Post Haste

Thanksgiving Day was busy, yet surprisingly mellow all at the same time. We had several people over for a potluck dinner, and everyone bought some pretty good stuff. The best part is there are still some pies left over, completely unmolested. This is a situation that must remedy itself sometime today. We have some vanilla bean ice cream that's been screaming for warm apple pie for at least three days, and it's getting kind of annoying.

I made a cranberry-pepper-feta salad that was eaten at least (which is a feat I'm proud of for Thanksgiving) and a carrot cake that people seemed to like. I was pretty worried, since the power went out for about an hour in the middle of baking. It completed well enough, though it wasn't quite as delicious as I remember it being. The cream cheese frosting, though? Gorgeous. :9

The combination of two 'hard' cranberry lemonades, a glass of wine, a shot and a half of rum in egg nog and pleasantly cool temperatures totally knocked me out around 8 pm. Ryan got me up and lead me to the bedroom to take a nap. I felt like *such* an old man. By the time I woke up, almost everyone ducked out, and those that remained we subjected to Hairspray on BluRay. Thanks, guys, for sticking with us through that.

Between the preparation and the company and the sleeping, I didn't get a chance to get in here and write down what I was grateful for. This is, perhaps, for the best, since most of my friends list took the time to do just that and I imagine some people might be a little saturated with gratitude by this point. Still, I'd feel remiss if I didn't say this.

I'm grateful for everything in my life. The people that I know and love, the people that I know and don't like very much, the people that I've always wanted to know better. I'm thankful for all of my strengths and insecurities, the experiences that have formed them, all the methods I have for dealing with them. I'm just thankful that I get the chance to be alive, to live where I do, to have the kind of life that I have. I don't have a penthouse apartment or a fancy car by any stretch, but all things considered I'm in a very good place. I'm happy with my life, and I thank everyone who shares in it simply for doing so.

When you stop to think about it, all of the factors that contribute to life on earth, just the fact that we're around is amazing. When you throw in the mystery of sentience, the fact that we can wonder and appreciate over the fact that we're even here, and our life is miraculous. The most basic fact of our existence is cause for joy. :) It's frighteningly easy to lose that perspective, to want more when we have so much already, and that's understandable. The miracle of life doesn't necessarily negate all of the problems that come along with it, exactly. Still, it's good to take the time to appreciate all we *have* been given.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving...or plain old Thursday if you're outside of the US. :)

Today will consist of movie-watching, cleaning, and a good old-fashioned run sometime later. :)

Dude

If you're in the mood for an intense psychological/supernatural thriller, I wholeheartedly recommend The Mist. Frank Darabont has more than made up for the schmaltz-fest that is The Majestic. That is all.

These Are a Few

I'm grateful for comfort food, today. Right now we have a fridge full of the all-time greats -- cold turkey, mashed potatoes, apple pie, and pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. The holidays have arrived in full force, much to my joy.

Today Ryan and I watched a couple of movies, played a video game or two, rested up and just enjoyed each other's company. Right now he's sleeping on the couch while I type, poor dear, because his back is giving him a spot of trouble. These extra two days were just what we needed to take it easy for a few days without worrying about getting right back into the grind.

My personal grind has been a little stressful as of late; I've taken on a new position at work that basically means a bit more responsibility for the same pay. I don't mind this, but I'm really starting to feel the sting of being a contractor for a large corporate company. I miss the less rigid structure of the small company, and I might return to it once my contact is up next June. Anyway, my schedule's changed so that I'm getting up before 6 every morning to open up the place where all of the real employees come to get their perks and mail stuff off. We're a nexus for a bunch of different departments in the company. It's pretty neat, even if there's a lot to keep track of.

My coworker and friend is off to another department now that he's trained me, and his presence is definitely missed; he makes the job look easier than it is because he's that good. It sucks that he's going but he's in a better place now, where he can chase butterflies through waving emerald fields as much as he likes.

Well, at least he can take breaks and lunches whenever. ;)

Anyway, I'm learning the ropes in the position right in time for the holiday shipping season, which is ungodly busy. The work has been ramping up steadily the past couple weeks, and I had my first jaw-droppingly stressful day earlier this week. I've known this for a long time, but I really don't deal with stress well. I have to get better at being relatively unflappable; or else all of those corporate employees will just eat me alive. They can sense weakness, you know. They taste fear in the air.

Other areas are faring pretty well. I've gotten a semi-regular writing practice, though it's still not to the point where I'm writing every day. Well, I *am* writing every day, but I'm not working on stuff that is meant for public consumption every day. There, that sounds better. :) I'm rather pleased with the way it's been going; the story I'm working on has been flowing pretty naturally, and while I do hit snags occasionally and some editing will almost certainly be necessary I don't feel like it's a monumental waste of time and words. It's not Shakespeare, and most of you will never, ever read it, but still...it feels good to get out.

My D+D game is on a small hiatus while one player is out of town, which is fine; it gives me time to work out a few of the kinks in the story so far. It's really involved work, but it's been an absolute joy to do; my players are good, I think they're engaged in the situation and their characters, and I really love the world that I'm writing in. I'm already germinating ideas for other modes of storytelling; a possible comic book, a collection of short stories, that sort of thing. We'll see whether any of that goes anywhere sometime soon. :)

Right now, though, it's time for a cup of tea and the second half of a movie. Tomorrow I run, I promise.