The Beauty and the Mess

Happy Hanukkah! :)

I am back. Yesterday I stayed home. I got five hours' sleep, and in the morning I felt absolutely horrible. Just washing my face took all my energy; I had to get back in bed. I called in sick and went back to sleep. The phone woke me up at 11:30. I haven't slept that late since high school. Other than being sick, it was a nice day. Kathy was also home, being sick herself, and we wrapped presents (once we could sit up for more than five minutes). Debra brought me some of my dad's magical chicken soup. In the evening, Evan came over and we exchanged Christmas presents. He got me three books from my wishlist: Traveling Mercies, The Ragamuffin Gospel, and The Pleasures of God. I was so happy- he really put thought into the selection, and he also knew that no one ever gets books for me, so he did that instead of getting movies or CDs. He is so sweet and thoughtful and knows me so well. We watched Friends together, and this line resulted in much grinning and google-eyes:

Joey: Was it weird when you and Monica got together?
Chandler:...Actually, no. It was more like, "I can't believe we haven't been doing this the whole time."

Sadly, tonight I have to take my beloved to the airport, where he will board a plane for New Hampshire, which is very very far away. Happily, Em (not Santa Claus) is coming to town tonight, and there will be much girl talk and togetherness. So I'll survive.

We just had our annual departmental Christmas potluck. It was a nice break. For the past month or so, my job has been taking me to new, insane heights of stress. I have the usual support work for my bosses, plus a bunch of new data entry stuff, plus projects I'm doing myself, one of which is nightmarish. I'm starting to feel angry and tense eight hours a day. I guess this is normal for most working people, but I find it troubling. When the phone rings for the seventh time in an hour, and it's the same client who called the other six times, and I want to rip the phone out of the wall and throw it down the stairs, I start to worry about myself. :(

( My unorganized review of ROTK, and the Friday Five. )

It's a pretty, if unseasonably warm, day. I'm glad it's almost the weekend. The play last night with Yolanda was nice, but getting her home was a big adventure. The interstate exit to her house has ceased to exist. I was about to turn there when I saw it was blocked off by cones and a Road Closed sign. Thanks for the warning, Tennessee Department of Safety. :P I was so disoriented that I had to pull onto the shoulder, where I was still almost hit by two passing eighteen-wheelers. When I finally got back on the road, I went to the next exit intending to turn around, but it turned out to be another highway which took me another five or so miles in the wrong direction. Thankfully I was able to get off and find my way back, but I was pretty shaken up. In the midst of it I was thinking, "This is almost like a Shana story." :)

Happy Things for today: my hair is (partly) red again, I have McAlister's tea, Debra's coming home this weekend, and Evan is the most wonderful and sweet boyfriend in the world. Oh, and most of all, my dad is getting baptized this weekend! :D He decided a few weeks ago that he wanted to take the plunge. I'm so thankful. God is good.

I had lunch with Alli today and she told me about some guy trouble. Then she said, "I'm so glad you and Evan are together. You were best friends and then you took the next step. That's just the way things are supposed to be." I was like, "Thanks- I never thought it would happen." She said, "Well, it's an inspiration to me, to know that it's possible." :) I was so touched. Even now I'm getting weepy thinking about it. It really humbles and pleases me to think that God is using our relationship to encourage other people. Wow.

On a much lighter note, go look at this because it is the funniest thing ever.

( Friday Five- it was good today )

Happy birthday, greenhornet! Thanks for blessing us with your insightful thoughts. I hope you have a great day!

Today it looks like fall, but it doesn't feel like it. Do you know what I mean? We usually don't get real fall weather until the end of the month, anyway, but I still wish it would come now. I'm glad God made seasons- that was really smart of Him. I like the median seasons better. I get sick of the extreme ones very fast. I used to wonder if we'd get bored in heaven without any seasons, but I don't guess we'll care, there. :)

My leg hurts, the way it sometimes does when I wear bad shoes. It started last night. Usually it goes away while I sleep, but today it's even worse. I'm not sure what that's about. I'm sure you really profited from hearing about it, though.

Who saw the Friends recap after last night's show? They had a five-minute final-season intro, I guess you'd call it, showing the highlights from all the characters over the course of the series. It was the best summary of nine years that they could have possibly done. To my own shame, I got pretty emotional over it, but then I found out Jessica was too, so I felt better. :)

( Friday Five )

I'm insanely happy today for reasons I cannot yet reveal to the general public.

Kathy and I had the most amazing dinner last night. I bought this box of Zatarain's scampi pasta mix a while ago, and while home for lunch yesterday, I left it out on the counter with a post-it for Kathy, requesting it for dinner. When I got home we went to Kroger and bought shrimp, parmesan breadsticks, and a quart of Sonic Cherry Limeade Sherbet! It was a feast, and it wasn't even that bad for us. We ate all of the shrimp and pasta by ourselves. :) Even better, MaryElaine dropped by and we talked about Harry Potter and Wheel of Time while we ate. Happy happy, joy joy.

Tonight a bunch of us are going to see Terminator 3. I'm excited.

It's really kind of shameful that I am so much happier on Fridays than any other day of the week. I ought to be taking more joy in my work. More proof that I am a sinful, lazy, pleasure-seeking bum.

This article makes me want to cry. Now brown is a questionable color? If my "business environment" adhered to these rules, I probably would have quit a long time ago and run off to Jamaica or something where people can wear any color they want.

( Friday Five: BFF LYLAS )