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starting 2016
January 04, 2016
Got up late on new year's day, and puttered around the house a bit before going out to run errands--which was a mistake, because several of the places we needed to go were closed. So we just went to Festival and did some grocery shopping, instead. Took a nap for a while in the afternoon, and had some fabulous tacos and fresh-squeezed lemon-limeade for supper.
Saturday morning, after we had coffee and rolls for breakfast, I took down Christmas stuff and put it away--it only took ten minutes or so, but I had to push myself to just get it done. Chipped away at the laundry and chores some more, and fiddled about watching Brian Goulet pen videos and trying to figure out how to improve the flex nib's performance. We finally got up and dressed because we still needed to finish our errands--and Spouse swore he was dying for Portillo's for lunch. Well, we drove down to Gurnee, and got what we needed at Sam's Club (taking every advantage of our membership before it expires on the 20th), but the crowds at the mall and at Portillo's scared Spouse off. So we just came back to town, went to Aldi's, and home.
I had a fantastic pear and some cheese & crackers for lunch, and we were all chilled out on the bed, reading, when the dooorbell rang--the mail carrier, delivering my cousin's check for the printer, a thank you note from her son, and my candle order. I found some of the seasonal Mrs. Meyers Clean Day candles clearanced on line, and ordered two of the orange-clove, and two of the Iowa Pine. They were at a really good price, with free shipping and $5.00 off for first-time customers, so I bought them. Spouse is a big fan of the Iowa Pine scent, and I like the orange-clove.
So once we settled back down, everybody had a nap, before getting up to make dinner--BBQ pork chops, baked potato and salad.
We were all kind of down on Sunday, for some reason. Maybe just because the holidays were over and Monday was looming. We sort of grazed for breakfast--I had cinnamon toast, and Spouse started with tomato juice, moved on to boiled eggs, then cooked himself up a bowl of grits while I fixed him a cup of hot cocoa. He ran out to move his car and take it to the gas station, and I cleaned up the kitchen before tackling my new years resolution. One of them, anyway.
I had made myself a promise--I would clean up and organize my basement storage area. It was getting quite out of hand, and what with Spouse's passion for shopping at Costco, everything was an overflowing, jumbled up mess. I assembled a set of shelves I bought last year and hadn't gotten around to dealing with yet, and spent a few hours sorting, organizing, and cleaning up the space. I now have an area for storing appliances I don't use often, such as the electric roaster, the ice cream maker, etc.--and an area for bulk-buy items like paper goods, dishwashing detergent, light bulbs, bar soap, water filters, yada yada yada. PLUS--one section of shelving has been freed up for grocery items. I don't like to keep too many food items down there, but canned and bottled goods are fine, and I put some of the items in covered plastic bins for additional organization & protection (cake decorations, packages of pasta). It's looking great, and I hope I can keep it that way for a while. That's one "resolution" down.
(The other one? I need to leose some poundage before I the wedding and Phoenix trip next month. That one isn't going to be nearly as easy!)
I was in pretty bad shape by the time I'd finished my project, though. Grubby, sweaty, and in a considerable amount of pain--my stupid back is not getting any better, and trying to get stuff accomplished is just making it worse. So I came up (with heavy load, naturally-- a basket containing clean laundry and several items we needed, upstairs) and took a hot shower, had a bite to eat, and crashed for the afternoon. Spouse had been lounging all morning, so while I was napping, he made dinner; he glazed & baked a quarter-ham, and made mashed potatoes and roasted carrots to go with it. Yum-tastic. We cleaned up the kitchen together, then he headed off to do his thing and I got my Monday prepping done and relaxed for the evening.
I was not looking forward to this morning, I can tell you. I've come to dread work like nobody's business. For good reason, too. I may have mentioned this in the past--I have a very hard time working with other women. At least I do with the women I get tied up with in my job, anyway. They just make me nuts. And some days, the most I get to say to a male is what floor I need in the elevator!
Not even the news that I got a reasonably ok raise (long way from great, but surprisingly good, given the big picture) was able to cheer me up. I guess after a certain point, there isn't enough money in the world to make you not hate your job. In fact, it just makes you feel more stuck.
So thems the facts. Dinner is leftovers, and I'm beat, so that's that.
Reading: "Ruth Fielding in the Red Cross, or Doing Her Best for Uncle Sam" (1918), by Alice B. Emerson, "The Late Tenant"(1906), by Gordon Holmes (Louis Tracy), "Murder Must Advertise"(1933), by D.L. Sayers. I'm kind of all over the place with reading right now--3 going at once.
Listening: The Arcs, Phoenix, Pretenders, The Shins
Inked Up: The new Monteverde Artista, with Monteverde burgundy ink. I'm seriously loving this sweet little pen! But I have to ask--why do so many pen manufacturers think a grip section should be slick, shiny metal?
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