fare thee well, schoolgirl.

I finished my last class today.
(I still have two projects to complete... so I'm not *totally* done, but you know... I don't have plans on stepping foot in a classroom again anytime soon.)

This makes me strangely sad. I thought I'd be stoked about finishing graduate school -- and believe me, I am -- but I've been in school full-time since Kindergarten (save the 3-month hiatus I took off during my psychology master's program when Paige was born).

I'm not sure what this means for Sarah, lifetime student, lifelong learner. I'm happy, but at the same time feel directionless and strange. I've counted on school most of my life -- it's been my rock, the thing I could turn to when I wanted to bury my mind.

I mean, I *have* hobbies...
but.

School's out.
Huh.

Today is brought to you by the letter A, for...

Anger.

I have long held a belief that while, yes, I get angry sometimes, there's not a lot of point in it. It doesn't change anything... it's really self-serving... and I just had a conversation yesterday about, man, if we could just point the collective anger-energy toward being proactive and working individually to create a solution -- what a differerent world I would blog about.

That said, my interest is piqued by a couple of things of note:

(Credit where credit is due time: I've been having dialogues about this with Dave and Becca, so really, this isn't my original thought so much as it is a culmination of the thought-nuggets those conversations leave in my brain.)

A great article about the politics of anger.

VW's recent ad campain popping up all over town, begging the public to drop our pursuit of misery and dare to be happy.
(see rule #1: chase your happy.)

It could be because it's 70 degrees and amazing outside today. Or because I'm in a decent place in life. Or whatever. But I like the backlash at anger.
What if we all just decided to get over ourselves? What if we stopped being pissed off and started being happy? What if we left misery by the wayside and just started digging on the good stuff already in our lives? What would happen? How would your life be different.

Today is brought to you by A for Anger. Now forget about that, get out there and chase down some happy for yourself.

It's Friday, I'm in love.

(urbanwanderlust confesses: I actually really dislike the Cure, and that's probably the only line you'll ever hear me quote from any song they've put out.)

If you know me outside internets (it's a series of tubes; it's not a truck!) you will know I have endured a craptastic week. Meh, we've all got 'em, right?

Well, it is Friday and things are looking up.

For one thing, the craptastic week is nearly done.
It's payday, and I was welcomed into my office this morning by a warm, chewy, decadent Everything Bagel with gobs of melty cream cheese, because my boss brought us all breakfast.
I got a good night's sleep for the first time in well over a week, after ignoring my laundry and dishes and chores in favor of a compelling episode of Buffy.
My best friend is getting married tomorrow.
It's my favorite holiday of the year tomorrow (OK, Thanksgiving is really my favorite. Food narrowly edges out drinking. This is my life.).
I get to celebrate Becca's birthday (which is today -- Happy Birthday!) with many people I adore.
Of Montreal is at First Ave tonight. I'm currently going through my Of Montreal collection (it's deliciously upbeat and absurd and nonsequitor) and seems to fit today perfectly.
That is, of course, after I partake of some Irish goodness at the Liffey.
I got to ride next to a lovely service dog (who was a beautiful Golden Retriver, and reminded me of Claire and how much I miss her and Denali and are looking oh-so forward to an East Coast roadtrip this summer) on the bus this morning.
I walked past a mailbox covered in a big sticker that made it look like R2D2 on my way into work. I have my camera with; maybe I'll wander down there and take a picture during lunch.
My hair did a semi-cooperative thing today.