gypsygirl

Hmm... looks like the new trend on my blog is one post per semester. Well, couldn't be helped, it was a busy term. Still is, actually. I should be studying for my database final which is first thing tomorrow morning, but I thought I'd do my duty as an upstanding member of the Procrastinators' Guild and avoid it for a little while. I did look over the study guide, and it's really just the bits that are from the first half of the semester that I need to go over. Most of the rest of it we've been using fairly constantly in class and on assignments so I'm comfortable with it.

So, can't wait to go shopping this weekend. Tomorrow's payday, which means I can finally get my Christmas shopping done. I'm going to Mexico to spend the holiday with my brother and his family so I have to get stuff for both the kids. Apparently, they want football cleats (read soccer, Americans). Well, that's easy enough, but I'd also like to get them something fun. That's harder, because nobody can seem to give us an idea of what they like these days! It's the problem with living so far away, you don't get to know the little details of everyday life.

Well, that's summer over. Two more classes under my belt, and just six to go before I finish my masters. Yay! If all goes well, I'll just have to endure one more Texas summer! I really, really want to move somewhere cooler when I finish.

Just got back from vacation. Second day back at work, today. I spent a week in California with my mother. Among other things, we went to the Hollywood Bowl and saw their production of Camelot. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that they had Jeremy Irons in the role of Arthur. Very, very cool. Needless to say, there were a whole lot more people there that day than the time I went to see Regina Carter.

Now I'm just trying to get through Seussical. Hmm... that makes it sound like it's a complete drag, but it's not. I'm having a great time, it's just that it's very time consuming, and I'm always tired. I guess it doesn't help that I'm both stage managing and acting in it. Still, just a week and a half more of rehearsals and then we open. Scary thought! Should be a really good show.

I saw the teaser for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this weekend. Before then I hadn't known that they were making a new set of films based on the Chronicles of Narnia. The teaser really looked promising. I'm all excited now because the Chronicles of Narnia were some of my favourite books growing up. I can't believe I have to wait till December to see it! I just hope that I'm not so wired by then that it ends up being disappointing.

In other news, the semester is officially over for me. I took my one and only final on Thursday. Woot. I'd definitely be more excited if I were still a teacher or a full time student and actually were getting any sort of a real break this summer... or even between this semester and the summer term. It's at this time of year that I think most seriously of actually, really going back into teaching. Possibly at a community college, in a non-tenure track position so I could just get on with teaching and not have to spend half my time doing research or publishing papers. Yeah, that would be good.

Grr! I'm really pissed off at the people in payroll right now. Why? I'm glad you asked! See, because I work full-time at the university, I get tuition remission as one of my benefits (which means I don't have to pay for my master's degree). But at the graduate level, it's taxable above a certain amount. Basically, come fall semester, they tell the IRS that instead of making, say, $1000 a week, I'm making, for example, $1500, and the IRS then takes out more taxes. Vell... with the amounts they were taking out, I quickly decided that I could only take three classes per year, which meant it was going to take me much longer than I'd expected to finish my degree (I went into it thinking I'd be able to take six classes per year - the maximum amount allowed under tuition remission).

Well as I was trying to figure out how much the tax amount would be this year (oh, because apart from everything else, they've totally messed up on taking it out both years I've done this, and instead of spreading it out over four months, have waited till the last two, so I still had no idea how much the amount was really supposed to be), the head of payroll very casually mentioned, "Well, you know, if you want, you can estimate the amount of the tuition remission and have the extra taxes spread out over the whole year."

*blink* I- huh? I can?? Oh, this is nice! Thanks for waiting two and a half YEARS to tell me this!! If they'd told me from the start, I'd be finishing this year! *grumble mutter mumble*

I would just like to say, "IT'S FRIDAY! WOOHOO!" Dances around the library like a crazy person. At least there aren't any patrons in right now.

Just needed to get that out of my system. For some reason, while this week has gone by fairly quickly and it hasn't been a bad week, each day has seemed to drag on forever and I'm just glad it's finally over.

Going to a conference tomorrow morning and while I am looking forward to it, and to spending time with the friend I'm going with, there's just something... unholy? Yeah, that's a good word for it, unholy about having to set the alarm to get up early on a Saturday.

Random quote of the day:
"When I see a spade I call it a spade."
"I'm glad to say I have never seen a spade."
From Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest

So, Spring Break's over. Well, they call it Spring Break, but not all of us get to take a break. Hmpf! Still, even though I still had to work, at least I was able to go home earlier each afternoon because I didn't have to make up the hours I was out for my classes. I'm trying to convince myself that this makes it aaaallll better. It hasn't quite worked yet.

On the plus side, the library does join with the rest of the university in closing down for Easter, so at least I'll get that long weekend. Yay!

Things are starting to get busier with The Little Prince. Fools runs through this weekend and then we'll finally have access to the space. Huzzah!

Well, I haven't written on here in a shockingly long time! But I have an excuse. <whiny voice>I've been siiick!</whiny voice> This really has been the most virulent cold I've had in years and I just haven't felt much like writing... I guess I've been concentrating too much on just trying to breathe through my nose.

And really, I haven't had all that much to talk about lately. I really only came on today because it's been so long since my last post and I felt vaguely guilty (don't ask me why, I know it's silly). Oh, and also because it's Friday and I don't feel like working.

And just as a reminder to myself, I am going to Sing tonight. I will not go home after work, read for a while, watch a little tv and then go to bed, like the last time I had tickets to Sing. I will go, and I will enjoy myself. And as an added reminder to myself, I've set my alarm for 7pm, so if I do forget it'll go off and I'll say, "Why on earth did I set my alarm for 7pm?? Oh, right! I'm going to Sing!"

I love wellies! Erm... for you non-brits, wellies, short for wellington boots, are rain boots or gum boots. Lots of fun for going out when it's raining and splashing in puddles. Fun with wellies is one of the pros on my list of reasons to move to the north Pacific coast (Oregon, Washington or British Columbia) when I finish my degree.

I've always been fond of wellies. I think the main reason is because, when I was six I was given a huge Paddington Bear (by huge, I mean about half my size at the time). Most Paddingtons just come with the hat and coat (and the "please look after this bear" label), but this one also had on little tiny wellies and I wanted a pair just like his. I never did get a pair just like his (they were red), but I did eventually get a pair and to this day relish rainy days so I can put them on and go out and play in the puddles.

So I was going to go bowling on Sunday with some friends, but we're all so laid back that we didn't actually manage to get our plans together in time, so we didn't. <paranoid>Or maybe they did and they didn't invite me!</paranoid>

You know, just because you're paranoid, it doesn't necessarily mean they're not out to get you.

I'm thinking of starting to re-read the Harry Potter books because the sixth one's coming out in July. I figure, taking it leisurely, and taking time off for stuff I'm actually supposed to read, like textbooks, I'll be done just before the new one's released.

First week of the new semester is now over, and already we have a break, with MLK Jr day coming up on Monday. Not that I'm complaining about having a day off, but it does seem a bit silly to have it so soon after the start of the term. I guess it's just going to be a silly term as far as breaks go anyway, what with Easter being the weekend after Spring Break.