gonna shine up my boots gonna go into town, gonna scrape up $20, gonna throw it around...

Things to cross my mind today...

I think Barack Obama would make an excellent president and I hope he is elected. American politics are so incredibly exciting right now. His "Yes We Can" speech sounds to me like our generation's "I Have A Dream". And though its not my country he's running for, it is amazing to think I am living in this moment in history.

I love baking and cooking. Those of you who have lived with me may not believe this but maybe its because I tend to eat 98% of anything great that I make before you ever even see it. In another life, knowing what I know now, I think I would have liked to go to culinary school. That being said, I'm a little unimpressed with the banana maple muffins I made today, so beth, you might just get some of those when you get home.

I'm not sure I'll never make it as the kind of photographer I'm hoping to be, but I'm pretty sure I'll one day make it as some kind of photographer.

I can't wait until spring comes and I can plant flowers and vegetables along the side of the house. One of my favorite things to do in life is to have my hands in soil and work in the dirt.

I need to quit eating these mediocre banana muffins or they will make me sick.

ROUND TWO...

On a walk around the farm today I came across these old greenhouses that were full of snow and pigeons and stuff stored away that was long forgotten. It made me remember how much I love old buildings. Not necessarily those historic brick ones (although I like them too) but the ones that have been abandoned and are left to weather the elements as they slowly dissolve back into the soil and wind and rain. I can spend hours wandering around old deserted farm yards back at home. There is something so compelling to me in combing through the places that once saw so much life.

I also spent some time talking with Cait tonight. We haven't talked in quite a while and since she doesn't have internet at home, our emailing has significantly dropped off. At first when she asked what was new, I didn't know what to say. Really, there was a lot "new" in my life since we last talked, but I didn't really know what to say. Eventually though, we got going and I love the way we can talk about nothing and everything all at the same time. I think thats what distinguishes friends you love now from the friends you will love your whole life. When you can spend an hour talking about nothing in particular and though you maybe don't know what specifically is going on in their lives, you know you're still on the same page. I love that. I also love that I know many of my "now" friends will become those "life" friends. It makes my heart calm to know that in a way, the amazing people I have surrounded myself with at this point in my life, will never really leave. I like that a lot.

Finally, after 22 years of despising lettuce as the world's worst vegetable (thats not true actually. I think I had that in Bangladesh, I just don't know what it was called) I have come around to it. Therefore, I christen this year (exactly one week before I turn 23) the year of lettuce as a symbolic representation of taking chances on things I had previously scorned. Not sure what that means yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.


...more to come as the day goes on...maybe.