Big things have been happening in my life of late that challenge the idea of knowing or dealing with the unknown. The biggest one is that my mother has cancer. Ovarian cancer. I learned this a few weeks ago and after spending a day or so in a complete state of denial, I realized that not only is it real but it is happening to my mom. Since there were so many unknowns it was especially hard to wrap my mind around what this news really meant. After a week of this, she went in for surgery for the debulking procedure, the first step of her treatment. It seemed to go well and next week is her first appointment with her Oncologist to decide on the next step. I’ll be going home next weekend and hope that the not knowing will diminish through the week. I talk to mom regularly and she seems to be in good spirits. It helps with the worrying, but not enough. There are still too many questions that no one can answer. The combination of worry, fear, frustration is powerful. I knew that I’d have to deal with something like this some day; I just didn’t realize it would be happening so soon.
I figured that keeping up with the bad economy and keeping my job would be my biggest worry. So the news above has cut the additional worry that I may get laid off or “bumped” from my position. I really do like what I do. It’s still managing a computer help desk, something I’ve done for the past 9 years. I enjoy the people I support and the people I work with in my department. It’s not a high stress environment but we still have lots to do. I can put in a 40 hour work week and know that I’m doing good work that people appreciate and that makes a difference to my customers so that they can support their clients better. Sounds good, eh? Well the budget needs to be balanced and being a civil servant, that means that new people with less seniority are at risk if they end up reducing the deficit with our positions. The unknown comes in now. Our union contracts are up for negotiation. How bad the budget is might be exaggerated to get the unions to take less at the bargaining table. Or if it is really as bad as they say, I might get bumped by someone in my classification who has more seniority than I, even if they don’t have the skills to do my job. Or I might have to supervise someone who bumps one of my staff. (Really the least of my problems but a potential headache of the worst type – the type that lasts until that person retires.) How all this happens is decided by a complicated set of rules.
And as you might imagine I got both sets of bad news at around the same time. I’m fairly resigned about my job. There is only so much I can do. I have gone back to living as if I’m already unemployed in an effort to build up a little bit of a nest egg. In a moment of panic I started scanning the job boards, but soon realized that’s just adding fuel to the fire. My boss has been especially good about telling us what is happening and how we might be affected. While it’s lousy news to deliver, it’s good that we are talking about it openly. The rumor mill can demoralize anyone with the bad news, so I appreciate the effort he is making to stay on top of things as best he can.
I’ve been talking about this stuff a lot to various friends and family which help me more that I would have thought. One friend told me I seemed especially stoic considering the news. I assured her that it was just that I had reached a state of acceptance, realizing that I can’t possibly know the unknown and to get all crazy about it would make me crazy. Once I get past my most obvious issues, I found that things were going pretty well for me. I can deal with the job, I’ve been through worse and I have a better support network now than I did a year or two ago. I will do the best I can getting through my mom’s cancer. I plan on being as supportive as I can for her and know that I’ve got a great support behind me so that no one gets to go through this alone.
How are things going for you? Can I send you a hug?
Sunday, April 27, 2003
Friday, April 18, 2003
Fine art of solo movie viewing
Last Saturday, I was troubled by a few things and was finding it hard to focus on anything. Ordinarily I might have found a close friend to spend some time with, but wasn’t feeling particularly talkative, so I decided that the best thing to do was escape to the movies. It was perfect movie weather, a grey rainy day, so I went to a local theatre and found something to see.
I’ve noticed that some people have a hard time going to the movies by themselves. This seems to fall into a self-conscious category that keeps those same people from feeling comfortable changing in a locker room. I know it can be tough, but it’s worth working past this.
So back to the theatre, it really doesn’t matter what you see. The only rule is that you have to pick something that you want to see. Yes, since you are seeing the movie by yourself, you don’t have to negotiate which movie you get to see. Or if there is a movie you saw once and just have to see again, here is your opportunity to do so without anyone else busting your chops about wanting to see that stupid movie twice. I should also mention that you can get whatever snacks you want. Popcorn with butter or without, candy no one likes but you, or if you are feeling particularly decadent, go and sneak in food from outside. My mom, a big movie watcher would drive other people crazy when she would sneak in chicken wings from Roy Rodgers. In the days before you could get a meal at the movies, bringing in fast food, Chinese food or if you are really good, pizza was great. You get to eat what you want and while throwing off the other patrons trying to figure out what that great smell is.
Okay, so you’ve picked your movie and you’ve gotten your snacks. Now you get to pick the seat you want. If it happens to be a full theater, there are always single seats available without having to sit in the first two rows. Once you get comfortable you might have enough time to get in some people watching. Without a companion to distract you, you can listen to all the conversations around you without distractions. It’s like the pre-show entertainment.
At some point the lights will go down. When the movie sucks you in you can just go with the flow. No one is going to talk to you or nudge you to pass the Jujube’s and distract you from the dialogue. And after the movie is over as you make your way home, you can think about the movie, the characters without having someone distract you with questions about running errands or what to do next.
Sure, sure, there are equally strong arguments for going to the movies with someone but there is nothing that beats this special sort of escapist treat than going to the movies by yourself.
What’s your favorite thing to do by yourself?
I’ve noticed that some people have a hard time going to the movies by themselves. This seems to fall into a self-conscious category that keeps those same people from feeling comfortable changing in a locker room. I know it can be tough, but it’s worth working past this.
So back to the theatre, it really doesn’t matter what you see. The only rule is that you have to pick something that you want to see. Yes, since you are seeing the movie by yourself, you don’t have to negotiate which movie you get to see. Or if there is a movie you saw once and just have to see again, here is your opportunity to do so without anyone else busting your chops about wanting to see that stupid movie twice. I should also mention that you can get whatever snacks you want. Popcorn with butter or without, candy no one likes but you, or if you are feeling particularly decadent, go and sneak in food from outside. My mom, a big movie watcher would drive other people crazy when she would sneak in chicken wings from Roy Rodgers. In the days before you could get a meal at the movies, bringing in fast food, Chinese food or if you are really good, pizza was great. You get to eat what you want and while throwing off the other patrons trying to figure out what that great smell is.
Okay, so you’ve picked your movie and you’ve gotten your snacks. Now you get to pick the seat you want. If it happens to be a full theater, there are always single seats available without having to sit in the first two rows. Once you get comfortable you might have enough time to get in some people watching. Without a companion to distract you, you can listen to all the conversations around you without distractions. It’s like the pre-show entertainment.
At some point the lights will go down. When the movie sucks you in you can just go with the flow. No one is going to talk to you or nudge you to pass the Jujube’s and distract you from the dialogue. And after the movie is over as you make your way home, you can think about the movie, the characters without having someone distract you with questions about running errands or what to do next.
Sure, sure, there are equally strong arguments for going to the movies with someone but there is nothing that beats this special sort of escapist treat than going to the movies by yourself.
What’s your favorite thing to do by yourself?
Friday, April 4, 2003
Power of Thought and Roller Coaster Rides
Have you ever thought about something and had that thought manifest itself into something real and tangible in your life? Sure it sounds flaky, but it’s amazing to think (even if it’s just for a moment) that you created it by the power of thought.
So what was I thinking about? I had been thinking about how life is like a roller coaster ride. It’s got ups and downs that are both exciting and scary at the same time. Where things happen so fast that you can barely react or so slow the anticipation is driving you crazy. The other night I was driving home after getting my haircut. The wind was blowing hard and there was a slight nip in the air. It was only 7ish but the sky was really dark as I started up the hill where I live. The fog and clouds, in contrast, were crisp and white reflecting the lights from below. And they were blowing by so fast I thought that I was in some surreal time-lapse movie. I was at the top of my street at this point and found myself looking at the views of downtown to the north and the valley to the west. It was like being at the first crest of a roller coaster ride. So I decided to keep driving going down the steep decline in front, then a quick turn to the right and a short dip before rising again.
There weren’t a whole lot of cars out so I drove around for a little longer pausing at each crest and thinking how cool it would be to design roller coaster rides on the streets of San Francisco. I enjoy how going over a steep crest and down the hill below still catches in my throat. Finding the right combinations of ups and downs and turns would be cool, especially since they would also have some nice views.
I remembered when I first moved here, I thought the hills were fun and took advantage of my Mom’s fear of heights, seeking out the steepest grades, as we explored this new city. Eventually I started fretting over the hills and how I was overworking my clutch (and clutch leg). I thought to find the routes that were less hilly and safer.
A lot of things have happened since I first moved here. You can’t really avoid the roller coaster effect in your life. It’s going to happen no matter how safe you play things, so perhaps it makes sense to try to have a little fun along the way.
What sort of amusement park ride does your life most resemble?
So what was I thinking about? I had been thinking about how life is like a roller coaster ride. It’s got ups and downs that are both exciting and scary at the same time. Where things happen so fast that you can barely react or so slow the anticipation is driving you crazy. The other night I was driving home after getting my haircut. The wind was blowing hard and there was a slight nip in the air. It was only 7ish but the sky was really dark as I started up the hill where I live. The fog and clouds, in contrast, were crisp and white reflecting the lights from below. And they were blowing by so fast I thought that I was in some surreal time-lapse movie. I was at the top of my street at this point and found myself looking at the views of downtown to the north and the valley to the west. It was like being at the first crest of a roller coaster ride. So I decided to keep driving going down the steep decline in front, then a quick turn to the right and a short dip before rising again.
There weren’t a whole lot of cars out so I drove around for a little longer pausing at each crest and thinking how cool it would be to design roller coaster rides on the streets of San Francisco. I enjoy how going over a steep crest and down the hill below still catches in my throat. Finding the right combinations of ups and downs and turns would be cool, especially since they would also have some nice views.
I remembered when I first moved here, I thought the hills were fun and took advantage of my Mom’s fear of heights, seeking out the steepest grades, as we explored this new city. Eventually I started fretting over the hills and how I was overworking my clutch (and clutch leg). I thought to find the routes that were less hilly and safer.
A lot of things have happened since I first moved here. You can’t really avoid the roller coaster effect in your life. It’s going to happen no matter how safe you play things, so perhaps it makes sense to try to have a little fun along the way.
What sort of amusement park ride does your life most resemble?
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Remember me?
Remember me? I bet some of you are glad you joined my notify list.
Things have been going well. I’ve finished moving into my new place. I still have things to unpack since I seem to have problems getting focused on unpacking. At my last apartment there were at least 4 boxes unpacked in one corner the entire 7 months I was there. I am determined to unpack as many boxes as possible to give myself a more permanent feeling at this house.
I must say that I love this new house. It’s not perfect, but there are so many nice things about it. I like my space, my room and for the most part how it seems to be set up. I feel so much less cramped here, with my TV and stereo in the living room. There are these great pocket doors between my room and the living room. My bedroom is a little dark for my tastes. I’d like to have the morning light (whatever light I can get) in my bedroom as a natural alarm clock, but the design of the room doesn’t really allow for that. So I open the pocket doors during my waking hours to give me more light and to open up the space.
I’m working on getting a new routine down. I’m trying to take the bus from home on my non-gym mornings. It was interesting waiting for the home-bound bus last week with dozens of war protesters marching about. Not exactly the sort of thing I would have encountered on my old commute.
I haven’t figured out where I will put my painting table yet. I’m leaning toward putting it in front of my one bedroom window so that I can get indirect natural light. I’m going to have to measure the top of the drafting table to see if I can get away with that much space in the bedroom though.
Ah, see this is a perfect example of the analytical thought stream that I’ve been in lately. I’ve been making lots of lists to keep up with all the things I want to do. I didn’t actually write ‘Post a Journal Entry’ on my list, so I don’t feel that I’ve gone too far. Yet.
I’ve been volunteering my time once or twice a week, preparing taxes for low income individuals and families. It’s enjoyable, but it takes away a chunk of time smack dab in the middle of my Saturday! I realize now that this would probably make my ex laugh since every year I would whine about having her help me with my taxes. And now I’m doing it for other people in my spare time? Hilarious.
I spent time with my old High School friend, Chris this weekend. He has the most adorable Border/Shetland Collie mix. She’s keeping him on his toes and I hope her sweet temperament will be a good thing for him. I can say it was a good thing for me. I keep thinking that a pet would be cool if I had the time and energy to take care of it. I know that’s not today. I had been thinking of finding a place to live that already had an house pet, but it obviously wasn’t a high priority.
Tell me why I need to post more frequently.
Things have been going well. I’ve finished moving into my new place. I still have things to unpack since I seem to have problems getting focused on unpacking. At my last apartment there were at least 4 boxes unpacked in one corner the entire 7 months I was there. I am determined to unpack as many boxes as possible to give myself a more permanent feeling at this house.
I must say that I love this new house. It’s not perfect, but there are so many nice things about it. I like my space, my room and for the most part how it seems to be set up. I feel so much less cramped here, with my TV and stereo in the living room. There are these great pocket doors between my room and the living room. My bedroom is a little dark for my tastes. I’d like to have the morning light (whatever light I can get) in my bedroom as a natural alarm clock, but the design of the room doesn’t really allow for that. So I open the pocket doors during my waking hours to give me more light and to open up the space.
I’m working on getting a new routine down. I’m trying to take the bus from home on my non-gym mornings. It was interesting waiting for the home-bound bus last week with dozens of war protesters marching about. Not exactly the sort of thing I would have encountered on my old commute.
I haven’t figured out where I will put my painting table yet. I’m leaning toward putting it in front of my one bedroom window so that I can get indirect natural light. I’m going to have to measure the top of the drafting table to see if I can get away with that much space in the bedroom though.
Ah, see this is a perfect example of the analytical thought stream that I’ve been in lately. I’ve been making lots of lists to keep up with all the things I want to do. I didn’t actually write ‘Post a Journal Entry’ on my list, so I don’t feel that I’ve gone too far. Yet.
I’ve been volunteering my time once or twice a week, preparing taxes for low income individuals and families. It’s enjoyable, but it takes away a chunk of time smack dab in the middle of my Saturday! I realize now that this would probably make my ex laugh since every year I would whine about having her help me with my taxes. And now I’m doing it for other people in my spare time? Hilarious.
I spent time with my old High School friend, Chris this weekend. He has the most adorable Border/Shetland Collie mix. She’s keeping him on his toes and I hope her sweet temperament will be a good thing for him. I can say it was a good thing for me. I keep thinking that a pet would be cool if I had the time and energy to take care of it. I know that’s not today. I had been thinking of finding a place to live that already had an house pet, but it obviously wasn’t a high priority.
Tell me why I need to post more frequently.
Monday, March 3, 2003
Driving Thought
I know I promised to write more last month and here I am again, doing what appears to be a monthly report again. Really I mean to write more. I start stuff in my head, but for some reason it never gets typed out and posted for you to see. But I’ve managed to figure out what the cause is. This past Summer when I was writing up a storm (more or less), I was driving at least 30 minutes a day. I seem to do a lot of thinking when I drive. On the 20th when I was off I managed to run enough errands to give me a few journal ideas. These days I spend a lot of time riding Muni buses into the Mission to get home. The people watching opportunities are too great to get lost in my own thoughts. So I'll try to drive more and post more, but no promises okay? Send me your ideas about where you do your thinking that I can use for inspiration.
I have been busy doing all sorts of things lately. This past weekend a friend got handfasted and I was one of her attendants, the Wench of the East. I have a great outfit that I will wear again, even if it’s just for Halloween. Not everyone can admit that. Plus there is the added bonus of the fact that my co-wench and I managed to sew our own skirts which looked pretty darned good.
I’ve also been doing a bunch of free-lance work fixing computers and in some instances getting paid for it. I enjoy being able to help people with things that are easy for me and getting money for it is especially nice. Also this is good since I’m less inclined to screw around with my own computer, so for a change everything I own works fine.
I’m going to take a bookmaking class this month. Please don’t send me information on the hazards of illegal gambling. I’m not making those sorts of books. There is a place called San Francisco Center for the Book and I’m going to take some classes. It’s not painting, which I still miss doing, but it is something I’m interested in doing and will distract me in a creative way for a little while.
In addition to this fun stuff for me, I’m certified to complete basic tax returns. Through work I am volunteering time on Saturdays through April 15th to prepare tax returns for the working poor. Not only do I get to feel good about helping people who don’t have a lot of money to start with, get back money from Uncle Sam, I also will be building up comp time which will allow me some needed time off.
I’m starting to look for a new place to live this month too, so you can be sure that getting more entries here will continue to be tough. But hang in there and join the notify list to get email from me when I manage to get something new online.
Hey write me back, what are *you* up to??
I have been busy doing all sorts of things lately. This past weekend a friend got handfasted and I was one of her attendants, the Wench of the East. I have a great outfit that I will wear again, even if it’s just for Halloween. Not everyone can admit that. Plus there is the added bonus of the fact that my co-wench and I managed to sew our own skirts which looked pretty darned good.
I’ve also been doing a bunch of free-lance work fixing computers and in some instances getting paid for it. I enjoy being able to help people with things that are easy for me and getting money for it is especially nice. Also this is good since I’m less inclined to screw around with my own computer, so for a change everything I own works fine.
I’m going to take a bookmaking class this month. Please don’t send me information on the hazards of illegal gambling. I’m not making those sorts of books. There is a place called San Francisco Center for the Book and I’m going to take some classes. It’s not painting, which I still miss doing, but it is something I’m interested in doing and will distract me in a creative way for a little while.
In addition to this fun stuff for me, I’m certified to complete basic tax returns. Through work I am volunteering time on Saturdays through April 15th to prepare tax returns for the working poor. Not only do I get to feel good about helping people who don’t have a lot of money to start with, get back money from Uncle Sam, I also will be building up comp time which will allow me some needed time off.
I’m starting to look for a new place to live this month too, so you can be sure that getting more entries here will continue to be tough. But hang in there and join the notify list to get email from me when I manage to get something new online.
Hey write me back, what are *you* up to??
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Getting some focus
Okay, I’ve been slacking in so many different ways it’s not funny. Well maybe it’ll be funny at some point later on, remind me and we’ll laugh together. It’s not that I’m not functioning at all, just not operating at a high level of efficiency. I’ve been getting up later in the morning and rushing down to Burlingame. While I’m there, I’m getting things accomplished, but not really engaged in the tasks I’m doing. Either they are things I just don’t enjoy doing, like screening someone else’s calls, or things that are a bit tedious, like transcribing notes or determining why a Windows 98 machine doesn’t shut down cleanly. I bite my tongue because it wasn’t that long ago I was still using Windows 98, but the inner geek in me is saying, “Windows 98? That is SO last millennium!”
Then I’ll go home and cook dinner, which typically is a healthy mix of meat and veggies. Then run errands and catch up on email, bills or hang out with my housemates. I’m trying to clean up after myself which seems to take a lot of time some days. Then there is organizing and getting things ready for the move or working on my job search.
In any case, I’ve been lazy about getting to the gym regularly. I understand that if I went to the gym regularly I would be a nice little boost that would make it easier to get to the gym regularly. But you can see that getting started is the problem here. I’ve gotten myself organized enough to plan my big storage move for tomorrow. I’ve enlisted the help of a couple of friends, rented a truck, made an appointment to view my containers and with any luck will be able to appreciate the cooler weather that we’ve been promised. I’ve even gone to the bank to get some cash should I need to enlist some day-worker assistance. I’m feeling rather good that everything is in line.
I do need to remember to send my niece’s birthday gift. Wouldn’t want to be the lame aunt who can’t get her ass to the post office. But worse comes to worse I can do that on Saturday. At her age, it’s not so bad to have something new show up a day or so later, just to avoid the ‘so many new things and not enough time to play with everything’ syndrome. In any case I wish that I could have been there to wish her a happy 4th birthday in person. Happy Birthday Kaitie!!
Once I move my stuff, I don’t have any other huge projects looming, so I’ll be devoting more time to finding a job that fits me better and taking time to brush up on my skills. I recognize how easily distracted I am and how I really enjoy being able to pursue any little thing that catches my eye. I suspect this is the leading cause for my overall lack of focus and it’s going to end.
Really.
My plan is to actually list the things I want to do or accomplish and write them down. Some of them are serious like getting my weight to a healthier level or finding a job that I enjoy doing and others are more fun, like buying gifts for my nieces who were considerately born later in the year than their parents. Yes, I know you’re thinking about something you once read that proves that written goals are more likely to be achieved than ones you keep in your head. I’ve read that too.
But wait… there’s more! Now that I’ve written these buggers down I print it out and refer to the list the next time I decide I’m going to do something. Is this something that will help me achieve one or more of my goals? Well, great, go right ahead. If not, then that’ll be a personal decision that I’ll have to address. Oh sure, I’ll still get distracted and goof around. But perhaps I’ll be able to start working toward some of these things I really want to do.
So I’m curious what do you do to get and keep yourself focused?
Then I’ll go home and cook dinner, which typically is a healthy mix of meat and veggies. Then run errands and catch up on email, bills or hang out with my housemates. I’m trying to clean up after myself which seems to take a lot of time some days. Then there is organizing and getting things ready for the move or working on my job search.
In any case, I’ve been lazy about getting to the gym regularly. I understand that if I went to the gym regularly I would be a nice little boost that would make it easier to get to the gym regularly. But you can see that getting started is the problem here. I’ve gotten myself organized enough to plan my big storage move for tomorrow. I’ve enlisted the help of a couple of friends, rented a truck, made an appointment to view my containers and with any luck will be able to appreciate the cooler weather that we’ve been promised. I’ve even gone to the bank to get some cash should I need to enlist some day-worker assistance. I’m feeling rather good that everything is in line.
I do need to remember to send my niece’s birthday gift. Wouldn’t want to be the lame aunt who can’t get her ass to the post office. But worse comes to worse I can do that on Saturday. At her age, it’s not so bad to have something new show up a day or so later, just to avoid the ‘so many new things and not enough time to play with everything’ syndrome. In any case I wish that I could have been there to wish her a happy 4th birthday in person. Happy Birthday Kaitie!!
Once I move my stuff, I don’t have any other huge projects looming, so I’ll be devoting more time to finding a job that fits me better and taking time to brush up on my skills. I recognize how easily distracted I am and how I really enjoy being able to pursue any little thing that catches my eye. I suspect this is the leading cause for my overall lack of focus and it’s going to end.
Really.
My plan is to actually list the things I want to do or accomplish and write them down. Some of them are serious like getting my weight to a healthier level or finding a job that I enjoy doing and others are more fun, like buying gifts for my nieces who were considerately born later in the year than their parents. Yes, I know you’re thinking about something you once read that proves that written goals are more likely to be achieved than ones you keep in your head. I’ve read that too.
But wait… there’s more! Now that I’ve written these buggers down I print it out and refer to the list the next time I decide I’m going to do something. Is this something that will help me achieve one or more of my goals? Well, great, go right ahead. If not, then that’ll be a personal decision that I’ll have to address. Oh sure, I’ll still get distracted and goof around. But perhaps I’ll be able to start working toward some of these things I really want to do.
So I’m curious what do you do to get and keep yourself focused?
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Has it been that long?
I’ve started a number of entries. About 3 of them, but never managed to finish them up. Have I been busy? Yes, somewhat, but not. I think I’ve been more preoccupied and not capable of putting more than a few meaningful words together at a time. So what sorts of things have I been preoccupied with?
Well I was preoccupied with finding a new place to live for a while. I’ve had a general dissatisfaction with my living situation. I’m tired of the drunks hanging out in front of the house. I’m really tired of the trash and the ever-constant stench of urine just walking from the corner to my house. I actually jaywalk most of the time to avoid this as much as possible. I wish there was more space in the apartment for things that belong to Pab and myself. A couple of weekends ago, we moved Pablito’s TV into the living room so that he could work on the computer and watch the football game. While I thought having a TV-less living room was a great idea, it would be better to have a place where we actually all hang out. I don’t have enough company come over to use it as the parlor it was meant to be. I realize that Donna’s stuff is all over and Pab and I keep our things in our rooms only, which gives me the feeling that I’m just living in someone else’s home and not my own. Since I came into this living situation knowing that this is how it is, I mostly accepted it.
I am doing some work on the side, which is good because extra money is helpful right now. Also this is one of the two surveys that I did a lot of work on earlier this summer, so I like the idea of getting closure. I’ve been spending a lot of time redoing the graphics in the report (tables and graphs mostly) and it is mindless and easy enough to do. On the negative side, I’ve been staying up too late working on this stuff so it’s been incredibly hard to get out of bed in time to get to the gym on a regular basis. I went today and realize how much I miss it.
I didn’t miss it too too much since I caught a really good cold while I was back East for Thanksgiving and I’m just about over it. I think it’s a bad idea to be coughing and hacking on the equipment. So I purposefully took a week off to take care of the cold. I’m happy that it’s managed to run its course without turning into a sinus infection or a nasty cough.
I think I got the cold from one of my four nieces. I saw all four of them during the Thanksgiving weekend. I took advantage of the four day weekend to fly back to New York and had a really good time. It was anything but restful. I flew in Thanksgiving day and after kisses hello, we sat down and ate (yes, they waited for me, isn’t that sweet?). Lots of chatting and playing and then everyone was off to bed. I slept on the wobbly living room couch and had strange earthquake dreams. I slept well and hung around while the kids went to get a group picture taken. We hung around a little more and waited for Mom to be done with work so we could load 16 people (friends and family) into 4 cars and caravan 3+ hours north to the Baptism Event. It started to snow Friday morning, so there was the additional tension of driving north into bad weather. But everyone arrived safe and sound. Anne’s Mom prepared a huge meal, which is impressive considering that yesterday was Thanksgiving.
We ate loads of yummy meat that came from her sister Donna’s critters (she raises farm animals for fun). The lamb was to die for and the ham and pork pie from Cedric the pig was wonderful. Of course I’d eaten more meat in one weekend than I might eat in a month, so I wasn’t surprised that I had some serious veggie cravings when I got back home. The next day I took a walk to the local bakery with my cousin, Karen. We figured that it would be better to walk off some of the yummy food we had eaten. It was great having time to chat with her and catch up on things since it is often hard to find time when we are both at home and awake to talk.
Lots of time playing with the kids, then off to church (where I was pleased to see that I still remember the mass, even in my severely lapsed state) for mass and the baptism. More cousins arrived just in time for the baptism and then we all took off for dinner. After a great dinner we drove back since I had a 6:30am flight the next morning. On the way back I drove with my friend Anthony. I was glad for the time to catch up on what has been happening in each other’s lives.
I’ve had a good amount of alone time along with a good amount of time with friends, so I am feeling balanced in that part of my life. Saw yet another great Viva Variety last week and got to catch up with Jay and Danny. Played out in the storms this past weekend with Esther. She lost her power for a few days which kinda sucks for her. Me? I got to go home to my power to finish up the work I needed to do before Monday.
Now I’m trying to finish up my holiday shopping, although I have already decided that Christmas isn’t a realistic deadline given the fact that so much stuff needs to be shipped. I’m aiming more for Twelfth night (that is 12 days after Christmas or January 6) so I can still be festive and perhaps less stressed. We’ll see right? Holiday parties and plans are in the works.
What are you doing this holiday season?
Well I was preoccupied with finding a new place to live for a while. I’ve had a general dissatisfaction with my living situation. I’m tired of the drunks hanging out in front of the house. I’m really tired of the trash and the ever-constant stench of urine just walking from the corner to my house. I actually jaywalk most of the time to avoid this as much as possible. I wish there was more space in the apartment for things that belong to Pab and myself. A couple of weekends ago, we moved Pablito’s TV into the living room so that he could work on the computer and watch the football game. While I thought having a TV-less living room was a great idea, it would be better to have a place where we actually all hang out. I don’t have enough company come over to use it as the parlor it was meant to be. I realize that Donna’s stuff is all over and Pab and I keep our things in our rooms only, which gives me the feeling that I’m just living in someone else’s home and not my own. Since I came into this living situation knowing that this is how it is, I mostly accepted it.
I am doing some work on the side, which is good because extra money is helpful right now. Also this is one of the two surveys that I did a lot of work on earlier this summer, so I like the idea of getting closure. I’ve been spending a lot of time redoing the graphics in the report (tables and graphs mostly) and it is mindless and easy enough to do. On the negative side, I’ve been staying up too late working on this stuff so it’s been incredibly hard to get out of bed in time to get to the gym on a regular basis. I went today and realize how much I miss it.
I didn’t miss it too too much since I caught a really good cold while I was back East for Thanksgiving and I’m just about over it. I think it’s a bad idea to be coughing and hacking on the equipment. So I purposefully took a week off to take care of the cold. I’m happy that it’s managed to run its course without turning into a sinus infection or a nasty cough.
I think I got the cold from one of my four nieces. I saw all four of them during the Thanksgiving weekend. I took advantage of the four day weekend to fly back to New York and had a really good time. It was anything but restful. I flew in Thanksgiving day and after kisses hello, we sat down and ate (yes, they waited for me, isn’t that sweet?). Lots of chatting and playing and then everyone was off to bed. I slept on the wobbly living room couch and had strange earthquake dreams. I slept well and hung around while the kids went to get a group picture taken. We hung around a little more and waited for Mom to be done with work so we could load 16 people (friends and family) into 4 cars and caravan 3+ hours north to the Baptism Event. It started to snow Friday morning, so there was the additional tension of driving north into bad weather. But everyone arrived safe and sound. Anne’s Mom prepared a huge meal, which is impressive considering that yesterday was Thanksgiving.
We ate loads of yummy meat that came from her sister Donna’s critters (she raises farm animals for fun). The lamb was to die for and the ham and pork pie from Cedric the pig was wonderful. Of course I’d eaten more meat in one weekend than I might eat in a month, so I wasn’t surprised that I had some serious veggie cravings when I got back home. The next day I took a walk to the local bakery with my cousin, Karen. We figured that it would be better to walk off some of the yummy food we had eaten. It was great having time to chat with her and catch up on things since it is often hard to find time when we are both at home and awake to talk.
Lots of time playing with the kids, then off to church (where I was pleased to see that I still remember the mass, even in my severely lapsed state) for mass and the baptism. More cousins arrived just in time for the baptism and then we all took off for dinner. After a great dinner we drove back since I had a 6:30am flight the next morning. On the way back I drove with my friend Anthony. I was glad for the time to catch up on what has been happening in each other’s lives.
I’ve had a good amount of alone time along with a good amount of time with friends, so I am feeling balanced in that part of my life. Saw yet another great Viva Variety last week and got to catch up with Jay and Danny. Played out in the storms this past weekend with Esther. She lost her power for a few days which kinda sucks for her. Me? I got to go home to my power to finish up the work I needed to do before Monday.
Now I’m trying to finish up my holiday shopping, although I have already decided that Christmas isn’t a realistic deadline given the fact that so much stuff needs to be shipped. I’m aiming more for Twelfth night (that is 12 days after Christmas or January 6) so I can still be festive and perhaps less stressed. We’ll see right? Holiday parties and plans are in the works.
What are you doing this holiday season?
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