Sometimes I Wish I was Clever....

This I love.

Comic from here

Although, I'm pretty sure not everyone else would be thrilled with this idea...

Twas the Day Before Christmas

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm stuck at work.

Bummer.

The good news is I'll get out in time (fingers crossed) to finish my shopping.

The bad news is someone decided to turn the heat off in the building...

My tootsies are chilly!

Picture from here

All I want is to be tucked in my bed, nice and warm.

Maybe next year....

A Little Late is Better Than Never

This past weekend, Joe and I went up to New York to visit one of his friends from college.
Unlike here, where it rained and rained, New York got a nice dose of snow.
In my personal opinion, everything looks better in the snow.

For example:Central Park

And these two

And then Joe thought he would be sneaky and throw snow... but he was caught!

And New York at Christmas would not be the same without a visit to Mecca - Rockefeller Center

A little bit closer now!

And Times Square - with hardly a person in sight!
And a very tired Joe.

A little more time until Christmas... a lot of more rushing around and getting things done,
and Christmas will be here in no time!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

My roommate, Megan, and I decorated the house for Christmas the other night.
It totally got me into the holiday spirit.

Megan working on the lights

The finished product

A little artsy

The front of the house - thanks to Meg's dad for doing the outside decorating

I've also finished making the big gifts that I'm giving for Christmas, so that's a relief.

I can't believe how close it is to Christmas... incredible!

Things and things

Sorry for my lack of posts, but I have been busy - with Christmas-y things and the like.

For example:

making this look a little more presentable...

and realizing that getting this to look presentable is a lost cause!

Later this week, I will try to put up some more updates...



Maybe.

Dysfunction Palooza

Did you ever have one of those days, when things are just crazy?

And you have falling-down stockings?

And you have a shoe that squeaks with every other step?

And it just makes you wish you had stayed in bed?

Or at least had better hosiery, or shoes?

Today was one of those days.

In other news, I handed in my final today, so I'm pretty much done for the semester. Yay!

Twenty-Five Little Known Facts... as demanded by Lauren

25 Little Known Facts from the Life and Times of Mariel
25 – I love swinging on swings. I think it’s the rhythmic pattern of it, but it’s so relaxing to me.
24 – I really want to join a yoga class… and have for a while now, but I keep making excuses for myself to not join any classes.
23 – I buy wine and books based on how pretty or clever the label or cover is. I am that shallow when it comes to certain things.
22 – I never really push myself to my full potential because I’m afraid I’m going to screw up in some way.
21 – I have vivid daydreams of being in a car crash. Like, flying through the windshield type… even though I wear my seatbelt religiously.
20 – When I’m stressed, I like to listen to the radio in my car WAY loud.
19 – I wish I were skinnier. But I’m too lazy to get myself into the shape I know I should be in… also, I make up excuses for myself. I also feel goofy when I’m at the gym. Even though everyone else is there for the same reason… I’m very self-conscious when I’m there. Strange.
18 – I used to think I would be okay living by myself in a foreign country, but I’ve come to realize that I would rather stay in the vicinity of my family and friends… I’d be too lonely out there on my own.
17 – I love taking naps… and wish I could do so at my desk at work.
16 – If I won the lottery, I would pay off my family’s debts and put the rest away, but I would still work.
15 – I love watching sunrises. There's something about the quiet as the world gets to start a new day. And sunrises on the beach?? I'm totally sold.
As long as I am guaranteed a nap right after I watch the sunrise, I'm sold.
14 – I wish I still played piano. There are so many songs I wish I could play, and sort of regret not knowing how.
13 - I want to live in a house with a huge garden. And a giant kitchen.
12 – I am happy, but I feel like I don’t deserve to be this happy.
11 – I want to run the Broad Street Run May 3rd in celebration of my 25th birthday. I haven’t run since June, but lately I’ve been having daydreams of me running places, and then trying to figure out the mileage. I think it’s time to start up again.
10 – I wish I could be better organized, but I don’t have the time to make that effort.
9 – I’m still waiting to find my special talent. I can get by with a ton of things, but there’s nothing that I super excel at.
8 – I’m total crap at spelling. And when I come across a word that I can’t spell, I fixate on the correct spelling, and then repeat it to myself in my head, over and over.
7 – I wish I could just spend my days reading and doing arts and crafts. What I wouldn’t give to be Martha.
6 – I love dancing randomly. I also love techno music (not enough to listen to it non-stop, but to dance to, yes.) I also love being quirky. I don’t know why, but I do.
5 – After I learn something in class, I forget it almost immediately. It’s as though my brain takes any break in classes (Christmas, spring, summer, weekends) and just wipes itself clean.
4 – I always have a song in my head. The other day, it was the theme song to The Price is Right. I haven’t watched that show in months, and haven’t heard the song in months either. But there it was, accompanying me throughout my day.
3 – I really think some of my remarks are clever, but other times they’re just mean. And I kind of despise myself for that.
2 – Not many things bother me, but when I find something that irks me, it irks me to no end.
1 – I like spending time with my family. It kind of makes me sad (okay, it really makes me sad) when I don’t get to see them or talk to them during the week. Especially on Sundays.

Christmas Spirit

Last night was one of the first nights where I could really feel the holiday spirit.

And not just the "running-around-need-to-get-things-done" type of spirit.
Just the relaxing, genuinely glad that it's the holidays feeling.
Although I got no real shopping done, it was nice to spend some time with these two lovely ladies:

We saw some really great sights.

Plenty of white lights,

Red ribbons,
And plenty of Christmas decorations - with lots of color
And also, some law-abiding reindeer:

The windows looked wonderful, all decorated for Christmas:
Everything looked wonderful and festive...
It definitely got me into the holiday spirit!


And to make up for the picture from Thanksgiving...