homeland security...

well it's been a while since i have updated, but it's also 4:15am monday morning (or for me, late sunday night). i FINALLY got done grading final practical exams and figuring out all my students' grades to this point...which is good since tomorrow they are doing evaluations! well, that actually hasn't been much of a problem in the past, and if you don't believe me i can show you my GSI 'report card' OR you can just meet a bunch of my friends and make fun of me (like many do) since most of them are former students!

anyway...
a belated Happy Easter to everyone! i was finally able to go home this weekend; it was a much-needed break from the insanity which is ann arbor (i love it up in A2/UM, don't get me wrong, but it's nice to get away/retreat for a while and get back together with the family). it was both a relaxing and eventful time; as usual i ate a lot, slept a decent amount, talked a lot with the sibs/rents, watched a movie or two, and took advantage of having my sisters around to take me shopping (since, as many of you know, i'm relatively incapable of picking out my own clothes...at least good ones, outside of college t-shirts, etc). i was also happy that jeevan didn't try to kill me upon seeing me for the first time in four months!
it was great to return home, pretty much a recharging experience and as always great to be with the whole family. here are some pics from the weekend:

i cautiously approached jeevan on his own turf. he's a little wilder when he's in the yard as opposed to inside the house.

this shot doesn't reveal the fact that he pounced on me shortly after the pic was taken...

at this point he really only listens to dad, and only associates me with entertainment

normally the birthday events amongst our family are quite predictable, but they actually caught me off guard this year. the chocolate cake was quite good...i have about 1/3 of it left, but that doesn't include what james and damon may take out of it, so let me know soon if you want a piece. who am i kidding...i'm finishing that stuff off tomorrow!

my sisters acting as normal as possible for the pic. yeah, i can't really explain it either.

it should be noted that rachel and sarah are normally NOT this tall, they were on an incline. rachel, however, does apparently dress like this all the time...

well it's already shaping up to be a crazy week, as the end of classes/this time of year always is. good luck to everyone working on papers, presentations, theses, prelims, and generally staying sane at this point in the school year. although the clock is ticking, we're on the home-stretch...and rest assured there will be plenty of socialization & celebration afterwards! <:><

music: "Jesus Walks" - Kanye West, "One Year, Six Months" - Yellowcard

random pics:

and some shots from brenda's bday dinner (last thursday) at La Shish. believe it or not, the second time around was much better. andrea and i were lucky enough to get seats on a couch, so they were quite relaxing (i seriously could have taken a nap, but that also could have had to do with the fact that i had been at dominick's since 1pm that day. leave me alone...i was grading papers for part of the time!!!)

group shot (L-R) holly, brenda, shinsuke, me, andrea, damon

enjoying the couch seats!