Not with a Whimper, but with a Bang

     With a new year comes a new outlook. A fresh way of looking at the world. Being in Canada, a fresh coat of snow falls upon the ground within the first week, normally more than once. I write my exams and begin a new semester. There is usually a tendency to plaster on a positive, easy-going, this-year-is-going-to-be-the-best-year-ever feeling. In past years, I have gone along with this feeling. It's easy to get swept up in. Well, not this year. 2012 has begun with a sort of negative air to it, and it has nothing to do with any 'impending apocalypse'.

     My year started out in pain. Over a few days, this pain worsened, until yesterday it found me in the emergency room of the local hospital, where we waited rather patiently for over two and half hours. After waiting this extreme amount of time, I was told that the pain and swelling on the side of my face that I was experiencing was not the ear infection that I had expected it to be, but an infection in my salivary gland. You know, that thing that makes spit.

     Today I woke up looking like half a chipmunk. Eating has become one of the most painful experiences ever. I would rate it an 7.5/10 on my pain scale, with 10 being a spinal tap (nothing really get passed 8 anymore). Sleeping is rather annoying, as there is apparently no sleeping position in which my body is comfortable and my face doesn't want to fall off. I have been basically attached to my hot water bottle these past 2 days, as it is the only thing that brings me comfort. Dear god, how am I ever going to live through school tomorrow.

     I feel almost like this is some punishment for my complete and total disbelief in any sort of 2012 disaster. Life wants me to feel some sort of pain, since I refuse to feel at all panic-y and whatnot over the date.

     I have to bring my plant back to school tomorrow, and I kind of don't want to. It's grown so much more here than it ever did under the light in the classroom. When I brought it home, I seriously thought that I was going to end up killing it, since plants don't normally tend to last in my house. It had barely been green for more than a few days, while everyone elses were gaining height. Now though, I have super tall growths and new shoots. I am very proud of myself.

Above: The earliest picture of my plant babies when I brought them home.
Below: A picture I have just taken, to show juuust how good I am.

     So hopefully this year gets better, because if the highlight of my year is that I was able to successfully keep a plant alive for two weeks, then I don't know if I want to continue. I am feeling a tad bit better though. Don't forget to be awesome!

50 Book Challenge - 2011

     I figure if you are a book nerd like I am, you may be interested in knowing which books I read during the 50 Book Challenge of 2011. Sadly, I did not complete the challenge, but I got really really close. Here is the list I read, in chronological order.

1. Girl at Sea - Maureen Johnson
2. Wave - Eric Walters
3. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner
4. Entice - Carrie Jones
5. Radiance - Alyson Noel
6. Halo - Alexandra Adornetto
7. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
8. Beastly - Alex Flinn
9. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
10. Closer - Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
11. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn
12. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
13. The Poison Eaters - Holly Black
14. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
15. Frostbitten - Kelley Armstrong
16. Living with the Dead - Kelley Armstrong
17. Made to be Broken - Kelley Armstrong
18. No Humans Allowed - Kelley Armstrong
19. Personal Demon - Kelley Armstrong
20. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
21. Wither - Lauren DeStefano
22. Blood Magic - Tessa Gratton
23. The Chaos - Rachel Ward
24. The Book of Awesome - Neil Pasricha
25. The Gathering - Kelley Armstrong
26. Tithe - Holly Black
27. Valiant - Holly Black
28. Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
29. Possession - Elana Johnson
30. Enclave - Ann Aguirre
31. Forgotten - Cat Patrick
32. Forever - Maggie Stiefvater
33. Ironside - Holly Black
34. Ashes Ashes - Jo Treggiari
35. Plain Kate - Erin Bow
36. Zombies vs unicorns - Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
37. The great gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
38. Stone angel - Margaret Laurence
39. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
40. Boy Proof - Cecil Castellucci
41. Matched - Ally Condie
42. Special Edward - Eric Walters
43. Othello - William Shakespeare
44. The Diviners - Margaret Laurence
45. The Death Cure - James Dashner
46. Sweetness in the Belly - Camilla Gibb

     I call this a near success, since I was so near to it that you could almost call it a success. Don't forget to be awesome!