I've had it.

I used to love my MSN space, recently it's been difficult to log on, and they've made some terrible template changes. I figure it's time to start a blog on a real site... stay tuned.

One down...

I just finished my first class of the new semester, child and adolescent development. Looks interesting. We have five tests and three research projects for the course. Bah. At 11:00 I'll go back to anatomy and physiology for the second semester. It's in a different lecture hall, so I'm hoping that might be enough to chase away the bad feelings from the fall. Last semester I ended up with a B and some mild emotional damage. It's okay though. What doesn't kill makes you stronger, right?

I like the first week back at school. Too early to feel overwhelmed, too far away from the semester's impending deadlines to feel pressured, and I'm not behind in the reading for any of my classes.

It's the other fourteen weeks that I worry about.

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr day with a tree?

Classes start on the 23rd, and I'm taking full advantage of the free time by being an absolute bum. In fact, there's still a dead fir tree in my living room, adorned with lights and the usual holiday decorations. Perhaps I'll move it today... but if not, we could just use it to celebrate the next holiday on the calendar.

Oh, my darlin'

I adore clementines. They have a pretty short season, so you have to take advantage of them while you can. In the two weeks before Christmas, I ate my way through two five pound boxes. Alone. After I got back from vacation I was sad to see them gone from the shelves of my favorite Safeway. But tonight, Luis went to Costco, and they still had some! He got me another five pounds.
Yum.

Excellent haul.

I don't consider the holidays to be all about gifts, but I got some great stuff this year. Allow me to revert back to the age of eleven for a moment and talk about my Christmas conquest...

Luis got me an iPod Nano. Awesome. I also got, from various people, $80 in iTunes gift certificates. That is the perfect gift. iTunes is a playground. I got a soft sweater and several framed photos, and Ricky got me the live CD/DVD from Green Day. My mom also got me a couple of books that I asked for: The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, and a Dictionary of Word Origins. The O'Brien book has been on my favorites list since last year when I read the just first chapter for a class, and I'd been meaning to buy it ever since. It's an incredible book. The word origins dictionary is so neat (translation: I'm a huge nerd). It identifies from what language different English words developed, and when.

Example: river [13th century] Etymologically, the term river denotes the 'banks' of a river, rather than the water that flows between them. Its distant ancestor is Latin rīpa 'bank.' From this was derived the adjective rīpārius (source of English riparian 'of a river-bank'), whose feminine form came to be used in Vulgar Latin as a noun rīpāria, denoting 'land by the water's edge.' From it evolved Italian riviera bank' and Old French riviere. This originally meant 'river bank' but subsequently developed to 'river,' the sense in which English adopted the word. A heavily disguised English relative is arrive, which etymologically denotes 'come to the shore.'

So interesting... anyhow, I got lots of other great gifts too, but rather than bore you with the details I'll just say thanks. :) Of course, the best gift at Christmas is getting to spend time with my friends and family back home.

all that glitters...

In Girl Scouts we used to sing a song that went:
"Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver,
and the other, gold."
So true. There is no friend like an old friend.
Coming back to my hometown is always a roller coaster of memories and emotions. Some friendships fit like a glove; no matter how long it's been it's always comfortable, like no time has passed. (I'm fortunate to have some of these.) Others are no more than a shell - all you have is what you used to have. And a few have entered a new territory - so many changes or so much time has passed that it's become like trying to pound a square peg into a round hole - it simply doesn't fit. Some remind you of things long forgotten, and some remind you of things you'd rather forget.
Poignant. Lovely. Bittersweet. Fulfilling.
Exhausting.