that's it. i'm purchasing long-johns.

the cold is close to bitter here, or maybe i'm just a baby. it doesn't help that 2 of the three pairs of sneakers i own have fairly large holes laced on the bottom and/or sides of them.

orion, the big dipper and the north star are in full force right now. check those suckers out.

my friend that is a girl, stacey, is proving to be a solid, trustworthy force in my costant explorations and quick-witted judgements of this city. she too swears that i am 34. thank God.

i cant speak enough about the kids i'm working with. if/when i work as a teacher, i won't be able to befriend them as i am able to now. example: conversation btw yours truly and a SUPER smart 14 year old named jennifer lopez who would quiver with anger if she knew i was about to dub her as j-lo for the 67th time for sheer lack of wit.

j-lo: yeah, i'm failing math. i have a 26 average.
me: what. how. you're a genius.
j-lo: i don't turn in my homework.
me: that's stupid. why.
j-lo: *stares at jen* i don't know.
me: well that's the dumbest thing i've heard in about 4 months. math is easy and you know it, i've seen you do more difficult things than that, and homework takes 30 minutes.

ha... i probably shouldnt have told her that what she was doing was stupid, but it is. she's coming by my office on monday afternoon so we can learn algebra together. and we hugged when she left. these kids hug me all the time when we're not throwing around footballs or they're making fun my eyes that look like a hound dog's, and i can't figure out why.

so very bored of writing grants, but that's what i'm here for. and to tell kids that how they're acting in school is stupid. and to marvel at city wonders.

no more grant-writing for the love of God no more grant-writing. i will never work as a grant-writer ever again. i want to write about other things. and not just in blogs, and nothing about my life.

miss you. hope its warm and happy for you wherever you are. it's definitely real nice over here.

-jen.