Impromptus

• I took my first final today and I finished in about 10 minutes. Yes, it was a graduate level course. Know what else? I'm pretty sure I did awesome on it. Now just the data analysis from the dating survey, the final for that class, and a couple drafts of my thesis to try and crank out. Should be a pretty light week for me next week. Really.
  
• You know what's funny about the difference between my friends here and the friends I have at home? I can be SO sarcastic with my friends at home and they ALWAYS get when I'm being sarcastic, but here my friends don't always pick up on it. I think what makes it funny is that I think I am mostly a pretty nice person, so when I say something super absurd or mean-sounding, I would think that they would realize that it's out of character for me and realize that it's just me making a joke. Instead, they think I'm moody and then I have to explain that I'm not a total idiot.
• Today, for the first time in more than a month, I ran without any pain during my run or immediately following it. I didn't have to cut it short at all because I thought my knee would buckle because of the pressure I was putting it under. I wasn't walking around outside following my run wondering if I might have to call my roommate to pick me up or walk over to a friend's nearby house because I wasn't sure I could make it the one or two blocks to my place. It's so nice to run without pain. Sometimes when I was running these last few weeks I thought I might have to find some other form of aerobic exercise. Turns out that I'm pretty much fine now. I ran five miles today and it felt like a breeze. So nice.
• Our ward choir has been desperate for male voices and I've been meaning to go for awhile, but other things kept coming up so I haven't gone, that is, until last Sunday. We had an extra practice on Monday for the pieces we'll be doing in sacrament this Sunday, and I just love it. I love hearing everyone sing their parts separately, and then hearing everything come together, and then you're like, oh, there it is! It's really cool. Singing hymns is a really, really fun thing. It's only been in the last few years that I've figured out that I really enjoy singing. I wish I would have known sooner. Music is really fun.
• Lots of sports stuff to comment on, but I haven't really felt like it. Actually, blogging for me in general lately has felt a little bit forced. Not that I have any trouble still coming up with ideas to post about. I think I'll be going on hiatus over the break and recharge my batteries.
• Get this - I've been tracking my expenses for the last 12 weeks. My method has been crude - just a little notepad where I write down everything I spend each day at the end of the day. Here's what cool about it: I am so conscious of my spending and all of my inputs and outputs that I do a much better job of restricting my spending. Mostly. I still suck sometimes like over Thanksgiving with friends in town and eating out constantly and doing a bunch of fun things, but still, it's an improvement. What's come out of this is a Christmas present spreadsheet where I have a budget and allotted amounts for everyone I plan on buying presents for. I kind of love it. I have a budgeted amount, actual amount spent, and then a summation formula, with a tax multiplier next to it. Typically, my heart is larger than my wallet, but I think with this system I'll be able to reign in my spending, while still feeling like I'm taking care of my loved ones. Cool, huh?
  
• How about some Christmas music to end with? Try this on: