Spare time

For better or worse, I've got a fair amount of free time these days. B says it's my last stand - the last time I'll have a ton of time to myself for a long while. This is true, if things go according to plan I'll be in nursing school next fall and a working nurse two years later. The fact that I have free time now is a blessing and a treat.

What the hell, though, am I supposed to do with the time I've got on my hands? Here are my ideas, and I'm happy - THRILLED - for more. I swear, I'm not hating on free time, but I am not the best at dawdling the hours away. I'm a busy gal, what can I say?

• Cooking - I'm trying to make something of all the food we've got. Sometimes that's just chopping food to pop in the freezer. Mostly though, I'm making muffins, pies, pasta, peanut butter, crackers and other things that turn out a special when you make them from scratch. I mean, how impressive is it to make your own food? C'mon. This week I've roasted pumpkin for... well, we've got pumpkin from our farm share, I'm not entirely sure what I'm using the heaps of pumpkins for. Right now I'm roasting some pumpkin seeds in the oven.
  
• Baby-minding - I spend time with my nieces, which is most wonderful. I'm excited to spend my first day with NG next week and AJ and I have spent time together for many weeks now. It's a nice downtime, since generally babies are less busy than adults. AJ and I did venture with dear friend MDS to the suburbs for a Shiva. It was an adventure we'll speak about years from now. Usually, though, we venture to Target, Walgreens, the library and the park. Last week we visited Grandma Fergie - bringing a baby niece to a place with mostly older folks is akin to bringing a celebrity to a middle school. Very silly, delightful and mildly overwhelming.
• Election Judging - Tomorrow I am being trained to be an election judge in Chicago. I'm very excited. I've always dreamed of such a position. It's a volunteer gig, and I think it's important. Hooray process, right?
• School. Very important.
• The usual. I try to be a good friend, a letter writer (yes, I am the youngest person who buys stamps in the U.S.), a recycling person, an organized sort, a chef, a random sort who can get a pedicure mid-day on a Wednesday, an off-busy-time shopper, a reader, a stroller, a runner, a work-out-er, a calm, happy person. That shouldn't be too hard, right?