I have an opportunity to apply for grant money from my school to use right after I graduate and it's actually kind of stressful. I don't know what I'll want to do or where I'll want to go a year from now, and I'm not sure how it will interfere with finding a job. Plus, I have two weeks to decide what to do and writing a grant proposal is a big pain. I'll have to start out by speaking with my adviser about it and see what she recommends. Sometimes opportunities are a bigger pain than not--if it didn't exist, I wouldn't feel this pressure.
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It's funny how much color affects my mood. It is often drab here in the winter, with grey ground and grey skies. I put on a green long-sleeved shirt today, and looking in the mirror, I looked like a tree. My tangled brown hair going down my shoulders was like brown branches sprawling out under green foliage... it really brightened my mood. I can't believe I spent so much time in high school wearing all black and navy blue (I was not goth, just somewhat morose, and didn't want to be noticed).

R's parents' bedroom is a peachy orange, with green tropical houseplants. Every time I step in there, I think the sun is starting to set because of the brilliant orange reflection from sunlight bouncing off the walls. If I weren't leaving this place in August (and didn't have to repaint white), I would do that here. After all, we evolved to live among plants, and there are many studies showing that the presence of plants decreases stress and anxiety. It makes sense that we respond to bright colors. I should try to add some colors to this blog. Cameras tend to miss the beauty found in natural settings, but something is better than nothing.