Butternut squash

The car that is always parked right there, which we would fear being moved, since it would mean that our 90-some odd year old neighbor had gone for a drive. 

So these aren't quite pictures of butternut squash, but two of them have been cooked in our house since last Sunday.  Somehow both my roommate and I managed to cut ourselves in the process, so it's hard to tell if it's worth it.  After I finished my soup, I thought so - with ginger, apples, and curry.

I feel like I'm finally starting to adapt to my job - last week I had a meeting with some case managers at this organization called Youth and Family Connections to tell them about some of our programs for youth.  After saying "y'all" about fifteen times, the director asked me where I was from.  I think I turn the accent on higher when I'm nervous so people will pay more attention to that instead of what I'm actually saying.  But apparently I convinced them I was a real employee from a real organization... On Thursday, I went to an open house for another youth organization, where I didn't know anybody, so I took some networking professional's advice and introduced myself to a woman, and it worked.  Though I said, "Can I introduce myself to you?" so there wasn't really any hiding what was going on. 

I wish this were more fascinating than "butternut squash," but I think I'm trying to rest for whatever is coming next.  This week I feel I have all of these actual work things to do, involving me acting like a young professional, which seems kind of like lifting weights. I'm giving a presentation at a high school in the county and meeting with some different people about different things.  Habitat for Humanity and a garden in town.  Oh, and I started taking Spanish lessons with the county, which gives me an opportunity to ask really specific questions about the sounds vowels make.  Then next week, I'm going to Estes Park, a sort of mountain town that is actually vacated in the winter, for a conference, and my mom will be here for the weekend. But today, I think I'm just tired, or allergic...