forget december, it won't be better
This morning, I managed to get three quarters of the way to one of my schools before realizing that I never actually went back to the office last week to get the files I needed for this school. So I fought my way through traffic, slushy streets and unplowed parking lots to get to my office and get my files, only to finally make it to my school and find out that both of the kids I have consents to work with are on a field trip this morning. Womp womp. It's just going to be that sort of week, I can tell already, so I wasn't even surprised. I'll be happy if I manage to get any testing done this week, but really, I'm just glad it's almost break.
I'm getting really excited about my trip! It's in less than a week now, which I'm having a hard time believing, but at the same time, I'm already making my list of the last minute things I need to do before I go. Today after work, I'm going to pop by the mall so I can get some travel-sized toiletries from Target and some delicious Canadian chocolate from Laura Secord for my American friends. I'm also going to pop by the currency exchange place so I can get some US dollars, even though it makes me sad that the exchange rate is definitely not in my favor right now. :-/ Then Friday, after I get through the stupid work presentation, I'm going to swing by the library to pick up the two audio books I've got on hold, which will provide me with something to listen to during the drive. And then, of course, all the packing and crap, which is always my least favorite thing.
Rough itinerary for the trip looks like this: I drive down on Sunday and spend the night at Alison's. Monday, the 23rd, I'm going on a mystery field trip with my sister because she wants to take me somewhere, then doing a Pop Shop dinner with people in the evening and spending the night at Alison's again. Sarah and I are doing a Christmas Eve brunch before I head into Philly to spend the rest of the day and night with Kira. I'm also spending Christmas with her, and I think we're going to her boyfriend's family's place or something. The day after Christmas I'm going to see my dad for the day, and that's the only night of my whole trip that I don't yet know where I'm sleeping. If I don't figure anything else out, I'm sure I can just go back to Philly to crash with Kira again, but I'd like to stay in Jersey that night if possible because I have Jersey plans the following day. I'm meeting Georginia in Princeton for lunch and wandering around, then meeting up with Dave after that and spending the night there. Saturday (I think we're up to Saturday now), I think I will finally get to check out Grounds for Sculpture with Dave, because I somehow never managed to go there despite going to school and living like ten minutes from it for several years. :p That night, I'm spending with my stepmom, and then Sunday I am hopping on a bus at something stupid like 7:45 in the morning so I can go down to Virginia. This part is largely made possible by the fact that Kelly is an amazing and wonderful friend who bought my bus ticket, even though Greyhound is dumb and charged her a "gift fee" since she won't be the one traveling. I'll be down in Chesapeake with her through New Year's, and our plans include eating all the food at the Cheese Shop and buying a case of house dressing, as well as going to mug night. Cider! On draft! With black currant!! (This excites me even though I have next to no tolerance anymore, and I'll probably be tipsy before I've finished half the mug. Doesn't matter.) I take a bus back up to Philly on the 2nd, which is also the day that Kristian comes back from Ohio and thus the one and only day I am able to see her at all. This means we are having a sleepover and will probably spend a solid 6-8 hours talking before we sleep because it has been way too long since I've seen her. And then I drive back up to Toronto on the 3rd, giving me that weekend to recover and relax with Brad before I have to go back to work.
Whew. You got all that? It's been uh, interesting, trying to get that all planned out, let me tell you. :p Somehow, though, despite figuring all that out and all the ridiculousness at work, I do feel somewhat more settled than I have been. I mentioned that I finished a fluffy shawl awhile ago, and since then I have also knit a big bulky cowl for a coworker and my first ever fair isle project. One of the girls in my knitting group actually designed that hat pattern, so it was great to be able to ask her questions as I went, and overall, the colorwork was definitely nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be. Who's surprised? I actually liked the hat so much that I'm making a second one for Kira, just with the colors reversed. Once that's complete, it'll bring me up to a total of 14 finished objects this year, which is not bad at all if you ask me. I'm looking forward to starting another sweater soon, and there's a few other projects I've got in mind as well.
I'm also slowly making my way through book 3 of the Song of Ice and Fire series; I'd say I would finish it over break, but spending time traveling and seeing other people means I won't have as much reading time as I would otherwise. However, I do have two 7- or 8-hour bus rides in there, so that'll be some good reading time for sure! Brad and I have also been watching the first season of Game of Thrones, and it's interesting seeing the things they've changed from the book to the show. The show's definitely really good, though, and I'm enjoying both it and the books. Speaking of tv, I don't think many of you watch Once Upon a Time, but the mid-season finale last night was heartbreaking. It made me so sad, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself until it resumes in March. I do love that show.
I do not, however, love snow, especially when I have to shovel it. It snowed pretty much all day on Saturday, so yesterday morning I had to go out and shovel the driveway. Now I am sore all over and the roads are still kind of a mess, which does not make me happy. I'm really hoping that I'll have good weather for my drive down to Jersey on Sunday! Oh, that's another thing I need to do before I leave: stop by a gas station and squeegee my windows so I can actually see out of them again. :p Driving around in all the salt and slush and muck that's on the roads means that my pretty blue car is currently a gross shade of grey, and all of the windows have a ton of crap on them. It might help to improve my visibility before I embark on a 9 hour drive, just maybe. :p
And now I think I should go eat lunch/continue to read over our powerpoint slides for the presentation on Friday. The only plus to it is that we're presenting in the morning, which will mean that I get to go home after we finish. Yay!
I'm getting really excited about my trip! It's in less than a week now, which I'm having a hard time believing, but at the same time, I'm already making my list of the last minute things I need to do before I go. Today after work, I'm going to pop by the mall so I can get some travel-sized toiletries from Target and some delicious Canadian chocolate from Laura Secord for my American friends. I'm also going to pop by the currency exchange place so I can get some US dollars, even though it makes me sad that the exchange rate is definitely not in my favor right now. :-/ Then Friday, after I get through the stupid work presentation, I'm going to swing by the library to pick up the two audio books I've got on hold, which will provide me with something to listen to during the drive. And then, of course, all the packing and crap, which is always my least favorite thing.
Rough itinerary for the trip looks like this: I drive down on Sunday and spend the night at Alison's. Monday, the 23rd, I'm going on a mystery field trip with my sister because she wants to take me somewhere, then doing a Pop Shop dinner with people in the evening and spending the night at Alison's again. Sarah and I are doing a Christmas Eve brunch before I head into Philly to spend the rest of the day and night with Kira. I'm also spending Christmas with her, and I think we're going to her boyfriend's family's place or something. The day after Christmas I'm going to see my dad for the day, and that's the only night of my whole trip that I don't yet know where I'm sleeping. If I don't figure anything else out, I'm sure I can just go back to Philly to crash with Kira again, but I'd like to stay in Jersey that night if possible because I have Jersey plans the following day. I'm meeting Georginia in Princeton for lunch and wandering around, then meeting up with Dave after that and spending the night there. Saturday (I think we're up to Saturday now), I think I will finally get to check out Grounds for Sculpture with Dave, because I somehow never managed to go there despite going to school and living like ten minutes from it for several years. :p That night, I'm spending with my stepmom, and then Sunday I am hopping on a bus at something stupid like 7:45 in the morning so I can go down to Virginia. This part is largely made possible by the fact that Kelly is an amazing and wonderful friend who bought my bus ticket, even though Greyhound is dumb and charged her a "gift fee" since she won't be the one traveling. I'll be down in Chesapeake with her through New Year's, and our plans include eating all the food at the Cheese Shop and buying a case of house dressing, as well as going to mug night. Cider! On draft! With black currant!! (This excites me even though I have next to no tolerance anymore, and I'll probably be tipsy before I've finished half the mug. Doesn't matter.) I take a bus back up to Philly on the 2nd, which is also the day that Kristian comes back from Ohio and thus the one and only day I am able to see her at all. This means we are having a sleepover and will probably spend a solid 6-8 hours talking before we sleep because it has been way too long since I've seen her. And then I drive back up to Toronto on the 3rd, giving me that weekend to recover and relax with Brad before I have to go back to work.
Whew. You got all that? It's been uh, interesting, trying to get that all planned out, let me tell you. :p Somehow, though, despite figuring all that out and all the ridiculousness at work, I do feel somewhat more settled than I have been. I mentioned that I finished a fluffy shawl awhile ago, and since then I have also knit a big bulky cowl for a coworker and my first ever fair isle project. One of the girls in my knitting group actually designed that hat pattern, so it was great to be able to ask her questions as I went, and overall, the colorwork was definitely nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be. Who's surprised? I actually liked the hat so much that I'm making a second one for Kira, just with the colors reversed. Once that's complete, it'll bring me up to a total of 14 finished objects this year, which is not bad at all if you ask me. I'm looking forward to starting another sweater soon, and there's a few other projects I've got in mind as well.
I'm also slowly making my way through book 3 of the Song of Ice and Fire series; I'd say I would finish it over break, but spending time traveling and seeing other people means I won't have as much reading time as I would otherwise. However, I do have two 7- or 8-hour bus rides in there, so that'll be some good reading time for sure! Brad and I have also been watching the first season of Game of Thrones, and it's interesting seeing the things they've changed from the book to the show. The show's definitely really good, though, and I'm enjoying both it and the books. Speaking of tv, I don't think many of you watch Once Upon a Time, but the mid-season finale last night was heartbreaking. It made me so sad, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself until it resumes in March. I do love that show.
I do not, however, love snow, especially when I have to shovel it. It snowed pretty much all day on Saturday, so yesterday morning I had to go out and shovel the driveway. Now I am sore all over and the roads are still kind of a mess, which does not make me happy. I'm really hoping that I'll have good weather for my drive down to Jersey on Sunday! Oh, that's another thing I need to do before I leave: stop by a gas station and squeegee my windows so I can actually see out of them again. :p Driving around in all the salt and slush and muck that's on the roads means that my pretty blue car is currently a gross shade of grey, and all of the windows have a ton of crap on them. It might help to improve my visibility before I embark on a 9 hour drive, just maybe. :p
And now I think I should go eat lunch/continue to read over our powerpoint slides for the presentation on Friday. The only plus to it is that we're presenting in the morning, which will mean that I get to go home after we finish. Yay!