One day

 There are 32 pictures in this post. They're mostly cutesy ones. I can get away with this today only.

I wonder how not being in a relationship would have changed my experience living here in New York. I can't really imagine it. I can't think of a single way that my relationship has negatively affected the experience. I can't think of a single way my relationship has negatively affected anything about me or my life. Which is the way it should be. This person is supposed to make your life better-- make the good things better, and the bad things easier. And I have someone who actually thinks my rambling is pleasant. And is pretty strict with me, actually, when I'm complaining, or being a wimp, or not doing what needs to be done. Or worrying. He even tells me what to do about this terrible grad-student insomnia.

He's got a natural togetherness that I love. I LOVE that he FOLDS ALL HIS LAUNDRY. (Seriously, I can't even believe that shit. ...and I love his response to my amazement at that: "What do you want me to do, throw everything in a pile?" Like it's no big deal that he folds everything so neatly. Seriously people, even like undershirts.) Anyway: Happy Valentine's Day!

He drinks margaritas with me

One of the best times we've spent together was this trip to Bakersfield for a conference I was speaking at last year.

Our trip to visit Tucson, before he moved there. 

because his nickname is hippo ...don't ask me, I didn't give it to him. 

BEARD!

My sister's wedding

ROW!

Ahh, this face.

I love how he braves crowds to see floats being blown up.

Central Park + a prime example of how having braces made me look less exuberant and more snooty in pictures. I mean who does she think she is??!

This is always how the ones I take come out.

Patagonia, AZ

Outside Patagonia

Oakland, CA

I just like this one of our feet.

Because this is my blog: My mom and my aunt Jean with baby Gus.

Summer of 2009. 

Valentine's Day, 2010. 

Okay. Now I'm going to a friend's house to watch The Notebook and drink gin.

Missing

I've been missing this little blog. Not rational, I suppose; I've been telling myself "you just started doing that, how can you feel so bad about not posting for a month?" But I have been. Other things I miss:

1 boyfriend

2 girl friends

3-5 yoga classes a week (although ironically I came straight home from work today partially so that I could write a post before I was too tired)

6+ People I haven't seen or heard from in way too long. (Usually I am the type not to mind too much when I fall out of contact with someone...but before, those someones were people I'd known from school or something...now, the people I haven't seen are ones who are very far away.)

21 teeth without ceramic brackets on them. (I got braces again in November, so that my front tooth will straighten up, so that I can get a dental implant next to it. It's not too terrible, I'm being whiny. See below a picture of me, yesterday, feeling wonderful and cute and like my insides had been twisted like a wrung-out towel--this happens to be a good feeling--, post yoga...and I was feeling like for once, I didn't feel ugly with braces on:

(Last week I spoke at a press conference at the Sacramento Capitol on behalf of the New America Foundation. Women with braces -and fabulous shoes- unite!)

I'm going to miss the boyfriend, the girlfriends, and the yoga place (Fusion Yoga Studio) when I move to New York in about a month. I won't miss the braces though, I'm bringin' those babies with me, unfortunately.

I apparently will never have a reason to miss parentheses. Is this a universal brace for my generation, or is it just me?