  A brief, imaginary interview with the writer... What's new this week? It's spring break, and I can hardly express how much that means to me. I am this close ----> [] to a nervous breakdown due to lack of sleep. Other news: Jack walks more than he crawls. He's learned to turn the TV off and on, as well as control the volume. Oh, and I bought tofu for the first time.
Did you know that having tofu is like having a pet? You have to keep it in water--water that you change every day. But what will you do with all that free time? Nap. Write a poem at a leisurely pace. Take Jack to the park.
Groom the dog. Watch the extended version of The Two Towers (finally). Write in my blog and feel something other than braindead when confronted with a blank page. Finish my trash-novel. Research for my paper on A Midsummer Night's Dream . Spend some time with Charlie.
Edit some of my poems. Edit my editing homework. Finish changing my blog template and put up my links again. Go out for my birthday without the baby . Birthday? That's right.
I'm turning 25 precisely one week from today. I'm getting my ear pierced, in the cartilage near the top. I can do that now because I am almost through with my military contract. I want something with a purple, sparkly stone in it. :) ________________________________________________________________________________________________ I remember when I was a child and I'd look at older people and think, "Man, their lives must be so cool. I'm gonna be cool like that when I'm older, too.
" So now that I've reached adulthood, I wonder when the cool factor kicks in. When do I get to be the worldly, hippy, beatnick, intellectual person I constructed for my adult self as a child? There were so many things I wanted to do. I was going to live in New York City and take the subway into Greenwich Village for art festivals and gourmet peanut butter sandwiches. I was going to see every single play on Broadway even if I had to sit in the rafters to afford a seat. I was going to make lots of money as an artist and always be reading some obscure translated novel.
I was going to write inspiring but mysterious poetry and spend most of my time thinking deep thoughts in museums and art galleries. I was headed to Italy to see Michealangelo's Pieta, and to the Louvre to see the winged Nike of Samothrace. I was going to date beautiful men and break their hearts when I chose adventure over marriage. I was going to be a world-class equestrienne. I was going to be thin and gorgeous, with white teeth and slightly curly auburn hair. I was going to shop in vintage stores and thrift shops for my clothes and play the guitar to songs I wrote.
I was going to be creative, kind, charismatic, and popular. I would shop at farmer's markets and wear flowy dresses and see foreign films with subtitles. I was going to be known for my intelligence, and possibly get a Ph.D. I did not plan for this life that I am leading now. I never expected Jack or Charlie or that it would take me six years to finish college. I never expected that paying your own way generally means that you have very little extra money, or that joining the Army would take me to El Salvador, Japan, and Egypt and teach me about personal limits.
How could I have known that chemistry and pre-calculus would be all it took to change my mind about veterinary school? How could I have known that putting on the Army uniform would leave me feeling so dissatisfied and unfulfilled? But I have grown. A quarter century has taught me to stand up for myself and to never hide who I am. It has taught me that love comes in all shapes and sizes, and that unexpected surprises are often the best ones. I have made new friends and outgrown some old ones.
I have learned grammar and writing and that Saturn looks like it's pasted in the sky when you view it through a telescope. I have learned forgiveness and patience and to seize every opportunity. I have watched a person die and given birth to a child. I've created life and helped nurture it. I've learned to draw and paint and put my wallet in the same place each day. I have learned that nothing is sweeter than kissing Jack's cheek or waking up every morning next to the man I adore.
I have learned to keep my own house, to do laundry, to cook, and to live on a budget. I have learned to say "I love you" without underestimating the value of the words. I have learned to tell the truth and laugh more than I cry. I have learned to make my own decisions and stand behind them, even if it means I have to discuss them with my parents. The point is I love this life. It's not what I was planning, but it's full of small victories and plenty of its own joys.
I look forward to more children, more writing, and more years with my beloved Charlie. ....and you're all invited to my birthday party :) 
