Lately...

[sleep depriver, time sucker, heart snatcher]

Reading... Lots and lots of student work. Both of the classes I teach had tons and tons due (my fault) the last few weeks and I got buried, right in time for parent-teacher conferences. And I'm still not caught up! On the book front, I just finished Michael Ondaatjie's Running in the Family with my seniors, and am thirty or so pages into The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up, by Joseph Appel, for a student's project that I'm advising. 

Coveting... Sleep. It's been a rough few weeks (months?) and I'm beat. I was hoping to put a dent in the deficit last night, since it was Friday, but Sawyer woke up three or four times and then was ready to go at 6:30 (he's usually up once, none when he's not teething). Timing wise, this has been more unfortunate than normal since things that probably shouldn't be so stressful are more so. This too shall pass. It always does. 

Playing...  Guitar Hero. Why is it so addicting? Why did my husband choose a weekend where I have tons to do to buy it? How many songs do I have to play until my hand gets used to it again? . A brave soul also tried to teach me how to play chess last week, and while I know more now than before, I still am pretty abysmal. I also just bought Bananagrams and haven't even opened it.

Writing... Oh wait, I'm not. Obviously not quality blog posts, nor on any sort of projects. And I thought I was considering NaNoWriMo. Hilarious. 

Hoping... that my podiatrist will shoot up my toe (and maybe ankle) with Cortisone when I visit him on Wednesday. If I leave without a game plan I'm firing him... again. 

Resisting... buying dresses. Apparently I have enough to get me through almost three weeks of work without repeating. How did this happen? In all fairness, many of them won't work for winter tights and sweaters, so just maybe a few more?  

Looking... forward to Halloween. I usually am indifferent, but this year Sawyer will be able to trick-or-treat and appreciate my awesome pumpkin carving skills. We're going to try to take him to the local park tomorrow in his costume to take some pictures, which is always fun (knock on wood). 

Pouting... about the fact that we aren't going to be continue our "traveling for Christmas" tradition that we adhered to for several years and were adamant we'd continue to do so after Sawyer. The real issue now is not having care for the dogs, though, as opposed to being unable to leave with a kid. 

Winning... our weekly Fitbit challenge for either the second or third week in a row. I'm trying to be a humble, gracious winner and not talk about awesome- I'll stop.  

Regretting... my dietary choices lately. I've actually been able to drop a few pounds this month, because I'm simply eating less and being more active. The problem is that what I am eating isn't exactly all quinoa and kale. It's more like ice cream cake and Cheesecake Factory. Chased with Diet Coke and Starbucks. So fine, maybe I'm only consuming 1600 calories or whatever, but it's mostly carbs of the refined sugar sort (the best kind). And tomorrow will be icing on the cake, so to speak, since my friend and I have a cupcake date. I'd like to say that I'm going to make some changes, but I don't think I'm ready to commit. 

Wondering... where the heck El Nino is. I want to wear sweats and hoodies now. Also, do kids under the age of like eight or nine really want to play organized sports? Or do their parents just sign them up?

Planning... on what to make for Thanksgiving (a month away!). I honestly have no clue what our plans are, but one thing is for certain: I'm not hosting and I'm not driving far. If it's just us and my brother, I'd be okay with it. And if that's not what we do, I'm still going to make a feast the night before so I can finally try out the recipes I've been wanting to do for years but haven't, since I've played it safe for all the guests we've had (I actually really like having people over, but it's just not the year for it; I'd rather have a party with friends). 

Wishing... for a night out. Like a legitimate night out, not just a dinner at a local place. Or maybe a weekend away, with my husband or friends (or by myself). I have cabin fever, can you tell? I want to get dressed up and be distracted. I'd love to go to a concert or another Derby Dolls bout or a try a new restaurant in Orange County or LA that is not family-friendly. We're trying a new sitter soon, so if that works maybe we can get out a little more often. We'll see. 

Amused by... The bored pictures of Hillary Clinton at the Benghazi hearings. Not that it wasn't a serious situation, because it was. But come on. Come on. 

I'm not sure if this "lately" thing was started by someone? Should I be giving credit? I've seen other bloggers do it but have not seen the source. Let me know.