year of the ox, oh joy

In Chinese astrology, I am a Tiger. Roar! The Chinese New Year took place the other day, so I looked up my horoscope for the year. The outlook is less than spectacular, a hunker down and bear through sort of year I think. It has certainly started that way.

Last week I had a mini crisis-breakdown about finding my way from graduate school to my career. This past weekend I had a killer stomach virus. My stomach is still healing; relegated to soft simple foods. The homework for this week's classes has been out of my grasp. I had a short paper due yesterday. I wrote in circles for hours and could not get it done on time. Today I thought my luck would start to change. I got the haircut I have been waiting for two months to get. Highlights, lowlights, wash, blow dry. I could not ask for more. Then I got the news that my sister's boyfriend beat her up when she tried to break up with him.

To say the least I was utterly shocked and surprised. My sister, beautiful and confident. Picturing her in my mind with bruises, arm in a sling, never mind her mental state.

I don't know what to do. I know to comfort her and let her know she has support. (Bastard is changing his story around, claiming she fell, then it was self-defense.) She will probably come stay with me a few days when she done dealing with the police and what-not. What I am having trouble with is the urge for revenge. I really want to find him and exact revenge personally. I also believe in government and law and systems. I am pleased to know he has already been arrested and they are preparing charges and going through the legal processes and procedures. I would be happy to let him go through the legal system and get his due. But still my mind wanders away from that.

So this is what the year of the ox is bringing me right now. For now I am a tiger licking it's wounds, mulling what has happened and healing, but I am also preparing for the next phase. My sister and I will regroup.

gemini temperature war

I'm a Gemini and as such double sided on a great many things. My current battle is the weather. I love winter and the cold. Since I live in Florida, when the cold fronts finally come I throw open my windows and do happy dances. I love snuggling down under blankets to stay warm. (How weird is that? Love the cold so you can get warm under blankets? Maybe it's one of those return to the womb things. I digress.)

So my problem the last few days is my overwhelming desire to camp out on the couch with a blanket. I have trouble focusing on work at the couch. Which is why I have a desk, but the desk is currently situated in the tundra area right in front of the open window. At this point most people would probably close the window and be done with it. You don't understand!! In Florida the number of days with temperatures this low (a high of 55 today!) can usually be counted on one hand, two at most in an entire year! I vow not to waste any of them.

So what have I done? I 'borrowed' the slanket I bought Dylan for Christmas to keep warm at my desk in the tundra and a thermos of hot tea.

Now if you will excuse me I have a pile of homework to attack. Charge!

fun fact

That would be Dylan's cat Max being her exploratory self, usually she is not so stretchy and defiant of gravity though.

Random Fun Fact: When I was 12 I read my first complete classic novel, Jane Eyre. Previously I had only read children's versions. I was so proud of myself I decided I wanted to read more classics. So I got the unabridged version of David Copperfield. I have yet to finish it despite numerous attempts.

2009

This is my home desk minus a small mountain of papers that I actually got rid of! I'm so proud of myself for not holding on to them. I am such a pack rat. This apartment does not have space for pack ratting. (a new copy righted verb ;) ) Unfortuanately there is still a box of papers and random stuff hiding underneath it. :( I made a similar dent at work so I rewarded myself with a sundae.

Which I just realized I should have made my reward some video game time instead of food.

Oh well.

I'm hoping to keep up the initiative through the semester. My only really initiative over the winter break was to relax. I made my way through most of Lego Indiana Jones and the book Empress Orchid among other things. To help I am alo pushing my sleep schedule a little later. If it works, it will put more time between my night classes and bed time and make me more alert during class. Staying up until 5 AM on New Year night has helped, but I think my body and internal clock are still adjusting.

On the plus I get to watch more Daily Show and Colbert! Which is starting so . . . click___