Holidaze, and preparation for travel
Dec. 29th, 2025 04:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flexagonThe last "normal" week of the year was in fact not normal, because holidays. I did exactly one thing that was difficult and brave, which was buying plane tickets to Montana to see my dad (and this is in sync with Birdie, who is going to come with, and will take all the pressure off me because my dad will then only care about her). After all the tickets were bought I called to tell my dad and his wife what was happening, and they were soooo happy that they overlooked my (ahem) not telling them about Birdie moving here until I was sure this would all work out.
And my squirrel did one thing that was also difficult and brave, which was putting its pawprint onto a new job offer! It will start in April. I was fully on-board with a move away from corporations, and this is another corporation after all, but I'm glad there's a path forward that he's perky about.
Winter socials:
Today we de-Christmassed the living room and also gave away the table that collapsed a few weeks ago. Yes, it's still in pieces. Another couple is excited to take it on as a woodworking/fixing project, and we're happy to let them have it.
I spent a while this week re-reading my year and writing up my usual retrospective. Amazing to revisit the angst, worry, sadness and exhaustion of the first quarter of the year, and then, after that, more weeks where I explicitly said I was happy than I can ever remember seeing before. Healing from burnout is slow, nonlinear and difficult to trust, but also... judging by the last 8 months, I don't think I should rush it. B asked me an interesting question last week about whether I feel itchy in any way (as in, itching to be busy or more involved in things, or the like) and, no. The endless chafing restrictions of corporate life were making me itchy if anything was. Now the task before me is how to wisely handle all of the freedom-- and if you think I've frittered away some time and money, this year, you're right! But I'll get my feet under me. I read a cool essay earlier today on the topic "Abundance requires control", and the essay made the point that you don't walk with a full cup the way you walk with an empty one. But right now I'm in an in-between state, and I know I'm in-between, and that's fine.
There's a cute new daily puzzle at Clues by Sam if you like Mafia/Werewolf type games, and logic. I'm not sure I do yet... but maybe you do.
I'm happy to note that Adobe has a new version of Premiere Elements that, while not a forever purchase, is a 3-year license rather than a goddamn usurious monthly subscription. So I splurged on the new version and am preparing to have fun putting together my end-of-year video. I'm flying to Seattle late tomorrow, so if I get an outlet I might do some of that on the plane.
And my squirrel did one thing that was also difficult and brave, which was putting its pawprint onto a new job offer! It will start in April. I was fully on-board with a move away from corporations, and this is another corporation after all, but I'm glad there's a path forward that he's perky about.
Winter socials:
- Little craft night at my place. Mulled apple cider, four or five people, chill.
- Christmas, of course. Sickeningly cozy -- morning at home, afternoon at Blue-Green Street with the bug and Birdie and squirrel family and coraline's folks and the garden gnome. I gave Birdie a workbook on cryptic crosswords that occupied her and my squirrel all afternoon! And the ballerina & baby squirrel gave me a lot of little prank-ish shrimp things in my stocking, including shrimp earrings and a real shrimp in resin and a shrimp stencil. Sigh... they know I'm a minimalist and they do this stuff to troll me. But it's loving, too. (As long as we are discussing my haul, big credit to heisenbug for leaning into my new proclivities with a Yankee push drill and a tool bag.)
- Dim sum the day after Christmas. Yum... more shrimp. And I met someone who I had known of, from his campaign for my town's councilor-at-large election.
- With the squirrel, attended a winter party at B's place and met two kittens I am newly besotted with. Her place is filled with beautiful things that are fun to look at, but none as lovely as large golden eyes in a tiny grey face.
Today we de-Christmassed the living room and also gave away the table that collapsed a few weeks ago. Yes, it's still in pieces. Another couple is excited to take it on as a woodworking/fixing project, and we're happy to let them have it.
I spent a while this week re-reading my year and writing up my usual retrospective. Amazing to revisit the angst, worry, sadness and exhaustion of the first quarter of the year, and then, after that, more weeks where I explicitly said I was happy than I can ever remember seeing before. Healing from burnout is slow, nonlinear and difficult to trust, but also... judging by the last 8 months, I don't think I should rush it. B asked me an interesting question last week about whether I feel itchy in any way (as in, itching to be busy or more involved in things, or the like) and, no. The endless chafing restrictions of corporate life were making me itchy if anything was. Now the task before me is how to wisely handle all of the freedom-- and if you think I've frittered away some time and money, this year, you're right! But I'll get my feet under me. I read a cool essay earlier today on the topic "Abundance requires control", and the essay made the point that you don't walk with a full cup the way you walk with an empty one. But right now I'm in an in-between state, and I know I'm in-between, and that's fine.
There's a cute new daily puzzle at Clues by Sam if you like Mafia/Werewolf type games, and logic. I'm not sure I do yet... but maybe you do.
I'm happy to note that Adobe has a new version of Premiere Elements that, while not a forever purchase, is a 3-year license rather than a goddamn usurious monthly subscription. So I splurged on the new version and am preparing to have fun putting together my end-of-year video. I'm flying to Seattle late tomorrow, so if I get an outlet I might do some of that on the plane.
