Happy New Year, new school year

 
So, over Christmas we went to Muncie for several days. Left here Thursday morning for a doctor appointment in Lexington, and drove to Indiana from there. Got home Sunday about dark. Raleigh stayed Wednesday night through Monday morning at the drrr. They couldn't get him to eat the whole time he was there. We figured he was on his way out of this world :(

Monday morning 12/27 I dropped off Anastasia to get spayed and picked up Raleigh. On the 30th finally he started eating, just a little bit. For future reference: when a cat won't eat, try Fancy Feast Appetizers, Wild Alaskan Salmon flavor. That's all he'd touch for several days, though finally he did try a few other types, and last night he ate nine-lives with everyone else. It was the salmon flavor also. This morning he had a nibble of actual salmon - which didn't interest him a week ago...

We had closer to a foot than none of snow over Christmas, but then came some very mild days - into the 50s, and the snow's all gone. Looks like March out there now, except the forsythia isn't blooming and jonquils aren't up.

Went to get my school books yesterday and sell back the ones I am done with, but the bookstore wasn't interested in any of the ones I wanted to sell back AND my "financial aid" (student loans) wasn't showing up on their computer. I came home, ordered the book they can't get anyway online (for an online class) and sent an email to the financial aid person on campus. Got one back this morning saying it should be fixed now.

One of the books that they would not buy back (nothing to do with the book's condition - just that they are overstocked with the book in Used format and will not be using it after this semester) one of my former classmates came in trying to buy that same book. So I sold it to her, at half what she would have paid the bookstore. That's for English 101. She took my email and phone number for in case she takes English 102 next semester ...which was another of the books I was trying to sell.

Classes start next Monday.

As usual, I'm reading more than one book at a time. I had Eat Pray Love in trade paper and Brave New World on the Kindle going at the same time; finished Eat Pray Love last night and found the 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You I'd lost a few weeks earlier. It was right where I thought I'd left it - on my "school book table" in the hallway, but it was buried deep. I'm almost finished with Brave New World; after that I will start Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I'm almost done with the minister book too, but have no clue what I want to read next in physical book. I have enough unread to make a stack to reach the ceiling, I'm sure.

Need to think about listening to the BIO139 lessons on the ipod soon, too...

In knitting... the glove I started before Christmas turned out pretty well for something I just made up as I went along, but the thumb is too short and I think I'll frog it and begin again. I've found a pattern for "Peanut," which is th'niece's 3rd child, due in the summer, and started it. In the meanwhile her first child is clamoring for socks, no, really! That's what they tell me. I just need to kitchener the toes shut and stick them in the mail. On the way home from Indiana we stopped at the Florence Mall (a. k. a. Florence Y'all for the "vandalization" that was done to the water tower years ago -- and left, as appropriate) and I bought several skeins of a nice sock yarn. Started myself a pair toe up --so I will know how long I can make the cuffs in future top down socks-- and am making the pattern up as I go. Yeah, another "make the pattern up as I go" pattern. Will I not learn?

Grrrl is used to her muzzle now. When she wants to go outside I say, "let's go get your nose-cone" and she doesn't go get it for me. However, she does follow me to the place it's kept and obligingly sticks her nose into it when I hold it out for her. Repeat something three times with a dog and it becomes sacred ritual lol.