"When the lights go down in the city..."

I had forgotten what it is like to have so much down time. I'm grateful for the break, but it tends to translate into rather long posts. I've been sitting here for ten minutes, trying to put a finger on my current state of mind. The only description I can come up with is "detached"...in a very disconnected sense of the word - hehe. I haven't talked to some of my closest friends in over a week. It's so strange - I have no idea what is going on in the lives of the people closest to me. Ah well - I'm sure we'll see each other before the big holiday. I can't believe Christmas is Saturday! As usual, no big plans - dinner with Mom's family Christmas Eve and Dad's family Christmas Day. I'm still frantically trying to piece together a memory book for the grandparents, but the hardest part has been just getting started!

No snow. I didn't really expect any, but it was a nice thought. :) I was looking at images of Brittany (old next door neighbor) and myself playing in the snow four or so years ago. I had forgotten that day until she showed me the pictures. There is something about the sparkle of that magical wintriness that brings out the child in all of us. The holiday season seems to belong to children somehow... I love all of the lively holiday commercials - they make you feel so warm inside...so cheerful. :) I'm excited about Christmas, and I'm looking forward to the new year. I am nothing but thankful right now. Where I was once looking forward to the new semester, however, I am now facing it with a little apprehension. At times the future seems so clear, but then it fades by some ungiven signal into oblivion. I used to wonder if perhaps my waverings were some sort of intuition...a sense. I would just get a feeling that something was going on - I would just know things. I have decided that my premonitions are probably nothing but hormones, fluctuating blood sugar levels, or some other easily explained episode - hehe. It is for this reason that I am going to push aside all of the fidgety gibberish that is suddenly arresting my happy-holidays-mode. Regroup... Happy! Yay!

I have discovered this amazing artichoke dip that I have to make for the next event I attend. Yummy. Ooh...and these really good lemon bars, too. I want to get back on my health kick again. I think I would feel better if I had some sort of workout routine. It's not like I want to lose weight or anything - I just want to be healthy. I first considered it after watching my roommate get up every morning to go running. She tried to convince me to come with her, but I never did. I thought about it again today because VH1 had a special on people with amazing bodies (I never watch TV until I come home - hehe). They were talking about the benefits of healthy eating and a regular exercise routine (looks like my walking to class won't quite cut it :-P). I don't care as much about looks as I do about fitness. I know from experience that I feel better whenever I'm eating right. I suppose that will be my New Year's resolution...

Strange noises in my house... Yawn. I suppose I should be heading to bed soon. So sleepy. Oh! I got some new pieces for my Department 56 village. I love setting up my blithe little village every winter. The lighted houses are so cheerful and inviting...everything is so lighthearted. I used to wish that I could just disappear into one of the cozy little homes. ::smile:: It's very much the same feeling I get when I look at one of Thomas Kinkade's "paintings of light". There is something so heartening in the peaceful glow of home lights...even if they are merely in a painting... Goodnight.