Still Lazy......

OK, ok! :) I'm here....you are all so kind to comment on my blog, even when I've been absent for 6 months. I guess I have fallen victim to Facebook-itis, and I'm on there daily, playing games and connecting with people. But I should keep my friends on here updated too. :)

Not that there's much to update. Let's see...my last posting was in March? Well, I finished my classes for this degree in April, and now I'm onto the thesis part. I worked ever so hard to get my 45 page research proposal submitted early in May, but have waited forever for it to be reviewed through the summer, and though there were only minor changes needed, am only getting my approval meeting this coming Monday. Grr. So I did a lot less work this summer than I was hoping to, not by choice, but by instead having no choice, waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Very frustrating. I wish I had known at the beginning of the summer how slow it would end up being so then I wouldn't have had to be so stressed and annoyed about it for the last 4 months.

We went to Atlantic City again over Labour Day weekend, and that was fun. We got a deal for buy one night hotel, get 2 nights free, so we couldn't pass that up! This shopaholic shopped her way up and down New Jersey once again. Quelle surpise. :)

I wish I had something far more exciting to tell you all, but I guess life in the academic lane can get a little bit dull. I think I'll be applying for entrance into the Ph.D program in the next couple of months. Why not torture myself for another 4 years? (ha!) Really, besides all the waiting, I don't mind being an academic for now. I seem to be good at it anyway, and it's a whole new language and way of life you learn, like at a new job. I'd hate to learn all the language and rules for this sector and quit after 2 years.

Now I have to go and check all of your blogs to see what you've been up to! If any of you have Facebook, feel free to add me to your friends list on there too. So far Val, Gypsy and Molly have caught up with me there. :)

Lazy Blogger

Thanks for all your messages on my last post! Yes, I've been quite the lazy blogger since I got back to school for this semester. The work suddenly swamps us students into a dizzy, frantic bubble of readings and deadlines without room for much else. It's amazing how my days are gone before I know it! This semester, it seems like instead of having the regular rush of due dates at mid-term time, the profs have split everything up into many more small assignments, making us have something due almost every week. *groan* So, it's not that I don't miss you all, but I sometimes I'm prevented from doing my usual postings and visiting around your blogs. That, and the fact that I sit at a computer all day doesn't provide much interesting material to post. :-( I wouldn't want to bore my readers to death, hahaha.

We did go to Atlantic City again during my reading week, which was the third week of February (pictured above). I had a great time shopping my way up and down New Jersey, especially at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ, which has to be the best and biggest mall I've ever visited in my life. I drool just to think of living near there. Even though it wasn't warm enough to be beach weather, I had fun walking the boardwalk while David tried his hand at the slot machines (without much luck, I'm afraid!). There were some pretty strange characters to watch wandering around this time around, let me tell you!

It was nice to get away from the snow for a few days, which we have TONS of here right now. I don't think I can fit another snowflake on my property - the banks are worse than when I first posted that video back in December. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to springtime....but will surely be complaining about the heat once the summer comes. :-) Que sera, I guess!

Well, 'tis back to my critique assignment for now. I hope you are all doing well, and I will surely be around to comment on your postings when the reigns of academia loosen up a bit. :-) I miss you all too!

Visitor Kitty

Misty is a sweet kitty who is staying with us for 10 days while her parents are in sunny Florida (yes, I'm jealous). So far, Sam and Lulu have taken quite well to her, though Sam feels the need to assert his Alpha Cat status every now and then with a hiss. Misty is so quiet and docile - I can't believe she's been here 5 days already! I'm posting this mainly so her parents can see her, but everyone in blogland is welcomed to view.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to Blogland! I hope everyone had a happy, healthy holiday season. It's back to school for me next week. *sigh*

For those non-Canadians, this satirical piece is in response to a few years ago when Toronto was crippled by a snow storm and had to call in the Canadian army to get the city working again. Actually, I was living there at the time and got 4 days off work! Because of that incident, Toronto now is the butt of jokes from the rest of Canada regarding both being pretentious, and not being able to handle a typical Canadian snowfall. I've seen this video quite a few times, and it never gets old. *L*

Merry Christmas

I'll be blogging off for a week anyway for the holidays. I wish all my blogland friends the Merriest Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Now for the tag!

1) Best present ever as a child: I'm going to have to say anything Barbie.

2) Best present ever as an adult: I don't think I can pick just one - maybe gift cards because they're the gifts that keeps on giving and I get to have shopping included in my gift??

3) The one gift you've always hoped for and not yet received: Hmmm....I have no idea, as I've been given so much.

4) Your favourite part of Christmas dinner: Yule log cake afterwards for dessert.

5) Favourite Christmas movie: National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

6) Most lusciously shameful holiday indulgence: Chocolates, cookies, cakes, sweets, and all things bad for the hips!

Harping

Yes, I'm harping on it, but sadly, it's all that's going on in this area of the world!!

God, my voice always sound so bored on these videos. I don't mean it to! :-)

Digging my Way Out

Here are my holly plants now....vive la difference from the last posting. If this is the way it's going to be for the rest of the winter, I'm going to have to clean them off so they get at least some sunlight!

Yay, I'm finally finished the semester! I had one last essay that I polished up today, and off it goes tomorrow to the campus. I finished classes this week, and it's nice not to have to drive downtown in an evening snow storm, which I did a lot this week. I love putting all my class material away in the closet and not having to worry about it!

I'm trying to get in the Christmas spirit despite all this snow (I know, I know, you'd think it would ADD to the spirit...well, it doesn't) and I've decorated the front door with a real pine bough wreath. I do have a fake one, but thought a real one would be nice this year. Alas, my poor pumpkins are gone to garbage dump heaven, and are replaced with some festively sparkled sticks 'n things to perk up the place.

Today, I'm making fudge-dipped marshmallows, both the marshmallow and the fudge being homemade. So far the marshmallows turned out great and are done, gelatin setting in a dish. Talk about yummy to lick the beater attachments after making that! Next comes the fudge.....maybe later today.

This weekend is the company Christmas party. While it's the same thing each year, it's sadly the only party we get to go to, and so we'll go see how it is. At least I get to dress up and wear all things sparkly - that is half the fun of going!