How is it December?

Yes, just to get it out of the way, I suck. I haven't been blogging. But for the record, I haven't been doing other things I like such as sleeping or even charging my cell phone. Same old story--school and work are kicking my ass. I actually found time to type this only because I can't sleep and my school's virtual classroom is currently down for its nightly maintenance, otherwise I'd be doing schoolwork. But the end is near--after December 8th I'll be a free woman until the end of January! Well, I'll still be working 2 jobs but at least I won't have any schoolwork to worry about. How will I fill my days... Oh right, with the 17 bazillion Christmas presents I have to finish. I must say that I am doing better than last year (last year I had to give people parts of gifts, like sleeves or the front of a sweater which I then took back to finish about 10 minutes after they unwrapped them). I actually finished a few things so far and I am well on my way with a few others. I totally do this to myself each year. I know that Christmas comes the same time each year and I should start on the presents in February. But you know what, it seems like in between Christmases there are a bunch of birthdays and weddings and new babies to make crap for so really, it's not like I have that much extra time.

Aside from working on the presents, I'm having a tough time getting into the whole Christmas spirit thing. I love Christmas--this is the time I look forward to all year. I like the flowers and the smell of spring but it usually only feels like spring for the last few weeks of Spring semester so I spend them attached to a computer instead of napping in the green grass. I love Fall, well Fall on the East Coast with the changing leaves, crisp air and rainy afternoons perfect for sipping tea. I totally hate summer and as a kid when we would go to the beach in July or August I'd lay on the hot sand slathered in SPF 45 and think of snow and Christmas carols and cider and people being nice to each other for approximately 25 days straight (aside from the people at Toys R Us fighting over the last Cabbage Patch or Tickle Me Elmo). But you know, now I'm living somewhere without snow, where they string lights on PALM TREES and it's 90 degrees (well, it was last week, anyway). Last year at least I was going home to Pennsylvania for Christmas so I could get excited about that. This year the flights were no less than $500 a ticket and Tristan and I can't really afford to lay out $1000 to go home for 4 days. It totally sucks. We couldn't go back for Thanksgiving either because of our work and school schedules. So you know what, we're celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with my family (my very pale family of German and Swiss abstraction). My mom has invited all the cousins over to recreate Christmas dinner that weekend and they are buying a fake Christmas tree this year because my mom was worried that the dog would drink all of the water in the base of a real tree and it would dry out long before we arrived on January 13th. The upside of this arrangement is that I get a few extra weeks to finish their gifts! And I will probably see some snow. Oh well, being with family is all that matters, no matter the actual date that you visit them. I promise you all some photos in a few weeks, when I have time to find my camera.

Well, I really should make another attempt at the whole sleep thing. Lots of schoolwork to do tomorrow and Tristan wants to go chop down a Christmas tree--he "knows a place" where they give you a saw and let you have at it. This could end in a trip to the emergency room but it wouldn't be the holidays without someone getting injured!

I'm looking forward to returning to the world shortly--and I'll be doing it as a 28-year-old. Yep, that crazy B-day is coming up on the 16th. I actually forgot all about it until Tristan's aunt asked me what I would like as a gift. Seriously, I want to tell her a secretary to remind of things like MY BIRTHDAY. Oy! I'm thinking this year I'd like to do something fun, maybe dancing or some totally drunken karaoke. Anybody in?