Maybe it’s the fact that Spring is on the way, or that the end of my maternity leave is rapidly approaching, but for some reason I’m starting to feel super motivated. So much so that I’ve just signed up for some of courses.

First, I will be spending the next 10 weeks, with some other English-speaking mommies, brushing up on my Swedish skills. It will only be once a week, but it will help me feel more confident while speaking. This will be a great opportunity to practice without feeling as self-conscious as I do when I’m with native speakers. Plus, Adrienne can come along and maybe pick up a few words!

The other course that I just signed up for is learning about creating art journals. I can’t wait! Years ago, I made altered books but seemed to have switched more into scrapbooking. Hopefully, this will help me merge back into the messier side of creativity. I feel so inspired by the instructor and also by the other students. The overall message of the course is to go with the flow, make mistakes work and have fun! I’ve been collecting the required supplies for the past few days and only have a couple left to get. They are things that I can’t seem to find in Sweden, so I’ll have to get them sent from Canada or the States. More about that course later!

I’m also finishing up the “Design Your Life” course with Cathy Zielske. It officially ended on Christmas day but my trip to Canada made me fall behind on the assignments. I still have all the videos and handouts to work with, so it should be no problem finishing it. I have learned so much about design from that course, so far, I feel like going back and redoing all of my scrapbook pages.

It’s so fun being the student for a change!

Anyone who knows me, knows how big of a Conan fan I am. When he started his show way back in 1993, I was just starting my time in university. I’ve always been a night owl who watches late night TV, but Late Night was different from all the other shows. He got me through a lot of stressful nights and he became a part of my nightly routine. I always tried to be ready for bed before Max started playing the opening theme song. Laying in bed watching his monologue and interviews was always the best way for me to unwind at the end of the day. This routine was the main reason I needed to always have a TV in my room. No matter what was going on in my life, I could always trust Conan and the rest of his crew to put a smile on my face.

I’m sad that I never got the chance to see him live in New York City, but am hopeful that I can make it to a taping in California. Wouldn’t going to see Conan and Ellen during the same vacation be a dream come true?

Five years ago, when I heard that Conan would be taking over for Jay Leno, I was ecstatic because that would mean that Conan wouldn’t be leaving TV for a long time. I could get my fix for many years to come. Of course, I was sad to hear that Leno would be leaving, but thought that he deserved the chance to retire and possibly do more standup comedy like other TV talk show hosts have done.

It really felt like Conan was saying goodbye to more than the studio (and some of the crew) during his last show. This makes me nervous to think of how much of his show isn’t following him out to California. I really hope that, at least, the band is going with him. I can’t imagine Conan talking to Kevin Newbanks every night instead of Max Weinberg. The last show was an amazing one, with Andy Richter and The White Stripes. He even showed my favourite clip about the Old Time Baseball. I had no idea that it was his personal favourite too! Conan’s heartfelt words really got to me and made me even more of a fan. You can really tell when Conan lets his guard down and is showing his true personality.

There’s some debate as to whether Leno is stealing Conan’s thunder by sticking around. At first, I thought it was a pretty crappy move but now that I think about it, it’s probably better for NBC to keep Leno for now. That way, no one will be upset that Leno is gone, Conan can get settled into the Tonight Show and then Jimmy Fallon will be able to start his show. NBC needs all the help they can get to raise their ratings and I can’t wait to start my new nightly routine of watching the Conan/Fallon combo! I just hope that Leno’s show is a different format than what it is now, so he and Conan aren’t fighting over the same guests.