Occasional Notes

Merry Christmas, flist! I am very fond of you all and hope you all have a wonderful day.

I'm hosting Christmas on my own this year -- read: with plenty of help, but without my mother to oversee. I have a date with my family in Canada over the webcam after lunch, which is very exciting. We've got five people coming around to our little flat, making seven in total. I think the polite term is 'cosy'. Fortunately we all like each other.

I am very organised. I've made lists and schedules and things. I made the pumpkin pies, the stuffing, and stuffed onions yesterday. Got up this morning and put the turkey in. To make yet today are the vegetables, roast potatoes, toast, and parma ham and pear bites.

We've invited an elderly neighbour from upstairs down for a glass of wine just before lunch time, so we're having the stuffed onions and pear bites then. For an appetiser, we're having toast, different types of paté, and a bit of salad. The main is the traditional turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, brussel sprouts, yorkshire puddings, gravy, and cranberry sauce. Then pumpkin pie, Christmas pudding, mince pies, cream, and ice cream for dessert, followed by cheese, chocolates, and port.

I, er, may have gone a bit overboard? But that only means lots of Christmas leftovers. Woot woot!

Well, that's me. Off I go.

BFF has left and it will be three and a half odd months until I see her again. Stupid ocean, getting in the way of my emotional attachments.

On the other hand, much fun (and lounging and cuddling and giggling and snorting and hair braiding toenail painting porn tomfoolery) was had while she was here.

Also, today is Christmas Eve. In a startling turn of events, my family has developed friends and a social life while I was in England and we therefore seem to have social obligations. I treasure my memories of countless Christmas Eves spent entirely in my pyjamas or sloppy sweatshirts and baggy jeans. Now, apparently, we have to be pretty and go over to other people's houses (note: people does not just mean multiple people in one house, but multiple houses full of people) to have drinks and things.

I miss the pyjama version of this day.

So my mother comes into the kitchen this morning while I'm sitting and drinking coffee and says to me, "Do you consider yourself a lucky person?"

She didn't wait for a reply before dragging me upstairs to watch the news, which is reporting how all flights out of Heathrow yesterday, today, tomorrow, and possibly until Christmas have been delayed due to thick fog. I was actually originally scheduled to be flying out of Heathrow today, but switched my ticket to come home earlier once I realised that my school is the only one in the area that finished on Friday of last week rather than Tuesday of this week.

I tell you, I would have been SOME DEPRESSED had I found myself fogged in to London over Christmas!

I spent the day yesterday shamelessly lounging. I didn't do any work -- I barely got out of bed! Today I'm doing a bit more running around. I'm going to the gym, meeting people for lunch, doing some shopping, and watching my dad curl tonight. Fun!

HI CANADA! I'M HOME!

Well, in Toronto, at least. My mother conveniently has meetings here today and so was able to come pick me up from my plane, which landed at 12:30 last night. I didn't clear customs and get out with my luggage until 1:40 (the customs guy got pissy when he saw my work visa in my passport -- "Yes, fine, you're Canadian, whatever, but where do you spend the most time in an average year?" "Um. Canada. Because I've only been in England for four months. As you can see, both from what I very truthfully filled out on my customs card and by the stamps in my passport.") and then couldn't sleep for ages, because my body thought it was morning when we got back to the hotel. I am so very, very jetlagged.

And the Delta Chelsea has internets. The stores don't open for another hour or so, so I am trying to catch up on about three months worth of flist (good lord, you people are so verbose! cut it out! or at least point out the highlights in a sort of coles notes of lj.).

I love internets.

Much to say. Much, much, MUCH to say. Much has happened since the sort-of-some-times-hot spot in the kitchen went decidedly cold. But it will have to wait. Short form: I like teaching. Except when I don't. And I work with really fantastically awesome people at a really fantastically awesome school that I really seriously love.

And now, Christmas.

Yays!

So, plan for today: TIM HORTONS. And a little bit of putting the final touches on Christmas shopping. And TIM HORTONS. And some TIM HORTONS. And some more TIM HORTONS. Then we drive back to North Bay this evening.

*pines for that brown paper cup of caffeinated goodness*


(eta: omg! it just occurred to me that 'tis the season for holiday icons again! *uploads a mess of santas*)