Anxiously Waiting in My Pajama Pants

I think I'm actually a ten-year-old trapped inside an almost-twenty-four-year-old's body.

Example of the day: Snow Days!!!

I get ridiculously excited. Even when I can't think of anything to do, can't leave the house, and just end up being bored.

But it's a snow day!

The story begins with me. In pajama pants (you can never have too many pairs). Wondering...hoping...glancing out the window.

Actually, yesterday was odd because I don't work until 1pm on Mondays. That's right, I've got the evening shift. So yesterday I went to the gym first, came home and showered, and put my pajama pants back on.

I got ready for work. Slowly. Leaving my pajama pants on.

I ate breakfast. I made and packed a dinner. I did some cleaning. I whipped up a batch of delicious muffins.

I lingered in my pajama pants, loath to put on makeup, just in case...

And then the call came from the library! It was closing early, due to a skating-rink-like parking lot, freezing rain, and slippery roads.

"Wooo-hoooo!" I celebrated alone in my house, causing my dog to perk up his ears and stare at me, the crazy girl with no makeup on and still in her pajama pants.

And today? Two hour delay, baby. The snow day's cousin. Guess I'll be lounging around a little longer.

Soon to come...some new recipes I've been enjoying, with links to blogs and websites. Including the delicious muffins referenced above!

Source

I Am Smarter Than You, Spellcheck

I am smarter than you, Spellcheck.
I'm a human; this is true.
I've been around and read a lot more literature than you.

I am smarter than you, Spellcheck.
Please don't underline in red.
I think I know how my own name should be spelled out instead.

I am smarter than you, Spellcheck.
When you use that bright green line,
You're just proving that your IQ is far underneath of mine.

A machine, you'll never understand,
You won't write on your own.
Don't be hatin' on my crazy skillz; don't tell me I'm alone.

That's a word; that's a name; that's a brand new hipster term.
I am smarter than you, Spellcheck.
I write this simply to affirm.

BOOM.

Aaaand, this is what I do when I'm supposed to be writing a paper..

Source

Oh, Good, It's Dark Already

WELL, we have gotten some lovely snow. I am so pleased that, after such a disappointing previous winter, we got some serious snowstorms and big, fluffy flakes. Especially since most of it was right around Christmas!

And now, it can all go away. Seriously, time for spring.

January, February, March....these months are dismal. No Christmas to look forward to, only long, miserable days of coldness.

The library's pretty quiet, too. I mean, attendance dropped before the holidays. It always does. But it's taking a while for people to get back in. All my programs are low on people and the pages (high schoolers who work in the evenings) don't have much to shelve.

Quiet days at the library are so depressing! With my recent viewing of Les Miserables (okay, and all the subsequent continuous listening of the music), all I can think of as I wander aimlessly through the library is "empty chairs at empty tables."

"My, friends, my friends!" Why have you all left the library?

Not a fair comparison. But I won't deny I haven't thought about it.

Cabin fever, that's what we all have around here. Outside, people are just rushing to get inside. Inside, there's nothing to do either. Bring me some sunshine, quick!

A New Year's Revelation

Another year gone. Yipes. I know it's cliche, but it's true: the older you get the more time flies.

When I was little, days and weeks and months stretched out like I had all the time in the world! I wanted time to pass faster. I wanted to be older. So I could do more things. I wanted to be sixteen, because thanks to Sound of Music I believed it would be the most romantic year of my life. (It wasn't. It was just awkward.)

But now? Zoom! Goodbye, 2012! Hello, 2013!

I have the usual New Year's resolutions. I'm planning on doing some in-depth Bible study with the help of commentaries. I want to make better eating choices. Keep up with the gym, especially strength training. Do well in my classwork.

But there is one last resolution that I've got to be HARD-CORE about:

No more self-diagnosing myself online.

I wouldn't necessarily call myself a hypochondriac, but thanks to the help of Dr. Internet, I've experienced those moments of panic.

I need to do myself a favor and stop googling alleged issues. All I get to see is someone with similar symptoms ask a question on Yahoo Answers and receive feedback from any old crazy with a computer. Someone who can't even spell cancer correctly probably isn't qualified to provide any real answers. Just sayin'.

The internet is helpful for many things, but sometimes the overabundance of information can hurt you rather than help you. I'm sure our doctors would rather we skip the online diagnosing and obsessing and instead go straight to them. Of course, if you're just looking for some general information to point you in the right direction, just use common sense and only check out the reputable sites. (This is an excerpt from the pep talk I gave myself last week....)

Oh, and here's another tip. Stay away from Google Images if you're typing any body or medical-related terms.

You can thank me later.

Fairy Tales, Fevers, and Hobbits

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope yours was as lovely as mine.



The weekend started out rough, with me leaving work early on Friday and languishing on the couch with a fever. I couldn't go caroling on Saturday or to church Sunday, but happily I was able to be at the Christmas Eve service on Monday (inconspicuously coughing into my elbow).

The lazy weekend of rest did provide an unexpected blessing: the chance to tear through the entire first season of Once Upon a Time! I absolutely loved it. A lot does remind me of Lost, which I was a HUGE fan of, and the fairy tale element is delicious. I highly recommend it!

My Christmas "break" has been busy. I'm thankful to have a rest from school, but there have been so many parties and get-togethers and shindigs that it feels like one continuous chain of Christmas cookies! I have loved spending time with family and friends, and I still have over a week left before classes resume. I'm going to take advantage of every minute!

My brother and sister and I went to the midnight premier of The Hobbit, and it was awesome. I really felt the late hour, though. I must be getting old. The beginning dragged a bit for me, but I got into it more as I caught a second wind and everybody left Hobbiton for an adventure. (Seriously, three hours long? I'm not sure if it needed to be.) It was fantastic getting back into Middle-earth and seeing beloved characters like Gollum again! The effects were fantastic, and I loved learning more about the dwarf world. Thorin reminds me a lot of Aragorn. Martin Freeman was outstanding as Bilbo, also. His facial expressions and comedic timing crack me right up. It was nice to just watch the movie without really remembering what happens in the book; it's been a few years since I've read it.

My family has tried to watch some of our favorite Christmas movies (White Christmas, The Santa Clause, Scrooge, etc.) but someone has managed to fall asleep at every viewing. Okay, mostly me. I blame the predictability of movies we watch once a year. I cuddle up in my blanket, mentally quote lines along with the characters, and drift right off. Woof.

So that's what's up with me!

Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King,
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise; Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark, the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"

Ah, Christmas. The one time of year when theological truth is suddenly blasted from mall speakers and car radios. Thank God for His gift of salvation; Jesus is the only hope for our world. What a joyful time of year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lies I Tell Myself

Here are the top 3.

1. I can lie down on the couch under a blanket and watch a movie without falling asleep.

2. I can just eat one cookie. Then I will have no problem stopping.

3. I don't need to write that down; I will remember it.

Obviously, I lie to myself all year round. But of course this is Christmastime, so I'll make it seasonally applicable!

1. Is there anything quite like reclining on the couch under your favorite blanket, the only light coming from the tv and tree lights? No, I say. For some reason, I always think I can watch a movie curled up in what is essentially my favorite sleeping position. And maybe I'll just rest my eyes a moment during this slower scene. No problem. Plus, Christmas movies are just so relaxing. And comforting. And usually have at least one quiet, peaceful, snowy scene with Silent Night playing gently in the background...

2. Oh, sure. Of course it's true. If you have a craving, just eat one! Then go on your merry way, mouth filled with lingering sweetness, stomach asking for more, fingers already absentmindedly stretching towards the Santa plate. Fine, cookies. You win. I just need to make sure you all taste as good as the first one.

3. Yep, back in September she said she'd love a new toaster. But come December, do you think I remember? Oh, I might have a vague memory of him wishing aloud he had a pair of warmer gloves. But guess what? I had such confidence in my good memory that I never wrote it down. Oh, I'll rememb...what?

'Tis the season! Heh heh.

End of Semester Rejoicing

Oh, I miss you, Blog! I miss you, readers!

I miss lazy evenings of leisurely activities and reading for fun!

Happily, I get a couple weeks off until my next two classes begin the second week of January. I'm hoping to get ahead on blog post writing so I will be able to post more consistently in the new year.

My classes this semester really flew by; I kept feeling like I had just started! I learned a lot, however and am happy I made the decision to start.

Even the information technologies class wasn't too bad. Although I did have hours of work each night that would have me tearing my hair out. But what a feeling of satisfaction when I finally figured something out! Finally finishing a difficult assignment would have me heartily congratulating myself aloud. This would also make up for all the yelling I had done at myself previously. Well, yelling at myself and my computer.

A n y w a y... I thought I should share some books I read this semester with you all. I did a LOT of reading, not only books but ebooks and journal articles galore. I will definitely miss all the online resources I have access to now when I graduate. It's amazing to attend a school that has so much money to put into their library.

I read books on copyright, on Google, on computers, on digitization...these below are the two I most enjoyed and am most likely to read again.

The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick: Whew, talk about information overload! This is a history of information, including the written word, computers, and everything in between. I love history, so this was fascinating.

Too Big to Know: Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren't the Facts, Experts Are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room is the Room by David Weinberger: Cool book! All about how information has changed since the internet. Gave me lots of food for thought and new ways to think about online information.

Done with school! ...until January 7th.