Merry ((late)) Christmas! Hope Santa made his jolly way to each and every home! Me, I got just what I wanted! I spent FAR too much money on coffee last semester so the big red man brought me a coffee maker and some good coffee grounds. I was excited! I couldn’t convince my parents to let me use mine instead of theirs but I’m eager to get back to school to build my own little Starbucks in my room. Now the question stands, where to put it? Hm. I’m sure I’ll find somewhere to stick it!

Life has been crazy lately! Between working everyday, wrapping up Christmas and getting ready for New Years it seems like I’m just as busy at home than I am at school! But one thing is for sure, I will be taking a few hours to sit down and watch the Patriots game tonight. For anyone who isn’t a football fan nor cares what is going on, check out now, because the rest of this post will not be interesting by any means. Tonight the undefeated Patriots ((and the team that also happens to hold my heart)) will play the New York Giants for the chance to be the first team to go 16-0 in a regular season. Tom Brady ((quarterback)) is two touchdowns away from breaking Payton Manning’s most touchdowns in a season record, Randy Moss ((wide receiver)) is two touchdowns away from breaking Jerry Rice’s record for the most touchdown catches in a regular season, and the team as a whole needs one touchdown to break the record for the most points scored in a regular season. Bottom line:: it will either be a really good game tonight or a total blowout. I’m looking forward to it.

So time to go suited up in the jersey to get ready for kickoff. Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season! Have a great New Year!! See you in 2008!!

Ah! It’s been home sweet home for about 4 days now and unlike Raj I would love to say I forgot how much I enjoyed sleep but I haven’t gotten much of it. That’s a lie. The Northeast got hit with a fair amount of snow so with the exception of my brother’s basketball game Saturday night, I spent this weekend snuggled in sweatpants watching Season 2 of Grey’s Anatomy with my sister. It was a nice break but as of 7 o’clock Monday morning I was back to work. I work at a company called Bobrick back in Clifton Park. I do a lot of office work and although I would have liked to have a little bit more of a break I’m sure I’ll appreciate it when everyone else gets bored of being home, I’m still making some money!

Hm money, that infamous problem that all of us college students seem to run into more often than not. And with Christmas coming up it seems to lurk a little bit more heavily than usual. I can’t really believe there is only like 5 more days until Christmas, I’m really glad I only have one present. I should get on that. I am excited this year that it looks like it will continue to be winter wonderland outside until the holidays are over which is nice. It always makes it feel a little bit more like Christmas when the flurries are coming down outside.

I should get back to work since that’s what they’re paying me to do but I hope everyone is being safe while throwing elbows to get that last present off the shelf in the mall!!

Looks like Mr. Weatherman got something right for once. All everyone has been talking about for the last two days is the “quick-hitting, high impact” snowstorm to hit the Northeast today. Well, sure enough, when I rolled over this morning and looked out on the terrace those fun little white pieces were being unloaded on the world, covering it in its ever perfect blanket. Me, of course, turned right over and put holiday music on my stereo and snuggled back underneath the covers but that’s no surprise due to my love for this time of the year. Never is there a time where the entire world is happy, after college finals are over of course. But really, you can’t be in a bad mood if you tried and I love that!! I want to say before I forget, Happy Chanukah to all those who celebrate it! I recognize the fact that it ended yesterday so I’m not ignorant don’t worry but I didn’t mention it before and I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget!!

The dilemma today is where to study. Do we stay cuddled in the classrooms of Filmore, where the Department of Classics holds it’s classes {it’s connected to the dorms in Ellicott} or do we bundle up and venture out into the snowy abyss? Decisions…hm. Well, I should get going, I have to respond to e-mails before I make the decision to become a snowman or snuggle away. Home tomorrow!! I seriously can not wait for winter break!! Good luck to everyone venturing out in the snow today!

The end is drawing near…2 more pages left and that annoying final on Friday afternoon before I can officially breath a sigh of relief, well in terms of work. Then the anticipation drags on about grades before they are all in, once that hits, it’s easy breathing for four weeks before spring semester hits.

That is what’s cool/weird about college. The schedule is so different than what you have become accustomed to in your previous twelve years of schooling. Once that winter break hits, you really have no school work to think about, unless your taking winter courses, obviously. Because you know those weeks of Christmas vacation or spring break that they give you in high school that you tell your Mom you don’t have any work to be doing but really you know you should be reading that novel your English teacher assigned, those don’t exist! In college, when we go home for Christmas break we leave it all behind, unless your one of those over achievers and choose to do some random assignments. But when our classes end in December they are over until that next January; same goes for the spring semester ending in May and Fall picking back up in August. It’s kinda nice actually.

I’ve spent these last couple days thinking about a situation that I know a lot of high school seniors have on their minds as you guys think about college: roommates. I’m sure a lot of you are thinking, “How in gosh name am I going to be able to live with another random person?!” or the dreaded one, “What if I get someone crazy?!”. Well I have the answer, you’ll survive and move on. I did. My roommate freshman year and I were inseparable for about the first two months of school. People thought we knew each other from home we got along so well! I was in heaven, it was like a slumber party with your best friend every night! Well after about those two months of bliss after a falling out we didn’t speak again. And when I say we didn’t speak I mean nothing. No “how was your day?” or “is this your t-shirt?”. Nope, we basically just co-existed in the same room. And you know what, you deal. I had an amazing time freshman year and still made a lot of friends despite the issues back in my dorm room. The reason I’ve been thinking about this is because one of my best friends just had a falling out with her roommate, who was one of her closest friends all of this and last year. So the point is, even best friends don’t get along sometimes. But the best can be found in any situation so never fear!

I should go finish off that essay but really we all know I’m going to start downloading the list of movies I want to bring home for winter break to keep me entertained. So I won’t lie, I’ll just say I’m going to go!

And that’s the end! Friday was the last day of classes! I am in the clear until next Friday when I have one exam and then it’s back on the NYS Thruway headed East to Albany. I can’t wait!

Friday night was our holiday party for the Student Recruitment Unit. Basically all of us STARS, Tour Guides and Teleteam kids get together with some of the employees from the Admissions office, we have some GREAT food and hang out. It’s just an awesome way to get us all together, it was a really relaxed atmosphere and I had some awesome conversations with some awesome people! We also had a raffle, we got a ticket when we walked in. This present giving had a twist though, if your number was called you had two choices, you could open a new one or you could choose to steal someone else’s present. Now I hate this game, I played it in high school and I am ALWAYS the first one to get a present and can’t steal anyones. Sure enough I was the first number called and I won an alarm clock. I already have two in my room so I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this one. With the holiday season coming up, maybe one of my loved ones will find themselves a proud recipient of a lovely large display alarm clock. =)

Okay, it’s Sunday, time to go shower and put the ritual Patriots jersey on. I haven’t watched the game in two weeks because of the concerts I’ve been going to. As you may know, the last two weeks for the Pats have been close calls as far as bringing home the “W”s now I realize how important I am to their winning streak so I must be ready for the game today!!

I apologize for the lack of posts but this week has been hands down the most grueling week of my college career ever. This week is the last week of classes and so as most students are attending classes that are reviewing for their finals (which take start taking place next week) I am heading from class to class which my professors insist on giving the exams IN class as opposed to during finals week. So at 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon started what I like to call “the slow death of Lynlee”, a World Civ essay test kicked it off with a 7:00 pm Psych test rounding out the day. Then today, I went from test to test to test at 9:30, 11 and 12:30. With an eight page paper that was due on Monday and a four page paper due in about an hour. I can’t believe I made it through, let’s just see how well I survived when grades come out. During the hour of sleep I got last night I dreamed, for a brief moment, about what I was going to do when it was all over. I’ve already spoken to my Dad, I’m going to call my Mom tonight (who I haven’t spoken to in like a week and a half) and then I’m going to call my grandmother because I usually talk to her at least once a week and haven’t spoken to her in like a month. So I’m coming out of my hole! Get ready world!

On a brighter note I had one of the best tours EVER yesterday! Some kids from Hutch-Tech High School (a local high school here) came. There were 35 of them and 1 of me. It was interesting to say the least but they made my day a little bit better so rock on you guys! Also, I’m not going to lie I took a few hours out of my studying on Monday night to go with a few friends to a concert at a skate park around here. It was an awesome show of one of my favorite bands, Bayside (kind of an emo rock band). They were opened by a few bands but one that I have fallen in love with June. And if you know me I’m not usually into that type of music which is awesome. I am broadening my horizons!! We got really close and below are a few pictures from it (just click on them to make them bigger).

Anyways I’m going to go finish some few odds and ends and then clean up the disaster area that has become my room. Since I have been studying and all you want to wear when you study is comfy clothes, it looks like a sweatshirt/sweatpant shop exploded on my floor. I’m sure my roommate is really appreciating it, oh well, she’ll deal

Now THIS is what I have been waiting for!! The last couple days the temperature has been slowly dropping forcing us into the winter coats that we put off wearing as long as possible, but last night will force even the bravest souls into at least a fleece. I woke up this morning, rolled over and peeked out my window and to my surprise there was about an half of inch of winter’s little surprise, SNOW!!! Now I’m a summer, fall, spring girl…basically anything but winter, I love. But there are some things that these chilly months bring us that not even the hardest of hearts can’t warm too. There’s something magical about the entire world being covered in a blanket of white snow, and since I was up particularly early this morning it seemed as though everything in the world was quite, even if only for a brief moment. When the wind is blowing outside and your snuggled up inside with special people watching the world fly by you and of course, the holidays, those are a few of the things that winter brings. The holidays are hands down my favorite time of the year. The songs, the weather, the presents, the friends & family…it seems for a few short weeks the world is happy.

Although this weather can sometimes seem to bring magic to Earth there are also drawbacks and one of those my best friend Denise and I experienced yesterday. The weather yesterday was just downright horrible. It was cold and bitter, cloudy and dreary looking but worst of all was the wind, it was scary wind. So Denise and I had dropped another friend off at work on campus and were driving back to the dorms when a gust of wind, that I’m pretty rivaled that of winds that Tornado Alley sees, came flying by. Suddenly about twenty 5 ft. x 5 ft. sheets of plywood came flying off of Alumni Arena’s roof. Denise and I both started screaming and laughing at the same time. It was the scariest thing that has happened in a while. Denise’s little car was dodging them left and right as we just tried to make to the dorms. Finally we were safe inside Porter watching the snow and wind fly around outside and I have to say I haven’t left Ellicott since.

The other thing that winter brings is finals. A good time is had by no one when finals are going on but it’s something that every college student has to go through so we just keep plugging through. My finals aren’t bad this year but my last week of classes, which is this upcoming week, is going to be the worst week of my life. I have an 8 page paper due on Monday and a 4 page paper due on Thursday but it’s my tests that are going to kill me, I have four tests in 24 hours. Wednesday night at 7 pm and then on Thursday I have tests at 9:30 am, 11 am and 12:30 pm. It’s not going to be a fun one.

With that being said I should get on chipping away at those papers. This afternoon Hall Council is throwing a little relaxation party for everyone who is studying. We are getting pizza and wings, probably turn on the big screen tv and watch something. It should be a good time and a nice chance to step away from the books for a few minutes so that’s exciting! Tomorrow we are going shopping for the toys for the Toys for Tots so that should go really well!

Hope you all are staying warm (if you’re in the Northeast) and if you have snow outside, do me a favor and go out and play!