free faling

it's so hard to believe that as of 1 december I'll be done with my thesis project and one lame class away from graduation or matriculation or whatever the hell you want to call it. I am feeling the life returning to my life and actually recognizing myself when I look in the mirror. I could still use a good dose of the sedative J's always promising to formulate for me. We're thinking of calling them "Hermiones" aka shut-yer-big-yapper pills. I am getting to the point now, though where I would probably only need to take them in classes or clinical settings and maybe when meeting new people. This is a significant improvement currently being deeply appreciated by many of those who are, yapping notwithstanding, still -unbelievably- near and dear to my heart.

I have had many occasions to babble senselessly and so much to yap (or not to yap) about lately:

Grandma's deathbed and Union City wake and funeral
MANA conference, incl: hooters, (yes.) recording snafoos, identity crises and crying in a bathroom stall for half an hour while my partner in crime was driving in the dark doing the same thing.
CRF making huge strides in the strategic plan, and getting to use the Depot town Community room.
My last class meeting with my masters cohort
The Election resulting in me actually not wanting to move to Canada for the first time in my adult life,
A great victory/ birthday (mama and Obama according to S) party
Making christmas woodcuts and other artwork with my live-in sister
Bloodletting AND Suturing classes
Grade 4 composition projects a soaring success (kids actually geeked abut writing notation. I know!)

Looking back at this list, I am amused by how I have been enjoying what has seemed like such a slow pace these last few weeks... maybe I need to reevaluate my standard of slow...

I have found though, that I can do several key things that have come to indicate a sustainable level of craziness for me:

1) drink more than half of my cup of coffee before lunch
2) play with S right away when I get home from work and still have enought time to get the house and school stuff done after he goes to bed.
3) wash my face with soap every night
4) stay in the car listening to whatever great song is playing on CBC radio2 when I get to work, all the way to the end of the song.

Speaking of which, I heard John Mayer (don't scoff) singing the Tom Petty song that isn't really a Tom Petty song, that everyone associates with Tom Petty because he did for it what Jimi did for All Along the Watchtower; Free Falling. I know. A suspect song covered by a mainstream hunky crooner, and I -completely in spite of my best efforts not to - loved it. There were some truly lovely moments in which that thing that happens in really great ballads happened. A huge vista opened up in front of my tangled thoughts and everything straightened out ahead of me and I just knew that better things - liscenced direct entry midwifery and fat federal arts grants and more kids and dinner with my friends - lie inevitably, gloriously, ahead.