Christmas time!

It is most definitely Christmas time!  This afternoon Grant and I picked out, bought and brought home our 2012 Christmas tree.  We will have a live tree this year - a very nice Pine tree.  It is too big to sit on a table, so it will be on the floor just inside the living room.  And this last Sunday Serafina and I got a lot of Christmas decorating done.

This past weekend was also my 'birthday weekend' - my birthday, which was actually on Friday, surprisingly lasted quite a while.  On Wednesday Grant and I had dinner out then went to see 'Lincoln' at the movie theatre at Nanaimo North Town Centre (used to be Rutherford Mall).  Then on Friday Serafina and Sherry gave me a card saying they'd take me to the 'Winter Harp Concert for my birthday present on Saturday.  It turned out to be just Serafina and I - as Sherry had her tutoring.  The concert was really, really good = during the intermission I bought 3 cd's (for $40) and have already listened to them several times.

test oct22 2012

Wow - almost March!  I last wrote Dec. 15th! 

Today has been a very mild, mostly-sunny day - good for the 'spirit'!

Yesterday was the long-awaited release date for Blackberry Playbook's OS2 - I had installed the pre-release Beta, which was a bit of an improvement, but after installing it I had decided to just wait for the 'real thing'!  So early yesterday I did the install - which was quite quick. Then for the couple of 'problems' I had I searched on both the Blackberry forms and Crackberry forums.  I learned how to make new 'folders' which I did using my choice of folder words.  Reinstalled Overdrive Media Console, which was the big thing I was waiting for.  Initially it didn't seem to be working - but after putting my Playbook aside to charge it all seemed to work fine.  Downloaded a book from the library and read it last night.  Today I played around with it a bit more and downloaded a couple of more books.  My only complaint so far is that the library is still needing more books.  But the books will definitely come.

Don't get me wrong - I still love BOOKS - real books, and that will never change!  When Heather and Sherry (our Homestay Student from China) were down in Victoria this past Monday, we spent a while in Bolen's Books.  I'd never been there before, and it is a very big bookstore for an independent.  Given a 'blank cheque' and unlimited space I could have walked out with hundreds and hundres of books.  As it was I got one called 'Crow Planet' which Heather had on her list to get for me for Christmas.

I cleaned a lot in the kitchen, and I think that at the moment I'm procrastinating.  I should either do some WORK or do some major tidying here in the Den.  My desk is overflowing, and I have piles of paper that need to be shredded - or something.  I think I will stop for a snack, may a coffee then come back and do some serious tidying!!

Another PG Listing today!  December is turning out to be amazing - 300% better than September, when we had no listings at all!  I'm ok with doing a Listing up until mid-week next week, but not much point after that unless someone contacts us directly.  But we are gearing up to hit January full-force!


The house is all decorated now and is looking very nice - as usual will likely put a few more things up as days go by.  I love having a White Christmas, but most definitely don't like driving in snow / ice - so I will enjoy looking at lovely Christmas pictures like this one!


Mailed Ian & Corrie's Christmas package yesterday - it was made very heavy by a textbook Heather sent them!  Environmental Ethics.


We had a Snowfall Warning yesterday, but it was cancelled and only amounted to maybe an hour of sleety rain mid-day.  It was also supposed to snow in the Malahat area overnight and this morning but from what I can see on the webcams I am very lucky - bare and wet and 2deg. 


Grant was off this Tuesday, and I think plans on working thru the weekend so others can have the weekend off.  I think the plan is to take Tuesday off, and maybe do a couple of partial days.

This will be a different Christmas this year - first one that Ian will not be home for Christmas.  He and Corrie are having Christmas with Corrie's family in Aurora, ON.  So glad we saw them when we were back east for the PG Conference in October!


Its cool this morning - still minus 2 - but luckily so far its quite sunny.  Getting cloudier, and tomorrow is supposed to be rainy with possible white stuff. Yuck - I'd prefer just sun!


We will be having a change in International Students after Christmas.  The Homestay Coordinator has found Ji won a new Host Family closer to the school - actually across the street from the school.  So I'm guessing he is pleased about that.  She will be moving him on the 28th.  And on Jan. 1st we get a girl from China who is also moving Host Families to be closer to the school - Sherry is currently with a family up on Lost Lake Rd, so her move does make more sense to me.  I will be picking her up at the airport when she returns from Christmas break at home in China.  Not sure where she is from, as all I know is her flights are to/from Shanghai.