Whoa! When did that happen?!

How did I let two months slip away from me?  Is anyone even reading this thing still?

Yesterday, November 18th, marked one year since I moved out of the apartment I shared with my then-husband, so I was feeling a burst of nostalgia and that urge to look back and see what’s changed, what I’ve accomplished in the last year.  It’s not an anniversary I ever thought I wanted to commemorate, but it’s one that I’m glad that I have.  Because when I look back on the past year, I see…a lot of joy, a lot of growing, a lot of learning.  I hadn’t lived by myself or with roommates other than David since 2009, and that’s quite a long time.  But I learned that I am still financially independent, I’m doing well, and even though I still don’t sleep alone as well as I did when there was someone else there, I sleep just fine.  I have no regrets about my conduct or my behavior in the past year.  I think I’ve done all right for myself, for the most part.

So what’s happening in the life of me?

School: I have 75.25 pages completed in a rough draft of my senior thesis.  I originally had hope that it would be completed by Christmas, but I see now that this was a ridiculous goal.  Although I technically am ahead of schedule (with two and a half completed chapters of four), my professor does not think that the editing process will be complete before the spring.  There are two pieces of good news that came along with this.  The first being, I don’t have to defend my thesis (which is AMAZING), and the second being that Dr. LW promised me that, if I complete all four chapters by December 20th, she won’t give me any work to do over Christmas vacation.  Which means FOUR glorious weeks off.  I can’t even imagine.  I may just be inebriated for most of it.

Dating: Well, I’ve gone on a couple of dates.  None of them really panned out.  That’s okay.  I’m awfully freakin’ busy.  The right guy will come along eventually.  Right now I’m not trying to push anything.

Writing: Would you believe that, on top of my already crazy thesis writing, I’ve undertaken the task of writing fiction?  I have!  My friend Jess and I pulled out the notes we had on a series we’d thought of writing back in 2007, dusted them off, and rebooted the whole thing.  And would you believe that the rough drafts of the first TWO books are finished?  There will eventually be five, but I’m really surprised (and psyched) that they’ve been coming along as well as they have!  I’m also doing NaNoWriMo (because I am completely, utterly insane) and I’m already at over 43,000 words with over two weeks to go.  I’m a writing machine, guys.

Holidays: I am so, so psyched for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.  Last year’s holidays were rough at best, between the separation still being fresh and the question of divorce still up in the air.  This year, there’s nothing standing in the way of me and a wonderful holiday.  I couldn’t be more excited.  Plans are underway to decorate the apartment; Sam inherited a fake tree from one of her friends and I have to get my ornaments and creche from David’s basement.  I even managed to find Advent candles, so now I just need to pull together a wreath.  As for Christmas shopping?  I’ve barely started.  Not even thinking about it right now, guys.  Not even a blip on the radar.  I just paid my credit card bill (almost in full — the rest will come on Friday) and then I can use it for holiday shopping or emergencies if need be.   The only person who is “set” (as in, I know what I’m getting for him and just haven’t bought it yet) is my father.  Everyone else?  Well, it’ll come in time.  Always does.

I leave you with this hilarious photo from Halloween.  That’s me and Drea in the foreground.  Can you spot Jess?

Midsummer update

I haven’t really been writing lately, and I don’t have much of an excuse, except that I’m suffering from burnout in a major way.  Anxious people will know what I mean: you know that feeling after you’ve had a massive, massive panic attack, where you feel like you have absolutely zero strength left in your body, and you just want to sleep for, oh, a decade?  That is how I feel right now.  Seriously.  It’s like we got through the divorce, and then my body said “You know all that tension and nerve you’ve been carrying for the last 22 months?  Yeah, we give up now,” and just fell apart.  I haven’t done the horrible keening crying, or “fallen apart” per se, but I just emotionally have very little to give right now.  The things that used to not bother me, or at least, didn’t bother me so much?  Send me screeching into the night, lately.  I’m tense, I’m exhausted, I just have nothing left to give lately.

Which lead me to asking my boss for a vacation week.  I’ll be taking it from August 31st to September 9th.  And I could not be more excited.

I don’t really have any plans right now, because a) I’m broke and b) who would I even go with?  But it’s really exciting to know that I have that option, that I’m going to have a week to sleep in, relax, take some time for myself.  Maybe get a massage, maybe visit some friends out of state (if I want to), and then top it all off with my trip to New Hampshire that first full weekend in September.  Yes.  It is a little over a month away, so I have plenty of time to plan ahead.

 

In other news, Wildfire is THREE WEEKS FROM FRIDAY OMG.  I can’t believe it came this fast.  I still have to buy a sleeping bag and start going over stuff I need to pack.

I got an email from Dr. LW, and my master’s thesis prospectus was approved and signed off by the Graduate Studies’ Office ON THE FIRST TRY.  Wahooo!  The good news is: three rewrites and edits before submission apparently did the trick!  The bad news is: omg, it’s time to actually write this thing and I am scared to death, here, let me spend another six months on research because actually writing it is scary.

But people who don’t write their Master’s theses don’t get Master’s degrees, and therefore don’t go on to become Ph.D.’s.  Or something like that.

I joined a fantasy football league, too.  That’s a thing that happened.    My transition from “Ew, football sucks,” to casual Patriots fan, to rabid Patriots fan, to rabid football fan, is nearing completion.  Look at my life, look at my choices.  I regret nothing.

Things are going pretty damn well.  I’m content.  Not ecstatic, not euphoric, but content, and that’s a pretty good place to be at 29 years and 10 months 🙂

When it comes to the truth

Yesterday was my “half’ birthday.  I am now twenty-nine “and a half” years old.  Six months ago, D and I made the decision to finally really and truly split, and that, I think, was when I knew it was over, even though I continued to hold out hope until Christmas that he would change his mind and try to get me back.  It’s taken some time, but I feel, six months later, that I am both comfortable in my own skin, and ready to move towards what is coming next.

Because of the paperwork mix-up, I had to re-file for divorce on Monday (probably one of the only motherfuckers in the world to file for divorce two times from the same guy — except maybe Elizabeth Taylor).  It went much better this time — instead of having a very cold, silent clerk taking down the information and sending me on my way, I had a very nice, warm young woman who sat me down and talked me through the whole process, gave me advice for filing, things like that.  A little better than the first time, when the guy shoved a packet labeled “Do-It-Yourself Guide to Divorce” and said “Good luck.”  I had the papers served by an older Italian gentleman who was very, very nice, and also walked me through the process (and only charged me $38, not the $75 that Le Douchebag from the clerk’s office told me a while ago).  So that’s done, and done right this time.  Our return date is April 2 and our court date is July 8, so only two weeks off from when they were originally.

I made a new friend the other day.  We’ll call him “K”.  Neither of us is looking for a relationship right now — we’re both working through our own personal demons and getting our lives in gear, and we agreed that getting to know each other and being friends was way more important now than just hopping into any sort of relationship that neither of us is ready for.  In any case, I like him, he likes me, we talk on the phone every night and we make each other laugh, which I think is what we both need right now.

The ongoing, interminable issue with D’s car payments coming out of my bank account was FINALLY RESOLVED yesterday, and I just want to throw a party.  I don’t have to check my bank account weekly in trepidation that another $300 has come out of my bank account again.  Praise Jesus.

Also, a week from Friday I am OFF to DC for the weekend with the lovely Miss Nicki to meet up with a whole slew of internet friends!  This trip has been in the works since December and it is SO EXCITING that it’s finally getting off the ground!  Can I even tell you how psyched I am?  Because I am.

Life is looking up.  Slowly, but surely, I am getting there.

Anywhere but here

It is Monday.  I had three days off this weekend, but it went by in a blur of snow, shoveling (so much shoveling), and body aches.  Seriously, my everything hurts.  Shoveling 24 inches of wet, heavy snow sucks big-time.

And now I’m back to work.  The state is still technically closed to all non-essential employees, but apparently I am considered essential, so here I am.  My back and shoulders ache, as do my thighs, and all I want to do is go home to my apartment, crawl into bed, and sleep away the rest of the day.  It doesn’t help that I had to catch a lift into work at 7 AM (an hour before I’m supposed to be here) and this day is dragging like crazy.

Did anything good happen?  Well, I started a cowl.  It’s really good, relatively mindless knitting.  I memorized the pattern in about two seconds, just knits, slips, and purls.  I love mindless knitting.

Chipped away a little more at The Behemoth.  It’s just dragging at this point.  I’m telling you, once you get past the Battle of Gettysburg it’s all downhill from there.  The author goes from great battle descriptions to arguments between foreign diplomats, and as much as I love history, I just can’t bring myself to care.

I also watched the entirety of the BBC’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970).  I was…slightly disappointed.  It’s supposed to be the television adaptation of the life of Henry VIII, but after the excitement and drama of The Tudors I just couldn’t get as excited.  I also wasn’t a fan of the way they did the episodes out of chronological order.  I’m going to write a review on my other blog, Historical Anachronism, at some point today.  If you’re a fan of ripping apart historical inaccuracies in films or TV, come over and take a peek.  I’ve also reviewed such “historical” classics as Gettysburg, Anastasia, and Marie Antoinette.

Maybe it’s the metric ton of snow we got, maybe it’s just something in the air, but I am aching for spring right now.  If I talk metaphorically, I feel I’ve been living in winter for so long…and my heart aches for something more, something like a spring.  Flowers, sunshine, warmth, life.

I have to believe it’s coming.

48 Questions

It’s late on a Friday night, my laundry is done and my pipe are (thus far) still thawed (finger crossed).  I’m yoinking a survey from Salt over at Salty Mom.  (Seems like this survey is getting around.)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yup, only Mum (thankfully) botched the spelling.  In 1983 the miniseries The Thorn Birds (starring sexy Richard Chamberlain) was released on TV, and everyone had the hots for Richard, the oh-so-sexy Catholic priest Fr. Ralph de Bricassart, and his scandalous love interest, pretty red haired Meghann Cleary (played by Rachel Ward).  Called simply “Meggie” in both miniseries and novel, Meghann Cleary was the catalyst for the name Megan (in all its variations) being so popular in 1983.  My parents went for the short and easy version.  I read the book when I was 16, after being scandalized that my parents named me after a woman who had an affair with a Catholic priest.  Oh, and I hate the nickname “Meggie.”

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Monday.  Bad counseling session.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes.  It’s super-tiny and neat.  Like type.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roast beef.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Someday, I hope.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I’m not sure.  We all hope to be someone likeable, but I think I’d just drive myself crazy.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
I speak it fluently.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I think it would hurt my back.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Crap, I love cereal.  Wheaties, Total, Honey Bunches of Oats, Kix, Corn Pops, Rice Krispies, Life…I can’t pick.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Never.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I don’t know.  People tell me I am sometimes, but I have trouble believing anyone who cries so often is strong.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
This is worse than the cereal question.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Whether or not they are staring right at me.

15. RED OR PINK?
I’m going through a pink phase right now.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Physically, my chin and my belly.  The belly I can fix, the chin not so much.  And I can’t stand that I overanalyze everything, and have difficulty letting things go.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My grandmother.

18. WHAT IS THE TECHNIQUE THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST?
Making a decision and sticking with it, without second-guessing myself.

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
None.  I’m barefoot.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Fried dough.  My mom makes mini ones on Friday nights when she doesn’t feel much like cooking, and because of the impending “blizzard” (hah) I was down visiting my parents.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Water barely dripping in the sink.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Emerald green.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Lilacs, woodsmoke, L’Occitane Rose 4 Reines, cloves (the spice, not the cigarettes, because ew).

24. HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS TO YOU?
Pretty important.  I’m not the type to go around picking fights with people about who should be president, but I’m pretty vocal about things like women’s rights and health care.

25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Mountain hideaway.  With water near it.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football, figure skating (yes, it counts)

27. HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown.

28. EYE COLOR?
Brown.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
For special occasions, definitely not every day.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Chicken of any kind, steak tips, potatoes.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
To Catch a Thief — old Alfred Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black ON tank top under a gray Salve Regina University sweatshirt.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter.  I hate humidity.

35. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Vanilla bean creme brulee.  Or creme brulee of any kind.

36. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
Cardio, I guess.

37. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Computer.

38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
A World On Fire by Amanda Foreman, about English/American relations up to and during the American Civil War.  It is REALLY good, and it is going to be a secondary source for my senior thesis, but it is loooooong.

39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don’t have one at home.  At work it’s Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”  I don’t know where it came from, I didn’t pick it.

40. FAVORITE SOUND?
“I love you.”

41. FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC?
Alternative.

42. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
England.

43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Writing.  So I’m told.  And remembering useless historical facts.

44. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Middletown, Connecticut.

45. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?
Not far from where I started.

46. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?
White.

47. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?
Beige.

48. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 48 QUESTIONS?
It was fun 🙂

What do you, the viewers at home, think?

I’ve been mulling this around in my head for like two weeks, and I’d like some input.  It’s about the Kindle Fire.

I received a 3rd generation keyboard Kindle for Christmas 2010 from David and my parents.  I was in love with it, it was the most state-of-the-art Kindle released to date, and I’d used it like mad when I was in the car, for school, etc.  It’s a great little device, though it hasn’t replaced paper books in my eyes, but I still love having it.

I bought a Kindle Fire for my dad for his birthday back in August, and I never really got a good chance to check it out because he was always, always using it.  No matter where he is in the house, his Kindle Fire, in its black nubuck case, is never more than a foot away from his hand.  He then went on to buy my mother a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and I haven’t seen her without in since Christmas Day.  She loves the hell out of that thing.

Because my mother is technologically impaired, I did get to check hers out when I was helping her register it, and damn, it’s nice.  And I started thinking, maybe I want one too.

Getting a $50 Amazon gift card didn’t help either.  But I keep hesitating over the “check out” button on Amazon, wondering, do I really need this?

Pros to getting the Kindle:

– It would be more than just an e-reader.  I could use it for school, work, etc.  It would also be better than lugging my laptop from pillar to post, or when I’m on vacation.  I very rarely use my computer for uploading/downloading/school/writing, etc. when I’m away from home, so I frankly don’t see the point of dragging it with me everywhere I go, when I could bring something smaller and lighter that does the same thing.

– Better/higher quality.  ‘Nuff said.

– I would upgrade sooner or later, why not now?  Sooner or later, all technology becomes outdated.  The Fire right now is brand-new, recently-upgraded, with most of the features of the iPad mini, only at $150 cheaper.

Cons to getting the Kindle:

– Cost.  The Kindle Fire HD is $214 (no, I don’t want the ads, and you can “get rid of them” for $15 if you buy the $199 Kindle, which means…you pay $214 either way), and the case I like would be another $30.  I have the GC, but I’ll still be paying over $200.  I can afford it (I got $300 in Christmas money), but still, I hate making expensive purchases.

– I still have a perfectly good working Kindle.  I would still keep it, for beach or outdoor reading where sun glare would be a problem.  But otherwise I’d probably exclusively use the Fire.

What do you think?  Splurge or save?

Another One Bites The Dust

One paper down, one to go!

(Granted, this one is bigger, and more important, but it’s already finished except for the revisions, which I NEED TO WORK ON)

I don’t have that much to write about, so we’ll do bullets.

– Adult cooking.  I discovered potato gnocchi and holy hell, my life will never be the same.  DELICIOUS.  I boiled them for 2 minutes, then tossed them in melted butter and roasted garlic, sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese, and had grilled chicken with Montreal seasonings on the side.  OH MA GA.  New favorite meal ever!  I seriously can’t get enough, and I’m going to gain like 10 lbs.

This is my REALLY PROFESSIONAL picture (i.e. taken with my Samsung Stratosphere) of my dinner from two nights ago.

Could seriously eat it any day of the week.

– School is so close to being done!  At some point I have to do the aforementioned edits, but I am getting so close!  There is a bottle of moscato in my fridge AS I TYPE THIS, waiting for December 18th and the end of the semester.

– Snow.  Look, white crap.  We’re scheduled for an unwelcome visit from you and I DAGF how many New Englanders sing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”, as far as I am concerned YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE at least until December 23rd.  This Christmas is going to be difficult enough.  Snow before or on December 22nd means that my grandparents will more than likely cancel their flight and won’t be in on Christmas, and…yeah.  I just can’t do that.  Please.  This year has been sucktastic enough.  The promise of the entire family being here for Christmas was the thing that was keeping my Christmas spirit going.  Please please please please don’t come next weekend.  Please.

The 10 day forecast says that we only have a 10% chance of snow on the 22nd.  Please stay that way.  (I feel like I can’t stress this enough)

– Shopping.  I am ALMOST done!  A couple of friend presents and putting together the finishing touches on my last family presents, and then I’m set!  Pretty happy with what I put together this year.

I also got my package from Sephora yesterday!  Because of the Beauty Insider $15 off a $50 purchase, I was able to justify picking up Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector (I got a sample in my It Kit a month ago and after squeezing the last little bit out of it, realized that I can’t live without it) and the Sephora Collection Smoothing Translucent Setting Powder.

My only complaint about this is the packaging, not the product.  This is TINY.  You’d think I wouldn’t be such a moron about reading the amount in the packaging, but I am.  For almost $40, this should be a much bigger product.  The good thing is that a SAMPLE of it lasted me a month, so this should last me quite a bit longer.  It’s amazing the difference.  I don’t usually get massive dark circles but a lack of sleep (and let’s be honest, crying in the last few weeks) has wreaked havoc on my eyes, leaving them dark and puffy.  A tiny little dab of this stuff (applied with the ice-cold metal applicator) de-puffs and lightens my undereye circles.  It’s brilliant. (Rating: 8/10, mainly because of the package)

The powder was a gamble because I’ve been having issues matching face powders to my incredibly pale skin (increasing since my already-less-than-impressive “summer tan” has faded).  I decided to take a chance on the translucent powder because it was supposed to just matte-ify my face, not put color into it, and figured I’d compensate with blush.  Well, this is a winner!  It matte-ifies my face, seals my makeup, and doesn’t make me look like I’m wearing a mask.  Bonus: the container is BRILLIANT.  When you pop the lid open, it allows just a small amount of powder free into the top level for brushing.  If you need a little more, close the container, turn it upside down and then back up, and re-open, to replenish the powder.  Love it!  (Rating: 10/10!)

– Knitting.  I have two projects that DEFINITELY need to be finished, one for this weekend, and two for next Friday.  I have one more that I MIGHT do for actual Christmas, but we’ll see, since it’s not a big deal if it isn’t done, I have other gifts for the recipient.  We’ll see!  I’m going to Knit Night tonight and hopefully I’ll bang out the last few rows of the one I’m working on for Saturday!

And I think that’s all the news that’s fit to print.  We’ll see how the weekend pans out!

The Best-Laid Plans And All That Jazz

Some facts:

Days left until Christmas: 15
Days left until 501 paper is due: 8
Days left until 540 paper is due: 2Amount left to do on 501 paper: Revisions (28/25 pages completed)
Amount left to do on 540 paper: Revisions and conclusion (16/20 pages completed)
Knitting projects left to complete: 4

Well…shit.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

It was an extremely emotional and difficult weekend…it’s sad that lately my weekends have been more difficult than my weekdays, mainly because there is so much time to think.  D and I split our bank accounts on Saturday (at last) which is great because I could finally deposit all of my checks that had been piling up (all business, not personal) and start Christmas shopping.  I did a TON of Christmas shopping this weekend (I am nearly done, except with my shopping for friends), and it was mostly online, so I’m waiting for two packages to come in.  Splitting our bank accounts wasn’t as emotionally-draining as the episode with the cat (mentioned in my last entry) and fighting with my parents for most of the weekend.  I also bit the bullet and wrote an email to my MIL, informing her that I can’t come to Christmas this year, and was relieved when she replied with a very thoughtful, sensitive reply.  That’s a huge weight off of my shoulders.  And I got to watch the Saints/Giants game last night…which didn’t end the way I was hoping but oh well.

The good news is that I have two evenings “off” from now until Wednesday (when the 540 paper is due) to write and revise.  The bad news is that I appear to be missing one of the books I need, the one that the professor advised me to use.  I’ve already torn apart D’s apartment looking for it.  So it is…probably somewhere in my car.  I will look there this afternoon when I am out of work.  This afternoon is going to be spent writing and revising.  With any luck I’ll be done with the paper by tonight.  Tomorrow I need to work on whatever I’m bringing to the class potluck finals party on Wednesday night.

Suffice to say, it’s going to be a busy week.  I have something on tap every single day.  At least after Wednesday, the rest of the week is shaping up awesomely:

Thursday: Knit Night!
Friday: Seeing The Hobbit (if we can get advance tickets)
Saturday: My friend J’s party up in Worcester, MA.
Sunday: Helping my parents decorate their Christmas tree.

Just get through the paper…and it’ll all be okay.

Friday Bullets

It’s a Friday, and I don’t really have enough going on to do a really sequential, in-depth entry, but I have the itch to write, so you get bullets.

• Twenty-four hours from now, I will be the somewhat-proud, completely-nervous renter of my first solo apartment since that month I lived alone when I was 24 years old.  I went over there last night and began preliminary organization/assessment of space and what I need.  I also went to Target and bought a whole bunch of boring necessary things (like wastebaskets and a dish drying mat.  No matter what my mother says, I do not need a $17 toilet paper roll holder.  Ridiculous.  Those things can sit in the tiny cabinet in the bathroom.  Or on the back of the toilet for all I care.  (Yet I can totally justify a $12 cosmetics organizer.  Priorities, people!)
• The douchebag who moved in above us has finally cured my last little bit of sadness over leaving my apartment (other than, you know, missing my husband and his cat), when he decided to obnoxiously let his alarm clock go off six times this morning between the hours of 4:20 AM and 6:30 AM.  I hate him.  Sincerely.  His roommate works with David, and I hear he is a really nice guy, but this douchebag sloth can DIAF.  I didn’t say anything because I’m leaving tomorrow and there doesn’t seem a point in making enemies when you have 24 hours to spend with these people.
• I’m moving out tomorrow, but spending my first night there on Sunday, since I’m going to an “old people sleepover” on Saturday night.  Do I think this is a good plan?  Um, yes.  We’re going to eat comfort food and watch Netflix and knit and stay up late.  I am immensely looking forward to it.  I think it’s pretty much exactly what I need this weekend.  And I must make my mac and cheese to bring up to it.  This is critical.
• I’m really glad that the move coincides with the busiest, most fun weeks of November.  Monday is the only day that I have nothing planned besides work and I really think I will be okay.  Tuesday I have my paper conference and tea with my good friend Jim.  Wednesday is the annual day my mom, sister and I kick off the holiday season by playing Christmas music while baking our Thanksgiving pies.  Thursday is, of course, Thanksgiving.  Friday is recuperating (I don’t “do” Black Friday) and Saturday is Drea and Sam’s annual “Friendsgiving” or “Thanksgiving the Second” or whatever they call it.  So it will be a nice, busy, occupied week, and hopefully I won’t be too weepy or miss my therapist, Crazy Bruce, too much.
• Due to the aforementioned douchebaggery this morning, I woke up extremely overtired, with puffy eyes.  Because I am a sucker for samples, I decided to use the tiny packet of Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector this morning.  HOLY SHIT does that stuff work!  My eyes looked bright and alert and de-puffed afterward.  Sold.  Except for the part where I looked up how much it cost online for the real thing.  $39.50.  THIS IS WHY YOU ARE SNEAKY, SEPHORA.  You get in with your samples and make people fall in love with your stuff.  I can’t justify $39.50 right now.  Period.
• I have to go through Ravelry and pick out presents for my friends for Christmas.  Yes, I knit them stuff.  They appreciate it, being knitters themselves.  I have a lot to organize!

That’s pretty much it.  I wish I had a more scintillating, cohesive journal entry for today, but that’s kind of where I’m at right now.  I’ll probably have more  later this weekend when stuff is moved in and I’m done sorting it all out.

Peace and all that.

For myself

This weekend right now promises to be not a fantastic one.  My husband is gone for the weekend, so I’ll be home alone, trying to prepare for a storm that promises to be just as much of a suck-fest as last year was.  By-the-by, if my class isn’t canceled on Tuesday, I’m going to be livid.  The only good thing about a hurricane/snowstorm is canceled work or class.  Period.

I have a massive to-do list this weekend that involves the following:
– Washing the metric ton of dishes in the sink (before and if we run out of hot water due to the storm)
– Stock up on supplies (i.e. toilet paper, bread, food that doesn’t require heating up).
– Charge everything (Kindle, laptop, etc.)
– Get cracking on at least part of my rough draft of my paper (due November 6th)
– Laundry, laundry, and more laundry

The situation isn’t as dire as it sounds.  My parents live right next door to the town volunteer fire house, so they almost never lose power, and when they do, they are up and running usually within the day.  Last Halloween, when 99% of CT lost power for days, we ended up at my parents’ house for showers and hot food while our power was out.  NBD.

Plus I’ll be there on Sunday regardless to watch the football game and do all of that laundry.  Oh, and research.  More and more research.

But today and tomorrow I am going to take some time for me.  “Me time” (for this weekend) involves:

– Trip to Sephora!  I have  been wanting to go for so long.  I’m going to pick up some eyeliner and eyeshadow.  That’s IT (okay, maybe some lipstick).

– Getting my eyebrows done.  They need to be waxed in the worst way.  And after I get them waxed I am VOWING to keep them tweezed.  I don’t even care that I hate doing it, or that I’m no good at tweezing.  I WILL LEARN.  Gone are the days of my caterpillar eyebrows.  I am 29 years old, dammit.  I can do this.

– Buying the last pieces for my Rosie costume.  I just need a blue oxford and a pair of black flats.  Hell, I need the black flats just for ME (I have no flat shoes, today I’m struggling in my nude wedges).  I also have to make the Westinghouse pin she wears on her lapel.  NBD, again.

– Paper writing.  You knew it was coming.  But really?  It’s a good distraction from the other things that I have going on in my life.  The ones I don’t want to think about.

– Knitting.  I wound some beautiful yarn for another Citron shawl yesterday.  I finished one a few weeks ago (sort of — I botched the stupid ruffle at the bottom and I ran out of yarn), and it isn’t blocked yet.  I want to try it again with the laceweight yarn it actually requires (I used sock weight last time).  I have Dream in Color Wisp in the daylily shade.  Which is actually a lot more pale green and pale pink than it is on that website.  Hopefully 550 yards will be enough this time!

 

 
That’s pretty much it.  Hopefully, this weekend will go better than anticipated 🙂