Merry Christmas!

'Twas the Night before Christmas..

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each little hoof.As I drew in my head, and was turning around,Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.He had a broad face and a little round belly,That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.And laying his finger aside of his nose,And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

B09BC: December 14th to 20th

I think I'm failing this blog challenge miserably. It's now the 20th and I think my blog challenges have become bigger and bigger.

ALSO, this is post 99 which means my Post 100 is coming up next! Thanks to everyone who suggested questions, if you have any others please don't hesitate!

December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
Ohhh I don't know. Wow. Tough one.

December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
This is by far the most random question. Hummmm..

December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
Even though I know its super healthy, I really don't drink tea. I'm more addicted to Tea's sister: Coffee. My best coffee of the year is the new Caramel Brulee Latte from Starbucks. MMMMM Christmas-y goodness.

December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____.
I overuse "lol" online a lot, and probably "awww" in regular conversations. Oh, also "awesome" I say it a lot and generally end up sounding like a surfer.

December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
I would have to say Abercrombie. I know it's totally overpriced and over-saturated, but I can't get over the wonderful smell and the softness of the hoodies.

December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?
Probably driving in Romania with my dad. Romanian's are very...interesting..drivers and half the time we got lost, but it was an amazing adventure either way.

December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?
Call me totally cheesy/obsessed/stupid/whatever but I'd have to say ShyBoy. Granted, he's technically been in my life for years now, but I feel like we got a lot (a lot) closer in 2009 and regardless of what may or may-not happen between us, I count him as someone that I'm very close to and who's friendship I value in many ways.

UPCOMING POST 100!

Good morning Bloggers!
I'm sitting at my desk at work at the un-Godly time of 8:15 even though I don't actually start until 8:30. There is no one but me here and it is eerily quiet. No sounds except for my typing.

I'm putting thr Best of 2009 Challenge on hold for a day, because there is something more important coming up. My 100th Post! This post is number 96 and i have 2 more already pre-scheduled, which means there is only 1 extra to go before reaching the big 1-0-0.

I wanted to do something special for the post, but I'm blanking on ideas. At first I wanted to do a blog overhaul, but I cracked early and did that about 10 posts ago.

What I was thinking of was doing a sort of open question and answer post. But I would need all of your help to make it work. I figure if you have any type of question for me, no matter how personal or random, either leave it as a comment or e-mail it to me and I'll post the answers as part of post 100.

How does that sound? If you don't want to participate no worries, I'll come up with something else for that post.

Thanks in advance!

B09BC: December 10th through 13th

I can't decide if I'm getting better with blogging in December because so far I've actually managed to keep up with the blog challenge, or worse because I'm starting to group more and more days into one post. I'm blaming it on the holiday season and a general lack of time.

December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?
Is it really terrible to admit I literally only bought one CD this year? And that I didn't even like it? I know I'm bad, but I download all my music so I've stopped buying albums.

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
This is a difficult one to narrow down. I know it sounds very sad, but my best place would probably be my room. I spend a lot of time there (obviously) and I've come to love it so much over the years. I've done small renovations and improvements to the point that I think it completely defines me and feels like the best and most comfortable place in the world.

December 12 New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.
I'd have to say Oatmeal. It's beige and mushy and pretty gross looking, but it's fast become one of my favourite comfort foods. My mom makes it with plenty of brown sugar and cream - it's soooo warm and good

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
I don't think there is one (yet!) BUT I'm getting a new table and chair set, hopefully before the end of the year, so that will qualify. We're in desperate need of new chairs around my house, it's become quite a problem.

That's it for now, hope you all have an awesome Sunday around the blogosphere!

The first snow + B09BC: December 7/8/9

It's finally happened. After the first snowless November in 70 years, the white stuff has hit us with avengance. I woke up around 5:15 this morning to the sound of snowplows on my street, the sight was both beautiful and horrible. I enjoy snowy days when I can sit at home wrapping presents or baking, not digging my car out from under 3 feet of the white stuff.

Today was a long day and I'm very glad to be at home now cuddled up in bed with my trusty laptop on my lap. Without further ado I present the next 3 days of the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

Easy question! I only started blogging in March of this year, so my blog gems are all of you! I'm not kidding. I don't know how I didn't discover the blogosphere earlier, it has become such a source of knowledge, friendship and survival for me in many ways. I heart each and every one of you who stumbles into my corner of the internet and cares about my daily ramblings!

December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

My moment of peace occured on Canadian Thanksgiving this year. My mom was away in Europe and I was by myself. Thanksgiving never really meant that much to me so I didn't mind being alone for the most part. I woke up the morning of Thanksgiving with a yearning for a real feast for dinner and spontaneously decided to cook for myself. I got a chicken breast (no way was I attempting a Turkey by myself the day of) instant mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing mix and brownie mix for dessert. All in all I was very impressed with my cooking abilities. I sat at the table by myself and reflected on all that I was thankful for. It was a very insightful and educational experience. It was both lonely and freeing.

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

This one is a toughie. Finishing up my last year of University and having the University go on strike for 3 months was definitely a challenge. I spent many late nights and weekends at the library in my final months working on papers and reading, which I actually do miss in many ways.

B09BC: December 4/5/6

Hello lovelies!
I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend around the world and in the blogosphere. I'm getting over my sickness, but since I literally spent ALL DAY yesterday in bed, my body is slightly sore from lack of movement. Nothing that a hot bath won't cure. I'm decorating my Christmas Tree today! A mamoth 7"-something tree that is currently propped up in my living room. The cat is not pleased. Anyway, without further ado, here is the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge continutes:

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
Humm this is a tough one. I don't read as much as I would like, and I tend to re-read the same books over and over again. My top pick for 2009 is probably "I heart New York" by Lindsey Kelk. I travelled back home alone from Europe via Dublin this summer and had to spend a night in Dublin by myself. Browsing the bookstore in Dublin airport before my return flight, I happened across this book and bought it on a whim. Let me tell you, it made the 6.5 hour flight go by soooooo much faster!
Also a good read is Camilla Morton's "A Year in High Heels" because it is a type of life-survival-guide for a modern woman, detailing everything from How to care for your pearls to how to flip a pancake.

December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
I would have to say my best friends birthday in early September. She and her fiance always have a joint party, which this year entailed going to a local club with a big group of our mutual friends. It was a good night, filled with fun, dancing, drinks and friends. The highlight of the night? Humm, I would have to say when at one point my bestest, her fiance, a few guy friends and I broke off from the group and wandered down to the other dance floor and ended up dancing on a platform.

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
I've never actually attended a workshop or conference, so I'm going to change this one slightly and make it a class instead. I would have to say my "Fantasy in the Modern World" class would be the highlight. My Proff was an AMAZING lecturer who I simply loved listening to. He had a gift for teaching and it was obvious how much he loved his job. He would tell the best stories and always find new and interesting ways to explain the topics. Thanks again Mr. H!

Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

2 posts in 2 days - I think I'm on a roll! As promised, today I deliver a much more upbeat post. I woke up this morning with a zest to blog. I know that sounds strange, but all of a sudden I couldn't wait to get home from work and log into blogger and read all of your lovely blogs. Work was slightly better today, although I think I'm still annoying the heck out of my co-workers with my constant coughing. Thank you for all your sweet words on both work and my health!

After completely missing NaNoWriMo in November, I've decided to do the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. I'm already 2 days behind, and in all honesty I probably won't get to post every day so I'll just combine the days that I've missed whenever I do post.

I think this is a wonderful idea to reflect on the year as it is slowly very very quickly coming to an end. Here goes:

December 1: Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?

Wow, way to start off with a tough one to answer! I would have to say there's a tie. Either the 3 days in Dublin, Ireland with my mom or the week in Romania with my dad. This past summer was the first time I visited a new place with each parent that even they had never been to before. That gave both trips an added sense of adventure because it was foreign territory for both of us.

December 2: Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

This one is easier, I have one specific moment that stands out right away. I've been to NYC in August with a girlfriend the past 2 years. Both times we have a type of tradition on the first night. Dinner at the Olive Garden in Times Square. I love it beyond anything. I still mourn the fact that we no longer have Olive Garden in Canada because the food is amazing. Lizzie and I had dinner there and great drinks overlooking the crowdedness that is Times Square just talking about anything and everything and what a great city New York is.

December 3: Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.

This one is easy for me too, but it takes some explaining. I studied Humanities as my undergrad degree in University and I've always been very interested in World War II History, specifically the Holocaust. I can't explain why. My last year of University (which ended in June of this year) I undertook an independent study class, a sort of mini-thesis. The end result was a 27 page essay on Holocaust Education in both Israel and Germany. One of my sources was an article written by Dan Porat called "From the scandal to the Holocaust in Israeli Education" and it blew me away! The amount of information I learned from this article is inexplicable.

Stay tuned for further "Best of 2009" posts as the month progresses

Work Stresses

** warning: lots of whining ahead, you have been warned **

That's how I've been feeling the last 2 weeks. My company just got exclusive rights to Disney titles for a large chain of stores across Canada, and guess who they've decided to put in charge of this account. Yup that's right. Me. I'm honoured by the responsibility and that they think I can handle it, but to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I can handle it. I do small work for so many different accounts that no one really seems to know whow much work I actually do - and its beginning to pile up drastically.

I have a half day of vacation booked for Friday afternoon, but I'm starting to be afraid of leaving because of all the work and e-mails that will be waiting for me Monday morning. I figure this either means I'm becoming a good employee, or that I've sold my soul to the corporate gods. Any thoughts on which one it is?

On top of the work stresses, I believe I've finally succumbed to the germs that are floating around. Since last night I've been coughing to the point that I think my co-workers are afraid of me. The strange part is, aside from the coughing (and subsequent body pains) I feel completely fine. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Wow this post really is a downer, so much so that I feel a need to put a warning at the top. I apologize, and will return tomorrow or the next day with an up-beat Christmas-y post!

I hope all of you are having a better week!