Three Days of Cold

So I haven't updated in like a week because power outages and like eight inches of snow. No power or heat for three days. We pretty much lived around the fireplace for a little while.

I still don't know where the hell my winter coats are. I've been using my hoodie every time I step outside. I might have played in the snow anyway if I had better shoes, or at least had more than one pair.

Anyway, we were in the middle of Christmas at Gram's when everything began to go downhill. We started getting sleet and freezing rain. The steps were already iced when I went back next door, and I had to scrape my back windshield before I went home. The power went out that night - once around six, then again at eleven and it stayed off after that. I was outside when the transformer blew - big green flash somewhere behind my house and the entire street went dark, which was weird as hell.

And I'm getting cold again just talking about all this. Christmas aside, it's been a bit of a sucky vacation thus far XD But it can only get better, right?

Chirstmas Specials

Felt ill again when I got up this morning. Went back to bed for about two more hours and felt okay when I got back up. I think I'm getting over something and something else pops up. I'd just like to feel normal again please.

So it's Christmastime. That means I'm watching Hogfather. If you have Netflix, it's quite good. A very unorthodox Christmas movie to say the least. Though if you have the chance, the book is even better. It's probably my second favorite Pratchett novel, and the best of the Death arc for me. I meant to watch while cleaning my room, but that whole "being sick" thing I mentioned kinda killed that plan.

All said, I'd put the movie as my third favorite Christmas special. The first two slots are filled by Disney. I still think their version of A Christmas Carol is the best. But there's a pretty unknown short of theirs that didn't make it into the last Fantasia and it could use some more love:

So that's my life for now; waiting for the big day. Trey, as usual, doesn't have much foresight and our family hours with Baby Russ will be rushed and limited. He's going to try and hit three parties before 3:00 and get him back home by that time. Doofus.

That's It.

I'm done with this semester. I just sent in my last essay.

I've been feeling a bit better the past few days which leads me to believe a lot of my being sick really has been stress. It's still not totally gone though. I just want to sleep for a while.

I also managed to get my registration confirmed today. Every semester I have issues with registration and this year was no exception. I went up to campus to find out what this fine was about during the trip I found out some stuff that I really should have been told about months ago. But that's neither here nor there I guess. The important thing is that I'm all set for next semester, barring textbooks.

While I was up there, I went through the postcards I'd giving to Minnick so far - I couldn't recall which ones I'd already given him in the past. Luckily, I've managed to avoid giving him any repeats =) Finally got to see his new office, which is very shiny compared to the one in the English department. Not that I actually know what the one in the English department looks like under all those books he has stacked in there. Spent almost an hour just chatting with him around campus and now I feel so much better about life - I had no idea how much I needed to just talk to someone for a little while. Not about anything in particular, just not about school or working or what have you. I feel so much more relaxed for it.

Still Sick

I keep updating about how close I am to being done, but I can't seem to write about anything else XD About four pages away from being done with my essays and I have two finals left.

Still sick. Sore throat is sticking around, I'm congested and out of Kleenex, have added stomach problems to the list of issues, and on top of all the other stress a certain monthly problem has entered the equation. It's been a terrible month.

Hell, it's been an awful semester. That internship was a massive waste of time, my workload has been really heavy, constantly broke, I haven't seen any of my friends in a year, and I don't really want to whine too much so I'll stop right here XD I should probably thank Minnick for keeping me sane this year, because otherwise I'd have no one at all to talk to. And he's kept me writing at least a little, so there's that.

Working

Okay. Okayokayokayokayokayokay. Tomorrow is my Algebra final. The day after that is my Film final. I need a little more padding on the film paper, but it's done. Still struggling with my Calvino paper, but my reading journal is finished. Need to write one other essay and a quick worksheet on etymology, but my homework is otherwise complete.

So yeah. Just gotta keep working until it's all done. Not much time for a long post right now XD

Settle

So I've been worried about some stuff. Worrying that has been interfering with my ability to do my schoolwork. But tonight a lot of the anxiety seems to have melted away. I don't really know why, just that I looked up about an hour ago and realized how relaxed I felt. Maybe my anxiety reached a peak and had nowhere to go but down. Maybe watching eight episodes of Once Upon a Time offered enough distraction to forget about it for a while. Maybe I needed this exercise bike that's now sitting in my room more than I thought. Maybe it was the fact that today was, technically, the last official day of classes. Or maybe it was the chat I had with Dr. Minnick as we left campus this evening.

I guess it's easiest to say it was a combination of all of these things. I really hope it lasts, because I can't keep fretting like I have been. It's going to burn me out very quickly.

Anyway, it was the last day, but I'm not done yet. I still have some papers and projects to do and, of course, finals. My real last day will be on the 18th. My last two tests are on that day and then I can wash my hands of this semester that's been killing me. This school year has been really rough.

Broken Pedestal

Cracked... you were one of my favorite websites. Why are you killing yourself like this? D=

Have a read over those comments folks. This is what gets you banned at Cracked - sane, rational, civil discussion. Not one of those comments exists anymore. Strangely, not one of them violates the User Policy either. I can't imagine why someone at Cracked feels the need to hide these comments.

This is only four screencaps - I didn't make more. I didn't feel the need to, but over well 500 comments are missing from the comments section and now it seems the moderators are just deleting them as they come.

For those not in the know, allow me to quickly summarize the situation:

John Cheese writes this article. It's a bit condescending, but nothing to be all that upset over. Cheese follows up by specifically stating on his Facebook and Twitter that the article was an attack on the comment section of Cracked and continues shooting himself in the foot with some pretty horrific insults that I'm not comfortable repeating here. The comment section (rightfully) explodes with indignation.

I have managed to get myself banned altogether - not just my account, my IP address. For the post in the first picture.

I had commented perhaps half a dozen times since having an account with Cracked, if that, before this incident. I haven't so much as uttered a "damn" over the whole incident, so why the deletion and ban? I don't even know how to react to this much douche.

Peanuts

I'm allllmost done with classes. Monday marks the beginning of my last week, followed by finals.

I really need to finish some papers this weekend. At the very least I've like to wrap up Career Perspectives and History of the English Language by Sunday, as both are due next week. I have a rough draft due on Tuesday as well, but the actual paper won't be turned in until the 13th, so I'm not quite so under the gun. Need to do some quick papers for Film as well by Wednesday. A page or two each I think should cover it.

My first final will be Algebra, so at least I'm getting it out of the way quickly I guess. Then Film the next day. Then a week's break before I take my last two.

And... that's really it I think. That's all the big stuff anyway. The rest is just peanuts.