Christmas Control

I have an exam tomorrow. Clearly, I can't bring myself to care, since I'm posting this instead of studying. Seriously, though? I am done with this class. Absolutely DONE. I am fed up and burnt out and ready to run my number 2 pencil through my eyeball just to avoid having to go.

This is right about where I could commence whining about how the material itself isn't that difficult (which it isn't), it's our five different extremely obtuse and not-particularly-talented-at-teaching faculty that makes it so freaking hard, what with their conflicting information and their downright wrongness (did you know that the liver makes insulin? Neither did I but it's right there in black and white in the course materials they wrote), et cetera ad nauseum. Honestly, though, I don't even have the energy to whine right now.

I ran almost six miles today. I stopped short at about 5.6 miles, because my knee started bothering me. For those just tuning in (and those needing a refresher), I have illiotibial band syndrome in my left knee. This means, among other things, that the knee doesn't track properly and I have to wear a brace when I run. I did have it on, but I've been slacking off on my cross training on the elliptical machine, and it's beginning to show. Extra long session on that sucker tomorrow...I need to be able to get my mileage in!

Currently, my plan is to run the Big-D Texas Marathon that's coming up. I was going to run the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, but it conflicts with a major Cub Scout event, and seeing as I'm the Cubmaster, they seem to expect me to be at these things. Rather than ask the entire pack to reschedule for me, I'll just do a different marathon.

Our Christmas tree is up, and the mantel is decorated all pretty. If I didn't do it today, it wasn't going to get done. Suddenly, though, the whole family wants in on the action. S always likes to help with the ornaments, but for no readily apparent reason J wanted to help this year, too. I had to fight back the urge to fend them off with cattle prods, yelling, "Back! MY tree!" And I feel like it is. It's for all of us to enjoy, yes, but it's mine to set up. Over the past five years, I've done the whole thing. I've decided how many of what kinds of lights go where. I've handpicked every single ornament and piece of trimming. And I've placed them on the tree itself with great amounts of care and consideration for color balance and spacing. I'm anal like that when it comes to aesthetics, so it's difficult for me to let someone else get their hands in it.

I did, though. I gritted my teeth, smiled and let them help.

No worries. I'll move it all to where I want it tomorrow when no one is looking.