a near miss

it's sunday morning, the last day of the grand prix here in baltimore (thank you, God!), and the birthday of my illustrious, fabulous, and in all ways hilarious bff. for the first time in about 3 years, i am NOT sick on her birthday - which i feel is some sort of grand feat for me, i must say. i'm not sure what it is about labor day that seems to curse me each year, but i normally come down with some type of upper respiratory funk that leaves me knocked out and in no way social for the better part of 3 weeks.

despite some mild feelings of impending influenza on friday, i've managed to hold myself together for the last two days and have fortified my strength through sleeping in and doing absolutely nothing. so much so, that i now feel nearly ready to brave the wilds of my currently noisy city and seek out my first brunch in weeks. special occasions must be upheld, no? and a birthday of my 'more sister to me than any sister has ever been' friend is just such an event.

who knows what madcap fun will ensue after bacon is munched and brunch cocktails drunk (hers, not mine)? methinks a trip to the suburbs may be in order...although that seems so...pedantic just now. truthfully, i am without fundage to do something actually fun these days, and if there's one thing i know, it's that most things enjoyable cost money...if not the doing, then the getting there and back.

ah well. i have my moments of creativity. perhaps a hot, soapy shower will inspire me to think outside the realm of my (nearly empty) wallet and put me in a mindset more worthy of today's festivities. once again, i am not in bed with a fever, so i'm heading in the right direction. and besides, there is bacon to be had and a bff to celebrate, and who am i to pass up such an opportunity?

obviously....

i'm back in school. yes, i know. in this post, i said i was taking a break unless something changed. well, something did. a combination of guilt, gumption, and perhaps general stupidity set in and now i'm back in the game. i'm taking financial management this term, and i'm already feeling like i can't fully comprehend all this information. this class was supposed to be easier than accounting. what a joke. i feel like all this math is making accounting look like a cake walk. and what's worse: in addition to weekly papers and discussion postings (which are, essentially, small papers), i have the equivalent of two take-home quizzes per week. SUCKS to be me right now!

well, let's see....what else? my beloved salimah celebrated her 35th this past week. we had multiple dinners out and some general making of merry. i love a good celebration. specifically, saturday night we went to pazo for tapas. holy delicious, batman! i held my healthful eating at bay for one night and entered into the den of gastronomic sin. some of those little plates were divine! in particular, there were some light-as-air croquetas (mashed potatoes and manchego cheese rolled into balls and deep fried) that pretty much did me in. totally worth the carbs for one night;)

as is typical with sunday nights, i'm wide awake when i should be fast asleep. this should come as no shock to anyone - me included. i need groceries. i need to do laundry. i need to tidy up. these are the thoughts plaguing me just now. what i NEED to do is go lie down and think about nothing. all else can wait until the sun comes up again. goodnight, dear world.

goodnight.

happy birthday, dear salimah....

it's 6:00 p.m. on a tuesday and i'm home sick. normally, this would be only moderately annoying, but it's further compounded by the fact that it's my best friend's birthday and i'm not out celebrating it with her. so, in an effort to hold my own personal celebration, allow me to give you just a few reasons why she does, in fact, rock the house.

sure, one might want to know salimah because of her awesome music collection, total recall of pop culture references, ability to intersperse literary quotes into daily conversation, affinity for guinness stout and scotch (neat, even), willingness to have madcap adventures at a moment's notice, facility with creating poetry so lovely, some are moved to silence (yes, i couldn't resist that one), or perhaps her general uber smartypants ways, BUT i love having her as a best friend because she is generous to a fault, completely honest (at times, brutally so), laughs loud and long at my jokes (some of which are even funny), 'gets' what i'm saying, allows herself to be surprised by my quirks--even after all this time, has embraced my eccentric family (and they her), remembers all the things that are important, gives me hugs when i need them (and even when i don't), stands up for my best interests, accepts me for who i am (bad stuff included), and cheers me on when i attempt anything that excites me. she is a phenomenal woman, much stronger than she knows, well-loved by her friends (and family), respected by colleagues and fellow students for her professional and academic aplomb, and she can be a true silly heart when you really get to know her. salimah, you deserve EVERY good thing that comes your way this year. i wish i could be with you to celebrate today, but we have many more days to celebrate you (and oh yes, there will be cocktails!), our friendship, and everything amazing that God has done in your life. as ever, i am so privileged to know you. your star shines brighter every year.