The Weekend Plans Post: The Holidays Are Upon Us
Work has started with the Holiday-themed potlucks. The carbs. The smoked meats. The ugly sweater contests.
Then we have the individual team Holiday-themed gatherings. Trading books or games or bottles or Subway Gift Cards with team members and figuring out the appropriate little gifts for the owners of the company who hand out little envelopes at the Holiday-themed dinner at the really nice restaurant where the teetotal CEO buys all of the appetizers and all of the entrées and all of the desserts (but not the drinks (which, lemme tell ya, is not me complaining but thinking something more like “that’s pretty shrewd”[/efn_note].
And then we start the silly season at work in earnest. Always able to find a good parking spot. Half the building is empty. Nobody to stop by and interrupt the work you’re doing. A lot fewer people to ask for that thing you need before you can do that thing you need to do.
Which means that the lunches go from sending one of the guys through the drive-through to the team saying “do we want to actually go someplace?”
And then we go to the place with the drive-through but, this time, we go inside and sit down. Well, half of us. The other half are out of pocket in Florida or Wyoming or something.
Which means that, this weekend, the tension over here starts to rise even as the tension over there starts to fall. Because, after this weekend, we have to start thinking about doing stuff with the family and with the adopted family. We have to finalize getting the gift cards for the surly teenagers, the awesome toys for the younger ones, the sugar-free chocolates for the mother-in-law, and scratch our heads over what to get the mom who spends all of November saying “don’t get me anything! I’m trying to get rid of stuff!”
Luckily, we have The Eighth Annual Mindless Diversions Unsolicited Shopping Guide to help us out with most of these.
But not the “don’t get me anything!” gifts. (Maybe I’ll install a newfangled puffy toilet seat in her bathroom. It’s something she’d use every day…)
As such, this weekend begins the “finalize the shopping” effort. Gotta hit the various stores for the various gifts that Amazon isn’t best at delivering yet. Gotta hit the PetSmart for the presents for the kitties, even though the meaning of why they’re getting this batch of catnip will be lost on them. And, of course, gotta get the usual supply of stuff for the week to come (Costco has holiday-themed cases of ginger ale!).
And get the second heavy blanket out and put it on the bed because it’s started to be time for that too.
So… what’s on your docket?
(Featured image is “99¢ Dream ($1 and up reality)” by Jonathan Harford. Used under a creative commons license.)
Graduation is tomorrow. We get stuck with the “long” one, it looks like (Three schools on campus, so you either get to have graduation alone or with another school). It starts at 10.
I have to decide. I really really really want to go antiquing, have not been able to get out to do it for at least six weeks when I’ve been wanting to, but it’s cold/rainy/windy today, and tomorrow we may not get done until late-ish.
I also have a few minor errands to run today: mail needs to be held, I need to gas up the car and get cash as Monday I leave for a long holiday break at my parents’.
Otherwise, I feel a little flat and “down,” but that’s probably tiredness from giving and grading four exams in three days and weathering a large number of “did you calculate my grade right?” “How can I be earning a D?” “Will you accept this three-weeks-late assignment?’ “Can I do extra credit?” requests.
I’m hoping I’ll pop back in a day or so.Report
I think Into the Spider-Verse would really tickle you and Maribou. You should try and find time to go see it. I was expecting an amusing time but was shocked and almost incapacitated by how fun and interesting it was.Report
So, last week was the departmental “Deans Holiday Party (bowling and pizza and booze! Free!) and afterward, we treated ourselves to a meal at the place with the six-page long beer list. Which was very nice. Tonight is the neighboorhood X-mas party at the local queen bees house, across the street. Free booze! Then on Sunday, it is tree shopping.
On a different note, we signed my father up for adult day care, as he needs someone around all the time now and my stepmother needs a break every once in a while. I think it had been time for a while now, but convincing her was a challenge.Report
Into the Spider-Verse tonight with my human family. Maybe (?) lunch tomorrow with friends so younger son can exchange gifts with their daughter (winky emoji). Might have to venture out to pick up a gift for my brother. Arsenal vs. Southampton Sunday morning, a game which will feature zero healthy centerbacks for Arsenal, so it’ll be interesting to see what sort of defense Emery comes up with.
Other than that, pretty much bunkering in, I think.Report
There’s a cousins Christmas party with Mr. T’s extended family, in Calgary this year. Assuming none of the adults pick up the flu that the kids just got over. I know it will be fun and I’ll have a good time, and yet a little corner of my mind is hoping I get the flu so I can stay home. Because if I’m being honest, my mental health is currently only pretty good for it being Christmastime, which is to say fair to middling. I’m not very good at this time of year.Report
I did some shopping today, and the wife and I will probably do some more this weekend, or at least do some planning so I can finish the shopping on Monday. One of the nice things about the break between fall and spring semesters is that I can do shopping during the day when stores aren’t quite as busy.Report
Funny Jay, this time is busy for us.
Gathering orders, determining which ones to book so we hit our targets but don’t exceed it. Learning which ones that were expected but aren’t going to book, and finding enough in the “pool” of unbooked to cover it.
And OMG we have to get this quote out because…….insert stupid reason
Positive side…gifts are done. Looking forward to some major alone time. GF going home for visit. Gonna hit up all my single friends in the interim and do some visiting.Report