• Uploading pictures from Jan 1's visit to Old Chicago with my SDSU friends to facebook.
• Cleaning out my Sent Mailbox on all of my e-mail accounts.
• Catching up on reading every blog that I've ever heard of.
• Creating a mock itinerary for my upcoming (in June/July) trip to Madison, WI.
• Checking my e-mail every 2 minutes.
• Typing a to-do list, instead of doing anything that may be on the to-do list.
• Rearranging the supply closet.
• Combining piles on my desk into a huge pile...that I then made into smaller, easier to manage piles.
• Procrastinating.

I blame my lack of motivation today on the fact that there is not a huge crowd of students in the lobby cheering me on (I know that they were cheering on the President yesterday, but let me have this moment) as I accomplish feats unseen in my office for days. Such as, being completely caught up on filing and responding to messages, of both voice and e-mail varieties.

Oh well. Maybe after lunch I'll be more motivated.

Other accomplishments of note for the week thus far:

• Completed 3 books in 2 days. I'm really liking the Hannah Swensen Murder Mystery series. (Which take place in small town MN...)
• Made a couple of important decisions about the direction of my life (blog entry forthcoming).
• Caught up with a couple of long-distance friends via facebook.

1. To blog more often and about more interesting things.
2. To read more and watch tv less. With a goal of one book per week, and one night without turning the television on a week.
3. To take better care of myself. Examples: Spritually: yoga, meditation or reading. Physically: diet, exercise. Mentally: Brain Age, puzzles. Creatively: pictures, cross-stitch. Socially: ???
4. To take a 'real' vacation. In the planning phase of Girls Road Trip 2009. More details to come. I hope.
5. To procrastinate less.

• Awoke at 4:00 AM to finish packing and complete a variety of apartment-related chores before the yellow cab came to take me away.
• While walking to the apartment office to drop off my January rent, I received a phone call from Delta airlines telling me that my flight from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls would be postponed by 5 hours.
• Took a long-ass route with the yellow cab driver to the BR Airport. As there was absolutely no traffic, I assume he was just trying to get a few more Washingtons from me. Which is fine.
• Flew from Baton Rouge to Atlanta. From Atlanta to Minneapolis. And finally from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls. Shockingly, all flights were on time. Also shocking is the fact that I only sneezed a few times while on planes. Great sign that my 4-day cold was finally leaving the body. The scheduled time from when I made reservations. Still not sure why Delta called me. But, I'm not going to push it.
• My sister and her special friend picked me up from the Sioux Falls Airport.
• Went to the farm. Where I opened my gift from my sister and special friend, a Nintendo DS with carrying case and Brain Age game. I received a new Kurt Cobain biography/coffee table book and the daily Jeopardy calendar from my parents.
• Spent the remainder of the night talking with my family, eating cheese & crackers (and pickled herring) and drinking wine from the neighbor's winery. (Literally less than a mile from my parents' farm.)
• Oh, we also played Power Yahtzee and Farkel. A lot.

• My parent's new shower is awesome!
• Mom had to work, so Dad & I took her into Sioux Falls where we had a lovely breakfast of Swedish pancakes (mmmm....lingonberries) before dropping her off at work.
• Dad & I returned to the farm. As I was re-heating some ham for lunch, we received a phone call that my uncle (Dad's older brother) had hit a tree and was in the ER in Sioux Falls.
• Dad & I returned to Sioux Falls to see how my uncle was doing. Luckily, he only suffered a few broken ribs. But his car was totalled. We're still not sure what happened entirely, as he seems to have blacked out the whole ordeal. Luckily, no one else was harmed in the accident. It is also a hidden blessing, as my uncle is now getting the health care that he hasn't received for the past 40 or so years. As of today (1/6/09), he's still in the VA Hospital in Sioux Falls receiving the care that he sorely needed.
• Eventually, Dad & I picked up Mom from work. Then returned to the farm, where my sister met up with us after spending the day with the in-laws. After a few games involving dice, my sister and I went to Baltic where we met up with some of her friends and spent an enjoyable night celebrating at the Lounge.

• After spending the night at my sister's house in Baltic, we spent most of the day watching the first seven episodes of Summer Heights High On-Demand. Very fun show.
• Stopped by the farm...did I mention that my parents' have a great shower?...on our way to meet up with friends in Sioux Falls.
• Went to Wiley's...where (un)fortunately no fights involving movie stars broke out...ended up at Tommyjack's, where I ran into an old friend that had not seen since my SDSU days. She, on the other hand, thought that it had been since Girls State. Oh, well. It's all good.

• Went to church for the first time in 2 years. It was okay.
• Mom, Dad & I went to Dells to see Yes Man. Very fun movie. Especially the parts filmed in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• After the movie, we went to visit my dad's younger sister and family. It was a pleasant visit until the conversation turned to politics. Shortly thereafter, we headed home. Where we played more dice games.

• Took Mom to work again. Visited my uncle in the hospital again. Shopped in Sioux Falls for a bit. Played more dice games.

• Hung out at the farm all day with my parents. Mom made the big holiday turkey supper for us all. More dice.

• More relaxation at the farm.
• MoSus came to visit. We went out for supper and a movie (Bedtime Stories), then decided that we really didn't want to go to a smoke-filled bar with 100 of our closest strangers. So, we went to the farm and rang in the new year with my folks. And dice games.

• Met up with my SDSU roommates in Sioux Falls. The first time that we'd all been together in about 8 years. Met all of the kids. Enjoyed the company and conversation. Took some pictures. Promised to get together more often. Parted ways.
• Went shopping with my sister for a bit. Returned to the farm. Hung out for a bit. Ended up going to Baltic to watch the final episode of Summer Heights High and Wii Bowl.

• Spent most of the day watching tv and updating my facebook account at my sister's house.
• Ended the day playing games (2 without dice, 1 with) with the family.

• Only day with wintery weather of my trip. Frizzle (freezing drizzle) caused the roads to be a bit slippery.
• Began my journey back to Baton Rouge. On my flight from Sioux Falls to Minneapolis, I was seated next to a high school classmate and her daughter. Did I mention that they live in London? So, we properly caught up on all of the Baltic gossip during the hour flight.
• Major delays in Minneapolis and Atlanta due to ice and fog. Eventually got to Atlanta. Missed my flight to Baton Rouge. Got on stand-by for the final flight to Baton Rouge. Was the final person allowed on the plane, after someone before me gave up their seat due to the fact that they didn't want to leave their wife behind.
• Finally returned back to casa de ferret around midnight. Where I promptly fell asleep.

1. South Dakota is a lovely place to celebrate the holidays. Especially when the weather cooperates.
2. My Brain Age has decreased somewhat over the past week thanks to my new Nintendo DS. My sister rocks...at times...
3. I Summer Heights High!
4. Thankfully, the illness that kept me out of the office on Dec 22 & 23 has decided to leave my body. So travel should go a lot better tomorrow. I won't have to apologize to my neighbors for my constant sneezing.
5. I'm wondering if I really need to set up new New Year's resolutions for 2009, or can I just resolve to finish those from 2008?