Another 2 Weeks

It's funny how blogging can start to feel like a chore. I've just been so busy that the thought of making the effort to write anything was just too much!

So, what's been happening? I've been mostly working on things around the house. We bought a couple of pieces of furniture at a consignment store that I was so excited about. One is a cabinet that stands about 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide with glass on the front and sides, as well as glass shelves -- framed in a dark wood. I put all of our glass pieces in it and I think it looks really cool. Another is a TV cabinet for the stepdaughter's room that solved the problem of the satellite box and dvd player sliding off the top of the TV into the wall every so often. Plus there is storage below and I put all her sheets in there. Then there is a file cabinet I bought -- not at the consignment store -- that is made of alder and stained rosewood. I not only fit all my file crap in there, I finally went through all the file crap yesterday and got rid of so much old stuff I didn't need to be holding on to. It's amazing what a relief it can be to unload that kind of stuff. I had the shredder working overtime yesterday and filled up a giant plastic shopping bag with shreddings. The bag was easily as big as a standard kitchen garbage bag. I still need to go back through that stuff and do quite a bit of organizing, but at least I've gotten rid of the junk.

I also went through this expando file I keep with recipes that I collect from newspapers, magazines, friends, etc. There were so many recipes I've never made and others that I though, "what was I thinking?" when I clipped them. Anyway, I weeded out a bunch of stuff from that, too, and still need to organize it but it has to be easier to find the favorite recipes now that all the junk is gone.

I was also sick last week -- again. I just had a major cold in September and I thought that would be it for the year. Then the husband got sick. I didn't stand a chance! Ironically, the day I came down with it I had just had a flu shot at work. I haven't had one in a few years, either, but my firm had someone come in and administer the shots and they were free to employees so I figured why not. By 4 o'clock, I knew I was coming down with something. I'm not suggesting it was because I took the shot, but I was a little disgruntled at getting sick at that point. Plus, Thanksgiving was coming and I had a lot to do. Besides, I just hate getting sick.

So, I was sick for the better part of a week. Thank God for Alka Seltzer Liquid Gels -- that stuff really works for me! It helps with sneezing, runny nose, coughing, sore through, and just makes it possible for me to function. There's a night time one, too, and I used them a couple of times to make it easier to sleep. I'm not big on taking anything for general ailments, but when I need to function, that's the stuff.

I've been working really hard at work recently to get all my ducks in a row, and finish projects that were languishing while our fall recruiting was going on. It's paid off -- I have a lot to do in terms of scheduling interviews over the next couple of months, but it's relatively under control. Of course, that could change at any moment but I'll take the feeling of having control, even if it is fleeting.

On Thanksgiving we drove to my dad's. The day sort of started off on the crappy side -- I was still sick, the dog made me get up early to let him out, and right as I was about to do that, the husband rolled over and I caught his elbow with my eye. I actually teared up thinking "do I really need another challenge right now?" So I sucked it up, got up and got started with my day -- which included making a dessert to bring with us -- and we got on the road around 12:30. Within 15 minutes of leaving the house (in moderate traffic), a large piece of metal debris on the road that I tried to straddle (no room to swerve) popped up and put a softball-sized hole in my muffler. It sounded like the end of the world and we thought there must have been some kind of body damage. When we pulled over, though, we saw there was no damage but that the car didn't sound right. The husband looked under it and saw the gaping hole. So yeah, the drive down to my dad's cost us about $184. I ordered the muffler today and will have it installed when it arrives in a day or two.

We soldiered on and went to my dad's and stayed 2 nights. It was great, except the part where we had to sleep on a crappy slanted futon with linens that leave us freezing. I swear next time I'm gonna bring one of those air beds and our own pillows, sheets & blankets! We had a nice, mellow thanksgiving and didn't really bother with the "black Friday" sales. As far as I am concerned, the deals ain't good enough to get my ass up, even out of a crappy futon -- particularly when I'm sick!

We also watched "Anchorman," which I had yet to see. OMG -- the line where Will Ferrell says "I'm going to punch you in the ovary" to Christina Applegate cracked me up! It was pretty stupid, but it had its moments. The next night we also watched "Trading Places," since we are now officially in the Christmas season. Good times.

We brought the pup with us again and he did really well. He's not as timid with my sister's dog as he was before -- though she can still be pretty rough. They basically wore each other out -- which was great, because the rest of the time they slept! Mushu also discovered a chew toy he'd not yet had -- hooves. Gross, but it kept him busy and that's all I care about! I bought him one today. He loves it.

We came home Saturday afternoon and settled back in at home. I met up with my best friend for a couple of hours and I ran a few errands while I was out. Other than that, I was too tired to do anything. This cold is really hanging on. On Sunday, I don't think I left the house once. Still, it was not enough to make me feel up to going to work today -- so I stayed home. I probably could have gone in, but I soldiered through last Tuesday and Wednesday to get done what I needed to and decided to just take the day to recover a little more. I got some stuff done around the house (laundry, cleaning the shower/tub/toilet, taking out the trashes, cleaning up the kitchen) and ran a few errands (pet store, grocery shopping, gas in the car), but other than that I've just been kicking back. The husband and I made a lasagna tonight with some killer garlic bread, so I won't have to make anything for lunch or dinner for another day or two. I have stuff to make salad and more bread so we're set. That's the best thing about making something like that. I think I'm gonna go buy a lasagna pan so I can make a fatter lasagna w/o worrying about it bubbling over. This one did okay, though -- sometimes it'll drip to the bottom of the oven but this one managed to stay contained w/in the Pyrex dish.

So that's about it. Oh, I did also buy refills for my planner -- the PDA has failed me twice when it's run out of power so I decided I need my paper one for now. Plus, I just like that stuff. So I've been working on updating that, and I had also gotten a good start on my Chrismas cards, so I should be able to finish those this week and get them out on Friday. I've also gotten a good start on my Christmas shopping and have penciled out a Christmas dinner menu, so I'm in pretty good shape there.

Soon we'll get the tree up and other decorations out. If I think about it too hard, I might start thinking of the holiday season as a second job!

One last thing . . . I turn 35 in a couple of weeks. 35! Man. I still think of myself as being in my 20s -- even if I don't actually FEEL that way. 35. I'm having a facial this Saturday to stave off the effects of aging.

Anyway, that's what's been going on with me. I'll have to check up on everyone to see how they're doing!