Getting back to normal

Better late than never, right? One of my new year’s resolutions was to be a better blogger, and that starts today! (In a later post, because I want to post more pictures, but I don’t have my camera with me at work.) I’ve been really bad about posting lately, but the holidays are so busy, and they only just ended this week for me. I was supposed to get back into my routine on Monday, but the office was closed, and something needs to be happening in my life for me to feel like posting. Sitting in my house playing Sims isn’t news-worthy (it is addicting though- my goodness!). Eventually the semester will start, and then I’ll feel 100% like a person again, but getting back to work is a step in the right direction.

I had my first mandolin lesson of 2012 last night. Winter decided to wait until everyone left Buffalo before showing up, and walking over to community music was bitter. It was the kind of cold that hurts your lungs, and freezes the inside of your nose. I passed a group of people hanging out next to a giant steaming pot, and it turned out that they were making beer! I didn’t realize that extreme cold was good beer-making weather, but it smelled pretty good, so I guess it must be. Those people were hardcore though, because it was not standing-around-outside.  Even wearing gloves, with my hands in my pockets my fingers were freezing, and they felt all itchy and stiff during my lesson while they thawed. Fortunately, most of my lesson was spent watching my instructor tune and tweak my new mandolin, but when he handed it back to me I sounded pretty bad (ok, a lot of that was from not practicing, but some of it was probably cold fingers!). I’ll get back into it though- I practiced a whole bunch last night after my lesson.

Last night was also the return of Switched at Birth! I don’t know if anyone who reads this (and doesn’t live in my house) watches it, but it’s pretty awesome. I doubted at first- the previews made it seem sort of stupid, but ABC Family produces quality entertainment (Make It or Break It anyone? It comes back in March!). I made a big batch of kale chips, and my sister, my mom and I all settled in for some exciting baby-switching tv excitement. Last night’s episode was good, but I was hoping for a little more drama. They kind of did the Twilight thing, where it’s all build-up, and then the conflict never appears, but maybe they’re just drawing it out, and there will be another big crazy, dramatic episode in a few weeks. For now I can just enjoy watching the cute deaf guy patiently endure his tiresome girlfriend (my sister thinks he looks like a lesbian, but that detracts nothing from his appeal). Grey’s Anatomy returns this week too, so I’ll have all my terrible-but-good tv shows back to comfort me while I drudge through all the grad school applications ever. I’m almost done with University of Southern Maine, and Northeastern, so I just need to work on the UMasses, Minnesota, and Illinois. Applying to grad school is a little like having a gambling addiction, but if I win big and get in somewhere it will be 100% worth it.