Halfway through the semester, days booked with whatever it is they're booked with, and I finally feel like I have control of what I'm doing. I'm sure that'll fall through my fingers soon, though. It always does. I guess I'll just revel in it for now, watch some more of The West Wing and fall asleep. Or do some edits, and journal a little bit.

Hey, it's finally time we met.

 Well, I'd say it's probably time for a better introduction than the one I did about a year ago? Yeah, it is.
Since moving to the midwest people have actually been able to (more so than in New England) pronounce my name correctly: Fallon--> "Fal-lynn." Simple, right? Apparently not. As of right now, I'm a barely-twenty-something writing student in Chicago, and probably don't sleep enough and drink too much caffeine. But then again, who doesn't? This blog is really just a way to track what I'm doing. For myself, for others, since we live in an age of over-exploitation, and human curiosity tends to result in voyeurism.

But if you'd like to know a little more about me than what I write here, I'll give you a list. I like lists.

A lot.

• I try to run every day, it keeps me from having to take any happy pills. Plus, I like the rush.
• Over the past two years I've developed (or just realized which, I'm more likely to believe, considering I always had horrible stomach aches growing up) a gluten and dairy intolerance. 
• I'm a vegetarian because we watched a PBS special on how Melville got the inspiration for Moby Dick junior year of high school, and in the reenactment they showed the surviving sailors eating the "flesh" of one of their crew members. It looked like turkey meat, which caused me to start dry heaving in the middle of class. It took me about two weeks of still eating dead animals to realize that I couldn't anymore because that image was too haunting. Yeah. That's why. I'm not going to yell at you if you eat meat, don't worry. Just don't smear it all over my face, or clothes. Or...I don't know where I'm going with this.
• Stress takes up a lot of my day. So much so, that my mother sends me aroma-therapy candles. And something called "Blue-Oil" from Aveda that you're supposed to rub on your temples and along the back of your neck. It smells like peppermint and works for about half an hour. It's the though that counts.
• I go through chapstick like nobody's business.
• Preferred pen to write in: Pilot G-2, 0.38 tip. I have a nice fountain pen, too, but I have to buy more ink for it. 
• Currently listening to: The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow.
• Supposed to: be prepping for an oral presentation for my Tutor Training class tomorrow. I'm almost there. I'm breathing, I promise.
• I rewash plastic baggies because it's cheaper than buying new ones. 
• Cleaning, more than anything, calms me down. Besides a good, long run.

That's it for today. I'll leave you with my good side. 

Waking Up for Spring

Over the past week I've found small things to get angry at myself for. Things like not getting up at 7:30 am, or forgetting to put papers away. Cluttering up tables and my desk. Not doing the dishes. Not doing enough writing (I've put in six pages of an essay about running and it's correlation to my writing, four instances to expand some personal narrative material, another essay, I've edited two pieces for submission, other things for friends and some book reviews--I guess that's not enough?). Not being healthy. Watching too much of The West Wing (I'm almost through season 4, apparently).

sunflowers

currently on the reading list

I have however, purchased a new futon cover, cleaned my entire apartment (it took three days), and have gone running almost every day since classes got out. It's been refreshing. I tend to get in these horrible slumps when a lot of work starts piling up. After a few days of sitting on the couch--in this break's case, watching both seasons of Teen Wolf. I swear, I'm twenty--and moping, I repaint my nails and take a long shower. That usually perks me right up. I even bought some more lipstick, and spent too much money on groceries. I like cooking, which I've been doing a lot more of recently. The one white hair in my right eyebrow even grew back, but whatever. I feel a lot better. March tends to be a shitty month in general. Probably because it's been a very wintery March. Last year it was in the eighties. I love the north but I'm happy to see the sun again. I got to run in shorts yesterday. It's a freaking miracle.

Yesterday I got to hang out with my friends Chris and Bryan for the latter part of the morning until about 1 pm. We went to Do-Rite Donuts and hung around downtown for about half an hour before we went off to Wicker Park. We were going to walk up Michigan because it was absolutely beautiful out, then Chris had mentioned that he wanted to go to Reckless Records. The one downtown's fine, but the one on Milwaukee's a lot better, and he'd never been so Bryan and I took him there. I live in a super residential neighborhood on the north side, made up of families and lots of dogs (puppies!), so I always think it's weird to be around people close in my age other than being around on campus. Not that it's weird, it's just, well, odd.

The velcro command strips have proven their worth since I bought them at CVS earlier this week. I finally got to put up my "Washroom" sign above the bathroom and a little key hook. Has it already been that long? Jesus classes start up on Monday again. I like working from home, especially when it's a lot cleaner. Everything flows in it's natural state. Maybe I should open the kitchen window for some air. Oh wait, just kidding there's construction on the building across the alley from mine. But oh well. Time to finish The Trial and work on editing some things that are due next week. Have a good weekend. There are some things coming up that I'll be posting. Be patient. I'm not sure if I said that for my own benefit or for anyone who reads this. 

(I like to organize and re-organize, it eliminates stress)

new (but old) tunes

Roma, Caput Mundi

From the brothel in Pompeii

I was fortunate enough to go to Rome for two weeks, let alone take a class there with some of the most amazing people I've ever met. It's crazy to think that such a short amount of time brings you closer with people. The setbacks are overruled by the amazing sixteen days I spent there.

Rome had me thinking a lot about nostalgia, specifically the objects and places we associate with it. Things that trigger memories. I have a card from a restaurant my friend Aimee brought a few of us to, and I found it in my planner  a couple of days ago. Turning it over, the images of the checkered tables came back to life, the cold, frigid air of the night felt harsh in my lungs. I remembered that I didn't have gloves on me, considering it had been in the fifties the entire time we were there, why would I need to carry them around? We went to a gelato place in the Pantheon neighborhood before (Soy gelato, soy gelato, soy gelato--it was amazing), who cares about spoiling dinner? It was our last night there. That's the worst part of any trip, realizing you're about to leave.

For the first time while I was there, I felt homesick. For my apartment, where I'm sitting now. I missed looking out onto the park across the road,  I missed walking up three flights of stairs after work, fingers frozen and mail tucked under my arm. That feeling somehow enhanced my experience. Rome is overstimulating in some ways, so much is going on. I hate to be a tourist that looks up at the buildings, but the architecture is layer upon layer. Culture on top of culture. I feel like I didn't take in enough, didn't step into the corners where I could have. I never made it to Trastevere, and I wish I had. The miles I walked are printed on the warn down treads and heels of my shoes. There's an entire journal full of writing and tickets used from museums and metro passes. Roma was well loved.

( I want to go back. )

So:

1. Three inches of my hair have been trimmed off and now it's layered again and looks like a normal person's hair instead of a crazy moor-roaming woman's. I don't live anywhere near a moor, but that's what I'd like to imagine how it looked at the time.
2. I'm behind in all of my reading! What else is new?
3. Today consists of making a raw blueberry tart with a pretty lattice covering, as well as a Christmas-eve-eve dinner with my mother's family and a lovely lunch with Meg.
4. Have I mentioned how much food I've eaten since I've returned? Even though they don't like to openly admit that they're extremely Italian in their ways, my mother's family force feeds you if you look skinny. "Oh, you look so good! Eat this entire shovel full of vegetables and bread--it's gluten free, I bought it just for you, honey--and oh my, look I guess I made some dessert!" Or, in my aunt's case, "Look, no one's around," and commence pouring a very healthy glass of wine. Not that anyone cares, we just pretend it's like sneaking around. As much as I love cooking, I do enjoy having meals prepared for me.
5. I need to go on a run after lunch.
6. And also take photos because this is getting ridiculous.
7. There's a lot of snow outside, finally. And I heard of that storm in the midwest that I missed. Really?

Author's note: This was from awhile ago, I guess rereading it brought some laughter to my empty apartment. I'll post an update from Rome in a little while. Meaning tomorrow, most likely, or later today. --Fallon