Oy, first-world problems.

Driving back to work on our lunch break today we saw a girl when we were stuck at a light. She was younger than I am. She looked completely humiliated and terrified. She was carrying a sign that read: Laid Off. Behind on rent. Scared to be homeless. Anything would help. Please help.

Oy. And here I was this morning stressing about how my balance is going to go slightly under where I like it to be this pay period. Wishing I could go back to buying my seriously expensive moisturizer. Thinking about how it would be nice to be able to buy an espresso machine. And I know that someone else’s more bigger problems don’t make mine irrelevant… but sometimes they do make you look a bit more realistically at yourself. I hope she’s still there when we drive home so I can stop.

I just can’t even imagine what it must be like to be in that situation. To be so horrified at having to ask strangers to help and knowing that, no matter how much they give you, it’s not going to help for long enough to keep you safe. I have no idea who she is and I am so scared for her. I just hope she’s going to be okay.

Another year… where did it go?

I think I must be aging well. A 19-year old hit on me… he thought I was 21.

For my 26th birthday, I ate one of these:

So good. I want another one already. Those delightful meringues and the rose custard… delicious. One day I will have to master the macaron.

I know I haven’t written much lately but we’ve been busy. I’m in class, work is busy, the house is clean, the animals are doing wonderfully. I’m trying to read more, we’re watching lectures on classical music and are both trying to learn to play instruments. Oh, and we’re still planning a wedding.

I really do need more hours in the day!

Craving monsoons, pacified by a drizzle

It’s been rainy and cold since the beginning of the week. Currently we’re shrouded in a thick, drizzly fog. I keep pretending that I’m in Portland rather than Las Vegas and it’s making me very happy. I really do hope that it keeps up for the rest of the week like it’s supposed to as I’m really rather bored with clear, sunny days. It makes me want to break out my polka-dotted wellies and splash around in puddles. Maybe Saturday if they’re still hanging around.

I’ve been spending a lot of time focusing on the daily ins and outs of changing my life permanently. I’ve been keeping up with my resolutions because I’ve sworn to donate $5 to Focus on the Family every time I fail at one of them. I don’t want those horrid people to get any money (the things I wish would happen to them aren’t particularly pleasant either) so it’s keeping me quite focused.

Cooking more, reading more. Everything in larger amounts. I suppose that’s the question for 2010: What are you doing to make more out of your life?