i've had a sudden uplifting...maybe it's the shopping spree i've been on that is lifting my spirits, or passing my annual review at work, or wearing dresses a few times a week that's doing it, but something has brightened my outlook tremendously in the last few weeks. it's good.

in other news, i think hubb and i have decided on a 5 year anniversary trip - - santiago, chile. it's a new experience for both of us, good food, good wine (two of my favorite wineries are in the maipo valley), we won't be berated with recommendations and tips from our friends (no offense, but we really want this trip to be 100% ours, you know?), and most importantly, it will be warm. low 70's to be exact. no too hot, not too cold, just perfect. oh my god i can't wait. hopefully we'll be buying the plane tickets and locking in our plan very soon. airfare is outrageously expensive, but hotels, rental cars and meals will be cheap, and looking at the mountains and the ocean on a 70 degree sunny day is free.

i've been totally distracted by random silliness lately, namely these barack and hillary sites. you've probably already seen them, but enjoy anyway. it's fun to compare.

i complain all the time about, well, everything, but quite a bit about being busy and having nearly every day in my planner filled with something to do. oh, poor me, with lots of social obligations and places to be. yeah, i'm going to stop complaining because i am in fact very very lucky. incredibly lucky to have such a great network of (incredibly talented) friends who want to be around me, family who love me and want me to come visit them, coworkers that i want to hang out with after 5pm, opportunities to volunteer, the strength to exercise (occasionally) and the financial stability to fit in a few shopping trips in between. life is pretty good. and if that means i take a few less lazy sunday photos and make a few less meals at home, so be it. even if it makes me sigh and start complaining about my busy life again.

just wait until we have a kid.

i'm not pregnant. that wasn't an announcement, just a reflection.

ok, then. so i'm antsy for springtime and just ordered a few cute ruffly things with bows in colors! actual colors other than black and denim! i'm looking forward to rust orange and peacock blue and yellow and white to come back into my daily wardrobe.

i'm wearing a cranberry color today (underneath my black sweater) in honor of valentine's day. i don't have the cynicism a lot of people do about it being a hallmark holiday, which it totally is, because i enjoy the romantic moment it inspires us take with each other, to pause and accept and enjoy each other in the midst of our busy lives. sometimes life just happens underneath you and you catch yourself taking your significant other (or your family, or your friends) for granted. valentine's day is just one of those days that makes us step back and feel grateful for the love we have in our lives. and maybe get some flowers out of the deal.

so happy heart day, friends. i love you.

i'm still feeling listy. which i am now associating with lazy.

a. the barista at the starbucks that i pass on the way to work has been upgrading me from a grande to a venti, often enough that i am beginning to wonder if it's his way of flirting or if i just look damned tired.

b. i've often looked at the potbelly's bicycle delivery people and wondered if that might be a fun job, riding around the city, making people happy by bringing them food.

c. after eating anything i want for a weekend full of visitors, it's hard to get back to normal and resist buffalo blue cheese fries when they're available.

d. i am so desperate for a vacation, so much that i almost "accidently" bought plane tickets to montreal for the end of the week, and daydreamed a story of why i needed the time off work.

e. looking at potential apartment locations with friends this past weekend got my itchy for something new. i'm sort of slightly considering a few open house visits this weekend. or not. if i am feeling lazy. which i am.

some things. (i'm totally into lists lately)

- for some reason, anti my usual critical self, i adore this.

- i want to create little business cards that say "i can hear your music. your headphones don't work." to hand to people on the train. i think that would be the polite thing to do, because these people are probably unaware that they are being rude.

- i bought a box of lemongrass tea from the ethnic cosmetic/hair care section of cvs a few weeks ago. it was $1.49 and is currently my favorite beverage.

- i feel totally awesome after tae bo monday. i'm antsy to go back and punish my leg muscles some more. once they stop throbbing, that is.

- i have found the most wonderful toy box, ever. i want it.

- i am almost done reading animal, vegetable, miracle, and it is totally making me want to go live on a farm and raise turkeys and tomatoes and squash. if you're at all into food you should read this inspirational, educational book.

- i would like a vacation soon. somewhere warm, please.

things i've been thinking about.

- it would be cool to have a chandelier for my dining room table that is also wine glass storage. the wine glasses hang by their stems around the light, creating sparkly romantic lighting and easy access to stemware.

- diy baby stuff. i think one of the reasons hubb and i don't have any kids yet (one of the many many reasons) is that we are against all of the consumerism associated with raising children. disney this and sesame street that, toys and gadgets that we probably need in some capacity but really don't want to have to buy...or find a home for in our little condo. i don't think we'll ever get our families to go along with this, but i'd like to stick to as much of a diy aesthetic/lifestyle as possible when we finally decide to expand our family. handmade wooden and felt toys, handsewn clothes, homemade baby food. i think i have the gumption for it, we'll just see if someday i'll have the time to execute.

- another friend had a baby on friday, and surprise! it was a girl. what are these people eating/drinking that they all are having girl babies? but they're all perfect and beautiful and i wouldn't change any of them into boys. welcome to the world, alice! (i love that name so so much!)

- i keep buying artwork, and i've sort of run out of places to put it. i think i'd like to turn our hallway into a randomly arranged gallery of art...i just need to gather up the courage to put a bunch of nail holes into my walls.

- i keep pretending i'm going to go to a gym, do some aerobic activity, exercise, but i always find an excuse not to. it is possible that some people just aren't built for being active or am i just being lazy?

today: 10 things about me

1. i love love love blue cheese. everything about it is perfect.

2. i occasionally go through these ADD fits where i can't concentrate on anything for more than a minute. like today on the train i was trying to read newsweek and kept getting bored 2 paragraphs into each article. i hate when that happens.

3. i love to paint my own nails. i love getting pedicures, but i often feel that in my anal retentive attention to detail self, i do a better job at the painting part. sometimes i go through the whole summer with an impeccably self maintained french manicure and pedicure.

4. i have a lot of trouble following recipes. i always feel the need to change it, even by just a little bit. that has resulted in tragedy more than once when i've tried to bake.

5. i bit the tongue of the first guy i ever french kissed. i'm still amazed that he gave me a second chance.

6. i really dislike green bean casserole. with a passion.

7. i have these dual busybody/lazy sides to me. i love me some couch sitting in the evenings, but when i'm home sick, i have to do stuff. i often spend hours in the kitchen making chicken broth, then soup from scratch when i'm home sick from work. it makes me feel better.

8. i believe strongly in holistic and homeopathic medicine, though i don't practice it regularly.

9. i love almost anything with flavored with almond.

10. i used to play soccer when i was a kid, and my nickname was "speedy gonzalez" because i was short and fast.