December 2005 Archives

It is a funny thing. I am enjoying the time that I am spending in Grand Rapids, but I am mindful of the little time that I have left. I feel like I have accomplished so little, but in truth, it seems that I always feel that way. I fear I need to either change my expectations or become more effective. Neither look to be attainable at the moment...

I have been reading through the Chronicles of Narnia which I have to admit was brought on by the movie. I am praying they make another one, as the last one was quite good. I suppose it really depends on how much money they make on this release. The books are a little overbearing in the allegory, but once you are past that, they are quite good, and I remember something new each time i read them. Most definitely worth a read for everyone out there. They are classics, and easy reads at that.

I have no idea yet what I am doing for New Year's Eve, but I imagine that something will come up soon. I'd best be off to bed so I can meet the new day with eyes wide open.

Once again another Christmas has come and gone. And once again, I am left feeling more than a little melancholy. it is hard not to think as the year dies of the impossibly huge number of times I screwed up. Still, I look at it as a happy time of year. It had been ages since I had last seen any family, so it was delightful to seen them all again. And likewise, I haven't been in the US for an entire year, much less Michigan, so I have a ton of people to visit over the coming week and I am truly looking forward to that.

I have been busy trying to fix the '79 Cadillac we have here for my touring car. So far, it has gone better than expected. The car is actually running thus far, and tomorrow we put in a plastic rear window. I think this may actually work. My other project has been fixing our hot tub. I have a bad feeling that is not going as well. Earlier in the year an elbow broke and leaked, and then the whole works froze. I thawed everything out, but the collateral damage seems to be worse than initially anticipated. The pipes are spitting out ball bearings and that's never a good sign, and just now the tub was spitting out an error code. Bad news.

My grades are probably up now, but I am more than a little nervous to check them. I have a bad feeling that they may not be too hot. This was certainly not one of my better semesters. And anyway, on this internet connection, nearly everything is painful. I don't particularly like wading through the insane PeopleSoft registration system to view something I don't at the moment feel particularly inclined to peek at anyway.

Anyway, it's 2:30 AM, and i should probably hit the sack.

I was studying this afternoon for Genetics and Pharmacology, and I went out to the kitchen to get a glass of water when my roommate pointed out the window. The picture above is basically the view I had. Now as many as a few days ago, it was bitter cold outside, but today it reached 9 C. Which meant this guy could snooze up there. How exactly he got up there remains a mystery of course. The amusment of my day.

Last night was one of the best parties I have ever been to. Three words: Chocolate Fondue Fountain. That and a very good selection of fruit along with some of the best homemade pizza that I have eaten in years acommpanied by a decent wine selection and veggie platter. I was there for 5 hours. It was the end of the semester party at the chaplain's house, and my hats off to him as a host. Amazing.

Of course, now the rest of the weekend is inevitably consumed with last minute cramming antics for my two exams on Monday: Genetics and Pharmacology.

Well, it's incredibly addictive. I haven't seen most of these people for ages, so the opportunity to see what they are up to, current contact info and photos was too good to pass up. I think it will be a genuinely useful tool on occasion and especially for the upcoming holiday season. Now I just need to leave it alone for a couple weeks while I try to rocket through finals

Today was completely useless. By that I mean that I accomplished nearly nothing in the entire day. I suppose everybody needs some downtime, but on the other hand, I have a lot of stuff to get done. Wasting a day is not really something I can afford right now.

Best to start with a bang tomorrow. I'll be working all day.