ENNUI EN MASSE

So. I can either finish these papers and rack up a nice little GPA for the semester. Or...I can refuse to finish these papers and fail out of graduate school.

WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Meet La Luna

So, I wrecked my car three weeks ago tomorrow. The story is not particularly interesting--suffice it to say that no one was hurt (especially not the pedestrian who crossed against the light and caused everyone in front of me to stop abruptly before I oh-so-gingerly rear ended them). But my beloved, beloved Lumina was totalled by my insurance company.

I drove the Reinamobile for more than five years. She was the very first car I drove that belonged only to me and not any other member of my family. I got her the summer before my sophomore year in college and up until her untimely demise, she served me faithfully, humbly and well. I loved that car so much, I can't even tell you. I began predicting her demise about a year ago as I worried how I would get to Arizona--but she survived that trip just fine (a story which is chronicled on this blog somewhere). The most she'd ever asked from me was a new water pump and a new intake manifold gasket thingy, both expenses I gladly paid. I never dreamed she'd end in a collision at Highland and Sixth, in Tucson, Arizona. Never in a million years.

That car was more a part of my life than I am happy to admit--I don't like the American dependency on cars, I don't like my own dependency on personal vehicular transportation. But put me in a situation where I don't have a car and I get antsy, almost panicky. So it goes.

In the 70,000 miles we drove together, we made it to and through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and probably a few other states I can't remember. I drove her back and forth between Denison and Madison, Madison and Chicago, to several weddings of dear friends, home to Madison on the night my grandfather died, to the beds of boys I won't mention, to the hospital over and over again when my dad was sick, to colleges to visit friends. Basically, a lot of my life happened and was possible because of that car.

Goodbye, sweet Reinamobile. Thanks a million for not breaking down in the New Mexican mountains.



So, yeah. At first I had a rental and then I didn't have a rental anymore because Progressive decided to total the Lumina. I rented over the past weekend and had settled on a 2004 Hyundai Accent with 26k miles, nothing terribly tricked out, but lots of warranty left. I was poised to purchase that car when I found out that the owner had recently refinanced and the new title hadn't been released by the DMV yet, much to both our surprise. I wasted a goodly amount of money on an inspection and time, precious time, planning to buy that Accent. I planned to name it El Rey (Spanish for the King) in honor of the Reinamobile and its masculine angles. But that all fell through.

Instead, I went to a dealership this morning, just three blocks south of my house and bought this:



She's a 2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8S with 19K miles and about a year of factory warranty left. She drives well, is in super great condition, has brand new tires and most of all, she's mine:



In continuing my tradition of fetishizing the Spanish language, I was stuck for a name for her. She is undoubtedly a her because of her sleek curves. Definitely not an El Rey by any stretch of the imagination. I've always adored the moon, but even more so since I moved to the desert. So, La Luna it is. Welcome to the family, Lunamobile. Glad you're here.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

Holidays are largely a family affair for me. My dad’s family celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and sometimes the 4th of July together. My mom’s family has nearly the same rate of celebration, though we’re not always able to join them. I’ve been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving this year, and am anticipating continuing my own tradition of calling friends and family (almost all far away now that I’m no longer in Madison) and telling them how thankful I am for their presence in my life. But I also think that this Thanksgiving is worth documenting here, mostly because I am spending it with friends, the family you choose for yourself. So, without further ado, I present to you not a list of things I am thankful for, but of family I’ve chosen for myself:

For Dylan who teaches me something new, or blows my mind, nearly every time I’m in her presence. Thank you.

For KT who forces me out of the slow lane (metaphorically and literally) and has taught me to embrace my neuroticisms, make peace with them, and keep on trucking. In her I’ve found a fellow food-wine snob, which is a rarity indeed. Thank you.

For Heather who, as I described her to Matt, is my best surprise of the semester. Knowing Heather has forced me to reconcile my tendency to pre-judge people with my wanting to know them better. Heather is adventurous in ways I can never dream of being and her endless encouragement is never tiresome. Thank you.

For LB who teaches me patience and laughter and understanding every single day. More than anyone I’ve ever known, Lauryn is content to let people be who they are, flaws and all, but love them anyway. Thank you.

Those four peeps have made my last four months not only bearable, but enjoyable and worthwhile. But without this next list, I don’t think I would have had the heart or courage to come out here in the first place. So I’m thankful:

For Kevin who doesn’t always agree with me, but has taught me to carefully consider the political ramifications of my beliefs. Kevin is still, and always shall be, the last person I want to hear about any shenanigans I pull, mostly out of respect for the thoughtful life that he leads. Thank you.

For Mel who has taught me perseverance and strength and family and courage for the last eleven years. Thank you.

For Kelly who got that first tearful phone call and still didn’t make fun of me for it. Kelly pulls no punches and has forced more truth out of me, and into my life, than nearly anyone I’ve ever met. Her presence makes my life more honest and more laughter filled. Thank you.

For Matt who got that second tearful phone call and still didn’t make fun of me for it. From him I have learned the importance of taking myself less seriously most of the time, but knowing when it’s time to step it up a notch, stand and deliver. Thank you.

For Nicole who inspired me to get out on the market again, even if only to rival her in the “most first dates in 2005” category. From Nicole, I’ve learned the value of sitting back and listening, sometimes, and when necessary, devolving into screensaver mode. Thank you.

I am surely the luckiest girl alive because I could go on and on, if only I didn’t have a thousand papers to write this week. Thanks y’all.

oh, joe

When I go to Trader Joe's, I like to play a little game I call the "find the cutest man-checker, get in his line, and see how long I can ignore the entreaties of the other checkers to get in their lines, which are often shorter or even non-existent before it becomes apparent that I'm really only in the store to objectify this one guy" game. It's a good time.