this is life.

Daniel Johnston, unofficial patron saint of my blogs, wrote: 'This is life/And everything's all right/Livin-livin-livin-livin-livin-livin-livin life.'

Yep. It would be indecent to say everything's ALL right, (I mean, whoever says that isn't paying enough attention) but as I've been absent for several months, thought I'd pop in to say I'm still alive, and everything's pretty much all right. In fact I'm enjoying one of those rare periods when most things are really, surprisingly, good.

The past 6-9 months have been insanely busy with school stuff. I've helped teach a grad level statistics class, written and defended my master's, learned how to be a therapist, and learned to do psychological assessments of all kinds. "Learned" being a relative term of course.

But I've climbed up a big ol' learning curve, and in the process dropped almost completely out of contact with friends outside my everyday environment. I haven't liked that, and I miss all you out-of-town friends and wonder how you're doing.

But during that time: many developments!

1. I met an awesome guy!

Nate is as sweet as they get, and a LOAD of fun. As you can see, he's very expressive. And a passionate singer.



His childhood dream was to be one of Gladys Knight's pips. Instead he's a psychologist in training, like me... which is not half as cool but it's okay for now. Nate's brought a lot peace and joy during a stressful year, and continues to make me laugh almost all the time. And occasionally wears undersized sweatshirts with purple underpants.



2. I got new letters behind my name!

No pictures or uploads of my thesis document (I'm sorry, I know you were dying to read all 90 pages of sheer inspiration), but after a billion revisions and tedious formatting, I get to call myself Shannon Sisco, MS. Master of Something. Anything. Who cares? MS MS MS.

3. I have a new family member!

No babies yet. Yikes. But meet Otis, my new little buddy!



Sweeter'n sack of suckers, right? He's a great little puppy. He's all into stealing my socks, pants, shoes, underwear... anything he can find. But he's remarkably obedient, and smart - he practically potty-trained himself. But the best part is he's 100% herding dog: get him excited enough and he'll run figure-eights around you at breakneck speed.

Shaniqua hasn't yet decided what she thinks of him, but she'll let him follow her around.



4. I can SCUBA!

Turns out Florida is FULL of amazing water bodies: not just the tropical sea goodies down south, but around Gainesville there are dozens of natural springs, connected by cave systems and everything. They're crystal clear, and absolutely gorgeous. So I took the plunge and learned to SCUBA - even splurged on my own gear - and now for $20 or so a trip, I can camp out and scuba dive in beautiful natural settings less than an hour from home. AWESOME!

5. I moved!

What with the hectic schedule this year - and with Nate owning his own place and all - we moved in together around Christmas. Now, not only am I in an actual house in an actual neighborhood (and that is SUCH a blessing!), I also have these spunky new roommates:



Enough said. Nate and Brian are a blast to live with. We've had a handful of parties, which at times have included hot pepper pinatas



and at times inflatable genitals as tall as yours truly. Actually, those were the same party.



6. I grew a green thumb!

Since moving to the neighborhood, I joined a community organic garden with a plot in a nearby park. I've planted my first vegetable garden, and so far it's a real success! I have a full-grown green pepper waiting to be plucked, and budding tomatoes, jalapenos, datil peppers, and burgundy okra on the way.

I can't describe how exciting it is to see plants grow and know you cared for them. And how delicious they'll be to harvest. :) The veggies are bordered by herbs, which have exploded since planting and supply plenty of flavoring for every dish.

7. In general:

I've eaten a lot of good food.



I've done my share of dumb stuff.



I've made lots of awesome new friends, like Amanda and Ryan:



Nnenna and Matt:




Kate and Nicole (also Ryan again):



and Raquel and Bobby (who are ever so sassy when I'm not looking):



That's the news! It's been a year full of change and growth, and there's no doubt more on the way. Hope all is going well for you friends in MySpace-land.

School's given me a breather, so I'm trying to catch up where I've fallen behind. Help me do that! Give me a call and let me know what I've missed of you lately. :) Hope all is well.