forgive me, for i have been careless...

...it's been too long. there have been a lot of things happening since i last updated. some good, some bad, but a little bit of everything.

jack and i are doing really well. in the last post, i announced that we were back together. i think i was a little worried about how things would go, but life is back to normal...with a little more energy. one of the things that jack and i talked about during the "negotiation period" was him being able to match my enthusiasm. he pointed out that i was naturally just more excitable than he is, and i can't deny that. we are different people, but for some reason, i feel compelled to be with him and i don't want to live my life without him in it. he's upped his game, so to speak, too. i can't really verbalize it, but it seems as though he's more affectionate, more proud to me with me. all i can say is that i appreciate it. haters can hate. =)

i've reunited with a couple of friends that i haven't seen in years, and that was really great to do. one girl lives in chicago currently, and the other will be back here in the summer--she's currently working towards her masters in irish literature at trinity university in dublin. fabulous! it'll be nice to have more friends in chicago--it's frustrating sometimes, as my best girliefriends are in nashville. i've never quite had the same kind of sisterhood here since i came back.

my new friend katy and i recently went to the art institute of chicago to check out a couple of exhibits. we examined this graphic design exhibit (katy works for an ad/marketing agency so that was of interest to her) as well as an architectural exhibit, but most fascinating was a compilation of edward hopper's life works. he's most famous for his lighthouses and the picture of the diner, but watching his work progress from the beginning of his career to the end was incredible. evocative, but simple, well-conceived and imaginative, his work sought to create tension and leave it unresolved--many of the scenes he painted with people in them left the storyline open to interpretation by the observer, instead of conveying a specific message. not usually keen on visual art, needless to say, i was swept away.

anyway, i've got this huge math test tomorrow. i need to get a good grade on this so i can pass my freaking math class. i'm really over this semester. i'm really over the undergraduate experience.

speaking of school, i have decided...(for now, this is the plan)...to go to graduate school to study sociology, specifically feminist theory and perhaps public policy. that book i read, "female chauvinist pigs: women and the rise of raunch culture" really changed my perspective and spoke to me. if there's anything i'm passionate about, it's sexuality, and i believe that every girl has the right to the discovery and fulfillment of her sexual identity. if i can do something to encourage this idea, then maybe that's what i should be doing.

i'll be back sooner rather than later.
xoxo.