Yesterday afternoon my second and last final of the semester ended around 5PM — the full three hours after it began (remember, when finding eigenvalues that you have to take the determinant of (sI-A). I managed to screw up a minus sign, thus causing great pain in finding the solution to the problem. “I always screw up some mundane detail”)).
I digress. For about the last seven days straight I’ve been doing 12-15 hours a day of real, actual work. This means two things. First, I’m not real sure what I should be doing now with the burdens lifted from my shoulders. Second, my mind is still stuck somewhere back on December 6th.
Slowly I am realizing today is in fact December 14th and that my preparations for the holidays are effectively non-existant and more than a week behind schedule. I’ve shopped for all of one person (two if I count myself). Christmas cards, decorations, festive holiday treats, and god knows what else are all becoming much less likely, or at least substantially delayed.
Really I guess the burdens haven’t been lifted at all — just traded out. I still don’t get this about people. In efforts to relax and celebrate, we add even more to already full plates. Christmas-time, if of course the worst of the bunch. We cram in work in preparation for missing work. Then as soon as we clock out, we’re busting our butts preparing for visitors or hitting the road to be visitors. I guess that you just have to make yourself a little bit miserable to make everything else seem that much better.
“Without evil there could be no good so it must be good to be evil sometimes“
And so what do I definitely have on tap? I’m glad to you asked. In about 9 days I’ll begin my holiday travels, which look like they will be a bit of a reverse of my Thanksgiving trip. Then I went from VA to Columbia to Ohio and back over the span of about 9 days. On the 23rd (or around then depending on weather as I refuse to get stuck in Northern Kentucky again). Except right now the mid-point stop (for New Years of course) is TBD.
This all sucks though because I’m excited to get home to see The Brother. The Brother moved to Vegas over the summer. Well his previous employer finally removed their heads from their asses long enough to offer him the job he deserved before he left. So today he is completing a drive back from Vegas as he has to be back at the home office tomorrow. On the same day I get home, though, he’ll be flying to Florida. By the time he gets back to Ohio, we’ll have a day or two to hang out before I depart.
Sorry for the ramble. You’re welcome for the new post.
We get out of our burdensome work to get into our burdensome Christmas joy. I personally enjoy Christmas and all the preparations that go into the holiday. The travelling can be a beeotch, but it pays off when you see the fam.
Now that I think of it, I much prefer to be too busy rather than not busy enough.
I agree about the travelling and seeing family. It’s a good thing. It sucks though that The Brother will be gone half the time I’m home.