The end of 2009

Normally I post a reflection of some sorts but I'm not sure I'm up for that. I've been such a bad blogger lately. I guess facebook is my choice of addiction these days. I went and saw Sherlock Holmes today. I thought overall it was very good. I'm normally not a fan of Robert Downey Jr. but thought it pulled it off well.
Marty called me last night. He's frustrated dealing with more of his ex-wife's drama. He assures me that he's not interested in rekindling things with her but he really despises her current boyfriend. I told him that I thought he actually liked the drama and that he needed to figure out what he really wanted. He agreed (for once) but he still had no clue as to what would make him happy. He told me that his ex and I are the only people he feels he can talk to about anything without being judged. He apologized for "dumping" everything on me and I told him it was fine. I said that I would always be his friend and be there for him.
Tonight I'm making San Francisco chops for dinner with seasoned potatoes and a salad. Josh has a friend over watching the Star Wars Trilogy (IV, V, VI). My friend Kirsten is coming over around 7:00. We'll probably watch t.v. and then she'll call it an early night because she has something going on tomorrow. I'll probably stay up until midnight by myself and then call it a night. I downloaded Scrabble on my iPhone so it is a new addiction for me. I might stay up playing it as well.
Well, I need to get started making dinner. Perhaps we'll have a reflection post tomorrow.

Still Here

I'm still around, just been facebooking more than blogging lately. I did make a decision on the t.v. stand. I ordered a black corner unit from Amazon. It looks great but the electrical outlet on the wall is in an awkward place so I can't move it all the way against the wall. I did get the t.v. hooked up and upgraded my cable to get digital t.v. but I'm still not satisfied with the picture quality. The regular channels are fairly grainy and I think it should be more clear on such a fancy t.v.
I survived grad school this semester and made A's in both my classes. I managed teaching English as well, but mostly fly by the seat of my pants with that class. We rushed through Macbeth but I'm sure the students didn't mind. I'm looking more forward to the research project next semester. I need to focus on getting some of my library stuff done so I can take one of my classes next fall. If I pushed myself, I could finish by next December, but I'll probably just wait and take my capstone (final exam) next spring and graduate in May 2011.
I have a lot to get done during the break. I need to clean out my extra bedroom. I'm going to be renting it out to a college student starting in January. I hope that I can manage having a roommate. I think it will help me to stay on top of keeping my house clean. At least I hope I will.
I took my car in for an oil change and tire rotation today. I hope to stay on top of my car's maintenance. I usually haven't done that in the past but I want to do a better job of maintaining and not just wait until something major happens to it. It's cold here. Surprisingly we're in store for a white Christmas. It was foggy when I went to Amarillo today and Josh said it is now sleeting. We're supposed to get snow today and tomorrow but then it is supposed to clear by Christmas day. Josh and I are heading to Albuquerque on Christmas day and staying until Monday. My cousin's baby is getting baptized and Josh and I are playing a duet that he wrote.

Dilemmas

First I have to tell the exciting news. I won a 42 inch flat screen t.v. in a drawing at school. My principal did play a bit of a mean trick in telling me that I won though. He sent a secretary up to my room and she knocked on my door and said that the principal needed to see me in his office right away. No explaination. Very serious. So I head downstairs in a panic, wondering what I did wrong, if there was an emergency, or something of that sort. I get into his office and he introduces me to a woman there and asks if I have her son in class and I said that I didn't. He then said that I wasn't in trouble but I had won the big t.v. in the United Way drawing. (Everyone who donated to the United Way was entered in the drawing.) So it was a big relief and rather exciting!

So I have this big t.v. in a box in my living room right now, but nowhere to put it. I've been looking at t.v. stands and cannot find anything that I really like. My brother said that I should get a stand where I could mount it on the back so that it would be safer that sitting on a stand. Problem is the only stands I've found locally like that are in different kinds of wood and I want a black stand because I haven't decided what kind of flooring I'm going to put in here but it will probably be a wood laminate of some kind and I still don't know what shade/kind/etc. that I will be getting. I've found two that I like on Amazon, but they are the kind where you mount the t.v. I found one black one at Walmart but it has glass shelves and I really don't want glass. So that is one dilemma.

Next is that I'm thinking about renting a room in my house. At choir rehearsal last week there was an announcement made that a college student needed a room to rent in Canyon because she lives in Borger and the commute is too much for her. She is older, doesn't drink or smoke and does like animals. My dilemma is whether I really am up for a roommate who isn't related to me. When you're related to them - I guess it is more o.k. to be the slob that I am. My thinking though is that by having a roommate/tenent that I will be more inclined to pick up after myself. I do need to get my house in better shape and this would be an incentive to do so.

I'm still trying to figure out what to get everyone for Christmas. I've got a few ideas, but not set on anything in particular. I'm probably going to go through another moment of insanity and go out next weekend. It was rather insane this weekend already. I might just need to get out and go really early or really late. I went to Best Buy around 9:00 p.m. last night and it wasn't bad at all.

I don't know what to do with my other big t.v. now that I'm going to (eventually) use the one that I won. The new t.v. is actually smaller, but the one I have is a hand-me down big screen that is boxy - not flat, and the picture quality is not very good. It still works, but it is obsolete. Maybe I should put an ad for it on craigslist.

Well, I'm going to go fix some lunch, do some house cleaning and then at least think about grading some papers.