A few things

* So. I'm 29 now. That's fine. I had a fantastic birthday on Sunday up in Santa Barbara County, wine-tasting in Buellton. T and I returned home with a lot of wine -- good wine -- in tow. I will post pictures and more details from our trip in another entry, after I post pictures and details from our July trip back East.

* My glasses never did find their way back to me. The consensus from most people I've talked to (at work and socially) is that they've been nicked. A note to the glasses thief: You suck. You are lucky that I had contacts to wear the day you stole my glasses, because, as I'm sure you've noticed by now, the prescription in those expensive lenses is very strong. Your thieving was nefarious at best. I wish you would return the lenses to me. I also wish scurvy and boils and goiters upon you.

* It's finally warm in San Diego! Oh, hooray of hoorays, summer is finally upon the coastal region! While all you East-Coasters gear up for a welcome, crisp September, I am looking forward to reveling in the hot, dry heat of SoCal autumn.

* I have had one hell of an easy summer at work. I spent the first week of July home sick from a killer sinus infection, then I returned to work for two days before leaving for my Pennsylvania vacation. Then after two more weeks of work (during which I did complete a big project), I took off for my birthday coastal jaunt with T. Now I'm back at work, it's August 18th, and on September 1st, I will go down to 30 hours a week to accommodate...

* ...grad school. That's right. I'm finally taking the plunge and starting a graduate program in English lit! Back when I was applying (last January), I was so sure that I would quit my job and go full-time if I was accepted. I envisioned a joyful post on this blog announcing my new status as a full-time graduate student. But once I got my acceptance notification via email at the end of April (for which I did a happy dance in my office), I started to think about the logistics. I talked to T, I talked to my advisor, I talked to my mom, and I thought a lot. I also started shopping a lot. And I determined that I didn't really want to leave my job, which is a good gig. That I would like to have money for a while longer and that I wasn't digging the idea of being a destitute student again. It's not like I have a boatload of money or anything, but I do appreciate being able to buy things when I need them and go out to dinner when neither T nor I feels like cooking. I like that I have some padding in my bank account, which was a luxury I couldn't afford for the first half of my twenties. I like that I feel like a grown-up now and have the semblance of a career, one that will be enhanced by my graduate studies.

So here's the plan: I'm taking six credit hours this semester (two classes), and I'll have Mondays off from work to be a student. I want to manage my time well. My boss knows (and my grad advisor suggested) that I plan to take it slow, to ease myself back into being a student and see where it goes from there. I'm seeking a spark for a PhD study someday, but I'm also open to the possibility that I may not find it. I know that I have to be passionate about it if I want to keep going beyond the MA, and I'm really excited to get started and see what awaits me. :)

* I have another sinus infection. It's going to make downward dog in yoga today a painful process. I have a neti pot at home, which I used a couple of times back in July when I was dealing with sinus infection #1. I'm hoping I can ward off full-on sinus infection #2 this time. Wtf, sinuses? Wtf, indeed.