I checked my calendar and it looks like I only spent 6 or 7 hours doing homework this weekend. That may not sound like a lot, but it sure felt like a lot. There was a lot of sleeping in, so took up some time. Friday night we were at the shindig past 10, so definitely a no-homework night. Saturday we managed to get ourselves out of the house before noon so we could go get a “water pad,” which is apparently the only component in the humidifier that is attached to our furnace (how was I to know that? All we have is an empty box; the guy on the phone was very confused), go to Home Depot, and then we spent a lot of time shoveling.

Really, it was only an hour, but the snow was heavy and there was a lot of it. More so than usual because shoveled the roof. Yes, you read that right. We bought a “roof rake” at Home Depot (though it took 3 tries – the Bloomington Home Depot was sold out and the Menards didn’t even have shelf space for it). There’s a lovely “ice dam” where the former-breezeway-now-kitchen meets the original house, and apparently those can cause really bad things to happen if you don’t take appropriate measures. Seeing as how we like our house, we are attempting the appropriate measures. Just in time, too, for a three day snowstorm. No, there hasn’t been much accumulation yet, and we certainly won’t see anything like the East Coast did this weekend, but snow is snow. (And all of it makes my car do fun sliding and turning corners, stopping, and starting are all such fun experiences!)

I stopped shoveling when the muscles in my shoulders refused to lift the shovel more than a foot off the ground. And then I went to get my haircut. I’m now straight, BTW. I really wanted to make that my Facebook status update, but didn’t think everyone would get the humor. If you have curly hair, you know that hairdressers really enjoy the challenge of straightening curly hair. They beg for it. They consider themselves awesomely talented for having tamed such a beast. And then they demand that you like it too. She actually blew out my still-drying hair (from the shower after shoveling), flat ironed it, and then cut it. So, I have no idea what my haircut actually looks like (though she was promising to help get rid of the triangle effect that layered curly hair sometimes gets). It’s still straight today, because she did actually do an awesome job at straightening it. It’s smooth and silky and easy to manage. (However, straightening it always prompts conversation. Less observant people always think I’ve colored my hair.)

Sunday we were crazy and went to Target at 5, and bought chips and salsa along with everyone else who hadn’t properly prepared for the Super Bowl. We also stopped by Home Depot, which was unsurprisingly void of customers (at ten minutes before the game was supposed to start, that was to be expected). Thrilling, I know. Since I had finished up most of my homework (two tasks remain undone, as I had not printed the appropriate files that were on my work computer), I got to watch the Super Bowl and eat chips and dip. Yum. The game was exciting – well, the second half was. The commercials were so-so. I’ve now given you the same review that everybody else has, since that seems to be the consensus.

Oh, I was also sick over the weekend, with a cold that I think I’ve managed to fend off, knock on wood. If it comes back, I’ve got some Theraflu, vast quantities of Vitamin C, and some nasal spray to fight with.

It’s another three-class week. Thankfully, there’s only one more of those, and this one is followed by a three-day weekend (from work, at least – classes are not canceled for President’s Day). I’m giving a presentation tomorrow night, which I’m mostly prepared for. The only thing I’m concerned about is that despite multiple attempts, the professor has not modeled what she is expecting (we keep running out of time – I’ll keep my comments about time/class management to myself), and no one else has presented yet, so I really don’t know what she’s expecting. Yes, she gave us a rubric. I hate those. Sorry, but I do. A 15 point assignment, divided into 4 parts, can easily receive a C or lower grade with a rubric (just one point here, one point there, oops, you have 11/15!). Oh, and this is the professor who scares me. And won’t let me use my laptop (but requires that we use PowerPoint for our presentations – explain that to me). So I’ll do my best and just let it be. It will be interactive and educational and vaguely interesting, hopefully.

Perhaps in your spare time, someone can explain to me the difference between vocab words and key concepts. We were supposed to come up with a list of vocabulary words for my Tuesday night class, based on the topic for our lesson plans, and I ran into this question. Some of my vocab words seem more like concepts, but where is the dividing line on that? Anyone know?

The rest of the week consists of homework, homework, and class Friday night. So, if you haven’t heard from me, or don’t hear from me… I’m buried under homework. Come save me from the lesson plan writing!

(In no particular order)

… Time to use pretty craft supplies (and not just browse them on the internet).

… Weather warm enough so I can to spray-paint in my garage.

… The perfect color scheme (including exact paint colors) for the master bedroom.

… To be able to use my laptop in my Tuesday night class (I am …keep reading