storm’s a brewin’…
…but life is beautiful!
i have settled quite nicely into my apartment, and it feels cozy and very much my own (although it is freezing cold, and my fuses blow anytime there’s rain, so it has a bit of an edge to it). i have accommodated a few stray cats recently (girls passing through who needed a place to crash; i provided beds, they made delicious food—good trade if you ask me), and have had a couple of “dinner parties” which consisted of throwing together whatever scraps of food i had in the cupboard, and everyone for themselves when it came to divvying up my 3 plates and 5 items of cutlery. eating pasta from the pot with a knife? no problem! (one thing i’ve learned: people aren’t picky when they’re desperate)
otherwise, work has been great, i love sitting in the studio all day by a heater that is actually exothermic (as opposed to my heater in my bedroom, which somehow seems to suck in heat), letting my ipod set the tunes on random, and sewing or reading or writing. i make my own hours (and get paid accordingly…it’s on the honour system, and it’s not like i’m going to screw the people who take me into their home and feed me anytime i’m sick of the tsfat routine), and the absolute best thing about my job (which is definitely ruining me for the future) is that i can sleep in until ANY time i want. it’s amazing!!! not having an annoying boss breathing down my neck is the best thing in the world; my so-called employers (the artist’s parents) come in mostly to praise whatever i’m doing. i really could get used to this.
so now i am at their house in rosh pinna, the next town over, gearing up for the “huge” snowstorm that’s supposed to hit tomorrow—i put “huge” in quotation marks because last time they had a big storm, they closed down the highway and all of tsfat for 2 inches of slush. but i’m not taking any chances, better to camp out here where there’s fire and food and company (and internet!) than hide under my 4 blankets for 2 days without electricity. yep. smart move, alex, smart move. also, the two younger brothers (17 and 19) have adopted me as their “little” sister (yes, of course they’re bigger than me…who isn’t), and we have been spending much time engaging in sibling rivalry that borders on the physically abusive (i get my kicks in too, but like i said, they’re bigger than me…i told them when their big brother comes home there’ll be hell to pay). it’s all in good fun, and when i wear them out verbally and physically, they become quite sweet and docile, and we enjoy each other immensely.
what else…oh! i bit the proverbial bullet, and booked my flights. i put it off for so long because i didn’t want to make it real; a part of me feels sick to my stomach thinking that it’s all winding down, and i will soon have to say my goodbyes to my family and new friends here. however, the other part of me is buzzing with the final chapter of the adventure i will be launching myself into come april. first destination: budapest, on a whim. i had a hankering for europe after my trip to sri lanka, and as fortune would have it, a good friend from university happens to have relocated there for the time being…so i thought a visit was in order! i’m guessing 10 days will be enough, and then i’ll hop a train to switzerland and drop in on another pal from school (it’s great to befriend the exchange students). i plan to kick it to paris as soon as i’ve outstayed my welcome, at which point i will be meeting up with one of the best traveling companions i could hope for…my mom! not only will she make sure i am fed, and properly at that, but i can already hear her condemning my grungy travel clothes to the trash as she sneakily but successfully replaces my entire wardrobe with paris couture. mom, i love you, i love you, i love you. i want to have a contest to see which one of us can get fatter (more fat?) off the cheese and patisseries.
a lot of intense and wonderful things to come, that’s for sure. but, for the time being, i am trying to milk every moment here for what it’s worth, because it is amazing and beautiful and i have never been more in love with life. hip-hip-hooray, three cheers for life!
that’s all for now. i guess i’ll write more when something interesting happens.
