play-by-play: Nov 30 to Dec 6

Dec 1-3 - my last three days of work for the Fall 2008 term.

Dec 4 - spent the entire morning of my first day of vacation glued in front of the TV watching a bodyguard pull shut the doors to the Governor General's residence because they kept blowing open in the fierce wind as the press waited for Prime Minister Harper to appear and inform them whether or not he had indeed persuaded the GG to prorogue Parliament. (Celina and I discussed the notion that "perogy-ing" Parliamentarians might knock more sense into them.)

Dec 5 - Shauna called to say she and Derek had had their fourth child the day before--a new baby brother for the other kids! James worked from home in the afternoon so that I could drive around, unloading a bagful of stuff at the Thrift Store, and hitting up IKEA for a round rug for underneath our Christmas tree. It's a 6-foot fibre optic tree we bought for $30 at a neighbor's moving sale in July. We're totally thrilled, because we could never afford/fit a Christmas tree in our apartment. A friend of ours asked me last year what spiritual significance the Christmas tree had, and I said it was a good question, I couldn't think of any and I'd have to look it up (actually, I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Christians borrowed the trees from what was originally a pagan tradition). I still haven't decided if I attach so much importance to it because I'm influenced by rampant consumerism or the pursuit of aesthetic excellence. (I'd like to think the latter. You might beg to differ when I get around to posting pictures of the tree in question.)

Dec 6 - In preparation for my trip to Manitoba, I booked a manicure with my favorite aesthetician, Joanne. She's another one of these amazing women: she juggles motherhood (four kids, the youngest one having been born this past spring) and a part-time business. I got a French manicure, which lasted for all of 3 days before the polish began chipping off. It was probably the frequent hand-washing--I was determined not to catch a cold before I left.

And that should bring me almost up-to-date.