Here is a picture of the alley behind my house with immeasurable snow on it that I took on Saturday... I know that I always seem like I'm broke and harried on here, but it's only because I don't have any time or money. On this post I plan to celebrate my three day weekend where I didn't have to travel, deal with extended family or have a houseful of screaming teens with which to contend. It is amazing what a few days off can do to one's outlook. It was just nice to finally have the time to take care of little things and remember how I enjoyed my life when I didn't work seventy-five jobs. (0nly one of which, I get paid for) Here is a list of things I did on my Winter vacation that enhanced my life a little or a lot.
1.) Went around and changed lightbulbs and watered plants. Most of my green things are succulents, so I have plenty of leeway before I actually kill them - I had used most of it up before this weekend.
2.) Could have really cleaned and organized my house if I had wanted to. I didn't, of course, but I like the idea of having that option.
3.) Had two whole hours of quiet time (in a row) without the girls on Friday night while Stinky was ice skating and Coadster was showing some choir or choiring some shows or whatever show choir looks like as a verb. I have no recollection of how I spent that time, but I can guarantee you it was very quiet in my house then.
4.) Went to El Ranchero to help celebrate my friend K.'s birthday. I ate some sub-par Mexican food and drank Margarita's like they were kool-aid. I kept telling my friends that I didn't think the drinks were very strong, while my cheeks gave me away by turning redder and redder. (stupid ruddy Irish complexion)
5.) Finally went to the library and checked out Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. Dexter's been talking McCarthy up since I met him, and I like Westerns, so I thought I'd check it out. My friend K. thinks I'll like Suttree better, which means I'll probably have to read that as well. I'm a sucker for peer pressure.
6.) Backslid right into my gigantic mug of herbal tea before bed habit. I don't drink coffee, ( I realize that admission could lose me some loyal readers, but I gotsta be honest on here) but I make up for it by having close to thirty different kinds of tea in my cupboard - you never know what kind I'll be into at any given time.
7.) Watched Wife Swap on Monday night. That show makes me feel so balanced - Hey, I take what I can get. My favorite line from Monday's show went something like, "My daughter is looking forward to being able to dress-up like a Leprechaun..." Maybe I should make my girls watch it with me, so they can compare me to all the crazy mom's and appreciate me that much more.
8) Finally, I got at least eight hours of sleep all three nights. I've been functioning on so little sleep lately, that I forgot what it was like not to see phantom movements out of the corners of my eyes or continually swat away at the air in front of my face anytime anyone asked me something that was too difficult to process, like, "What time is dinner?" or "How many fingers am I holding up?"
I know I'll get over my beautifully restful holiday weekend and be right back in sleep-deprivation central, but it was so much easier to go back to work today after catching-up.
...And here is a picture of my alley on Monday when the snow was finally measureable.
16 comments:
Wonderful measurable snow. What I'd give for some of that stuff right now!
It's ok to talk about being broke all the time. It somehow becomes so much a part of your lifestyle that it's like talking about your kids. People don't really want to hear it but you need to talk about it because when you can't spend money you need to spend your breath and talk, talk, talk about it.
Been there. Oh wait, I'm still there.
This reminds me of the old Cheech and Chong routine, "How I spent my summer vacation". Do you remember this one with Sister Mary Elephant?
'The first day on my vacation, I woke up. Then, I went downtown to a quiet job. Then I hung out in front of the drugstore.'
Churlita,
Sounds like a rejuvenating weekend, with snow to boot.
Of all the things I could do on those rare reprieves from duty, I usually just read.
rel
That sounds like an ideal way to spend a weekend. Good work, there's little better in this life than napping and tea. Kindred spirits can be found here.
succulents: that's brilliant... and good for you deciding not to spend long weekend time cleaning!
Who needs time and or money when you've got eight hours of sleep? Although all that tea drinking might kind of void out a couple of the hours.
I'm probably just saying that because I belong to the religion that believes life improves dramatically with coffee.
btw: We loved your photos all day, even when we weren't looking at them. If I were reaaaaallly sappy, I'd say wouldn't it be nice to have them set to Greg Brown's 'Iowa Waltz'? I don't know what you'd DO with it, but the combination would bring tears to our eyes. Yep.
"...celebrate my three day weekend where I didn't have to travel, deal with extended family..."
Same to you!
T
Suttree is my second favorite or it was until The Road came out...
Blood Meridian is the pinnacle ,bloody dark and bleak but you may want to start with early novels Tennesee settings (like Suttree is)
It also has my favorite line...
(Suttree)"...Reprobate scion of doomed Saxon clans out of rainy day surmised..."
Michelle,
See, and I'm thinking I'd give anything for summer in Australia right now. Yeah, being broke is my life and this whole blogging this is all about talking about your life.
Bice,
I had the 45 of Sister Mary Elephant when I was a kid. I loved it and part of why I wrote, "my winter vacation". I love it when people pick up on my pop culture references.
Rel,
I would love to just read. That was how I used to spend my extended weekend reprieves before I had children.
Mr Atrocity,
I love tea and napping. If I added reading and running to that, I would have the perfect life.
Margaret,
I probably should have cleaned - I did some, but not that huge kind of cleaning project that takes a couple of days and leaves you exhausted.
Booda Baby,
I'm lucky enough that tea drinking doesn't cause me to wake in the middle of the night to get rid of it...At least not yet, anyway.
I'm so glad you liked the photos.I haven't heard the Iowa Waltz in a long time. My ex-husband was in a horrible movie in the 80's that used that song during the credits.
Bro In-law,
You know exactly who I'm talking about when I say "extended family", and it's not you and yourn. I don't have to clean the hell out of my house when you guys come over, or censor my conversations when I come to your house either.
Dex,
I just started Blood Meridian, and I'm discovering the "Blood, dark and Bleakness" of it. It's kind of like watching Deadwood without all the cocksucker language.
So jealous of snow! I dreamt of snow last night...does that count?
not-Carrie,
Didn't you get any snow out of this icky storm? Maybe you just got ice.
Dreaming about snow might be even better because you don't have to shovel or drive in it.
My best friend, Kay, is of Irish descent and when she drinks her face turns bright red as well. She just had her first kid a few weeks ago, so I suppose my days of screaming, "Kay's got a bar tan!" every Friday night is over. At least for awhile.
I'm really gonna miss that.
Eek,
Bar tan. I like that. From now on, I'm not ruddy, I'm tan. Thank you.
Let the kids watch Mom Swap or whatever it is. I let my kids watch Joe Jackson beat the crap out of his kids on the Jacksons VH1 biopic and they have appreciated me so much since.
Fringes,
Just as long as you don't let them anywhere near the real Joe Jackson, or his son especially.
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