Thanks to the ice and now snow being dumped on us, school is closed again today. Works for me! I’ve spent the morning making mom’s veggie soup. Here’s hoping I do a capable job of it cuz mom & dad are joining me for lunch. The soup is better with cooking, so they won’t be getting it at its prime, but it should be tasty.

Several of my coworkers and I were going to go shopping (and eating) today after work, but, alas, with work closed, it’s been canceled. So perhaps we can do it next Tuesday instead. Tuesday, meanwhile, is our last day of school before break. And best of all, the break lasts until January 4th. So I’ll have two days to recover from my birthday. (The birthday, btw, will be spent with judiang & elsaf at Elsa’s. 🙂 (Oh! Elsa,, the parade isn’t until the 2nd! Maybe the 1st can be movie day & the second sleep in & brunch day?)

It’s very pretty outside – the ice on the trees has allowed the snow to stick nicely on them. Of course, ice on trees is never good – leads to falling on things like power lines. They say we’ll get 3″ or more snow. Ice might be icky, but I don’t mind snow. 🙂

Well, looks like chemistry won’t be having their test over naming & formula writing until after Christmas break. We’ll have tomorrow for a review, then Monday is Making Gak day. Tuesday is “Spirit of Giving Day” which used to be called “Christmas Fun Day.” With donations to the Pleasant Hill Food Pantry, students get to spend the day doing fun things like playing euchre, charades, Monopoly, volleyball, etc. Movies are also available for watching too. Physics is building toothpick bridges from now until Christmas Fun Day. So they’ve got an easy load for the rest of 2005. We might have to have another build day when we get back – usually we test the bridges the day we get back. We’ll see how tomorrow & Monday go. (That’s 3 periods of building for them, so it might be enough.)

The folks and I have finally started doing Advent. 🙂 Yup, 3 weeks in and we’re finally lighting candles. We have to get in practice because Amy & Rachel join us next Wednesday (YAY!) and they’ve been doing Advent since it began. It’ll be great to have the girls here with us over Christmas. Actually, they leave Christmas evening, so we’re going to do our gift exchange Christmas Eve. Dunno if I can do it! (Actually, I probably can. I’m in it for the family togetherness & the gift giving & receiving. The date is really arbitrary.)

I think I’ve discovered why Leo’s been eating his food so damn fast. I think that he thinks there’s someone eating his food. So he feels he has to hurry up and eat his food before someone else does. What he doesn’t realize is that the person eating his food so quickly is HIM. Stupid cat. 🙂 I’ve decided I should have called him Garfield. He is so obsessed with food these days. Maybe he intends to hibernate. 🙂

Anyhoo, since it’s a snow day, I don’t have any real plans. So I think I’ll go do them. 🙂