Yesterday/Christmas Eve I did my customary solitary traditions, things that may seem superfluous or even trite to you but mean a lot to me. I hit Southdale (after work) to go around every store, even though I don't buy anything. I finish at the Cheesecake Factory where I buy cheesecake, then go home. Sort-of watched It's A Wonderful Life, even though I took a nap later, waking up just to see the end title and "The End" splashed across the screen. I finally went back out, in the above-freezing temperatures, totally drivable roads and fog in the air to Merlins Rest, where I had time to myself to think and to sort through my receipts.
Except for that latter thing ... well, I kind of didn't have time to myself. When getting a second half-dram of whiskey, I met up with a friend, who was hanging out with someone he's dating. I then was introduced to the date's sister, who cajoled me into giving a friend she was with a drink because it was his 21st birthday. I wound up buying him two half-drams of whiskey. I was able to sort my receipts in chronological order, but I was unable to write them down like I wanted to because, well, I got sidetracked. (Oh, and the sister's friend? Not so much; this friend lived a half-block away and came in because he worked at the bar before, and this woman just started chatting him up because she was drunk. Still a good dude, though.)
Getting sidetracked/overwhelmed is happening now and won't abate anytime soon, dammit. I loved doing what I did yesterday, but once I got home I was so wiped out that I felt that if I went to bed without setting an alarm, I'd sleep so long that I would miss Merlins Rest -- and I was right that the alarm I set at 9:55 was the only thing that woke me up.
But beyond feeling tired, there are other circumstances that make this holiday season a lot more stressful than years past. Most notable among them -- and I love them -- my sister and brother-in-law is fucking up a lot of my plans of easing through this holiday season. They're going to be staying here for a few days beginning on Boxing Day, although they're living with my brother and sister-in-law now, and I have no idea how they're going to get up here. I have to entertain them, of course, so my Saturday will be full. (Can't do anything with them Friday because that's my alma mater's bowl game.) And then they leave early Sunday morning, so I have to get up and take them to the airport ... hours before I work the Vikings Game. They might leave so early I'll have time to come back home and rest before going back downtown. Or not. (That also means I need to find a good time to get my credential since Saturday night might not be possible.) And on top of all that, there might be a snowstorm Saturday night/Sunday morning. I'm already fucking freaking out over doing all this shit under inclement weather.
On top of that, unlike in dinners past, my sister-in-law has invited her entire family over for Christmas Dinner today. So, she asked me to bring wine, dessert (that's what I bought Cheesecake Factory for) and, because I want to appear sociable, a gift for the exchange the family is doing. That, the gift in particular, took so long this past week that I was wiped out from doing much of anything else.
After they leave it still won't get better for a while. I have to readjust my schedule because I work Mondays from now on; I'll blog about that. New Year's Eve comes the next day, and I need to reconnoiter back with my friend to see if he'll have me over again. And, back to my own tradition, I want to stay at home on New Year's Day -- not even cracking open the door -- and instead will try to make spaghetti for myself. That'll be, hopefully, a good busy. So it'll be, I reckon, Thursday the 2nd before I can just go to work and then go home to sleep.
Shit, I just remembered I need to buy glasses before the year is out. Oh, and I've had to clean and pick up my stuff so the house looks presentable. Goddamn, all of this is just so fucking stressful!!!
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