Z is for Zest

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year full of energy, verve, and gusto! Cheers!

(photo cred)

my computer miraculously healed itself

Literally, I turned on my computer after a few days and the virus was mysteriously gone. Thus, gleeful holiday pictures:

It has looked like this for several weeks.

I saw this. It was wonderful. Our last-minute tickets were in the balcony. I'd like to see it once more from a close seat - I think it would be even better.

There has been lots of gazing aimlessly into this.

And copious amounts of food. Large, huge, ginormous amounts of delicious food.

Y is for Yule Log

This is what I must give you today. Because, as with last Christmas vacation, my laptop (which belongs to my place of work) has a virus and is unusable. 2 years in a row. Which is such a bummer, since this is the time I have for more blogging/picture taking/time wasting. I also got a new camera lens (50mm f/1.8) for Christmas, which I've wanted for a long time. And I have no place to upload all my fun photos. Alas, borrowing from family members will have to suffice until the new year when I go back to work. Anyway, gratitude and peace far outweigh my minor dilemmas this season. Merry Merry Christmas!

X is for Xylophone

Obviously this was the only choice. As a teacher/lover of school, what did X always stand for on the alphabet chart above the chalkboard?

My Brothers Shoveled the Roof

And then they jumped off.

My computer is on the fritz. It has some sort of virus which is making posting/internet surfing difficult.

Rest assured I am taking lots of lovely wintery pictures. My brother and sister and law gave me a new camera lens, which I have wanted for a long time.

Tomorrow I'm going to Chicago with the fam for a few days to see Wicked, eat real pizza, enjoy downtown in one of the best cities in the world, and spend most of my next paycheck at Ikea.

Peace out.

fa la la la la

At long last, it is break. This is when every teacher can breathe a little easier, especially me, since I am fortunate enough to have a 3 week break, as opposed to the criminal 10 days or so that many teachers now get. Yesterday I cruised up from Saint Louis in some rain but pulled in about an hour before the snow started. There was a few inches on the ground already, but we've gotten at least 8 inches since last night, so I woke up to this:

My poor brother and his wife are trying to make it up today; I think they'll likely stop in Chicago overnight. And now is the fun part: relaxing, catching up on professional and personal reading, way too much junk food, and short trips to Chicago and Detroit to see friends. And I simply must finish my A to Z series....of course I leave x,y,and z for the last 3 weeks of the year...

The Sing-Off

Now that I have seen this, I no longer feel the need to keep watching the rapidly-deteriorating Glee. Amazing a cappella music, LIVE not prerecorded, and a variety of songs without the annoying characters and bad storylines.

california chronicles

Last week I was in San Diego for a conference. The conference was great and it was nice to get away for a few days. I didn't have a car so I couldn't really get to the beaches or some of the other neighborhoods I'd read about.

I stayed on a super high floor - can't imagine living in a high-rise.

Enjoyed local flora, non-existent in Saint Louis.

Not the picturesque Pacific view I was hoping for, but pretty nonetheless.

True story: I don't like frozen yogurt (or...refrigerated yogurt, for that matter) but figured I should try Pinkberry.

Proof that I indeed was in San Diego.

Glad to be home sweet home. I guess I'm just a Midwest girl!