Part of me can't wait to go home for Christmas in a couple weeks, but not for the Christmas part. That really doesn't matter that much to me anymore. For the first time, I really don't care about what I get under the tree. I can honestly say that I care more about spending quality time with my family members, those I love and even some that I hate (they add spice to life).

But I'm also anxious to get away from school for a while. I'm tired of sharing my room and of not having space of my own. I'm tired of not being able to sleep when I want for as long as I want without disturbing my roommates. I'm tired of worrying about papers and stupid assignments. I'm tired of dealing with people who annoy me. I'm tired of making my life harder by making stupid decisions. I'm tired of my attitude in general after about 11 p.m. I'm tired of feeling disconnected from my surroundings. And it's too cold to walk to class several times a day! When the high for the day is 8 degrees (Fahrenheit), you know it's winter.

Despite the bitter cold, though, it really is pretty outside. When I was walking home from the rec last night, there was a light snow falling on the already blanketed ground. I was listening to some jazz on my iPod, and I felt like I was in a movie. At any moment one of my crushes would run up from behind me, grab me roughly, spin me around and engulf my lips in a passionate kiss. Then we would live happily ever after! ... Okay, so that's pushing it quite a bit, but it was cool to think about. (Yes, guys, girls really do think like this. We want more romantic moments! We can never have enough!)

******

I'm also tired of focusing on everything that's going wrong in my life, but for some reason it's so much easier to do that than count my blessings (which far outweigh the bad stuff).

PS (Did my excessive use of parentheses bother anyone else?)