Happy Sunday, one and all. My mind these days is in a state of transition. For about the past month, I’ve considered going back to UNO to get my master’s degree. Crazy, huh? I would work toward a Master of Arts in Communication. As most master’s programs, I’m told it would take about two years. My reasons are simple: I miss school; I miss the learning atmosphere college provided; I miss spending an entire Saturday at the library reading, writing, doing research and snacking on hot chocolate and granola bars; I miss being part of cerebral discussions about media, communication and life in general. In my line of work, I wouldn’t be guaranteed greater earning potential because I’d have my master’s. It sucks, but journalism just doesn’t work that way. I’d be going back to school more for me than anything else.

The only thing holding me back is the money. After buying my house in January, most of my money is earmarked toward house expenses and paying off my 25-year mortgage. Do I really want to apply for student loans and go into more debt? Financially, I’m at a place now where I’m making ends meet, with a little left over for savings each month. Do I want to complicate my financial situation even more just for another college degree? I don’t know. I need some advice. And maybe a big raise, too.

Rufus Wainwright. Have you heard of him? He’s fucking amazing and his song, “Foolish Love” recently made my list of Top 5 Songs That Make Me Swoon. Take a read and you’ll see why.

I don’t want to hold you and feel so helpless
I don’t want to smell you and lose my senses
And smile in slow motion with eyes in love

I twist like a corkscrew, the sweetness rising
I drink from the bottle weeping
Why won’t you last?
Why can’t you last?
So I will walk without care,
beat my snare
Look like a man who means business
Go to all the poshest places
with their familiar faces
Terminate all signs of weakness

Oh, all for the sake, all for the sake
of a foolish love

I will take my coffee black, never snack
hang with the wolves who are sheepish
Flow through the veins of town, always frown
Me and my mistress the princess

Oh, all for the sake, all for the sake
of a foolish love yeah yeah

So the day Noah’s Ark floats down park
My eyes will be simply glazed over
Or better yet
I’ll wear shades on sunless days
And when the sun’s out I’ll stay and slumber

Oh, all for the sake, all for the sake
of a foolish love
For the sake, all for the sake of a foolish love

Cause I don’t want to hold you and feel so helpless
I don’t want to smell you and lose my senses
And smile in slow motion with eyes in love

Want more Rufus? (Do I ever!) Check out his Web site.

I began snapping photos of the beautiful fall colors yesterday. Some photos came out, others are a little blurry. My mission will continue until I’ve captured fall 2003 in photographs. And at that time, I’ll share my photos with the world…well, anyone reading my LiveJournal.

I had dinner at P.F. Chang’s last night with my cousin. And, as is tradition after a good (or not-so-good) Chinese meal, I got my fortune cookie: “Good news will be received in a letter.” What should I expect? I’m aware that the “letter” of which this fortune cookie speaks could easily be an email and not your traditional, United States Postal Service letter. So, we shall see, I suppose. Now, do I just sit and wait? Do I actively pursue this letter my fortune cookie prophesied? Hard telling. I’ve found it’s best not to mess with fate. But I have a hard time just sitting here and waiting…

For those of you reading this and living in the Midwest, have you noticed how the fall foliage has simply exploded overnight? As I look out the window above my desk at home, I’m seeing the golds, oranges and reds where lush green used to be. Now, if only Mother Nature would act the same way; Omaha is supposed to be in the high 80s for the remainder of the week. Ick! Give me 50 degrees and sunny, or 45 degrees and rainy. I long for sweaters, tights, turtlenecks and corduroy pants, my black pea coat and many scarves.

I feel inspired to document the fall foliage this year. I plan to take my digital camera with me over the next few days and take some snapshots of the fall leaves. (I know my sister, who lives outside L.A., would love to see the changing leaves!) I’ll post the photos later this week. Promise.

Be good, everyone. Laugh a lot. Love even more.

Last night was fun. A handful of current and past Gateway staffers gathered at my house for a little party and a lot of drinks. It was great. We grilled burgers, got tipsy on chilled 12-ounce cans of Bud Light, brown bottles of Coors Light and other fruity drinks. (Yours truly downed a few glasses of Ketel One and OJ. Yum!) It felt great to rehash stories that have been told time and time again. It was fun to hear new stories, too. My two years working at The Gateway during college were among the best years of my life. I really discovered who I was becoming at the tender age of 19. Working for The Gateway gave the opportunities that, I’m certain, helped me obtain the wonderful writing positions I’ve held since then. The people I met at The Gateway have remained some of my closest and most trusted friends. I wish everyone a similar experience at some point in college.

Wondering what the hell The Gateway is? It’s the student newspaper at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Check out The Gateway’s Web site.

I recall watching the Husker games in Lincoln on TV two years ago. By no means am I a fan of the team or even the school’s athletic department; but after living in Lincoln for just over a year and moving back to Omaha so unexpectedly, I felt a draw to find something familiar. The circumstances of me moving to Lincoln and back to Omaha were as far apart on the spectrum as you can get. Watching the footage of downtown Lincoln brought back good memories in the midst of such painful ones.

And today, as I sit here at work, the Iowa-Michigan game airs on the TV 10 feet away. And again, I’m pulled to examine the game and the artsy shots of Iowa City by TV photojournalists who have probably visited the city so many times before. I’m drawn to the game because it’s a reminder of my trip to Iowa City a few months ago, the people I met and those I’ve known long before setting foot there. You could call it a “warm-n-fuzzy” feeling, of something familiar, that makes me smile. It’s weird, really. If you would have asked me two years ago, as I longed for Lincoln, that I would eventually long for Iowa City, I would have said you were crazy.

But now? Now, my feelings have changed. It’s the people, as I guess it was during my days in Lincoln. This feels so real, so authentic. It’s odd, isn’t it?

(Psst: Click on the image to take the quiz.)

There should be two
But now there’s just one
Alone under blankets
Waiting for the sun
To start another day
Like everything’s OK
As if there’s no hurt
As if there’s no fear
As if there’s no craving to pull you near
And hold you close forever and a day
If only my life would turn out that way
But for whatever reason
Those dreams are on hold
A story to be written
Waiting to be told

I’d rather not delve into the details, but I’m pretty scared tonight. Things happen in life that you don’t always plan for. You may anticipate their arrivals on a certain level; but when they surface, you’re not sure how to react. That logical part of your brain just seems to temporarily shrivel up. And then what? You’re not really sure. There’s the whole concept of “take it one day at a time,” but that just doesn’t feel like the right thing to do right now.