*Gobble Gobble*

Well, I have to say -- Thanksgiving was wonderful! We had a full house! Some of H.'s friends, our neighbours, and A. and her husband came. That was nine adults, two children, and two doggies! I mean, I know we've got a big place, but yeesh!

We spent a lot of the time playing Wii, just waiting for everyone to show up. After that, it was a lot of noise with the puppies and children running around (well, the one running child and the other puppy-fearing toddler)! The turkey was really good, and my first attempt at pumpkin pie turned out pretty decent as well. H. helped out a lot with everything else, which made the whole idea of dinner and entertaining much less stressful (which is a pain, seeing as I don't have a lot of experience with that sort of thing).

It was a good time, though, and I'm happy that so many people were willing to spend my Canadian holiday with me. There weren't even any wise-cracks made about Canadian Thanksgiving versus the American one. All in all, I feel so blessed that to have had such a good meal with such good people. It was wonderful.

Happy Turkey Day!

Okay, so it's not quite Thanksgiving Day yet. We still have another eight hours to go. (Or sixteen, since we should probably be on Canadian time for this joyous Canadian holiday.

But, who cares? It's time for turkey, pumpkin pies, and giving thanks!

Tomorrow, I am reigning in between six and eleven non-Canadians to celebrate with me (including H.). I admit it -- trying to tell an American about Canadian Thanksgiving is a tough one. Americans find a Canadian Thanksgiving just about as logical as a Columbus Day turkey. Perhaps it's just that they cannot fathom anyone on the planet celebrating -- well, what is it we're thankful for, exactly? -- on a day other than the monumental gongshow that American Thanksgiving really is.

And that made absolutely no sense.

But seriously.

I like Thanksgiving in Canada much better, regardless of any bias I may have due to my Canuck background. First, Thanksgiving in America is a complete gongshow. They put the holiday wayyy too close to Christmas. I know I'm a little more Christmas-happy than everyone I know (and by that, I mean a lot more), but to me, the end of November is already Christmas season. I don't have to like waiting for turkey just to put up my Christmas decorations.

Second, as nice as it is to give thanks, it's just turkey and mashed potatoes. Why fly half-way across the country for that? Canadian Thanksgiving is much better. We still pull out all the stops for an amazing dinner, and we spend it with friends and family. But it's not the "be all and end all" to holidays; it's low-key, and that's one of its major selling points. We understand that Christmas comes soon, which means more family and more turkey.

Which brings me to the other good point that our Thanksgiving is in October. It makes much more sense to have a break in turkey. That way, you're not sick of it by the time Christmas rolls around, since Thanksgiving is inevitably synonymous with a couple weeks of turkey buns for lunch...

Whatever your nationality, be happy that Turkey Day is tomorrow. Have a good meal with your loved ones, and let them know you're thankful to have them in your life.

Because that's what it's really all about.

*gobble gobble*

I Love my Mom

Today has been a bit of a rough day, mostly because my college's administration feel like making up the rules as they go along. It doesn't really pay to go into the details, but one decision they made (which, oddly enough, wasn't a factor about a month ago) means that they will withhold information for my transcript which will negatively affect my applications for grad school (seeing as this credit information is vital for my application).

Being the super stressed-out person with the propensity for breakdowns that I am, I had a breakdown. It was not fun, and I still feel inclined to another breakdown every so often as I continue on throughout my day. Also, being a glass-half-empty kind of person, I've also played every possible worst scenario through in my head including: working at dead end jobs for the rest of my life, being a full-time housewife, not having a chance to go on to study at the universities I want... Yes, I'm prone to overreaction, and I know that. But it is a necessary part of the cycle I must go through in order to come out the other end with a clear head.

Well, the head isn't quite clear yet, but a very necessary phone call to my mom back in Canada did help. A lot. First, my mom asked me why I was going to let some bureaucratic douche-bag make a decision that was going to affect an entire year of my life. She then told me I didn't have to accept what the first person at the school told me. After all, the thing with bureaucracy is that everyone has a different story (which is probably why this is the first I've heard of this stupid requirement, which I'm not going to get into).

Then, my mom gave me some of the best advice: "Be an obstinate bitch until you get what you want. You deserve it, and don't settle for anything else."

I love my mom. You don't get too many mom's out there telling their daughters to be obstinate bitches. But my mom did, and I love her for it. Because she gave me the kick in the butt I needed to stop moping and thinking about the end of the world.

So, on Tuesday, it's back to the administration office to get things sorted out. And if they can't sort them out from here? I'm off to the head office in Heidelberg to bang down some doors. As corny and lame-o as it sounds, my mom was right -- I've been working much too hard (taking seventeen credits per term) to get into grad school next fall to let some douche just tell me "no."

And I don't care if this post with all it's "mom power" is lame. My mom is my best friend and I'm so happy she could help put me right-side up again.

If your mom has ever helped put you right-side up again and you appreciate it, let her know. Tell your mom you love her today. Because moms just don't hear it enough. And because they rock.

Ramble, Ramble

Wow! It's been awhile again since I've posted.

To be honest, everything is new, yet nothing is new at the same time. I've been going through bouts of sickness, being bed-ridden and then functioning, and heading back to my bed again. Now, H. is lying on the couch with a fever and a cough that makes him sound like a 90-year-old with emphysema. It sucks, really. He can't afford to be sick with all the stuff he has to do at work, and I can't afford to be sick since I'm taking 17 credits per semester plus baby-sitting and Russian classes on the side. (I know, boo-hoo.)

Other than that, school is school. Now that I've hit the mid-term point, it's heavy on the papers. I'm trying to get into good habits of writing in three or four page chunks rather than sitting down and hammering out a fifteen-page paper. Sure, it works now. It definitely won't fly in grad school though. Nobody sits down to write a three-hundred-page paper. Nobody I know, anyway. So, I figure good habits are good to establish now. Or something.

On the plus side, I'M GOING TO CANADA SOON! That's right! I'm psycho and am going in the middle of the winter. Instead of complaining about the cold, though, (which I'm bound to do once I actually get there), I'm looking at the bright side of things. Other than my house shoes, the only pair of shoes I have to take are the winter boots I'm wearing on the plane. I'll tell you, it sure makes packing a lot easier when you don't have to plan your shoes with the clothes you pack.

Another plus side? H. earns USD, which sucks the big one when everything in Germany is in yo-yos. But it definitely makes things fun for shopping in Canada. Even though the US dollar is in the toilet right now, it's still cheap shopping! Woohoo!

And that's it. See? I told you nothing was happening with me! Oh, I could go into the details of the last TT dinner I attended, or the fun it is to baby-sit a teething child. But that would be even more rambling than the interwebs could probably deal with.

So here's to something interesting (yet not catastrophic) happening soon...