Opposites weekend

Friday night and all day Saturday-bad.
Sunday-amazing.

Friday and Saturday-worked the friday night shift, went home and spent the night getting the crap kicked out of me by my doggie nephews who don't know they're too big to share a bed, then worked a double filled with pissy coworkers and hordes of holiday shoppers on top of the usual Saturday craziness. Bad points also include finding out that I couldn't use christmas lights and ornaments when I decorate at work this week, buying snacks and being too tired to eat them by the time I got home, realizing the whole dry-winter-hands thing has started, and spending another night getting kicked, shoved and woken up by my aforesaid doggie nephews. Side note: I love these dogs more than you would believe. I just can't stand sleeping with them.

Sunday: got to church only 3 minutes late (which is 2 minutes early in Glenn time) got to see some of my besties and had one bestie come home with us and hang out this afternoon. Listened to my new cd that Ben made for me- awesome. Both the cd and Ben, I mean. Spent time with Uncle Timmy and Aunt Mel. Had some cheap strawberry wine, eggnog and coffee (not at the same time) and Tate's amazing chocolate cake. Sugar overload, what? Browsed the newspaper and found that a cd I've wanted to find is at target AND on sale. Remembered a favorite version of a Christmas carol, which has now been added to my playlist. By far the best thing about today though, was hanging Christmas lights with my dad. We haven't always hung Christmas lights at this house. I remember at our old house, being little and looking out on this big, primary-colored bulbs. You know those ones that are considered to be a little bit retro now? Those ones. But this house isn't conducive to Christmas lights hanging. This house does not have a straight roof line reachable by stepladder. Nope, to hang lights at this house, you have to use a very tall ladder on very uneven ground, getting poked and scratched by multiple vindicative bushes perhaps getting back at you for the pruning you did this summer. But that's what we did a few years ago, and it's been a tradition ever since. Untangling the white icicle lights and lining them up in neat lines on the driveway, setting up the ladder and getting to work. We make a pretty kickass lights-hanging team, if I do say so myself. Like, if hanging Christmas lights was an art, my dad and I would be the masters. Dad hangs the lights on the really high parts, I hang the lights behind the bushes, and we do the rest together. Slipping the wires around each hook and carefully stretching out each white strand. Making the inevitable run to the store for more Christmas lights. Hanging a giant wreath on the huge oak tree by the windows. Finally stepping back and admiring our work-a bright white glow envelopes the house in perfectly slightly-looped strands, and peeking out from the wreath are those big, bright, colorful bulbs, almost exactly the same as the ones I remember. You know that saying "Some things never change?" I'm glad that Christmas lights are one of those things.
It's not really the lights that makes "lights hanging day" one of my favorite days of the year, though. I do love my Christmas lights, don't get me wrong. I love driving in after work and seeing them light up the yard, and I love looking out at them with a cup of hot tea in my hand and being surrounded by my family and feeling like there's nowhere in the world that I'd rather be. Why I really love lights hanging day is the fact that I get to do them with my dad. With his insanely busy schedule and my mildly crazy one, we don't get to spend a whole lot of time together. When we hang the lights, we get to talk and laugh and listen to Christmas carols. We watch our fingers turn cold-purple together. (Did I mention that ladder is metal? Holding onto it in the interest of self or dad-preservation ensures self and dad-preservation, but it's mighty cold.) We get to catch up on stuff we haven't gotten to say, and we get to spend time together with just him and I. And I wouldn't trade that for anything.

All sorts of random goodness

Today is a miserably gray, cold day. I have a crap ton of homework to do, a shift in the writing lab ahead of me and not enough change for a soda. But I'm in a fantastic mood! Reason for this mood include, but are not limited to-

1. My discovery of an awesome, makes you loud out loud blog at waiterrant.net. A formerly anonymous waiter spills about what serving is like in a upscale restaurant in new york, working as both server and manager. Funny, funny stuff. If you work or have ever worked in a restaurant, it's hilarious. Sit in the comp lab grinning like an idiot at the computer screen funny.

2. Updating my playlist to include Christmas carols! yay!! I know some people think it's too early (read: most people) but I can't wait to put up Christmas lights and make Christmas goodies and see all the decorations at the mall and all that good stuff pertaining to holiday cheer.

3. The fact that I'm quickly catching up on the homework that fell by the wayside over my amazing weekend. Side note: the weekend was worth the catch up time! Hanging out with the whole family, celebrating my dad's last day at his job and a lil bro's birthday, watching my brother in law's fight (who did awesome), having a photo shoot in the christmas decoration aisles of Target with Tate and laughing like idiots...good times and worth every moment of the desperate catch up that I'm playing now. Well, not *right now,* cuz I'm blogging. But the catch up I'm supposed to be doing. That I'm gonna go do now.

A good day.

What a day, huh? Record voter turnouts. A historic election either way. Free coffee from Starbucks.
I voted. I filled in the bubbles and that was it. What's done, is done, right? All that's left to do is pray and keep my fingers crossed that Indiana and Virginia turn red. It's a strange, teetering feeling. This time tomorrow, we'll know who our next president is going to be and our whole world could shift. Wow. Yikes.

On a lighter note-getting up early actually means I accomplish stuff on my all-day days. Tuesdays, I usually get up, go to school, go to work, come home and go to bed. This morning, I got up, voted, went to Starbucks (see: above.) did some birthday shopping, bought and listenened to a Christmas Carols cd all the way to Ankeny and then to school. Working in the writing center listening to someone say she wasn't sure where to vote. (maybe that's something you should've figured out before November 4th, hmm?) Then off to work, then home to watch the election results. So this Tuesdays more than a little fuller and a lot better than most.

Also, I found out Tate did an amazing job on her literature midterm and made her big sister proud, AND she and I came up with an absolutely fabulous, fantastic, wonderful idea that has me excited for the month of November.

Anyway, first-time voting, free coffee and unexpected girl time makes for a pretty awesome Tuesday.

Hello, cold season.

I hate colds. Not as much as I hate the flu, but I hate every runny nosed, foggy headed, tired, achy, irritable minute of having a cold. I hate going to work with a cold. Every minor grievance or petty annoyance, every b-witchy customer or complaining coworker, everything that usually gets brushed away in light of how much I really do like my job-yeah, with a cold, i'm too short tempered to deal with it and end up wanting to scream and/or cry. I'm too foggy headed to be as on top of things as I usually am, and that annoys me too. Mom made me some horrific death-potion that's supposed to cure what all ails you. Lemon, garlic, honey, fresh ginger-it doens't sound too bad, does it? well, it is.
However, the fact that she hand grated and chopped and peeled all these ingredients for me is what makes me feel better. As are the mashed potatoes she made, and the box of teddy grahams she bought me. Little kid, what? :D
Well, I think pajamas, peppermint tea and watching a good dvd are in order....

~Sickie