Winding Down

/ christmas, life, living in chicago

Work at Shawk is winding down (I actually have a full weekend ahead of me), and I am getting excited for the holidays. Planning is just part of the fun. I have lists of things to get, cards to send, things to do. Today after work, Adam and I hit Target (again) where I got some stuff for Greg and Aidan, some cleaning supplies, and some Christmas stuff. Good times.

I still have to get something for Rosa and something for Ivy, and I’ve barely begun planning for Matt. I know what I’m getting Mommy (I’ve already got one thing shipping in the mail), and Chris is just about done as well. I also know what we’re doing for Adam’s parents. No clue about Eli and Melissa, or Cassidy or Grandma Bel yet. I’ll need Adam’s help with that.

This weekend is like, the official Chicago holiday kickoff. I’ve already seen some pretty store windows and cute decorations, but there’s some huge lighting downtown tomorrow (with master of ceremonies MICKEY MOUSE straight from WDW!). I’m not sure if I’ll get to go or not. We’ll see, I think it’ll be nice, but the crowds might drive me bananas. At any rate, I can’t wait to get out during the day and take pictures of the store windows and the big trees and downtown. I have a feeling it will be beautiful.

I was in Chicago 10 years ago around Christmas time, but I don’t really remember seeing a lot of decorations. I may not have been in the right place. Never thought in a million years that 10 years later I’d be living here.

The plan tomorrow is to CLEAN like crazy. My desk is a hot mess, and I want to tackle the bathroom. I also want to straighten up the bookcases. Adam is on litter box duty, it needs it BADLY. VERY badly. I’d like to put up the tree and decorate NEXT weekend (maybe even start a bit THIS weekend), so getting the cleaning out of the way would be a great help. But first, I plan to sleep in. :)

I LOVE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR!

That’s all for now. But before I go, here is proof that Santa is in the know: [Click Here!]

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Closer To Myself

/ christmas, life, ronni

Last week, I was in some sort of unshakeable funk that I really couldn’t explain. I just felt blah, angry, irritable, and all sorts of icky things. Even getting my new Enya CD couldn’t cheer me up, much. I felt like I did before, too tired to try to be happy. And I didn’t like it.

Saturday, I started feeling more normal, and today, I almost completely like myself. It’s nice to go to work smiling in the morning. It’s nice to be able to say “good morning” and mean it to the people around me. It’s nice to feel hopeful and optimistic again. I supposed I’d better enjoy it now, because once I’m back out in the job market, I know those two feelings will be very rare.

I think my change in attitude had to do with my getting LOTS and LOTS of sleep last night. Even Adam said “It’s to early to go to b- Zzzzzzz.”

Still working a lot. Stayed late today, and worked 6 days last week. I also had some project work for Loyola which I did yesterday, so I essentially worked 7 days. I don’t mind, though. I like the work and the money is nice.

Saturday, I did some Christmas shopping at Target and online. Today, I looked at stuff for Adam online and then figured that I could TOTALLY save on shipping costs because the same things were probably in the stores for the same deals. And I was right, they were. And I didn’t have to wait for them. So now I’m almost all done with Adam. I feel like I should get a few more things for little Aidan. Haven’t started for some people, but I have ideas already. And there are a couple of people who I’m just kinda confounded about. But it’ll come together, it always does.

I’m really excited about this Christmas because it’ll be my and Adam’s first Christmas as a married couple. :) Well, he’s Jewish, and I’m such a Christmas-head that it’s hard to remember that some of all the time. Fortunately, he’s very indulgent and he lets me be all Christmas-goofylike anyway. :)

Christmas time really is my favorite of the year. There is just something about seeing all the pretty decorations, the windows, hearing the music, and giving to people I love most, and seeing them and eating with them and spending time with them. YAY Christmastime.

And on that note OWE EMM GEEE CAN YOU FREAKING BELIEVE THAT THANKSGIVING IS FREAKING NEXT WEEK? Even though the temperatures are in the 30s here and I’m seeing flurries and even dustings of snow on my car, I still can’t believe it.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Five Things

/ meme

Nicked from projectlost1

I was Doing 10 Years Ago
1. Trying to get zenosidal to like me. LOL.
2. Working as a temp at Nationwide. Funny, I’m a temp now. Interesting.
3. Living alone in a horrible apartment.
4. Trying to get a permanent job somewhere.
5. Eating lots of Ho-hos and drinking lots of All Sport.

Five Things on My To Do List Tomorrow:
1. Work
2. Call Mommy (it’s her birthday!)
3. Watch a couple of DVRed Hannah Montanas.
4. Cuddle with Adam.
5. Go to bed early.

Five Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Quaker granola bars
2. Dry fruity cereal
3. Chocolate
4. Pringles
5. Doritos

Five Things I Would Do If I Were a Millionaire:
1. Get me and Adam a nicer place
2. Go to Disney parks at least six times a year
3. Significant savings
4. Donorschoose.org FTW!
5. See Aidan ALL the time

Five Places I Have Lived:
1. Cleveland OH
2. Westerville OH
3. Pataskala OH
4. Columbus OH
5. Chicago IL

Five Jobs I Have Had:
1. Proofreader
2. Copy Editor
3. Asst Production Editor
4. Administrative Secretary
5. Sr. Financial Services Support Rep

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Up and Down

/ ronni, sad

Today, I woke up with a headache and a general feeling of BLAH. Many factors contributed to the blahness and I was cranky and irritable at work. Some of the factors were:

– I woke up with a headache and felt like I hadn’t slept at all. I was tired and knew I had a long day ahead.
– I found out that Friday, someone was mugged at gunpoint right down the street from me at 5:45pm. If I hadn’t worked late Friday, I probably would have been that victim, as I am usually in the exact spot the mugging happened at 5:45pm. The person posted a community watch and described the car, and this morning, I saw a parked car matching the description as I walked to work. That shook me up, and now I’m scared to walk that way to and from the train for work. :(
– I was kind of expecting the trains to be fairly empty as today was a holiday, but the platform was more packed than ever. Two trains had to go by before there was room for me to get on.
– I got irritated at work because someone came over and pointed out one thing I’d missed Friday. On Friday, I’d worked late and I’d proofed about 30 pages total. That’s a LOT. And to get one mistake pointed out to me was annoying because it was a first read. I wanted to say “Well, duh, that’s why we have 2nd reads.” But I bit my tongue because I knew that I was extra cranky and possibly extra sensitive.
– Last night, Helena got on my laptop keyboard and popped off the question mark key. She’d popped off the 3 a while ago. Adam took the laptop to a computer store to find out that I’ll need to get the entire keyboard replaced. Blargh.
– The weather is poopy. Cold and rainy. Ick.

The good things were that:

– I tried a Quizno’s sub for the first time in years and it was very yummy. I got roast beef and cheddar, and I enjoyed it immensely.
– I got some freelance work for Loyola to do over the weekend; I haven’t done anything for them since the summer. I like the work a lot and the extra money will be good.
– Adam came to get me from work and I showed him around the office and introduced him to a few people. We sang the Hannah Montana theme song in the empty elevator. (Did I mention that I absolutely ♥ Hannah Montana?) Then he took me to dinner to Italian Village where I had a yummy dinner and an AMAZING dessert.
– I got to see Joan Baez in concert tonight. Her voice is like a bell and she’s awesome. I cracked up when she made fun of Bob Dylan during Love Is A Four-Letter Word. I loved when she sang Scarlet Tide (one of her new songs), and she sang Imagine which was amazing. Her rendition of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot nearly had me in tears, and everyone sang Amazing Grace which was incredible. If you ever have the chance to see her in concert, DO IT.
– We rode in a taxi home–no walking in the bitter cold.
– I hooked my laptop up to the monitor and keyboard and mouse, so it’s like I’m using a desktop again. It feels weird.
– Andy extended my warranty on my laptop, so I will be able to get the keyboard replaced with hopefully very little hassle.
– I just got my pay statement notification. YAY payday!
– I’m going to bed soon. Mmm, sleep.

The Al B. Sure single I mentioned a few days ago? I found it on a Web site called metromix, and I got it for $5. I’m so excited. I now just need a turntable to play it on, and a way to convert those songs to digital form. Still, how lucky is that? $5! :)

Anyway, I need to take my medicine so I can go back to feeling happy and come away from feeling poopy. I don’t like feeling poopy. It’s not fun.

Good night!

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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