Monday, December 29, 2008

Nostalgia

I always feel a little nostalgic after Christmas, and this year is no different. But it seems this year I am really hanging on to the Christmas music, Christmas mugs, and, yes... Christmas treats. Maybe January 1 I'll be inspired to move on- "in with the new and out with the old." I'll definitely be ready/desperately need to get back on a normal eating regime. Since I've been home I've been eating whatever I wanted, and boy- I've wanted a lot. :-)

We've also been watching old home videos, which certainly adds to the nostalgia. We had so much fun as little kids and were so easily entertained. We didn't have to worry about dead car batteries, research projects, scholarships, or shoveling snow. Maybe that's another reason why I'm enjoying being home- far fewer responsibilities!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Welcome to the Pity Party!

Disclaimer: This post violates all the rules for the Christmas season, especially being grateful for what you have. I really have no reason to be complaining. I have heat in my house (knock on wood), a wonderful family, amazing friends, a car (...to malfunction. Read on.), etc. But I was inspired to write this blog while playing my 532th game of Solitaire this week, which I had switched to after playing my 343th game of Tetris (Freetetris.org. Knock yourself out!). So here it is... my ranting blog about my blessed life! Ridiculous, I know. But just humor me.


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These last several days have been quite exciting. Not exciting as in the "time flies when you're having fun" exciting. Exciting as in - could this week go any slower?! After having a somewhat boring couple of weeks due to finishing most of my assignments early (who said the early bird catches the worm?! They lied!), this last weekend I was more house-bound than I would have liked. I tried to study, listened to Christmas music 24/7, tried to practice self-control with all the Christmas goodies around, and yes, did manage to get out of the house a couple of times. But I was a little restless and the time did drag.

Yesterday morning, I found out at 6:45am (just as I was getting ready to head out the door) that school was delayed two hours, so our dreaded 8am final was moved to Wednesday. Today, as I have been doing the last several mornings, I woke up way before my alarm clock. I had a leisurely breakfast, did some exercises in the living room, watched The Today Show and an episode of The Cosby Show, did a little more cleaning up on my room, stopped the mail... finally, it was time to go to school to work out, go to work, and head to my final. Yippee! Something to do! I got all bundled up and almost cheerfully went out to "preheat" my car.

All would have been well if my car would have started! My battery is dead. That is why now, instead of exercising and/or working, I am STILL sitting on my butt, waiting for AAA to come and give me a jump start. Most of you know that I cannot tolerate car-related stress. My coping strategies include crying and calling my dad. Check, and check.

That being said, I am VERY grateful my battery died when I was home and not stranded somewhere (pretty much anywhere else would have been far worse). I could have locked my keys in my car and been locked out of my house on this lovely -30 degree weather. We may not have had AAA. My dad might have been out of the office, vacationing in Peru when I desperately needed his advice and encouragement. My 12pm final could have been one that I actually had to go to (we were just having a discussion- my professor said to "try my best to make it there."). Yes, things could be far, FAR worse.

Let's just take a minute to enjoy the irony, however. Just over 24 hours ago I called my dad and exclaimed "I LOVE MY CAR!" after it made it up the hill to school. As we trudged up the hill, I literally cooed to my car (aloud) "You can do it! You are such a good, good car!"

But I guess everyone has their "off" days.

Get it?! Off. Battery is dead... car is off.

I'm loopy.

Here' s hoping the crazy WA/OR weather doesn't interfere with my flight home tomorrow night.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Snow from West to Midwest

So yesterday, before our big "blizzard" hit (this is NOT the DQ Royal Treat), I was able to do some fun stuff. Today there is a lot of blowing snow and really poor visibility, so I'm nestled inside. I could attach a picture, but that would involve getting blasted with snow as I walk out the front door. Just imagine white. Lots and lots of white (it is pretty). We'll see what tomorrow brings, weather-wise. For once, I hope school is NOT cancelled because I want to get these finals out of the way. Shoveling my car out with my collapsable snow shovel (that doesn't appear to "lock" into extension) will be interesting.


Yesterday morning my friends Kacy, Cassie, and I volunteered at the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast with Santa. We served up pancakes and sausages for about three hours.


The rest of the afternoon I hemmed and hawed over whether or not we should cancel our OT Christmas party. They were predicting a huge winter storm this weekend and were advising against travel. It was supposed to be at a students' in-laws' "barn" (Ha. More on that later), and they had gone all out decorating the place for us, so I would have felt horrible canceling it. Not to mention the fact that we've been talking this Christmas party since- literally - the first week of school! After several hours of my phone becoming "Grand Central Station," we decided to have the party anyway.

This "barn"... was not a barn at all. Well, they claim it was three years ago, but you would never have believed it. I do believe they said it was **14,000** square feet (this is not a typo) and was FIVE STORIES. There were several bedrooms, a "loft" where there son lived, two bars, a basketball court, a weight room, numerous bathrooms, a kitchen, a big dining room, a (soon-to-be) movie theater... it was absurd. Here are a couple of pictures.




A modest little gym.





















Yes, they have a revolving door. And on the far left, that's a HUGE picture of Ashley (my OT friend) and her fiance after they got engaged.










The beautiful kitchen. And they don't even live here!













The pictures don't even do it justice. It was insane! Overall, I'm really glad we ended up having it (the weather wasn't even too bad last night- just a little slick). We had delicious food (college students CAN cook!) and did a gift exchange.




I lucked out and got an adorable cookie/bowl set. Polka Dot bowls are my FAVORITE! I can't wait to use the bowls. I think I was so attached, no one had the heart to steal them.










Part of our OT class (the ones brave enough to brave the elements)

Time to grab a cup of tea and try to study for finals. I make no guarantees.

Monday, December 8, 2008

I'm bored.

Usually I would kill to have that sentiment, but right now, it's just annoying.

Can't do too much studying for finals yet (need study guides, study buddies, etc).

I have a take-home final due next Monday that I started and have no motivation to continue.

Everyone else is swamped with homework (huh?).

There is nothing good on tv.

I have a week + 2 days to twiddle my thumbs and wait to go home.

Help!!!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

What's the Catch?

Well, here I am back in Duluth after a 5-day Thanksgiving break. Being with my "surrogate" famil(ies) was the next best thing to going home.




Here is my Surrogate Family/Thanksgiving dinner #1, which was Wednesday night. Yum!














My friend Kristina and I went to the Como Zoo in St. Paul on Wednesday afternoon. It was a free zoo, which was pretty great! They had several types of monkeys (including a gorilla picking his nose-- and EATING IT, too!).










I spent Wed-Sun with my friend Abbey and her family. We had (another) turkey dinner Thursday, did some (non early bird) shopping Friday, more shopping on Saturday, then went to the "Holli-Dazzle" Christmas parade downtown Minneapolis Sat night. The pictures were a bit blurry, unfortunately.


Speaking of shopping... I got a new outfit-- puffy vest (a necessity in the midwest!), sweater, and jeans from American Eagle. Tsk, tsk, tsk... what's a poor college student doing spending all this money?!
(Scroll down...)
(Drum roll...)
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SHE WASN'T! Abbey and I were just browsing on Friday and half-heartedly went into American Eagle. The annoyingly peppy and fashionable employees pounced on us as soon as we walked in the door to give us our scratch it tickets- "EVERYONE WINS!" Abbey and I looked at each other and relunctantly collecting our tickets. The annoyingly peppy and fashionable employee noticed our lack-of-enthusiasm and commented, "Don't look so excited!"
Abbey scratched hers: "15% off. Cheers!"
I scratched mine: "$100 Shopping Spree. Cheers!"
Yeah, whatever. I rolled my eyes and went up to the sales guy and asked "So what's the catch?!" Well, annoylingly peppy and fashionable employee guy got REALLY excited, got on his radio and announced, "Someone got the shopping spree!" Apparently there WASN'T a catch and I was the first person at that store to win the $100 shopping spree!
NOW I was excited. Being the mature 21-year-old I am, I turned bright red and giggled. And then I shopped!!!!!
In the dressing room, the people working back there asked me "ARE YOU THE ONE THAT WON THE SHOPPING SPREE?!" I was the topic of many radio conversations. At one point I heard someone say, "We've got her in here!" ---Like I was going to run off without claiming my prize?!
I had been wanting/needing a puffy vest and new jeans, and was wanting to spruce up my wardrobe with a new sweater. And thanks to some great Black Friday sales, I was able to get it all!
What does an independent, 21-year-old college student who just got a cute new outfit for free do as she leaves the store?!
Call her mom.

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Windy City

Last weekend I went to Chicago (well, Wheeling) for an OT Student conference. I successfully filled a (free) tote bag full of (free) pens, (free) chapstick, and (free) goniometers (you know you're an OT nerd when you have a comepetition to see who can collect the most gonies). I also put my name on countless info cards in hopes to win a raffle. No such luck, but I am sure I'll be getting all sorts of fun calls and e-mails from employers in Indiana, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

We left school at 5:30am and 21 of us headed out in three minivans. Riding in style! It was an 8 hour drive and boy, is the way backseat of a minivan enjoyable. One week post-journey, I think I've regained feeling in my butt.

That night four of us headed downtown on the Metra. We successfully found the depot and got on the loading platform approximately 14 seconds before the tram came. We had to buy our tickets on the train when the conductor came around, and fyi- they really do punch the little holes in the ticket like in "Polar Express." Although mine wasn't in a magical, Christmas design...




The beautiful Chicago skyscape! This was down towards the lake/Millenium Park.








We only had a few hours in Chicago so we for sure wanted to find some good food. In Rachel Ray-esque fashion, I asked two employees at Sears Tower where they'd recommend going for dinner. Unanimous choice: Giordnano's.
Apparently, this is "world famous stuffed crust pizza."

(Jessica, me, Ashley, and Ruth)




Now THIS is pizza! Deep dish, oodles of cheese and canadian bacon in the middle, topped with sauce and pineapple.

So that was my taste of Chicago!
I'll have to catch Oprah next time.


Monday, November 10, 2008

Hi, my name is Senia and I am an ISFJ.

Today we took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in one of my classes.

By a landslide, I am Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging. I feel like I can kind of go either way on the extra/introverted thing, but I came out as a clear-cut introvert. I think that's what I am at heart.

The definition for an ISFJ:

"Quiet, friendly, responsible and conscientious. Work devotedly to meet their obligations. Lend stability to any project or group. Thorough, painstaking, accurate. Their interests are usually not technical. Can be patient with necessary details. Loyal, considerate, perceptive, concerned with how other people feel."

So basically, I'm a bit boring. :-p

My favorite part is my designated prayer:

"Lord, help me to be more laid back, and help me to do it exactly right!"

Several of my OT friends are ENFPs, which always make for interesting study groups. Their (very telling!) prayer is:

"God, help me keep my mind on one th- LOOK, A BIRD! -ing at a time."

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Monday and Tuesday Happiness

*I got a free (short) massage in the student union yesterday. Lovely.

*Range of motion practical on Monday = No assessment class yesterday or tomorrow. Range of motion practical complete = 98%. I'll take it!

*It was freakishly warm this morning. So warm that I decided to walk to school. Fortunately, by this evening, when it was raining and thundering, my friend graciously drove me home. Phew!

*Belated birthday dinner at Burrito Union. Yum!

*We did our Level II Fieldwork lottery today. I get 2nd choice out of 28 students (Summer fieldwork) and 9th choice out of 28 (Fall fieldwork). Lucky!

*I'm sitting in my pjs, watching the election coverage, and blogging. Wonderful.

*The Holidays are coming!!! That alone gets me excited! :-)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Random Thoughts

Reasons I should be happy:

*It was NICE out today. Like 63 degrees nice. Considering we've already had some below-freezing temperatures, this felt awfully nice!

*Gas is $2.29!!! Can you imagine if it fell below $2?!?!

*My internet is working again... not like it's supposed to, but I'm blogging, aren't I?

*Tomorrow is Friday... Girls' Weekend this weekend!

*I can wear my Halloween socks tomorrow and justify eating a few (or 20) pieces of candy.


Reasons I am not so happy:

*Twin A ditched/ruined girl's night be inviting her fiance and his obnoxious high school buddies over to carve pumpkins. There's a huge mess downstairs, and our girl's night was a flop. (Obnoxious = burping, chain-drinking beer, carving progressively "drunk" faces on their pumpkins, leaving the toilet seat up). I'd like to go to bed soon but there's an awful lot of noise!

*My internet is not working the way it's supposed to, and it'll probably self-combust any minute. Or some hacker is probably stealing my identity (I'm not so sure if it's our connection I'm hooked up to...)

*Tomorrow is Halloween, which means I will be tempted by candy all. day. long. And the next day, there will likely be leftover candy lingering about, which means I will be tempted by candy all. day. long.

*I am fleeing the house for the weekend (fortunately), but roommates and aforementioned fiance/obnoxious high school buddies are having a Halloween shindig at our house tomorrow night. I think a kegger will be making a guest appearance.

*I cringe slightly when I think about what shape the house will be in when I get back Sunday.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

My Not-So-Favorite Blizzard

... the Dairy Queen Royal Treat, not the weather. Minnesota weather isn't THAT insane.

I enjoy free things. And I enjoy creamy soft serve ice cream blended with a variety of sugar mix-ins. And I enjoy getting Happy Birthday e-mails from random companies. So I joined the Blizzard Fan Club.

Don't judge me!

Today my friend Lisa and I went and redeemed my "Buy One, Get One Free" birthday coupon. The closest DQ is the traditional, walk-up one where they only serve ice cream. Needless to say, they will be closing soon for the season. We brought our Blizzards back home to enjoy in the comfort of my nice, (semi) warm house.

Usually when ordering desserts I follow The Chocolate Rule. I'm sure I've missed out on many delicious desserts because of defaulting to chocolate, but it usually doesn't fail me. Today, however, I had already made up my mind that I was going to try the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard, which I've been seeing ads for on TV. While it's not chocolate, I am a fan of the seasonal pumpkin dessert.

I was a little disappointed. Not disappointed enough not to eat all of it, but it wasn't the pumpkin-intense dessert I had been anticipating for the last 10 days, since I got my birthday coupon in my inbox. (And yes, I really have been anticipating my Blizzard all this time. Obsessive? Perhaps.).

"Soft serve ice cream blended with chunks of real Pumpkin Pie?" Not quite. While there was a nice hint of pumpkin and nutmeg (even sprinkled on top- DQ is moving up in the world!), no where in my 12 oz cup did I find anything that even resembled a chunk of my Grandma Nelson's pumpkin pie. The chunks of "crust" -- while maybe attempting to replicate a graham cracker crust -- reminded me more of rye krisps, or some weird cracker I've had but couldn't put my finger on. OH- maybe those hard little "biscuits" you get on flights?

Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Or perhaps I'm overanalyzing my Blizzard.

Or perhaps it's a combination of these two AND that I should be doing homework instead.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Ding ding ding! Winner!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

21 Ways to Celebrate the Big 2-1 Without a Hangover

1. After cutting off the charcoal, eat the top layer of a chocolate caramel bar (along
with your high fiber cereal) for breakfast.
2. Instead of trying to be productive during short breaks at school, sit and chat with friends!
3. When working out, debate whether to type in "2-0" or "2-1." Round up and enjoy typing in
"2-1" for the first time.
4. Get beautiful flowers from your dear old Mom and Dad. Look at them often!
5. Enjoy everyone at school wishing you a Happy Birthday (thanks, Facebook!)
6. Bring treats to class. Just like in Kindergarten!
7. Enjoy birthday cake at work. ("Oh, you shouldn't have!")
8. Swear-off homework for the day.
9. Instead of doing homework, come home and watch "Ellen."
10. While watching "Ellen" (and not doing homework). waste time on Facebook. Blogs. Re-
check Facebook. Re-check Blogs. It is, afterall, your birthday!
11. See the sink overflowing with dirty dishes and decide to leave them for your roommates. It
is, afterall, your birthday!
12. Turn the thermostat up one degree, to a scorching 62. It is, afterall, your birthday!
13. Enjoy calls, e-mails, cards, and packages from family back home!
14. Go out to dinner with friends. Eat every last crumb of your meal. Go ahead- add another Splenda to that iced tea. Order one more free refill! It is, afterall, your birthday!
15. For your 3rd (out of 5!) dessert for the day, enjoy a few bites of your complimentary, 18. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ala mode.
16. Have a big piece of Better Than Sex Cake that one of your roommates made for you,
open presents with roommates and laugh a lot!
17. Watch Grey's Anatomy and ER. Play Solitaire on your laptop during commercials.
18. The next morning, have Better Than Sex cake for breakfast. With a glass of skim milk.
Yesterday was, afterall, your birthday!
19. Spend a weekend with your brother and friends.
20. Enjoy a surprise party, complete with "Pin the nose on the Owl" and the dice game.
21. Eat several birthday cupcakes.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Burnt to a crisp

You know when you're roasting marshmallows and you have one that is just perfectly golden brown? You know it's going to be just how a marshmallow should be- toasted on the outside, gooey on the inside.

And then it catches on fire and you know have a piece of charcoal on your stick. You take a bite, thinking it will still be edible, and then pretend to enjoy the chalkiness of the charcoal.

Well, that happened to me tonight with Chocolate Caramel Bars I was making for my class for my birthday tomorrow. I knew our oven was unreliable, but... I got busy and let my bars cook a minute too long. They looked fine from the top, but upon further examination, I found that they were resting on a nice, chalky layer of charcoal.

Too embarassed to show up to school tomorrow empty handed or with a plate full of charcoal, I whipped up some no bake cookies... instead of studying for Neuroscience or going to bed.

No bake... should be safe. I hope.

(And family, this does not even compare to my "near failure" that was the chocolate trifle).

Sunday, October 12, 2008

If you give a college student a break...

...she'll probably connect to the internet.

Getting on the internet will remind her that she hasn't checked Facebook yet today. Thinking of how productive she was this weekend, she'll justify that she deserves a little break.

On Facebook, she'll find out that one of her friends has a blog. ... So she'll need to investigate and find the blog.

After she finds the blog, she'll want to read all of her friend's postings and will need to read all of the posts since June.

After reading her friend's blog, she'll realize how much she has in common with her friend and will wonder if she, too, could benefit from writing what's going on in her life for all to view.

So she'll decide to set up her own blog.