Reclaim the Monkey

So, the new school year's about to get underway.  I'm all nice and registered for my classes.  I'm pretty excited about the lineup.  A Modern Latin American survey, a seminar on Spanish detective novels, and a Spanish Golden Age survey.  I might audit a Portuguese class or two.  It's really crazy how fast time is going by.  If all goes according to plan, this will be my last year of coursework.  Already.

Getting into my little workout routine.  It's funny how the more you do something, the easier it gets.  I started out going 2 miles in 30 minutes on the elliptical, working at level 1 and having to take a break every ten minutes.  Now I'm going 3 miles in 30 minutes, working at level 4 and taking no breaks at all.  Still not a workout queen . . . that's not even my goal.  But it's funny how something can go from exhausting to invigorating in a relatively short amount of time.  But now I'm trying to get my abs on point, and my middle bro is giving me these crunches to do.  No joke.  But the hardest one is the plank: Get into a position as if you were going to do push ups, but rest on your forearms instead of your hands.  Now, push your body slightly upwards onto your toes, keeping your weight rested on your forearms and keeping your body as straight as possible.  Can you hold that position for 30 seconds?  Ooh, but I could feel the burn.

Tonight was the release party for a new CD which doubled as a goodbye party for my guitar instructor and his family.  I am really going to miss him.  I started out knowing absolutely nothing about the guitar, and in less than a year's time, I've come so far.  I might find a new instructor, and I might not.  I like to think that we are irreplaceable.

I'm thankful for mentors that God has placed in my life.  Recently, I had a nice chat with someone who has been a professor, minister, counselor and a friend to me and it seems like everything he says is exactly what my brain and spirit need to hear.  It sounds weird, but people like him stop me from feeling alone.  He knows how to successfully navigate the worlds I'm navigating right now, and he is living, godly proof that I don't have to choose.  I refuse to allow anyone to force my hand.

I love monkeys.  Cute, cartoonish monkeys.  Particularly Curious George.  If/when I have children, everything they have is going to be monkey/Curious George related.  I really can't explain my attachment to him.  I just think Curious George is so cute and I love him and I want other children, especially my own, to love him too.  The tiny problem is that "monkey" has been historically used as a negative slur against black people, and do I want my kids to be branded with monkey imagery?  (Sigh.  The quandaries I create for my poor nonexistent children.)  But I've decided that the solution is to reclaim the monkey.  I will cleanse the stigma of monkeyness and I will refashion monkality for my purposes and rebrand it as a symbol of cute, fun-loving power.

I saw bunches of sunflowers on sale at Kroger for $6.99.  Oh, they were lovely.  Since I seem to be having trouble birthing my own sunbabies, I have no qualms about adoption.