This week someone left a random penguin coffee mug in my mailbox at school! The little guys are wearing red bow ties and have the cutest yellow flippers. It was a lovely surprise and just another reminder of why I'm going to miss SIM when I graduate in May.

It snowed beautiful Christmas card snow here this evening. Liam took this picture of our apartment building at about 10:30 pm. We're the three lighted windows right at the top. You can't zoom in enough on Blogger to tell, but Orla is sitting in the window sill on the left.

I handed in my evil cataloguing assignment, and I think my cold is starting to clear up a little. I'm going to have some Twix ice cream to celebrate. Life is good.

Main entry: Still sick.

Added entry: My cataloging assignment is evil.

I'm sick. Boo.

Talk about school stretching my brain! Last night I submitted a webpage for my E-Text class. That's right: I made a webpage. From scratch. Using codes and stuff. I feel so smart!

Here it is: http://myweb.dal.ca/rs918039/index.html

It's one week later and Liam can almost completely extend his arm again. The poor guy also came down with a cold the day after our trip to the hospital, so he hasn't had the greatest week.

Nothing else exciting is happening here (although lots of good excitement is happening to some very dear people!). I sit in front of my computer and do lots and lots of homework. And worry about getting a job. Thankfully, Liam is a fantastic cook, so at least I don't have to worry about eating well! Mmmm cheesy potatoes.

Well, that was an eventful weekend.

Friday night Dee, Liam, Stephen (a classmate), and I went to the Seahorse to see Old Man Leudecke (an awesome banjo player) and the Tom Fun Orchestra (a neat band from Sydney). The music was great, but unfortunately the bar was freezing. As in I-wore-my-hat-and-coat-and-scarf-and-still-couldn't-feel-my-fingers freezing. Also, several members of the crowd appeared to not believe in personal hygiene.

Last night Aine came over for dinner. She left for three weeks in Rome this morning, and Orla is staying with us while she's away. I'm more than delighted to have a kitty for a while, even if it means sticking all my plants in the bathroom and keeping the door shut. Unfortunately, Liam took a spill while running to catch the bus to pick up Aine and broke his right arm at the elbow. We ended up spending most of the evening at the hospital and now Liam is iced and Motrin-ed within an inch of his life.

Here's hoping things calm down for the rest of the week!

I've been somewhat lax in posting the last few weeks, and, unlike Lynda, I don't even have a good excuse. Here are some of the highlights of Jaunary thus far:

1. School started again -- my last semester at SIM. Although I'm excited to be an actual professional, I'm sad that this part of my life will be over in a few months. Job hunting is pretty unpleasant as well.

2. Lynda came to Halifax last weekend. We went shopping and I bought the most gorgeous pair of pants ever. Even I can tell they make my behind look incredible! And they're professional wear too, so the purchase was completely justifiable. We also baked The Birthday Cake for Dee. Thai food was consumed. Saturday night Dee, Aine, Lynda, and I went to the Neptune to see White Christmas and it was wonderful. There was lots and lots of tap dancing, and it snowed in the theatre!

3. My brother and his girlfriend were here for a night.

4. Liam creamed me at a game of Scrabble with "czar" on a triple-word square. That's 45 points! Don't play Scrabble with someone who likes to spend his spare time reading the OED.

5. Dee and I went to see Atonement. Even though it was depressing and waaay more graphic than I was expecting, I thought it was a good movie.

6. Tonight Liam and I team-cooked a roast beef dinner and had some people over for supper. Liam was responsible for the meat and gravy, while I made the Yorkshire puddings. Not only was it very tasty, it was Vinny's first ever roast beef dinner. Who gets to be twenty-five without having had a roast beef dinner?! His excuse was that his family is Italian. I'm not sure if that's a good excuse or not; after all, we're talking about the same guy who's never been sledding either.

That's all for now!

I made a snowman this afternoon. The presents are under the tree. We're getting ready to make chocolate truffles. In five hours we'll pick up my youngest brother from work and drive around Charlottetown to look at Christmas lights. According to NORAD, Santa Claus is in Berlin. This is my favourite night of the year.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thankfully, the awkwardness has been resolved. Sometimes it's best to take the beast . . . er, frog . . . by the horns.

Ohhh, this is awkward . . .

I have definitely come to the part of the semester when my brain ceases to produce meaningful thoughts and I can unravel at a moment's notice. I was doing well until this afternoon - I actually turned in two projects early - but today I hit the wall. I could feel my shoulders getting tense all morning, and when I hit a major bump just before dinner I had a total meltdown, complete with pulling my hair (which I do when I'm upset) and using half a box of Kleenex (which did not help the sinus infection at all).

It's not even like the situation is that awful. After all, I did win six dozen cookies yesterday and I don't have any incurable diseases. My assignments will get done and I'll be at home in less than a week now. I guess sometimes the stress just has to come out, and today happened to be the day.

It's time for another end-of-the-semester tradition: Roseanne's mysytery illnesses.

In fourth year it was the incredible sickness that had all the symptoms of mono, but wasn't actually mono. Last spring it was the swollen cheeks and sore throat that seemed like the mumps, but turned out to be a bacterial infection.

When Liam got sick this fall I was sure I would be next, but nothing happened. I thought I was in the clear, but alas, it wasn't to be. After a trip to the clinic this afternoon on the advice of my mother, I have discovered that I am the proud owner of not one, but two separate infections!

I have just returned from Shoppers with several prescriptions and a large bottle of cranberry juice. At least this is a sign that it will soon be time to go home.

So it's going to storm tonight . . . Usually I really enjoy fall storms. I like being inside while the rain blows against the windows. It makes everything feel extra cozy. However, the reason my new apartment is so gorgeous is because during Hurricane Juan the roof blew off the building (ie. our apartment) and everything had to be re-done. I know that Noel is not supposed to pack nearly the punch that Juan did, but for the record I really like having a roof. Over my head. Keeping me, Liam, and our stuff dry. And I'd like it to be there tomorrow as well. Just saying.

The house next door has a child-sized scarecrow on its front porch, dressed in what appears to be a green velvet jumpsuit with lace trim around the sleeves, pant legs, and collar. This would be disturbing enough on its own, but the scarecrow doesn't have a head. Every time I walk past in the dark I think there's a headless baby standing on my neighbour's steps. It's creeping me out.

It's a bit late, but here are the highlights of my Thanksgiving weekend:

1. Introducing Dee to the ferry.


2. Apple picking!


3. A visit to the Roma settlement near Montague.


4. Thanksgiving dinner with my family


5. A Trivial Pursuit showdown. Alas, there are no pictures, but Liam handily crushed Lynda, Dee, and me.

6. Meeting my cousin's one-month old baby. I'm in love.

Earlier this week I discovered the giant shelf of musicals at Video Difference, the movie rental place just a block away that's operated by the same people as That's Entertainment and open 24 hours. I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that I thought I'd died and gone to DVD heaven. It's probably the biggest collection of musicals I've ever seen in one place - and most of them I've never watched before!

For our first selection, Dee and I settled on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Shall We Dance and we weren't disappointed! At one point, Fred and Ginger tapdance on rollerskates to the song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." On rollerskates, people! And I can't even walk in high heels! The music and lyrics were by the Gershwins (including the classic "They Can't Take That Away From Me") so it was pretty high quality, but it's the dancing that gets me every time.

Video Difference, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Happiest of birthdays to my Mel, who is awesome and turns 23 today!

I am happy to report that today I got my second MMR vaccine. No mumps for me! Yay for immune systems!

As many of you know, the neighbours I had last year liked to relax by smoking massive amounts of marijauna. In fact, they smoked so much that sometimes I would step off the elevator to find clouds of pot smoke billowing through the hallway. Unfortunately, these clouds would also billow under my door, making my apartment reek at all hours of the night and day.

Well, there's something in the air of my new apartment too - but it's much pleasanter than pot smoke. The Ben's Bread Bakery is at the end of the block, and the scent of freshly baking bread wafts down the street several times each day. I've discovered that if you walk past at about 10:00 pm you can even watch the loaves of bread as they truck along their little assembly line.

Just another reason why I love living in my new apartment.