over the river and through the woods...

(to work...we go...?)

{zehner school road}

i tell people i kindof work out in the middle of nowhere.
but, it REALLY feels like it when you're driving down a snow-covered road...with snow-covered trees...It's like all i'm really missing are some jingle-bells on my volvo, and a steaming mug of cocoa waiting for me when i get to work.

(*speaking of bells on the volvo....guess what decided to start working again this week?----MY CAR HEAT!)
However, wearing two coats, double-layered mittens, multiple scarves, and heavy boots in the car is going to be a hard habit to break...

in case you've ever wondered...

the best way to hold hands when it's cold outside.


wonder no more.

Smittens

*set includes two single mittens and one tandem "smitten"

some winter fun

i made my first pennsylvania-snowman this weekend.
(in case you can't tell...he is rather mini-sized).
he has a little baby-carrot nose, almond eyes, and peanut-butter chip buttons.
i'm pretty sure all my apartment-neighbors think i'm crazy...



and in the spirit of cold weather, and winter-fun....

(how incredible would it be if i owned a pair of mustache-mittens?)

come on little vovo...

weather forcast:
(please note the use of "bitterly" when describing the cold)

reeeeeaaally?
little vovo- why does your heat have to stop working
now.

(some snow fell on one of my backseats when i was de-snowing my car this morning...and it was STILL there (unmelted) when i got to work)
i don't mind cold, or snow...but when i can see my breath during an entire 20-minute drive?

{something is dreadfully wrong}

"Never loose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,
for beauty is God's handwriting"

{ ralph waldo emmerson }

absolutes…and existentialism {?}

there are certain things in life that i have discovered to be universally true. (one of the more recent being the goodness of taco bell)

unfortunately, if there was one major flaw that i could see in the northeastern states, it would be their general lack of taco bells. I think there are a total of TWO taco bells in all of pittsburgh. (really pathetic) neither are close to where i am...and therefore, in the past eight months, i have only eaten at taco bell three times.

(now, if you happen to be one of the select individuals that knew me during the peak of my burrito-consumption, you know that this is a DEFINITE downgrade from my previous bi-weekly, tri-weekly, and...well...qui-weekly(?) visits)

also, not only does taco bell remain the best supplier of fast, hot, fake-mexican...they definitely beat out the rest of the fastfood chains as the most inexpensive place to eat. (where else can i buy a HALF-POUND bean burrito for 99cents?) Those things keep you full for DAYS...

anyways, this past weekend-(as I was making the little journey from VA to PA after a lovely christmas holiday)- i scouted out (one of the only) taco bells to eat dinner. and, of course, i ordered my usual: a bean burrito.

and as i ate my delicously warm (and beany?) burrito, driving alone in my car, watching the sun set over the mountains of west virginia, i realized that there are certain things in life that will ALWAYS be good: like bean burritos.

i can eat them with friends, or alone. I can eat them at a normal meal-time, or at 2am during a mac-lab midnight snack run. I can douse them with hotsauce, or eat them just plain. I can buy them on a poor college-student’s budge, or buy them when i’m employed...they will ALWAYS be good

(and for some odd reason, i think that the universal goodness of a bean burrito brings me some strange sort of comfort in my new “grown-up” world.)

HOWEVER, (on the same drive) i also came up with a more existential-realization...about R&B music:

unlike bean burritos, R&B music is NOT always good. i don’t like it playing at home, or at work, or restraunts, or stores...but- i’m not an R&B hater. (because- i secretly really enjoy listening to it in the car.) I turn up the radio to an embarassingly-loud volume, pretend like i know all the words...and genuinely enjoy the experience.

so (in conclusion) i’ve decided that it’s probably unhealthy for me to travel long distances by myself- because i start philosophizing about burritos, R&B, absolute truth, and existentailism...

office adventures

it's always hard to come off of a week of warm sunshine, clear oceans, and lazy days filled with naps and good books.

and when you leave all the women alone in the office (*and two of them are in the process of weaning themselves from the above-mentioned lifestyle) ...well- you get some interesting results.

(we are always very productive. of course)

so, this morning's experimental endeavor: what do you get when you take an average vacation photo and add a little flair?

{tragedy}