SUNDAY SCRIBBLES

My weeks are full right now. I don’t know if that’s a good thing (distraction) or a bad one (stress). This coming week alone is a lot, though it’s not what I would call crazy:

• Mon: blood draw at healthcare clinic in the early AM, work all day, AIC board handover meeting & dinner
• Tue: Drip dose 4 in the morning, work rest of the day, meet kids at Costco for shopping, then dinner, then home with Karin and Essie
• Wed: early morning psychologist appointment, work rest of the day
• Thu: AIC lunch, work all day
• Fri: DAY OFF, no plans, woo hoo!
• Sat: Dinner with Anders, Debbie, Ola, and Camilla at Åben in Copenhagen (with Karin serving!)
• Sun: no plans at the moment

And the week after is busy as well with 3 evenings full:

• Mon: work all day, AIC monthly meeting (board/card games)
• Tue: work all day
• Wed: work all day, dinner at Suzanne’s with Axis ladies
• Thu: work all day, AIC pottery painting with kids
• Fri: DAY OFF, massage
• Sat: AIC Halloween party for adults
• Sun: no plans at the moment

It’s hard to believe it’s mid-October, though the temperatures are pretty low and the trees are all golden or flame-tipped, and dropping leaves. Ander has had to scrape the car windows once (a couple of weeks ago), but mostly it’s just been chilly and wet. Today is lovely and sunny and though it rained this morning or overnight, it’s dry now and not windy, for once. I think a pair of sparrows have had a late chick because I could hear it peeping outside our bedroom window this morning up under the roof. My gaze is already turned toward the end of the year, holiday planning, and all that.

I was thinking about Halloween, but I won’t be home all day (I have the day off: have a lunch, then hanging out with Camilla in the afternoon, then dinner at her place with Debbie, then we are going to a Mozart symphony concert). Anders hates to be the one handing out candy, so he’d rather turn the lights off and pretend he’s not home. That means no pumpkin carving this year, so I don’t have to worry about buying candy or pumpkins (sad!). The end of the year always goes so fast. I feel like Christmas is racing towards me. I’ve asked my family for gift ideas, but it’s mostly my brother’s kids that I need ideas for. I already have gifts for mom and Sarah’s family, except for Bryce, and we don’t really exchange presents with John and Simone (though I DO have a present just for John!). I need to go through the stocking stuffers I’ve already bought and see what else I need, which I don’t think is much because the box is full.

Yesterday, I said I was trying to restrain myself from working, but I did end up working a couple of hours, and I’m going to work a couple more today, because I realized that I will miss several hours both Tuesday and Wednesday due to the medical/therapy appointments and I’d rather make up the time getting stuff done than take the hours off. I know it’s stupid to work on my days off, but I’m less stressed by doing it, and honestly, if I didn’t love my job, I wouldn’t. I LIKE my work, and working, even if it’s been too much lately. I also know that if I wasn’t completely stressed out about health stuff, the work stress wouldn’t be getting to me as much as it has been.

I’ve got the last load of laundry in the dryer and I’ve watered the plants, and that is about the extent of my ambition today. I was up around 5:30 am to go to the bathroom and couldn’t get back to sleep. Anders got up at 8, and I went back to bed then and dozed for about an hour and a half, so it’s been a quiet, relaxing day. Might need a little nap later, though. 😀 If I can get a little more work out of the way, I’ll feel like I can face the week ahead with a little more equanimity.

mood: okay
music: Emma Sehested Høeg—Aldrig Helt Nok