Tis the Season

As my lapse in blogging may have tipped you, the competing demands of the season have caught up with me. Blogging has lagged. Multi-tasking has increased.

Per usual, the approaching holidays have generated the annual “hot potato” game at work, where clients and others try to pass off documents and deadlines to someone else before leaving town. I feel like I’m going to have some burning tuberous blobs sitting in my lap before the end of next week. I’m trying to manage expectations right now, because I’m scheduled to be out of the office the whole week of Christmas. I may pick one project to sneak onto my laptop during any quiet downtime with family, but that’s it. I can’t focus on everything at once.

I bought some presents for loved ones a month ago and thought I was going to finish Christmas shopping early this year. No. Not happening. I made a feeble attempt to start our Christmas card until Mike rescued me and made one up himself and ordered them. We may get them in time to address envelopes this weekend. We managed to get to a tree farm this past weekend and get a tree, which is sitting unadorned in the living room. It will stay that way until we can drag our decorations out the garage, hopefully this weekend.

And I’ve seen the comments and memes along the lines of “you are not obligated to do anything during the holidays that stress you out.” Well, that’s fine and good, but I want to do these things. I like doing these things. I love seeing the kiddos doing these things – hiking around a tree farm, decorating, making homemade gifts, spending an extra 10 minutes looking at Christmas lights while driving home in the evening. Those things don’t stress me out (too much). And work is quite capable of stressing me out at any time during the year, so I’m not going to give up my Christmas cheer just because deadlines coincide with holiday tasks. But yes, blogging has taken a hit. Cooking dinner from scratch is taking a hit. I’m trying not to worry about the little things. I want blogging and reading blogs to continue to be enjoyable, so I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. It’s nice to know you all are out there, and I’ll continue to hop around and read as much as I can. I agree that people shouldn’t do things that stress them out just for the sake of doing them. But you can also try to do things on your own time and in your own way, expecting that people will understand your best intentions. So, a Christmas card may be mailed after Christmas. OK, my floor may not be spotless when family comes to visit. Most people are too busy to notice anyway. And if it gets to be too much, sure, I’ll stick my head in my shell and let myself breathe deeply a lot before venturing back out into Holiday Land. Until then, I’ll keep drafting blogs in bits and pieces and feeding my kids spaghetti for two days in a row. Which, of course, is a Christmas gift in itself to my kids! Ho ho ho.

 

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Farewell again

It has been a wonderful trip to California.  Visited many people.  Spent time with family.  Enjoyed the holidays.  Ate good food.  Relaxed a little.  Worked a little.  Froze a little.  Warmed up again.

A wonderful trip.

But I am very very very ready to go home.  No more running around.  Home.

Soon.

First, I have to wake up at 4:45 to go the airport.  Ack! 

 I can’t wait to fall asleep on the plane.

Happy New Year, all.  Lots more to tell but I need to sleep for now.  Aloha.

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It’s the Little Things

My green beans were tasty and the family enjoyed them.

My cold is mild and I’m stuffy but I don’t feel like I’ve been run over with a truck even though I was hoping that I wasn’t really sick, that it was just my chronic throat pain, but why would I think that because I always seem to get sick when I come back to California in winter.

The house was warm.

Sweetie’s family is together.

Only one of my presents coming in the mail will probably be late and Sweetie already has something to open tomorrow. 

I followed my mother’s lead and wrapped a couple presents a day the past week and didn’t spend all day today wrapping gifts. 

The sun was shining today.

Sweetie and I are in the same state!

My mom spoiled me with a wonderful dinner this past weekend and we will get to see her, Big Sibs and the nephews soon to celebrate post-Christmas.

All of our travelers arrived safely.

Tomorrow there will be more food and catching up and definitely at least one game of Settlers of Catan.

Tomorrow there will be homemade apple pies and butter-soaked rolls.

If I stop writing now and stop retrospecting so hard, I won’t feel sad about some things that are too hard to explain anyway.

Did I mention my green beans were tasty and the family enjoyed them??

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Friday Five – All I want for Christmas

Friday Five is a little early this week and asks:

Santa makes his big ride tomorrow night and I am sure there are some things you have asked him for …or maybe one of his elves….so why not list FIVE things you”ve hinted for this year and be sure to leave your link so we can see what you want Santa to bring you this Christmas!

Well, I don’t really have to hint, thanks to Amazon wish lists and family members who ask for lists and a hubby and sister who know me pretty well.  What are on these lists?  Or what am I asking for from Santa in my secret heart of hearts?

1.  I have the standard of books and music and movies.  Can’t go wrong with books and music.  A couple goodies like the latest Fable comic book trade paperback and maybe the new Barbara Kingsolver book. Hey Santa, I’ll even read your autobiography if you give it to me.  I hear it’s good.

2.  Clothes.  Every time I think about going out to get something for myself, I manage to talk myself out of the expense.  The good thing is – since I work from home and don’t have to bother with office meetings and client meetings and the general guidelines of professionalism, I don’t really need nice clothes.  Or anything more than a few pairs of shorts and tank tops, which I already own.  But you know, every once in a while when I want to go out to dinner with Sweetie or when I’m in California to see friends, it would be awfully nice to have something new to wear.  I admit it.  I’d like it.  Points for honesty, Santa?

3.  A new Sonicare.  It’s so unexciting, I didn’t ask for it from anybody.  But I need a new one and haven’t been willing to spend the money yet.  Santa, you’re a friend of the ADA, aren’t you?

4.  New low fares directly from California to Maui.  Alaska Airlines has been making a big deal about some new routes.  It would be nice if they offered, or caused other airlines to offer, lower rates.  I already know of three weddings Sweetie and I will be attending in California next year.  I don’t know if or when we’ll be moving back to the mainland in 2010.  C’mon Santa!! If you and your sleigh can circumnavigate the globe in one night, surely you can lend a reindeer or two to travelers in need?

5.  More work for 2010.  Not something my family and friends can gift to me.  I am very much hoping that the economy picks up in 2010, for myself and many other people I have spoken to this year.  If for no other reason that I think the new word “funemployed” has been much much overused this year.  Do you have any idea how many people in the San Francisco Bay area are “Funemployed?” I think I have learned some valuable lessons this year about saving money and cutting expenses and being creative and making do with what I have.  I think I can happily carry these lessons forward even without the stress of it being mandatory.  Spread the work to your elves, Santa.  Take a load off and relax until next year!

You can join in Friday Five this week over HERE. 

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Tired rambles

This is one of those non-entries, as it is late tonight and my throat is screaming mad – about 165-percent above my normal painful chronic ouch.  I’m sitting here with half a cup of Theraflu – not because I really think I am getting sick but just to try and sooth my throat for a few minutes so I can sleep.  Have I mentioned I get grumpy when I don’t feel well?

Today was a good day.  Packed my bags, woke up early, picked up Sweetie at the airport and drove to his mom’s.  Hooray!  Nice to have his company again.  We spent the evening with his old college pals, a couple of whom we have not seen since our wedding.  We were treated to a scrumptious feast that included homemade kalua pork, roasted veggies, Korean BBQ beef and brownies for dessert.  I had at least two helpings of everything and could have easily had two more helpings of the beef but didn’t want to empty the serving dish before our awesome hostess even had seconds.  Urp.  

Tomorrow is big food shopping day.  This year we are spending Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas with Sweetie’s family.  Which means several meals have been planned out for 12 to 16 or 17 people.  Everyone has something to buy, which cuts down the work for any one person.  But there is still a lot to buy and prep.  We’ll go to Costco in the morning then  drive to Sweetie’s Grandfather’s house to take him shopping.  Somewhere, somehow, I also have to get some work hours in.  Because – wouldn’t you know – after having basically no work for the last month, I now have a work product due right after Christmas.  Ho Ho Ho.  Grump.  Grump.

And with that – I am diving under the electric blanket.  Sorry for the non-entry.  Hope you all are staying warm.

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Leaving on a Jet Plane

This may be one of those non-entries I blog just so I can fulfill my Holidailies goal.

As usual, I have waited until the last day to clean my house, do my laundry, pack my bags, wrap up things to mail out, etc. etc. etc.  On a good note, I have 95-percent of my Christmas cards/letters mailed today!  But my house is not as clean as I would like it.  Normally, I like to leave a tidy house when I’m going to be gone for a while.  This time, I want to clean because my MIL will be on the island while I am gone.  She won’t be staying at our house, but I’m sure she and Aunt D. and Uncle W. will be around.  Feels strange that I will miss her visit.  She comes every year and I enjoy driving around with her, going to the beach, eating out, and just having company around the house.  But – I had already made my flight plans before she made hers so – drat.  I’ll be on the mainland missing all the fun!

Sweetie and I did a little Christmas shopping today.  Due to our dwindling paychecks this year, we are trying to keep on a very strict budget for Christmas.  I’m concentrating on the immediate family with just a couple of extra things for other people.  I was dreading walking around Lahaina on a Saturday but the tourist town was strangely quiet today.  Hardly any traffic on Front Street.  The sidewalks were not packed like normal.  I’m not sure what that means.  I don’t know if people are not buying anything for the holidays or if this is just an unusually slow period for Maui.

The only nice thing about hardly having any work right now is that I don’t have so many files to lug back and forth.  Hooray.  

I’m loving the idea of this Read Your Own Books challenge.  I’ve gone through my shelves and pulled off a pile of books I’ve been meaning to read for eons. 

And with that – I need to finish cleaning up around here.  Never-ending job, ain’t it?

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Random Wednesday (is it Wednesday?)

• Does it make you nervous when your webcam “winks” at you?  Sometimes I’ll be sitting at my computer minding my own business when the little blue light of my webcam blinks on and off.  I’m not sure why.  My mouse and I are nowhere near the webcam shortcut.  I never even use my webcam.  But there it goes.  *blink* *blink*  Hello?  Are you trying to tell me something?  Are you recording me while I am not looking?  Is my scowling yawning face being broadcast out to the world without my knowledge?  What is going on????
• A couple of weeks ago I thought I would have no problem getting ready for Christmas.  But then, a couple of weeks ago I still thought Christmas was about 4 months away.  Time takes on new dimensions for self-employed people, I think.  I sometimes lose track of days and suddenly it’s a whole different month.  If I don’t have a bunch of deadlines to pay attention to, I can’t seem to figure out time at all.
• I jumped on the scale this week and was delighted to discover that I finally lost the extra pounds that I put on during my last trip to California.  I always manage to gain weight in California.  And now it is off.  Hooray!  Guess what?  It’s off just in time for me to fly back to California. 
• Yup, I’m flying back to California in less than a week.  Again, I feel like time has been sneaking up behind my oblivious back.  I like to have my home organized and clean before I leave.  Why?  I have no idea.  I guess I just feel the need to pile some tasks onto my to-do list.  So, I am trying to clean my house and organize my work files at the same time I am shopping for gifts and writing out 50-something Christmas cards.
• One thing I can tell you – I will always always lug about extra 15 pounds more work files back and forth between Maui and California.  That means I lug about 20 pounds of files and only work on 5 pounds worth.  In October, I mailed files back to myself with a USPS Flat-rate box and the darn thing weighed more than 10 pounds.  Sweetie keeps yammering at me to keep my files electronically and to stop carting around the hard copies.  I tell him that I already have many of these printouts electronically.  But I still use my printouts.  I’m old fashioned.  Plus, hey – I’m trying to work off those extra pounds I always gain in California.

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