Is that you, year of the snake?

Dear all,

Supreme apologies for falling down on blogging.  In defence of self, I'm saving you from ultra-boring blog posts about my job and my thoughts about my job.

To make a long story short, while every day something sit-com worthy happens and I scramble to put out whatever fire has started since the day before and, let's be honest, just focus on getting through my classes, all things are going fine at the job.

I mean, there was that thing with the ILL desk on Monday and then the ass't dean said that other thing to me and then colleague X saddled me with shitty task Y and then someone reminded me how I should publish more and that student in class whatever asked me the difference between rococo and baroque and whatthefuckever.  You've missed nothing.

It's pretty much like this:
But this year is infinity times better than last year because E is here! *And* I'm finally getting some lectures in the bag so am not spending all my time educating self on material that needs to be lecturized, powerpointed, and performed the next day that morning. I only spend half of my time doing that, now. So everyone is right, it gets better!

Things to report: Went to Calgary at the beginning of December to spend time with the fam and get our Family Portrait taken. Things were generally fine and saw my sister. She's been back from India since November and will be staying in Calgary with my parents until February. In allegedly unrelated news, my parents booked an impromptu trip to Jamaica for most of January.

Really, the trip back was good. It was a nice visit but also there's nothing that can validate me in my life choices quite like going back to Cowtown to hear about which shade of beige Cousin Meg will pick for her condo (toasted marshmallow), what my father thinks about global warming (that hoax!), my Uncle Gerald's take on gas prices (they purposely raise the prices on the weekends!), Uncle Dave's thoughts about gun control (it's the first step towards communism), and what Cousin Ryan has learned after 5 years of being a firefighter (immigrants cause fires). If I achieve nothing else in life, I fucking made it out of Calgary and that is something.

Things that are awesome (other than having E in Otts and Montoya, natch):
 1)

Xmas gift from E: the Super Juicer!!!! Iloveitsomuch!!!!

Any vegetable that finds itself looking up at me from the weekly veggie bin delivery is hereby given notice: if you are shitty, you will be juiced! I'm looking at you, beets.  Beet juice is a revelation! Also, a little bit of cucumber makes every juice amazing!  Ginger is more powerful than you can imagine.  It's like this:



 2)

The new Batwoman comics!!  Hydrology (the first adventure) is okay but I would recommend Batwoman #12-15 (15 is the latest one I can find), where it's a crossover with Batwoman and WonderWoman.

The way they've resurrected Batwoman is interesting and already dated: tough-as-nails and a patriot (of course!), Kate Kane joined the Marines, only to be kicked out under DADT when her lesbionic identity was discovered!  The only way she can truly fulfill her crime-fighting potential is to become a vigilante in the Batman, Inc. ilk (of course!).  The comic is really super gay (I mean, not just in terms of subtext like all the man comics but in actual text).  Who would have thought it, amIright?

3) My Slanket! TM.

Xmas gift from E: It's a blanket with sleeves, get it!  So you can lay down on the couch and not subject your arms to terrible cool temperatures, such is what happens when one reads a book or eats or attempts to grade things with just a normal blanket for warmth.  It is genius.  My one criticism: it needs more armholes.  If you're lazy enough to require a Slanket (TM), you're lazy enough to not want to turn the thing around and around trying to find the armholes.

4) IL Prosecco from Mionetto

Thanks to Prof H for this one.  It's citrusy, delicious, and doesn't leave you feeling skunky the next day.

5) Long underwear from Mountain Equipment Co-op:

A favorite combination is bullfrog for the top:

And Aegean Blue for the bottoms:

You might think these are like any old long underwear but you would be so very wrong.  These are long underwear that will change your life.  They are like a second skin of power.  Spiderman would be so lucky to have a suit of this kind.

Is this blog post not just proof that I live in a place where Winter is fucking real and fucking on, man?

Wait for the skating update.