DC weather = cruel temptress

Despite the now three "real" winters I've experienced in my life, I have yet to learn how to navigate spring. The effing weather has now tricked me thrice, and each time I yearn more and more for the predictable (read: seasonal change-free) weather of LA. I thought it was really real this time, I even saw those adorable little early yellow spring flowers poking out of a flowerbed a couple days ago. People were out in skirts and shorts, wearing colors other than black and in a generally springy mood. But today, the flowers r ded, I had to shut my windows because the balmy Sunday breeze had turned into 23 degree windchill that woke me up overnight. Bastards.

Despite having the world's easiest schedule, graduate school is still somewhat kicking my ass. I forgot how to read things other than blogs and papers for work, I forgot how to write papers for school that aren't in newspaper article form, and I forgot all of my post-Tudor era British budgetary history which is apparently required to fully understand American public policy. Who knew. That said, I'm having a generally awesome time. I love the heavyacademic feeling of walking onto campus, at least 50% of my professors and the fact that this is probably bumping me up into a higher median salary range. And hopefully I'll learn something practical and interesting as well.

Recently rounded the corner on 10 mos. w/G which puts it over the top as the longest relationship I've ever had...twice as long as the next one down the list. I must say this entire thing has been characterized by the most intense normalcy I've ever experienced. In situations long past, I think I took a page from my social worker parents and got close to people I thought I could fix. Which of course, is simultaneously self-serving and self-destructive, and a terrible idea for anyone who wishes to sleep at night. It's a beautiful thing to not have to talk on the phone for hours and listen to circular logic and assorted pointlessness, to be able to have my own life and my own friends and my own thoughts. To be left alone when I need to be, to go on random adventures for "culture" and to just generally feel comfortable in one's own skin. Cheers to normal!