• Direct deposit paychecks at work
• Automatic bill-pay for my student loans
• Automatic bill-pay for my credit card
• Long-term goals on Mint
• The rest of my life in general

I really want to post something to do today justice but I’m all kinds of exhausted. So, because I don’t really do this enough, here is a bullet-point summary of why today rocked the pants off of most any other Monday ever:

• Officially applied for dual Italian American citizenship at the Italian Consulate in Los Angeles
• Roadtripped to said consulate with my mom and got a tour of her former stomping grounds in Culver City
• Saw a bit of that fancy part of LA everybody talks about
• Surprised my two twin great-aunts on the way home and had an awesome time catching up
• Was told by both that they think I’m an awesome young woman with her head in the right place 
• (And beautiful skin, but that was mostly Make Up For Ever’s doing)
• Had a five-dollar-foot-long, a cold beer, and passed the fuck out on the couch
• Texts & things of that sort

There you have it. Monday, March 25th, 2013, in all its bullet-pointed, southern Californian glory.

Fuck yeah.

• Filed my tax return
• Cleaned out my gmail
• Got a new theme
• Have two days off
• Cooked a legitimate dinner
• Texts
• Wedding planning for my sister
• Italian Consulate Appointment with my mom on Monday
• Game of Thrones 

Basically, life is awesome. 

• Catch-up lunch with a friend 
• Made strawberry scones
• Soaked up some rather fabulous San Diego sunshine 
• BEST TUNA SALAD EVER
• …not written a single word.

And since today was supposed to be a writing day and it’s now somehow near six o’clock, I kind of need to get on that. So here we go.

• Haircut
• Writing more
• Reading more
• Pajamas
• The cereal that tastes like Captain Crunch but isn’t
• Tea
• My new fabulous tea mug

• Read new things
• Discover new music
• Discover new shops
• Write

• English Breakfast Tea
• Plain yogurt
• Dried cranberries
• Chocolate hazelnut fake-healthy granola bar thing
• Tuna sandwich & chips
• Tangerine
• Cream of leek soup
• Mint tea
• Pre-sleep hot chocolate

Sidenote: I was perusing the Alexander Skarsgard tag when I decided to make this list and almost forgot to take his name out of the tag box when I hit new post. Crisis averted. 

So this morning I was dreaming, and in my dream I was nommin’ on some chocolate torte. As I’m eating said torte, I think to myself (in my dream), “Man, this torte is delicious. And I swear we sell it at my wo- WORK FUCK I’M SUPPOSED TO BE A WORK”, after which I woke up, realized I’d overslept by an hour, and hauled ass to my store. 

This could’ve been the start to an awful day, as I then spent the first hour of my shift discombobulated as all hell, but alas! Things turned around and this particular Monday hasn’t been too shabby. On top of that, this is how the rest of the week will go:

• Work two days, then have a day off
• Work one day, then have two days off
• Spend said two days back up in northern California for my big sister’s bridal shower, and then BONUS: see old amazing friends and catch up at our favorite bar in the old part of town.

So really, torte, you’ve kicked  off a rather good week.

Now I’m going to have a hot shower, make a cup of tea, and get a fuck-ton of MUCH-needed editing done.

I’m awesome, I know. Favorite gif time.

1. Finding out my weekend is tomorrow
2. Knowing exactly how wonderfully productive I’ll be during those 48 hours
3. How much I’m enjoying this buzz cut

As an aside: I’ve been best friends with one of my roommates since middle school. September, however, marks the first time we’ve ever lived together, and since then she’s gotten me fairly addicted to candles. I’ve been in the presence of lit candles more in the past three months than the rest of my life combined.

Anyway, I keep one on my nightstand and it keeps me company while I internet the late-night hours away. Then, when I’m ready for sleep, I turn off the lights, shut my computer, blow out the candle, and fall asleep with the smell of candlesmoke. And it just occurred to me last night that for far longer than not, that is the same smell most human beings fell asleep to when they turned out the lights to go to sleep. And I felt awesome.

(A list of things that will make tomorrow fabulous.)

• Another day off!
• First time bechamel sauce experience
• Breakfast plans
• Passing the big 2-0-0
• TIGHTS
• Whiteboard installation 
• General good vibes
• Catching up on SOA

• Pretend I’m not missing my favorite renaissance faire
• Not burn down the store during my first shift as closing manager
• Finish laundry
• Get a few more pages down
• Make rather important list as discussed with my friend last night

Ready go!

• Make my desk using [this] fabulous tutorial
• Cut up and frame a bunch of pages from [this], which I got at Anthropologie for 95¢
• Hopefully pick [this] up for free and work some DIY magic on it
• Create a wonderful, aesthetically-pleasing space where I can happily write the rest of my book 
• Unload the four boxes that contain everything I own into my first private room of post college-adulthood

And now for something that’s unlikely to interest very many of you at all: five of my favorite songs I had the privilege of playing when I was in band in high school. 

Yes, yes, I was a band nerd. Totally shameless, loved every minute of it. I played flute in marching band and - my favorite of the two by far - oboe in concert band. Some of my best memories from high school come from these songs and the times I had in band, so I thought I’d go nostalgic for the nonce and share how fucking amazing they all are.

1. Symphonic Metamorphosis - Hindemith

We played this song at a competition at UOP in the spring of my first year as first chair. Anybody that’s ever been to a band competition has suffered through the judge’s critique following their performance, and the critique we received after performing this song was without question the most memorable of my high school career. The judge gave an unexpectedly stirring speech about the power of the song’s ending and after rousing all of our spirits in a way none of us really thought possible, had us replay the final few bars. The result? Quite simply the best set of chills I ever got playing on a stage.

2. Procession of the Nobles - Korsakov

Procession was the first song I sight-read and thought “Well fuck.” It was my second day at practice with the better, smaller, audition-based ensemble at my high school. Within six bars I knew I was way, way, way out of my league. Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite as motivating as being surrounded by talented musicians acing this song. This was the song that made me want to be a better musician - no more of the junior-high sounding shit with horrendously crap-tastic names. When I listen to Procession, I can see the nobles fucking processing. And it never gets old.

3. Symphony 5 Finale - Shostakovich

This song takes a bit of a commitment to listen through entirely, but it’s totally worth it. If you don’t have ten minutes to spare, jump to the flute solo at 5:05. Less than ten seconds later an oboe joins in, and I swear, for some unidentifiable reason, nothing made me musically swoon like playing that solo. Okay, so my best friend played the flute solo too and it was just this fabulous little moment. But still. This song. SO GOOD.

4. Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral - Wagner

Speaking of solos, I loved every single one I got in Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral. Yes, there were only two, but I played the SHIT out of them. This song will also make you want to jump in bed with a French horn player. Goddamn. And then there’s the slow build and the endless end. Don’t even care if I’m nerding out at this point. Can’t get enough of this song.

5. First Suite in E-flat - Holst

All this song comes down to is how much I loved playing it. Hearing it made me think so much of England, even though at the time I’d never been, and playing it made me feel like I could instantly transport a person simply through music. I just love it to sentimental pieces. Oh, and I totally had a solo in it that I loved more than anything. So there’s that too.

And there you have it! Some musical insight into Nerd Kathy, because no Sunday night is complete without it.

So having spent ten hours in the car today, I am stupid tired right now. However, I’m still going to throw some words up here to let the world know a few things:

1. I’ve moved.
2. Not into my official new place yet, but apartment hunting commences next week, and I am fuckin’ STOKED.
3. Something rather fabulous is in the works and it’s making me feel wonderful.
4. And I’m not even talking about my book, which is going so well. I can’t wait to get my writing space set up so I can jump straight back in where I left off when life went to shit just over a week ago.
5. I rediscovered THIS. 
6. I’m checking out THIS PLACE some time in the next week.
7. One of my best friends - and also my future roommate - is getting me into rock climbing.
8. I found all of my high school era journals and photographs, so much of which remind me of my good friend that recently passed, that I’m starting to be able to just cherish the great times we had - just what he would have wanted - instead of wallow in the tragedy of everything that’s happened. 
9. Everything is moving forward and my outlook is massively improved.

So there you have it, Tumblr. All the things.

Now it’s time for sleep.

It blows my mind how hot and cold I can get about life decisions. Right now, though, instead of freaking out yet again about the future and if I’ll ever get a great job and if I’m making the right choices and if I’ll feel this way forever, I am going to:

1. Watch Crazy, Stupid, Love, and get cheered up by some fabulous Emma Stone.
2. Get some sleep.
3. Wake up and go to work.
4. Go to the gym.
5. Write.
6. Keep checking apartment and job listings.

Those are all things that need to happen because really, there’s nothing you can do besides move forward when you’re feeling like this. Even if it is in baby, step-by-step lists that nobody reads posted on Tumblr. Somehow that helps the process.