Happy Thanksgiving!

One thing I can give thanks for was that this was a short week of classes, we’ve all definitely been needing the break. We haven’t gotten a break from work though, as Dr Clothiaux on Monday assigned us two HARD homework assignments to get done in the last two weeks of classes, sigh. At least he basically apologized for the exam he gave us last Friday and all but admitted to messing up in writing it, but we’re still gonna have to make all the corrections to it next week, on top of everything else that’s going on. Like Wednesday’s GFD final exam. Yup, it’s crunch time.
My 501 test went pretty well on Monday evening, I think. It took me 2 hrs, 45 min though, but that was okay since it was untimed, meaning we could relax, take it easy and take however much time we wanted to in order to do the problems as well as we knew how. I think that’s really the best way to give an exam, leastaways for a class in which I actually kinda know what’s going on, and where the problems aren’t impossible. In a class like that, I’d much prefer having just an hour exam, because then the pain is limited to 60 minutes, and then it’s over.
But anyway, I made sure I got done with the 501 test in time to head home and catch the entirety of the Vikings-Packers game on Monday Night Football, which was actually a pretty good game, or at least as entertaining a game as two bad teams can have. It was fun chatting online with Mike during the first half, trading barbs and jokes back and forth about what was happening during the game, especially since there was plenty for us both to be frustrated (and happy) about. Like Brett Favre throwing 3 TD’s in the first half — two to the Packers and one to the Vikings, hehe. Even if the Vikings suck the rest of the year like they did to start off the season, at least they’ve beaten the Packers twice. So sweet.
After I got done with classes on Tuesday I decided finally to head up to see a doctor at University Health Services, to see if they could diagnose my illness and possibly prescribe me anything to help make it better. The long and short of it is that apparently I have bronchitis. Again. At least it’s not as bad as when I had it for three weeks down in Australia a year ago when it hurt to breathe, move or do anything. But anyway, the doctor prescribed me some zithromax, an albuterol inhaler, and some nice bedtime cough syrup that has some codeine in it. And since I started taking the meds I actually have been feeling better. Being able to sleep for a full night without having a coughing fit is a big part of that though, credit the codeine. 🙂
Yesterday after going to get some groceries I spent a few hours in the afternoon and evening grading some labs, I figure I may as well polish off something I can actually do before banging my head against a wall over something I can’t (the Rad Tran assignment), and that I may as well do it while being in a good mood, so I watched the first two Lord of the Rings DVD’s while grading. Good times, and memories of freshman year at GAC when I’d do physics homework almost weekly while watching LOTR. 🙂
It snowed an inch overnight last night, which made for a pleasant scene out my window upon waking up. A white Thanksgiving definitely adds a nice touch. So I made some fruit compote (sweet potatoes, cranberries, pineapple, apple, blueberries) this morning to bring to Brian & Kerrie’s for Thanksgiving dinner, and it actually turned out pretty good! There was so much good food that everyone brought this afternoon, it was awesome. I stuffed myself so much that I didn’t even eat supper this evening, hehe. I did take a fair bit of leftovers home with me though, they’ll be my next couple meals, woohoo! But I was glad that there were at least a couple other meteo grad students that had also decided to stay here in State College for Thanksgiving, it definitely made it quite a bit nicer. So our group today included me, Kerrie, Brian, Daniel, his fiancee Katie, and Muge. It was the first time we’d all gotten a chance to meet Katie too, she flew up here from Alabama for the weekend, so that was fun to meet her finally. I’d say a bulk of the afternoon’s entertainment was had by everyone playing with Rolo, Amber’s kitten that Kerrie & Brian are taking care of for the holiday weekend while Amber’s home in Ohio. What a crazy, energetic little kitten.
Well, I guess I should get to bed. Don’t wanna let the triptophane in my system go all for naught. And in the football games coming tomorrow, I’m definitely gonna be cheering for the major underdogs, Arkansas (vs LSU) and Texas A&M (vs Texas), which’d put Auburn in the SEC title game (and likely the BCS) and Penn State in the Rose Bowl vs USC. Hey a guy can dream, can’t he?