Two Weeks

It feels like a symptom of getting older to complain about how fast weeks, months, and now years go. Tonight, when my mum called, I was reminded that it's actually Friday and of all the things I used to do with those end-of-week, start-of-weekend nights. In college, my weekends would often begin on a Wednesday*, and despite working a near equivalent of 38 hours in the days before classes began again, I still managed all manner of shenanigans on those nights that drew Monday close again. Now, the idea of Friday night ABC crime and leftover pasta, or settling in with a new book and heavily-honeyed tea, exceeds the sort of mischief I might have gotten up to five years ago. And I don't mind at all. 

Some other Friday night highlights:

..all the pretty flowers dotted around the apartment: the jonquils and gardenias are unpictured, I'm afraid.

..a tray of half-dead candles that Simon resurrected, that have managed to stay burning all afternoon and evening.

..TED talks, that happily suffice in place of an absent TV. See above for my Silent Witness penchant.

..finding the exact sounds of our favourite albums on Simon's Nord, particularly M83's Saturdays = Youth.

..temporary contentment post a phase of intense wanderlust. I know it won't last, but it's surprising how satisfying right here and now is. Particularly with this quote:

 Our evaluation of our choices is profoundly affected by what we compare them with, including comparison with alternatives that exist only in our imaginations. The same experience can have both delightful and disappointing aspects. Which of these we focus on may determine whether we judge the experience to be satisfactory or not.

Ps, I took the quote above from Barry Schwartz's Paradox of Choice TED talk (via Gala Darling). This talk is both insightful and balanced, something that can be hard to find in opinion journalism. Although I realise TED isn't pure journalism, it provokes thought, and I find it to be an invaluable resource for provocative and unconventional debates. In this instance, I feel freer with the idea that I can be satisfied with my decisions and not fear choices that in time no matter what they are, and, if they're not meant to be, will lead me to the place I'm ultimately meant to be.

Posting will be back to normal on Monday, I just needed a time out, and will share new things then. Have an exceptional weekend. Enjoy the sun and shade!

* The beauty of a Social Sciences/Arts dual degree -- late classes and long days, worth it for a four day weekend. 

...

quote via