Rantishness

I've been terribly deficient in blogging lately. Indeed, I ought to be writing overdue papers for a grad class I loathe, even as I write this. Oh well...

I'm alternately ready and terrified of not being ready to go to Australia these days. Ready to LEAVE Northern Virginia forever-to shake off this horrid red clay, and move on with life. Not ready from the perspective that I have SO freaking much to do before I go...Not to mention money to save...Ack (my latest expletive).

I'm sitting in my Starbucks-it really IS mine, too...complete with my Starbucksbaristafriends Tyler, Brandon, Kyle, Kurt, Tony and Brooke. They call me by name, they give me just about every other drink, and they greet me effusively and send me off (somewhat pathetically) with a heartfelt "See you tomorrow!" Living at DeAnna's has beenl ovely-no rent to pay has been LOVELY, but Linda (the other "tenant") is just plumb crazy, and DeAnna is sweet, but high-stress. I've adopted Starbucks as my home away from home this year...

Speaking of home, I miss my family is a ridiculous way. Perhaps it's because I know that they will be almost entirely out of reach for 24 months, and that any in-touch-ness I will have will be dependent upon their sporadic (at best) communication. Well, at least my sister's. Bless her-Angie has SO much in her life, I don't blame her too much for not staying in touch better, but it IS hard sometimes, especially because I know that the kids are growing like weeds and I'm missing out on major milestones pretty much daily. Ack again, I say. And mom is having fits about my going-oh, she wants me to, but is terrified for me. All of which does NOT make it any easier.

Then there's school...trying-I really AM!-to finish well, but at the moment, I feel like I am failing epically. Oh, and then there's the HUGE disappointment of Joel Houston coming to New York City to start the new Hillsong church just as I leave for Sydney. There goes both my cool guitar guy AND my idea of catching his vision. Crap. Not that he IS my guitar guy. But still. :P

Oh, I'm PMS-ing, can you tell? I'm just stressed (grad class isn't helping) and crabby. Poop. I need to end this post-AND this day...a testament to the day's productivity: I took about a dozen Facebook quizzes which informed me of everything from what kind of Southern Gal I was to Which Disney Princess I am...

I need to end with a list of some happy things...Or else I'll explode in a sea of hatefulness. So, in no particular order:

Starbucks Dark Cherry Mocha Latte
The Young Victoria, with Emily Blunt
Twitter
Aquabumps photos of Bondi Beach
As Time Goes By, with Geoffrey Palmer and Dame Judi Dench
Lilly Pulitzer (in moderation)
Ralph Lauren-without moderation
Paris
Atomic Ranch magazine
Tyler Florence
Jacques Pepin


That's all for now. I feel better.