Year End Hiatus
a new start...
well, class is over. my job is over. the holidays are over. with the new year, it's time to make a new start! (how cliche.) new year's resolutions: love more. laugh more. think less about money. don't play free cell. write. in lower case.
ok. so, i'm writing. what a whirlwind month (and year) it's been.
i worked two jobs. one was as a writer/editor for the drug information association. a great place to work--nice people, a mission/vision I could live with and believe in. ironically, the board's strategic plan eliminated my position as of the end of the year. the last few weeks were tough, knowing I was leaving. but, staying gave me the holiday week pay, the annual bonus, and a chance to leave doors and windows open for freelance work. my other job, freelance writing/editing/photo research/proofreading/you name it for publishers and production services, continues in earnest.
christmas craziness
our family christmas was super—sarah arrived from NYC the wednesday before christmas, ready to invite friends in to bake cookies. that worked for me. ending a job, finishing a class, and soliciting extra freelance work in december, i was way behind in the holiday stuff. we did manage to get the front of the house decorated, tree up (albeit w/o ornaments), and things cleaned up before her arrival. a false facade of control over the holiday preps only. gary's "paint and carpet the living room" project (begun in september) had evolved into "let's move the supporting beam, rip out the walls to see what's behind them, then re-wire everything, insulate, and drywall. then paint and carpet." his home-depot activities were still in full swing as we careened into the holiday season. there was no hope to finish in time.
amie's much-awaited red-eye from LA arrived thursday morning. i think she was ready to ditch lockheed and LA for a week or so. she loves PA. we even had a smattering of snow here, in her honor. gary made the run to the airport. then, the fun began in earnest. wrapping, more decorating, baking, and visiting, culminating in a family christmas eve filet mignon dinner. (gary the chef really felt the pressure to get it right on the grill.) amie whipped up the twice-baked potatoes. i did the glazed carrots. sarah the bartender mixed chocolate raspberry martinis. amie opened the merlot. it's a wonder i could sit up through dinner.
christmas morning saw the (not quite hung-over) bonner women preparing for their annual gig at st. mary's church (schewenksville). we sing christmas mass—just the three of us. amie on flute, sarah on lead vocals, and robin on vocals and guitar. we all wore matching red sweaters. ah, i live for that! when i can calm down enough, i enjoy it. we all used to be in choir together, but the two brats moved away. :) so, we do it once a year, and it's fabulous. sarah sings a couple of impressive solos, and amie improves everything with her harmonies. members of the congregation stop by to thank us, saying how much they enjoyed it. not as much as i do...not as much as i do.
christmas afternoon finds us on the way to new jersey to visit the only other cushings in the area—my brother mike and his family. we've already had a lavish christmas brunch of eggs, bacon, popovers, and fruit salad, not to mention "christmas" cream cheese pound cake and holiday cookies. some of us have had naps. we party into the evening, arriving back in pa around midnight.
next morning, it's pack for the drive to albany. the rest of the bonner family awaits. we do three days of eating, visiting, and sleeping. sarah's 20th birthday happens when we're there (12/27). we head out wednesday morning (are you keeping track of the days?) to get amie down to philly for a late afternoon flight. she's heading to utah to meet up with boyfriend todd. they spend the rest of the week, including new year's eve, with todd's brother drennan and his new wife heather.
new year preps
back, at home, i move a mountain to pay the nyu tuition bill. then, i resume the freelance project i was keeping afloat amidst everything all week, finishing up friday morning. then, sarah and i head to the lederach tea room for breakfast. i drive her to the airport. she's visiting nyu roomie megan before megan heads off to london for the spring semester. i head to delaware to lunch with an old friend
saturday morning i wake up and realize i have no employment-related obligations. it's the first time i can remember in months. i proceed to tear the house apart—washing bedding, organizing, baking more pound cakes—while gary works on the living room. eric is over to help him spackle. a great way to spend new year's eve. actually, it felt good. like taking a shower after a multi-day camping trip. i have a lot of catching up to do in the house. we spend new year's eve quietly at home.
new year's
it's new year's day. i play guitar with my group at church (they are so good! did i tell you we cut a CD?) and enjoy a festive new year's "cocktail-party" choir practice. that was interesting. we join my mother-in-law in levittown for the rest of the day. she shows off her holiday decorations (amazing—red and gold everywhere! where the heck does she store it all the rest of the year?). we take her out for a steak dinner. she's amazing for 77. she can still run circles around me. and never finishes a sentence before she's off to something else. i'm exhausted just thinking about her.
monday. the "extra" holiday. i'm ready to run errands. get things done. but businesses are closed for new year's. (don't they know new year's day was yesterday?) my hard drive crashes. i guess the new work-year is going to get off to a slow start. i check out my laptop with wireless connection and decide to work on my neglected blog. gary fixes my hard drive. didn't even need a trip to the apple store. a sigh of relief! what a guy.
i look over my planner. a lot to do this week: gotta get that office in order. lunch with a business associate on tuesday. sarah's birthday/holiday party with h.s. friends (as well as my root canal. i can't wait.) on wednesday. several freelance projects landing on my desk. critical theory class starts in two weeks. fix up my blog site and websites before that.
new years are such an adventure... hey, at least i'm writing. in lower case.
well, class is over. my job is over. the holidays are over. with the new year, it's time to make a new start! (how cliche.) new year's resolutions: love more. laugh more. think less about money. don't play free cell. write. in lower case.
ok. so, i'm writing. what a whirlwind month (and year) it's been.
i worked two jobs. one was as a writer/editor for the drug information association. a great place to work--nice people, a mission/vision I could live with and believe in. ironically, the board's strategic plan eliminated my position as of the end of the year. the last few weeks were tough, knowing I was leaving. but, staying gave me the holiday week pay, the annual bonus, and a chance to leave doors and windows open for freelance work. my other job, freelance writing/editing/photo research/proofreading/you name it for publishers and production services, continues in earnest.
christmas craziness
our family christmas was super—sarah arrived from NYC the wednesday before christmas, ready to invite friends in to bake cookies. that worked for me. ending a job, finishing a class, and soliciting extra freelance work in december, i was way behind in the holiday stuff. we did manage to get the front of the house decorated, tree up (albeit w/o ornaments), and things cleaned up before her arrival. a false facade of control over the holiday preps only. gary's "paint and carpet the living room" project (begun in september) had evolved into "let's move the supporting beam, rip out the walls to see what's behind them, then re-wire everything, insulate, and drywall. then paint and carpet." his home-depot activities were still in full swing as we careened into the holiday season. there was no hope to finish in time.
amie's much-awaited red-eye from LA arrived thursday morning. i think she was ready to ditch lockheed and LA for a week or so. she loves PA. we even had a smattering of snow here, in her honor. gary made the run to the airport. then, the fun began in earnest. wrapping, more decorating, baking, and visiting, culminating in a family christmas eve filet mignon dinner. (gary the chef really felt the pressure to get it right on the grill.) amie whipped up the twice-baked potatoes. i did the glazed carrots. sarah the bartender mixed chocolate raspberry martinis. amie opened the merlot. it's a wonder i could sit up through dinner.
christmas morning saw the (not quite hung-over) bonner women preparing for their annual gig at st. mary's church (schewenksville). we sing christmas mass—just the three of us. amie on flute, sarah on lead vocals, and robin on vocals and guitar. we all wore matching red sweaters. ah, i live for that! when i can calm down enough, i enjoy it. we all used to be in choir together, but the two brats moved away. :) so, we do it once a year, and it's fabulous. sarah sings a couple of impressive solos, and amie improves everything with her harmonies. members of the congregation stop by to thank us, saying how much they enjoyed it. not as much as i do...not as much as i do.
christmas afternoon finds us on the way to new jersey to visit the only other cushings in the area—my brother mike and his family. we've already had a lavish christmas brunch of eggs, bacon, popovers, and fruit salad, not to mention "christmas" cream cheese pound cake and holiday cookies. some of us have had naps. we party into the evening, arriving back in pa around midnight.
next morning, it's pack for the drive to albany. the rest of the bonner family awaits. we do three days of eating, visiting, and sleeping. sarah's 20th birthday happens when we're there (12/27). we head out wednesday morning (are you keeping track of the days?) to get amie down to philly for a late afternoon flight. she's heading to utah to meet up with boyfriend todd. they spend the rest of the week, including new year's eve, with todd's brother drennan and his new wife heather.
new year preps
back, at home, i move a mountain to pay the nyu tuition bill. then, i resume the freelance project i was keeping afloat amidst everything all week, finishing up friday morning. then, sarah and i head to the lederach tea room for breakfast. i drive her to the airport. she's visiting nyu roomie megan before megan heads off to london for the spring semester. i head to delaware to lunch with an old friend
saturday morning i wake up and realize i have no employment-related obligations. it's the first time i can remember in months. i proceed to tear the house apart—washing bedding, organizing, baking more pound cakes—while gary works on the living room. eric is over to help him spackle. a great way to spend new year's eve. actually, it felt good. like taking a shower after a multi-day camping trip. i have a lot of catching up to do in the house. we spend new year's eve quietly at home.
new year's
it's new year's day. i play guitar with my group at church (they are so good! did i tell you we cut a CD?) and enjoy a festive new year's "cocktail-party" choir practice. that was interesting. we join my mother-in-law in levittown for the rest of the day. she shows off her holiday decorations (amazing—red and gold everywhere! where the heck does she store it all the rest of the year?). we take her out for a steak dinner. she's amazing for 77. she can still run circles around me. and never finishes a sentence before she's off to something else. i'm exhausted just thinking about her.
monday. the "extra" holiday. i'm ready to run errands. get things done. but businesses are closed for new year's. (don't they know new year's day was yesterday?) my hard drive crashes. i guess the new work-year is going to get off to a slow start. i check out my laptop with wireless connection and decide to work on my neglected blog. gary fixes my hard drive. didn't even need a trip to the apple store. a sigh of relief! what a guy.
i look over my planner. a lot to do this week: gotta get that office in order. lunch with a business associate on tuesday. sarah's birthday/holiday party with h.s. friends (as well as my root canal. i can't wait.) on wednesday. several freelance projects landing on my desk. critical theory class starts in two weeks. fix up my blog site and websites before that.
new years are such an adventure... hey, at least i'm writing. in lower case.
posted by Carpe Diem at 8:52 AM
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