On our way!

This is the stack of books I'm bringing along on vacation:

Accomplishments of a Long Weekend

This four-day weekend marked the last of the 4-day workweeks I'd arranged for my final semester. As I'm done with all my coursework, it was an opportunity to recharge as well as get some chores done around the apartment. As I mentioned on Facebook, I have a stack of library books, a list of household chores, a watermelon, and the makings of chicken pot pie. This weekend is gonna be epic. (And I meant it, too. I must be a boring grownup now.)

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

Today is my 29th birthday. I turned in my e-portfolio, went to sushi with a dear friend, took a few headshots (needed one for convocation), and got my nails done. Tonight will be mellow, with Chinese takeout and a movie at home, but I am told there is a litter of foster kittens waiting for me to visit soon! (No, we won't be taking one home.)

Lots of big changes in the last year (I've mentioned my Saturn return before). I'm ready to see what's next.

Goals check-in: October

Read 100 books in 2012.
Rocketed through; working on #106. I have been reading several YA series, so you'd think they'd go quickly, but they're pretty thick!

Exercise for 90 minutes per week.
Nope. Just a lump in front of the computer.

Office Space, part 1

The whole point of that desk was to have a space to do homework in my new HOME OFFICE-slash-LIBRARY! Wooooooo!

Only it's... still in progress.

No Shame About Curb Scrounging

Oh, hey, I have a desk!

Check out that Dumpster in the background. This is how to live like a grad student. It's like Allston Christmas up in here.

Post-Xmas: The Haul

So, did you get something nice in your stocking?

My sweetie and I spent the weekend with my family about an hour away. (Well, I stayed there and she drove back up to work overnighters at her second job. After her recent bike-car accident and missed shifts, we can't really afford to turn down holiday pay.) We all had two massive dinners (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) and opened a TON of presents -- I thought this was going to be a small Christmas, but with my sister out of the country and away for the first year ever, it seems like some of her gifts found their way into my pile.

Excellent presents I received:

-FitBit fitness tracker that doubles as a pedometer and a sleep monitor
Along with the usual goal of 10,000 steps/day, I can keep an eye on how long it takes me to fall asleep and how many times I waken. This info is wirelessly transmitted to my computer and updates my FitBit account, so I have records of my sleep and activity.

-Laptop Lunchbox Bento 2.0 system
This purple beauty will promote bringing lunches to work during the week instead of buying food. It includes a drink bottle and silverware as well as a space for a chillpack if necessary (I usually park my lunchbox in the office fridge).

-Scrabble Slam
Santa produced this card game, which combines my love of words and -- I THOUGHT -- my competitive spirit, as it was packaged using words like "slam" and "slap". I figured it would be like slapjack, and I'd get to hit people if I were quick. No such thing, I found out. But it's still a fun game.

I got super-excited about a set of Eggies that my sweetie got for me (so she doesn't have to peel soft-boiled eggs when my Vitamin D-deficient demands for them come in rapid succession), and she was equally enthusiastic about a set of magnetic spice containers that I got her. I also received a gift certificate for a scrub and massage at a local Korean spa I frequent -- or try to, when I have the time and the funds -- and a gift card from Pasta Pomodoro for a dinner out with my sweetie. From my godmother, a woman more frugal than I can ever aspire to be, I got a calendar from 1984 (the year I was born) that can also be used in 2012 and 2040!