Updates and Hyperbole

So brief update before I call it a night.


We had another art night on Friday night.  We were supposed to create as a community something that represented brokenness and/or healing (themes for Lent).  This is what my group created.

This is supposed to be the stormy seas of life with the light of the sun, moon, and stars breaking through.  I think it came out really well, and if they want to be done with it after Lent I'd like to take it.

This is another group's project.  They went celestial too.  These are going to hang where the other paintings are currently hanging on the exposed brick.  Those other paintings are what we did at the last art night (for Advent).  The ceilings are high -- the existing paintings are hanging in the middle of the wall.

It was a really fun night.  We had people from a church that meets in an art studio in Haverhill (pronounced 'hav-er-ill'...New England, come on!) come and participate and learn about what/why we were doing what we are, and it was nice to talk shop with them.

So other than that...I've been dragged into a lot of music stuff recently.  Which is great and also kind of weird since in many respects music feels like a different life to me.  But I'm excited for the most part.

And I may as well glue a book to my hand I have so much reading to do!  I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks I'll be able to figure out which reading is necessary and which is 'when I get to it' reading, or even better 'if I get to it' reading.  I have a feeling that most of it is necessary.  My life in higher education (as an educated, straight, white, middle class woman) is so tough!  I have absolutely no reason to whine, I just am feeling a little overwhelmed.

Time to make a to-do list.  At the top: making a to-do list.  So I can check it off.

My 8am class is cancelled, so I guess I'm up at this ungodly hour for no reason...

So...we get a little snow and classes are cancelled.  Isn't this New England?  Don't you people know what to do with snow?  Unless there's 12" on the ground downtown I don't see it.

Oh Snap, Cold Snap!

It is -2 outside right now.  It feels like -22.  That's right -22.  For all you facts and figures folks out there, that's 54 degrees below freezing.  I went out to take photos without a jacket because I'm stupid.  It really is pretty out.

Christmassy weather, two weeks too late.

It's so pretty!

It's supposed to be rainy and 40 on Friday, so it's not going to last too long.  Such weird weather.  But we're not having global climate change...no siree...

And to close out this frigid blogisode, here's my new favorite rap:

Hijinx and Rexyhincs

Hanging out with Mom at home today has been, as it usually is, full of ridiculousness and fun.  We crafted and made these snowflakes:

Made of hot glue and glitter -- two of my favorite things.  Directions here.

 
Then we played Scrabble.  The first round we played regular rules.  The second round we played regular rules until we got bored.  The third round we played with made-up words.  You got double word score if it was a regular word.  We got a little creative...we can't help it.

The words are: Rexyhincs, Luanoj, Atalim, Geerpatar, Zenpot, Goomea, Haycuf, Giasnetti, Gerndsch, Dentist, Gwofvs, Ziodi, Albewi, Yeetepe, Calmorke, Bavoolp, and Forquitird.

Tomorrow is errands and shopping for Christmas Eve dinner.  Hopefully I'll get my passport renewal sent tomorrow too -- I need to have it done ASAP...March is not that far off.

And I priced tickets from Boston to Reykjavik.  I can get a round trip ticket for $550 right now.  Seems silly not to go.

Freedom, Sweet Freedom!

I'm halfway done with my degree?!  What?  Huh?  When did that happen?

My plan was to finish my last final on Monday and then pack, but I was totally out of steam on Monday.  It might have been the fact that I finished two other finals on Sunday (thanks to the 6" of snow that cancelled church and the kids' thing I was supposed to do), or it could have just been a gigantic case of the not-giving-a-craps.  So instead of writing on Monday I slept in, watched TV, packed, and baked cookies.  (I did do a small amount of cleaning in anticipation of leaving for a month.)  It was great until about 12am on Tuesday morning when panic set in. 

I panicked until 1am when I decided to give in and go to bed.  I got up bright and early at 5am to do the dishes from the cookies I baked (stress baking has its drawbacks) and made the half mile trek to the train station at 5:30 in 11 degree weather. 

The thing I hate the most about flying is flying with a coat.  Where do I put it?  Does it count as a carry on?  Can it go in the overhead bin?  Do I stuff it under my seat?  Do I wear it and then attempt to removed it mid-flight, knocking the glass eye of my seatmate out in the process?  Who is responsible for the damages--me, the airline, or the coat manufacturer?  What if stuff falls out of the pockets?  There has to be a solution!  Yesterday there wasn't one.  It was 11 in Boston and 60 in Missouri.  Flying with my coat happened.

Anyway...  Because I didn't get my last final done on Monday I did half of it at Houston Hobby and the other half in my sister's living room while my nephew screamed and made engine sounds, and my sister and brother-in-law tried to figure out why their pre-owned piano has a 110v power cord coming out of it.  I postulate that it's like a tractor engine warmer, and that this particular piano was once owned by a pianist who enjoyed brisk, outdoor morning practice. My final paper may or may not have been relevant to the topics I was supposed to write about, but sometimes done is better than good.

Bottom line, my finals are done and I'm free!!!!!  I did my first ever Wordle, which is a much more interesting way to show you what I've been working on.  I took the 100+ pages of stuff I've written this semester and plugged them in and, voila!

Now I'm watching Home Alone (the first one) and having an adult beverage.  Because, darn it, I can!

And now for something not-so-completely different, my 5 favorite Christmas movies:
White Christmas
Elf
A Matter of Principle
An American Christmas Carol
Home Alone

And even though it isn't strictly Christmassy, I always want to watch the 1988 BBC version of The Chronicles of Narnia.  That and Anne of Green Gables reminds me of breaks spent with PBS/BBC.  PBS and I are kindred spirits.

And now to bed for a long winter's nap!  I hope I remembered to pack my kerchief...