Carry the Flag!

Epic Blue Jackets victory tonight. Sadly I wasn't there, but I watched excitedly from home. We conquered the evil Dead Things (also known as the Red Wings) in a 3-2 overtime victory. All three goals courtesy of Rick Nash. I so wish I could have been there to scream my head off and watch the hats rain from the sky as the cannon sounded to signify the overtime victory. These are two huge points to kick off the second half of the season. I was hoping Chimera might get a goal in his first game back after injury, but it's all good. Captain Nash took care of business. My boys need to keep playing like this. It's pretty exciting to be a Jackets fan right now.

In other icey news...the weather is horrible. Rehearsals for the play were canceled tonight, and it looks like OSU students will be the only people in the city who have classes tomorrow...unless there's some sort of miracle which would be a-maz-ing.

I was informed today I have a new manager at work...this came as a surprise. Hopefully all will still be ok.

Gotta get to bed soon...need to take a shower...but before I do...

GO BLUE JACKETS!!!


*edited to add: HOLY SHIT - OSU closed...no class tomorrow. Sweeeeeeet!

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.

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.

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.

Weekend is coming!

The weather was surprisingly warm today! It was also nice and sunny with a lovely blue sky which never fails to help me feel more productive.

I am attempting to make some spaghetti squash for dinner tonight - I am thinking I will cook some onions and garlic to add in with a little spaghetti sauce. Of course this all hinges on the squash turning out well, so here's hoping!

My cat Nash seems to be having some issues with hairballs lately, which has meant frequently coming home to discover presents of furry cat vomit. I got him some hairball remedies today, including this great paste that vaguely smells like soy sauce. I was a bit concerned that it would be hard to get him to eat it, but sure enough he was licking that stuff right off of my fingers and wanting more. I gave some to Noodle too, in hopes that I can prevent him from having the same problems.

Blue Jackets play in Colorado tonight...I've got my fingers crossed. Sadly, it really can't get much worse for my beloved hockey boys. Here's hoping maybe it can get better!