All in 2 weeks and an update

The leaves are going off and I'm recovering from an accident involving my mountain bike and a car. That's right, I sprained my illial-sacral joint while throwing my bike on top of my car. I've had to take it slow in the exercise department, so enjoy the many (many) photos of leafy walks. 

My days begin at 5:30 or 6:00am. I like to study before my classes in the one Cafe that is open at such an ungodly, albeit peaceful, hour.  Not pictured here are the mornings spent sitting in a lecture room, and the many, many hours in the academic tutoring center at school, scowling over problems of enthalpy. It's not terrible though, I've made one friend. Her name is Maggie. 

Following class, I take the dog into the woods, wander through grocery stores for leisure, get three strides into long run, remember that I really dislike running, continue at a slow walk. I crank out 5 hours of lab, meet friends for a beer, go home, go to bed, stay awake all night regretting the beer. We get out hiking when we can, play cards and shuffleboard, I try and cook, I get depressed when another meal turns out weird. I clean the kitchen over and over and over. I fret about my figure, my weak arms, and my bank account. I fall into bed at nine, watch old SNL episodes and pray for sleep. It comes about half the time. 

Sometimes Dave and I run errands. We shop for groceries or hunt through Good Will. During those times I feel a warm contentment wash over me, and I feel like I'm floating. Like I'm made of air. I am very poor right now and my life is so lovely. 

I just thought I'd give a snapshot of things right now, because I haven't in a while. 

1. North Carolina backroads 2. Monopoly Deal on our porch- I've never won 3. Fifty beers on tap at the new bar down the road 4. dog in leaf pile 5. Erich visited during a break from med school and we hiked along the parkway 6. an impromptu fancy cocktail date 7. I like being outside with him, also inside 8. a Vermont worthy tree 9. I fell in love with this shirt from Holdfast Outfitters, a local Asheville company 10. the game that reminds us all of college 11. Voted! 12. Farm Burger with Molly and Yonton- who is one of the reasons I moved to Asheville in the first place. 

For more photos of bright things, normal things, outrageous things and the dog, follow me on Instagram: @melinadream

All in 2 weeks

1. finally cooler weather 2. alone with the bike 3. the dog loves Wednesday ultimate games 4. heading towards the crag in the Obed, TN 5. early autumn sunlight on the approach trail 6. in the blue ridge for the night 7. weekend of rock 8. lymph system, cardiac system, immunity, thermodynamics, enthalpy and limiting reactants 9. a cold night 9. the best view 10. Nell climbing back after a fall 11. run therapy with Kelli along the French Broad River

All in 2 weeks

 

1. fighting flu season 2. on a trail somewhere after class 3. a caveman feast in the countryside- hands, knives and goblets only 4. lots of raw food lately 5. without her I'd be glued solid to my text book 6. Wednesday ultimate- losing by a lot in a little rain, Ryan turns to drinking 7. Caveman games 8. coffee & chemistry at 5:30am  is, absurdly, a combination I've grown to like (stockholm's syndrome?) 9. post lab farmers' market 10. zonked out on the ultimate field 11. a rare, long, precious solo ride  

If you like coffee&corgis&calculator, follow me on Instagram. And hey, I'm about to leave for a climbing trip, so it should only get more interesting. @melinadream

All in 2 weeks : Embracing Social Atrophy

My friend Ryan, who recently graduated from law school while working a more than full time job (and planning the world's most elaborate theme parties) told me to 'embrace social atrophy' while I'm in school.  Which is something I most certainly did not have to do in college. Fiction writing is an easier degree than anything math or science. For me. Probably for everyone.

My first step in embracing the atrophy of my social life, muscles, and general photogenic quality of my existence, is to admit that I don't have enough interesting photos from each week to warrant a weekly round up.

However, I don't want this period of my life to go undocumented completely, nor do I want to shrink down to a lonely pea. So I'm hoping to get out into the wilds a suitable amount to be able to post photos every two weeks.

As soon as I wrap up school, publish my book or win the lottery, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled All in a Week. Here's hoping.

1. north carolina mountain state fair at night 2. we flew to Jersey for 48 hours 3. sunday's hike 4. the 100 hour chemistry assignment 5. this beautiful cocktail hour at Nell's house 6. Lee, our porch, a violent storm 7. at the gates 8. my 3rd season of Asheville ultimate started up 9. southern style bakery 10. northern style bakery in NJ,  I was so excited I bought a pound of cookies & 2 cannolies 11. fair fish

If you enjoy the 'all in (some number of) weeks' posts, follow me on Instagram @melinadream 

all in a (studious) week

Things have changed. Sometimes I go backwards in this blog and look at the 'all in a week' posts from last year. So many activities, so many landscapes, each one matched with the perfect alcoholic apres.

Now? Lots of conversion factors and fluorescent lights. The AB tech math lab followed by private tutoring night-capped with my kitchen table flooded in paper. Not much alcohol as it appears I have interstitial cystitis and I pay dearly for every drink I drink. I found that out this week.  

I don't think the Urologist office will make the post because I could not get a fun-feeling photo out of that place. I tried.

I suppose that's what makes this weekly photo roundup interesting to me, though. How things change.   

1. 94 degree days every day, the dog slouches through her walks 2. my highlighter broke open in my mouth 3. chemistry 4. celebrated one year! 5. weekend in Durham 6. bent creek trails as the sun goes down 7. I saw one friend this week, she made me dinner, I remembered that I like having friends. 8. the dog cooling off 9. late night at Cosmic Cantina with Dave's oldest friends 10. my 'quick ride before studying' became a two hour doozy when I got fantastically lost. 

If you love staged photos of tremendous studying, the dog, and the occasional outdoor sport, follow me @melinadream #longroadtonursingschool