‘Twas the day before the day before Christmas

The semester ended almost two weeks ago, my marks have been submitted, my shopping is done, and life is good. I’ve gone a little Martha for the holidays – the other day I painted the bathtub, baked gingerbread, made cranberry gravy, and to complete the package, did a little insider trading. It’s a good thing.
The world’s greatest mother-in-law has gone home, Colin has been to his first concert (David Bowie, who was great, and flu-free), and so far the cat has not destroyed the tree. More good things.
The season also means catching up with old friends. Yesterday was a banner day for such contacts – in the morning, while I made cranberry jelly (which (a) is not the same as the cranberry gravy and (b) turned out perfectly, thank you very much), I had a nice chat with my New Jersey connection. Later, my Haligonian buddy called to say hi and officially announce her engagement (once her divorce is final, of course). We ended the day with a very cozy evening of port and spinach dip with my former boss/current good friend. The good things continue to pile up.
We’re looking forward to a nice family Christmas chez the ‘rents, with my brother and sister and various add-ons, as well as a few more visits with the long-lost. And just to ice the cake, I don’t go back to the classroom ‘til January 12th – when I’ll be teaching a full load! My colleague has received her itinerary for her trip to Belgrade, so it looks pretty official at this point. I sincerely hope that all of you have as much to celebrate this season.
Happy Christmas, kick ass in 2004, … and… to all a good night.

Quelques arpents de neiges

For the record, I spent half an hour searching for a rhyme for neiges that would appropriately convey just how friggin cold it is. Minus 21 C with the windchill, which is -6 F for the Yanks.
Ah yes, the windchill. There are no words strong enough to express just how much I hate windchill. Every year I waste several valuable minutes wondering just why, out of all the Commonwealth destinations my parental units might have chosen, we ended up here. Why did the French settlers stay, those many years ago? Historical text after text tells us that the settlers’ numbers were drastically reduced every winter, because of extreme temperatures, no food, impassable routes, and so on. So why do we stay? What are we trying to prove?
And yet, here I remain… Despite the obvious ridiculousness of our winter weather, I love this place. Sigh

Living in Limbo

My career is careering.
Originally, I was offered two courses for next semester. Registration, which is still underway, has thankfully filled both courses, and they will both go ahead. However, one of my colleagues, who has permanence, has lost a course due to poor enrolment. As a result, she gets one of my courses, since I’m at the bottom of the seniority/priority list. However, this same colleague is being wooed by an international aid organization for a position in Belgrade. She believes she’ll find out by the end of this week if the organization is willing to meet her salary demand. If so, then not only would I keep both my courses, but I would also get one of hers.
The other scenario is that registration will prove that another section of English for the Social Sciences is required. That extra section would go to said colleague, leaving me with the original two courses.
In the meantime, AUGHGHGHGH, as Lucy would say.