One of the problems I have with Facebook is that now I find myself thinking in terms of status updates.

• Start reading break.
• Survived the week of exams and work (though there are two work days before I can sleep in).
• Am tired.
• Didn’t do too well on my Chemistry quiz (I just have that feeling).
• Did well on my Biomedical Ethics exam (same feeling).
• Got up way too early to study.
• Am feeling good about life.
• Plan on doing nothing for the rest of the day.
• Am looking forward to Tuesday when I can finally sleep in.
• Ran out of crackers and have no snacks left.
• Will be thinking about talking to St Raphael tomorrow.

That is right, today is the day. Happy birthday, Dad! I don’t know if I’m allowed to announce your age to the whole wide world, so I won’t.

I asked Jen what she remembered about birthdays past, and she reminded me of when she wrapped Dad’s 40th birthday present 40 times, using up all of the wrapping paper in the house… We have no recollection of what the gift actually was but the wrapping paper was fun.

While not a birthday memory, I have lots of winter memories with Dad (so they could be this time of year): Of being pulled on the sled while Mum and Dad cross-country skied in Belleville. When we got a little older, the four of us would ski across the Bay of Quinte and have tea with friends on the other side before being driven back. Then there were the ill-fated ice skating expeditions, also on the Bay. The first involved me dodging a snowball and ending up in Emerg. The second involved Dad going through the ice and ending up in his mukluks and lots of blankets at home. I remember downhill skiing with Dad in Quebec and him attempting to teach me techniques like standing up or turning. Dad may remember how that ended up… We got professional lessons on future ski trips.

Not all memories involve mishaps, however. There were polar bear dips at camp (a tradition I am proud to say I have kept up) and for New Years. There were lots of summer camping trips all over the place where we got to do lots of fun/unusual/crazy/educational things. There were high school classes with Dad and finally receiving my high school diploma from him. And more recently, we had a great sushi education lunch in Vancouver (spicy tuna is good!) where the three of us, Jen, Dad, and I, were able to spend time together, just the three of us, for the first time in ages.

So now another year starts, who knows when we’ll all be together again, but you are always in our thoughts and prayers, Dad. Have a great birthday!

Of my Chicken Curry.  I finished it tonight, although it probably should have lasted for another day.  Consequenly, I am stuffed and ready to fall asleep as I sit here.  I already nearly did doze off while lying on the couch.

Every now and then I remember that I own a wondrous invention: the crock pot.  I had an interview/orientation today (still not sure what it was. I thought it was an interview, but I’m getting paid to have been there an hour and there will be an interview sometime next week) for a job I might work occasional evenings.  I had a bit of time to kill between class and going downtown so I pulled out my trusty crock pot and stuffed it with chicken, tomatoes, onions, and my special curry spice mix (it is “my” special mix because I mixed it up before I put it in).  Put the pot on high, turned it down to low when I left, arrived home three and a half hours later to the fragrant aromas of chicken curry.  All that remained was to chuck in some celery and cabbage (didn’t want them to get soggy and I needed more veggies in my dinner) while I made rice and PRESTO: dinner!  It was fantastic.  I was able to study for my anatomy quiz tomorrow while eating the most complete meal I’ve had in about a, so now my evening is complete.

I hate making complicated life decisions. Just thought I’d put that out there.

Church was a wonderfully re-centering experience this morning.  The songs we sang in choir were lovely (and had a good alto part…!) and everything seemed to fit and flow really well, from the songs to the readings.  We are back to the non-Christmas liturgy and there are some great phrases that just jumped off of the page at me.  I like it when that happens. One of the scripture passages we read was the bit from Hebrews 6 about having this “hope as an anchor for the soul,” an image I can appreciate even more now after using an anchor extensively over the last couple years of working on the boat.  This afternoon looks like it will be incredible: the sun is out and shining brightly, the sky is blue and there is no trace of the fog we’ve had for the last few days.  Makes me want to go outside for a long, long walk.