I got some funny pictures from NB yesterday. Of us (or just me, actually, since he had to be behind the camera), playing in the snow, which we happened to do all night Saturday night and all morning Sunday. When I figure out how to make the pictures that I have a whole lot smaller, I will certainly do so, and attach them here. Suffice it to say, it was wholely enjoyable, spending the weekend romping about in the snow (once I got over the whole snow-and-wind-whipping-in-my-face thing, or, more accurately, once NB let me wear his goggles -- what a gentleman!).

The Meeting Of The Salem Folk went very well on Sunday, as soon as we got past the few snags we hit trying to get a train out of North Station and up to Salem. We ate yummy food -- NB made awesome chile, and my mom made a whole smorgasbord of soup and dessert -- and then we headed down to the local to meet up with my buddies. Interestingly, after meeting NB, they informed me that he was not at all what they expected. This intrigues me. I think that people who know me, without knowing my type, expect me to go for a wholly different kind of guy than I generally go for. The fact is, I like them kind of skinny and kind of nerdy. And NB is both. But there's more to him, and it takes a little while for one to understand his sense of humor and get to see exactly what it is I see in him (and there's lots!). On the other hand, I verbally got the big THUMS UP! from my mother on Sunday, which was pretty cool. She went so far as to compare NB to the ex, which I didn't think was exactly fair, seeing how they're really nothing alike, aside from their inseam, but it was well-intentioned nonetheless, and I was glad to hear that she approves. Whew. That was a whole lot of well-placed commas. Did you get my drift?

Luckily for me, classes were cancelled yesterday, so I felt very free to go ahead and get very drunk after I'd driven NB down to the train at 9:30pm on Sunday night after the game. And so I did -- go ahead and get drunk, that is. It was really just me and a whole bunch of people I worked with who lived in the vicinity. And there were a whole lot of shots drunk, and probably stupid things said and done. And it was SO MUCH FUN. (Oh, and did I mention the Pats are going to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years? Yeah, that. AWESOME!!!) Talk about a grown up snow day. When will I ever get one of these again? Probably never. And, to make it all THAT much better, I woke up on Monday morning at 10:30am, sans hangover. I love having the Irish tolerance. I don't think I've been hung over in well over six months. But then again, I refused to drink tequila shots (I stuck with the vodka), and I made sure that I was pacing myself. Oh, and also drank about a liter of water over the course of the first half hour I was awake, which I'm sure helped.

So, after all that debauchery, it's time to get back to the real world, and my real obligations. Thank god NB is off to Chicago this week and the majority of next. I need to get my ass back in gear about being serious about my study schedule. It's so easy to be distracted and want to spend time with him after he gets off work, when, in fact, that's when most of my work gets done. Anybody know where I can buy some good discipline? Willpower? Anybody? There's got to be a good black market for that stuff. All I know is I've got my first exam next Wednesday and I really need to get my ass in gear. But you know what? B+'s have worked for me so far, and if I can keep doing the same and keep enjoying every aspect of my life, aside from just the schoolwork, I'll be more than satisfied come the time that I'm walking across that stage accepting my degree.

Update! Wed., 1/26/05, 7pm

Just found this site, which has a whole bunch of quizzes, and took the Relationship one. Very, very interesting...

eXpressive: 8/10

Practical: 7/10

Physical: 5/10

Giver: 8/10

You are a XPYG--Expressive Practical Physical Giver. This makes you a Roving Spouse.

You are magnetic, charming, and impossible to resist. You have no problem with approaching your target sex -- it just comes naturally to you, and the thrill of warming up a stranger is one of your great drives. Still, very few people really know you. You don't just *feel* misunderstood -- you are. You are probably nursing a heartache that you never let on.

You're calm in a conflict (almost *too* calm -- a more emotional partner may wonder why you're not more engaged) and quick with affection. Fighting makes you uncomfortable, but as you avoid direct conflict your frustrations can manifest in the cold shoulder and passive-aggression, which is no better! Still, you make a loving, doting parent -- giving more love than discipline -- and your children prefer you.

Like an XSYG, you put so much thought and effort in what you give to your partner that you feel dismissed and unappreciated if you don't get the same in return. You also give and think so much that you can also talk yourself into cheating -- physically or emotionally -- and this can lead a cycle of conflict, guilt, conflict-avoidance, chilly atmosphere and then more cheating. But you'll stay with your partner in the long run from guilt and a desire to please.

You've got to open up! You express and give so much of yourself in other ways -- don't be afraid to express what's bothering you.

I'm only being so hard on you because you remind me of me.

Of the 183681 people who have taken this quiz, 10.7 % are this type.