Schooooool's out for-eva!

Okay...not quite, but at this pace two and a half weeks without school feels like forever. Or as Alice Cooper says it, "foooooor-eva!"

Anyways, I've taken 14 finals in the last 13 days of school. Last night was the first time since Thanksgiving that I slept more than 5 hours in one night and I can't really remember the last time I ate something fresh. But right now, sitting in my pj's at quarter to noon with nothin' on the agenda today, I feel great :) And because I've been salivating at the idea of break lately, here's a little list of what I'm looking forward to:

1.) Reading: the right lobe of my brain is definitely getting pudgey around the middle and needs a workout after the past 4 science and handskill-intensive months. Even though my sister despises when I read instead of paying attention to her (she literally grabs the book out of my hands, flips to the back, and pretends to read the ending out loud. No...she's 24), I'm hoping to squeeze some reading in after she goes to sleep :)

2.) Movies: there are some great movies out right now and there's nothing more relaxing than sitting in a movie theater shoveling popcorn into your face when it's cold outside. Oh yeah, and seeing a good film while you're at it doesn't hurt either :) On the list for this break are Pride and Prejudice, Walk the Line, Memoirs of a Geisha, Rent, Syriana, and Good Luck and Goodnight. I know I won't get around to all of these but I can dream, right?

3.) Seeing my EK friends: unfortunately, plans to get together over Thanksgiving did not come to fruition but I'm looking forward to catching up in the next few weeks. All of my friends are doing such interesting things (med school, law school, teaching in NYC...) that I can't wait to act grown up and talk about grown up things with them. And laugh about stupid high school stuff, too.

4.) A mini trip to Chicago: Josh and I celebrate our anniversary, if you will, every year in Chicago if we can make it and hopefully we'll be able to head down to the Windy City for a day. We're so fortunate to live so close to the coolest major city in the midwest and I love walking around Michigan Ave. during the hustle and bustle of Christmas time. I can't wait :)

5.) The fireplace: Some people have a certain luxury that they simply can't live without. Josh says he can never not have a pool when he owns his own home because he's grown up with one. For me, I refuse to not have a fireplace. I love the smell, the sound, the look, and the feel of a friendly fire especially during this time of year. I usually curl up with my dog and a book in front of it.

6.) Family: I get a kick out of my family. It's a wondeful feeling to go home and have people so interested in what you're doing and how you've been. Sure, all three of my family members literally got up and left the room this summer when I tried to explain what my research is about (what's there not to understand about monomeric G-protein coupled receptor tyrosine kinases and their affect on angiogenesis? Geez!), but they always make me feel special. And Scrabble and good food and staying up late giggling with my sister don't hurt either.

7.) Sleeping: Here's the obvious one. I get a migraine if I sleep more than 7.5-8 hours a night but I can't wait to sleep exactly 7 hours and 45 minutes every night for two weeks. Maybe I can get rid of these raccoon circles I've developed around my eyes!

I'll be heading back to GR tomorrow sometime and will try to post from there if I get a chance after accomplishing #1-7 above.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year :)

Cheers!

xoxox