things of note:

1. The kids at my work LOVE Michael Jackson.
2. I had a dream last night that I was wearing clerical garb, but in my dream I also made sure to note that I was "just a deacon."
3. I look like a Target employee in my red MRC polo.
4. We went to the Humane Society to look at cats today. I still want one.

more than orange juice

My mind is elsewhere these days, specifically in Connecticut. It's orientation time and I've been pretending to avoid mentions of it on Facebook because I wish I was there. I abstain from looking at pictures and seeing schedules, then horde it all at once like binging. My good friend Rachel has taken up Josh's room (the one with the direct sunlight - damn them both) and my dresser and joins the rest of my dear friends in continuing on with their lives and education without me. Not my choice or theirs, but what has happened regardless.

I don't feel like a "grass is greener" person, because I'm always really grateful for what I have and what I'm doing at that moment, but part of me always longs for the places I am not with no regard to my present location. It's happened before. It'll happen again.

When I first moved out to YDS, I had this mindset that I already had a set of great friends in Minnesota and thus, I didn't need anymore. I never expected to find the people and connections I did, which makes them all the more treasured. I wrote this during my orientation two years ago this week:

Orientation starts tomorrow, and it should be fun. When I say "fun," I mean long and possibly boring. Amy won't be there, so I have no one to make snarky and sarcastic comments to. I want to have friends so I have people to hang out with here, but it's a pain in the ass getting to know people and do the whole "I'm Lindsay, MAR in Feminist Studies, originally from Wisconsin but I went to school in Minnesota, I want to get my PhD and teach about culture, religion and feminism" 50 times in a row. It's just tiring, especially when I know that I have great friends and a great boyfriend at home. I kind of felt the same way about camp. That WAS different, because I had Andrew, Amy, Drew, KG, Anna, ect to hang out with after work - I didn't need to become best friends with everyone there because I already had best friends. Here, it's not like I can head over to chillax with Amy and Drew... it would be lonely hanging out by myself. I'm sure everyone I meet will be nice - the ones I have so far are - but it's a lot of effort.

Well, well, well, how the turn tables. Little did I know that I would live on snarky and sarcastic comments for two years.

My point is that we have expectations and often, reality is entirely different. Not that our expectations aren't met, but that we expect an orange and we end up with a palm tree. Oranges are delicious, but palm trees give shade and coconuts and wood and palm leaves. So much more than just orange juice.

I'm remembering my expectations when I went into YDS, not looking to find lifelong friends but instead people to occupy weekend nights. I'm remembering because it's my first week at my job (formally) and I'm meeting people left and right, people I'm trying not to prejudge and put into a "work" box. Let's leave open the possibility that while it's always been pretty good, my life can benefit from a few more friendly faces, if not good friends.

Life is short, I am young and a field of flowers can always find room for one more.

fresh veggies galore

Awhile back I won a $20 gift certificate to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. Here's what I got for my $20:



8 ears of corn
1 watermelon
3 limes
4 portabello mushroom caps
1 container of blueberries
6 garlic bunches
1 container of mushrooms (fits two tupperware containers in my fridge)
2 eggplants
4 pears
9 peppers - 3 red, 2 green, 1 orange, 3 banana
2 kiwis
4 pluots
2 peaches
14 tomatoes

I don't even know how to begin eating all of this food. I've never cooked eggplant before. What the heck is a pluot? (plum + apricot = pluot, fyi) I'm giving some away to friends, but even then, I have an abundance of veggies. I also picked up some delicious cheese, a loaf of rye bread and some fresh flowers for Kari. I spent just around $20 at the market (including a frosted bun for breakfast) and came home with two boxes and a bag of food. I don't even know where to put half of it... I'm thinking just sticking a whole box in the fridge might be best.

Any recipe ideas?

MPLS edition

My internet is out, it's raining and I'm at the coffee shop down the block from my house. Mom is coming for the weekend and she's bringing her bike. It looks like it's supposed to rain all day. Good for plants, bad for outdoor activities.

Here are some articles about my neighborhood:

Things to do by my house (Visitors welcome, hint hint)

A really fantastic writeup of Lake/Marshall.

And apparently the city is taking away my favorite bike lane. Sad.

I had a dream that I was at an airport with Drew and Amy. Drew was watching our bags while Amy and I got coffee. I dreamed Sarah Haskins was staring at me. I was wearing a black and white strapless dress and someone asked me if I was in Good Night and Good Luck (because it's in black and white?). We kept getting cup after cup of coffee because Amy was flirting with the coffee guy for free stuff.

The coffee shop just played a recording of a Schubert piece I played in high school orchestra. I've always loved that piece because the viola part is fantastic. I can't remember the name right now, but I think it was in F minor. I used to have it on my computer, but it seems to have been lost in The Computer/Coffee Meet-up of 2009.

saturday randomness

I've upped my mileage for my runs. I generally ride my bike to Lake Calhoun and then run around it, which is just over 3 miles. I've started ditching the bike and running there and back. That adds just under a mile each way, so my total distance is now close to 5 miles. Not bad. I do need some new running songs, though. If anyone has any suggestions for songs they like, let me know. I'm getting a little tired of my old collection. I usually just put it on random, so that helps prevent stagnation.

In other recent news, I've also gone and found myself some full-time work. As a part of an Americorps program, I'll be working as a literacy specialist in an early childcare center at the Midtown YWCA. I don't have to transfer buses, I'll have free membership to the Y, and I get to help kids learn how to read. All in all, pretty good. It's interesting that the area is called Midtown because it's directly east on Lake Street, not between Uptown (where I live) and downtown, which is directly north. If you take the bus west, you get to my house. If you take the light rail north, you get to downtown. It's a weird triangulation, honestly. But pretty direct if I want to visit Drew and Amy after work, since they live close to the LTR stop by the Metrodome.

A cat came to visit me the other day. I think it belonged to someone in this set of apartments since it was in the locked entryway and all the entryways are connected through the basement. It was adorable and kept looking at me and wanting to be pet... I want an animal, preferably a cat. Kari isn't quite so amiable to that, but I'll keep working on her. I think she just has to get to know a cat.

It's been a cold summer. I wonder if that means it'll be crazy fierce somewhere down the line. Either incredibly hot or incredibly cold. We'll see. Maybe it's making up for last winter, the winter I missed while I was in New Haven. I wouldn't mind that, personally.