities and similar interests and similar attitudes about life and living in DC. He also didn't play games; his first email to me was straightforward: let's go out and see if we click. (There was more wittiness to it but that was the gist). I was impressed enough to get over the fact that physically he wasn't my type -- salt-and-pepper hair, shorter than 6' tall, a bit nerdy -- and agreed to a date. We were both fairly busy this week, but decided to try and get a drink last night. We emailed back and forth about random stuff for two days and I was feeling more and more comfortable and like I could have a good time with him. If nothing else, it would a good, stimulating conversation.

Around 4pm though, out of the blue, he sends me an email with this question: "If you don't mind a direct, honest sort of question...What are you looking for, dating-wise?"

Umm, wha?

I appreciate wanting to be on the same page, but as far as I was concerned, we'd been getting along well enough to at least try a first date, a drink -- something. I mean, isn't that a question that you ask when you've determined whether or not you even want to date this person, like for the 3rd or 4th date? Not before you've even met?

But I was honest with him. I told him straight up, that I wasn't really interested in something casual, that I didn't want to be one of many, that I wasn't looking for drama or to be jerked around, that I wanted something a bit more serious. He replied that he didn't know where he was going to be after the summer since he was applying to fellowships and associate professorships all over the country; he was looking for a "We'll always have Paris" kind of releationship. Something fun for the next 6 months or so, and then a clean break.

I get it. I get the desire to put that out there right up front and to make sure you're on the same page with someone that you seemingly connect with. Logically, in my head, I get it.

It's hard not be hurt by it though. I went out of my comfort zone, and got bitten by it. I'm not going to give up though. I'm just reeling a bit from getting dumped before a first date. I think that might be a first for me...

Late Halloween Post (Procratisnation WIN)

Rarely am I creative for Halloween. It's not a skill set I had to develop much as a child since my mom made all my costumes until I was too old from them, and often I got what she gave me. Not to say they weren't awesome (have I mentioned Rainbow Brite yet?), but I was never forced to be imaginative. This year, however, I came up with something all by myself. Okay so it wasn't that original, and I saw half-a-dozen people in the same general gist of the costume, but I was pretty happy that I put it together by myself. I give you swine flu!:

That's Beth (go read her foodie blog!) -- she's cotton candy. Also apparently the wings were more confusing than they should have been. Flu ---> Flew. Get it? We did the Georgetown thing with Alice and a bunch of her friends, after she was nice enough to take pity on me after mine and Beth's plans fell through. It was madness like no other madness I've ever seen on Halloween. I had a great time, but a teeny part of me missed staying in and passing out candy too.