Fuck

M's boss just told him that they're cutting him from five days p/week to three days p/week due to budgetary issues. UGGGGGHHHHH! While I know this isn't the worst news possible, it's still pretty bad. Can't he catch a damn break?!? He just got to the point in which he was out of his depression and feeling normal again. FUCK! Wasn't the almost two years of unemployment enough?? :-(

2011

I'm not entirely sure what to make of 2011. In some ways, it was extraordinarily hard: M started off the year jobless & in a deep depression, I hit a new low at Large College, realized someone I thought was a close friend really wasn't, and struggled with my workouts (which led to gaining back 10 lbs!). But in other ways, it was lovely: M got a temporary job that turned into a permanent job (that he loves!), I took a few fabulous mini trips, made some very positive decisions about what I want out of life, and formed a closer friendship with D (who is so much fun).

click to embiggen

Overall, 2011 was filled with both amazing highs and ugly lows (thankfully, it was heavier on the good near the end of the year). While it wasn't the worst year ever, I was happy to see it go... I am so ready for the fabulous-ness of 2012! :-)

Merry!

Happy Christmakwanzakah to all of my lovely readers!

I'll be back next week, once I recover from the festivities and the ridiculous number of eggnog cupcakes and Asian pear martinis I've managed to consume (whoops).

Have a good one! :-)

Makes me unhappy

1. Sour candy is almost as bad for your teeth as battery acid. Are you fucking kidding me? The Sour Patch Kids gang and I have been entangled in a torrid affair since the mid-90's. That is straight up bogus!

2. Michael Stipe exposes his penis on tumblr (NSFW, duh). There are some things in life you should not see/you cannot unsee. A very hairy and naked Michael Stipe is one of those things.

Vicious pen

From one of my English 101 student evaluations:
"I quickly realized I wasn’t as good of a writer as I thought thanks to Professor [Comebacknikki] and her vicious pen."

Ha! I think that should be the new tagline on my CV.

Awkward

It's hot as hell in our apartment, thanks to our ever-running amazonian radiator, so I spend quite a bit of time in little tank tops and shorts. I didn't think about my choice/lack of clothing when the UPS delivery guy rang the buzzer... nor did I think about it as I ran down the stairs sans bra to meet him... nor did I think about it when the cold air hit and the high beams came on. Oh, but I did finally think about it when I realized that the substitute delivery driver who was wearing a goofy grin and had his laser eyes trained on my braless/high beamed chest was actually one of my students.

Awesome.

Freedom!

The essays, portfolios, and exams have all been read, final grades have been submitted, and the students have been sent on their merry way (well, there were a few who were not so merry... perhaps if they wanted to stay merry, they would have actually submitted their final essays, right?).

I'm starting off the break with a main/pedi appointment tonight. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm meeting up with Beebs and heading down to a hotel on the Mag Mile for a mini-girls getaway. We're planning to hit up the Christkindlmarket (all sorts of crazy mulled alcohol & German food) and the various other holiday events in the area. We'll then brave the crowds of overstimulated tourists on Saturday for some power shopping. Later on that evening, there's a holiday party and then Sunday is M's guitar class recital.

It has been a rough year at Large College and I am sooo glad it's finally time for some fun!

Whoo-hoooooo! :-)

Email of the day

Hello Ms. [Comebacknikki]:

I regret to inform you that I will not be able to come to class to take the final today. I am at the moment in a police department trying to make it clear to several people here that I am not the [Juan] THEY are looking for. There are several problems that I need to clear and I'm not sure if am going to be out by class time let alone travel all the way to school. I may even end up in jail if THEY don't get everything sorted out. Thank you and I apologize for any inconvenience.
________________________

Well, I guess that's one way to get out of taking the final... though probably not one I would recommend to any other students. ;-)

That time of the year again

I had almost the exact same conversation with a student this morning. Oy.

One more week to go...

NoMo NaBloPoMo

Goodbye, November.
Goodbye, NaBloPoMo.

This was my fifth year of NaBloPoMo and surprisingly, the easiest. Posting every day this month definitely got me back into my blogging groove and reminded me of one of the most important reasons why I blog... because I like doing it. I like having a space where I can rant, discuss, get feedback, and be silly when I feel like it. I enjoy writing and taking part in the many conversations that arise on this blog and others. I like being part of your lives and having you in mine.

Although I don't plan to continue to post every day (the weekend posting always sucks), I do plan to try to keep up as much as I can during the weekdays over the next month or so. As I mentioned earlier this year, I've started a new food blog - while I haven't yet opened it to the public, I've written quite a few posts and plan to move to blogging over there exclusively at the beginning of the year. However, before I make that move, I want to finish the posts I started writing over here (they're still hanging out in my draft graveyard). I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with this space in the future, but I am certain that I'm ready for a change.

As nerdy as this sounds, the end of NaBloPoMo always signals to me the kick-off to the holiday season. I am so ready for all things peppermint, fun holiday parties, and lovely days spent with M and my friends. Here's to two more weeks of the (wretched) semester and an awesome December! :-)

Paperclip war

Dear Small College Adjunct Office-mate who decided you had nothing better to do during your office hours than to make a gigantic paperclip chain with every last paperclip in our shared paperclip bowl:

You are an asshole.

PS: That MLA guidebook you've been using? Yes, the one from 2002? Yeah, it's way outdated. Get with the program.

PPS: I got sick of fighting with your stupid chain every time I needed a paperclip, so I finally dismantled it. If you hook all of the paperclips together again, I will ram the chain down your fucking throat. :-)