Top 5 things I eat during a normal week:
* yogurt
* coffee
* sandwich
* burrito
* pizza

Top 5 things I eat on Thanksgiving (very traditional):
* sweet potato
* mashed potato
* pumpkin pie
* cranberry sauce
* wine
Top 5 favorite holiday songs:
* That Joni Mitchell one that goes “I’m so hard to handle I’m selfish and I’m sad, and now I’ve gone and lost the best baby that I ever had. Oh I wish I had a river, I could skate away on. I made my baby say goodbye!” Pretty cheerful.
* White Christmas
* Winter Wonderland
* Let It Snow
* The Charlie Brown Theme Song

Top 5 Christmas Movies/movies I have watched on Christmas:
* It’s A Wonderful Life
* Charlie Brown Christmas
* Harold and Maude
* Royal Tenenbaums
* Amelie
Top 5 things I need to buy this holiday weekend:
* Birthday present for Nicole (belated)- Powells
* Wedding gift for Jay and Renee (belated)- Meyer and Frank
* Baby shower gift for Zalika- Target
* Holiday Cards- Powells
* New day planner- Powells
Top 5 presents I asked for for Hannukah/Christmas from my mom:
* ipod
* New Yorker complete archives on DVD
* Cowgirl boots
* Laptop bag
* Gift Certificate to Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver
Top 5 presents that I will most likely receive from my mom:
* New Yorker complete archives on DVD
* pajamas
* ill-fitting cardigan sweaters with embroidered flowers
* a watch
* gloves

Top 5 gifts I will give this year:
* Nikki McClure calendars
* Scarves knitted by me
* Mix tapes
* Face cream (mom)
* Book/CD related to Ireland (dad)
Top 5 New Years Resolutions for 2005:
* One drive free day per week (no)
* Pay off credit card balance (yes but then created new debt)
* Save some money (yes but then spent it)
* Learn to knit (yes)
* Write every day (almost)
Top 5 Resolutions for 2006:
* One drive free day per week
* Pay off credit card balance
* Save some money
* Learn to knit more that just scarves
* Get a teaching job

What do I do now?

1. My sweet friend Moose sent me a 10 disc personal musicology with accompanying prose. In it he charts the major musical influences in his life, starting with his brothers back in North Carolina, and moving across years and landscapes to the present. I was surprised and honored to find a couple of pages devoted to me and my undying love for Yo La Tengo and That Dog. He says that the first time he saw me I was wearing corduroys and a light blue Built to Spill tee shirt. I think that is such an awesome way to sum me up! The point is Moose’s ambitious and wonderful project has cemented him in my highest esteem (where honestly he dwelt already). The only problem is choosing a disc for my drive to school. They are all VERY good.
2. I think that the movie Reality Bites came into my life at just the pivotal “coming of age” moment that it seeped into my subconscious and took hold. So that now when I think of the ideal boyfriend, I picture Ethan Hawke taking the heavy bag off of Winona Ryder’s tired shoulder and slinging it onto his own. That one gesture has always stuck in my mind. Even though Ethan Hawke was a terrible boyfriend to Winona, and she was pretty whiny and annoying if we are going to be completely honest here. Anyway. Future boyfriends beware! I have a heavy backpack and high expectations!
3. I bought the most wonderful light blue corduroy down vest yesterday. (Wait! I’m having weird blog deja vu!) It is the nicest, most cozy item of clothing I have ever owned.
4. I am working in a performance piece for Jona’s birthday show. I will post details as I receive them. I am terribly excited.
5. The other night I did a lot of drinking, which resulted in the following embarrassing occurrences:
* Bought a nightgown at Anthropologie that at the (drunken) time I was certain I could wear as a dress. Drunk girlfriends egged me on. Rest assured I cannot wear it as a dress. It is clearly a nightgown.
* Crashed a moustache/nintendo party at Panic with said drunk friends. Made many mustachioed men uncomfortable.
* Got pressured (by girlfriends) into unerotically kissing a mutual (sober) friend on the mouth.
* Went to roommates birthday party at My Father’s Place, revealed many intimate/hilarious details of my sex life to different drunk friends. Resulted in next-day hungover apology. Very embarrassed.
I’m off to the fabric store, then homework, then Ladies Poker Night. All of these events will occur whilst wearing my new vest. Mmm. Heaven.

1. My sample is just a hair shy of being completely finished. Phew! I really knuckled down today and cranked out some lesson plans, which feels really good. Now I just have some finishing work to take care of- cosmetic stuff mostly. I feel like a little bunny that just lost the fox that was on it’s tail, but is still all tensed up just in case. I know I am out of harm’s way, but I’m still breathing hard, you know? Once I turn the damn thing in tomorrow morning I think I’ll be pretty giddy.
2. Remember my Long Lost Friends entry a couple of months ago? Well! Last week one of those friend, Darcy, emailed me! It turns out she had googled one of the other people on my list and found my blog, and then found her name, and then voila! She emailed me! It totally worked, dudes! Darcy is doing well- married and happy. We are hopefully going to get together when I am home for Christmas. I am so excited to see her and get all caught up. How about that, huh?
3. My new blog design looks great. But you already know that.
4. My weird adult onset acne seems to be clearing up, thank the lord. I don’t know which, if any, of the thousand tiny adjustments to my diet/beauty routine/fluid intake did the trick, but hey, I ain’t looking a gift horse in the mouth. I’m just effing relieved, man.
5. This weekend I’m going to do many fun things that are not my work sample like: ladies poker night, Pride & Predjudice (stage production), LOST, and beers with Jeff (another long lost friend who found me via my blog!)
6. I am now more than halfway through my Masters’ program! Whoop whoop!

My giant work sample is do on Wednesday.
*”What is a work sample?” you ask.
Well, let me tell you. It is a ten lesson math unit that Willow will teach to a class of third graders in January.
*The thrilling topic?
Nonstandard measurement.
*Willow’s stress level?
High.
*But isn’t Willow a first grade teacher?
Yes.
*So why does she have to teach math to intermediary students, when she is in line to be a primary teacher?
Ask the licenture board, man. I don’t effing know!
*Does she just have turn in ten lesson plans and call it a day?
Ha! She wishes! In addition to ten lesson plans, meticulously copied into insanely redundant standard lesson plan templates, she also has to write about four miles of justifications for every choice she makes, as well as contingency plans should a spaceship land on top of the school, and aliens take over Portland, and Willow’s lessons must be relocated to outerspace. Willow must include adjustments and modifications for any and all eventualities.
*Did she put this unit off until the last possible minute?
Yes. In fact, she is taking tomorrow off work to complete it.
*Is she currently procrastinating by writing this (probably boring for all readers) entry?
Yes, she is.
*How many times has she considered dropping out of school to go live with the fairies because this is so stressful and difficult?
Um, about eighty times. No, wait. Ninety.
*******************************************************************************************************
Okay. I just had to get that out of my system. So hey, what do you think of my hot new look? Good friend Rebecca helped me “jazz up” Perfect Heart, and I for one am REALLY into it! I know that it sort of hurts your eyes if you scroll down real fast, but other than that it’s cool. Thanks, Rebecca!

It was raining, so I jumped over this puddle:

But then my shoe flew off, and slid under this fence, which had barbed wire on top:

My feet looked like this:


We couldn’t reach it with our hands, so Rebecca went in search of a broom.
Success!

Just then my friend Ryan walked up. He thought we were crazy.

Rebecca saved my shoe:

Thanks, Rebecca!

Then we returned the broom to the video store.

These dudes were pretty cool.
This is a true story!

I would love to take this moment to write a clever, witty post about my workout tonight at the college weight room. How I checked out a tiny towel, how I read an US magazine on the elliptical machine-cover to cover! How when I was showering afterwards, many fully dressed- and I’m talking high-heeled boots and winter coats- women kept walking through the shower room. Like, maybe getting sprayed by my shower. Because, you know, it was a SHOWER ROOM!
But I am too worn out to be clever and witty. Sorry.
Wednesdays are such long days for me!! So many classes!!
Wow. I really got nothing tonight. I guess I have no choice but to redeem myself with cute pictures of my 1st grade classroom.

Here are some self-portraits.

And this is “Number Corner.”

And um, the blocks.
Maybe blogging on Wednesdays is a bad idea. Sorry.

Hi. As you can tell, we are experiencing some changes here at Perfect Heart. As they say at the Lloyd Center Mall, “Please excuse our mess as we renovate!” (I don’t know if they really say this. But their renovations are very messy.) Also, “This business will remain open during construction!” I think you get it.
I went to see the Little Wings play last night. It was so bittersweet. He played some songs I really really love, and they sounded great. But there was so much missing. I want Kyle Field from summer 2002 to come back. I want reggae jams and holy feelings. It was nice to see Adam, Phil, Adrian and Kyle all playing together, though. That part was pretty magical, I guess.

SPOILER ALERT!!!! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SHOP GIRL, SKIP DOWN A LITTLE BIT. OK. COOL. ACTUALLY, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, THERE IS NOT MUCH TO SPOIL IN THIS ENTRY. YOU CAN READ IT THROUGH IF YOU WANT, EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE. OK.
Last night Rebecca, Steve and I went to see Shop Girl in Vancouver, WA. I was supposed to go to poker night at Liz’s, but she wasn’t feeling well, so we cancelled. Strangely, I ended up playing poker at a party later in the night. I lost $5.

Anyway, I loved Shop Girl. It was such a quiet, honest film. It was beautifully acted, and I am now pretty in love with Claire Danes, Steve Martin, and Jason Schwartzman. And Los Angeles. And the lifestyles of the pretty darn wealthy. The Claire Danes character was so realistic to me. I related to her in the same way I relate so deeply to Franny Glass and Edna St Vincent Millay. She’s an intelligent, deep feeling lady who is only partially understood by the men who love her. Both of her beaus offer her a different kind of comfort, but neither can offer her true companionship. I guess the ending is pretty happy, but it seems sort of like wishful thinking, considering which man she chose. (See? No spoilers here!)
I just reread that paragraph, and it seems sort of emo. I’ve been having a hard time in the crush department since Jake broke up with me, I think. It’s like they are intense but only last a little tiny while, or they are sort of half crushes, and I spend a lot of time trying to pump myself up on them. Which is dumb. I keep thinking that one of these days I will be knocked down by a sudden crush on a special man, but so far I’ve had no luck. So many of my friends from Denver are married, and very happily. And while I admire them and love them so fiercely, that life seems so many million years away from me! I can barely find a fella I want to make out with, forget about marriage! It’s all very strange.
I’ve been spending a lot of time with Rebecca, Steve and Ganja. And right now, that’s all the love I need.
(Oh, by the way! If you would like to hear the sexiest mix tape ever made, come ride around in my car! Internet friend Allison sent me this fabulous gem. Thanks, Allison!)

Remember that part in The Graduate, when Mrs. Robinson is tricking/beginning to seduce Ben? And he keeps calling her out on it, and she denies it, and then he gets all embarassed? And it is so unbearably uncomfortable? And then she has him come upstairs to look at Elaine’s portrait, and when he turns around she’s naked? And she says, “I want you to know that I am available to you, Benjamin?”
That part is so amazing.
I pretty much love Mrs. Robinson, even though she is a bitch. It takes some kind of nerve to seduce a boy your daughter’s age! And I love that line- “I want you to know that I am available to you.” It totally trumps my “do you maybe want to make out a little right now?” And I think her character is really well developed. I love it when they are lying in bed at the hotel, and Ben starts asking her questions about herself, and she’s getting pissed off, and then she suddenly gets so vulnerable when he asks what she majored in. Art. She’s facing the camera, and her face is so wrought, but he can’t see it, and so he just keeps on yammering. I would argue that that moment is the most dynamic in the whole film. Or the most illuminating. Or something. Anyway, I love it.

I haven’t watched The Graduate in a while. I was just thinking about it.