"some mistakes are too much fun to only make once"

It's the Christmas season, and I am super-pumped.  If my recent theme of amazing holidays continues, then Christmas is going to blow my mind.  I didn't intend to have the most interesting birthday ever or the most pleasantly-surprising Thanksgiving, they just happened that way...  It's fun to be in a holiday season with a wide net of friends and lots of parties and stuff to do; that's how it was at home splitting time between work and school and friends and family, and I love the hustle and bustle.  Classes have been going well, even though I had a sinus infection last week (and the cough and congestion seem to be hanging on)--the weather changed to cold and rainy all of a sudden and most of the foreigners came down with something or other.  Right now I can smell the cake pastries I'm making in my little toaster oven, and it smells so good!  I really love to bake, and the arrival of Betty Crocker cake and cookie mixes a couple weeks ago at Metro was a big deal.

I didn't post for Thanksgiving, but I'll still mention some random things I appreciate.
-my mom is really funny, and she says surprising things all the time
-I like looking on FB and seeing people who I know have had hard times in the past that seem really happy now
-last week we were finally able to book plane tickets and lodging in Harbin for winter vacation!
-when I was teaching dance at the training center last week while I was sick and in a terrible mood, I looked in the hall and saw the 50-something cleaning lady doing the steps: instant spirit-lifter
-my students make me laugh by drawing/saying things they don't realize are inappropriate, and creating impossible situations like the following:

This week I was having them create their own countries as part of our government lesson (y'all remember doing this in high school?).  This is what the board looked like after one presentation, and I'll explain as best as I can:  The name of the country is "The Great Kingdom of Morpheus" (the sun god?), and their capital city is East Factory.  The national language is Cantonese, and "fule ice" is their greatest natural resource.  You can't see their flag, but it's a palm full of bright red fire.  [Already, don't we have an issue?  A country based on the sun that produces ice?  It gets better...]  Their currency is the "Vampire B", one of which is equal to $1,000.  It is called that because the country was founded/is run by "the Great Vampire".  In a sun country.  Oh, and that little bit of Chinese to the far left?  It means polygamy--in their country men can have multiple wives.  My job is very rarely boring.