Mishaps and other haps

I have had a couple of weekends to myself this month.  Michael took a trip to visit our friend Matt in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and this weekend he’s visiting Josh in Redding.  It’s nice for both of us to get a break sometimes.

I’ve been living it up today, having some “Me” time.   Mostly, this involves doing things that Michael might not necessarily be interested in (but would probably tolerate if I brought him along for the company).

I have been doing some thinking recently as well and the two changes in life that will increase my happiness the most will eventually be attainable.  Meanwhile, I have a wonderful husband, adorable kitties, a supportive, loving family, and enough income to be satisfied.

Really, there is no reason to be particularly stressed … but some days!  Ugh, around the middle of last week I was wondering whether my health insurance would cover a lobotomy!  It sounded so therapeutic!

Well, there are weekends for relaxing, catching up, and recovery.

Usually this would be great news since it’s one of my least favorite months.  No offense to January, but it’s not particularly exciting.  However, it’s going by and I’ve posted very few comments about what we’re up to this month.  Maybe this is because we have gone into hibernation mode.

Morning commutes are dark.  At work I have been focusing on setting new goals for a new year and picking up old projects that were not quite done at the end of 2009.  Some days have been super slow and some days I have struggled to keep up with what I needed to accomplish that day.

There’s still light in the sky when I arrive home most days, but by the time Michael is home, it’s dark.  Our evening walks together have been out of the picture for several months due to the dark and cold.  It’s just not an inviting time to go walking.

I am reading quite a bit on finances, saving money, and not really doing too much outside the house.  We’ve still been having our weekly date night and hosting Tuesday night movies & pizza with friends.   We’ve just picked up a new Saturday morning social activity with some new friends (and an old one) that should remedy some of our stay-at-home proclivities.

Michael mentioned the Farmers’ Market this weekend and I can’t wait until the outdoor market starts up again at the end of April.  I’m still fine with it being winter, but having a thought or two about Spring.

(see http://blog.babler.us/michael/2010/01/04/twenty-ten/)

After civilization collapsed, a lot of people just let their pets run free and run amok.  Times were tough and adults could barely afford to feed their kids, much less three cats and a golden retriever.  The weaker domesticated animals died off pretty quickly while the stronger ones learned to torment the local wildlife.

Among the cats, the bigger, more muscular ones thrived.  They were used to eating a lot and were far more aggressive in seeking new forms of food.  Over a few short generations, it’s become quite common to see feral cats weighing fifty pounds or more.  Most adults have the common sense not to let their toddlers play outside unsupervised.

It took me a while to tame Small Horse and Xaxxon for my hunting pack.  I’d noticed them prowling around the area for a while, always together, and they were marvelous creatures.  Food has become pretty limited in our area the past winter or two and that was something I could offer them in return for their loyalty.

Hunters don’t go hungry.  It’s a good reason to be a hunter.

Greetings and Happy New Year!

We have been a bit wrapped up in the holidays for a while.  There was a lot of joy, fun, and celebration and a bit of the “too-much holidays” exhaustion and blues.  Chalk it up to trying to do a lot, expecting too much, and working the week between Christmas and New Year’s while trying to keep up with friends and celebrating!  Eh, it happens.

But we have made it safely and soundly into a new year and we all have quite a bit to be thankful for and look forward to in the coming year!

A couple of my goals for 2010 are to try to eat better (healthier food, reasonable portions) and to increase my knowledge about practical things that directly concern my life and well-being, such as personal finance and cooking.  Maretta gave me a Julia Child cookbook for Christmas, so I will have to try out some of the recipes in it soon.  I’ve requested several of Suze Orman’s books from the library.  I read Women and Money a few years ago and found it to be pretty useful and just a good read all-around, so I think I want to reread that one and a couple more.

My goals are casual and not specifically tied to 2010, but it often seems that a year is an arbitrary period of time and life is an ongoing process of learning and developing as a person.  Most of the goals I set could apply to and be renewed/added to every year.  I love having a plan, but not a laundry list.

It would be interesting to hear what others are thinking about or planning to do in 2010.  We have a pretty strong focus on saving money right now and starting our marriage off on a firm financial footing.  On the fun side of things, I hope we are able to take at least a couple of major trips to see family (Joe’s graduation in May and visiting my family once or twice comes to mind) and have the ability to spend fun evenings and weekends with friends and family locally.  If you can think of cheap, fun things to do, let me know!

Hope everyone has a great year– much love and happy thoughts to all!