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Archive for December, 2015

Satisfying Missions Accomplished

December 31st, 2015 at 07:16 am

I'm just happy as can be with these days off between semesters. I still have a load of prep to do for Monday's class, but I feel like I've accomplished so much in a few days.

I've scheduled the replacement of our 20+ year-old water heater, paid the property taxes, successfully used up all our flex spending, returned items to four stores and sent back another package. I'm catching up on household chores too. We all have flu shots.

Today I sold three books and took a bag of donations to the women's shelter collection. In something that makes me happier than it should, I called loft.com about exchanging some pants I'd purchased as they didn't have a tall in my size when I'd ordered the original pair, but now they do. I'd had them in my online cart for days--but they were $30 more expensive than my original pair, and I really didn't want to either miss them or spend that much. The loft.com folks gave me the cheaper price, and I'm tickled. I think I have all the clothes I need for London.

We're out to the movies tomorrow night for our usual NY Eve movie, casual dinner, and puzzle/game night. I only wish I had an additional week with such time and productivity.

A Mini Update

December 19th, 2015 at 05:01 am

I'm almost done grading! Well, almost almost done. I finished my adjunct grading last night and half of my regular grades have been submitted. I've spent a fair amount of time deflecting pleading e-mails and 'shocked" realizations that assignments they forgot to turn in months ago were too late to submit. So--another push tonight and I may move the bar from almost almost to almost. I'll certainly be done tomorrow.

On a minor financial front, I've sold a load of my daughter's things on a local FB list: a total of three jackets, a Christmas skirt, a Christmas dress, and best of all--the Barbie Dream House. It's not so much the $50 or so, but more the physical and psychic space this stuff occupies. And it's just lovely to sell it to someone very excited to have it.

In between, I've ordered and wrapped about half the Christmas stuff, evacuated the contents of the guest room closet where many treasures are stuffed, and hope to get them all in their place by Tuesday.

There's still plenty on my list, but I'll review that tomorrow. Back to the grading.

Moments of Peace

December 3rd, 2015 at 01:56 am

I have been scrambling hard at work, and there's plenty to do around here. But after a lovely class session earmarked as "Drop In and Work on Your Projects" complete with some jazz playing in the background, I walked to the car amidst a gorgeous light snowfall. It was really lovely and made me determined to find many more such moments in the coming weeks.

I again spent nothing today. We had a simple supper of CSA vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with ham and pineapple on them. It was delicious--I'm definitely doing the ham and pineapple grill again.

Our daughter and I went to the ortho for an initial consult today. Are all the orthos now so freakily upbeat and happy? We had to shake hands with a dozen people there, look at all the jazzy colors for her braces, and watch a very strange film on the ortho practice with bad rock and roll soundtrack. I guess it's better than the dread I felt going as a teen, but I thought it was way over the top. The price? About what I had planned, but still unpleasant.