Currently...

I like this little theme for a blogpost and so this is my second installment of what is hopefully a fun tradition to see where I'm at in life. I'll tell you what I'm loving, reading, watching, anticipating, listening to, planning, working on, and wishing for in this very moment to get a nice little snapshot of what my life is like in October of 2012. Maybe I'll notice how I grow as time goes on with these posts, maybe I'll remain as immature as I currently am now. Who knows. But I love tracking stuff like this so here we go!

Loving: My roommates, Jen and Kristin. You can see these lovely ladies featured in previous posts about adventures to Ikea and homemade meals together. They are most of the reason why I love life in Chicago. It's amazing to me how I found, like, the best possible living situation I could have asked for. Not only is my neighborhood cool and my apartment one of my favorite places ever, I get to live here with cool, independent, smart, thoughtful, funny people. And for some reason they don't hate me. I am by far the messiest of the three of us, clunk around at really early hours in the morning due to my clumsiness and lack of morning consciousness, and play loud music in my room when I clean it. Yet somehow they are still nice and cool and want to be friends. 

Reading: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling. Oh my goodness people. I want to be best friends with this chick. She is hilarious and inspirational. She details how she got to be a writer/director/producer/actress on The Office and more. She has wonderful insights on friendships, high school, comedy, and career. She, like myself, is a big list maker, which I obviously appreciate (as I write this on a blog post in a list format). I know I'm sounding like a gushing fangirl, but just wait until you get me talking about Taylor Swift in a few seconds. 

Watching: Portlandia. It is awesome. Especially when your neighborhood is too hipster for its own good. Sometimes I want to walk outside in Pilsen and slap some people across the face, yelling, "YOU AREN'T THAT COOL!" but then I remember that I have a side of me that really digs the hipster vibe and that I, too, would also dress to look homeless if I could afford the expensive designer clothes that they buy to look that way. I digress. Portlandia is a skit show making fun of this very culture. I signed up for a free month of Netflix and am really tempted to just keep it renewed. Netflix is a beautiful thing, my friends. 

Anticipating: The impending nuptials of my dear, dear friend, Karyn Koopmans. I am a bridesmaid in her wedding on Saturday and I am so excited. She is one of those friends that you know will just always be there for you no matter what happens. She also is one of those people who naturally looks like a Barbie doll with perfect skin, while you look on in your acne-ridden brunette-ness in a fit of jealousy. But then you remember how good of a friend she is and you decide you don't completely hate her for it. The best part is that she's even prettier on the inside. She will make a beautiful bride for her awesome fiance Shane. 

Listening To: Um, do I even have to say it?! OBVIOUSLY I am cycling Red, Taylor Swift's new album, on repeat at all hours, minutes, and seconds of the day. Since Taylor is only two months younger than me, I feel like we are always at the same life stage and that her songs speak right to my soul. Sorry boys, but I have one of you in mind for each Taylor Swift song I've ever heard. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it's not so good. Her new album did not only not disappoint, but it made me want to just sit around and soak up her awesomeness all the time. My favorite songs are 22 (because who doesn't like breakfast at midnight?), Begin Again (because a redemptive song amidst an album of heartbreak is optimistic and hopeful and great), Stay Stay Stay (because all I want to do is sing this as a duet with someone who plays a ukelele), and my favorite, All Too Well (because I have a personal application to this song from my life that just hits the lyrics on the head so perfectly). Sing on, T Swift, sing on. 

Planning: An exciting trip that hopefully will get to happen! I'm asking for plane tickets from my parents for Christmas and California is on my mind. So is Lauren Haney. I'd like those two to come together for a week of joy during my Christmas break. Let's be honest: I need to get on an airplane soon before I go batty. That sounds terribly like a first world problem, and I suppose it definitely is. I'm just excited for dreaming about the possibility of a new adventure with an old friend. 

Working On: Psyching myself up for a 15k run on Sunday with Kristin! Yes, you read it correctly, a 15k, not a 5k. That translates to just over 9 miles. Yeesh. I ran 8 miles two Saturdays ago and 6 miles on Sunday this week, so I'm thinking I'll be okay with 9. I'm just nervous because I will be super slow at it and will end up finishing like an hour after Kristin who is super disciplined and awesome at exercising regularly. The great thing about this race is that it's a Hot Chocolate run, so at the end there is a fondu and hot chocolate bar there awaiting you to celebrate after the finish line. We'll see if I don't barf it all up. 

Wishing: For better sleep habits. As I write this, it is midnight and I teach tomorrow. I think this just boils down to prioritizing time management as an important element of my life. I tend to think that just one more thing accomplished or read or written before I go to bed won't hurt anything. And that one more thing turns into ten more things. And then I'm up at 11:30 and I figure an extra half hour spent on a blogpost about all of my current favorite things will actually be helpful to my well being, which it is, but so is a night of 9 hours of sleep. So I think that will have to be on my list of things to improve about myself. Right after the one about quitting my nasty cocaine habit.  

So there you are. Everything I'm currently up to. 'Til next time!