Breaking Promises

Or not.  I hope.

This month sees me restarting my monthly challenges, and also, did I mention, it's SPRING BREAK?

Spring break!

What does that mean?  Some projects and aims.  Not too many, obviously, because I do not want to overwhelm the vacation time (there's not that much of it), or me (and make myself feel bad about not achieving enough).  But I do want to get some stuff done.  What?

• A trip to a museum - I really want to get to the FIT exhibition on the 1930s, not least because a friend works there and has raved about it.
• A bathroom re-org - my bathroom shelves are amazingly full of a ridiculous amount of things.  It's absurd.  I need to get it together. 
• A garden cleanup - it has been a miserable, long winter and the garden has suffered.  So much snow and ice, for so long - in fact, after I wrote this post there was snow on the ground until about mid-March, and it's only just got warm enough to be sure of no more frozen ground.
• A bath or two - I love, love, love hot baths, and I think I'm going to get myself scrubbed and steamed and deep cleansed.  

So just four things.  That's it.  I'm also going to see my cousin, visit Providence, see old friends, and read grownup books so that my just-read-widget on the right of this blog doesn't only show Young Adult fiction (as much as I love that genre - and there is Zealot, too, which is not too bad), which is a wonderful, wonderful thing. 

SPRING BREAK!

A Change Will Do You Good

It's not really felt like much of a summer other than the sweltering weather. I didn't manage to do a lot of my favourite summer things, but it's too late - Autumn is clearly here. Indeed, the weather has notably changed and jackets and jumpers are now required when you're out of the sun. Today was one of those truly autumnal days - drizzle, a slight chill in the air but no coat required. We played a stonking game of football (I'm going to have a couple of stellar bruises) and then retreated to the warmth of a pub to watch the first full day of the NFL. I'm now pottering with a bit of work, and then will have a nice time watching the NFL, have a hot bath while listening to Radio 4, and then a nice Basque casserole that TOH makes for supper with a glass of wine and falling asleep on the sofa. No wonder it's TOH's favourite season.

Shifting Gears

Work has been, to put it mildly, manic the past few weeks. I have also managed to get sworn in (officially a lawyer now - yikes) and sign my first ever lease, which is also the first joint lease for me and TOH. So I've barely had time to think sufficiently to vent - not that there's necessarily much thinking before the venting, but I normally get wound up sufficiently to put a few words up. Not this time round.

It always takes me a while to shift back into "normal," and undoubtedly I will get poorly. Sleeping 8 hours last night made me almost feel worse because now my body is apparently punishing me for lack of sleep in the past three weeks. Nonetheless, I'm sure as I recuperate the rage will return. Sotomayor's confirmation hearings and the circus around them will doubtlessly help. But for now it's concentrating on the Ashes and getting back into a routine of gym, healthier eating, and sleeping, as well as spending time with those I love.

Oh, and planning a holiday. Hooray!

The Consolations of...

... well, if not philosophy, then stuff, I suppose. It's been a stressful couple of months, which culminated in an extremely busy and miserable week last week, in which various technological issues (ahem, like losing pieces of equipment, ahem) came to a head, I found someone had got my financial details and had taken $1000 from my account, that sort of thing. The last couple of days, however, have been much better, for various reasons. I had ceased doing the things that make me, if not completely better, less stressed. Therefore, I am compiling my list of things that make me feel better, without doubt:

1. The Daily Show. Watching it makes me giggle so much, and it's nice that someone else shares my liberal outrage.
2. The Friendly Fires album. I play it over, and over, and over. This includes the glorious Au Revoir Simone version by Aeroplane, too.
3. Chime by Orbital. It is impossible for me to be in a bad mood when this plays. I should just have it on repeat at the mo.
4. Playing squash. God, it's good to do that, even if I get utterly thumped and can barely walk the next day (which is currently the case). Exercise, people. There's always time for it. Always.
   
5. Crosswords & sudoku. My brain needs to feel like it's competent at something, even if that thing is not work...

Of course, the thing that helps most is sitting on the sofa with TOH and the cats at the end of the day and having a hug and falling asleep during a detective programme, preferably Bones (at the mo, at least). But these five will help, for now, so need to make sure they're part of my everyday life.