Tagged!

Kayla got me... here it goes!

5 TV Shows I Love to Watch:
1) The Office
2) umm... sports because that's all D watches
3) Friends
4) Seinfeld
5) ??

5 Favorite Restaurants:
1) Havana Cafe
2) The Brotherhood
3) Fili B's
4) Amy's/Cracker Cafe
5) S Bistro

5 Things That Happened Yesterday:
1) Went out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
2) Got a tire changed on my car
3) Plotted evilness
4) Reunited with friends
5) Watched a strange movie

5 Things I Love About Fall:
1) Leaves
2) Sweatshirts
3) Wind
4) The briskness of the air
5) Being outside

5 Things On My Wishlist:
1) Wii!
2) Down Vest
3) New running shoes
4) Bling
5) Smaller pants

5 People I Tag:
1) None!
2)
3)
4)
5)

Homeward Bound

ARIZONNNAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


In T- 14 hours.

This is going to be the longest day.


Dear Sun, I can't wait to see your sun-shiney face. I've missed you.

Dear Friends and Family, I missed you too. Just not with the same physical pain that I've missed the sun. See you soon :)

Dorkiness

I love Paul Simon. Obsessed, nearly. And there's not much I enjoy more than throwing on an LP and dancing/singing around the apartment. Tonight is a Paul Simon kind of night... D thinks I'm nuts :) This song in particular I love...


I Do It For Your Love

We were married on a rainy day
The sky was yellow
And the grass was gray
We signed the papers
And we drove away

I do it for your love

The rooms were musty
And the pipes were old
All that winter we shared a cold
Drank all the orange juice
That we could hold

I do it for your love

Found a rug
In an old junk shop
And I brought it home to you
Along the way the colors ran
The orange bled the blue

The sting of reason
The splash of tears
The northern and the southern
Hemispheres

Love emerges and it disappears

I do it for your love

I do it for your love

BRRRR!

It might SNOW today :) Also, the high is like 35. And I have to go outside. Can't wait for 70 degree temps next week!!!

Edit: Just checked the weather forecast. The highs here are lower than the lows in Phoenix all week! Did I mention I'm excited to come home?

Yay Yotes :)

Day 10: My afternoon walk. At work I have a paid 30 minute lunch break every day. And every day for the last 4+ months I've used that time to scarf down my food and take a stroll around the neighborhood. It's a cute, quiet neighborhood with lots of big, brick buildings and tree lined streets. Plus, I get out of the office for a half hour, and I kid you not, this time has seriously prevented me from having a nervous breakdown at work on a few occasions.

Day 11: My big warm winter coat. The high today is in the 40's. It's in the 30's now. To get to work I have to walk by the river. On the same note, also thankful for my gloves, scarf, hat, and earmuffs... brrrr!

Also, big big congrats to the CGCC Coyotes - region champs, district champs, and on their way to the national tournament! Although, they don't have to go far, since they are hosting the tournament the weekend before Thanksgiving. I'm bummed I can't be there, but good luck and make me proud!!

Catch Up

So I've been a little stressed lately, with my old crappy job and applying to grad school and impending winter and blah blah blah. I wanted a way to really focus on the good things I have going on for me, and this is especially fitting for the month of November. So I decided to come up with one thing every day that I'm especially thankful for - I know its cheesy, but if I write it down that means I had to think about it, and if I had to think about it then I know I'll feel better. So, like it or not, you are being subjected to 30 days of what makes Shawna happy. Now, I'm a little behind, I think I've only actually posted one day on time, so today you get a whole slew of happiness. And you know what? I feel better already :)

Day 1: Long walks. I love long walks. We walked about 5 miles on Nov 1st, from Columbia University in upper Manhattan all the way to Union Square. That's over 100 blocks. And though my legs hated me afterward, it felt gooooooooooood. Plus it was so nice to see parts of the city I had never seen before, like St John's Cathedral, the largest cathedral in the world. (Side note: this is admittedly quite sad, but if I felt any religious affiliation it would definitely be to Catholicism. And not because I believe in the doctrine, but because the places of worship are big and old and beautiful and I'm a sucker for that combination.)


Day 2: My family. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with my Dad last night. I heart my dad, I lucked out in the father department for sure. I can talk to him about anything, and sometimes I don't even have to talk because he knows exactly what I'm feeling. I miss him and I can't wait to give him a big hug when I get home!


Day 3: Arizona. I'll be back in 3 weeks and I'm so looking forward to predictable warm weather, sunshine, driving, my family and friends, my car, cooking with my old things, my neighborhood, and all sorts of other Arizona-y goodness.


Day 5: My new (ish) job. So much better than before.


Day 6: Love. It's this big, awful, wonderful, complicated thing and a lot of times it sucks but at the same time who would trade it for anything? Not me :)


Day 7: Leaving early every Friday. I don't think this one needs explaining.


Day 8: The internet. I made the most delicious soup for dinner on Saturday night - Potato Broccoli Cheese. I found a few recipes online, combined them according to my taste, and whipped it up in no time. And it was delicious. Without my little Dell and an internet connection I would never been able to do that, since I own exactly 1 cookbook and it's not actually a cookbook, but a Betty Crocker pamphlet that I'm pretty sure came free with a Betty Crocker purchase. So thank you, internet, and all you other internet users that share your recipes with me!


Day 9: SUNSHINE! The last few days have been miserable. Rainy. Cold. Bleak. But surprisingly warm - in the 60s! What? So I've been stuck in my little apartment, sprinting every time I have to go outside so I don't get soaked. And I've had to run on the treadmill in the basement, and rain + basement = uber humidity = gross. But today the sun is shining and I'm looking forward to a run in the park this morning and maybe a long walk later :)

Election Day!

I voted! I got myself out of bed at 6am this morning, bundled up, and headed to my polling place. The line was already out the door and around the block! At 6 in the morning! I'm glad we got up and got it over with though, because I'm positive those lines are just going to get worse as the day goes on.

Did you know that NY is one of the only states that does not use computerized voting? Even in states where you fill out a paper ballot, the votes are usually counted electronically. Not New York. I voted this morning using a machine that had to have been from the 1950's. I went in and had to pull this huge lever, then flick these tiny switches that corresponded to my candidates. Little X's showed up in the box by their name, and then I had to pull the huge lever back the other way to count the vote. Old school. Here's a picture - but mine was blue:

I'm not actually sure the thing worked - but then, one more vote for Obama in New York isn't really going to make a difference. It's just after 8 and he may have the thing won already :)

I won't say much more about this, but I really do hope that AZ, CA, and FL can strike down the propositions to ban gay marriage. Not too long ago, whites used religion to discriminate against blacks - and now we're about to elect a black man president (fingers crossed!). I hope in 50 years anyone who discriminates against others based on sexual orientation can look back and be ashamed of their intolerance. I'm not interested in taking away other people's rights, and quite frankly I'm disappointed that some people find it acceptable. Besides, in Arizona gay marriage is already illegal - what exactly is the point of this proposition, then?

What I'm Thankful for Today: I am obviously thankful for my country, my democracy, and my rights! We are so lucky to live in a country where we can enjoy so many freedoms. Now, everyone exercise their right to vote and get out there! (This month I'm trying to use every day to appreciate the things I have - it's fitting with Thanksgiving and all. I'm a little behind with days 1, 2, and 3 but I will get there eventually!)