I am beyond excited about the colder weather that the tail end of October brings. It's grrreat! I was at the UT bus stop the other night waiting for my chariot (ha) and the girl next to me was fidgeting under a thin sweater. Me? Short sleeves, my friend. So she asks me if I'm cold. I indicated the jacket tied around my waist and explained that I haven't felt this cold outside in a while and I wanted to savor it. We got to talking, and being someone who rarely engages in conversations with random people, I became hyperaware that it felt like a TV episode or something. I'm not a TV scriptwriter, so clearly my judgment need not apply. Just sayin'. It turns out she's almost finished with a Ph.D in Music and is preparing for a presentation. She took my phone number to meet up for some coaching on that when she found out I'm a theatre artist (or something, anyhow). I haven't heard from her, but it'll be interesting if I do. She tried to offer me a free piano lesson to reciprocate. That amused me, because I last played piano in, oh, 5th grade? I was terrible and musical talent is not in my family anyhow.
So, yes. Time is the triathlon of thesis, Drama for Schools job, and classwork that is running my life. One great way to slow time down is a relaxing bath. I took one this evening after a long hiatus (so much effort to clean the tub right beforehand, and you gotta do that!). It was heavenly, and reminded me that I gotta do this more often for peace of mind and to feel nice and taken care of. :) During my summer in DC, I had this lovely little ritual of running a bath every Sunday night, burning a peppermint-eucalyptus candle, dimming the lights, and playing Enya before bed.
It helped me unjumble my mind. Last week, in addition to the usual classes I completed my first English teacher residency for thesis work, which was a two-day event, did double trainings in Victoria then stayed up all night to draft lesson plans, and executed said plans all day Friday. Fortunately, I was able to unwind Friday with excellent company--girl's night out with Marielle and Kat followed by drinks at the bar Marielle works with Kat and Tramel, who was in town shooting a film.
This past week was calmer but getting caught up and getting motivated was tricky. My EdPsyc class covered student motivation so perhaps I can use those theories on myself? Nah. Thursday, Oct. 23 was the yartzeit for one of my best friend's fathers, who passed away two years ago. I can't believe it's already been that long. I remember when it hit me, two years ago as I was crossing the street at Red River and E32nd. As I walked across the crosswalk, I had to fight back tears when the news truly started to sink in. My heart goes out to my friend and her family, whom I have known since I was a little girl. I loved her dad, too, and I think fondly back on many Shabbats together and corny jokes that he lovingly shared with his family at the dinner table. He also taught me the importance of family time, good food, and taking a real interest in people. ...I feel very lucky that I still have my father.
Also this week, I spent Thursday through this evening at my parents' friends' house in the Austin hill country to hang out with their kids while they went out of town. It was a beautiful weather weekend for their breathtaking backyard views. I brought my camera and took pictures at sunset, then roamed around the neighborhood taking pictures of the deer that were all over the place. They are like the neighborhood's stray dogs.
But the irony of all my rambling is that I really meant to discuss a quotation that floated to the front of my mind after muddling about since I first saw it years ago. But I am sleepy! Another night, another blog. :)
I took this in the backyard of the house I stayed at this weekend.
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