The Friday List (nice things you’ve done for yourself this week)
I don’t know about you guys, but I LOVE a fresh month. Feels so clean and new, so many possibilities. Ahhh.
Plus, for me it’s a month of being home a lot, which I’ve grown to treasure more than I thought I could, already being such a confirmed homebody. But after all that travel, let me say yes to laundry, yes to eating at home (even though it involves grocery shopping and cooking), yes to sleeping in my own bed with my own husband (and perhaps a dog or two who sneaks up there once a certain male human begins snoring)–yes to every boring, mundane, non-road aspect of my life. This is the real me, back to sweat pants and a t-shirt and a significant lack of bra.
Plus I feel that irrational happiness that comes with cooler weather. Arizona summers just go on and on, and even though it’s still shorts weather here, at least it’s not broiler weather anymore, and that’s really something to celebrate. I imagine those of you who live on the east coast are still enjoying some autumn color? And do you start pulling out all your fleece and wool right about now? Or has that already happened? And do you love this part of the year, too, before winter really starts socking in? Treat me like a foreigner–teach me your customs.
My nice things this week involved taking extraordinary care of my travel-depleted self. That involved lots of sitting on the couch, curled up next to whatever dog would have me, and sipping something warm while reading for as many hours as I wanted. So there. Take that, the bills that should have been paid, and the phone calls that should have been returned. Take that, you stack of mail and overloaded in-box. You can all just wait while I slowly bring myself back to balance. What I needed this week was fresh air, lots of walks, real food, lots of sleep, and no schedule whatsoever. Hurray for me for giving that to myself!
That’s my story for this Friday. You guys?
Technorati Tags: The Friday List, Self-Pampering, Self-Care, Simplification, Wellness, Balance
My memory is sooo bad.
You have two dogs? I thought it was just Bear.
Nice thing? I sent my internal editor packing on an all expense paid trip to a negative-annoying-guilt trippers anonymous convention. Let the B***** nag and whine somewhere else this month.
One more thing…
Life is so much better braless.
My nice thing was getting to bed by 9:00 three evenings this week, which is unheard of. I probably didn’t fall asleep until 10:00, and there were nights when the baby woke me just as I was slipping off to dreamland, but simply getting in the bed at a decent hour was the nicest thing I could do.
I’m a Georgian, Robin, so I don’t know if you meant us Southern East Coasters or not. I’m not really on the coast, either, as I’m in the middle of the state, but our days are still much like yours–shorts are still comfy–but the air is much more breathable and fresh. Even with the warmish temps (low to mid 70s), I’ve been dressing in workout pants rather than shorts just because it’s fall. The trees are just beginning to turn at their tips. I look forward to the beauty that should be complete in a couple of weeks.
I had such a frustrating day yesterday that I felt the urge to have a minor hissyfit and storm out of the office… so I did (although it wasn’t the fun, no-holds-barred, middle-of-the-lobby type of hissyfit). Then I sat in bed with a glass of wine and watched some old America’s Next Top Model on DVD with a dog in my lap.
I’m confused. Why are you guys talking about the Patriots\Colts game on Sunday? How can you tihnk about anything else at a time like this?
We are in the time of year where it is cold and clear. The morning low hit below 30 degrees, yippee. It is the time of year that I start wishing for snow even though we will pay by having a later school year. I want to bundle up, nest, and get fires started in the fireplace.
I am happy that you have had time to enjoy home this week, Robin.
My nice things were: Halloween with granddaughters. See here: http://deowriter.blogspot.com/2007/11/mrs-halloween-you-have-to-have-fun.html It was so much fun!! It really was the highlight for the week.
Have a great weekend.
I spent this week being much lazier than I should have.
I guess I can admit to laying around without my bra on.
Admitting is the first step, Patrick.
I lazed around on the couch last night, watching the real Star Wars, sipping tea, and then went to bed earlier than I have in maybe a year (okay, it was only 9:30, but still pretty early, and I was a college student only 5 months ago, so I didn’t even get out of class or work many days til 9:30). I had a hectic day at work (so much stress, my boss was yelling and cussing at flies by the end of the day), and a long night the night before (Halloween, after all, is my FAVORITE holiday of them all). Plus, I’m dealing with some “lifestyle changes” right now that are going, well, ok, but not as skip-happily as I would really really really prefer. But I made up for it, by laying on the couch with pillow and cats at hand, watching Star Wars, and going to bed early.
Tuesday night was the annual Dupont High Heel Drag Race, so my friends an I camped out for an hour and a half to get primo spots on the street before the event started.
The Drag Race is the most fun 2 hours of the year – 3 blocks near Dupont Circle is cordoned off for a drag queen high heel race! Thousands of spectators show up, standing 20-deep along the sidewalks to get a view of the 100-or-so queens as they parade and dance up and down the street for about an hour and a half before the race itself, which only lasts about 2 minutes. It’s SO much fun!
And my roommates and I are throwing a party tomorrow, so that’ll be fun.
Lizzie, I had no idea there was a drag queen high heel race anywhere in the world. That news makes me inexplicably happy–I can totally picture it. How cool that you and your friends made such an event out of it!
Emily, yay for the quality time with Star Wars and cats! Much better than a stinky old boyfriend, and I know many here would agree.
Patrick, good news on the bra, man. You had me worried.
Katie (the sister), lazy is so necessary sometimes. Embrace it.
Katie (the angry), yow! Sorry you had such stress and couldn’t actually give it the full-treatment tantrum. But excellent work going home and watching some easy-brain TV. Sometimes that’s the best thing to calm the nerves.
Jone, great costumes! Love the pseudo tatts (I assume that’s what your bad boy date’s sleeves were about?). You’re looking pretty bad girl yourself!
Kelley, I am SO happy for you about the sleep thing. And it’s funny how we know so much of it is in our own hands (going to bed early), and we just don’t do it. I’m guilty of that myself this week. Thanks for reminding me to do that one simple thing for myself. 9:00 bedtime sounds wonderful (I’ll let you have the middle-of-the-night crying baby, though. It’s a good thing she’s so cute or you might be a lot more resentful!)
Heather, your memory is crystal clear. I have a loaner Lab right now, until Thanksgiving. And even though for all 8 or 9 years of her life she’s been trained not to jump on her owner’s bed, all it took was a few weeks with me and she’s a total bed dog. Bwaa-ha-ha.
And good for you, telling your internal Critical Byeatch to shut up. Let her go bother someone else. You have stories to write.
High five on the lack o’ bra. As Patrick and the rest of you know, bralessness is the key to creative writing.
YAY for no bras! lol Glad your doing good this month! Havn’t done that much this week… Dresses up for halloween and got to see my friends that’s always good! Joined Nano Wriomo so it’s more writing also always good! and I bought the second Georgia Nicolson book that was great!
Today I took the day off to take my visiting brother wine tasting and out to a late lunch at that favorite pizza place of mine (which I go to even though it’s ridiculously out of the way). Now we are sitting around in companionable fashion, each on our own computer. Very restful…
Glad you’re taking care of yourself, Robin.
I have lost so much sleep from cheering the Boston Red Sox, working on revisions, and taking care of sick kids…so my big thing this week has been catching up on my sleep.
I also probably have the first preschool dropout ever. My youngest was freaking out about preschool for the past two months–tantrums at bedtime, the teachers had to pry her off me when I dropped her off…I finally decided it was time to take her out of school. Yeah, I know I should stick it out, but I save myself an hour each day and little one is much calmer.
And I will be cheering for the Patriots on Sunday.
Vivian, I have a friend who’s daughter dropped out of preschool. Everyone was *way* happier after she dropped out, and, personally, I don’t think there’s much kids are going to learn at preschool that they can’t also learn at home.
I am late on chiming in here, and I think it’s because I spent most of the week not doing good things for myself. I *did* bake chocolate cupcakes for Halloween, which Lucas and I ate for breakfast as a special treat that morning. I also have spent little chunks of time out in my yard raking leaves in my yard. The leaves held on really long this year, but they’re almost all on the ground now here in WNY. They’re about six inches thick on the ground in my back yard at the moment, but raking them on the bright, crisp days we’ve been having (about 50 degrees or so every day) is fun.
This has been a great week, and it fits nicely with your seasonal thing, if from a slightly different perspective: the Knitting and Stitching show comes to Dublin early in November each year. I love this event for many reasons – including the wonderfully diverse group of people attending and selling/exhibiting there, which runs from bus-loads of older women up from the country for the day, through extremely avant-garde students of textile arts, groups of school home-ec. students and people who’ve studied the work of artisans around the world. And everyone enthusiastic about craft-work. It’s just lovely being around people who love what they do, whether it’s hobby or livelihood.
On Thursday my younger daughter and I went and met my older daughter there, and then on Friday I took my BF. As a writer, he’s always fascinated by people-watching, and for that reason, if no other, I knew he’d be interested. It was such fun to be able to bring him this year.
And we chose a beautiful, soft grey merino yarn for a cardigan for my daughter, and a lovely variegated yarn for fingerless gloves for him, other for patterned ones for the girls and some nice stuff for my Tea-and-Yarn swap partner in Philadephia, so all good. Perfect projects for the time of the year, especially now our clocks are back and it’s dark so much earlier in the evenings.
I worked
I rehearsed
I read
I wrote (submission deadlines met)
I followed-up (or attempted to – no conclusions yet, but I’m keeping tabs on this)
I celebrated
I sang
I remembered
Ok, I’m a midwesterner, transplanted temporarily in London. The colors here are more muted, not as brilliant as the Honey Maple trees in my front yard. At this time of year at home, when I run upstairs to fetch something, I grumble at my kids for leaving their lights on. But then I go into said rooms and it’s just the brightness of the yellow leaves shining through the windows!
Beautiful.
And love the snuggly fall feeling:)