I'm buckling up. I don't think I've ever embarked upon so many colossal living adjustments, taken up so many responsibilities, and added as much to plate as I'm about to. I'm exhilarated. I really wouldn't have it any other way. But damn.

I'm about to start up college again after having taken a four year break. I was accepted into the honors college at my university, which entails more challenging but more interesting classes, like the Changing Face of Masculinity course I'm taking, or the honors variant of macroeconomic principles. The professors are world class (here's a NYTimes piece by my Masculinity professor). I'm also taking Calculus and an Economic Statistics course. And ballroom dancing : ) so the schedule is loaded. And I'll be commuting.

I'm also buying a house as part of a subsidy program in an up and coming neighborhood. The other parties involved are dragging their feet in the extreme, and I'm learning a lot through the process. Like how much an agent from the get-go would've helped to keep up a good pace. But it seems all but assured that it'll happen, and that I'll move in--and start paying a fucking mortgage, jesus--sometime in March. I'm really eager to put my budgeting skills to good use, but sometimes I have trouble falling asleep at night because of the worry. Thankfully the PITI is very small, the house is in excellent shape (brand new everything, roof, plumbing, appliances) and there's a lot of demand for rental spaces in the area due to the proximity to Johns Hopkins Hospital. I've been accruing a small nut to cover a few months of expenses. But still. Holy fucking shit.

And on top of that, I hope to be exercising regularly (gym and weekly soccer practices) and working a (blessedly flexible) part-time job. I'm reminded of a Homer Simpson quote when he takes on another job to pay for Lisa's new pony:

Homer: I work from midnight to eight, come home, sleep for five minutes, eat breakfast, sleep six more minutes, shower, then I have ten minutes to bask in Lisa's love, then I'm off to the power plant, fresh as a daisy.