The Muse Strikes! (This time with a blunt object)

I had a lovely day today. I spent much of it practicing Spanish. It's a slow go, but I think know I'm making progress. It almost makes me wish I were a student again. Almost.

On that topic, at least two of my friends from grad school are in PhD programs now; one of my grad school buds is applying for grad school; and one of my undergrad friends is finishing up, preparing for grad school, and already making plans for the PhD program.

I still think I made the right decision for myself. After being in school for nearly 20 years, I was ready for a break. I wanted to travel, which I got to do a little of. I wanted a full-time job, which I got. And I wanted some R&R, which I sorta got. It's been wonderful to have a little bit of time to actually do the things I always thought I'd do if I ever got the chance. These days, I'm trying to work in anything I can. For instance, on days where I have large chunks of time (think, today) I like to spend the bulk of it on my Spanish, and spend a fair amount of time reading.

I already read the book for next week's book club meeting, so I checked out the 2nd book in the USA trilogy, 1919, earlier this week. To be honest, I haven't made much progress on it. I keep trying to go to the park, but it's just too chilly to sit and read. I was, however, able to do some walking, which is a good habit, I'd say. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I plan to try reading/walking in the park again. We'll see how that goes.

I've also been crocheting myself a doily. I thought I had one particular pattern, but as it turns out, I have a different one. Eh well, this one seems easier, and they're both pretty. Plus, I'll probably have enough thread left over from this doily to make another anyway.

I finished up a project I've been working on for Raquel. I am still finishing up one for her sister. Hopefully I'll get them both wrapped up this semester. But then, I also have several counted cross stitch projects to do. Most of them are small, and I'm thinking of giving them to my cousin as a set. I haven't seen her in probably ten years or more. I thought she was coming for Christmas, but turns out she couldn't. Maybe next year.

Anyway, I also talked to my parents, grandmother, and Raquel today. All in all, it's been a pretty good day, and I'm sad to see it come to a close. I always want to stay up as late as possible to squeeze out the last drop of day, but then I always make up for it by sleeping in the next day. Sometimes I think I'm the type of person who wouldn't sleep if it weren't necessary. But then, I tend to get a bit grumpy if I don't get my sleep, so I suppose I'm a bit of a contradiction.

This rambling business must mean that I need to get off the computer and get ready for bed. I hear 1919 calling me...