some things never change
Once again, I am faced with the mystery of a 5-day weekend that passes by more quickly than a regular 2-day weekend. I've been off work since Wednesday, so of course I expected to be able to catch up on a ton of stuff... but somehow it's Sunday night already, and it feels like I've done very little. Of course, spending two days out of said five at my parents' house doing absolutely nothing certainly didn't help...
Well, at least we managed to keep the traditional overeating contest to the minimum... LOL. We took little breaks between courses on Christmas Eve, instead of shoving everything in all at once. Fortunately for us all, mom has eased up a little with the compulsive feeding, so nobody got sick or cranky afterwards. Perhaps I can stop associating Christmas with indigestion...:P
I got a ton of gifts, as usual: cosmetics, jewellery, books, an iTunes giftcard, other little odds & ends... as well as some cash. Funnily enough, I found an envelope with a $100 bill, addressed to me, in the basement, while I was sorting through paper bags to wrap my own presents for everyone. Mom claimed I must have accidentally left it there last year... but I'm pretty sure that if I was aware I had been given a hundred bucks, I would hold on to it for dear life - so I suspect it was she who left it there and forgot all about it. Anyway - we all had a good laugh about her being so filthy rich that she's throwing money in the recycling bin...;D
By the way, one of the books I received was Prince Lestat. Which I did mention to my sister - not necessarily because I wanted to read it, but because I wanted to make it easier for her to figure out what to get me, and I couldn't think of anything else. So I do have it now. I suspect it will languish on the shelf for a while before I am tempted to peak in...
At least the "bonus" $100 came in very handy, since the day after Christmas I went out shopping and acquired two nice knit dresses, plus a pair of slacks. I was actually looking for winter boots (to replace the ones I had cooked in the dryer), but didn't see any in the right color and style... so I will continue to look next week. Meanwhile, it is always a cause for celebration when I find a dress that actually flatters my figure, instead of making me resemble an overstuffed sack of potatoes... so when I saw those two, I knew I just had to try them on. No matter that I already have THREE knit dresses in a very similar style. If this is the only cut that works for me, then this is what I will be wearing, thank you very much.:P The older I get, the harder it is to look good in anything - and I am still not quite resigned to carrying around my flabby middle-aged stomach proudly, swathed in clinging fabrics for everyone to admire...;/
My other accomplishments this week include purchasing a new mop and finally cleaning the place... as well as cooking some light, healthy food to balance out the heavy holiday fare. Sadly, they do not include catching up on my correspondence. I had ambitious plans of actually sending some snail-mail cards, along with a much-overdue letter... but somehow that didn't happen. I do want to get back in the habit of snail mail, since I have tons of free cards and envelopes from various charities asking for donations... but I just can't seem to find the time. Maybe if I gave up on updating this journal for a few weeks, or tore myself away from Tumblr every once in a while... *ponders*
Not to mention I still have a bunch of old fic to upload on AO3. I haven't put anything on there since May... but I still get new kudos on a nearly daily basis, and the number of hits on my most popular piece is nearing 2000 (!!!). Which clearly means people want to read my stuff. I should go through some of the old ones, maybe edit them a bit... perhaps write something new. But that really takes time and concentration, and I feel much too scatterbrained of late. I don't know how to prioritize. I still need plenty of alone-time for "recharging" and quiet reflection, this will never change - but I also want to maintain the connections with people who matter in my life, I want to make sure they know I haven't forgotten... How do I balance one and the other, on top of a full-time job and the seasonal blues that often drains me of all energy?... It's so easy to just curl up with a good book and forget everything else - but if I act like I have given up on everyone, they will eventually give up on me, too. How do people manage to have careers, hobbies, families and social lives, all at the same time?... I often feel like I need 48 hours in a day just to get a grip on the basics. Which is why "long weekends" usually end up frustrating the hell out of me - because they never seem nearly as long as it would appear from the sum total of days and hours that make them up... *sigh*
Well, at least we managed to keep the traditional overeating contest to the minimum... LOL. We took little breaks between courses on Christmas Eve, instead of shoving everything in all at once. Fortunately for us all, mom has eased up a little with the compulsive feeding, so nobody got sick or cranky afterwards. Perhaps I can stop associating Christmas with indigestion...:P
I got a ton of gifts, as usual: cosmetics, jewellery, books, an iTunes giftcard, other little odds & ends... as well as some cash. Funnily enough, I found an envelope with a $100 bill, addressed to me, in the basement, while I was sorting through paper bags to wrap my own presents for everyone. Mom claimed I must have accidentally left it there last year... but I'm pretty sure that if I was aware I had been given a hundred bucks, I would hold on to it for dear life - so I suspect it was she who left it there and forgot all about it. Anyway - we all had a good laugh about her being so filthy rich that she's throwing money in the recycling bin...;D
By the way, one of the books I received was Prince Lestat. Which I did mention to my sister - not necessarily because I wanted to read it, but because I wanted to make it easier for her to figure out what to get me, and I couldn't think of anything else. So I do have it now. I suspect it will languish on the shelf for a while before I am tempted to peak in...
At least the "bonus" $100 came in very handy, since the day after Christmas I went out shopping and acquired two nice knit dresses, plus a pair of slacks. I was actually looking for winter boots (to replace the ones I had cooked in the dryer), but didn't see any in the right color and style... so I will continue to look next week. Meanwhile, it is always a cause for celebration when I find a dress that actually flatters my figure, instead of making me resemble an overstuffed sack of potatoes... so when I saw those two, I knew I just had to try them on. No matter that I already have THREE knit dresses in a very similar style. If this is the only cut that works for me, then this is what I will be wearing, thank you very much.:P The older I get, the harder it is to look good in anything - and I am still not quite resigned to carrying around my flabby middle-aged stomach proudly, swathed in clinging fabrics for everyone to admire...;/
My other accomplishments this week include purchasing a new mop and finally cleaning the place... as well as cooking some light, healthy food to balance out the heavy holiday fare. Sadly, they do not include catching up on my correspondence. I had ambitious plans of actually sending some snail-mail cards, along with a much-overdue letter... but somehow that didn't happen. I do want to get back in the habit of snail mail, since I have tons of free cards and envelopes from various charities asking for donations... but I just can't seem to find the time. Maybe if I gave up on updating this journal for a few weeks, or tore myself away from Tumblr every once in a while... *ponders*
Not to mention I still have a bunch of old fic to upload on AO3. I haven't put anything on there since May... but I still get new kudos on a nearly daily basis, and the number of hits on my most popular piece is nearing 2000 (!!!). Which clearly means people want to read my stuff. I should go through some of the old ones, maybe edit them a bit... perhaps write something new. But that really takes time and concentration, and I feel much too scatterbrained of late. I don't know how to prioritize. I still need plenty of alone-time for "recharging" and quiet reflection, this will never change - but I also want to maintain the connections with people who matter in my life, I want to make sure they know I haven't forgotten... How do I balance one and the other, on top of a full-time job and the seasonal blues that often drains me of all energy?... It's so easy to just curl up with a good book and forget everything else - but if I act like I have given up on everyone, they will eventually give up on me, too. How do people manage to have careers, hobbies, families and social lives, all at the same time?... I often feel like I need 48 hours in a day just to get a grip on the basics. Which is why "long weekends" usually end up frustrating the hell out of me - because they never seem nearly as long as it would appear from the sum total of days and hours that make them up... *sigh*