WHERE'S THE FAST FORWARD BUTTON?

It's probably not the best thing, but I've found that when things start piling up in life I catch myself wishing that I could just fast forward and be at some other point in life. I'm not going to lie, I'm stuck in the midway-through-school doldrums and am not only struggling to stay motivated but am constantly daydreaming of/trying to figure out my future instead. The main things that my thoughts keep drifting towards and that I'm looking forward to in the hopefully not too distant future include:

- working eight hours a day and then having the freedom to spend the rest of the day doing whatever I want instead of having to worry about projects, papers, or any other schoolwork in my "free-time"
- not having to watch every single cent I spend
- having a career versus just a job
- gaining a new furry buddy (a.k.a. a dog)
- having time on my hands to pursue interests and hobbies that have gone by the wayside, or that have been patiently waiting for me to even try them out in the first place
- reclaiming my weekends
- being able to focus more on people and relationships instead of having my brain/time clogged with other things
- upgrading Vince for an SUV? (that's probably a good deal down the road, especially considering that the gas prices are on the rise again -- but a thought none the less)
- finally, truly being done with school forever (but not done with learning of course)

I can't wait. . .but at the same time, I suppose that I have to. In the meantime, it's back to the books for me.

I HEAR VOICES

Most of my day is spent with sixteen preschoolers. They are your quintessential young children: energetic, clingy, quirky, hysterical, and constantly talking. I've grown accustomed to hearing variations of my name called over and over again throughout the day and probably don't go 30 seconds (except for when they're napping) without at least one of them having something to say to me. I'm so used to hearing their little voices persistently for hours on end that it's gotten to the point that I can't seem to escape it even when I'm at home now. Whether I'm cooking up dinner, working on schoolwork, or even trying to fall asleep, I constantly am hearing their voices in my mind. Sometimes I hear a specific thing that one of them said that day, other times it's someone's trademark sayings (i.e. "I sorry," "That funny," "I tell you something?" [which, by the way, is never really a question -- she's going to tell you regardless], etc.), and at other times it's simply their distinct voice itself that I hear (at which point I try and decipher who's voice was just in my head). Needless to say, I really hope that this is just a passing craze and that it's not really leading to a crazy state of hearing voices all the time. . .although, I do have to admit, if you're going to hear voices, these are pretty cute ones to hear.

COUNTDOWN TO V-DAY

Keeping it going with the topic of love, Valentine's Day is coming up shortly and whether you love it, hate it, or are indifferent towards it, for the next few couple of weeks make it a point to visit this gem from Dave Barnes. Good stuff.