A Year Deferred: In media res...

[But] I’m 24 years old. I have a loving boyfriend, an almost-new car that gets good gas mileage, and a job that keeps me interested most of the time. I read books, watch too much TV, and on weekends I like to run errands in the sunshine. I’m the only person I know who likes grocery shopping. During the week I sometimes binge on banana bread and peanut M&Ms, but other than that, life is pretty good. Oh, and in 15 months I’ll be going to the law school of my dreams.

When I received the phone call from the dean three months ago, my hands shook and my stomach flopped around inside my throat. I jumped on the elevator and called my parents outside the building where I work, “Oh my god, I got into Favorite Law School! I got into Favorite Law School!” I had heard they send you a shirt: FLS, Class of 2009. I was going to receive that shirt – I couldn’t believe it.

And now the shirt’s in my closet. And the big, glossy binder full of pamphlets and booklets and letters on letterhead is resting on my bedroom shelf. I’ve signed on the dotted line; I’ve sent in my check. They’ve promised me this isn’t some colossal mistake. But after some long conversations and awkward emails to my parents, there’s a slight kink in the plans. No, I’m not pregnant. But I have decided to spend the rest of my life with V. And since he’s got to stay another year in Cali to finish up his PhD program, I’m hoppin’ on the bandwagon. So Favorite Law School here I come…. in fifteen months. Hence: A Year Deferred.

I really want to take advantage of this year – the last year before my really intense legal career begins. (Yes, this is scary to think about. And to tell you the truth, I don’t know if I really believe it. But apparently this is what I am doing. And it’s supposedly going to be intense.) So I plan on writing as much as I can, reading great novels, drawing and painting, and taking beautiful pictures. I also want to be just a tad less lazy and try to break out of the blissful, Netflix-delivered-to-your-door, Peet’s-around-the-corner, do-we-really-have-to-go-to-our-best-friend’s-birthday-party-that’s-a-whole-two-blocks-away malaise that V and I tend to lapse into over the weekends. We live in this incredible area, next to the forest, the ocean, the city and… office parks. And I want to take more advantage of this. I want to try to take more trips, go to more shows, and be a little more, eh hem, social.

Finally, I want to grow up a little this year. I’m kind of a baby when it comes to stress or doing things I don’t like to do. Last week I had a minor breakdown because I was so anxious about going to work the next day and calling a client I had put off the previous week. If I could procrastinate a little less and have a little more self-control, I think I’d feel more ready for the aforementioned intense legal career.

Oh, and I want to lose 15 pounds. (Not including the 3 pounds of water weight I miraculously gained last night.)

So that’s the plan. If you one day end up reading this, I hope you enjoy the ride. And I appreciate any comments or suggestions on how to make this year the best year of my life (on a relatively tight-ish budget, while still holding down a full-time J.O.B.).