Nearly There!

Well, today was the last official day of classes, though both of mine were cancelled.
I'm nearly done my first semester of uni.
Wow.
There were days when I didn't think I'd ever get this far!
(I'm off to bask in the glow of near-success!)

Solstice Spending

Mmmh, I came back from shopping about an hour ago. Lovely Midnight Madness, I spent almost two hundred dollars.

What did I spend it on? (If my roomie wasn't sleeping, I'd take photos….)

I bought a --- -- ------ ---------- for said sleepy roomie, which I know she'll love.

I bought a --- --- for our floor exchange, and I'll stuff it with something small for goodies's sake.

I bought a ----, ----- ----- and ---- ------ ---- for my best friend. I walked into the store, and almost the first thing I saw was the ----,  and I knew it was perfect.

I also bought myself three dresses from this store called Bali—so cute! I'll be wearing one tomorrow, bright, very bright, red, and so comfy. Perfect for rushing about, prepping for a crazy concert! The other is this lovely golden colour, and the last is a really interesting cowl-ish sweater dress, with a pattern (for me, that's huge—I rarely if ever wear patterns. Yet two of my four sweater dresses seem to have heavy patterning…. Hmm) in brown, black and other neutrally-monochromatic-but-still-a-nice-brown scheme. The brown actually is nice, a warm golden if you get close.

I still need to find Solstice gifts for one…two…three…four…five(?!) people, plus my siblings and S.

The last three will be most challenging, I think.

Or maybe the friends….

I can send cards to the 6AC, and something memento-like.

Ugh.

Why did I have to be generous (read: susceptible and complacent to the capitalist system we are all operating under) this year?!

Blank

I am so ready to have this semester over…ad hopefully reset my circadian rhythm, too!

That's all I've got….

LBDing?

I need to go shopping soon—but I'll be going against everyone's advice, and buying black clothes. All black, in fact. Why? Choir season is coming up! I want something that I can wear equally for the afternoon and the evening concerts, and the winter and spring ones.

With that in mind…I will become a fashion blog!

Which do you prefer?

A few suggestions—anything you have to offer up?

Cramming

So, a month. All too often I seem to be doing the 'it's been too long' speech…so I'll leave off it this time. I do feel like a general update is in order, though.

I recently switched to veganism, after nearly two years of vegetarianism. I found it was no longer ethically enough to soothe my conscience. Research into it—how chickens are the worst treated animals on the planet, for instance. Or how 'they' get that dairy cow to produce your 2%. Or what the fashion industry does to foxes for the one piece that is desired for a finished product.

It's sickening. Compassion and empathy over profit and greed, any day.

What else? My family is moving, so while I have my semi-permanent home on my university campus, they'll be hauling all of their things hours northwest of here to settle in a tiny town of four hundred people (that jumps up to nine hundred in the summer).

Wow. Crazy, yes?

I've fallen in love with the uni lifestyle—definitely something I'm glad I did. I'm currently on a break, and (shh!! Don't tell my folks!) visiting my hometown. I'll swing by my old place on Sunday, surprise them all.

Speaking of surprises, yesterday I had a delivery made to my Mommy (the librarian I used to work for, and who I've adopted…) that was me, with a bow stuck to my face, carrying a pen. She was surprised, and we spent about four hours or so together, going out for supper, looking at photos, and talking, talking, talking! (Turns out local pizza is way better than chain! So much flavour!)

A friend of mine put me up last night…at his grandmother's. I know, ridiculous, right? We had to get out of town by 0730h to be on time for his 0830h class, and I had set my alarm for 0630h. It didn't got…. His grandmother, lovely woman, came down at about 0705h, asking if I was going in with N today, and if so, I better get up!

Needless to say, I rushed through my toilette, and was ready and waiting by 0730h. (He was a few minutes behind.)

Now I'm sitting in the café in his (used to be mine, too!) college, waiting for the Winners to open so I can spend the gift card that I can't at home, and then go to Fabricland for the same reason. A crazy day ahead of me, that's for sure!

Cram

Tomorrow's my first midterm—Politics. Then a quiz in French, then nothing, then Spanish exercises. Jolly.

I don't really know what to do for Poli Sci, but I know I need to go over my French stuff before class, as it's a double period and we'll go through a less on after the quiz.

Ugh. Why is school now, after twelve years, finally making an appearance?

Textbook

I realized today how blessed I am in my residence. Literally, there have got to be about half of us on my floor who are hardcore tea drinkers, and we've really become very close. I'm not always one for 'big happy family' cravings—I like my solitude and fantasies too much—but this is so appallingly normal, it's been great. I couldn't get over how normal it was for me to go to res, in a university hours away, right out of high school.

With a lot of the crap I've seen, and how my family works, I never really expected to be this girl—the one who worries if it'll be rude to duck out of the room while her roomie talks to her mom. I'm now the girl that crows if my side of the room is cleaner than said roomie's. It's so standard-fare, so 'regular'. My mother would say this is least common denominator. To be honest? I like it. I want a bit of LCD in my life. I want to be able to say I did one 'textbook' teenager/young adult thing, even if that textbook was written in 80's America.

I really don't know where this is going—first week drain and all—but I guess I could say it's going towards the fact that I'm content. I've had to change to slide in around these people, but I think it's an educational change, and not a permanent, "You can never be you again," change.

I'm pleased to be here.

What was the most 'textbook' thing you ever did?

Pontificate

It's been a long time—too long, in fact.

I moved into my residence room today (scary!) and met my roommate, who seems pretty well matched. After the fiasco that was my OSEF matching, I was definitely needing a good pairing. We both like tea, don't drink, and have difficult-to-pronounce names. Sounds superficial, but it'll work. Our room is small, and we're both slightly on the messy side, so we've designated a room-tidy day and laid out some ground rules for us both. I haven't yet told her about my orientation, but I think it'll be okay. I'm really hoping so!

What else has gone on this month? I went back to work (I don't remember if I've already said that or not…) for three weeks, made a decent amount of cash, and have got lots of financial stuff sorted out. Hmm….

Oh! Friday night—I was loading stuff into the van, because it's a full day's drive here, and felt something on the bottom of my foot .I went to scrape it off, and misjudged it, instead lifting off the callous on the pad before my pinkie toe. I suppose, in my favour, it was my right foot. Usually this happens to my left….

Anyway, night before I leave, I busted my foot. Hurts to walk and all that—it's really a pain in the ass all around.

I feel like this blog has gone from being somewhat substantial, maybe-even-meaningful to a simple rundown of my day-to-day (or week-to-week, case in point) doings. I want to get back into some actually thought-provoking things…. Is it against internet etiquette to actually say that, though…?

My question for the day, becase I haven't done one in so long, is: how do you live with internet caps? I only get 75GB a month now, and that's costing me nearly $40 a month!! That's…almost 53¢ a gigabyte! Eep. YouTube restrictions, starting now!

Jester

I keep doing the going-to-bed-late-and-getting-up-early thing, and it doesn't look like it will stop. Ugh. Anyone want to help me do my Psychology for me?!

I joke…I think.

Frantic

It's been a while. Let's see, what have I been up to. I went for a hike Sunday, mucked up my knee somewhere between there and Monday, it's still killing me. I need it to be okay for Friday—that's my Grad! Eek! I had a grad test-run for my hair, and it should only take half an hour to forty-five minutes. I'm very pleased with that! 

What else…hmm. My psychology class ended today, but I have to do huge amounts of work to get the final project done by Friday. I'm worried, there's some things I don't understand within the reading of the surveys.

Also, I have to get stuff (how technical!) ready for Grad: cap and gown deposit, hemmed dress, giving up on Sears' late delivery of the shoes I won't be wearing, finalized decals. Plus get my house ready for my family to arrive on Thursday. 

Gah, this is a busy week, it seems like everything has been piled on all at once!

Profound…?

It's been a while…I've been swamped with a cold, school work up to here, and this crazy thing called Grad.


I helped with the decorating committee today, and it sort of sunk in that, holy shiznit, this will all be gone in two months. Literally. (Insert exclamation swear word of choice….) Wow.


So after that, I went an swung on some awesome swings that I actually didn't use when I attended that school, and I attempted philosophy. My life has sort of evolved around those swings for the nearly-seven years I've lived here. When I was young, going to that school the swing were alternately where the dweebs played, or where the ultimate cool kids played. Either way, me, the new girl again, didn't make a run for them. 
Then I went to the junior high, where the elementary swings were sort of laaaaaaame…so little kid!
I've worked with kids all my life, though, so swings were a way to hold on to that…perfect place to supervise from, too.
High school…I sit on the swings before I pick up the kids after school, going as high as I can. I want the freedom they used to be…. Now I went, tonight, alone, because I could. There was no one saying be here, or there; I simply was. It was brilliant.


I reflected on my screw-ups, my make-ups, everything in between. 


I'm so ready to leave, I don't want to go.

Surprise! Here's something i've been working on for a class…if you would take the time, it would be great!

School Drools

I forgot to write last night…I was frantic over my crazy English essay for The Great Gatsby. Ugh. I'm so, so, soooooo glad to be done it!!
 Tonight: psychology homework!! Do two chapters, or write a survey, or both?!

Waiting, Waiting…

So I'm at a client's house, using who-knows-who's internet, and taking the requisite 'break' before I'm supposed to read my next English short story. I was told on Wednesday not to read these back-to-back, so…ho-hum time, proceed.

Jolly.

What do you do to kill time?

Busy Little Bee

No blog yesterday—I did a fifteen hour work day, and got home around eleven o'clock. I was at my official job for ten hours (though I only clocked it for nine-point-five), and went from there straight to a client's place, and did five hours there. Man, I was tired! I slept through to nine today (bad Mahara, what ever happened to 'same 'wake-up every day?!').

Now I've got some anniversary stuff to do, and then psych homework (the textbook writing is soooo small!) before I go swimming in Dawson Creek, then back for another client at 1850h.

I will make an effort to post tonight!

Passport Panic

So I had a scare tonight—I was solidly convinced I'd lost my passport. I turned my room, under-bed and trunk apart…then I finally found it in the middle of my lega box, tucked between two envelopes. Whew! I'd looked there before, of course, but I remembered after the fact that, at one of the UK airports I was in last year, they stuck baggage tags to my passport…resulting in a lovely sticky residue. I'm scared to try a remover—what if it wrecks the document…?!

Oh well. At least now I know exactly where it is, and can use it to get to France this summer!

On another note, my first Uni class starts tomorrow…I'm alternately terrified and thrilled. Wheeeee!

Baby Steps

Well, in the last twenty-four hours, I've managed to hit 200 hits…teehee, no pun intended. To celebrate…I shall go to bed early in preparation for my second semester starting tomorrow, and think on whether or not I'm really ready to go away next year. I almost cried in my Fashions class today—I'm going to miss it, and my amazing teacher, soooo much!

What did/do you miss most about the past?

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

So, a few new things today. Remember how, a week or so ago, I was boasting of the amazing weather we were having? Yeah, that's come to bite me in the ass. At least -40˚C today (which is the same in Fahrenheit), so school busses were called off, I almost got frostbitten yesterday, and it was miserable. Blech. And in a rural community, no busses pretty much means no school. So there went the Bio practise test…!
On the plus, I got some extra time at work, and got to have lunch with a friend, and talk for ever with her and one of my teachers. Nice.

And, as a result of talking to said women, I have a potential disorder that I will take to my (new?) family doctor, and hopefully get a diagnosis at last about what makes me so freakin' weird. I have abnormal chest pains, and have blackouts, and 'TV static' vision. I get odd tunnel/tube/far away hearing, and sometimes I don't pass out. Ever. Uh-uh.

Okay, maybe once or twice.

Plus that potential great news, I'm going to watch a new favourite movie, 2006's Dreamgirls, again tonight—and because I'm getting to know it so well (not as well as RENT yet, though), I can do some baby-blanket stitching! Score all around!

Today has been, over all, pretty darn good.

What's your best bad-weather-good-day situation like?

Staffed Out

Today was a wing-dinger staff meeting, the longest in a while. We did a two-and-a-half-hour meeting, dealing with all sorts of issues—the specific, to the general, to 'when should we do spring cleaning?'

Guck.

It's good to get it all out there, though, and make everyone aware of the issues, and what's going well. Still, I'm so ready for bed!

I feel like I haven't done a truly 'substance' post in a while, but there's nothing really to say. I'm preoccupied with exams, and work, and my achy shoulders and legs…I wanna go to a spa!

I did come up with a grad hairstyle, though now I've got to practise to make sure the practical works as well as the theory. (It's the same with clothes designs—they work great in my head, but actually trying do do and make them…ugh. I've been at the same two for ages!)

What's something you're amazing at in theory, but not so much in reality?

Fabulousity

Today when I left the house, I was greeted by the most amazing thing: Birds chirping! It made me feel like it really was spring—fabulous! As long as I still get my snow day on the twelfth (I no wanna write Social Essay!), this weather can keep up until April! Aaaah, wouldn't that be lovely…!

The whole day's been pretty awesome, all in all. Sure, the wind was enough to make me skate to work, and my legs are sore from bowling yesterday (how does that even work?), but I feel amazing.

I got an afternoon workout in today, something I rarely have the energy for yet today, I was determined to do so…and I did. I even got my awesome hula hoop, weighted for maximum skinny-down potential, and the colours (which were left a surprise) are great!

I spent my spare period talking about novels, and how our Social curriculum is blatant propaganda, and bought sandwich fixings for the week.

Work, though long, was nice and low key, and the kids were great.

I even made it to sewing club, and finally finished the pattern for that shirt I've been working on. It's going to be so cool! Tomorrow, after I check that the other pattern is still viable, I can start cutting the shirts out. (About a month ago, I found this awesome fabric, and had to buy it—at $3.00/metre, I couldn't go wrong. I bought all 3.3m of it!)

Today was amazing! Here's to great days and better tomorrows.

What did the best day this year look like for you so far?

What A Rush!

This weekend has been both hectic and oddly relaxed. Actually, I suppose the hectic started Thursday—I found out I'm eligible for a French exchange this summer, and I desperately want to go. I'd be spending July with a family in France, then someone in that family, my exchange partner, would come back to Canada with me in August. Wow. 

It's fairly expensive, for eight weeks, but wouldn't it be worth it? It's about four thousand dollars, plus spending money…and I'd be taking a sever loss of pay. So really, the financial cost is huuuuuge. Almost, if not more, than next year's tuition.

Speaking of tuition…Friday, I got a letter from my second choice school, saying they've offered me early/conditional acceptance to the program! Then Saturday (…yesterday!) I checked online for my first choice's decision, to see if they'd started processing my application.

Guess what?

Early Acceptance, baby!

Oh sweet mother of toasters. This is fabulous! The only things missing in my application are A) my final transcripts, which will be sent in June; and B) an application/ approval for residence. (At this school, any first-year under twenty-one is required to live in res. Fine with me!)

So wait, what does this mean? It means next year, I don't have to go to my third-choice school and stay out here in Asscrack, Alberta. (My school is is Lower Back, Alberta—slightly less stinky!) And while this means I am unable to go to my true fist choice, U of Stirling, I'm okay with that. I doubt I'd be able to handle the distance right away, anyway. And the price…one hundred thousand for my Undergrad degree. I'll go there for a Master's in a few years.

Now that that's all out of the way…I've been baking! My pudding for Book Club went well, and the author we had visit wants to read my stuff for when she does her Writer in Residence in March. Very exciting. 

As for today, I'm in the middle of baking right now!

The recipe is taking a lot longer to cook than expected, but that's normal for this elevation. I'm making White Chocolate-Orange-Cranberry Blondies. 

YUM.

Well, I suppose I should head off, make sure these goodies are all right. I'm so excited to eat one!

What's your favourite winter baking? Can you make it yourself or does it come from another's kitchen?