Funny how...

Funny how quickly the life of a student can dramatically change. One week I'm pulling out hairs, immersed in books on globalization, policy networks and the World Commission on Dams, eating badly, smelling worse, and disregarding all the telltale signs (the bulging dustbin, the notes of banana peel and soy sauce dancing in the air) that the garbage needs to be taken out.

And the next week, I'm fretting over what Neil and PJ want for Christmas, whether I know Anna-Laure's size, how many naps to take today - one or two, the extent to which the dresser needs to be reorganized and if a second round of baking is in order. My life has gone from papers and paupery to presents and pampery. Just as it should be.

Several exciting things happened this week. Today I did some furniture reorganization while Jonathan marked his student's exams. I think the bedroom looks a lot better, much bigger, open, very zenlike. I'd ask for your thoughts but alas, we haven't decided on a digital camera. Perhaps that will be a boxing day find...My brother studies and scrutinizes all the electronics fliers the morning of - I'll get him on our case for us. He's good at that.

Tonight, Jonathan made pad thai for supper in our new Asian bowls with two little ridges for our chopsticks, but not before he had gotten on the phone with Home Delight Furniture (which I'm now calling Home Dilapidated Furniture) and politely mentioned to them that the $400 table we'd bought in September is peeling like a bad sunburn in Orange Country. I don't know how Jon does it, but in his assertive yet mild mannered way, he always manages to get us what we want. Last time, when our chairs failed to be put on the truck that delivers between stores (in this case, the warehouse and our local one) and Jon complained, Moe's delivered our dining room chairs free to us the following evening straight from the warehouse. And today, our table company has invited us to come visit their showroom and pick out a new table, no questions asked. I don't know what it is... his sexy voice?


In other news, Jonathan and I spent yesterday Christmas shopping. We went to Metrotown (a 470 store mall in Burnaby) and walked around until ours legs felt like jelly, which took approximately 6 hours and 13 minutes. Surprisingly, mine gave out before Jonathan's did. Many a times have I spent hours in the bargain bin at one shoe store with my mother but even that hadn't prepare me for the physical endurance that a Christmas spree with Jonathan requires. But, to be fair, I'm not so sure it was Jonathan's ambitiousness as much as it was the gargantuanness of this shopping mall that had us zipping through stores for the greater part of the day. I mean, this mall is so big that it has 2 Starbuckses which are a good 15 minute hike apart. But given the sensitive nature of the activities that took place and the goods that were purchased during this event, I am limited in what I can share here. Sorry. The important part is that we had fun, sipping gingerbread lattes on our arrival and spicy apple ciders on our departure with a lot of cash register dings, and "Santa Baby" singalongs in between.

And on that note, I bid you goodnight. Thanks Ben for the Calvin strips (More to come).