people say she’s crazy…

ha ha, huge lie. I have plenty to do, mostly at work, which is still great. They keep me busy. I guess they think I’m useful or something. it’s really refreshing after my experience with ye old NU development office last summer, where no one knew what to do with me, no one wanted to be there, and no one was… pleasant. Kind of a bummer building, that 2020 Ridge, except for the candy drawer in the phonathon room. And the lowfat hot chocolate. That was kinda nice. also the fact that I had my own office across the hall from a window so i could look out a window. A window I do not have at Campbell. In fact, I am as far as I can get from any and all windows, but there’s an empty window office that I go stand in every now and then. Just to check on the weather. And it’s been an interesting weather week, so that’s cool.

I also bought a suit last week at Ann Taylor. It’s black with little thin blue pinstripes. Got some great shirts to match… well done, then. This is so un-me, but I kind of like the come home from work, get dinner, hang out, clean/iron/fix lunch, go to bed schedule. I mean I’m sure I’ll get bored of it soon, but it’s nice for now.

My growing obsession with Ravinia is… growing. I’ve been three times in as many weeks. On Friday, Jon D. and I made a picnic–pasta, whole foods coconut chicken strips (mmm), broccoli, blueberries, cookies, the works. took the soccer mom chairs and chilled out at the back of the lawn between old couples and young families. it was kind of chilly but really nice.

The Evanston Arts Festival was this weekend, and I managed to get out with only a $10 piece of wire with pieces of broken glass wrapped up in it that hangs. it’s a “suncatcher,” supposedly, but I just like it. the top piece of glass is the flying birds from a grey goose bottle. I also maaaaay have gotten some sun, but I don’t want to jinx myself ;)

I finished my first book of the summer on the train the other day: Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Book about punctuation. It was delightful, and I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear me say that. I have moved onto “Fabulous Small Jews” by the one and only Joseph Epstein (the same one I wrote a sassy email to in February of freshman year because he wrote an op-ed in the Times about how everyday people should stop writing books and leave it to the pros. he’s on #18 now, i believe. anyhow, turns out the guy used to run the writing program and we read one of his books fall quarter and he came and talked to our class one day and he’s quite a lovely old man.), which I’ve chomped through half of in the last 24 hours. It’s a bit repetitive… and I’m not sure they’re all fabulous, but they are certainly all small jews. It’s interesting.

The book list is set to include:

“The Coast of Chicago” by Stuart Dybek

“Tender at the Bone” by Ruth Reichl

“A Measure of Her Powers” compiled MFK Fischer stuff

and maybe the unbearable lightness of being

Next year’s novella is going to be about food. hence the reichl and the fischer. It’s also going to be about a guy. fabulous small jews is helping out there.

Anyway, I am going to try to blog more like autumn… more regularly and therefore shorter. Not a skill I’ve had for some time though.