Wow it's been Ages

Yes, it's been Ages and ages since I've posted. I think I had given up for a while... Life gets so incredibly busy. School is almost finished. Last Class started December 1. Hard to believe it is almost over.
I decorated for Christmas today. I love the way the house looks with just the glow of the tree. As usual, I have two this year. The small pink one in the kitchen on the table and the silver one in the living room. They are both my ode to Charlie Brown.
Almost so much to say that as I sit here, I'm not even sure where to begin!
More later, I'm sure.

WOOO HOOOO!!!!

This is so cool!!!!
I just got my grades from school. Remember one of my resolutions was to raise my GPA? Well, baby, I did it!!! I got an A in my International Law class, and it brought my GPA up to a 3.5!!!! Yippee!!! I'm so freakin' psyched! Seriously, I rocked it hardcore this semester. I owe so much to the guys who inspired me and pushed me in the classroom. And to a truly amazing professor who saw potential in me and encouraged me to do more and work harder. And of course, to me as well. While they were the inspiration, I'm the one who put in all the hard work! Ya-freaking-hoo! A 3.5!!!! Now comes the really hard part, continuing to improve it so that I can possibly get that elusive 4.0 to get the cum laude on the diploma...

Vacation Day 8

Today was fun. Preschool Queen and I had lunch and went shopping like we usually do on Sundays. It was fun. The waiter who flirts with me was at Applebee's and so that's always an ego boost. Got some beautiful new clothes (again) at Express. Love that store! Of course, now it's time to be quiet with the money...
Just got off Skype with Lead Momma and PQ! So proud of her for trying the IM thing! Way to go PQ! Homer says that this is going to be the beginning of her downward spiral...(lol) Anyway, I was skyping with the two of them, eating dinner, watching HP and emailing a friend from class. Phew! Talk about multitasking! Of course now, I'll never get anything done with the two of them online, too...
So, tomorrow is pretty much it for my vacation. Last day. I have just a few things to do, but otherwise it'll just be a quiet day around the house. Laundry and that's about it. Oh, homework of course... such fun that is!

Vacation Day 7

Ahhh... back to the routine of homework. *sigh. I've been reading for the last few hours. At least with this stuff it seems to be an easier read than last semester's work. Maybe more intuitive? I'm not sure, but the articles have been pretty easy to get through. One can only hope that this pattern will continue!

So, good news, the friend I was worried about skyped me last night. I was right, things aren't great, but I think just talking may have helped a bit. I hope so, at least. We didn't laugh quite as much as we usually do, but hopefully the conversation took his mind off things for a little while.

Today has been nice. Other than doing homework, I talked with Mom... which I haven't done in a while. She was telling me about the projects that they have planned for around the house once spring is finally here. Sounds like they'll be busy! And I did some more baking. Banana nut muffins that are so tender they just melt in your mouth. I'm rather proud of these to be honest! It's a new recipe that I altered a bit, but what great results! Certainly one I'll use again and again... I'm thinking that maybe dates and walnuts would be a neat mix, too. Maybe adding oats to the recipe too. (I'm envisioning something that's similar to these date nut bars that my Mom used to make at Christmas time when I was little, but in a muffin form) And I made my Mexican lasagna... it's a bad name for it, because it's only Mexican in the sense that it has salsa and tortillas in it, but I don't know what else to call it. I use flour tortillas instead of noodles and salsa instead of marinara sauce. And then layer them both with ground turkey and refried beans and shredded cheddar. It's one of my favorites. In fact, it's one of the few meals that I'll eat the leftovers of. Another quirky thing about me, there are very few meals that I actually want to eat again after making it. (this can be quite frustrating for me since I live alone and cooking for one is not something I've mastered.) I think this is probably why I tend to eat a lot of grilled cheeses and cereal!

Oh and the brownies last night came out wonderfully. Dark chocolate with chips and walnuts... I made them in the muffin pan so that each one was individual and then frosted them with chocolate buttercream... Yummy! All from scratch, of course. I was inspired I guess! Anyway, they came out great. Certainly something I'll have to make again soon!

Vacation Day 6

Another quiet day at home. Cleaned some more... did some homework for class... chatted with my professor. I think I'm starting to solidify a topic for my research paper. More interesting stuff. Oh and I took a nap. Truly a simple pleasure that I just love. I think that the US should seriously consider the whole siesta thing... there's potential there.

It's going to snow again here. I'm really getting done with this... Why can't it be spring-like? I mean it's almost March 1st! Bring on the spring. But no... this morning... it was 16 degrees below zero when I woke up. Come on now! Hello, Mother Nature? I'd like to register a complaint!

I have a friend that I'm a bit worried about. We usually talk almost daily and unfortunately because of circumstances, we haven't chatted in days. I'm a little concerned about him. His last email was unusually cranky. Now provided it was a response to a pdf that another friend sent us both, and I think touched a little too close to home for him, but I've never heard him react that way. And I know he doesn't read this, but I'm thinking about him and hoping he's ok...

Vacation day 5

Vacation Day 5:
So, today, I dug my car out of the snow and picked up Preschool Queen and Captain Contrary. He had an Odyssey of the Mind meeting in town, so PQ and I dropped him off and ran some errands before picking him up. Now a random fact about myself that most people don't know... I love office supplies. I used to joke that was why I became a teacher. You know, notebooks, pens, highlighters, clips... Love that stuff. Especially when you can find cool ones. Staples has absolutely awesome new clips and highlighters. I'm pretty psyched... see the simple things in life sometimes make me really happy. So, we picked Captain Contrary back up and we went out to lunch and then were on our way home. He's such a cool kid. We were sitting in the parking lot at Kmart, and he and I were goofing off and somehow we got on this conversation:
TG: I know you love me even if you don't say it regularly
CC: I know you do. Mommy says that I should say it to you more, though.
TG: It is nice to hear because you are the coolest kid
CC: I love you lots Auntie TG...
And there it is. That kid just warms my heart. What a rockin' little guy. (although he told me that he takes issue with me calling him little. He now stands up to the bridge of my nose. Now provided, I'm 5 foot nuthin' but he's EIGHT)

So I got home and had every intention of doing some homework. The boys were both in the virtual classroom so we started emailing each other back and forth. They were hilarious to say the least. One of the things that we have to do is post a biography so that we can get to know each other. One person posted some information that "you have to know." And to be honest, nope, I didn't have to know it. So we were discussing that, and at the same time, I was on the phone with Lead Momma. (I can multitask, you should be impressed)... Anyway, she and I started talking about things that she thought I should post under the description: YOU HAVE TO KNOW THIS... anyway the list is HILARIOUS. I must share it here... (warning... if you are easily offended, don't read this)
You have to know that I am into a former porn star and believe that reaching out to the men in the trenches is a special gift I need to share with the world.
.....
You have to know that in a former life I was the Queen of England, so I already have a lot of diplomatic experience.
.....
You have to know that at Condom Depot.com they are having their Spring Lube Blow Out Sale
.....
You have to know that when sheep buck is just makes it more fun.
.....
You have to know that Belarusian state television on Sunday showed "a dirty homosexual orgy" during prime time. The country accuses a Latvian diplomat of starring in the video and distributing pornography. No way say the Latvians.
.....
You have to know that if you're in MISSISSIPPI: Don't experiment with S&M or you'll run afoul of a law which forbids "the depiction or description of flagellation or torture by or upon a person who is nude or in undergarments or in a bizarre or revealing costume for the purpose of sexual gratification."
.....
You have to know that the LoveSwing is on sale for 40% off at HealthyActive.com and it can hold over 400lbs....man that's some lovin'.

It made me snort I thought this list was so very funny!
Anyway, that's all for today! I continue to be really bummed that one of the boys is having issues with his internet connection and we haven't chatted lately...

Vacation Day 4

WAAA-HOO!

I was on Skype last night with a friend from class, and he and I were complaining about the fact that we're not in the same class for Seminar 3. He was talking with our professor from Seminar 2 at the same time. She said if I was that unhappy, I should contact the school. I did that today, and have been moved into her class. The boys and I are back together! I'm so stoked about that! And to top it all off, I have an amazing professor again! I'm so very lucky...

So there's my happy news. Otherwise today was a totally chill day. I did some cleaning and watched a few movies and took a nap... I know, exciting, no? But seriously, this is precisely what I wanted this week. It was a snowy day and there was no reason for me to leave the house, so I didn't. Love snowy days when ya don't have to go anywhere.

Tomorrow is a different story. I'm going to hang out with PQ and Captain Contrary again. We're headed into town--CC has a play date and PQ and I are going to go shopping for a bit. I'm on the lookout for a black jacket (suit jacket, not outerwear). Hopefully I'll be successful!

Vacation day 3

Vacation Day 3:
After waking up with a horrid hangover, my day got progressively better.
PQ and I hung out in town, and then I came home to get my grade from my final paper. I did really well. I'm pretty psyched to be honest! If I did all the math correctly, I got an A in this seminar! Exactly what I was hoping for! My professor was truly fantastic. She pushed me pretty hard, but it was good. She's a cool lady. I have a ton of respect for her. This new seminar makes me pretty nervous. I've been told that it's less reading, but the syllabus doesn't seem to indicate that. He called me tonight, and we chatted briefly. He seemed too busy to chat, which I found a bit annoying. I mean the point of this first conversation is to address any issues. I had a few and it didn't feel like he had the time to answer them. From everything he's said, he's a total hard-ass about writing. I just hope it doesn't go too badly. The format for the work is slightly different, too... there's more of it! GAH!!
I'm sitting now just watching MI-5. I love, love, love this show!
I'm sure I should be doing the reading for next week already, but I just really want to relax here for a day or so. Tomorrow is just going to be a day to chill out. I want to clean around here, and then just read and be creative. That's my idea of a perfect day right now.
It's snowing outside, pretty hard. I guess we're supposed to get over a foot before tomorrow afternoon. I'm so ready for spring. This is getting old at this point.

Still Relaxin'

Vacation Day 2:
So, being on 'vacation' I foolishly thought that meant I wouldn't have to deal with 'work'. Right. I got a few emails this morning about things that I simply had to deal with. So, I spent a while this afternoon working on it. Made me miss the days where I could just go on vacation and not have to worry. Oh well. I still love my job, so it's all good.
Today I hung out with Preschool Queen this morning. We had fun, Captain Contrary and I played together, they are on vacation this week too. In fact, PQ and I are going out in a few hours for a few drinks. Should be fun, we haven't gone out in ages it seems and a martini or two is just what the Dr. ordered.
And this morning, hold on to your hats, I actually did some scrapbooking. I know! It's been ages and ages... but I was in the mood and made a little mini album for PQ from when we went to the Police concert. The photos brought back so many memories. It was much fun to do, and she loved it, which made it even better. And I also put together something else (since Lead Momma reads this, I won't say any more here...) the release of creative energy was awesome! Love it, love it, love it!
And I'm thinking about doing some baking this week, too. I guess the weather is supposed to be pretty crappy in the next two days, so I'll probably relax around the house tomorrow afternoon. My goal this week is to make a different meal each day this week, and freeze everything that I don't eat, so that I have ready made meals in the freezer for later. I have to say, being so busy with work and school makes me just exhausted for sure and leaves very little time for cooking. I can't tell you how tired of grilled cheese and cereal I am!

Fun Day

Today was a rockingly fun day. I handed in my final paper for my law class yesterday afternoon, and I have an entire week before the next class starts. I'm also on vacation from work. How cool is that? Time to relax! Yippee!
Anyway, today was great. PQ and I went out to lunch. I've been so busy lately that I haven't spent much time with her, and I've really been missing her. Anyway... we had lunch and then did some shopping. I got some really hot new clothes for work. Business attire but with an attitude. I get to show a bit of my personality. And damn if I don't look great in them!
I got an email from my professor for my next class. And I'm kinda bummed. My two compadres from the last two seminars don't appear to be in this class with me. So I wrote to my academic liaison to ask him why. That's gonna suck. We've spent so much time getting to know each other and how we learn and we trust each other. The more comfortable I am, the more I'm willing to say. Anyway, the professor said that while there won't be as much reading in this class, the writing will be more demanding. I guess the format of the discussion is going to be different and he's going to be much more demanding with the writing. Great. Just what I want. *sigh. I'm really not looking forward to this.

Friday Fill-in a little late

Lead Momma pointed me to these... fun times!

1. Coming Home is the best thing about traveling.
2. I love a good hot shower when I'm cold.
3. I often use the word wicked.
4. I'm reading A Long Way Gone right now; I like it.
5. My weaknesses are something I dislike talking about.
6. When I visited NC I most looked forward to hangin' with Lead Momma.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to work, tomorrow my plans include hangin' with PQ!

Class is a bit Frustrating

So, here are a few things I'm frustrated about in my class. The lack of participation. I mean really, it's just not fair that during these weeks of group work that two of us have to do everything (instead of having help from the other three.) My group sucks. It may as well just be the two of us. And then... these are supposed to be fun. Yes, they are a learning experience, but it should be fun at the same time. No one is letting loose and having fun with this. Come on... I mean my friend, who is one of the judges this time around, wrote a post critical of the prosecution. And while that didn't thrill me, it was his opinion. And the lead judge had the professor remove it to maintain impartiality. WTF? Isn't he allowed to have an opinion? Grrr... oh and this was after the lead judge left a comment from another member of their group that said, and I quote: "the civilians killed, were they harmed?" (yep, re-read that one more time... I'll wait.) To that I desperately want to answer, "nope, other than that pesky death thing, they are just fine." Good Heavens! Anyway, final briefs are due at midnight... hopefully things will go well for us!

Just an Ordinary Week

This was one of those comedy of errors days. I woke up kinda early, but that's okay, I actually got a lot more sleep than I have lately, so I was feeling pretty good. Then I went to get the mail. I thought it was only rain on the porch. Boy was I mistaken. One false step and suddenly my legs were up over my head and I had fallen on my back. Flat out on my back. Glasses went flying...
I was sharing this story with Lead Momma and the way I described it to her was I must have looked like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the football away when he goes to kick it... have the visual now? Yep it sucked. I have some huge bruises just all over. Ow.

It's another mock trial week in class. I like these, but sometimes I feel pretty overwhelmed in the classroom. I know it's about my own confidence in myself, but I tend to back down really quickly. Preschool Queen thinks that it's maybe because I'm afraid of offending anyone. Sometimes I think it's because I don't feel like I know what I'm talking about, or rather more like I feel that everyone else knows more than I do. But anyway, today, when I knew I was right, I finally stood up to one of the guys who is forever telling me that I am wrong. It felt good.

My Favorite Medium

I was asked last night what medium really gets me thinking. And once I figured out what was being asked, I knew the answer immediately. It's the written word. Books. And then I was asked to list my favorites. There is of course the love of Harry Potter; but there are so many other books out there that I love...

The Sound and the Fury
Death Be Not Proud
To Kill a Mockingbird
All Quiet on the Western Front

are just a few of my favorites. Yes, I do consider some of these classics as my favorites. And I have to say, it's only because of the amazing teachers that I've had in my life. They made these books come alive for me. So, yes, it's the written word. Because of the schedule I have, it tends to be the easiest way for me to communicate with those in my life.

My to-be-read pile includes Guests of the Ayatollah, Ghost Wars, Londonistan, A Question of Torture, And If I Perish...not exactly light reading. I do have a few books that are simply mindless, but there just seems to be so many important things that need reading...and so little time!

How it's going

I've been working on the gratitude journal; and I have to say...it's pretty neat. Even after having some REALLY bad days this past week, it forced me to find just a little bit of good. And I have. Somehow it makes the bad not so bad. This week has been an incredible mix of highs and lows. (very high highs and very low lows)
Unfortunately, I can't talk about what went wrong this week, and at this point it may even be easier not to. Hopefully the advice I was given by a friend will be helpful in the long run!
We finished our mock trial in class and surprisingly enough, the defense (my side) won. After all the trash talking the head of the prosecution team and I had done all week, I was amazed at how graciously he took the defeat. (although there was some teasing that went along with it...)
As far as the reading for pleasure, I've tried this week...I need to work harder on that one. I'm not sure how much I'll get done, but I must try. I need to stay balanced with what I've got for reading. You can really only read so much on terrorism laws, extraordinary rendition, the UN, radical fundamentalists and human rights before it's just too much...:)
I altered my priorities a bit this week, not without serious thought. I spent a good chunk of time with a friend online; and it's been great. Absolutely no regrets about the fact that I could have used the time to do X,Y or Z in my class. And I think that's an important thing to realize. (now I just have a bunch to do this week!)

UPDATE

Okay so I figured it all out! Finally! YIPPEE! So proud of myself. (Hey, those of us who are technologically not the brightest need to revel when things go right!)

No Longer Behind the Times!

So, I know, I know...Dr Spaz bought me a wireless router for Christmas way back in November. And I've just finally gotten it all set up...I think. Well, I'm sitting on the couch posting from the laptop, so I must have done something right. I just thought there would be a password part and there's not. Hmmm... Maybe I did miss a crutial step. But anyway, I can finally use my pretty new laptop on the couch where it's super comfy! Yeah me!
Oh and with the wireless connection, I've been able to download Skype as well. Have you checked this out yet? The audio part works really well and I'm looking forward to chatting with my friend who told me all about it. Anyway, if you haven't heard of it, skype.com provides free calls over the internet. It's a great way to stay connected with those people who are overseas!
Anyway, this was just a short post to prove that I've finally gotten my butt in gear!
I'll be busy this week, I'm leading the defense in the mock trial we are having in class. This is too funny: as I was lying in bed this morning before I was completely awake, I was starting to formulate ideas as to how I wanted to proceed with this. And I had a bunch of ideas...and was pretty excited about it, until I realized all my planning would be helpful for the PROSECUTION. See, I'm just on the wrong side of these things!
Oh well, off to meet mom and dad for lunch.

Happy New Year!

I have been simply terrible at posting lately. I know! I hope everyone's holiday season was wonderful. I think I probably could have done without them, but somehow I haven't figured out how to make that happen. Anyway, I've survived them and already find myself about 5 weeks into my second class. I'm just loving this one. It's on international law and I'm amazed at how interesting I'm finding the case studies and material that we've been reading and discussing.
Since it is the new year, I did make a few resolutions, and in a hope to maybe hold myself a little more accountable for keeping them, I wanted to post them here. So, here goes:

1. Improve my GPA. Right now it's a 3.0 and I'd like to get it higher than
that.
2. I'd like to work on getting things lined up for a new job once the
degree is finished.
3. I will post here at least once a week.
4. I will read one book for pleasure at least once a month.
5. I will keep a gratitude journal daily. (sometimes I forget that I have a
ton to be thankful for. This will remind me of that!)
So, help me out folks! Hold me accountable for these!

I have been IMing with a guy in my classes. He seems to be very cool, we have a similar sense of humor, I believe. It's been fun for sure. I can't wait to meet him when we have our residency next June. It's almost hard to believe that at this time next year, we'll only have 6 weeks of classes left. This is certainly going to be a busy year! But it'll be over before either of us know it!

I guess that's it for now...I should really be writing the essay that is due tomorrow by midnight. Only 3 more pages to go...enough procrastinating! Until next week!