Chai Lattes

I discovered the wonders of the chai latte my freshman year at Scripps, around Thanksgiving time, at The Motley Coffehouse at my beloved Scripps College. To this day, I have no idea what spices meld themselves together in this scrumtious treat, but I love it. As many of my friends, family, and colleagues know, I do not really enjoy hot beverages and favor Diet Coke over coffee 99 out of 100 days of the year.

This morning I arrived at work with my 44oz "keg" of diet coke to discover that I was without butter for my toast (and my bread was stale to boot). So after my 9am meeting, I forced my hungry butt out into the cold and made my way to The Daily Grind for a bagel. Once there, the thought of holding a cup of warmth would make the walk back much more endurable. So I ordered the largest chai latte they had.

That was about an hour ago. 15 minutes ago, I read an e-mail about my 5 year Scripps reunion next May. The committee members had strategically sprinkled reminders of our four years of fun and bliss throughout this message to encourage those less willing to a) attend the reunion and b) fork over hard earned cash to support the college.

After reading this e-mail, I was filled with nostalgia. My four years at Scripps were very special. Scripps gave me a place where I felt I really belonged and fit in a way that I hadn't through the nightmare drama and pettiness of high school and junior high. This is a feeling I get whenever I spend any time face to face with a fellow Scrippsie.

So when, 5 minutes ago, I realized my chai latte had cooled to a point where I could take that first sip (okay, so it's pretty cold by now since I forgot about it) those feelings of nostalgia and happiness became firmly cemented in my head and heart. I am hoping that feeling stays with me as H2B and I head up to Maine this evening to spend a chilly, but delicious Lobster Thanksgiving with my mom and sister.

Sleepless Nights

I have always been a troubled sleep; my mom says that even as a baby I had trouble "letting go of my day." The past couple of nights have been especially bad though. So yesterday when I left work, I set out to do everything I could to ensure I got some good sleep before H2B arrives tonight for a three day weekend (for him, I still have to work tomorrow).

I went to the gym, cardio-ed for about 20 minutes and did 20 more minutes of weights. Traffic was not so relaxing in the rain, but I had some good tunes so that was fine. When I got home I had some ice cream (Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter, I highly recommend it), and then took a 30 minute bubble bath in my jacuzzi tub with a glass of merlot. By 9, I was relaxed and clean. But still, I could not sleep. What is wrong with my brain!!??!?!?

Voting

As I sit here, around 10am on Election Day, I'm finding it difficult to get up the motivation to fight the lines at the polls to vote. Don't get me wrong, I will vote; this election is too close, too important, and too historical not to. Plus I want the right to complain and complain and complain should McCain win, a right that I would forfeit if I didn't vote. But this only applies to the presidential portion of this election. I have yet to invest enough in Maryland to be able to make an informed decision on many of the issues.

I actually find myself more interested in the California election than the Maryland one. California has two propositions this year that are super important. Proposition 8 would ban gay marriage and proposition 4 would require minors to get parental permission to get an abortion. These are issues that I would MUCH rather be voting on than Maryland's question 2. If question 2 passes, slot machines would be legalized in Maryland to help fund schools. Whoopedy Doo! This is not a major issue in the grand scheme of things. Yes, funding education is a big deal and yes, Marylanders who travel to Virginia or Delaware are helping to fund schools in those states as of now. But since I am out of school and don't have kids yet, I'd rather be weighing in the California props.

So there is my little political rant, they are few and far between, so I hope you enjoyed it!