Dregs

The time stamp on this picture says: 01.01.10 02:14:52.  Quarter after two in the morning.  I think that might qualify as some sort of abuse.  Oh well, at least they fell asleep with their hats and gloves on.

In case I haven't said it to you already, I should probably start off with a hearty Happy New Year Everyone!

We're usually in Rosendal with my mother-in-law for New Year's, but seeing as she abandoned us for other, more favored family members this year, we were left to make other arrangements.  We opted to keep it local (sort of) and drove the billion miles north of town, across the bloody bridge and everything, to spend the evening with my friend Marilyn, her husband, and her son.  A very quiet, but highly enjoyable evening that, as you can see, ended at least two hours later than the kids might have wished it.

Now for the part where I review last year's resolutions and make half-hearted, non-commital commitments towards new ones.

Old resolution #1--As you may or may not recall, last year I decided it was high time to read a book in Norwegian.  My one book commitment somehow turned into three.  Then my three book commitment ballooned into a class, leading to an exam, landing us here on the foothills of a still murky, but definitively bilingual future involving, almost certainly, ever more books. So I'm going to call old resolution #1 a success, even though, in the interest of full disclosure, I never actually finish that third Norwegian book.  A mystery/crime thing.  It would have bored me even in English.

Old resolution #2--I was going to learn all about digital photography and the inner workings of the fancy Canon I got for Christmas last year.  Ahem.  Well.  I've definitely learned things.  For example, I've learned that the settings you would use to take this picture:

are not necessarily the same settings you would use to take, say, this picture:

All wrong.  I know.  But I've learned, see, that kids move, like, all the freaking time, and they're way too impatient to wait while you fumble with your settings on a cold, dark night when there are fireworks to be seen.  I've learned not to care so much.  Because, I've also learned, that using the wrong settings can sometimes capture oddly amusing phenomena such as this:

"But Mommy.  You told me there were no such things as arctic ninja ghosts!"

So, old resolution #2 still needs some work.  But I'm always picking up odd bits and pieces of knowledge here and there.  And I got a tripod for Christmas this year.  I'm told tripods are an important tool of the trade, so it should help, right?

That was about it for old resolutions.  I kept the blog posts up above 52 for the year, so I'm happy about that.  Despite the dark moment mid-September where I got all moody about it, and nearly quit blogging altogether.  Let's say I try to avoid that kind of nonsense this year, call that new resolution #1.

New resolution #2: obviously, this one's about school.  I've lost some of the steam I had going into December.  I clearly didn't make if off the waiting list into those classes I waited too long to sign up for.  There are some other, far more expensive options, but I find myself dragging my feet.  Finding reasons why the kids can't spare me, why it would be too hard to get into town, why it would just plain be too hard.  Anyway, I'm still going to apply to the university in February.  There's still a chance they'll take me even without those extra classes.  So, depending on what happens with that, I'll either be starting university in August, or starting the high school level science classes I'm missing that kept me from being accepted into the university classes.  Either way, I'll be going to school full time next fall.  Or at least, that's my current plan/hope/wish/fervent-if-only-I-believed-in-prayer prayer.

And just for kicks, new resolution #3: run the Fana mil, a local 10K race held here every September.  This is an easy one because I already know I can run 10 kilometers.  But I've only ever run in one organized 5K.  I don't much like races, but I'm feeling this urge to go ahead and give another one a try.  I could make it more challenging by training for a specific goal time, but no way am I going to commit to that this early. 

For now, let's just say I plan to sign up for the race.  Now, if only the damn snow would die so I could get out on the road and go for a run!



Edited to add---Man did I ever speak too soon.  Hours after I posted this, I got a call from the school I was on the wait-list for.  Seems I got into both of the classes.  Shit.  Starting tomorrow.  Double shit.  The logistics are fierce.  I can't be here in the mornings 3 days a week to send the kids off to school.  Amanda is going to have to be dumped at barnehage at 7:15.  Thursdays are the worst.  I have no idea how to get Emma into town for her art class other than to have her take a bus in on her own.  Shit!  What have I done?  I didn't look very closely at the time table because the counselor made it sound like the waiting-list was miles long.  No way was I supposed to get in.  This was largely a symbolic move to bump me in the right direction and shut Mister up for another few months or so.  SHIT!  SHIT! SHIT!  Now everyone watch while I step out of my comfort zone, and turn my life upside down......