11.23.2009

Split Needles: The Shins

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I am reminding myself of what I'm thankful for and creating my yearly Christmas list to give to all the aunts and uncles on Turkey Thursday. As every year, the prices range from far too expensive to less than ten dollars (may as well dream big, no?)

I'm thinking about buying Bellatrix a new tank or some kind of decoration for Christmas. She's been a good fishy this year... I may as well treat her to something. As for everyone else in the family, I'm not sure yet. It's always so tough shopping for them. I hate buying them random stuff they want or giving them money or giftcards because I feel like since I'm family I should be buying them something that will MEAN something. I was considering adopting each of their favorite wild animals from the World Wildlife Fund, but I'm still not entirely sure if I can even afford it. They would be supplied with a certificate stating that they have adopted the animal and, if I put out enough money per person, they will receive a stuffed animal, too. I put the Vampire Bat on my Christmas list, because bats are my favorite animal. They're so cool!

What's another big one on my Christmas list this year? A star. I would love a star registered in my name. That would totally make me melt as a romantic gift from the hunny... hopefully he got my hint of "It looks sparkly, but I can't actually touch it. I can only see it at certain times of the day, and I can see more of them in Vermont than in New Jersey." I think that just about does it. He understood that I was talking about a star... oh well. I feel badly that I can't go all out for his Christmas presents this year. But I'm kind of skimping on everyone's gifts. I can't afford too much. But I think that what I DO have in store for everyone will be special.

I can't believe I'm talking about Christmas THIS MUCH this early! Shame on me. Thanksgiving hasn't even come yet.

At any rate, I'm more than excited to go home tomorrow night, now. I'm antsy. Can't possibly stay in my seat any longer!!! And so, I am off to go and pack for tomorrow night. At 7:00 pm. When I will go home. Probably won't be back home until Wednesday, but that's a-o-k with me! Because I am SOOO EXCITED TO GO HOME!

11.22.2009

Alpha Beta Parking Lot: Cake

As Bellatrix and I chill out in my dorm room, I am fantasizing about my own bed back home in New Jersey. It's amazing... You leave for school and eventually you forget how much better your bed at home is. And then you go home for your first break and sleep in it and you remember. And usually once you go back to school you forget again, but no. Not this time. This time, I've been craving MY bed since day one.



That's Bellatrix. She's my fishy companion. I wasn't going to get a fish this year, I have a really bad habit of killing them. But when I saw her she had so much spunk. And she was the only bluish-purplish female betta fish I have ever seen in my life. Usually the females are reddish or yellowish or ickish. But she is one of a kind. And when she gets angry, she shows stripes. When she's happy, she's super vibrant and blue. She's like a moodfish. And at two dollars and change, she was one of the best purchases I've made all year up here.

As much as I have enjoyed my classes this past semester, I'm very excited to start up with some new subjects come January. I still have the same professors, for the most part. But there are a couple new ones thrown in there. The class that I'm MOST excited to take? Biological Illustration. After using bio-illustration to study for exams in all of my classes, I'm thinking it's a field that I may consider going into one day. It's always a possibility. I'm also taking an internship next semester in Biological Illustration. I'll be illustrating the anatomy and physiology lab books for my advisor and professor, Brad Coupe. We'll see how that goes. I'm hoping it will be fun, but you never know. That's the point of an internship, though. Right? To gain experience to help determine what direction you really want to go in for your upcoming career post-college?

But until then, I will continue sipping my hot chocolate and doing my homework (of course, with the assistance of my brilliant, one of a kind fish, Bellatrix).

On Tuesday night (more like Wednesday morning) I finally go home. Just in time to help my mom set up the house for Thanksgiving... it ought to be quite the adventure. From what she tells me about what she did changing furniture in the house and switching things up, I'm pretty excited to see what it looks like now. I have a feeling I'm going to walk in the door and be speechless, as she is quite the decorator. And from the way she describes it, it's looking fantastic. I know, it's something that's kind of silly to look forward to when I go home. But I love going home to find the house different every time. Most people would look forward to go home only to find the house exactly as it was when they left. But I love to see that things are still moving forward and progressing while I'm gone. :) Just goes to show, life goes on.