I was going to say that I’m sitting here under my new snuggie (well, like that but way nicer) this morning, sipping my tea (handily kept warm by my new electric cup warmer coaster thing that Callie gave me so that I don’t have to interrupt cuddle time to go reheat it), listening to the quiet. But as soon as I typed that, Daisy started up with barking outside at who knows what. Probably a walker trying to waddle off the last three days of excess. I’ll be part of that crowd later.
:returns from letting the dogs inside and assumes the position for cuddle time:
It is finally, blessedly quiet and empty in my house but for the people and pooches who actually live here. With the exception of one uncle still at my husband’s grandmother’s house, all the family is out of town, all the insane and zoo-like get togethers (13 people, 7 dogs. You do the math.) are finished. We actually are entertaining friends in 2 and a half hours, but my frantic, OMG GET STUFF DONE mode is finally switched off. I’m finally doing what my husband has been telling me to do for three days: Sit Down. Much yumminess was consumed. Poundage was gained. We aren’t gonna talk about the damage I’ve managed to do in 3 days of junky eating. There was fudge. That’s all I’m sayin’. Awesome gifts were given and received. I got the Kitchenaid cookware I so desperately wanted (not that I’ve had 5 minutes to unpack and clean it and replace the Calphalon I’ve had since we got married). Hubby got me a gorgeous set of Furi knives (I’ve been wanting to cut things since Christmas day, but with all the leftovers, I haven’t been cooking). I got some books, some clothes, a really cool spoonrest/cheese tray thing made out of a melted wine bottle, and a foot massager that I fully intend to employ as soon as I get time to go pick up the D batteries it requires to run it. With some of the Christmas money I got, I ordered EA Sports Active: More Exercises and the accessory kit to go with it. Might as well buy myself something to help me work off the fudge and help establish better exercise habits in 2010. Everyone went overboard, as usual. I feel very very blessed.
For those of you who would like to see how the big motorcycle surprise went off, you can do so here (I apologize for my poor camera work. I apparently had it zoomed in the entire time):
The spastic finishing of Christmas presents gave way to an equally spastic spurt of cleaning things up and putting things away. I’ve just finished and put up a massive pile of towels and sheets, all the extra linens… I love family, but really, I want to eradicate their recent presence here and get my house BACK TO NORMAL. Today’s plan is to get back on the exercise wagon (as soon as I finish my tea), entertain our friends, and make a list of all the food we need for a detox menu until New Year’s Eve (yeah, I’m ambitious enough to think I can work off the last 3 days in the next 6).
And tomorrow, while not back to the Evil Day Job, is back to work getting all those lectures recorded for my class that starts January 6th. Now that I am far more familiar with Camtasia, I expect the process to go faster than the 2 weeks it took me for my abnormal class this time last year. Then I just have to upload everything, set release dates, write some exams, one more test pool, and I think I’m done. I’ll be down to class maintenance and juggling correspondence, questions, and such from students in 3 different classes, which should theoretically leave me with more time to write once the semester really gets going.
I haven’t written anything since…probably my last post here. Been far too busy, what with family and a fast trip to Atlanta the day before Christmas Eve to buy a truck (which makes it a total of 3,000 miles I’ve been since December 1st). Hubby traded in his 2006 Dodge Magnum for a 2004 Ford F150 FX with 4 wheel drive. It’s niiiiiiiiiiice. And miraculously, between fabulous interest rates and such, we’ll actually SAVE MONEY in the long run on this truck. But anyway, I’d like to get back to writing this week as well. I go back to real work the 4th, so I’d like to finish out the next chapter and a half by then. Also ambitious, but I think burying myself in that kind of work between other stuff will be kind of soothing.
If you’ll excuse me, I need to transfer another load to the dryer, then start my workout for the day.