Chivalry Lives
I've got the 72 pound lap dog this week. Mostly, it's fabulous, but the non-mostly is getting on my nerves.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
On the other hand, he's been valiantly defending me from the plumbing (he takes particular umbrage with the rinse cycle of the dishwasher). It's a little unnerving when he barks in the middle of the night at the shower depressurizing, but I admire his guardianship of my slippers and packing tape.
So far, since he's been here, he has eaten:
Two boxes of cereal off the top of the fridge
All the cat food and its container
Two bags of dog treats stored on the top shelf of my coat closet
Three packets of oatmeal
Half a roll of packing tape
Two sponges
A small bottle of shampoo
Three socks (clean)
The bow off my blue slipper (the left one)
A heck of a lot of dog food
I'm special. He doesn't do all this for David.
I still don't want to give him back tomorrow.
Wonderful Weekend or Accepting The Need For Change
What a wonderful weekend. I needed these days. Sometimes I worry that I’m spending my life too freely—packing time with activity (some of it worthwhile, some of it necessary, some of it just spent), but not with things that enrich.
I like activity. In college a friend remarked I like to keep busy. But it’s not that I like to keep busy, I like to suck the marrow out of the bones of every day—drink in those soft hours of morning, think about world events, laugh at human folly, do something to enrich the lives around me, read the good book and let it improve my soul, create something, whether it be art, food, a room or a set, revel in those golden hours of the afternoon, settle myself in softly to an evening with one I love or many.
But the signs are there. It’s almost here. I’m burning out. This feels like that last sprint of a race—those moments when it would be so much easier to just stop than keep on. I forget things. Which day is Emily’s birthday? Where was I going to go before I buy paint? What day is LOST on? I’m usually tired. When I pray, it’s hard to focus.
This weekend offered a reprieve. I’ve gone to bed at nine. I’ve woken up without an alarm (with an embarrassing number of hours in between). I actually folded ALL my laundry. I opted out of major Thanksgivings and had a plate of Boston Market with Kate while letting the dogs run free. I napped whenever I felt like it. I went welding. I spent serious time in the Word. I raked leaves on a beautiful fall day. I bought the book
101 Career Alternatives for Teachers. (I missed David profusely) I put up a Christmas tree and decorated it. Amy and Greg took me out for Korean. I finally got over to finish the mug I started at Jenny’s bachelorette party. I thought about what I might buy people for Christmas. I researched what it would cost to meet my family in CA over Christmas (Tom will be home from Germany briefly!).
It’s been good.
I need to make changes. I know this. I’m tired of being tired and stressed and always working two days ahead of the day that I’m living. I don't want to be the whiney Meg. Like my weight, it's had to come to the right moment for me to realize how good I feel when there's less in my life. But it’s scary. Some of those changes will come naturally. Some will be a hard push. And all will require more thought, planning and energy than I feel like I have. I like change. Why is all this so daunting?
So what services are people going to these days? I'm around this weekend and next--it would be nice to see people I know while in our house of worship!
Nearly Turkey Day
I do exist. No question. Just prefer hiding in my bed sometimes to actual posting. I've been narrating very funny posts in my head, but none of them made it here and apparently I missed their expiration date.
Ok. So. Things that have been up:
42nd Street is over (Thank God!) and it went well.
David crashed his car, got a new one and is at Disney World with his nuclear family this weekend. Grayson is with me. I had no idea it would be so hard to have a huge dogggie with no fenced yard. Ike was easier. I still want a puppy of my own.
I went to NCTE this weekend! Talk about indulging my geekdom. English teachers talking English all day for four days. Ah...bliss!
It was in the Opryland. Look at the shiny:
And now I have a five day weekend. On the list: yard work, grading, welding at the Career Center, a plate of Boston Market and not getting out of my pjs until well afternoon on Thanksgiving. I'll definatly be giving thanks for that!
Get out there and vote baby!
I never thought I'd be so excited to get back to tampon and erectile disfunction commercials.
Workin’ 5-9
AM to PM baby! And that isn’t a typo.
It’s the week known as Hell Week in theatre parlance. And grades were due. And Emily’s wedding was Saturday. Of the three of those, guess which one I enjoyed?
Yep, my Emily is married to the dashing
John. It’s strange---we’ve been through this dating thing together. She’s been closer to it any other friend and I’ve needed her. In a truly God moment, her new home is only and hour away from Cincinnati. Wow. I’m grateful.
Past that it has been a very bad, no-good, awful week. Tuesday was the worst of it—I woke up at 7:10 (um…I have students in the classroom at 7:30 and a 17 minute drive). Apparently I slept through three alarms—two by my bedside and one in the bathroom (now that Amy’s mostly gone, I’m extra paranoid). Then again, I was up from 3- 11 on Monday (grades due at noon Wednesday, I needed to grade a few last things and the grade program print function quit). Oddly, I made it in by 7:30 (though I was unshowered, uncostumed, uncandied and unmakeuped with MSU seniors observign my class). I think there must be a slight time difference between my home clocks and the school clocks. That or I have the ability to move through time like that guy on
Heroes.
To add to that, David called at 10am to tell me he’d totaled his car but was ok (another God moment—I usually have my cell off and hidden until after school, but I happened to have it in my pocket and checked it at lunch). We’re going car shopping this weekend.
And that's my whiney update. I'm tired and irritable. I'll be better in ten days. Easily the bright spot of the week will be Yi's birthday dinner tonight--if we get done on stage in time for me to attend.
Happy Birthday sweet Yi.
