yo

alright, well. here is in update since i'd pretty much rather do anything else than study. i have one more exam on thursday and then i'm DONE for 10 days or so... no school, no obligations, no nothing! there is talk of going on a trip, but nothing has been determined yet. we all want to go somewhere warm, but apparently warm just isn't happening in europe right now.

since i last wrote i've been quite the busy girl. christmas holidays were a blast, but man... exhausting! traveling every couple of days tires me out - i'm a creature of routine and i lacked that for a few weeks over christmas. i spent the first week or so of my break in ontario with dad an laurel. we had good times, took a trip to the city, ate some good food, had our own little christmas. i also got to see the good friends i made at the plant there, and i realized that even though kincardine basically ate a part of my soul it's not entirely a bad place.

my last day there my friend karen took me to collingwood and we enjoyed the scandanavian baths. if you ever get a chance to go to something like that, GO. it's lovely... warm pools, dry saunas, and - my personal favorite - a eucalyptus steam room. there were also nordic plunges. ack. so cold. but it closes the pores (apparently) so it's an essential step in your bathing experience.

from kincardine i went on to winnipeg where i was VERY domestic. mom and i made christmas stockings and aprons. MADE them. with our own two hands and a sewing machine. it was pretty intense stuff, i embroidered, i ironed, i stitched, i sewed. all things i usually have no interest in but for some reason it was great to keep busy with mom. we had a lot of fun.

christmas eve we drove to moose jaw to hang with denae and colb and the rest of the family. the domesticity continued at the elford ranch - i helped cook (sort of - i mashed potatoes), and i helped clean, and i discovered that being helpful in the kitchen makes christmas go by a lot quicker. now, we all know i'm not really a christmas fan, but if you busy yourself the day kind of speeds on by and it's not nearly as painful as it can be. also we ate a lot. too much. snacks. everywhere. i have developed a serious christmas belly.

from moose jaw i bused it to regina, where i had a quick visit with my nearest and dearest pals, and then i hopped a flight on new years eve and came back to england. that travel day was so so yucky... gross.

here, it's cold outside, but not that cold. i'm ashamed to admit i'm not handling the weather very well here, but i've figured out it's not cause i'm a complete and total wimp it's because england lives in the dark ages when it comes to efficiently heating a building. there is no central heat in any building, and most heaters don't have thermostats so they have to be turned on manually. for example, the heater in my room only runs for 15 minutes at a time. so every time i'm cold i have to push the "on" button and get me a little blast of heat. which isn't so bad, really... except at night. there have been a few nights now where i have to get up and turn on the heater. it's insane. and once you catch a chill there is simply no shaking it. ugh. warmer weather should be on it's way soon, i hope.

post exams there is talk of a dinner party with all the other first year law students to celebrate surviving our first round of tests. i'm really looking forward to it - i've been studying pretty intensely and i haven't been very social for the past little while. we'll likely eat and drink and yell and laugh and then maybe hit the streets of leicester and paint the town red. should be silly. i'll keep you posted.