Confession

I've developed a slight obsession with The Pioneer Woman. I, the d.c-bound-can't-wait-to-put-on-a-pair-of- black-heels-and-sip-wine-at-an-art-gallery-opening-after-spending-the-day-in-a-suit-and-deep-red-heels, have a soft spot in my heart for tractor wheels. Ms. PW lives on a beautiful cattle ranch, homeschools her four children, concocts dinner dishes for the ultimate carnivore, grows beautiful gardens, and tackles home improvement projects with more spitza than Bob Vila. I, on the other hand, had to give my plants to my mom, because they kept wilting on me. I guess you have to water them. Oops. I'm an accidental vegetarian; I'm terrified of undercooked meat, hardly capable of using my oven or stove (where exactly do you cook meat?), and hate the feel of raw meat slithering up my fingers. Eck. I have a "room of one's own," but I don't think it is quite what Virginia Woolf meant. I tend to adore the people I live with (most days), but I can't wait for a "bathroom of one's own" or a "kitchen of one's own." Home improvement projects are not at the top of my to-do-list. I wish law school had a homeschool option, but other than that, I'm not really into homeschool brilliance. So what is it about Ms. PW that keeps me signing into my blog just to see if she has updated hers?

She doesn't think she has all the answers. She laughs at herself. She loves her life. --It could be that simple.

Yes, I'm drawn to the fact that she is madly in love with her husband, Marlboro Man. In fact, she would probably wouldn't mind being referred to as Mrs. MM rather than Ms. PW. I'm going to stick with Ms. PW, however, because I'm an incredibly single twenty-something independent, and I appreciate Ms. PW for personality and not her marriage to Mr. MM. That being said, she radiates the joy that comes from a partnership grounded in love, butterflies, sparks and fireworks; how could anybody not be drawn to that? Yes, I'm drawn to the gorgeous views on her cattle ranch. I can almost inhale the fresh air and watch my perspectives change. The reviving powers of rural life - I thrive in it. I love her trampoline. I love the pictures she takes of people on the trampoline. I love the pictures she takes. I love all of these things, but I don't think these are what keep me coming back to her blog.

I keep coming back, because of the simple. She finds the worth, the humor, the love, the joy in the everyday.

Do I want a life on a cattle ranch with four children, a cowboy husband, fields of wild horses, and a barrel full of calf nuts? Probably not. Although, I have spent a considerable amount of of time wondering if my slight obsession with her means I should re-think a city life and a suit-required career. Probably not. Do I want a life with an appreciation for the simple, a lot of humor, more questions than answers, love, joy, and a trampoline? Absolutely. I'm not ready to trade in black heels for tractor wheels. At least not yet...


[links to The Pioneer Woman blog under "For The Love of Blogs"]



Update: Apparently, I am not the only one slightly obsessed with Pioneer Woman - Time named her one of the Top 25 Blogs 2009.

2/16/09 12:55pm

goals


Snow Day Lost

Snow falling behind her so quickly that it comes across the television screen as thin white lines. Car headlights few and far between, slowly move down the one lane highway, the other lanes covered in snow. Despite the camera worthy smile, it is clear her teeth chatter, and she can't wait to get back into the van.

We're please with our snow day plan and the decision to implement it. Cars safely parked off-street in snow ban compliance (another indication of a certain snow day), text books left unopened, homework assignments incomplete, sweatpants packed in preparation for a day of sorting through principles, definitions, black letter law. We will drink pots of coffee to compensate for our disregard of an appropriate bedtime. We are in no hurry to sleep - grogginess is acceptable during study days in ways that the socratic method does not permit. We check the "stormline" before finally heading to bed - the scratchy voices offers no new information, we'll have to wait for morning confirmation.

Only, we never get it. I wake up to the sound the rain hitting the windows and the news that "all classes, events and activities will be held as scheduled." ugh. Tired eyes, quick shower, hooded sweatshirt, drained body, unprepared mess, I drag myself to school. Grateful for delicious travel mug coffee, a bulky warm hooded sweatshirt, and a friend who also grumbles but goes. Three degrees colder, and we would have had our snow day.

2/20/09 1:36pm
coffee addict, exhaustion, plans, wherever you are it is your friends who make your world


Domestically Challenged

Pop it, drop it, slam it. Pop it, drop it, slam it if you want the washing machine to start. I can never, ever get the washing machine to start. Standing in the basement raising and closing the lid, raising and closing the lid, slamming the lid, apologizing to the washing machine, raising and closing the lid... completely domestically challenged, I can almost hear the washing machine chuckle. oh, but won't you please just start! I have to seek out a roommate, pick one any one, to pop it, drop it, or slam it and the washing machine starts - first try. Oh yes, the machine is chuckling, I can just about hear it.

Thursday Night Drives

dark streets with blinking traffic lights, billy bush's hollywood over the radio, always the perfect companion to my thoughts on my thursday night drive across town. meredith grey's closing statement hanging in the air as i try to fit, compartmentalize, box in, failures and successes in life, love, and learning. vermont memories and l.a. moments collide. so many years later, and they still creep into my thursday night thoughts, along will billy bush's voice and a pop tune not heard in years. on thursday nights the thoughts sprawl out on the dark pavement and dark night in front of me, finally free from the restraints of casebooks, to-do lists, and daily routines. ten minutes, across town, are all i have to watch them in an orchestrated ballet, each move intentional and precise, but with a meaning i can't quite make out yet

Another List

I really do like lists. However, I promise that this blog will not become a compilation of the many lists in my life. (Although, that is a neat idea...) This is the 25 Random Things About Me list that everybody is posting on facebook. I love, love, love reading everybody's lists, but I can't bring myself to post mine on my facebook page. The reasons why I hesitate could probably be covered in no less than three hours of analyzing with my girlfriends, so I won't try to go into it here - but I will post my list here.

1. I love fried green tomatoes, but I've only had them once, and I can't remember when it was or who made them for me.
2. The Kogod Courtyard is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon with a cup of coffee and a pen in hand.
3. I have an extremely high tolerance for sugar and probably eat more candy than most people you know.
4. I can't wait for Midnight Sun.
5. I hate to clean. Unless something is bothering me, then I clean compulsively and excessively.
6. Going to William Smith was the best decision I ever made, going to law school was the best mistake I ever made.
7. I am fantastic at living in small spaces.
8. I want Stacey London's wardrobe.
9. The year I spent in "Rural State" as an AmeriCorps VISTA was one of the hardest, most rewarding, and most worthwhile experiences I have ever had. It has become a core portion of who I am.
10. I have given some serious thought to becoming a truck driver.
11. I slept through the entirety of Red Dragon and the remake of Chainsaw Massacre (which we saw in the theater). This sleeping-through-movies-habit is part of the reason why I have probably not seen most of your favorite movies.
12. I could write pages about the amazing people in my life. I am trying not to reference anybody in this simply because there are too many important things to say about so many people that there is not enough time or room. That being said, I have amazing people in my life.
13. I learned to drive on a standard car, took my driving test on a standard, and have now driven a standard for about 10 years.
14. I love the hws bank of Seneca Lake, especially on a clear night.
15. I once taught a course called "LifeSkills" to middle schoolers. But I learned more from them than they ever learned from me.
16. I have an infatuation with capitol buildings and the work that goes on in them.
17. I've never been to Alabama, but when my cellphone is on "ring," the tune is "Sweet Home Alabama." (And has been for years.)
18. Oh, I could tell you stories...
19. Pandora's avant garde jazz station and a cup of coffee make Sunday afternoon homework tolerable.
20. Currently in my bag (aka purse), I have my keys, cell phone, wallet, LLBean slippers, and a Research Design text book. Normal, right?
21. I have had 18 roommates since I graduated high school, and I think that every single one of them would agree on at least one thing - I am never home.
22. I spent a semester in L.A. learning how much I hated the inner workings of the entertainment industry, a lot about myself, and not much of anything else.
23. I'm not "well traveled," but I hope to be someday.
24. I love to read, but I can't find the time to read during the semester without cutting into precious sleeping time. Blogs almost fill my cravings and allow me to sleep.
25. There was a time in my life when I could rotate my own tires, change my own oil, and predict an appropriate play during a football game. That time has passed.

Slightly Sick

irritated sore throat, scratchy voice, warm to the touch, orange juice, chicken noodle slurp slurp, waves of chills, spearmint cough drops, warm to the touch, weak cough, weak body, cherry flavored nyquil waiting for me if i can just make it through this slightly sick day...