Glad to see it's cooling off.

I have yet to decide on a solid format for this whole thing, so right now, I'll stick to sharing what happens to be on my mind, what a little of what is going on in my life.

Last Wednesday I had my last kickball game of the season. WAKA is an adult kickball league with divisions all over the country. I joined on a whim, by myself and ended up on a great team with some very fun people. The girls are mostly sorority sisters from the University of Florida, which admittedly had me nervous at first, but most of them turned out to be fun and genuine. The guys are a mix of Ivy grads and locals, who when all was said and done, confirmed everything I ever thought about dating in DC. I'll get to that later. All in all, I'm glad I played because I've made at least two friends I plan on keeping in touch with. They work at a law firm across from my office and they happen to be the first friends outside of work that I've made post-grad. I felt like it was important to widen the circle beyond people I knew in college. At the same time, I'm finding more and more in common with the girls at work and they are turning out to be the highlight of my job. Team picture below, I'm second from the right and YES I'm standing funny.

The PVB kickball team, after our last game and our first win of the season!

The highlight of this past weekend was seeing about a third of the Bodine clan all at once. Kate and Alison ran the Baltimore Marathon on Saturday, so we caught up over dinner in DC. Attendees were: Aunt Anne, Uncle Mike, Aunt Rita, Uncle Dennis, Tommy, Alison, Me, Kate, Jimmy and Mark (Alison's boy). Poor Mark. It has to be intense to be exposed to that many of us at once. Needless to say, there were several pitchers of margaritas and it was a great time. The kids proceeded to continue on into the night, and I was reminded for the millionth time that I am exceedingly lucky to have such great cousins.

One complaint I do have about weekends now that I'm "an adult"; they aren't for resting anymore. I don't know if I rested on the weekends when I was in college or high school; maybe I just had more time during the week to rest so I didn't mind being busy when Saturday rolled around. This Saturday I spent getting my car inspected, studying for the GRE, and being out with family. Sunday I tried to clean my room (unsuccessfully) and went grocery shopping. Bills were paid, dishes were done, and I should have done laundry, but that will have to wait until next Sunday. I give my mother a lot of credit for keeping our house clean and organized when I was a kid because I can barely keep my apartment from looking like a bomb went off and I don't have kids running around and a job that actually requires a whole heck of a lot of work AND (for five years in there) a dissertation to write. (Sorry it took me so long to really appreciate all those accomplishments Mom).

On deck for this week: a new haircut, more studying, Nicole's birthday, and Homecoming.

One last thing: if it does not get cool enough for me to wear my leather coat before December 1st, I swear I'm adding the weather to the list of reasons I'm leaving DC for graduate school.

Welcome back

The last time I ventured into the blogosphere, as I believe we're calling it these days, I was on my way to Italy for a four month adventure. I kept people those I left Stateside updated on my Roman activities relatively consistently, but I found I had little else to write about when I returned home. The summer of 2006 was an incredible one, during which I made new and lasting friendships and kept well in touch with my Italian confidant and roommate. As a senior at Maryland I enjoyed every last second of my last year in the place I had grown to call home. That fall semester is one I will never ever forget, we had a blast and we have pictures to prove it. None of which will be posted here. I spent most of January 2007 in Argentina, a trip that was inspired by an inkling to leave the country again, for one last free-spirited foray. The title picture is me watching a sunset from the top of a cliff in Humahuaca, a town in the northern Andean region.

Spring came along and went, ending in Graduation. The culmination of everything I had worked toward practically my entire life. It felt good to be recognized for achievements, but I felt like the excitement was fleeting and I tried desperately to imprint every last moment into my brain. The experiences I had at Maryland, the friends I made, the places I went, the things I learned, are all part of who I am. Steny wasn't lying when he said, "Revere the Turtle" at commencement. We're all terps for life.

Post-graduate life has been an interesting ride so far. Four months or so into a new job and I finally think I've settled on a plan. Moving in with Nicole was the first step out of my collegiate life. Starting work before I moved out of College Park didn't phase me- it felt like a summer job. But now it's October, I've been a 9-5er for 4 plus months and I'm working on a way out. I think I am going to appreciate being in graduate school even more because I've been through a 9-5 workweek doing something that doesn't really matter to me. The schools on my list are tough gets, and if I don't get in anywhere, I'm moving anyway. Probably to somewhere south of here. Like, South America. I hope what I write here entertains you, or at the very least lets you know what I'm up to. Enjoy, un bacio!