3 days in reverse

Today was a very productive day, if I do say so myself.

I had planned on waking up early, for several reasons. I actually asked Jessie to wake me up at 10, which is pretty much dawn for me. I had lots to get done today, but more so than that, I'm trying to escape my nocturnal life. Even before I worked in a bar, I am naturally drawn to the vampire's lifestyle (minus the blood sucking). My peak hours are between 10pm and 3am, generally speaking. But it's rough being on opposite hours from the one you love, so I'm trying to get it so we can fall asleep together once more.

My plans did not succeed. I woke up at 4pm. But! After rising, I made another honey cinnamon latte and had half a bagel with pumpkin butter on top!

latte art is still a no go

I fucking love pumpkin season. In fact, my goal tomorrow is to make my own pumpkin spice sauce for my latte! I'm excited, I'll let you know how it goes. Anyways. After bagel and latte consumption, I did laundry, took the trash out, swept the balcony (it's less ugly now! or at least less covered in sawdust and bugs), and took a shower! And this was all before 6pm!

THEN it gets even better. Being unemployed is doing wonders for my self-betterment project. I practiced my ukulele today! I'm working on learning Living Room by Tegan and Sara. I wouldn't say it was my favorite of theirs, but recently it's in my head all the time. It's not new either, but there's just something about it that has really grown on me. But then again, I love all of Tegan and Sara's songs so much, I wouldn't be surprised if I went through phases of every last one of their songs being my favorite. I recorded myself practicing the strum pattern, but it's pretty terrible and I'm not wearing pants, so you can watch the official music video instead.

Tegan and Sara - Living Room

Jessie started her new quarter today, she had class from 8 until 5ish. After she got home and had a short nap, we went to the Bi-Lo that is going out of business. We maaaay have gotten a little carried away. Luckily we have lots of food stamp money (another plus of being unemployed) so no harm done. Dinner was nothing exciting, we got one of those "chef prepared" steam in the microwave Harris Teeter dinners... it wasn't BAD, but it wasn't great either. But our mashed potatoes are always AWESOME. The mozzarella sticks we got today were a yummy side as well.

Because I am a Halloween and horror fanatic, we watched a scary movie tonight and last night. Tonight's feature was The Devil Inside. It wasn't terrifying by any means, but it might've qualified as creepy. I enjoyed the documentary style, but the ending was weirdly abrupt. I'm sure they were going for that sudden cut of that leaves you jittery and terrified that you're going to be next, but it left me feeling "wait, that's it?" "it's over?" and over all a bit unsatisfied. It wasn't so bad I'd call it a waste of time, but I wouldn't recommend it either. 

Before bed, I finish my productive day with one last thing...

I baked bread!

Well, I'm baking it anyways. I mixed up the dough, and it'll rise all night and I can bake it tomorrow. Homemade bread! I'm really becoming a housewife now! This is my first attempt, I hope it turns out alright! (Thanks to Carrie for the inspiration)

Yesterday I cleaned and unpacked while Jessie was gone at Renaissance Faire dress rehearsal all day.  I met her and a bunch of other rennies at Steak n Shake. 

before

 

after

The s'mores shake is THE SHIT. I still don't understand why they don't have a pumpkin shake though.

We came home and did porridge face! Traveling really didn't do great things for my skin nor Jessie's, so I forced upon her my favorite face mask. Oatmeal, organic plain low-fat yogurt, and honey. (Thanks to Carlie for this one)

#fierce

The day before yesterday I can't remember the beginning of, (this is why I need to hurry and make my Vegas post because I have a horrible memory) but for the last half Jessie and I went to the mall and exchanged her too big shoes for some sexy DCs that have pinstripes and fit! I told her I think I'm developing a shoe fetish because she just looks so damn good in them. (But then I wondered, don't all girls have shoe fetishes? Jessie just stared at me. So I corrected myself- all femmes at least...) Then we went to Kohl's and played pretend in the house section. 

 Caught a gorgeous sunset at the mall

Not Jessie's new shoes, but these vans looked adorable on her as well

LOOK HOW ADORABLE THESE ESPRESSO CUPS ARE (*A*)

Then we came home and had steak with bearnaise sauce, mashed potatoes, cheesy garlic bread, and a salad. It was delicious! We watched Cabin in the Woods (I'd been meaning to see it for ages) and it was AWESOME. Not exactly terrifying either, but a FANTASTIC movie. Really cool. Highly recommend. And there was enough blood and gore to keep me from missing the terror! I was a big fan of the overall concept of the movie too. 

I like a little gore with my steak too!

I've decided to apply to be a substitute teacher or possibly a teacher's assistant. It'd be nice to have benefits and to get in the classroom before going to Japan. I also might be able to work at the Renaissance Faire this year too! I'm excited and really crossing my fingers on that one. I've spent the last year looking into Jessie's world and getting to know her faire family, but it would be really neat to actually become apart of it all. Cross your fingers! Though I don't know what that would mean for going out for Halloween or for going to Scarowinds... Hmmmm. Well, if all else fails, I can always pump myself full of energy drinks and party anyways. I think I might be a little nervous to do Faire, it's just such a commitment, and it really is like joining another world. I've been comfortable on the very outside of that world looking in, but I'm both nervous and excited at the chance to actually cross into it.

Oh, I finished reading Odd Thomas. I'm on Forever Odd now. I've got some quotes for you now. 

This quote from Odd Thomas reminded me of my post on fame and hollywood. I went back and reread it, I didn't really remember writing it but I really like it! Is that weird? Anyways, here's the quote:

""Gladys," Stormy said. "Her name was Gladys, wasn't it?" There is a movie-star fame like that enjoyed by Tom Cruise, rock-star fame like that of Mick Jagger, literary fame, political fame…. But mere fame has grown into real legend when people of different generations remember your mother's name a quarter of a century after your death and nearly half a century after hers."

 

I wonder if we'll ever have another legend like that?

 

Here's a couple from Forever Odd.

 

"When the constellation of Cassiopeia is in this hemisphere and I am able to identify it, I feel less alone. 
This isn't a reasoned response to a configuration of stars, but the heart cannot flourish on logic alone. Unreason is an essential medicine as long as you do not overdose."

 

I really like that last line. 

And here's the last quote, this one on happiness. I agree wholeheartedly with this quote. It's something I'd like everyone to know.

 

""I'm happy," I assured him. 
For a block or so, he didn't say anything. Then:
"You're at peace, son. There's a big difference."
"Which would be what?"
"If you're still, and if you don't hope too much, peace will come to you. It's a grace. But you have to choose happiness."
"It's that easy, is it? Just choose?"
"Making the decision to choose isn't always easy."
I said, "This sounds like you've been thinking too much."
"We sometimes take refuge in misery, a strange kind of comfort."
Although he paused, I said nothing.
He continued: "But no matter what happens in life, happiness is there for us, waiting to be embraced." " 

Well, on that note, I'm going to bed. I have bread to bake and mead to make tomorrow! And maybe tomorrow I'll finally write about the Vegas trip! It's a good thing Jessie has a good memory. She can remember things for me.

Til tomorrow, embrace happiness!

Autumn Aspirations

It's 6:28pm EST and I am finally starting my day. I'm sitting on my balcony in a not very comfortable chair (which has been rescued and put to re-use by my roommate- it was originally mine, but it's old, ugly, and stained, so I acquired a better, prettier, more comfortable chair that actually leans back from my mother when we moved into this place six or seven months ago) with my phone, laptop, nook, and latte. I wish our balcony was more comfortable (and less ugly). there are mysterious stains on the concrete, there's sawdust on the ground and a piece of wood from when Jessie and I built our bookshelf (we were true DIY lesbians that day), and I'm using a block of concrete as a footrest (not to mention this ugly chair I keep mentioning).

My footrest and nook

But life is perfect right now. It really is. You can always find something to complain about, but happiness is truly about perspective. The glass is half empty, yes, but it's also half full. I lost my job two days before my surprise trip to Las Vegas with my girlfriend to celebrate our 1 year anniversary (our anniversary is actually October 16th, but this was the only week off she had from school). I had gotten my first real credit card for the occasion (not counting my Lowes card we got so we could get a discount on a washer), because my job was purely tips based, which meant I didn't have enough for our trip at the moment, but would no doubt be able to easily pay off my credit card within a month or two. That was the plan anyways.

The trip was worth every penny. Jessie says it was the best trip of her life, and that in itself is enough for me. But as Jessie says, we could be sleeping on someone's floor and as long as we're together, it would be a fantastic vacation. But I'll do a post all about our trip later. This is going to be purely a thoughts that cross my mind in this moment post.

I really want to learn to do latte art.

 

Unfortunately I've not figured it out yet. I think I heated my milk too fast, and probably did not tamp my espresso enough. So I put cinnamon on top. Ta-da, still looks pretty. And tastes fantastic. My current favorite latte is this honey cinnamon latte. I discovered it in Asheville while visiting Carrie. I stopped in the World Coffee Shop (or whatever it was called) and the man in front of me got a honey latte with cinnamon on top. So I swore to try it next go round. It's perfect for having an espresso machine at home, because you don't have to buy coffee syrups- all you need is honey. Not to mention it's really delicious, and cinnamon is perfect for this wonderful season of fall.

I'm so happy it's finally autumn. I feel as though I could make it through anything in this season. Pumpkin spice everything, pumpkin beers, a crispness in the air, no need for AC or heat, the crunch of colorful leaves under your boots... There's so much to love. And that's not even considering all my favorite holidays- Halloween, my birthday, our anniversary, Thanksgiving, the Christmas season... So how can I be scared or despair when there's so much to look forward to? A small part of me nags that this is also the start of the most expensive season, and nothing causes despair and stress quite like financial worries, but I know things will work out. God has always been looking out for me, even though I'm still figuring out who He is exactly. Just yesterday, when I was tired from our red eye flight back and reality was starting to rear its ugly head, Jessie got an email from the photo studio she applied to about an interview. She would be getting paid more and be working in her field. I rarely talk about religion, but autumn also gives me a spiritual feeling that can show up when I'm feeling reflective or philosophical. I'm not sure "religion" is the word though, it's more on the level of a spiritual reflection perhaps.

I'm afraid our basil is dying. Our cilantro kicked the bucket ages ago, but our basil was doing great for a while. Jessie is definitely the green thumb of the two of us. I'm entirely too forgetful to care for plants (or animals or humans really), out of site out of mind has always been a problem of mine. I think I just live in my head too much. But Jessie loves plants and wishes we had a garden, or at least an herb garden. I would love that too, an herb garden surrounding a comfortable chair and footrest and maybe even a little table. I would write out here everyday. But I'll let Jessie be the gardener.

I hope that stink bug creature doesn't eat the leaves... 

They say writing every day extends your life, or something like that. Now that I'm unemployed, maybe I can start developing positive habits. I want to cook more (must become the proper housewife for my sweetie), I want to make our home into a comfortable, beautiful living space, and I want to write every day. So I'm going to try and blog every day. I doubt there will be any sort of theme. I might talk about books, I might talk about movies, maybe one day it'll be a food blog, one day it'll be a writing blog, but I guess in general it will be all of these things. My weird lesbian life blog. (I put lesbian in there because if I talk about anything consistently, you can bet it'll be Jessie.) I also want to work out more, I want to get both my mind and body in shape. I've got plenty of time, I want to make use of it. 

The most important thing in my near future is trying to find a job, I suppose. I don't want to end up destitute, kicked out on the streets. (How would I blog then?) I'm not sure what I want to do though. I know I want to go back to Japan, but that can't happen until Jessie graduates. As much as I loved only working three days a week, I really want a day job. It was hard working opposite hours from Jessie, and I look forward to coming home before 4am on my next job. I had been planning on quitting anyways, but I was hoping to have my next job first... I would rather not work retail again, especially not right before the holidays. I know booksamillion would hire me back, as long as I'm at a different location from Jessie. But I wouldn't enjoy going back to that pay... I guess I'll just have to keep my chin up and my eyes peeled for opportunities. 

One thing I will say about my trip is that I started reading Odd Thomas (by Dean Koontz) again. It's such an excellent series and Odd is such an excellent character. The second go round reading this first book is a different experience though, since I know what happens in the end, it makes it quite sad. I dreaded reading it almost, but I wanted to reread so I can read the others in the series that have recently come out. I really recommend everyone read this book though, it's just so excellent. I find myself making Jessie listen to random quotes from the book. I'm trying to start keeping a list of quotes from the book in Evernote, but I was a little slow to start this, so I'm sure I missed some good ones from the beginning of the book. Here's one I did get though:

"Most people desperately desire to believe they are part of a great mystery, that Creation is a work of grace and glory, not merely the result of random forces colliding. Yet each time they are given but one reason to doubt, a worm in the apple of the heart makes them turn away from a thousand proofs of the miraculous, whereupon they have a drunkard's thirst for cynicism, and they feed upon despair as a starving man upon a loaf of bread."

It's a great quote, no matter what you believe. Rather than being a commentary on religion, I'd say it says more about humans. I'll try and collect more good ones and share them when I find them. 

My project for the next few days (other than blogging) is this:

I'm going to make MEAD.

We got the bottles ages ago (thankfully since I can't afford them now) and it's officially AUTUMN (my favorite season, have I mentioned that yet?) so MEAD! Jessie introduced me to mead last year, being the rennie she is (someone that works in the Renaissance Faire in case you're not familiar with the slang), and it's so strong and sweet and excellent, and I'm looking forward to this adventure! Maybe if it turns out well, I can sell it! At the very least it would make a great gift for the holidays. (I'll have to come up with more bottles though....) Another reason I'm so detirmed to make this happen is that alcohol is not covered by my food stamps, and I am an appreciator of delicious booze. (My goal of drink all the pumpkin beers might have to be put on hold until I get a job...)

I think that's all the random thoughts I had in my head for now. I should probably unpack or clean... but I think I'll save that for tomorrow. Today I have friends to skype with and a great book to read. If you would like to skype with me as well, please just tell me your username and I will message you! I used to have a very vibrant social life on the internet, so another goal is going to be rekindling that! 

Thanks for reading my ridiculously long post (if anyone did). Tomorrow I'll tell all my adventures in VEGAS! (including the butter incident)

À demain!