The interim haps

Hello, again! I am trying to write a paper about media coverage of Obama's first year in office, and I am having the classic problem of not being able to focus-- so what better way to fill the time than to write an entry?

Ok-- so in the interim since I last wrote, here are few things that went down:

1. I took a road trip to Atlanta to see ATL Laura and ATL Andy, and it was fantastic. Growing up, I was always a little uneasy about sleeping over at friends' houses. I'd get homesick, or I'd get tummyaches, or I'd be embarrassed to ask for another snack [the always-hungry pattern started at a very young age], whatever, and it never really went away. It tapered off in high school because I spent so much time at BFF Katie's house that it began to feel like a second home. Anyway, I've always shied away from being someone's house-guest because it always meant some sort of discomfort. [What if I fart in my sleep? What if my wicked-bad morning breath is revealed? What if I have to go twosies and it takes a little longer than it should? These thoughts are kind of paralyzing to me, even if I know, intellectually, that they are just basic human things.] So, I had to kind of talk myself down, and make the case that my hang-ups were hardly an excuse to miss a chance to spend some QT with ATL Laura and ATL Andy. And, of course, they were wonderful hosts. I even developed a sort of rapport with their cats-- and that is saying a lot because, honestly, I HATE cats. Chicago Eric rounded out the foursome for the weekend, and we just did a lot of laughing, a lot of eating, a lot of high-fiving. There was an interlude, somewhere over the course of the weekend, that was all about Funfetti-- I don't remember how it started, but I do remember it being hilarious. Anyway.

Cut to a few weeks ago-- and ATL Laura and ATL Andy got engaged! Their engagement story was pretty awesome, and it involved a waterfall and a magic puppy. I am fully psyched for their wedding. I will be crying like a crazy person. I LOVES me some Laura and Andy.

2. I no longer work for Lisa-- she is still awesome, but I don't work for her anymore.

3. I took a job as an enumerator for the US Census. It is way more enjoyable than I'd predicted, and I feel much more confident about any political canvassing I may do in the future. Yes, I have some stories I could share about my enumerating experience, but none that are quite as interesting as...

4. Bro-Joe got married!! Yes, Bro-Joe and Wifey got married this past weekend in Monterey, CA. It was absolutely incredible. It was the first time that my entire immediate family had been anywhere together since the summer after I graduated from 5th grade, except for Sister Carrie's wedding. Yes, you read that right. So, getting to be in a great location [OMG, that part of the country is just gorgeous, unbelievably gorgeous], celebrating a great event-- it was unreal. Bro-Joe and Wifey are both pretty laid-back, cool, and have pretty discerning taste when it comes to the important things. Their wedding weekend was reflective of that. (As Wifey put it, "I packed a wedding dress, and jeans.") There was so pretense or stagey crap-- nothing lame or contrived. There was sunshine, laughter, good food, good alcohol, good music, high-fives, a lot of dancing, and even more laughing. (I think everyone involved in the wedding weekend had at least one night that got a bit squirrely. Mine was the night of the rehearsal dinner. Sister Carrie's was the wedding night. So on and so forth. However, I give all of the wedding guests a lot of credit-- there wasn't any vomiting in the bushes, no one got injured on the dancefloor, etc. Just a lot of good times.) There was also a point in the weekend when I was soaking in a hot-tub, on a open-air deck that jutted out over the bay, with a ton of California sun shining on my face, sailboats in the distance, waiting for my perfect red manicure to set. (That's my new happy place, I think. It used to be this one beach in Northern Michigan, but that beach didn't have a bathroom, and there was no samovar of ice water with strawberries floating in it...) Anyway, eventually, the post-wedding haze will lift, and the memories will fade a little, but my brother will still have his kick-ass new wife. Happy Bro-Joe = happy DKM.

Alright. I really have to write that paper. Goddammitall.