I'm a bad blogger

It's official. I am a bad blogger. I am going to resolve to blog at least three times each week in 2009. I will start with my list of resolutions, to be published on January 1.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here are a few things I am thankful for today (in no particular order):

Good friends
My husband
Delicious food
My family
Pretty shoes
A roof over my head
My job, even though it sucks sometimes
Music


Love,
Kristen

Note to Self

Dear Kristen,

Please stop slacking in the blogging department. You have several unfinished posts that desperately need your attention. You finished studying for and taking the GRE last month. The elections are over so you are done obsessing over huffingtonpost and fivethirtyeight. You aren't working insane overtime hours. So what's the hold up? Seriously, get cracking on this blog thing. And post some more pictures. You have thousands of them on your computer just begging to be posted.

Thanks,
Kristen

Thanksgiving

Dear Thanksgiving,



Thanks for giving me an excuse to throw a party with our friends. I am on a major cooking kick right now and I am really looking forward to making a delicious dinner to share with the people here in Chicago who have made this move so much easier for me. I am very glad that the husband's cohorts have been kind enough to include me in their events and plans. I was really worried when we moved that I would never make any friends because I work from home and thus have no real way to meet people other than through the husband.

I don't know how many of you read this blog, but I am very thankful for all of you. Thanksgiving dinner is going to be a AMAZING!

Love,
Kristen

Muffin Tops Make Me Sad

Dear Muffin-top,

Please go away. For once I would like to be able to find a pair of pants that actually fit my hips without you up and spilling over the top like a squishy-yeasty puff of bread dough. Ew. I'm a little grossed out by that analogy. Anyway, I would greatly appreciate it if we could work out an arrangement where you migrate from my waist down to my otherwise flat bum. I'd love to have a little more junk in my trunk if you know what I mean (and I think you do).

Thank you.

Love,
Kristen

A+ America

Dear United States of America,

A+ for making last night at Grant Park a truly amazing experience. I think I cried for about an hour after Barack Obama was named President-Elect of the U.S. of A. I am so proud to be American today, it's just ridiculous. I feel like new doors for minorities (women included) have just been opened and that this country is really going to get back on track.

I didn't sleep much last night, on account of the train taking an hour to get from Millenium Station to Hyde Park (usually 15 minutes) and then I had to shower off all the icky cigarette smoke, but you know what? I don't even care that today I am exhausted. Last night was worth every ounce of exhaustion, every ounce of sleep depravation, and every ounce of tears. I got chills listening to President-Elect (eek!) Obama's speech. I think this is the start of a very good 4 years.

Love,
Kristen

P.S. for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures from last night:

USA in lights on a building downtown

Our whole group. I'm in the purple shirt

New York goes to Obama!

Me with my cute husband

CNN calls the election for Barack Obama. The crowds went WILD!!

President-Elect Barack Obama's victory speech. Truly powerful.

1 million people standing in silence with tears streaming down their faces as history was made.

The crowds leaving Grant Park. Michigan Ave was totally closed to cars and the streets were packed for a 4 block radius. I have never seen anything like it...even New Year's Eve in NYC wasn't this packed.

Melty Puddleness

Dear Person in Charge of Things,

Why does everything have to be so hard? It's trite but it really is true that it never rains it pours and right now I kind of just wish I could let the rain melt me into a little tiny puddle. At least then some cute little kid could come splash in my melty puddleness with big, red rubber boots and someone would be having fun.

Love,
Kristen

The death of an enemy

Dear GRE,

As promised, your tyrannical reign over my life ended yesterday afternoon when I waltzed out of the Prometric Testing Center with a score that is good enough for grad school. I just wanted to tell you that I don't even miss you. Not even a little.

Love,
Kristen

Elections

Dear Illinois Secretary of State,

10 voting machines was not enough at the early elections polling place in my neighborhood. I waited in line for 5 hours to vote. While it was a delightful 5 hours spent making new friends and learning the secrets of barbecue and proper turkey preparation, I kind of wanted to make a Costco run this evening. Please think about more voting machines next year and for God's sake order a proper dinner for your poll workers. Most of them had been there for 12 hours with only sub sandwiches and a few bags of potato chips.

Love,
Kristen

Banks

Dear American Banking System,

Please stop f*cking with my bank accounts. Thank you.

Love,
Kristen

The bane of my existence

Dear GRE,

Why do you insist on encroaching into every aspect of my life? I know you're a big, important exam that could seal my fate regarding my graduate school applications, but seriously, can't a girl get a little peace and quiet every once in a while? I can't walk across the apartment without feeling like I should have vocabulary flash cards in my hands. I'm FOIL-ing equations in my head as I drift off to sleep every night. I just wrote an email to a coworker where I used the words pejorative and recumbent in the same sentence.

I just want you to know that in 2 more days I will break your iron grasp of tyranny. The gauntlet has been thrown - and you are going down!

Love,
Kristen

An Introduction

Dear World,

Remember several years ago when all my friends started blogging and I told them they were silly and that I'd never keep an online journal of any kind? Well, I lied. First, there was the teeny blog I kept while studying abroad in college, mostly as a way to catalog my thousands of pictures and to remember all my adventures. Once I returned to the U.S., that blog effectively died and I did not mourn the loss. I dabbled in blogging from time to time, mostly by reading other people's and making the occasional comment. Fastforward to today, when the first thing I do as I drink my morning cup of tea is check my google reader and catch up on my top 25 or so favorite blogs. I know, World. I know just what you're thinking. You're laughing, pointing your finger and saying "I told you so!" Well, for once you've got something right.

Love,
Kristen