Winter Break Update

Started this a week...two weeks?...ago but anxiety got the best of me.  

 I've been sober 13 years as of New Year's Day.  I've managed to outlast all the nonsense that has been thrown our way during the pandemic and failed overthrow of the our government.

I also lost a friend at that time that needed to be lost

We watched Christopher Titus stand up's on the youtube over the winter break so that I could get some therapy.  It's interesting to watch it with Kevin because he's usually surprised at least once when I comment that something like that happened in my childhood.  This one was the fight between a brother and the dad.  He looked surprised, shook his head, and just said "Your effing family..."

The snow is finally gone. Three weeks of snow and ice.  I'm usually sad when it's gone but between not leaving the house for days (because ice, not snow) and being married to a person who reports the weather constantly, I am over it.

Kevin's mom is home and as frail as we expected.  Nothing to be done there.  (time has passed, see next post about that whole sitch.)

The brother-in-law's new puppy has already shown aggression to Lucy so that's super fun.  Boxer, known for bad behavior plus someone who doesn't know/want to properly train a dog.  Like having a months old puppy not on a leash and then being furious when they run and don't return.  So, that's going as expected.

Without getting into detail, Kevin had a windfall and is putting it into the racecar, as he should. It's not something I'm "entitled" to and that's okay.  He did the work and I did not. (Also, now time has passed and I have news...in a minute)  Eventually, the racecar will be fun for me, just not right now.  So, with that, he said that I could blow cash on something I wanted.  This was after the holidays/birthday so I kind of demurred and told him I'd think of something.  

Well, today was the day.  I had to go get a mammogram in the city where I used to work. (results = normal)   Just down the way from the imaging center is a certain big box BOOK STORE.  $108.68 later, I'm a happy camper

I needed a calendar and I was concerned that there wouldn't be any and there were just a few.  Also, Swistle has me entranced with getting a cool calendar every.single.year. and every.single.year. I get the same calendar.  I don't know why I wuss out.

I bought two boxes of Christmas cards that I don't need, justifying that I would use them for Kevin's staff next year AND ignoring that I've already bought a box for that purpose.  But LOOK: an abominable snowman/yeti/bigfoot card!   A book light because I have zero luck with booklights and reading is really difficult right now and maybe it will help for the next twelve days.

And BOOKS.  I bought Allie Brosch again because I gave away my first one without reading it.  The other two books I have read about and by pure dumb luck, I found them.  Do I have a list/screenshot of books I want? Yes.  Is it organized and helpful? No.  Also, I had the goal of buying authors that I haven't read before.

Also: this is the second time that I've been to this store; during the workday and both times it was nearly empty.  If it were busy, I wouldn't go. 

My surgery is in a few days and I'm anxious in the same way that I was anxious for Vegas.  I'm ready to be able to see again, even if it's not 100% until mid-February.

I managed to get fingerprinted today.  I had the same person and this time we chatted about true crime and she even wrote down a name for me to research! There was only one other person there so it was a complete 180-degree turn from last time.  Whew.

Oh, and the murdered dentist.  I read the obituary and I am convinced the husband did it.  Now, this is probably not cool to post when this poor woman has been allegedly murdered but this obituary is like something from a Dateline episode:

Michelle, my love, you have gone where I cannot yet follow.

You began your journey in California on date, and concluded it date. We celebrated your 51st birthday this year. Your highest callings were to be a dentist, wife, and mother, and when we met in 1995, you were well on your way.

2000 was an eventful year, and our lives took off. We got engaged in tourist trap town on New Year’s Eve. You graduated with your Bachelor of Science from the University in March. We eloped and married in St. Lucia on May 15th. When we returned from our honeymoon, you attended the University of Dental Medicine, graduating 2006 with your Doctor of Dental Medicine.

Even with your grueling academic load, we still found opportunity to become parents, and we welcomed our son in 2001. We moved to the Island in 2006, and you took over the clinic. We welcomed our daughter in 2009, and continued to work our way through our bucket-list.

Alas, we ran out of time. We miss your bright smile, passion, empathy, and too much else to mention.

Your Celebration of Life will be held at Brickworks on Saturday. All who have something positive to share are welcome.

No mention of her childhood or family or friends.  It's Just about him and her and in a weird first person, yet removed. They eloped.  They moved far away to a literal remote island. Then the piece de resistance: "All who have something positive to share are welcome"    SO MUCH ACK!  Oh, and his name is Scott.  I've found that guys with that name are nearly always A MESS.

I was whining about Who Has a Zoom Meeting at 3:00 on a Friday Afternoon.  Well, I just need to shush about that whole thing.  My job has authorized a significant pay increase for all employees for the school year (retroactive) for "retention and appreciation purposes during this historic pandemic".   So that was a fun little surprise.  I guess some folks were anticipating being a mass lay-off so that was a zippy twist.

Okay, so surgery is done on the first eye and it went well.  I'm still in the healing/this sucks part but it's mostly good and definitely bearable.  Because of who I am, I want to be healed immediately and I don't want to wait another eleven days for the next surgery.  I'm trying to convince myself to take time off and enjoy the couch.  But I think that kind of coping skill is one of the things that is lost to the pandemic. It's no longer a treat to be at home and do nothing.

With that, I'll post about the goings on with the parents over the last 24 hours next.  But I'm almost out of screen time for the day.