STAR CHART

Yesterday, I bought all of our Christmas presents online. It felt so good to know they’re all on their way. Last year I sent packages to our friends out of town, which ended up being a lot of fun and worth the “hassle.” It wasn’t really a hassle. There is a mailing business a few blocks from our house and it’s easy enough to drive down there and stand in line for thirty minutes some afternoon. A little more expensive than the post office, but much less stressful.

Today it’s time to get out the decorations and switch the house over from fall colors to winter colors. It’s also time to get out all my big winter sweaters and put away any remnants of summer I have in my closet.

I have a three page researched paper to write this week about “means of transport and of communication in the complex societies of prehistoric South America with those of pharaonic Egypt.” Interesting to be sure, but I don’t feel like doing research and forcing my brain to come up with something organized. Plus I have to paint my self-portrait tonight and tomorrow night, and be tweaking it, I think, until my painting final on Dec. 10th. My archaeology final test is this Friday, and my drawing final is this Sunday. I need to go down to the school tomorrow afternoon and put all of the drawings I’ve done this quarter up on the wall…and I just remembered that I have two drawings I need to do this weekend too. The final paper is due Thursday, and I have class all day Monday and Wednesday, so that means the only day I have to research and write is Tuesday! Because once it gets dark I need to paint.

Today: Mail some XMas cards, decorate, reorganize closet, draw, paint
Tomorrow: Brunch, grocery store, art final, read, research, paint
Monday the 1st: classes, paint
Tuesday the 2nd: Research, class, write, paint
Wednesday the 3rd: classes, paint
Thursday the 4th: write? class, turn in paper, paint
Friday the 5th: class, chiropractor, shopping, paint
Saturday the 6th: Forget it! LOL
Sunday the 7th: Paula’s brunch
Monday the 8th: Paint
Tuesday the 9th: Go to bank to straighten out issue, Shopping, Paint
Wednesday the 10th: Art final, and then freedom!
Saturday the 13th: Holiday dinner!

We’re on our way to Paula and Grant’s house for a day of delicious food and wine! 8D

COOKING I’ve still been sick, so I haven’t cooked much. My first foray back into cooking was yesterday, when I slow-cooked some pork in an ancho-chili mole rub. It turned out pretty well. I loved the sauce I made afterward. The pork itself was a little boring.

Thanksgiving is coming up, but I don’t have serious plans to make much more than oyster stuffing. I’m really excited about that!! I’m too tired to really even want to make anything more. I feel like there has to be pumpkin pie, even though Grant’s not fond of it. But right now the thought of making pie makes me tired. So does the idea of making anything, actually. I think Dan’s more excited about cooking this year than I am! He’s making like three vegetable dishes. His carrots are so awesome. They’re like fancy restaurant carrots. 8D

I’m more excited about Christmas cooking, actually. I’m planning on making batches of sugar cookies and some other kind of cookies to mail to friends (and eat at home) (oooh…maybe I can make just good cookies with red and green m&ms!! 8D). I also want to make a fruitcake this year! Jeffrey Steingarten had a really lovely white fruitcake recipe in his book. I also want to try something like wassail or mulled wine. We’re having an XMas dinner party at our house a couple of days after finals end. I’m not sure what to make. I feel like there needs to be rumballs and cheese balls (and meat balls? So everything is round like an ornament? LOL Let’s throw some drinkballs [highball and lowball!] and some cakeballs and cookieballs and pieballs and waterballs and mushroomballs and chickenballs in there too…everything we eat must be round. ROFL) (Squashballs!) Anyway…(Forkballs!)… I haven’t decided on the menu yet. XD

DRAWING I don’t know what we’re going to be doing for a drawing final. I think it’s basically whatever we want.

The other day in class I spent the whole three hours working on one drawing. Really slowly. I usually am too impatient to do that, but I really enjoyed it, and it turned out well. : )

Last night I really felt like drawing but once I got paper and pencil in hand, nothing very good came out. That happens all the time these days when I draw for pleasure. I have to actually be working toward improving something, really making conscious and concerted efforts if it’s going to turn out at all.

FAMILY I still haven’t written my Dad. I really need to.

FASHION Nothing new. The December fashion mags have come in! Time to start planning soon.

GARDENING Nothing new.

MISCELLANEOUS CRAFTS Nothing new.

PAINTING I have to draw a study for my painting class. I need to (OH SHIT!) buy a mirror and set it up so I can paint myself in Rembrandt’s pose. I need to do that ASAP. I have to do it at night so that it can be candlelit. Anyway, I have to draw a charcoal study of that pose before Monday.

PHOTOGRAPHY I took some pretty sunset pictures the other day. Completely forgot about them. I should upload them.

PHYSICAL HEALTH I’m still trying to get over my cold. It’s traveled to my chest (though it’s not very intense anymore) and I’m still really tired every day. I have been using one of those sinus flush things and I love it! I went to the chiropractor today and she fixed me all up.

POTTERY Nothing new.