Recovery

The boxes went out in the trash today, the stockings are empty and now being used as "slippers" by the girl, and I have read most of my operating instructions for the gadgets I received... It's beginning to feel like New Year's Eve!

As if the girl's gift pile wasn't big enough, Grandma and Grandpa (Hubby's Parents) arrived Christmas morning bearing at least as many gifts for the girl as we had for her. I think toward the end she started wishing that Santa would conserve wrapping paper- 'cause the

unwrapping became less and less enthusiastic as she got towards the end. We survived the day, and I did no cooking or cleaning and stayed in my Pajamas ALL DAY! I didn't even put on a Bra- which tells you how little gave a crap about apperances. Upon hearing this report, a coworker exclaimed " Do you EVER do ANYTHING????!!!!!" I think she was offended that all these years she has been a traditional wife and mom and grandma, slaving over every holiday with no appreciation or thanks- and here I am RELAXING with In-Laws, and Husband AND a daughter in the house. HOW DARE I??

So yeah, I slacked on the traditional neurotic compulsive busybody stereotype and I don't care one bit. For all I cared, I would have spent christmas day munching on the shredded gift wrap if no one else decided to eat food and make enough for everyone. That would not have bothered me at all- though Sam and Grandpa might have needed a bit more sustenance after their headbanded interpretive dance...

I discovered that I am getting WAY over the whole "let's freak out and do what the rest of the world is doing because it's a HOLIDAY" mentality. It goes along with accepting that my life will never let me have a peaceful holiday off. At least not as long as I'm in "showbusiness" as a career. So I slacked on Christmas day and let the Hubby make Blueberry pancakes and the Mother in law dry out the ham and forget to salt the potatoes. HA! See? No guilt! Nee-ner-nee-ner-neeeee-nerrrr!

We don't have any plans for New Years Eve- and that is also fine with me. I made the mistake of leaving the house today with the Girl, and ended up hissing at her in the grocery
store- we are so much happier when I get to stay in the house! We do have plans to go out for a grown-up night of dinner and ( i hope) a movie on our upcoming 12-year anniversary, but movies are always difficult for me to remain kind through- I'm so used to watching plays in a sparsely populated theatre during dress rehearsals that the other people with their crunchy popcorn and commentaries make my ears steam like in the cartoons...

The new year has made me a bit reflective- the year has gone by so quickly, and it has really been a great year for all of us. I am looking forward to the new year (AND THE NEW PRESIDENT!!!) and hope that your new year is joyful and full of hope!

Christmas coma

Yes, dear internets, it is almost 3am Christmas morning and I am writing a blog... We finished the wrapping of many many presents just an hour ago, and now I am finishing up my white russian and having a chip or three while Bruce Almighty realizes that being God 'aint all that. I tried to be a good little Unclutterer disciple this year, but I just have to accept that it is extra-hard being reasonable in Toys-R-Us when you only have one wide-eyed Child to buy presents for. I thought I was doing well, until I got all her presents out of the bags and into a stack of to-be-wrapped Christmas joy. Insane. Total insanity. Insano-rama. We actually put some of the gifts back in the shopping bag to be dispensed at future gift-giving opportunities. There are only so many gifts a four year old can digest in one morning, and I'd say that even after we put some back, she'll be busy "digesting" for the next week. I also bought Hubby a few things, and though I haven't really peeked, I know he bought me a few things. The wrapping took on new seriousness this year for me though- I considered just leaving her gifts out on a couch-cushion like a giant store display, but I just love the unwrapping part. So, Santa had his own wrapping paper so as not to give away that I am Santa. I know she wouldn't notice for another year or four, but just in case.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas day filled with joy and family and at least one nap!

Merry Christmas!!

Here we are, mere Days from Christmas, and I feel like I've been hiding in a darkened room for a month and a half... oh, wait- I have been in a dark room for a month and a half, the first two weeks in a basement (which, though technically not dark, was definitely without any hint of natural light) and the rest backstage, lit by blue light and sequin-flashes.

I can't say I have not felt the Christmas spirit- one tends to get a lot of Christmas spirit when working a Christmas show- but I have definitely already felt my share of the Christmas spirit by listening to people who have come to feel like family performing the same twenty-or-so Christmas ditties for 23 performances over 15 days. We have three performances left before we roll up the dance floor, literally and figuratively, and move on to the rest of the new year that we call "life."

We just put the decorations on the Christmas tree before sending the girl off to bed at her new show-friendly bedtime of 11pm and now I sit here at my computer feeling a little nostalgic for the years of my life when Christmas meant getting to slow down. My life as a Costumer/Wardrober is more fulfilling- especially due to the fact that no one gets to force me to do Algebra or take Gym, but there is something to be said for being off work with the rest of the world.

I feel like the best way to convey my schedule is to tell you to imagine that you are an accountant, and put Tax season in December, along with Christmas. That is my typical Christmas season these days. I work for all but four hours between the hours of 9am and 11pm,Tuesday through Sunday, and two of them I spend buying fast food and eating it. Monday is the day I only work 8 hours...That is the most literal picture of my November and December that I can give you. All the while coordinating schedules for naps and dropping off the girl at the grandparents' house for (thank God) free daycare.

All three of us are in Yuletide this year ( or rather, they are onstage and I am backstage for it) so at least that means that I get to see the hubby and the girl for about 30 minutes over the course of my work day, so that at least is a positive.

I spent last Thursday away from the girl in order to get Christmas shopping done, and this Monday I will spend the day before 3pm either cleaning or procrastinating cleaning since we are having the in laws over to our house for Christmas... and even though it means I have to clean like mad, at least I can sit on my couch for the first time in a month and a half!

Despite all this, I am thankful for all that this year has brought me, and I will spend a great Christmas day relaxing in my slippers and thinking of the blessings this year. I hope no less for all of you!

Merry Christmas, and here's to an unbelievably fabulous 2009!

Light at the end...

I am so close to the "easy" part of December that I can taste it! As of Opening on Friday night, I am down to just showing up to work the show at the Symphony. Hubs and The Girl had their stage-debut last night at the dress rehearsal of Act II, and I was trying so hard to peek at The Girl that I forgot to peek at Hubs' butt- that's my little backstage tradition from the previous two years, so when they ran it again, I made sure to peek! Wouldn't want Hubs to feel left out!

The Girl did smashingly- luckily her co-kid onstage is 6 years older, so she has a coach of sorts right at her side. But I was nervous that she would notice all the people watching her and decide it was the perfect venue to do a little soft-shoe for her fans.

Now we will live in the theatre until December 23rd, at which point we'll stumble out into the christmas eve-eve night with sore feet and bags under our eyes and stockings full of secret santa gifts, and then go home and sleep. alot.

I hope our cats do the dishes while we're gone...

Well, the YMCA has petered off a bit due to 12-hour workdays and a thanksgiving trip home, but I am not yet defeated. I am still hoping to get there at least twice this week in spite of the head-cold that is threatening to take full residence in my sinus cavities. I have been to the Starbucks on my work-block a few times, but have only had two small GingerSNAP lattes- I guess it's important to jazz up the product name every four or five years- they are still yummy and evil. I have not given in to the Dunkin' donuts at all, and am even feeling relatively sane about life in general.

I have felt a couple of steps behind the rest of the world all year, and am finally feeling like I'm on-target. I took a couple of nights before I left for thanksgiving to get some procrastinated work out of the way, and I am always surprised how cranky a procrastinated project can make me- and how free I feel once I finally force myself to hammer it out.

In my knitting education, I have learned the Knit stitch, and am just doing that over and over on my needles- it's become familiar, and I hope to move on to new stitches when I have more time to fill once Yuletide opens. I've decided that I'm going to keep all my learning stitches as a sort of Sampler-scarf. The Girl is excited about having this scarf, and keeps asking to touch it and hold it. I figure she can have it when I'm done, and since its not perfect by any means, I won't care how she decides to use it or not use it.

My teaching job is coming to an end, and I will be sad to see the money go, but glad to have my Mondays back. All that's left after today is the grading and grading and grading.

My thanksgiving trip was a nice break in the middle of Yuletide- which is usually a tiring and busy time for me. I was only home for about 50 hours all together, but my family really recharged me, and it was good to see my Dad on the mend from his very recent heart surgery. He is not completely unaffected, but certainly still himself. I don't know what I expected to find, but my relief at seeing him is an indication that I imagined he would be worse off than he is. It is sad that it takes a big medical event to make you introspective, but we are all seeing each other a bit more clearly and with more acceptance than we had in recent years. I hope that mine and hubby's newer family can age as well and grow as close as my parents and sisters and I have.

I am feeling introspective and hopeful these days, and that is a good way to spend a 1 1/2 hour drive in the snow, yes?