Thanksgiving.

We've begun doing things to the house, which is turning out to be much more treacherous and time-involved than I initially thought. However, I am looking forward to the moment when I don't have to go somewhere else to check my mail and live out of my dry cleaning bags. It'll be nice when all of our things are in one location.

Thanksgiving weekend has been a really great time; I didn't get any of the things done that I was planning on doing, but I did get to have a nice time with my parents, with C and with ANR. On Wednesday, she and I went to go get our hair cut and, at one point, when we were both singing in the car it felt like "old times," or rather new times but old us. I don't know if that makes sense; it felt like however we change, whoever we become, there will still be our friendship. We ate good Italian food and talked about the future.

Thursday was fantastically good food and it really felt like C was truly a part of my family. We played cards and I watched him be his true self. We were totally stuffed however and didn't even have second dinner. But, we did have my stuffing (which is one of the few things I do actually make well) and my mom's Greek stuffing hanging out in the fridge, so my parents made me promise that we'd come back for dinner the following night.

Friday, I got some good shopping done with ANR while C took my car and did a few errands around the house. (It still feels extremely strange to do that). He and my dad bought things for the house around Home Depot (which I never thought would be a store that had anything for me at all...) and then he and I bought a COUCH! So, so, so exciting!

Today was the FSU/UF game (which FSU lost) but we've spent most of the day relaxing. As usual, I haven't graded anything that I needed... but we did get presents for relatives... and play guitar hero. Clearly productive. But clearly people for whom I should be thankful.

Homeowners!

Amongst all the things blazing forward this week, we are now, finally, homeowners. I shouldn't say finally like it's a relief. In some ways, it brings up scores of new worries, new expenses and new fears. I say finally, though, because it will quench this need--the exhaustion of two places, the need to feel like we are building a home together, the feeling of completeness to use a plural possessive pronoun. We're nervous, don't get me wrong (well, perhaps I a bit more than he) but, we're excited. I had never seen him so containedly giddy before when I met them at my parents' car parked outside our new place.

Something's beginning here, and it's exciting. Some of the house looked more beat up with nothing in it, it made some things (like needing to put new wallpaper in the kitchen and paint the cabinets) seem a bit more daunting. But, we'll get there. We ALWAYS get there.

I'm just excited. They're our keys and we never have to give them back to anyone.

Kafka on the Shore.

Tonight, C and I went to see Kafka on the Shore at the Steppenwolf. Neither of us had been there before, so it was a very new experience. The theatre was strange inside, very parking-garage like, but the show itself was mesmerizing. It was absolutely amazing and made me remember how much I loved his books. I think, very soon, I am going to start another one of his books, perhaps "After Dark" or perhaps something different. He has a new book coming out soon, and I cannot wait. There was something quietly eloquent about the whole thing.

My favorite quotation was: I wrote a book once, about lightening. I went all over Japan and interviewed people who had been struck by lightening. The interviews were very interesting. A small publisher distributed it, but it didn't do very well. It didn't have a conclusion and people like endings. I myself, didn't mind it.

It was fantastic, really. C liked it too, even though he didn't really know too much about what was going on. But then again, with the avant garde I guess you're not supposed to (at least according to the show itself.) The stage was all painted blue and the music choices (just like in the Brothers K) were perfect. Kafka, the child, was fantastic (even though he wasn't really 15.) Overall great.

Birthday tomorrow; I don't think I feel my age...

DINOSAURS

Last weekend was long but nice. CA's birthday celebration was successful and who doesn't love college football? (Okay, fine, a lot of people don't love college football... but going to a game is always fun. Especially when there's soft pretzels.) We didn't really celebrate Halloween itself, although I discovered that he would have dressed up. So, that means I need to start thinking of cool couples Halloween costumes. Antony and Cleopatra? Ketsup and Mustard? Either way, it was a fun weekend, but stressed me out for the coming week.

It's been a frustrating week at work and a historic week for our country. I'm excited about eventual changes in how our country does business (yay for changing no child left behind) but I am not so thrilled about how certain things are going down at work. It's been exciting to hear one of my students talk about his dad with such high esteem. It's been exciting, but frustrating to read tests that say "rebublic" instead of "republic" even when I gave a word bank. It's been frustrating to get asked about grades and changes and "did I really mean that?" Needless to say, in all my frustration, it was and has been a lovely weekend.

On Thursday, I got to go to Kirkwood (which I love) and hang out with EPS and KF. It was nice to have good conversation and enjoy drinks. It was nice, for a moment, to not be thinking about work... at least momentarily. On Friday, I couldn't take it anymore. I was frustrated with the feedback I was getting from others, I was flustered with the amount of work I was carrying around in my bag and the weight that I was feeling on my shoulders. I had had to reprimand one of my favorite students, a girl who I love and adore. It's hard to watch these tiny, innocent munchkins become neurotic and grade-mongering. I'm trying to fix it in whatever way I can, but sometimes, it's all a little bit too much. So, I said forget it and went to drink cider and eat grilled cheese sandwiches at F O Mahoney's with KB and her dude (since my dude was still at work after getting about 2 hours of sleep the night before.) We had a really great time and made copious Simpson's references (mainly about voting for Kodos and it being a two party system).

On Saturday, I had brunch at Nookies with S and DP. Then, we went to Target where I bought many things I didn't need and a couple things that I did. But, isn't that always the way with Target? I probably should return some of them, but will I? Answer = decisively no. After that, C and I watched the FSU game. After their crushing fumble in the end-zone loss last week, they won decisively (ooh, twice in one paragrpah) this week. Then, the best part of the weekend came: booze + dinosaurs.

The Bar Association had some kind of benefit thing at the Field Museum. We had originally believed it was fancy-dan, but it ended up being just casual. We got to hang out with the dinosaurs, and drink free booze. There was food as well, but it was not as delicious as the free drinks. We saw a fantastic exhibit on the Aztecs and then wandered through the evolution exhibit.

I love getting to do things like that with him. From going to see The Brothers Karmazov this week at the Lookinglass (which was done excellently) with him to doing things like that, it's refreshing to know that he values the things and the experiences that I, too, want to experience and value. I like that we spent time reading the cards and got excited to discover facts like whale were originally land creatures. We also got excited to reference our Dinosaur Show with our new expanded knowledge.

But moreover, it was just really neat to be in the museum like that. We missed out on the Nature Unleashed exhibit (you can't bring drinks into the exhibit so we wasted some time drinking when we should have been exhibiting) but we got to see a ton of really awesome stuff. I always love the evolution piece. I didn't know that the Field had a cast of Lucy's bones (which was also fantastic to see... I wonder where the real one is?...according to Wikipedia, the original is in Ethopia... logical).

This upcoming week should be full of exciting things--on Monday, people from work are taking me to dinner for my birthday, on Tuesday, C and I are going to see Kafka on the Shore which I have wanted to see and Wednesday is my birthday. On Thursday/Friday, there's conferences, but on Saturday ANR and I are going to get our hair cut and then we're going out to dinner with S and P. I'm thrilled about all the "culture" things that I get to do because I'm in this city, and thrilled right now, that there are people with whom to do them. Thrilled that the president elect is from this place (from Hyde Park even, where I have a connection) and thrilled that voices are being heard (even if I feel downtrodden at school.) Thrilled that I know the chief of staff and feel like he was a really solid choice. And least importantly, but very excitingly, I am thrilled that I now own a new bag from Target. Thrilled that last week, I ALSO went to the symphony with my kiddos (it was a very "cultural" week...) Exciting things are, as always, afoot. Thrilled MOST OF ALL, that on Wednesday, we will officially own our home (also scared out of my life on that point.) But, it will all get done and we will continue to be... well, let's be honest, we'll continue to be happy.