Toiling

Things are the same and boring. I am still working on Master's crap, A. is still job hunting, We have ridiculous snow/ice drifts that may never melt away, and the dogs are still adorable idiots.

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I am surprised at how much I care about this, but I want to share. I started using Too Faced's Shadow Insurance and it is AWESOME. If you want your eye shadow to stay put and look really, really even and silky, use this stuff. At $18 for a tiny tube, it is a splurge. But I use an itty-bitty, teeny-tiny dot of the stuff on each lid and that is it. I expect it will last for a year or longer. It works so, so well that I don't regret purchasing it in the slightest. And I am not really into make up, you know?

I can't believe I am this excited about make up, but this is really a snazzy little potion.

Do you have a beauty tip that just makes your day? 

Also, does anyone actually wear lipstick on any kind of regular basis? Everyday to work? Out grocery shopping? Just wondering.

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This last hill toward The Completed Master's has been kind of crazy, but for the most part I am holding up. So far. I am reading all the fucking time: for my paper, my exam, and my independent study.

Have I told you I have to take an independent study to have enough credit hours for this Plan B bullshit? I cannot remember. Well, I need three more credits, so I am doing "guided reading" with Prof. D., whom I should have had as my advisor all along. (It is soooooo hard not to slap myself silly over this. I really, REALLY should have had Prof. D as my advisor all along. Jesus, I was so stupid. Let this be a cautionary tale for all of you: Fuck loyalty and do what is best for you.)

Prof. D. and I are reading about food and foodways and whatnot. This is totally the stuff I read about all the damn time anyway, and is a topic near and dear to both of us. The first few readings  are to help with my Plan B paper, and so far, I have been able to incorporate them. (Hopefully this means I won't have to write another goddamned paper for the IS.) I love what I am reading, I am just reading ALL THE TIME. Currently, I am reading Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terrior by Amy B. Trubek. I highly recommend it. Trubek approaches the local/organic idea around food with more nuanced approaches than what the popular "foodies" have offered. It is rather theory-heavy, but worth it.

I am also reading Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food. This isn't on my reading list. A. gave it to me for Christmas. It is so good! And is actually a wonderful compliment to Taste of Place. I recommend it heartily!

I need to be writing more, and hope to really put away some pages tonight. I have a good momentum going, and truly see the light at the end of this ridiculous tunnel. Finally.

How are you all?

Thick Wool Socks

Lame as it is, the weather is the big news around here.

We didn't get snow (or even wind! THANK GOD!) but we had cooooold weather. Yesterday, as I left for work, it was -40F. (If it had been windy, the windchill was expected to be -65F. WTF!!) All of our hot water pipes had frozen, so I took a shower at the gym over my lunch hour. Jesus. Today, it was only -5F and it feels GORGEOUS outside. Ridiculous!

While on the one hand I am all proud of how tough we all are (or stupid"?), I do wish they would have canceled school. I can't believe that kids were outside waiting for the buses in this weather.


It was a bit of a zoo in the morning. Our friend, MG, stayed with us instead of driving to his home 60 miles to the south. We didn't want him traveling in a less-than-dependable truck in this kind of cold, and he had enough sense to feel the same way. His truck didn't start yesterday. Nor did my car. So he, A., the two dogs and I all piled into our pick up and I proceeded to drop everyone off at class, work, or the kennel. Today the pups are home, as it is supposed to get over 30 degrees ABOVE ZERO. Buster is sporting his new coat, however. I still had to drop A. and MG off at their respective locations. It is kind of a cozy routine.

I totally used the excuse of no hot running water to get out of making dinner. A. picked up pizza for dinner. Score!

Strangely, I am not pining for summer just yet. What the hell?

Stay warm, everyone!