It's not Christmas Eve without tornado warnings.
Good news: GRADES HAVE BEEN CHECKED! (Actually, I checked them three weeks ago, but let's not rain on the parade.) An A in literature; B+ in public speaking; B in bio; B in bio lab; B in math, and B in Grecco-Roman history. I officially have my A.A., am enrolled at the university, and LET ME SAY THIS: the Fall semester had so many oh-god-I-failed close-calls that this final outcome was more than I could've dreamed.
And now, some random news (that's more for my benefit that anyone else's):
Monday night (12/14/09), our family embarked on a project the likes of which Home Improvement has never seen. Dad bought a hood for the oven to replace the old one (which was so dirty that it couldn't be cleaned; I tried every liquid cleaner and sponge Wal-Mart offered). Unfortunately, our house is old; you can't just unscrew a hood and put in another like the manual might suggest. Dad ended up lying across the stove top, on his back, while mom and I held up the hood and my brother attempted to get the screws into the cabinet. Except the... whatever the thing that funnels the heat up... kept slipping around, so I had to hold it in place. We almost got it the second time! But then the screws fell behind the oven, so dad had to go find better ones while my brother and I kept the hood aligned with the Funnel That Shall Not Be Named. After the third try, the hood was finally installed. We took a step back, looked at its clean finish and bright lights, and then my brother gave it the bird.
Tuesday (12/22/09), my brother and I volunteered at a local theater. It was to help set up for a reunion concert that our old band was performing (and that I wasn't asked to join, which didn't hurt or anything; I comfort myself by thinking, "You'd never have the time!"). Our jobs were to add, subtract, or rearrange chairs on-stage while the spotlight was on the narrator. (In other words, we had to do this in the dark inside a one-minute window.) Scott, another volunteer, took notes about any changes to the script-except, before the performance, we all went to our respective homes and took a nap. When we got back to the theater that night, none of our notes made sense. Did the trio need these chairs? Did this soloist need one stand or two?
Thursday (12/24/09): Christmas Eve, complete with tornado warnings. My brother spent the entire day rewiring Dad's shed, and mom was so paranoid about electricity that she made him turn off the main breaker. Mom and I sat in the dark all day (I even wrapped presents in the dark!), and because it was so overcast, there was almost no natural light to see by. The good news is dad has new switches in the shed, and a new light fixture as well.
Seriously, guys, it was kinda dark.
Friday (12/25/09): CHRISTMAS!!! Actually, it was a really chill ordeal. We had a small meal (ham, dressing, greenbean casserole, baked sweet potatoes, and jellied cranberry sauce). Also, we visited NO ONE. That's right: my family stayed home, in their PJs, and didn't visit any grandparents or uncles or anybody. As far as presents go, we gave dad a flashlight (that does all this neat stuff, and can hang in unwieldy spaces), and I gave my brother two books: The Little Book of Warfare and The World Without Us. He's super-smart and a good reader, so I figured I'd encourage his literary pursuits.
He and dad spent the rest of the weekend installing an exhaust fan in the bathroom. I won't even describe the event to you, except to say this: never. Again. Plus, the clothes dryer gave out just as they were finishing the fan, so they investigated the cause. (Turns out it overheated due to lint, which was totally our fault, and we've ordered the fuse to repair it.) The vacuum gave out, too. The bro fixed it. Having him around has its drawbacks (like never having milk, soda, cookies, etc.) in the kitchen, but hey, the man can fix nearly anything. I'm willing to pay the price!
Lastly, a rooster keeps visiting us. We don't know where he came from, or why he's hanging around these parts, but we keeps cock-a-doodle-dooing all day.
You can't make this stuff up.
And now, some random news (that's more for my benefit that anyone else's):
Seriously, guys, it was kinda dark.
He and dad spent the rest of the weekend installing an exhaust fan in the bathroom. I won't even describe the event to you, except to say this: never. Again. Plus, the clothes dryer gave out just as they were finishing the fan, so they investigated the cause. (Turns out it overheated due to lint, which was totally our fault, and we've ordered the fuse to repair it.) The vacuum gave out, too. The bro fixed it. Having him around has its drawbacks (like never having milk, soda, cookies, etc.) in the kitchen, but hey, the man can fix nearly anything. I'm willing to pay the price!
Lastly, a rooster keeps visiting us. We don't know where he came from, or why he's hanging around these parts, but we keeps cock-a-doodle-dooing all day.
You can't make this stuff up.