welcome to crutch life.

i'm in my second year of graduate school after a fantastic summer working for a finance firm focused on exploring sustainable investing. i've been active in student organizations, love my classes, have a great job in sustainable clark, ran a half marathon in october and keep myself busy with lots of other side projects and procrastination endeavors.

but…halloween found me a bit silly, and i hurt my foot. after an agonizing morning of "what did i do?" "why is my foot so gigantic?" and my housemate wondering why i was trudging around the apartment using his baseball bat, i hobbled to urgent care for the start of x-rays, examinations and future appointments to find out how much i actually hurt my foot.

it's not broken, but a pretty bad sprain with a potential ligament tear (surgery). doc said we won't know how severe until i just stay off of it and let it heal for 6 weeks. really? 6 weeks???

i spent the first week incredibly sore and exhausted in almost any way imaginable. moving myself from point a to point b became physically draining on crutches. having to confront the reality of my irresponsibility about 15 times each day when people asked what happened was emotionally draining. and strategically planning my future moves to minimize the aforementioned concerns exhausted my mental capacity (on top of being a graduate student!).

i did manage to attend a professional conference in minneapolis, made much more enjoyable by being wheeled about the airport and getting to speed through security! instead of morning runs in the park and casual networking, i enjoyed learning about uber and relishing in the cozy airbnb i shared with other from my school attending the conference.

the second week has been better. i miss so many of the activities that give me joy like dancing, running, riding my bike, spending time outside, and being an active member of my community, but here are some of the upsides:

• water conservation: i take like one bath a week. and maybe (maybe) wash my hair in between.
• saving money on groceries: i don't expend too many calories these days, so i'm really not hungry much. saving lots of money on groceries!
• netflix: finally watching orange is the new black. i watched 7 episodes yesterday.
• tackling the side projects: those "side" projects are now my main digs!
• becoming a pirate: yup. i'm getting a peg leg!
• measuring progress in the little things: like my toes being the same size, and getting faster at crawling up the stairs to my apartment.

i'm optimistic that this is will be a good time in my life to reflect on where i am, and where i want to be. but it still stinks when i see my calf muscles withering away, and i know i have the tribulations of physical therapy ahead…

boston summer: day 3.

okay, so i skipped days 1 and 2, but they weren't terribly exciting. packing and moving. moving and unpacking. eating food, learning my way around the T, and enjoying a lovely dinner out, and going blues dancing.

here's my to-do list for the next few days:
- get a new stud to replace my nose ring (SAD DAY)
- pimp out my bike (sexypants is getting a milk crate, new pedals and a better lock system)
- get new "running" shoes (i don't run)
- buy a nice spring jacket that isn't a fleece or soft-shell
- find trader joe's (i need chocolate)
- play my ukulele
- get a chaco tan line (it's getting there!)

and try not to go dancing ALL the time. but i'm already in a bad habit…

: )

summer time, but the living isn't as easy as i'd hope.

it's been a while since i've shared in this space. let's see what i can sum up from the past … uh … 2 years?

• i survived hidden villa summer camp
• i cooked lots of food for lots of people and even got to teach some of the wee ones at high trails
• i did as much contra dancing as my budget and body would allow which brought me exciting places like san francisco, santa barbara, san luis obipso, hawaii, pasadena, and arizona to name a few
• i traded in my banjo for a ukulele
• i traveled all around the national parks in california: death valley, joshua tree, yosemite, kings canyon, and sequoia
• i drove across the country for the 4th time
• my grandmother passed away
• i spent a month in alaska leading a native alaskan high school trail crew
• i lived in a crazy old victorian house in a slightly sketchy neighborhood (drug deals and ladies of the night regularly crossed my path) in worcester, ma with wonderful housemates who i will miss dearly
• i managed to contra dance almost every weekend (thank you new england!)
• i rediscovered a love for latin dance
• i played music at a cafe!
• although i daily doubt the usefulness of my degree program, i made it through a year of graduate school! yippee!
• i flirted with the dating scene…might have broken some hearts along the way (including my own) and need to just wait for the right opportunity
• i've tried out two internships (both at nonprofits, one doing nothing, one doing some cool research) and two jobs (grading art history exams and working for an energy efficiency company) but still feel far from knowing what direction i want my career to take
• i landed a paid internship in boston with an investment firm (WHAT?!)

right now, i'm in this slightly strange place of being in my current housing situation for another few weeks…not taking classes…not working…not really doing much of anything besides grading some art history exams and riding my bike. strangely, it feels kind of nice. i do have responsibilities and errands to take care of, but those things are pretty basic (get a hair cut, take my car to the shop, start packing up my things, etc), so it'll be easy to manage. i'm (hopefully) moving to a cute apartment outside of boston for the summer and then another cute house for the fall. here's to hoping i can make it through another year of school...

some life lessons i've learned in these years:

• as much as i want to plan everything, i can't. life will undoubtedly throw wrenches into all plans.
• life really is all about the connections you make and keep. on the spectrum of utilitarian to idealist…it is all important.
• music and exercise are automatic portals to happiness. especially when they happen at the same time.
• i really like painting my nails.
• sleep is crucial to staying healthy and sane.
• i am NOT good at lead generation or reading complex journal articles.
• i AM good at plugging things into a spreadsheet and making cookies.
• i NEED to learn a foreign language.
• quitting can feel quite liberating.
• nostalgia stinks, but it means that the experiences i've had have been authentic.
• i am not an east coast person. california. i'm headed to you soon!
• i still have some wanderlust in me and need to find the best ways to channel that energy so that i can be content and present in the moment.

i'm going to try to keep this updated semi-regularly. i'm sure there will be plenty of interesting tales from my foray into the finance world this summer...