a fantastic week at home. spent a lot of time with J. talked to random wrong number boy....three times. the family thanksgivings (two, one for each side of the family) went well. J and i had a real date--dinner and the works. it was really really fun. i accidentally wound up in the unofficial high-school reunion night at the local bar. i confronted my fears! i had fun! people who were mean to me in school talked to me and bought me drinks! wow. i feel completely exonerated, for some reason. my parents and i went to see "chicago" on stage and a bat dive-bombed the stage and the performers ran offstage screaming! it was all wonderful.

and now it's nose-to-the-grindstone. but maybe not tonight. tomorrow?

the craziest thing just happened. i didn't look at caller ID when the phone rang, and when i answered, a male voice asked for "the beck." so....i didn't really know who it was, but i kind of talked to him for a little while before we figured out we didn't know each other. and then we talked about all kinds of things, and he has lived in the UK and we're both from farms in the midwest, and then all of a sudden he was flirting with me. we talked for about ten minutes...i can't explain it. it was fun. maybe i will call him sometime, or maybe he will call back. doesn't matter. what i love is just the sheer random excitement. every day is something to make me laugh.

had a damn fine weekend. jess and her friend ross were here and we had dinner. the next day she came over and we talked and drank orange juice. i will never forget that day. mostly because there are tiny red j.lo fuzzies scattered throughout my apartment. :)

anyway, jess and i stopped downtown to buy nate's birthday present. we went to his house, enjoyed two of those presents, and then went grocery shopping. when we got back, everyone was assembled. a fairly interesting bunch. supper was a cheese board (so to speak...yay porter cheese!), yummy stuffed mushrooms, mini tacos...and lots of mulled wine.

we went out to the gay bars and danced. it was SO GOOD for me to be somewhere besides my neighborhood for once. good times were had. i danced with some random sort of people.

next day took jess to campus and to see my place of employment. ah, such a strange little place it is. with characters.

monday, went to class and then picked up jess for lunch. then she and ross had to get on the road.

so, memories:

* the cute boy we met on the bus going downtown...whom we saw a couple hours later in a different part of town. it turns out he even used to live down the street from nate.

* getting hit on at the cheese section of trader joe's. yikes. this asshole thought he could impress us with some paltry knowledge of cheese?

* the surreal life. jess, after you left i kept watching it. damn.

that's all for now.

went to bed two hours ago. typically, can't get to sleep.

things that are awesome:

* seeing a shrink for free at student health. he is fantastic. wow. i have waited a long time for this kind of professional relationship.

* friend from iowa here last weekend, friends from PA here next weekend. and nate's b-day! kick-ass, so much celebrating to be done. must catch up with work before that.

* listening to franz ferdinand.

* totally amazing TA walking me partway home from class although she has never spoken to me before. god, she's so lovely and amazing. wow. envy.

* my hebrew prof wants to give me extra work. i THINK that's good, although also a pain in the ass time-wise. mostly a big compliment skill-wise. or not so much since, duh, i'm basically repeating the course.

* feeling lots of good. shapes of trees, expressions on the passers-by, the light, everything.

* um, i have been hooking up with this boy....more details if it ever becomes more than that. yep. tee hee, kid rock!

* i dyed my hair back to dark brown and it is awesome.

* been out a couple times with a rad girl from one of the seminaries in the neighborhood and her cool roommate. also a totally hot cowboy from my program. and yeah, aforementioned boy, who has invited me to be on his quiz team. shades of K...