phew

Well—I finally feel like I have enough of a breather to sit down and post an update.

SCHOOL: same-same.   I’m learning fascinating stuff, I’m completely finished with one class, and now all I have to do is study for finals, re-write one 7-page paper, and write a 3-page self-reflection.  Child’s play!  I spent all day today re-writing and editing a 15-page paper, and it was easy-peasy.  I had 5 hours to do it, and I just lounged around in bed alternating lazy one-handed typing with scrolling through the New York Times.  Thank goodness Herman Cain isn’t in the headlines anymore—I got tired of throwing up a little in my mouth when reading about him.  One headline that did catch my eye and give me a chuckle, though, was “Building a Better Mitt Romney-Bot.”

ONE-HANDED-NESS: same-same.  Still sucks.  What, I haven’t whined about this before on the interwebs?  I guess I got tired thinking about typing a whole post-one-handed and went back to studying the nuances between the Interactional Model and Sociocultural Theory.  Yeah, Vygotsky!  So, anyways, due to a freak banjo accident, I no longer have the use of my left hand (temporarily! I hope) except my little finger, and fat lot of good that does—try picking up anything with just your little finger, or opening a jar with one finger (the other hand has to hold the jar, remember), or putting toothpaste on your brush with one hand (how to hold the brush steady so it doesn’t tip and smear toothpaste all over the countertop is a perennial question), etc. etc.  Mom, o-you-who-were-no-handed-for-so-long, I feel your pain.  Well, not really.  I didn’t smash my wrists to pieces, and I’m hopefully not going to have surgery.  But still, I know at least part of what you went through.  Moving on, though, no time for whining:

GREAT WEEKEND: So, since I’ve had no life, I planned months ago to have a roommate-outing day on a Sunday when I only had one big project due the following week, instead of three projects.  We went mushroom-picking on the coast!  We didn’t find a ton of chanterelles, but we did get a huge basket full of shaggy manes before they turned all black and oozy (google it and you can see pics).  It just so happened that our outing-day was the day after I seriously injured my hand, so I was rather useless at cutting the mushrooms, but it was still fun to tromp through the woods and tell other people to harvest my finds.  If I’m not careful, I’ll turn into the Queen of Sheba.

THANKSGIVING: a fantastic day with fantastic friends!  I went to McMinnville, I read some books, I caught up with friends, I made some fantastic mashed potatoes, I played fun games, I ate great food (including those mashed potatoes, om nom nom), and, most importantly, I relaxed.  This quarter has been low on relaxing and high on streeesssssss that feels like it’s never going to end.  But it’s ending!  On Tuesday, I’ll be done for a whole month!!

CHRISTMAS: so, for a whole month’s break, what better way to celebrate than filling up the ENTIRE break with fun times?  After finals are over, I’ll be spending about a week cleaning my room, hanging out with roomies, going to various doctor appointments and Christmas parties (not in that order of fun), and hanging out in McMinnville.  I’ll then go to my grandma’s house for a short week, when my nukular family shows up and we all fly to Mexico!  Kayaking in Baja, anyone?  (One-handed kayaking?)  And then we’re all skipping back to grandma’s house for Christmas Day, where we will eat a ton, lament that we don’t have more time, and drive back to Montana.  Montana for a short week, then perhaps Wyoming for a short week, then back to Portland and back to the grindstone.  But all worth it!