it's a little bit strange being away from the internet for extended periods of time and then trying to decide what of that time i should share with the world via this internet. much like phoning an old friend and saying "so much has happened, i don't know where to start." cliche, yes, but for a reason.

chris and i moved in to the new place and most everything since has sort of centered around this fact. curt said something the other day about it being a "big step" and i'd not really considered it as such until he put it into perspective. "not much different than taking turns staying with eachother every night," i said, or something along those lines. "yeah, but what would happen if, when the lease is up, he says he's decided he wants to move in with me or something? wouldn't you consider that a step back? wouldn't you be sort of hurt?" thanks, curt. thanks for adding terrifying weight to this otherwise pleasant experience.

in other words, we're now committed to living together until we break up or one of us dies. how's that for perspective?

all joking aside, it's been really nice so far. we do chores together or at least at the same time. he pretends to like my cat. we go on walks through the neighborhood. he buys cereal and milk. i buy hummus and tomatoes. we watch animaniacs and mst3k and old horror movies until we fall asleep. who knew a domestic partership could be so fulfilling?

i woke up yesterday morning awfully hung over (used to be i could drink all i wanted without the threat of a hangover. now if i have so much as a couple beers i wake up feeling like i've been hit by a truck) but determined nonetheless to go to the farmer's market. it was just as i expected it to be--one of those things that makes you feel deliciously superior to the rest of the world. look at me, world. i'm awake at a decent hour on a saturday buying locally-grown produce at a fraction of what i'd spend at schnucks. if you haven't been to the farmer's market, i recommend it highly. i got this bouquet for just 5 bucks.

the girl who arranged it for me was from the same city i'm from in arkansas and had that tough southern-girl thing going on, her hair thrown back without a thought, going from bucket to bucket confidently choosing whichever flower was to accompany the rest, going on all the while in that thick drawl about the woman playing music across the way. sometimes she'd put a stem back in favor of another one, as though the arrangement was just making itself. i want to be her someday, really. have a farm in arkansas somewhere. what a life.

i came home and made lunch of squash and zucchini, black beans and spanish rice. liz came over and ate with us before she had to leave for work. chris and i cleaned up and took an afternoon nap, after which we walked around outside a bit. it was such a nice day. perfect, really, in that very mundane way...one of those days you'd want to come back to if you died and were granted the ability to re-live one. know what i mean?