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?