Accomplishment

After all my award acceptance speech pondering this weekend some very good things happened to me. Things that made me feel about as happy as if I had one of those gold statuettes in my hand.

First, thanks to Blogger's very addictive stats counter charts, I discovered that I set a new record for page views in February - over 700 hits! This is all thanks to you, readers, and I'm about as excited as if I won the lottery. Your comments and visits really brighten this weary grad student's day. Maybe one day we'll even break 1000...

Second, I completed a marathon late night thesis writing session fueled by hummus, pita chips, and some stale Valentine marshmallow peeps. When I came up for air at 3am, I discovered that I had churned out 12 whole pages. I'm really starting to feel like a writer now. Only one more section to go, and then I'll have a decent draft to work with. Just one step closer to my graduation/thesis presentation/awards speech.

The last thing was a complete surprise, and one that testifies to the power of grace more than my own abilities. On Sunday I got a Facebook message from an college friend who had worked with me at history camp one summer. We'd exchanged a few emails since then about what we were doing after graduation, but otherwise weren't really in touch. Anyway, this lovely girl, now a wife and new mother, was writing to say that she had been received into the Catholic Church, making her Confirmation and First Communion this past weekend. She was thanking all the people who had helped her along her journey and shared their faith with her.
I can't remember the last time I was so touched by an email. I'm so happy for my friend, and happy that for at least once in my life I helped bring someone closer to God. So often I wonder if I am witnessing to my faith as well as I could, if my dual existence in Catholicism and academia is even possible. That note was a reminder that it's all in God's hands, even the results of a few conversations in a humid undergrad dorm one Williamsburg summer.

Oh, speaking of Williamsburg, I'm going there tomorrow! My class is going to visit the trade shops and attempt to imitate the accomplishments of pre-industrial craftsmen like these guys. From what I have seen of my carpentry skills, the results will not be so award-winning.

Such downright domesticity

(Bonus points if you can tell me the song/musical where I got that title.)

It was great to be back home on break, but I also love coming back to my own apartment and getting re-settled in my own domain. My roommate doesn't cook too much, so she doesn't mind my crazy kitchen experiments. Thus I spent Monday playing at domestic goddess. Maybe I didn't get much thesis writing done, but I felt darn productive anyway.

First, I tried out my favorite Delaware Christmas present - a new washing machine! Call me an old lady, but I was seriously ecstatic when I heard the landlords were replacing our ancient leaky, shaking, violently loud machine. Check out the glorious new toy - those buttons and timer are the bees knees.

Then I roasted a chicken in the awesome roasting pan I got for Christmas. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

 Finally, I tried out a black bean soup recipe my Mom gave me that involved bacon, sherry, and lemon. It was delicious, and I bet you could adapt the 400 degree oven cooking time to a crock pot

. If you are interested, click on the link for the recipe.

"Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail me now!" - The Blues Brothers

When I am driving, I can be a bit directionally challenged. Even if I have directions and a map printed out, I will probably get disoriented in my new surroundings and miss a turn or two. Sometimes I even make the same mistake twice. Studying Google maps and focusing on cardinal directions can help, but sometimes it just takes a lot of practice.

Case in point: leaving the downtown area here. Unlike a lot of my classmates, I don't live in the city limits, so I am not so familiar with the maze of one way streets. The past four times, I have ended up taking some roundabout route back home involving detours to I-95 or Little Italy.

That's why I am proud to announce that this weekend I not only managed to take the most direct route home from 8th and King Streets, I also made the 2 hour drive to see my beau without directions this time! After 9 months in Delaware I am finally learning.