What a long, strange trip it's been....

Yes, everyone, I still exist, though I have admittedly been flying a tad under the radar for awhile. I think it was good for me to sort of sit back and take a break from things, and it's given me a little chance to reevaluate everything going on in my life. Everyone needs that chance sometimes, to reflect and try to focus on making the right decisions so that one can move onward and upward.

Things have been pretty crazy in my life for some time, and a lot has happened since I last posted on the blog. Unfortunately, not much has happened lately writing-wise, though after a long hiatus from that I'm trying to make time to get back into it. It's depressing not to be able to take the time to write something, and it seems like the longer I wait to get back on the horse, so to speak, the harder it gets to even catch up to the horse....if that makes any sense! So yeah, I'm going to try to make a better effort to push life out of the way for awhile each week so I can get back in the habit of writing. Hopefully, with more practice, I can get back to the place I used to be. I think everyone who writes goes through that kind of a slump, where life just keeps getting in the way. I just have to find the backbone I need to get crackin' again!

Even though I haven't been doing much writing lately, I have been busy with other things. For one, work is crazy, as usual, and that's been eating up a lot of my time. I really like most of the people I work with, though, so it's really been such a great opportunity to work where I do. And it's always nice to work with one of your best friends!

I've also recently taken some time to do something I always want to do but never can - travel! I've been to some great places within the past couple of months! In February, a few of us took a roadtrip down to Houston to hang out and help our friend Brit move into her new place. It was rough saying goodbye to Brit, of course, who's been a good friend for the past nearly ten years, but at the same time it was so great to be able to spend a week laughing my ass off with some of the best people I've ever met! Here are a few pics from our road trip:



This is just one example of the hilarity that ensued during our visit to the Space Center....it's strange how easily amused we all were!




Here we are in Galveston, staying true to the motto of our trip: "We see things....and we climb on them" (courtesy of our friend Kara).



Here we are obviously mesmerized by everything we saw at the Moody Gardens aquarium. I swear we must've spent 45 minutes sitting in front of the penguin tank just watching the penguins swim around and try to impress us. I also found it necessary to pet everything I was allowed to touch, including these crabs that looked like Roombas:






It was great to just get out of town with friends....I had an AWESOME time!!!!

Besides traveling and work, I've been hanging out at home for the most part. In my downtime, I taught myself to crochet. I know, I know, it sounds very old lady of me....but really, I am just an 80 year old woman stuck in a 20-something body! It was so, so easy to learn actually, thanks to a couple of awesome youtube tutorials, the videos on this great site, and this easy-to-navigate book. It sounds dorky, but it's nice to have another outlet to turn to when you're having a hellish case of writer's block, and it helps cut down on stress, too (something that I really need - trust me). Here's a stripey blanket I've been working on for a couple of weeks:





I've also been trying to enjoy my post-graduation freedom by reading whatever my little heart desires! I recently finished one of Susan's favorite books, The Mists of Avalon, a lengthy read but certainly one that's worth every page. I LOVED IT! I'm a big fan of the way the novel reexamines Arthurian legend and turns it on its head. So, so awesome.




I've also tried to make up for my current inability to write anything worth reading by reading amazing work by other writers that I love! One of my absolute favorites is Juliet Cook's new chapbook, Planchette. Juliet is one of the best poets writing today in my opinion because she isn't afraid to take risks with her work, and Planchette is all about that. Her poetry is SO VIVID and each piece evokes something fresh. Definitely check it out!


Finally, there's one last thing I'd like to do to end my post:



Hershey Kisses Culbertson
October 1st, 1995 - February 22nd, 2008