post-equinox post & lemony apples

where did i leave off? ah--march 3rd! let�s flip back and see�a few weeks ago, there was possible talk of school next fall in the form of a doctorate, there was news of acceptance letters, and yours truly had finally weaned herself off of a month�s worth of cough syrup.

in the past couple weeks, spring has officially arrived. in that time, i delivered three very successful PowerPoint presentations for work. and i realized public speaking can be fun (!) and you can be good at it (or maybe just fool your audience into thinking so) even if you�re introverted or shy. i also tried a new acupuncturist and liked her. i felt exhausted and weepy the first day or so afterwards, but you know what? i think i�ll go back to her! i also did some traveling. and i finally visited a new IKEA just north of DC, in college park, maryland. (ahem�remember i want a Scandinavian boyfriend? if i can�t have that, i at least want Scandinavian furniture). i�ve also gotten a little more good news. after some agonizing, i also managed to narrow down the possibilities of where i might live next year both in terms of apartments if i stay local, and cities, if i go elsewhere. big decisions have been made, more big decisions must still be made�

i just got back from a big work trip this afternoon. it was good and nice and actually fun, what with a cushy hotel, swanky thai food, and me in my black pants-suit. but there�s nothing like sleeping in your own bed, and not living out of a suitcase, and not having to rely on six or seven cups of tea/coffee to stay awake through a day�s worth of meetings. yes, it�s good to be home sweet home.

alas, i am once again using a neighbor�s stolen wireless connection on my work laptop at home. that�s because my new-ish (2004), sleek imac g5 seems to be ailing. earlier, its fans got really loud, i started smelling an electrical smoke smell, and then it was like a fuse suddenly blew and the computer went blank and shut down. as much as i love my sexy machine, i worry about whether it�s a lemon�or whether all imac g5�s are lemons. if you go to mac/apple�s discussion/support boards, or just google something like �smoke + imac + g5�, tons of web pages & posts come up describing problems w/ this machine. no doubt the repair bill will be astronomical.

lots is happening now but honestly, it�s hard to write, so i�m thinking more, talking less, but still reading. it�s freezing out today, but you know what? i don�t care b/c it�s spring and even if it arrived like a lion, the days are longer now, and the bradford pear blossoms are already out, and the cherry blossoms will soon follow. an equinox party is in order.