Editing papers gives me so much satisfaction. I'm a grammar and spelling Nazi so I like making papers (mine or otherwise) correct. I like the precise and meticulous attention to detail and knowing that everything is "just so." I like the idea of making a product better, the best it can be. And since words are sort of my thing (occasionally design is as well), I like seeing them in the best place possible. I realize this is probably an obsessive tendency but it's at least a useful one!

I've been thinking lately about where I want to live after college. I have plans to go to Colorado shortly after graduating in December and I originally thought I might want to try to find a job there and settle down a little in Denver or around it (maybe Colorado Springs) but lately I've been thinking of many other places. Maybe it's being in Europe that's making me restless and changing my mind about Colorado but now I have Provence, France, England, and good ol' Baltimore on my mind. Three very different places but they all have something I want.

Provence is unbelievably beautiful and I love the French language. England is a place I've always wanted to be more a part of--I've been an anglophile for a long time. And then there's home--Baltimore. Baltimore is such a quirky, cozy city. It has its reputation, of course, but I know it is really a nice, hip city underneath all the statistics. With all the possibilities I'm feeling a bit stressed out but I love the thoughts that go along with each different place. I could have so many different lives! If only I could have them all!

Cereal is the perfect way to start the day. I'm a big proponent of breakfast and eat it every day unless I wake up late (10 or later) because then it doesn't make much sense. I do love big breakfast foods like pancakes or home fries or french toast but they make me feel too full rather than energized for the day like cereal does. Plus, cereal has the all-important element of fiber (at least good cereals do)! My favorite cereals are mostly healthy ones like Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Special K, and Life but I also like Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Frosted Flakes though I don't eat them often. Whatever kind of cereal it is, it's how I want to start my day--pour on some skim milk, hand me a spoon and I'm ready to go!

Because sometimes it's so reassuring to have something to fall back on. Sometimes the thing you've been planning all along just doesn't work out so it's nice to have a back-up waiting for you. Alternate options, just in case you change your mind or in case you just want too many things all at once! I have many plans--probably all the way down to letters J, K, and L. I like to think this makes sure I will never just be doing nothing but maybe that's plan M! In any case, it's nice to not have to worry or stress so much when you know you have a safety net waiting to catch you if you fall. Hopefully you never touch the net but, if you have to, it's there.

I'm a horrible procrastinator--I really am. But I'm also a pretty responsible person (yawn). Sometimes, then, I like to get my work out of the way, especially if I know I have something else I want to do or another project I need to work on soon. Today I did tomorrow's assignment on top of today's and I feel great about it! I can take it easy tomorrow or I can continue and finish early at the end of the week and start my weekend early. Whatever I choose to do, it feels great knowing that I was responsible, made a good choice and used my time now wisely so I can have fun later. Yay!

When I was younger I always used my overhead light in my bedroom. When my dad came in he would always turn it off, open my curtains more and tell me that overhead lights "sucked up my self esteem." Of course I thought he was crazy and more adorable for it but, despite not believing him, I have grown to have a similar aversion to overhead lighting. There is something about large, bright, artificial lights that just...annoys me. Though I don't think my self-esteem is being affected, I definitely physically and mentally react to these obnoxious and distracting lights and turn them off whenever I can. At school my overhead light is only used when serious business is being conducted in mirrors or if (the horror!) it's too dark outside that even table lamps aren't bright enough.

In any case, natural light is so refreshing. It is warm, comforting, and fresh all at the same time. It has the ability to warm or cool any room and just makes me happy when a sunny day's rays fill my room just right that it makes everything bright and cheerier. So thanks, Dad, for passing along your words of wisdom!

This summer I conquered a mountain and today I conquered a 6.8-mile cliff walk up and down steep, steep stairs. I love challenging myself with these tests of my physical and mental strength. I feel empowered and motivated to prove to myself that I can climb that mountain or power-walk that distance. I put my head down, focus, and push ahead. And when I get to the end and realize I've done it, that's such an awesome feeling! Yes, my body will start screaming in a few minutes but at that moment right at the end it is humming with excitement and energy, pushing me even further. I always feel tempted to do the "Victory!" pose but I think I'll save that for a really amazing accomplishment like the Appalachian Trail or Mt. Everest. For now I'm satisfied with just pushing myself in these little ways that make me proud to be as strong as I am.

I love Swedish meatballs. As I mentioned before, my mom used to take my brother and me to Ikea for dinner sometimes just because we (and my mom) loved the Swedish meatballs so much. At some point my mom started making them at home with a sauce packet from the grocery store, handmade meatballs and egg noodles (which is perhaps the traditional preparation)--like the picture shown above. Swedish meatballs are delicious in either preparation and I think I prefer my mom's style even though the Ikea style is lighter and has the delicious lingonberry sauce. The noodles and the gravy and the meatballs are just such a unique dish with a lovely savoriness to it. It's just perfect in every way. When I get home from Italy it is one of the things I will request for dinner. Yum!

I got my tax return a couple of days ago and was ready to just keep it in my bank account and forget that it was money I hadn't really been expecting to ever get back. Today while reading for my Economics class, though, I was reminded about kiva.org, an organization that deals in microfinancing where people can loan out small amounts of money to entrepreneurs in developing countries. These loans have a very high rate of repayment (Kiva quotes theirs at more than 98%) and help get people off their feet--a win-win situation!

I used my tax return and loaned money to five different people/groups. One loan is to a group who run a furniture making workshop in Uganda and one is to a woman in Nigeria who runs a general store. I also loaned to a groups in Vietnam (all women), Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines who raise and sell livestock. I am so excited to be a part of this opportunity to help people work their way to a better lifestyle and can't wait for them to prove me right by paying back the loan so I can turn around and lend the money to someone else. I just feel so good!

Hiking is just so much fun. You're outside in (hopefully) good weather, enjoying the sun and the fresh air as well as some energizing exercise. I love getting all geared up in my hiking boots, baseball cap and packing a backpack with trail snacks and water. It makes me feel like I'm going on an adventure--and I am!

I love to hike in the woods amongst the trees--they provide shade so you don't get too hot or sunburned, they smell terrific and are just so beautiful! Also, they have those awesome burbling streams. Being in the woods, or anywhere suitable for hiking, is just such a nice change from normal life in the suburbs, the city or even the country. It is remote and wild and makes you feel like a more rugged, independent person. Who knows if I'd be able to survive in the wild if something happened but the empowerment hiking gives me makes me feel like I can.

Though they are usually circular whereas those pictures here are crescent-shaped, pignoli cookies (loosely named after the Italian word for pine nut) are always delicious. They are almond-y (I think that's the flavor), lusciously chewy and covered in pine nuts. You've most likely never heard of them and probably never seen one but they are full of Italian goodness.

I first had one courtesy of my amazing family who bought some at the Vaccaro's stand in Annapolis's Market House. Vaccaro's is an Italian bakery based in Little Italy, Balitmore but has a couple of chains and stands throughout Maryland and Washington, DC. They brought the pine nut-encrusted cookies home and reluctantly shared with me and forever made a mistake. I am hooked, no pignoli cookie is safe from me and whenever I am nearby at my favorite sushi place, I must go visit Vacarro's flagship store and buy myself a cookie or two.

Oddly enough, here in Italy it is hard to find a pignoli cookie. First off, no one knows them by that name and always looks at me funny for bastardizing the word for pine nut (pinoli). Perhaps they are specific to a certain region of Italy (Vaccaro's is a Sicilian bakery) but the only place I've found them (in their proper form) is in Genoa. I always make sure to look in every Italian bakery I come across (or most of them, at least) but I am usually disappointed. Where ever they are, though, they are full of deliciousness waiting to be gobbled up!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. From a simple cereal and milk to a larger meal like pancakes, eggs or French toast, breakfast food is just wonderful. They can be light or hearty and are ALWAYS the perfect way to start the day. I need breakfast in order to be able to function and if I don't get it, I am moody! Typically I have cereal (Cheerios, Chex or Special K) and milk but every now and then I enjoy a large breakfast, my favorite being with pancakes. I just cannot imagine a good day without a proper breakfast and, in fact, I could eat breakfast food at all times of the day!

Brie is delicious: nutty and creamy and smooth with that little bite from the skin (which I do eat). While I do enjoy baked brie (wrapped in filo dough and usually with apples and some sort of cinnamon filling), I prefer brie to just stand as it does normally. With crackers, apples or bread or in a sandwich, I love brie in almost every way it can be eaten!

Bread is positively delicious. I have a "bread problem" where, occasionally, I just cannot stop eating it. Being in Italy for the semester makes this even worse as fresh, artisan bread is absolutely everywhere. Sliced, torn, toasted and cold, bread is a perfect palate for many flavors and foods. I like it especially plain or with jelly--nothing complicated. Though I know whole grain bread is better for your health, I just cannot resist the fluffy, sweet flavor of white grain bread. Mmm!

Though my name is technically Margaret (named after my great-aunt Marge who is responsible for my college education), absolutely everyone calls me Margo.

I love my name--it's unique, cute and definitely fits me well. When I tell people how I got the nickname, I tell them that my aunt thought of it, inspired by the comic strip Apartment 3G in the newspaper. One of the main characters (the moody/occasionally bitchy brunette) is named Margo and apparently stuck in my aunt's mind as a good nickname for me. I cannot thank all who were involved enough--I love my name!

I don't know if I can go through my whole life using it, though--at some point I should switch to Margaret, shouldn't I? It's always been a sort of old woman name to me so I guess when I get to the point where I feel like I am old enough to fit the name, I will change.

Flowers are just starting to bloom in Italy. I walk past a path lined with tulips ready to bloom and I can just smell them ready to burst open. It is a contagious feeling and it has me so excited for the day they do bloom. They will burst forth in all their glorious color and make my day just a little brighter (and sweeter-smelling!). I cannot wait.

Crap, it looks like I have already done this one... However, it can be said again. I recently went to Trapani, Sicily for Spring Break and it was absolutely lovely. Most of the days were sunny (though not so warm) and I got to go places with gorgeous views from above. Vistas provide such a wide view of ones surroundings and, taken in with one long stare, they are still awesome to behold. Rich colors, expansive land and water, it is all so beautiful to see at once and I will never tire of it.