Swollen and Bleeding...Got To Love Christmas

Let me start by saying that I am really glad that I am home. I find myself over joyed with the slightest of things such as: a bus system that is relatively efficient and that is useful, grass that is actually ground (not an off-shade of brown), trees tress trees and more trees, currency that comes in various colours (not the bland green that is so readily popular to our neighbours to the south) and water that tastes good! Yes, faithful reader, I have come home to Canada, where temperature is in Celsius, and everything is metric (I am currently 61 kilos). I miss this place. And although not that much has changed I'm still loving the feeling that in some small ways I am rediscovering the city I grew up in. And trust me, I love the feeling.

Canada has this way of making your problems feel like that don't really matter. Everything is so beautiful, how could someone not get lost in the sheer grandeur of it all? There is snow on the mountains, waves lapping on the shore, and people who are polite (although, I'm sure the season has something to do with that...) It's a pity that I took it all for granted before I left. I guess it's true what that HORRIBLE song says: "You don't know what you've got til its gone...Pave Paradise Put Up a Parking Lot..."

So Christmas is upon us...which means shopping, stressing, and hoping Santa is good to each of us. However, if you are me...then you understand that I'm sitting on my couch with gauze in my mouth and ice packs tied around my face because of only one thing: wisdom teeth (or more specificially, a lack of wisdom teeth)...although I do believe that the absence will in no ways effect my ability to think clearly and efficiently. I am still the same person...just now I have a few less teeth...and event tho though they are gone...I some how don't miss them...guess i didn't have an emotional attachment to them...

Anyways, I'm glad that finals are over. It seems like an understatement, but it's true. The joy that is felt when you are done with classes, is enough to make you feel like you can do anything...well not anything...i'm still stranded on my couch with puffy cheeks...but you understand. So high school students, just because you have to do finals when you get back doesn't mean that I want to see status updates about how hard they were, cause trust me...those were a breeze. So just enjoy them while you can...i wish i had.

Besides that fact that it is now Christmas, I am certainly enjoying this holiday...this time around. I'm meeting up with old friends, running into people I haven't seen in ages, and enjoying every minute of it. Ignoring that Santa is a creepy old man with a obvious thyroid problem who sneaks into peoples homes and leaves gifts assumedly to the liking of the individual and then proceedes to eat cookies and milk both of which should be strictly forbidden based upon his body mass, it is still a great holiday. But i'm still toying with the idea of telling my  future children about the Santa Claus lie...I'm not quite sure what to do...but somehow lying to my children seems harsh...Ah well I've got time to think about it.

Well, that's all for now. Most likely more to come...i'm stranded on my couch...

Signing Off,
A swollen DG

Finals Week: Where Has My Sanity Gone

Granted it's not ACTUALLY finals week. It is simply the week BEFORE finals week. Which, ironically, is very much like high school's "week before doom settles": teachers are cramming, projects are getting thrown together and people are losing touch with reality. It's all familiar...but sadly at a much higher level meaning that the cramming is more drastic, the stress is more dynamic, and the insanity much more dramatic.

But first a note from the BYU Christmas Around the World: It was epic. To all those involved both in the audience and on the stage it was truly an enjoyable show. Everything ran smoothly and it was a pretty impressive show. And by impressive what I really mean is that it was the best show EVER on BYU campus. So for all those who went to divine comedy instead of to our show, remember Santa is going to deliberately skip your house now. Hope you like coal!

Needless to say, it's going to take sometime for everyone to get over the stress of Christmas around the world. It was stressful at times. It was also long hours, which means that all of the performers are suffering from lack of sleep. So if you bump into anyone and the yell at you in: Hungarian, Colombian, Austrian, Ukrainian, Polish...whatever, know that they are just saying how much they care about you...unless you didn't come to the show then it is probably an angry string of nasty names and insulting phrases. Hope you all came to the show!

So it's finals week and the joy begins. Everyone is totally pumped. You can feel the excitement as you walk around campus. Luckily no one is in tears yet...but i have a horrible feeling that come next week the tears will be flowing like no body's business. BUT HEY, there is always a demand for salt water :D (I'm totally kidding, tears an absolute waste of energy, we can't even use them for fresh water...so it's totally useless).

Let's be honest stress is not even remotely fun. Well alright it can be somewhat fun to torment those who are extremely stressed, but in general it is not a fun thing. But such is life.

FINALS: LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!

Signing Off,
DG