Grant-Writing Hell

Yes, there is a grant-writing hell. And I'm in it. I worked on a grant application all last week and picked it up again this morning. It is due tomorrow and I can't wait to turn the sucker in so that I never have to think about it again.

Quick recap of the past week (when I wasn't weeping or pulling my hair out over this grant):
*The new roommie moved into the 2nd floor. This is good. Unfortunately, we learned that our other roommate will be moving out. She's getting married and is moving into her in-law's house (I bit my tongue on that one. Who knows, maybe it works in reverse). If you know of anyone looking, let me know.

*Bryan and I had a lovely first-date recreation on our one year anniversary. We took the commuter train to Boston and met Kate, Matt and Jason at Boodles, where we had a few beers, looked at past contest entries from our days at MBEL and all missed our trains. We lost Jason to bed, so the four of us proceeded to Pizzeria Uno, where we ordered the same dinners we had a year ago (well, Bryan and I did, no one else was actually at PU last year, but we let them come with us this year :) We attempted to catch the 10pm train back to Framingham, really did miss it. Had another beer at the Pacific Sun restaurant and caught the 11:30 home.

*My grandmother's 80th b-day party was excellent, complete with tasty food, flowing wine, old stories and small children. The highlight of the night was the "round-off" contest between my 7-year old cousin Marina (not even 4 feet tall and weighing all of 50 pounds) and my brother Joe (5 feet 8 or 9 inches and weighing 220 pounds). A round-off is a cartwheel that is abruptly interrupted by a pulling of the feet into a standing position. Both executed lovely examples of this gymnastic staple, but the large, hairy man won by a, um, hair. This contest inspired other members of my family (and yes, myself) to do roundoffs, cartwheels, backbends and "the worm". Really, a bizarre, yet satisfyingly fun, interlude between eating and game-playing.

So, that's the best of it. Goodbye February. Hurry up spring.