Several things:
1. I hate IR theory.
2. I hate sub-zero (in Celsius) temperatures.
3. I am dying from work, my classmates are dying from work, and my boyfriend is dying from work. 2nd week of December = no fun at all!

This interruption in essay-writing (which has been ongoing since 7am) is brought to you by: TriggerPoint GRID foam roller. (http://www.amazon.com/TriggerPoint-GRID-Revolutionary-Roller-Black/dp/B002KE6TMC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1291758408&sr=8-4).

I am seriously buying one of these bad boys when I have any disposable income at all. I have generally been skeptical of so-called sports therapeutic tools in the past, but have heard excellent things, both in person and online, about this roller. I suspect that my many injuries are due to the fact that I am unable to sufficiently relax after my workouts/runs and so my muscles are constantly tight. Add to this the fact that I really don't like people touching me (i.e. no one can give me a back or neck massage, and leg massages are only just tolerable) and I believe that this may be the ticket to some sort of recovery. With my marathon coming up in May (eek!), I need all the help I can get! (FYI: This was in no way, shape, or form an appeal for someone to buy me one of these. This is not as serious as peanut butter --- my desire is not so strong that I would be so selfish as to ask for it.

(By the way, the two jars of Jiffy peanut butter, safely delivered to me by my father, have both been demolished as of yesterday. I ate it on bananas, on rice cakes, on bread, in my oatmeal....heck, I'll even admit that I had a spoonful by itself in order to savour the smooth peanut taste. Am I ashamed? NO! I've cut so many things that I enjoy eating out of my everyday diet that I refuse to feel bad about eating 2 jars of peanut butter over the course of a few weeks. (They were smaller jars...))

By the Numbers:
Days until I am State-side: 10
Days until Christmas: 17
Obstacles still in my way (other than the temporal period of 10 days): 3635 miles, 1 IPME presentation on war and militarization in the ME, 1 Theories paper on interpretive theories (3000 words), 2 IPME lectures/seminars, 1 Theories lecture/seminar, 1 OSINT lecture (on satellite imagery -- so (legitimately) excited!)
Hours spent writing essay today: 12 (take a half hour here or there for strategic FB breaks)
Appeals to the essay-writing gods/saints (St. Jude in particular) for assistance: Roughly 3000
Number of cups of tea consumed: Far more than I care to admit.