BONNAGROUP 2010!

Fresh.

I'm in Tampa. I have my own apartment. Yesterday was my first day of graduate school.

*deep breath*

When I left Niceville, I was in a bad place. I was convinced it was too early for me to be leaving, that I had unfinished business, relationships that needed more development, money still to be earned. So I went back after moving in. Worked a couple shifts. Hung out with friends. And I realised that it was indeed time to leave. So I went to Gainesville for a few days. Rewarding yet draining.

I've now been in Tampa (actually, Lutz) for 8 days. I started work at my new Starbucks (the fourth store I've been at in my 3 year career). Things are going well there-many of the other employees are recently graduated and trying to "figure things out". I can relate. By starting my Master's, I am forcing direction in my life because I have felt erratic this year. These people know what that's like - working a non-career-oriented job for the benefits and the measly paycheck. Maybe the free pound of coffee a week. It's good. It's relatable. It'll do for now-as it always has.

I spent the last week dog-sitting for my friend Brandon. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. His dog is Jesse, a 9 month old labrador. He seemed well-behaved when I first met him a few weeks ago. Only problem is, he lives outside in a small fenced-in area because Brandon isn't allowed to have him in his apartment. So I should have anticipated problems. But I'm good with dogs, usually. Napoleon has completely chilled out, and I figured they'd get along. Well. What a week. Jesse had to be kept on my porch at all times because he terrorized Napoleon. He tore up the insulation lining my porch wall. He chewed a wire. He tore up the box I used to block the wire. He woke me up every day at 6am whining and howling. He peed on my carpet. He had diarrhea several times on the porch. And then Brandon's flight was delayed and I had to keep him an extra day. Trials. My mom said "well you've learned a huge lesson". And I said, what's that lesson? That I should never do anyone a favour because it MIGHT end negatively? If I had known these things would happen, I wouldn't have said yes. Then again, I hope someone would do the same for me. And not kill the dog at the end. So, the lesson learned? To maybe be more wise and discerning in deciding what favours to pick up- think a little more about what the consequences could be.

Also, in recent SHOCKING news, I've become something of a clean/neat freak. IMPOSSIBLE! you may say, if you know me or have known me. I tend to let things clutter up, to leave my stuff all over the place and when I "clean" just do the bare minimum to make things acceptable. This has changed. Having my own place meant creating an environment I'm proud of. Every single day I find myself devoting time to tidying up. Every room is practically immaculate. When Brandon left with Jesse and promised to come back later this week to clean my porch, I agreed that was fair. But within an hour of his absence my skin was crawling knowing what a mess that porch was. So during the commercial breaks of ANTM I was out there with my broom and bucket. And except for the missing insulation, it's back to normal. I've been vacuuming every other day. It's crazy. I'm crazy. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME? Come visit. You gotta see it to believe it.

Grad school. This summer ought to be a breeze. My first class is child's play, i.e., "Testing and Measurement"- lots of focus on creating tests. Whatever. Been there, done that. Our teacher even said for our first project (writing a test in the subject of our choice) we could use one we had already made (if we had teaching experience). Piiiiiiiiece of cake. (This is me feigning confidence. I'm terrified of this whole going-back-to-school thing)

Really, super excited about Bonnaroo. And also next week's episode of Glee featuring Lady Gaga music.

Thanks for reading.

untitled, currently

I'm hoping that soon I will dedicate some time to writing another post. I'm currently working 60+ hours a week (between Starbucks, J. Crew, and teaching Latin to three home-schooled boys, ages 7, 14, and 15). When I'm not working, I'm usually doing everything I can to NOT think about work (which usually means vegging out in front of the television- sad.) Most of my internet time is either via phone (tweets, etc) or used exclusively for looking up Latin derivatives and apartments in Tampa (more on that another time, I suppose. Ugh.).

I'm trying to start reading again. Currently in both Vanity Fair and The Screwtape Letters.

I miss a lot of people.

Cenam bonam coquere est placeri.

Success on the first two dishes!

Here is the sesame seared tuna with the rice and julienned carrots, squash, and zucchini.

Unfortunately the tuna wasn't QUITE at "sushi-grade" (though they claimed it was) so it didn't slice as nicely as I would have liked, but I was pleased with the outcome.

Even if my parents did cook theirs longer.....non-lovers of sushi, them folk.....and Matt doesn't even like tuna, so I had to bake salmon for him. But that came out pretty nicely also.

And this is the pork chop with an apple cranberry green onion glaze with mashed potatoes (with chives, garlic and pepper corn).

Served with salad on the side, of course.

Everyone loved it! Yay! Definitely a recipe I'll make several times in the future =)

So far: success. Not sure when I'll get to the other three since Dad is going out of town this week, and as a matter of fact, so am I (Gainesville, here I come!). But I'm excited because it's very satisfying to put time and love into food and see it enjoyed and appreciated!

Also, went to the movies twice this week (gotta love Mom being bored and wanting to pass time). Wee!

It's Complicated I couldn't wait to see this because of the glorious Meryl Streep and the impeccable Alec Baldwin, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. The theme was rather sad, and I can't say I totally loved the ending but it really couldn't have ended any other way. A

Up In The Air There was a lot of hype about how good this movie was. I enjoyed it, and the concept seemed really unique, but I can't say I was blown away. Plus it was really just very depressing, and I left the theatre feeling pretty bummed out. But, good movie, and Mr. Clooney never really fails to disappoint. B+

I start working at Starbucks again tomorrow, so at least I'll have something to do. I'm also going in for an interview right after for a position open at my old high school to help put together bulletins/postcards/posters...it's kind of a graphic/computer design job, so I'm not sure how qualified I am, but my old principal (now the superintendent) is the one who called ME and asked if I was interested and he knows what I'm capable of, so I hope I have a chance. It pays really well. Plus a family at church asked if I was interested in tutoring their home-schooled sons in Latin, which of course I am, so maybe that will happen also.

So, other than that, I'm looking into various possibilities for my future....and they're not exactly what I was considering before.

1. Still hoping to get approved for applying to George Mason in Fairfax, VA. Waiting on one of the professors to get back to me regarding my transcript/resume.

2. USF has several Foreign Language Education Masters that I might apply for. They also have a Certificate program that could easily be done in under a year that I'm interested in. Tampa though. Yeesh.

3. The Geneva School (a Christian Classical school) in Winter Park, FL is hiring a Latin teacher next year. I already sent them my resume and got a response saying they'd be in touch within the month.

So...I wasn't planning on staying in FL. I still don't want to, ultimately. But getting a Masters in-state would be WAY cheaper than going elsewhere (and I can always move once I've done that). And if I don't go to school I would love to teach again SOON (I'm done with this whole "job I don't want to build a career around") and I've heard great things about the Geneva School from friends at UF who went there, and Winter Park is a particularly nice city. Needless to say, I have lots of praying and thinking to do, but it's nice to know I might have a couple options.

Miss you all who aren't here with me. (I think that means all of you.)

P.S. "Cenam conam coquere est placeri"= "To cook a good meal is to be pleased"

Niceville, Smiceville.

Soooooo I'm back in Niceville. I'll start working part-time at the lowest pay possible at my original Starbucks next week, and I've been applying to other jobs as well (JCrew, Kenneth Cole, Michaels Kors [all outlets] and various office/clerical jobs). We'll see what happens, because currently my daily routine has consisted of eating about 9 meals, walking around, checking Facebook/Twitter nonstop, and watching a ridiculous amount of 30 Rock (that part I don't regret).

Books I've read recently (I guess there's only one....sad)

Pirate Latitudes (Michael Crichton, found after his death)- definitely not as good as his other stuff, but entertaining all the same. B

Movies I've watched recently:

High Fidelity it's true, I'd never seen it all the way through. A-

Amelie charming. A

Pineapple Express pretty dang funny, but I don't find Seth Rogen to be a very good actor, to be perfectly honest. B+

Best in Show witty, and featuring Susan Boyle... A

Sunshine Cleaning not that great. not that bad, either. B-

Doubt Meryl Streep + Philip Seymour Hoffman? Pure genius. A-

Vanity Fair (re-watch, to spot Tom Sturridge) B

Rachel Getting Married actually haven't finished it yet...I got bored.

The Hangover so, so funny. just DON'T watch the credits. seriously. bad. A

New in Town predictable, yet relatable. B

I need to start work very, very soon. And visit Gainesville.

But for the time being, I get to make dinner for my family. Yes, "get to".... I've been awaiting a well-stocked and roomy kitchen for YEARS. And also a grocery bill I don't personally have to pay. Here are the 5 recipes I've picked out for the week:

1. Corn & crab chowder with home-fried hush puppies (made this combo last winter-delicious!)

2. Pot roast (mmm. crock potted with carrots, potatoes, and onions.)

3. White chicken chili (never made it myself, wee!)

4. Pork chops with apple-cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes

5. Sesame-seared tuna with rice & julienned carrots/squash/zucchini

I'm pretty excited about that.

Good grief.

I don't even feel like explaining the past week right now or on this silly blog. If you'd really like to know the gory details, call me. This picture ought to suffice.

So here's to an impromptu "Sarah got unjustly fired and now has to move home immediately" party. Thank you friends for your encouragement and prayers.

No Latin, Christopher.

Saw some movies recently. Here are their grades.

Last Chance Harvey (B)

Confessions of a Shopaholic (D+)

Smart People (I actually only got halfway through this because I hated it)

Gigantic (B)

Sherlock Holmes (A)

Mamma Mia! (B+)

Book-wise:

Sherlock Holmes Mysteries (22 Short Stories) (A+)

A Study in Scarlet (A-)

The Sign of the Four (A)

The Great Gatsby (a re-read, naturally. A+)

Julie & Julia (A-)

Christmas with the fam was nice. I'll try and write about it another time. I don't have much motivation for that right now.

New Year's was uneventful. Do I have a resolution? Probably a thousand.

Andrew & Rebecca are visiting.

Chris is finally here, which I am pleased by. It definitely didn't feel like there were several months between our times together.

I'm so.....gosh. I don't know. Uneasy? Unsettled? Something doesn't feel right. Somethings, perhaps. I need to pray more often.

Ninguat, ninguat, ninguat....

I've got a few movies to give my spiel about, but I'm far too tired/sick to say as much as I might otherwise. They are:

-A Very Long Engagement (or, "Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles") Practically perfect in every way. I loved this movie. It had all the right elements- action, drama, a little comedy, romance, a bittersweet ending...Really well done. Definite recommendation.

-Priceless (or, "Hors de Prix") The only reason I watched this is because I decided I have a girl crush on Audrey Tautou, and this movie showed up on my Instant Views on Netflix. Another French film, obviously- not nearly as good. But that can only be expected when you read the summary... it's a silly "romantic comedy" (not exactly the same as what we're used to) and I enjoyed it a bit, but it really wasn't that great unless you want some eye candy and enjoy hearing French. Which I do.

-Annie Hall Oh this movie was great. I never really thought I'd be a Woody Allen fan, and I still don't know if I am...Matchpoint was a VERY different type of movie, so I feel like I can't even compare the two. Allen and Diane Keaton were great in this movie, and I loved the random appearances by all too familiar faces, including, but not limited to: Christopher Walken (with such a baby face, he was already in his 30s but he looks soooo young! I couldn't believe it!), the mom from the Shining (I didn't even know she was in anything else, but I'm undereducated), and my personal favorite, Jeff Goldblum! He's literally in the movie for 3 seconds, but what a glorious 3 seconds. I always knew there was this underlying sex appeal lying deep in his Ian Malcolm/Alistair Hennessey-ness, but those 3 seconds will blow the doubt out of ANYBODY'S head. I was startled. Besides that, though, I just enjoyed the movie altogether-Woody Allen is very funny. And I loved seeing Brooklyn in the 70's. Also, the way LA is characterized is amusing, and I'm curious as to how similar/dissimilar the two cities are today versus 30 years ago (when they were characterized as polar opposites).

Anyway, I know those are pretty pathetic and I sound like an 8 year old trying to pen a one page essay on a movie I've watched recently, but honestly my brain feels like an 8 year old's right now. So forgive me.

In other news, it snowed here in NYC this past weekend and was quite lovely. Here are some moments which I wish to share.

Napoleon's first romp in the snow

My apartment the night it started snowing

These guys

New advertisement for "Express for Dogs"

P.S. "Ninguat" (x3), also the title of my newest Facebook album- "Let It Snow" (x3, obviously)

Infans Venit!

The past several nights I've wanted to watch a Christmas movie. But alas, I did not have enough foresight in my Netflix choices to arrange such a thing. Granted, I could go in and switch up my queue, but I have this silly thing about not wanting to remember what I put on there so it's a "surprise" when they come (something I think I mentioned before). So with the queue I will not mess. I did watch Blood Diamond (which I actually bought a couple months ago) the other night and it was excellent- just as eye-opening as everyone claims. See it.

Anyway, tonight's movie was Children of Men. I remember when I first heard about it I was interested, but never enough to actually see it. But my friend Chris had recommended it (along with almost all the movies on my queue). So as I was watching, I wasn't loving it. It was really depressing, and too many people were dying. But....okay, if you haven't seen it, the basic premise is that sometime in 2009 all women became infertile, and by the year 2027 all of earth has gone haywire. Everyone is killing everyone. You know. There are secret groups, that kind of thing. Anyway, suddenly this girl shows up and she's pregnant. So a few people are trying to get her to "safety" without exposing to the world that she has a baby (and I didn't really understand what that safety was...). So there's all this shooting, all this dying, and at one point the baby's crying and there's a ceasefire. The girl walks downstairs with her crying baby, and all the people freeze and are staring and crying and kneeling. I started crying. I couldn't understand what it must be like to not see or hear a baby for 18 years, and suddenly one appears. One that causes everyone to be silent and stop fighting and fall on their knees in awe and confusion. And then, 30 seconds later, the firing begins again, and the miraculous child is forgotten.

Anyway, I kind of got my Christmas movie. In a bizarre way.

P.S. "Infans Venit" - "The Child has come"

Conspicere est Illustrari

I'm not one to claim any talent in reviewing things. I.E., books, bands, movies, etc. That being said, I've already shared books I've been reading or movies I've seen recently, without any comment concerning my enjoyment of them. Not even a good old-fashioned thumbs up or down (very old-fashioned, those Romans). So rather than attempting to sound all knowledgeable about what makes a good movie or book, I'll just tell you flat our in very simple sentences what I think.

So I recently joined Netflix, and these were my first 3 movies:

Matchpoint. My first Woody Allen movie. Very Hitchcockian. Erotic, but not in an uncomfortable way. Intriguing. I hadn't really seen Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in any other movie other than this very obscure TV movie called "Gormenghast" that appeared on TV when I was in 8th grade (our family took a particular fancy to it), and I thought he was excellent. You don't even realize you're watching a Suspense until the end. Recommended.

Thank You For Smoking. Oh, Aaron Eckhart. He's pretty great in this movie. Unfortunately, and I'm sorry to admit this, I was distracted almost the entire movie, and therefore am positive I missed about half of the snarkiness (probably not a word). It was very entertaining and smart. Katie Holmes was dumb (but is anyone shocked?). Not what I was expecting, and pleasantly surprising.

Everything is Illuminated. I knew nothing about this movie going into it except that every time I passed it in the movie store it caught my eye. Probably because of the sunflowers. And who knew Ukraine was so beautiful? Anyway, at first this movie charmed me because of its Little Miss Sunshine-esque road trip. Elijah Wood was almost uncomfortably awkward the entire movie. But as it progressed, the tone became sadder, more unsettling. By the end I was a little choked up, but not as much as during, say, Homeward Bound. No comparison? You're right. Is this worth seeing? I think so.

Aaaaaaanyway. I'd tell you what's up next, but I purposely don't check my queue so it's a surprise every time. Boy do I live a life of adventure....

P.S. "Conspicere est Illustrari" - "To watch/view is to be enlightened/illuminated"

Vulpes Vulpes

Also, I saw Fantastic Mr. Fox on Saturday night. I loved it. A lot.

So, I went and saw it again on Sunday night. And loved it even more.

Please, please see it.

Propositum....

I'm afraid that the lack of interest in my blog is perhaps a result of my care-free entries. They do not follow any patterns, they are not on one any particular subject, they are not even necessarily interesting to anyone. They are, in essence, stereotypical "write about my life" entries.

Is that so bad? I too need a creative outlet. I can't write music. My room is too cramped for interpretive dance. Writing on this silly thing allows me to express myself, at least to a certain degree. I may not be an eloquent or fascinating writer, but I like to pen (key?) down everyday occurences, as humdrum as they may be.

Whine whine whine. Wine.

P.S. "Propositum" - Intention/Purpose/Objective

Scribo gratulanter

Hmm... almost officially Thanksgiving Day. After work I was nearly murdered in the streets outside Macy's by the ever-growing crowd of tourists who apparently think it's perfectly acceptable to stand in mobs all over the sidewalks and therefore render useless the attempts of anybody who actually wants to get from one pavement stone to the other. It's almost like a scene from The Lion King, those tourists being the wildebeest, naturally. Because stampede they eventually will- as soon as dawn hits tomorrow, I am sure. I'm actually a little frightened of going to work tomorrow. So if this is goodbye, then at least know my efforts to make it in New York were noble and brave.

I spent this evening baking brownies for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast at Scott and Lena's. These particular brownies are "Chocolate Cranberry Merlot Brownies"- I'm excited to see how they turn out, though I made them in cupcake pans in lieu of a 9x9 baking dish that apparently I don't own. I'm also making mashed red potatoes in my crock pot while at work tomorrow so that they'll be ready in time for dinner. I'm so pleased Scott and Lena invited me (and Alan-this will be our second Thanksgiving together, oddly enough). Last year I didn't go home for the holiday (as aforementioned, spent it with the Busch family), and I was afraid that this year I wouldn't have anybody at all to spend it with. Which is why I offered to work (thinking of course I'd be able to watch the parade as it went down Broadway- but, alas, the parade has been re-routed this year and in fact will cross from 7th to 6th. So no parade for me). Anyway, I'm pleased to have friends to spend it with, though there are many of you out there I wish I too could be with. You know who you are.

I am LOVING my Sherlock Holmes stories. They're so...fun. Literally, they get me on the edge of my subway seat, even though each story averages only 10-15 pages long. I think next I might attempt to tackle my first Ayn Rand book- I started one of them in high school once but wasn't willing to commit. I think I might be there now =)

I'm going to visit Virginia again this weekend (early Saturday-early Monday). I'm looking forward to it.

Aaaand....just sampled a brownie. Can't say the merlot is obvious, but it was pretty tasty. Hopefully they'll hold up through tomorrow evening.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends and family. I'm grateful for you, and for the God that put you in my life. May He shower you with a cornucopia of blessings...(I couldn't help myself. I love that word, and what more appropriate day to use it?)

P.S. "Scribo gratulanter" - "I write with a grateful heart/soul"

The game's afoot!

Just finished War of the Worlds, now starting a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories (Doyle, of course). I think it has 22 of them (and I believe there are a total of 60?), so I'm pretty excited. Doyle has an addictive writing style.

.....

A few more books I read in the past week:

-The Importance Of Being Earnest (Wilde)

-The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne)

-The Legend of Sleepy Hallow (Irving)

Just started The War of the Worlds (Wells, of course).

Somniare est Terrēre (II)

Ugh, dreams, seriously. Here's a good one from last night.

I don't remember any of the beginning or middle, just the end. It was Sunday afternoon, and basically Mom came up to me and a group of people and was like "Sorry I'm late guys, I went to the tattoo parlor after church and got this new tattoo I've been wanting." She lifts her shirt sleeve and reveals this ridiculously enormous Chinese dragon thing that starts at her wrist and wraps all the way up to her back. There are stars filling in the open spots...and she's like, "Oh yeah it cost $1100 but at least they got it done in 2 hours!" And I was just like, good lord....then I told Alan who happened to be there, and he was like "Oh yeah I got a couple new tattoos also" and I was like "Ooh I'm jealous what did you get?" and he was like "Oh me and my wife's names on my chest." And I was like "......wait your who?" and he said "My wife" and I said "your WIFE?" and I looked at his hand and indeed he was wearing a wedding ring. So I said "You're MARRIED??" and he said "Oh yeah I saw her ice skating the other day, and she was so beautiful so I asked her to skate some more and then we decided to get married."

WTF.

Legere est Avocari

Here's a fabulous list of what has been keeping me entertained whilst I've been in the city of New York.

Books read/being read: 8

-A Moveable Feast (Hemingway)

-This Side of Paradise (Fitzgerald)

-The Golden Ratio (Luzio)

-Rising Sun (Crichton)

-Airframe (Crichton)

-Disclosure (Crichton)

-The Great Train Robbery (Crichton)

-The Lost World (Conan Doyle)

TV shows kept up with: 4

-Top Chef

-Project Runway

-America's Next Top Model

-Glee

Movies seen in theatres: 2

-Gamer

-Where The Wild Things Are

Movies seen at home: oh please, like I really know this number...recently though:

-Jurassic Park

-Fievel Goes West

-The Shining

-Dracula: Dead and Loving It

-Scream

I mean clearly I live in the most boring city in the world so I need to be entertained constantly.

P.S. "Legere est Avocari": "To read is to be distracted."

Diligere est Vivere

Yikes.

   So this whole year I've been calling my students "my kids". I never really thought about what I was saying. And then last night, as I clicked the "Submit" button on my grad school application, and suddenly moving to New York became that much more realistic, I was hit with a wave of sadness. I couldn't figure out why, until I rewound the day in my mind and thought back to the fundraiser I had just participated in with the Latin Club. I loved it. I loved seeing them show up, so excited to start. I loved how they actually brought their togas and wore them on the side of the road. I loved how they yelled and screamed and waved posters at passers-by. And I just loved spending time with them outside of the classroom. As the night progressed, I became more and more anxious about next year. Housing, dog, money... and leaving my students. 

   Today I was relating this to a parent I've become friends with in our school office. She told me that I couldn't let my attachment to them hold me back, because they're going to grow up and no longer be my students and then graduate and then move on just like I need to. Just like kids move away from their parents. When she said that I realised that all this time I've been calling them "my kids" and not thinking about why. Now I know. Because she's right... somehow, at the age of 22, I have an attachment to these young teenagers, not unlike a parent has to their children. Certainly not as extreme...not even close. But not unlike. And she's also right that they're going to move on. Forget about me and Latin in a few years. That too makes me sad... but she's right. I can't let them hold me back, especially since this is probably the only time in my life that I can do something like this. 

   But let it be said, despite how stressed I get, despite how angry I get, despite how many times I've said "I can't wait to get out of here".... I love it. My job. My students. Especially my students. 

P.S. "Diligere est Vivere": To love is to live.

(I chose "diligere" rather than "amare" for a reason. "Amare" is the basic word for "love". "Diligere" is a combination of two Latin words which literally means "to choose from". That is, a love that sets the person above all others. It has always been my favorite. And when you have that, you can get through the day.)

Somniare est Terrēre (I)

All right also. A place to document dreams. Because everyone knows how much fun THOSE are.

Last week I had a dream that I was a chaperone on a retreat for my school. Three sets of couples (one of which is a very untrue and unlikely couple) from my classes decided to all sleep in the same room, and the principal of our school (I'll call her "Mrs. M") found the unlikely couple acting inappropriately. She yelled and screamed and put them under my care. I said to them, "Well, you're teenagers," and proceeded to apply glittery eyeshadow on them (the boy and the girl, yes. I told the boy it made him look more like David Bowie). Then after a few minutes the principal came out wearing nothing but shorts and a sports bra, but having painted her entire body in wild colors and geometric patterns. She exclaimed, "This is what happens when you go wild in high school!!" and danced around. Then she settled down and played an Adam Sandler song on the guitar, making sure to say "But I'm not Adam Sandler!"

Last night I had a dream that T.J. was telling me how much he hated my friend Joe, and then suddenly Joe walked up wearing velvet pants and a very silly wig. I said, "Joe, you'd never believe it! We were just talking...." and T.J. clamped his hand over my mouth and said "NO!" Joe took his wig off and got into a car and left. Then I had to stop TJ from throwing beer cans at a local crucifixion reenactment...

There's not much else that can be said about that.

P.S. "Somniare est Terrēre": To dream is to be terrified

Iter Facere est Vivere (I)

So, a blog. The reason: license plates from Ontario.

Look, this is really just a way for me to relate to YOU, dedicated viewers, various silly little anecdotes from my day to day life. Mainly those that deal with travels. Not necessarily long road trips, but just the types of things you can only experience away from home. Even if that's just next door.

So to start: Alan and I found a delightful cafe completely by accident on our trip home from Pensacola (for Pierre & Stefanie's wedding). We were in a bagel mood in Tallahassee and so we turned down a random road hoping for the best and lo and behold, a redundant spot called "Bagel Bagel Cafe." Seriously-delicious. They had a variety of bagel creations, including what we both ended up getting, a sun-dried tomato bagel baked with spinach cream chesse, provolone and tomato slices. Totally worth driving across I-10 for, at least bi-monthly...

So by the time we got to 75 off of I-10 we were on the home stretch and yearning greatly to be back in Gainesville. I put on Third Eye Blind's self-titled album (there aren't many CDs better than that) and started noticing the cars that we passed (or were passed by). And that's when I started paying attention to the license plates. After a couple minutes I decided to record every state I saw because I was immediately surprised by the diversity. Here was the final count: Alabama (1), Louisiana (1), Tennessee (2), Indiana (2), North Carolina (1), Missouri (2), Kansas (1), New Jersey (1), Mississippi (1), Pennsylvania (1), Oklahoma (1), Georgia (5), Maine (1), Ontario (2), Quebec (1), and Florida (14). So 62% of the cars we saw within 30 minutes were not even from Florida! And 3 were from Canada, of all places. Now maybe this doesn't surprise you in the least, but I for one found it shocking. So there THAT is.

P.S. "Iter facere est vivere" : To make a journey is to live.