Ce semestre...

Hoo boy. Hoo boy howdy? Iunno. I just like "hoo boy."

Anyway.

Holidays were wonderful. Josh flew to Florida Christmas Eve morning and we got to spend that afternoon with his whole family-- it really couldn't have worked out better. His parents (who hosted, so obs they were there), grandparents, and his sister and her family were there, and it was great. His niece got the kid's version of Just Dance, so she, Amanda and I did that for a few songs. It's quite silly but it's also pretty fun if you're not busy being self conscious. Josh's mom sent us home with Goldie's Dream Cake to eat the next morning, since that's a Collins family tradition. Holy cow, I am glad of that. Goldie's Dream Cake is delicious. It's a yummy cake (!) with some sort of fruit preserve laced through it, and it's crumbly at the top. God I wish it was Christmas morning again.

Christmas Day we spent with my family, and that went well, too. Josh seemed a lot more comfortable and I think that helped everyone have a good day. This year's Christmas memory is Alex's Unfortunately Named Entrée. Since I decided I wanted to do the holidays like a good vegetarian, I didn't have turkey or anything else suspect at Thanksgiving. I looked up vegetarian options for a Christmas menu item everyone might like to try, and found...

Nut Loaf.

When I was explaining my idea to Josh's parents in November, they were amused but kind. Josh laughed. So for a while I called it "Solid Stuffing" when I was describing it to others. And then I came up with "Alex's Unfortunately Named Entrée," which sort of defeated the point but was less immediately mortifying. Mom decided it should be called Testicle Loaf, which stuck. Still (and honestly in part because of that), Christmas was wonderful. Testicle Loaf turned out really well!

Josh and I flew to Wisconsin together the Tuesday after Christmas. Got bumped up to first class for the longer flight, which was really nice. When we flew up together last January, when he moved, we had to buy first class tickets since those were the only ones left. So I'm hoping that's the establishment of a fantastic pattern. We shared our tray tables and set up Josh's laptop to watch an episode of Castle together and got to snuggle a bit on both flights. It was a fairly nice trip up, really.

The visit was wonderful: we planned out a menu for the week together and stuck to it pretty faithfully. We/I made pasta! I got embarrassed when Josh pointed out that it didn't make sense to convert ounces to cups (or whatever I was trying to do; I just hate hate hate looking stupid in front of him) and shooed him out of the kitchen. But we made up and he helped me hang the noodles over every available saucepot handle and rim. The noodles turned out really well; this is definitely something I want to do again but I'd like to get a pasta stand first.

I'd really love to learn how to make everything in a simple noodles, sauce, garlic bread meal. Sauce is my next project, I think. Maybe for the weekend before Valentine's Day, which is the next time we'll be together.

Leaving was rough, as usual. And this week since has been pretty tough for all the usual reasons: I don't feel like he misses me anything like I miss him, my period (sorry, internet) is going to start any minute now, things are crazy at work... And additionally, though not a common circumstance: school started Monday. Which brings us to the title of this post.

This is my final semester at UCF, and I'm pretty excited about that. The completion of this term is going to be big turning point that I've been waiting for what feels like a very long time: I'm going to start living with Josh. And also I'm graduating and stuff. I was pleased with myself for getting through Valencia but that felt like a precursor to UCF, and getting through the past two years and getting to be a full-time student-- not in the ideal situation, but being a full-time student was a dream in and of itself-- and doing well in several cases makes me proud of myself. I haven't been trying to top my parents, and I don't think that's exactly possible, but I know that I feel like more of an adult on their level now (or will in May), knowing that we've all got baccalaureate degrees. My parents are great people who have never made me feel like a degree was an irreplaceable measure of worth, but I respect that they have them.

I'm taking my second course of French, this time for real. Also the three anthropology classes I need to complete my degree: Human Origins, History of Anthropological Thought, and Language and Culture. It's worked out that these are all upper division anthropology requirements and that I'm finally taking them during my last semester. This week has been the first time I've been in such PACKED classrooms. Students who were unable to register online because the classes were full showed up the first class meeting trying to get overrides. Very full. I want everyone who wants to graduate to get to do so, but I hope there's more breathing room in the classrooms next week!

The classes are going to involve a lot more focus and time than I've applied to other classes. The assignments seem to be on a schedule in each class, which is very helpful, but there's a lot more work for these assignments than has been required in other classes. So I'm a little nervous. I'm also determined to do well, but nervous just the same.

Figured out how to conjugate la passé composé et l'imparfait this afternoon during some good library time, so that's making me feel much better. I'm not sure yet when they are supposed to be used (these are both past tenses, but I'm sure there's a distinction and I don't know what it is), so I'll ask Madame tomorrow. I hope French is going to go well. The first course was wonderful and I want to learn this, I really really want to learn this.

My work schedule is also pretty smooth, if a shock to my sleep system: 7:30-11 each weekday, and class of varying lengths of time after. The getting up early is killing me and I'm exhausted but I think tonight will finally be the night when I fall asleep before midnight and wake up surly and too tired to move.

Got my room cleaned up as a new semester/new year effort. It looks nice and it makes me feel much better about the place. My parents are giving me the student desk that was in the kitchen (sort of a satellite office), so I'll bring that home next week and set it up here, where it is much needed. My options currently are stand (nowhere of good height to put a laptop), lay or sit on bed (I am dangerously prone to naps, especially lately), or sit in the comfy chair. The latter is great for pleasure reading but terrible for studying; there's nowhere to put my notebook if I'm looking at my textbook, blah blah blah. So yaaaay, desk get!

I have friends at school! I am shy enough that this thrills me. I like these people and I hope we'll get to spend time together outside of class.