Feh. Back at work. Bleah.
The worst of it, I think, is luch from the
company cafeteria, especially when I know there's a big pot of chili I made
yesterday just waiting for me at home.
On the good side, due to an
apparent brain fart I still haven't diagnosed, I get to take off the Friday before
Christmas week plus the Monday after it *and* I have a day and a half I need to
take between now and the holiday. I'd been going around all year hoarding
vacation, thinking I was short of it. Fortunately, some of that time is sort of
unofficial incentive vacation awarded by the boss in the last couple of months, so
I don't have to feel bad about not going to Rudder's marathon race a few weeks
ago. I wouldn't have had the time far enough ahead to buy the plane
ticket.
The extra days off around the holiday will be wonderful,
especially the one afterward. Our trip is about as long as it could be, within the
confines of the holiday weeks. That is, we leave right away on the first Saturday
off and get back on the last Sunday off, so there would have been no extra time to
finish packing or to recover before heading back to work.
Antarctic
dilemma of the day: in the coldest weather, I will be wearing a windbreaker over a
fleece (Polartec 200) jacket, along with a wool or lighter-weight fleece sweater.
I hope I don't ending up regretting it if I don't get a Polartec 300 jacket to
wear instead of the one I have. Rudder did buy one, but then again he has fewer
warm sweaters.
Hmm. In past years I have written down something I'm
thankful for in every entry from Thanksgiving to Christmas, as well as updating my
distance on the COncept II Holiday Challenge
which deserves another whole entry to itself). I suspect I could do Dilemma of the
Day just as easily, and I very well might end up doing that, but perhaps I had
better return to the Thankful entries in order to promote a less frenzied frame of
mind. Also, somehow, though I don't know why, sending out grateful thoughts into
the world just now feels more important than a simple matter of my own moods
should really justify.
Today I am thankful: that we did go to
Death Valley after all. There were a couple of moments of utter peace that were
entirely worth it. (And the moving rocks were far cooler than I'd
expected.)
Concept II Holiday Challenge: The challenge is to
erg 200000 meters from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas Eve. Approx. 169900 meters
left to go.