Linking up with Kelly.

—1—

I was pleasantly surprised by Notre Dame’s bowl win a few days ago. It was great to see them end the season on a high note, and I think I was most happy for Kyle Brindza to finish his college career with a game-winning field goal. Yesterday’s playoff games were a lot of fun to watch, too—the Oregon-Ohio State championship matchup should be interesting!

–2—

My only bowl game experience was the 2010 Sun Bowl (not-so-fun fact: since I graduated with the losingest class in Notre Dame history, we only ever went to one bowl while I was a band member). I remember packing my bag to go to El Paso—figuring this was the Sun Bowl, played in the warm and sunny Southwest, I brought T-shirts and left my warm gloves and winter gear at home. Well, surprise! It snowed. And because I was so completely unprepared for the snow, it was the coldest I have ever been at a football game. [I should probably note here that I was abroad during the infamous Syracuse game of 2008…but I’ve been to some awfully cold, snowy games before, and this was the worst—mainly because I was not wearing layers, and the stadium was designed to allow cool breezes to flow through.]

We played Miami, and the bright side of all the snow was that Miami was totally unprepared for it as well. At least our players were used to playing in frigid temperatures.

Anyway, at least we won the game, and afterwards I rang in the new year with my band friends—inside, where it was warm.

—3—

This is one of the most interesting articles I’ve read lately: How Not to Talk to Your Kids. I found this totally fascinating, and it made me think a lot about education, perfectionism, how different temperaments respond to different teaching approaches. It’s worth a read.

—4—

Happy New Year! This is the third year I’ve used Jen’s Random Saint Generator to pick a patron saint for the year. This year I got St. Gemma Galgani—I have heard a little about her but don’t know her whole story, so I’m excited to learn more! Last year I had St. Dominic.

—5—

A few weeks ago I got the chance to hear Arleen Spenceley speak in New York. It was great to see in person and get a copy of her book!

—6—

I basically get most of my news from The Onion…the American Voices section is pretty much my favorite thing. I was scanning through it today and realized I’d missed this gem from a few months back—did you know that Pepsi is developing a Doritos-flavored Mountain Dew called Dewitos? God help us all.

—7—

Okay, I’m out. I’m going to watch The Hunger Games with my family, and tomorrow I continue the ongoing adventure of apartment hunting in New York City. Wish me luck!