Observations

Tonight I have a smattering of observations floating around my mind.  They are unrelated and haphazard, but so is my brain most of the time so it's an accurate rendering of what's going on of late.  That said, let the observations begin!

Observation #1. I recently started my 29th semester of college.  Long about the time I was stressing over yet another Finals week in December, I suddenly wondered how many times I had faced the daunting-ness of proving my knowledge for yet another set of professors.  So, I counted.  Twenty-nine semesters.  I haven't yet decided if I find this revelation disturbing or amazing.  It is a good thing that I enjoy school, 'cause if I didn't - I'd have spent a lot of time doing something I dislike.  And, as we know, life is too short to do that.

Observation #2.  My mom has Nutella in her pantry and in her food storage.  

Oh, Nutella.  Be still, my heart.

While I was home between semesters, I indulged in said Nutella and was reminded why it is on the no-can-buy list at my house.  I love Nutella.  Love. It.  Someone once asked me, "But, what do you put it on?"  Um...a spoon.  YUM.  Incidentally, something else on the no-can-buy list? Mint oreos.  They say that too much of something will make you dislike it.  I have yet to find that threshold with either Nutella or mint oreos.  Hence, the no-can-buy list.

Observation #3. I was recently introduced to a fantastic little BBC Masterpiece Classics series called Downton Abbey.  

 It came highly recommended to me via several reputable sources, including my sister.  From episode 1, I was totally hooked to this story that chronicles the upstairs/downstairs livelihood of a British Manor in the early 1900's.    As I have watched this series, I find that I identify far more with The Help serving the aristocratic family than the Masters and Ladies that lord over all.  It has made me wonder if I am the only one that seems to intuitively know which social class I would likely have been in, were I living out the reality of Downton Abbey.  

On a semi-related note, I don't ever remember pretending to be a Princess or a Queen when I was a little girl.  My pretend play consisted almost exclusively of scenarios that involved me, as an orphan usually, in some dire situation that may or may not have included the hard-knock orphanage life, having to fend for myself in the wilderness with my siblings, or a really strict boarding school (I was kind of a strange little kid, I fear...). Is there a relationship between who I identify with in an aristocratic society and my constantly pretending to be an orphan as a child? Who knows, but as a scientist-in-training, I can't help but feel the need to draw connections between things.  Forgive me.

Mr. Bates and Anna - fabulous characters...

Observation #4.  Speaking of princesses, have you ever played the game Pretty, Pretty Princess?  The whole objective of the game is to earn jewelry and a crown to wear so that you, too, can dress like a princess.  I have a 3-year-old niece who is totally into Princesses and, let's just say, this game truly made all of her dreams come true. 

One very pretty, pretty princess.

On New Year's Eve, we played this game together no less than 37 times and she was thrilled every. single. time.  It was, in short, a fabulous New Year's Eve.

Observation #5.  Speaking of dreams coming true - I know they actually do.  Let me tell you of my evidence of this.  For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be in and/or direct a whistling choir.  It just sounds like so much fun!  This Christmas, it happened.  Behold, the evidence. 

Note that none of us are looking at each other.  This is intentional.  Because when you look at each other, it is very difficult not to laugh.  And laughing and whistling cannot happen at the same time.  Just sayin'.

It was everything I imagined it to be which is, to say, AWESOME.  I can't wait to do it again.

Observation #6. I mentioned once upon a time that I love going to festivals.  While I have been privileged to play outsider at a number of festivals with people who were not my people (The International Accordion Festival, Renaissance Faires, etc), over the holidays I had the amazing experience of going to a "festival" where I  was one of the in-crowd: The Sound of Music Singalong.  While it wasn't a formal festival per se, it was a place where I, in my shameless knowledge of all things Sound of Music, was celebrated.  I felt such camaraderie with 2,000 of my closest friends who love The Sound of Music as much as I do as we sang to our hearts content, hissed at the Baroness Von Schraeder, and "ahhhhhh'd" everytime Gretl said anything. It was incredible.  I would go again, in a heartbeat.

Observation #7.  A couple of months ago, I joined a gym for the first time ever.  I have long had a general repulsion to exercising with people (I just don't like public displays of pseudo-athleticism) and have much preferred my steady habit of solo trail-walking/jogging that I have maintained for several years.  Perhaps the sub-zero Nebraska winters are finally getting to me and/or perhaps it was the bruised ribs I suffered after falling on the ice two winters ago, but something finally nudged me into coming up with an alternative to my trail-walking/jogging exercise program when the weather does not cooperate.  So, I joined a gym.  A rinky-dink $10/month gym that has a smattering of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and weights.  I could never have predicted that I would actually enjoy it.  Wonders never cease, my friends.  I don't even know who I am anymore.

Observation #8.  I got a Sonicare toothbrush as a gift last summer from my parents.  Every once in awhile, I forget to charge it back up and the battery runs out and I have to use a regular toothbrush.  It is always a sad day.  My teeth just do not feel as clean. 

Observation #9.  I have shared an apartment with my current roommate for two and a half years now.  When the holidays rolled around for the first time after we moved in, we hung Christmas lights all around the living room.  It was very festive and very Christmas-y.

Christmas-y.

We have never taken them down.  Sometime over this past summer, half the lights went out and no amount of bulb-checking could revive them.  When Christmas rolled around, we replaced the lights.  Two days ago, the other half of the lights went out.  Sheesh.

Observation #10.  A week before I left to fly home for the holidays in December, I began to notice something was awry with my left ear.  To make a very long story short, three visits to the campus health center later with no diagnosis followed by a burst eardrum, I headed home.  With continued pain and loss of hearing in that ear, I saw an ear doctor at home and learned I had a fungus in my ear, y'all.  Two rounds of ear drops later, all was well.  But, I cannot deny that even now, I'll feel a tingling in my ear and get the heebiejeebies all over again.  I had a fungus IN MY EAR.  Still totally grosses me out.  

(I googled "ear fungus" pictures to have a visual aid, but opted to forego the image so that you will all be able to sleep at night.  You're welcome.)

End of observations.