Best Friends

Derek my son (on the left) has known Earl since about grade 8. These boys... men... have been best friends for quite a few years. Earl can often be found visiting with Derek and Aimy, it's not too often that I go to visit Derek when Earl is not there.  The guys spend a lot of time together, even after all these years they remain best friends. 

 I have recently learned that Earl is going to join the Canadian Army, he is going to be leaving for training on March 6th. I feel that it is honorable that Earl is choosing to do this. Earl I wish you all the best and God speed getting back home to your loved ones... and Derek naturally.

Stylin'

I was out browsing today and I came across the funkiest rubber boots I have ever seen. I thought about  purchasing these for the upcoming  gardening season, I'd be stylin'  out on the farm.  These boots are something that would suit me and my personality, dare to be different. I'll sleep on this and make my decision before spring arrives, after all who needs fancy rubber boots out on the farm? 

It is so nice to see spring apparel in the stores, this means that spring soon will be here, at least that is my wish for tonight.

One Smart Cookie

I received a very nice package in the mail. My cousins daughter, whom I have never met face to face, sent me this cookbook. This book has lower fat desserts in it and now I'm going to have to get busy baking and trying some of them out, when I have a break from all of my assignments this is. 

Now to live up to the title of the book, "one smart Cookie" ... this could be a tough one to live up to!

Thank you Bonnie, I shall cherish this gift for years to come.

Take Five

My desk is amok with books, papers, notes, research pulled off the internet and my head is telling me to stop, to take five. I was up at the crack of dawn today eager to get this major essay on the go, it's due on Wednesday so that's not giving myself much time at all. I have so much to say and so little time to say it all in. 

Today I have accomplished my map, I have my essay outlined and I am on page 4. I only have another 10 pages to write which will be quite easy to do, I am writing on addiction in adulthood. This is a topic which strikes close to home and I would love to have free reigns on this paper but it is a research paper which requires facts. It is rather hard not to be biased when I become passionate about what I am writing about. But if I stay closed minded I am only robbing myself of new knowledge and I will also be robbing  future clients of any ideas except my own. Now that wouldn't be a very social workey thing to do! 

So now that my break is over, it's back to writing, I am after all aiming to have this paper near completion today, this way I'll have two evenings in which to tweak it.

I Love Lucy

I love Lucy, almost as much as I adore Snoopy. It's odd but the kids at school used to call me Lucy, they said I looked like her.  That was forever ago and I'm over that now, it took some doing but I like to think that I'm ok today. 

Some days I sure could use some of Lucy's psychiatric help, she's in the right ballpark cost wise.  If memory serves me correctly Lucy's advice was some of the best advice ever, wasn't she always right?

Smile, Life is Like This

I had a day off today. Fridays are my "me" days. On "me" days I have no classes, Cheryl is in school and it's my time to do as I please, today that wasn't the case.

At 9:00am Cheryl had a dentist appointment on the North side of the city, then I drove her to her school on the South side, next I had an appointment scheduled for 11am at the college and a meeting which lasted from 12-4.

The meeting was very interesting, it was for the Alumni Association which my college is now forming, real grassroots stuff! It is a real pleasure and honor that the faculty has chosen me to sit on the committee to hear a students opinion, and that they heard! I'm not shy when it comes to vocalizing how I feel as a student. I ensured that I mentioned that I am not speaking for ALL students, I only spoke from my perspective and my opinions seem to be valued, this feels good.

I figure that I might just as well get used to meetings, I foresee plenty of them in my future and these stress balls, you bet I have one of them tucked away in my bag and I plan to take it with me whenever I attend meetings. I will remember my first official meeting and try to remember no matter what transpires during a meeting to put on a happy face!
(In reality, this is a projected objective which is not in the least bit quantitative, and is almost impossible to reach... but what the heck, it sounds wonderful!)

Morning Drive

This morning it was horrific driving downtown to the college, the roads were extremely slippery and it was dense with fog.  I left my home ten minutes earlier than I normally do and got there ten minutes later than I generally get there. The positive - I got there safe and sound. 

The fog lifted shortly after I was settled into my class and the day went rather well. This puts me one more day closer to my diploma!

Books and More Books

My empty side of the bed isn't quite so empty these days. I have text books, books which I am reading for pleasure and I also have the paper for those brilliant thoughts which pop up when I'm nearly asleep all keeping me company in my big bed.  Naturally I have my Love Dog guarding it all. I have books near my bed in a bookshelf and books on my nightstand. I have books surrounding me on my desk, in my book bag and more shelving in the living room overflowing with books. I live in books.

At times I wonder how I get to read at all.  I have essays on the go, notes to prepare and non-stop research bookmarked on my computer.  Some of the "must add"  research if printed out and what pile is it in again?  I still manage to keep in touch with family and friends and get out in the world occasionally. Is it no wonder some days such as today I just crash? I stayed home from my one class today with plans of "catching up."  Is there such a thing as catching up when one is in college?

Instead my body begged me for rest. I slept an extra four hours and now I just want to crawl back into bed but my self discipline is going to finish at least one of my projects off for the day.

I can't allow myself to get overwhelmed now, I'm so close to that light at the end of the tunnel and this time I know that it's not the headlight of a train! :-)

Good Eatin'

Tonight I went to pick up some fresh chickens, fresh eggs and 50lbs. of potatoes. (What I'm going to do with 50lbs of potatoes God only knows!)  The fresh foods were brought to the city by my step-dad, it came from the Hutterite colony and if memory serves me correctly, the last time I had one of these chickens it was the BEST chicken I've ever had. 

I got to asking myself that age old question once again, which did come first, the chicken or the egg? At this point in time, who cares... I have fresh farm food and  it's going to be some good eatin'!

Buyer Beware

I love to read but with all of my textbooks I find that I have very little time for pleasure reading these days. This past weekend I treated myself to a magazine, something I rarely do. As I was browsing though my new magazine yesterday I became amazed at all of the advertising. There are 54 pages out of approximately 182 pages in this particular magazine which I could actually read, the rest... yup you got it, advertisements. I did the math, the cost of this magazine, tax included, $6.29. Each page of actual reading material was approximately 11 cents, and not all that much was even interesting. Now add to this the cost of the trees destroyed to produce the paper and the cost escalates. 

My lessons: a) do not purchase any more magazines, be the lady who holds up the checkout line reading the magazine for free or b) do a quick scan through the magazine to know what I am purchasing and ensure that there's at least one article I want to read, at least get my money's worth!