It's Beginning to Look Like I'm Losing it!

Have I ever told you about how I feel sort of like I've suddenly come down with a huge, raging case of Teh Craziness? No? Well then.

I have a huge, raging case of Teh Craziness. Which, I suppose you could also call a quarter-life crisis, however, since everyone and their monkey in the 20-something set seems to be having one of these too, I don't want to call it that. Why? Because I'm stubborn I want to be different (also, I don't have a monkey ... yet).

Lately Teh Craziness has taken on a new and interesting shape (because, you know, it has Wonder Twin powers). It has chosen the form of ... me being really, really excited for Christmas to get here. I'll just let you sit with that for a moment.

Yes, it is June. Yup, December is still about 6 months away. Yes ... today I considered putting up some Christmas lights. I also spent a little time thinking about my list of people to buy for and what I think I might make/buy for everyone. I almost feel like a drug addict.

Ahem. Hello, my name is Super Careo and I am addicted to Christmas.

But really, I am not addicted to it. I mean, I love to give presents and Christmas time is my favorite "time" of the year. Seriously, what's not to like? But I am not a fan of winter at all. It turns normally good drivers into complete morons. And it's miserably, depressingly, arcticly cold. I do not do well in cold.

So today, as I was having these odd thoughts about Christmas shopping and light stringing, I stopped to think about why I was wishing for Christmas (I'm trying to get rid of all things that are following me around, like my Sad Little Ghost).

I ultimately decided that I am eager for December to arrive for a few reasons:

1. Christmas (DUH).
2. I get to skip all the time that would be spent in the office and all work related things
   
3. My trip to China to visit Armini looks like it's going to be happening in January, so skipping ahead to December means I don't have to wait for my trip AND all the money I need to travel will magically be in my savings account and ready to go! ... Right?

I think what it boils down too is that I know that next few months are going to BLOW make me cry a lot be lonely be challenging. Even though I'm sure that these coming months will probably also prove to be chock full of defining moments for me [and blah blah, insert inspirational bull here], I think I would rather just skip it all thankyouverymuch.

Unfortunately time travel hasn't really been invented yet, so I think I'm screwed big time stuck. I'm not looking forward to it (except for the part about Christmas - obviously).

And just so you know, plans are being made. Ideas being drafted. Momentum is building. Towards what you ask? Well ... it's one part I don't know yet with a pinch of I can't tell you.

(But mostly, it's because I don't know yet)

(Whatever it is though, I bet it's going to be awesome)



(Aaaaaand, you're welcome)

Spring is Coming!

The weather here has started to warm up steadily (finally) and I can't help but find myself hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, this time we won't warm up for a few glorious days and then dive head first back into a deep freeze. The weather in the Midwest makes me a little batty sometimes, particularly in the winter. I really do not like to be cold (because I am cold 99% of the time without any help from mother nature) and the warm days make me so happy that when it does freeze over again, I feel part of my sanity slip away from me.

Don't worry though, all the sanity that I lose over the course of winter is restored as soon as the grass turns green again and I don't have to wear 3 layers to go outside anymore. But I have hope this time around because the weather is nice, but it still has a little chill. It's just not as chilly as it was. You know how weather gradually warms up everywhere else in the world, well that's what it's doing here.

Plus, the morning doves are going crazy at my apartment complex and I was once told that when the morning doves come back it usually means that Spring is only a few weeks away. You might think it sounds hokey and old-wives-tale-y but I figure it's a system that can't be any less reliable than watching to see if a ground hog sees his shadow or not. Right? Right.

I have lots of plans for this Spring, and for a number of reasons. One of which deserves it's own post (and is a very depressing subject for me, so I'm not going to think about it right now), but all the other reasons are small and can be summed up rather easily: I want to be a domestic goddess who can take care of all things house, home and garden.

One of my biggest Spring projects is to plant a garden in the space around our patio. The area is rocked, so the first step is to move all the stupid rocks out of the way. I don't think that moving them will be an issue so much as figuring out where the heck I am going to put the rocks, since they will no longer be all around our patio.

Other really crazy exciting Spring projects include: mastering the art of bread making, planting the above mentioned vegetable garden, planting grass (?), planting flowers (?), traveling all over the damn place (details coming soon. I know, you can hardly wait right?), marathons, 5ks, camping, and just generally spending time outside. And knitting. And sewing. And scrapbooking. And reading; lots and lots of reading.

Oh, and also joining some clubs that I have been wanting to join for a loooong time in a continuing effort to make friends who are in the same city as me (unlike my friends who are still in Lawrence, or living in Colorado, or moving to/already living in China).

Wow. I have a lot that I want to do this year. This is a very, very good thing.

Now, for a nice little GiST (7/365) to wrap this happy (and busy) post up.

#1. Haircuts

#2. Kielbasa sausage, green peppers, onions and rice.

#3. Aprons.

#4. Really sharp knives (for cooking people! I am not a crazy person)

#5. Cookies that I made myself (even if they are a little burnt on the bottoms. I still haven't gotten the hang of our oven yet)

Holy cow ...

So as I write this ... I'm sitting, shivering, in my cube in the office. I know what you're thinking, "Caroline is always cold. What makes today so different?" Well my friends, it's because the air is still on even though it's not even 60 degrees outside right now. It's only the first week of September and it's fall weather already. It's just insane. Fall isn't supposed to start until September 22 - that's a full two weeks (alright, really a week and 6 days) from today.

Don't believe me? Look out your window and you might notice that some of the trees are starting to turn already. The trees in front of the office have already started to lose their leaves. AH!

But I do have to say that I am very happy that it's coming so quickly. So far I've watched the Muppet Christmas Carol twice in an effort to relieve my excitement over the coming holidays. I have yet to start wrapping presents (yes, I already have a ton of them) but I think that might be my next step. It's a good thing that my Christmas tree is packied away in storage right now because I totally would have set it up last week.