x-mas

Above, Melissa and I react to the completely abysmal play of the Blue Jackets last night. Epic hockey fail. :-(


Christmas eve...it's raining in Columbus. Last night everything was covered in a nice slippery sheet of ice.

The end of the quarter was not quite what I wanted it to be. I should have worked harder, and will resolve to do so next quarter. I think the senioritis has set in. I just want to be done. I am starting to map out my next steps, and plan where I will go next in my career. It's exciting and scary and there are lots of questions running through my head, but I'm trying to take it one step at a time.

Not going to lie...I've been a little down the past couple of weeks. Kinda sucks. Work has been fine, haven't been doing a whole lot of socializing, and I've been *really* tired. The cats seem to be getting into slightly less trouble which is nice.

Hanukkah started on Sunday night, and we did a little family celebrating. There was a lot going on since Melissa had just gotten home and then was leaving for Missouri early the next morning, so it wasn't very elaborate...which is ok. :-) Family time is always nice.

Lighting the candles and saying the blessings


Fun with camera timer


Latke time!


Yum, yum, yum





Latkes and sour cream...not healthy in any way, but SO DELICIOUS!!!




Now I'm headed over to Mom and Dad's to have some dinner, then back home, hopefully to see Melissa and Matt.

Just wanting to feel a little holiday spirit, instead of so down and blue.

thanksgiving recap...finally...

Wowza...it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I can't believe it's Christmas eve. I'm excited to go to Texas on Sunday. I am way behind on updating this thing!!

First up, I feel compelled to share some pictures from Thanksgiving, even though it's almost a month in the past. I had such a great time...


While shopping for squash casserole supplies...Dundees are everywhere!


We got to see two hockey games during the week It's the favorite way for the Bornstein family to celebrate any occasion.



Cooking for Thanksgiving is always lots of fun - Ben and Mom were joking about something here. I swear, I did more than just take pictures, I helped prepare as well!


Dad needed a break to check up with his crackberry.


My sister Melissa, Caleb her boyfriend, my best friend Melissa and her boyfriend Matt were also on hand for activities of thankfulness.


Here's a view of the table, post nom.



Two goobers at a hockey game.

ugh...

So the good news is it's not so cold today...in fact not really cold at all. Granted, it has rained all day, but I will gladly take that over snow. It's been gray and gloomy overall, which doesn't do a lot for fostering a good mood.

I shouldn't be writing this blog right now. I should be studying for my exams tomorrow. I think my brain needed a little break though. I have my french exam at 9:30, and then physical anthropology at 1:30. Everything is under control. I have good grade thus far in both classes, and should be in good shape for the exams, but it stresses me out none the less. I seem to not feel comfortable going into exams unless I overprepare, so thats where I am right now. Most previous quarters have worked out nicely so I only have one exam each day, and having two tomorrow is stressing me out a bit. Just have to breathe and try to focus...which is hard. When I have a lot to do, I have a hard time just working on things bit by bit. Instead, I tend to worry about getting everything done and am less productive overall.

The blue jackets suck. It is so depressing I can't even describe it. I just don't get it.

My cats are fairly calm today...and better stay away from the new laptop charger. I have to figure out a way to get them to stop chewing on stuff.

Three weeks from today I will be in Galveston - There's something to look forward to! Two days from now I will be done with exams and beginning to enjoy a couple weeks of freedom - from school anyways.

I like the holidays. I like vacation. I like traveling and exploring new places.

I've had straight A's for 7 quarters straight...I really hope I don't jeopardize this tomorrow. I am trying to tell myself that a "B" every so often wouldn't be the end of the world...I *almost* believe it.

Ok...back to the books.

Furry monsters

It snowed most of the day today, and although snow in Columbus can be a royal pain in the ass, it is also very pretty to look at. While driving around today I saw many accidents, including a car that was almost in the Olentangy river after sliding off of 315. I myself almost rear ended someone on my way down the little hill where Kenny Road hits Bethel. Luckily I was able to stop my car in time, and promptly told Ben I should probably call him later and not talk on the phone while driving in the snow. Yes, I am bad.

This snowy weather is lovely to look at when you are warm inside, although I admit it makes me wish I had a physicist to snuggle with. Poor guy, he's suffering through "winter" in California...ya know, the whole wearing shorts and riding his bike thing.

The Blue Jackets are playing tonight in LA. Hoping for good things.

The cats were being rather cute today, so I snapped a couple pictures.





Mom and I were going to go to Winterfair today, but with the snow and crazy driving, we decided to stay in. We had a nice dinner and then hung out while I did laundry. Mom did some work while I continued my crafting endeavors. I am going to have to make another trip by JoAnne's tomorrow morning to pick up some more supplies.

Here's another sneak peak at my crafty-ness.

been a long time!

Yikes...I've been very negligent in my blogging. Let me just say, I am thrilled to be done with classes for the quarter. Now I just have to make it through exams, and then I can relax. Well...work a bunch hopefully, but also relax!

Thanksgiving was excellent, and I will provide some proper blog-umentation of the events at a later date. I have to be up for work in a few short hours, so I can't stay up too much later.

New job is going well. Getting used to the morning hours has been quite the challenge. I enjoy it though. I'm still going to work the occasional shift at Bravo as well for some extra income.

My cats are evil. There was very little doubt before...but now every day I become a little more sure that my cute little fluff balls are actually agents of the devil.

The following is what was waiting for me when I arrived home after class today.


I wish I could tell you this didn't seem to happen from time to time, but unfortunately that is not the case. You have to wonder...is the perpetrator of this act malicious or merely retarded? I am inclined to think it may just be a little of both. Ben may think that 400 lb chihuahuas would be the coolest thing ever, but two 10 lb cats are about all I can handle. At least I love constantly sweeping the floor...oh wait...



Here's Noodle - Looking kinda guilty.

But you can't hate him too much, because then he goes and gets all cute...like here as he snuggles up on a small pile of dirty socks. Aww...Noodle...



I think his feet are particularly cute.



Now he gives a movie star smile.



This holiday season I am attempting something I have always wanted to do but have never followed through on. I am trying my hand at crafting holiday gifts for people. I love all things crafty, but seem to have ADD when it comes to choosing one and really getting into it. I found a great community on livejournal for homemade gift ideas, and decided this would be the year I made it happen.

I've got a couple plans underway - bought some supplies today and even started crafting a bit. The first finished prototype is going to live with my mom, and i don't have any pictures of that one but here's a glimpse of the next one I am working on. I won't yet reveal just what they are...because it would ruin the surprise...but here's a sneak peak.


Ok...time for bed.

Until next time...

tuesday groove

I had to clear snow off of my car this morning. It's always a rude awakening the first time you have to do that every winter. F-ing snow. I like it...but it's a royal pain, and my body hasn't adjusted to the cold yet.

So, I am obsessed with Beyonce's new song, Single Ladies. This is going to be my new morning groove and am making a new work out mix to feature it. I should have worked out today, but thats another story. I promise myself to work out tomorrow, since it also helps improve my mood. A good, energetic song never fails to help me start the day on a positive note. This one makes me just want to get up and dance, even though I don't really dance. What you may not know is that I am a dance superstar in the privacy of my own apartment. However, my moves are not for public consumption...

I started my new job at Starbucks very, very early on Monday morning. I was unable to fall asleep the night before, so going on two hours sleep from work, straight to class had me in a pretty foul and hopeless mood. I know/hope that once I can adjust to this schedule it will be easier, but I also know that I certainly have a tendency to sort of get all doom and gloom about things from time to time, especially when I am tired. Monday was one of those days. With excellent encouraging words from my parents and Ben I was feeling better by the end of the day.

Again, I had trouble sleeping last night - although 5 hours of sleep is much better than 2. I ended up getting off work a little early, and coming home for a nap, which went longer than I had originally intended. I am feeling more caught up on sleep, but am now concerned it may affect how early I get to sleep tonight. I don't know...I'm still feeling pretty tired.

Since I worked for Starbucks before (for almost two years mind you) the training is going very smoothly. I remember a lot of it, and there isn't *so* much that has changed. I got a bit ahead today so tomorrow morning I will start making drinks on the bar right away, as opposed to having to trudge through the reading (which is a good refresher, but pretty boring overall). There are some new drinks I will have to learn, but I think I remember a lot of the other stuff. Beth, my learning coach, is so nice, as are the rest of the people who work there. Andi, my manager seems really great as well - from what I can tell of them so far, I really like her management philosophy. Overall it seems like such a positive place to work. I have a lot of really happy memories from my previous stint at Starbucks - until a bad management change sent everything awry - and am looking forward to this experience. Working in the morning will be an adjustment for sure, but thats when the best parts of the job take place - Making drinks, interacting with customers, being busy. The night shifts were the ones I didn't like as much - there's so much in the store that has to be cleaned and sanitized every night - breaking down all the syrup pumps, mopping, doing load after load after load of dishes...those are the things I will not miss.

6 days till the arrival of the physicist. A little more than a week from thanksgiving. I will be working a lot, but am going to try to get ahead on homework this week so that when I am not in class or at work I can enjoy the time with my family, and my man.

My cats are crazy...but are actually being quiet right now. Amazing. Now I will run out to procure some dinner before the Jackets game starts. Sadly it's not on tv, so I will have to listen on the radio...or use my dad's special NHL video account thing (since he's at the game after all)...while I type up the final copy of my French composition. I am going to turn that bugger in early.

So there you have it...my life in a nutshell. Woot.

we now interrupt your crazy week for an evening of relaxation

Friday...whew...

So week 8 of the quarter has ended and I am feeling like things with my classes *somewhat* under control. I've got quite a bit coming up in french class this week, but I think it should be do-able.

On the job front - I am transitioning yet again. Starting Monday I'm going to be a minion of the coffee monster yet again - going back to Starbucks. I'm actually really excited about it. Well, excited about everything but having to get up at ungodly hours. I'm sure it will be an adjustment.

The Blue Jackets spanked the Sabres tonight 6-1. Granted, Sabre goalie, Patrick Lalime hadn't played in a couple weeks...but the Sabres are one of the best teams in the eastern conference. We beat them in Buffalo which is an added bonus. Yay road win! 4-1-1 in our last 6 games. That's not too shabby. Hopefully we can make a strong showing tomorrow against the Wild.

One of the great benefits of dating someone with good taste in music is that you get introduced to great new artists. I'm enjoying my "weekend" this evening by becoming more familiar with the music of Joshua Radin. It's been a while since I've discovered an artist where I can really listen to every song on their album without wanting to skip any. Thank you Mr. Physicist!

It's going to be a long week for sure, but after a good workout this afternoon, a decisive Blue Jackets victory and a relaxing evening of listening to music, I think I will be up for the challenge.

keep on trucking

This happy orchid will brighten up the dark, dreary impending winter of central ohio.

The end of the quarter is drawing near. This means many things - some good, some stressful. The good is that Ben will be here in two weeks. The bad is that there is lots of work to be done. I am staying reasonably on top of things. My french composition turned out better than I thought. (Apparently I set ridiculously high standards for myself there) I think I did reasonably well on my anthropology midterm today. My theatre class is a cluster fuck...but thats a whole other story.

The Blue Jackets have won three in a row and are 4-0-2 in their last six games. This is an excellent turn around from the few games before that. Steve Mason, our young stud of a goalie, is so exciting to watch! I *really* hope he lives up to his potential. We've had too many first round picks that have turned into busts.

Since I am a super fan of massive proportion, I won a years supply of hot dogs on Wednesday night. Mind you, this is the second time this has happened. Every so often they will have stations in the arena where you can make a sign before the game, and both times I have done this I have won. Great success!! Granted the hot dogs are not my favorite, so I am donating the coupons to a local food bank. Maybe one of these days I will win something more blue jacket-y...like a jersey...or my very own blue jacket.

Me with my sign...although I did get the quote wrong. There is a cannon in nationwide arena that gets fired after ever blue jackets goal.


52 coupons for packages of sugardale hotdogs. Yum...I guess...


Until next time...

I don't think you're ready for this jelly.

I think it's safe to say that without a doubt, the various jellyfish on display were my favorite part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I haven't had much experience with jellyfish, or jellies, as they are properly called. ('cause they're not fish!) I've been lucky enough to have never been stung by one, and might have caught one or two at the various aquariums I have visited, but other than that, no real jelly time. I was filled with childlike glee when we saw an assortment of moon jellies on our whale watching adventure, but getting to see them up close and personal at the aquarium was fantastic!


First up, the purple striped jelly...






Next up, moon jelly - We saw these on the whale watching trip, but they looked much more pink than white as they floated along.


A zillion little moon jellies...so cute!



Ben was right, the sea nettles were my favorite. It was pretty mesmerizing watching them squish around in their tank.




A better close up of the tentacles...simply amazing!



Here's a (blurry) shot of the sea nettle tank - gives you a better idea of how big it was and more importantly how many of them were in there.


Hard at work, capturing the jelly madness.


I wish this wasn't so blurry...but just to prove we were really there!



Basking in the squishy jelly glow.

Doing my civic duty

I voted today. It was very important to me to make sure I did so.

I went with my mom to my old elementary school, and stood in line in the cafeteria. It only took about 15 minutes which was a very pleasant surprise. It was kinda odd being back in that room - it's been many years since I was in there. I remember how big that cafeteria used to seem, and today it seemed so small. There were still names of teachers on the wall that I recognized, along with a lot of fun kid art. There was no school today, but there were some kids roaming the halls, perhaps kids of volunteers. They had all made their own "voting badges" to pass out - little pads of post-it notes that they had written messages on. "I voted. :)" (smiley face included of course) It was really cute to see how excited they were about the whole situation. I was excited too.

I'm always a little bit surprised at how patriotic I feel standing at the voting booth. I checked my ballot carefully to make sure I put everything in correctly. I took a moment to just stand there and take it all in. I may not be as informed about politics as I could be. Or should be. But I believe in the candidate I voted for. I believe that things can improve in this country. It doesn't make me any less proud to be an American, or to participate in the voting process. It's not only my right, it is my duty.

I will be watching anxiously this evening to see how things turn out...A new chapter of our collective history as a country will begin tonight. I am hopeful.

lovely, squishy things.

Prepare to get schooled...



Presenting: The adventures of Ben and Bryanne at the Monterey Bay Aquarium!!

Although I didn't know it would be part of the weekend plans, ever since I had become aware of Monterey's aquarium I wanted to go there. I may not be the biggest fan of seafood, but I *love* going to aquariums. When initially discussing potential things to do when I went to visit Mr. Dundee, the aquarium was one of the first things that came up.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium certainly lived up to my expectations and exceeded them. I've been to aquariums before that deal primarily with local wildlife and it was nice to see that here. (Even though I really would have liked to see some clownfish! I will have you know I was a fan pre-finding Nemo. :) )

Ben had his new camera to use, and I was ready to take lots of pictures, so over the course of a day and a half, we took a ton of pictures. Here are some of my favorites - undoubtably this will become a series of entries. There just too much fishy goodness to cram into one.


The giant kelp forest tank was getting a nice scrub down from some friendly scuba dudes.





My favorite anemone - the cute pink strawberry variety.



Starfish - up close and personal.


I had no idea sand dollars looked like this!



Ben's favorite anemones look like something out a dr. suess book.


As does this engaging little critter.


Perch tank wonderland



Up next - Starfish bonanza! They were all members of a touch pool posse, so I gave each of them a little tickle after taking their photos. I figured it was only proper.




This little guy is called a bat star. I have no idea why. Although if he took off flying around to save gotham I certainly wouldn't complain. In fact, that would be pretty awesome.




A whole blurry pile of these blue spotty guys


The colors of this one were particularly striking


Look! They have people at the aquarium too!