Things that are ephemeral

I somehow see what's beautiful in things that are ephemeral
I'm my only friend, am I
& love is just a piece of time
in the world, in the world
& I couldn't help but fall in love again
no, I couldn't help but fall in love again
I Thought I Saw Your Face Today -- She & Him

After my mom's house sold, it was a mad dash to find an apartment for me. We started off looking for apartments where someone was already renting & looking for a roommate. That didn't work out. We changed our game plan & started looking for an apartment where I would later be the one looking for a roommate.

Finally we found a place that suited me & my needs. We signed the lease, put down first & last month's rent. The next day the landlord (who had yet to sign the lease) pulled it. His daughters felt he was not in good enough health to be renting it out. And then the mad dash began again, but intensified. My family was moving in five days.

I lucked out & landed in the right place at the right time. I got a fantastic apartment in a fantastic location. I'm moving in on Sunday & I'm so excited.

While that mad dash was still going on, one of my friends -- one of my professors from college -- offered to let me stay with her & her family while I got on my feet. I took her up on the offer, which was necessary even though I found an apartment. I needed a place to stay for three weeks.

I've known this family for two years. I took my first class with "M" in my sophomore year. A month later, I was participating in a charity walk with her, her husband "M2", & their kids "E" & "B". Since then, I've spent a good amount of time outside of school with them. "M2" is also a professor from the school I went to, although I didn't take a class with him until my last semester.

Maybe because I've babysat, housesat, & been over their house socially before, I immediately felt at home when I arrived for my stay while I was in transit. Having been here before definitely helped in knowing where most things are, knowing the lay of the land. However, I think the feeling at home part is due to the people. "M" & "M2" gave me such a warm welcome, as did the kids who hadn't grasped how long I would be here. I've been included in family dinners & other activities, such as going to a movie at "E"s school & going to "boo" two families -- a Halloween activity in this neighborhood.

Three weeks seemed like a long time before I got here. I worried about it being too much for them to handle, too much of a burden. Now, my three weeks are almost up & even though I'm looking forward to moving into my apartment (which, by the way, is only a 10-minute walk away from their house), I also find myself wishing that I was staying here longer. It's so wonderful to be staying with friends, to feel like part of their family, to be living with little kids, and to be living with a sweet dog who follows me around.

I'm truly blessed to have them, as well as all my other friends & my family, in my life. It was a very trying time before I got to this stage & the support I have means the world to me. Staying here has been the best stress relief I could ask for.

In the past week ...

I moved in with friends until the beginning of November.

I have a new best friend, Shady the dog.

I have a new enemy, Woody the cat.

I've become part of a new family & immediately felt at home.

I'm taking in the dynamic of a family: the good, the bad, & the ugly.

Despite the bad & the ugly, it's a confirmation that I do want kids.

I was subjected to playing "Cash Cab", without the kids in the car.

I realized I have my first apartment! (Move in on 1 November.)

I got really excited.

Things changed. For the better.

Absentminded ramblings ...

Delete

I just wrote a ranting post about how swimingly things are going right now. And then deleted it.

It didn't make me feel better.

Let's just say I am not in a good mood. I'm not in a good mood & I'm a ticking time bomb. So if I'm not very present in any way - on Twitter, via text, via e-mail, or whatever the mode is - it's not you. It's me.

I don't want to snap at anyone. I don't want to go on a rant about anything. I know you don't have to read it if I do, but I bet you will. Because you guys are great.

I don't know how long this will last. I'm hoping that it's just because everyone is stressed with everything relating to the move(s). Maybe it's just today, maybe it'll be until my family moves, maybe it'll be until I'm moved in to an apartment. I'm not sure.

I just wanted to give a head's up. If I'm not around as much or if I'm "off", it's not you. It's me. And that's not just a line.

And instead of saying "sorry" or anything like that, if you're going to comment ... tell me what your favorite primetime show is.

Mine is Bones, which is on FOX right now (8pm EST).

This is not a love story

At the beginning of the month one of my best friends from college, who now lives far away in Maine - practically Canada, came to visit. One of the things we did was go see the movie 500 Days of Summer. If you haven't seen it, you should. We both absolutely loved it!

Throughout the movie, we kept commenting on how we loved the music. We recognized a few of the songs by Regina Spektor, a few of the songs are clearly identified as The Smiths, & Zooey Deschanel sang part of a cover of Sugar Town by Nancy Sinatra. Other than that, the music was all new to my ears. My friend got the soundtrack & she raved about it. It's on the top of my "to get" list the next time I can make a luxury purchase.

The other night, I looked up the list of tracks on the soundtrack so that I could find them on YouTube. Not the easiest task, but I found a good number of them. During the search, I came across this gem. It's a short video that Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon Levitt (the lead male in the movie) made with the same director. It's set to a She & Him song, one of my favorites: Why Do You Let Me Stay Here.

*No spoilers for the movie. Promise.

view on YouTube

Since I saw it the other night, I've been obsessed. I've always been a big fan of Zooey Deschanel, so it's not a surprise that when she partnered with M. Ward to form She & Him I became a big fan of them. Zooey acting AND singing is always a perfect combo for me, & I loved her & JGL in the movie. Therefore, I practically drool over this video.

Oh & as a side note, I also love Emily Deschanel (lead actress on Bones). The Deschanel sisters = love. In case you didn't already know. ;)

A Positive Spin

The apartment hunt has been very stressful & very fast-paced! Our house was sold within a week of putting it on the market. We didn't expect that things would move so quickly, but it's been a huge relief that we wouldn't have the house being shown for months on end. A week was enough to try our nerves! The only thing is that there's a looming deadline over our heads to get me into an apartment.

The thing is, I don't drive. I need to be in a city location so that I have access to public transportation so that once I have a job, I can get myself there! Otherwise I would have the option of moving with my family. However, they're moving way out to the western part of the state & it's just not a viable option for me.

So, the stress of hunting for an apartment in the time frame of a month is full on right now. It's down to two weeks from today that I need to be in a place.

Stressful!

As if the job hunt wasn't enough, right?

Needless to say, I've found myself in need of some stress relief, big time!! I decided to start focusing on the positive, fun aspects of looking for an apartment.

a) I won't be living with my family! Now, don't get me wrong. I love my family. However, after 22 years I'm ready to set out on my own. Um, granted my mom will be paying rent for me until I have a steady income, but ... still. I won't be living with my family & I won't be living in a dorm room. Exciting!

b) DECORATING!!!!! There was a brief amount of time in my life when I wanted to be an interior designer. I was watching a lot of TLC's Trading Spaces (can I just tell you how excited I am that Genevive Gorder is on a design show again? LOVE HER!) & ate it up. I've had a hand in a lot of the redecorating that's gone on in the house. I've moved past wanting to be an interior designer by profession, but it's still a hobby. And now I watch a hell of a lot of HGTV.

The other night, my mom & brother went to pick out a paint color for my brother's room when they move. I asked my mom to pick up some paint samples for me - light hues; greens, blues, yellows. I've been really leaning toward wanting a fresh, calm green palate for my eventual new room.

I'm a big fan of Cucumber Crush from Behr. I'm about 99% positive that (if I can paint) this is the color I'm going to go with.
I've also decided that I want to make prints of some of the photos I've taken & hang them in my room. The first four below I plan to print as 8x10s; the following 5 I plan to print as 5x7s. (I already have a 5x7 print of one of them, actually.)It's probably not smart to plan out where I'll put them based on my current first choice apartment, seeing as I don't know whether or not I'll get that apartment. However, I'm doing it any way. The first two 8x10s will go on one wall; the other two 8x10s will go on the opposite wall. The first two 5x7s will flank a window on one of the other walls. The other three 5x7s will go on the opposite wall, next to the closet door.

Since my mom is moving in with her boyfriend, she isn't really bringing any furniture with her. I have my pick of everything, depending on where I wind up. It's been a bit hard trying to decide what furniture to take for my bedroom, since I don't know how big of a space I'll have. I know that I'm getting one of the queen beds, a big upgrade from my twin bed. I'm bringing my desk, my bureau, & a piece of furniture we have down in the living room that my grandpa made for my dad. Other than that, it all depends. I'll take one of my mom's nightstands most likely & after that, I'm not sure. I'm also getting her TV, which is another big upgrade from my teeny screened TV.

I'm looking forward to having a new space to make my own. Now I just need to find that space!

Spinach Puffs

This is one of my favorite recipes. It's always my go-to when I have to make something for a get-together. (Although, I always double the recipe in that case.)

Ingredients:
one 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 slightly beaten eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
one 8 1/2-ounce package corn muffin mixIn a saucepan, combine spinach & onion; cook according to spinach package directions. Drain well, pressing out excess liquid. Combine eggs, cheeses, salad dressing, butter or margarine, & garlic powder. Add spinach mixture & muffin mix; mix well. Cover & chill. (Or, place in a freezer container; seal, label, & freeze.) To serve, place chilled or frozen puffs on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven 'til light brown. Bake chilled puffs for 10-12 minutes; bake frozen puffs for 12-15 minutes. Serve warm. Makes about 60.

Make sure to chill the mixture so that it's easier to put it on the cookie sheets.I've found that if you use a light sheet, it takes about 12 minutes to cook after chilling.
If you use a dark sheet, it only takes about 10 minutes to cook.
It seems to be easier to use a metal spatula, as opposed to a rubber one. They come up quite nicely.While the recipe says that it makes about 60, I've found that I wind up with more like 50 ... I make them a little bigger.(I took this picture after the first two sheets came out of the oven ... they go pretty quick!)

Also, while the recipe says to serve them warm, I think they're also yummy cold. So when you have leftovers, you can either warm them up again in the microwave or enjoy them as they are!

If you use this recipe, let me know what you think!

What's your favorite recipe?

Wordless Wednesday #7

Some photos from my trip to NYC last month.

Central Park
Central Park
Belvidere Castle
Cleopatra's Needle
Central Park
Me at the Alice in Wonderland StatueNew York Supreme Court

These are all straight out of camera. My brother generously let me borrow his Kodak EasyShare M380. (I'm 90% sure it's the 380. I'll check with him later.) I waaaaant a camera like this! It's so much better than the one I have. Although I want to play with a Canon PowerShot before making a decision ... for which one will go on my Christmas list.