This Land Is My Land

Wow, Massachusetts. You continue to amaze me.

10 Years

Last night I returned from Chicago. From my 10-year high school reunion (by the way, will someone please remind me how to use hypens properly? And quotation marks. Thanks. Seriously, what is the deal with that crap? Why can't I remember that?).

Hi, Nicole. If you are trying to improve your English by this crappy blog, you are in for a major disappointment. You should talk to my friend Allison. Or my sister, GJM (write a blog so I can link to you!). They are both English nerds, and I love them.

Anyway, I went to my reunion and it rocked. Mainly because I decided that I was going to have a good time, regardless of how weird the whole thing was. And so, a good time I had.

Chicago in the summer is beautiful. It's been about 4 or 5 years since I was there when it wasn't the dead of winter. I'd forgotten how many outdoor cafes there are and how nice people in the Midwest are when the sun shines daily. Strangers in the Midwest are always like, 4-5 degrees nicer than strangers on the East Coast. Here, people are afraid that if you look them in the eye, they'll never be rid of you. In the Midwest, people pretend to be your best friend. And quite frankly, contrary to Ani DiFranco, when she says, "can't wait to get back to New York City, where at least when I walk down the street, nobody ever hesitates to tell me exactly what they think of me," I prefer that. I'd rather we at least pretend to be civil.

More when I've had a bit more sleep.

Peace.

I Love My Friends! And Canada!

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Shawn for being an awesome human being and friend. He has this job where he does some stuff that I don’t completely understand, but regardless, one of the (freaking sweet!) perks of said job is that he gets free admission to concerts. And! He gets to take one guest! I am thrilled to report that as his one guest, I will be seeing Radiohead for the first time, for FREE dollars next month! Dag! Way to be nice and stuff, Shawn. Danke sehr!

I’ve never seen Radiohead but have always wanted to. I’ve been a fan for several years now and have heard their live shows are amazing, so I’m wicked psyched.

Also, in less than a week, I’ll be flying home for my 10-year high school reunion. It’s funny. I still call that place “home” when my entire family is here in Massachusetts now. Well, I still have some relatives in the Midwest, but my mom and sisters are here. The Chicago area will always be home though, and Boston will have to settle for being my second home.

My friend Melissa is a spiritual person who loves learning about all things. Period. All things. Anyway, I love her to pieces. She recently read my chart and told me she sees me as having three homes. Chicago, Boston and then one I haven’t found yet. Maybe it will be a city in Deutschland? Only time will tell.

Oh, back to the high school reunion. Man, I am so excited! I can’t wait to see my ladies! We are going to dance the night away. It’ll be good times, I’m sure.

Anywhoooo….I hope you have a great day, wherever you are. And hello to my readers in Canada and Deutschland! Dude, seriously, Canada loves me. I don’t know what it is. I get more hits from Canada than the States. So, here’s to you, Canada! Cheers!

Hilarious

Read this! Too funny.

Items by Others

My sister GJM wrote a guest post on her friend’s blog. You can read her words here. She’s smart. And well-spoken. And a fantabulous sister. Feel better, Schwester.

The post, Wedding Photos, by Sarah Hepola makes me happy. I really enjoy her writing. Check her out.

Tootin' My Horn

When I quit smoking, approximately one year and seven months ago, I was really concerned that I’d gain weight. In all honesty, the potential weight gain had been one of the many excuses I’d employed over the years for continuing to smoke. When I was finally ready to quit the sickorettes, I figured that if I put on few extra pounds, that would not matter, so long as my lungs were repairing themselves. I used to cough a lot. A lot. It was really gross. Man, I do not miss that.

Anyway, I digress. I did gain weight – about ten pounds, to be exact. I chewed a lot of gum and toothpicks to keep myself from snacking mindlessly, but the number on the scale kept climbing. I recently read somewhere that smokers burn an additional 200 calories per day due to an artificial metabolism boost. So when I was still puffing away, my metabolism was deceptively fast. Plus, I smoked a lot more than I ate. I can’t even count the number of evenings I sat on my porch, reading and chain-smoking and then I’d realize I’d missed dinner, so I’d just have another cigarette.

Well, times have changed and I am so happy to report that I am finally, after a year of lots of ultimate frisbee and a lot less beer, back to my pre-quit weight! Woohoo!!! Dang. That feels good.

Oh, and I’ve been meaning to post a link to the quit meter that I so often mention in this blog. You download the program, enter your quit details (date and time of quit, number of cigarettes per day you average, cost of a pack) and each time you start the computer, a little window pops up, telling you how long it has been since you quit, how much money you have saved, how many sickorettes you’ve not smoked and how much life you’ve saved. It’s neat. Check it out.

Happy Thursday, friends! Have a lovely day and a safe 4th of July.