I may sound a little like Scrooge, but part of surviving the holidays is to be in denial of them. My holiday decorations were lent out a couple of years ago, never to be seen again… unless you stop by a restaurant somewhere in Salem. The Dept of Education really doesn’t care about holidays or birthdays, so my paychecks are still finding themselves to be less and less padded. I keep mentioning the Dept. of Ed as I’m still bent. The sting would not be so bad if I could raise 500 asap to pay off my bank loan in order to get that renewal out of the way before it ceases the allowance to renew… which should be any time now. PLEASE BUY MERCHANDISE! Or my entire Buffy Collection- make an offer. With that being out of the way… I can live with the 15% garnishment until I can convince them to work with me on it, but that loan I had to take out when my timing belt went is scaring me a little as the renewal period is almost up.
Jonathon has never really been into Christmas as it rivals his birthday, and being as it’s just him and I here, there’s not a whole lot of guilt for not celebrating a holiday that really isn’t our religion. I just miss the family get together that doesn’t seem to take place without the tradition of gift giving. And I fear the whole being a bag lady before we make it to NYC.
I did wind up going to my work holiday party though! I was a little proud of myself as I had opted to go solo as opposed to going with someone who wound up making me feel as if they’d be doing me an obligated favor.
In all honesty I was scared at first. It is quite an adjustment jumping into a social environment after being out of the loop for so long. I think it’s been about two years since I was in that kind of situation… and I haven’t updated my wardrobe in ages, I felt really and truly awkward as I put something on that was purchased over two years ago… and snug.
After I dropped Jonathon off at Ash’s for the night, I went home and tried on everything. Realizing I need to start exercising as nothing fit properly, I took a deep breath and made it out the door to the facility where the party was being held.
Parking was a complete nightmare because you have to understand that the people who designed downtown Salem were undoubtably the inspiration for Idiocracy. Twenty minutes of driving in circles, trying not to hit pedestrians… and trying refrain from wanting to hit the pedestrians, I found a safe spot to park and brave heading in.
There was a very unpleasant stench of hairspray and department store perfume that hit my senses as soon as I opened the door. Once I saw the groups that looked like Southern beauty pagent contestants, I realized that it was real estate agent holiday party and mine was located upstairs. Thank God.
The initial half hour was a little painful as couples were mingling and I stood around awkwardly trying to balance my glass of wine and plate of food without looking completely out of place. Standing, smiling, balancing, sipping, eating, smiling and hoping they opened the door into the dining area soon.
Fortunately a few of my co-workers came solo also and soon it was like old times. The dinner was fantastic, the entertainment was horrid, the conversations were a little odd, and then afterwards it was off to the Pink where we all drank way too much and I had to call a cab to nab my car in the morning.
The rest of the weekend was spent watching film and rearranging my place so that I can set out my exercise machine again- and working out… a lot.
I know that this time of year I tend to be a little less vocal, a little less inspired and a lot less creative. It’s embarrassing to shy away from the holiday- I don’t know WHY it is, but I feel like I’m making excuse after excuse for my lack of seasonal spirit. I also know that my mind has been elsewhere for a bit and I’m transitioning back to normal… mentally and physically.
NOW I’m off to play DOA and then I’ll find something on Youtube to force everyone to view.
This holiday vent has been brought to you by Ghic Chic.
Current Mood:
blah
Amused
Two old video games revisited:
annoyed
Another double-post, but only because I want to share the fun.
I won’t say WHO showed me the link that has captured my attention. I won’t say WHAT it does. All I will say is that I’m putting George (my Neuros) and my Iomega to the test as I am in film bliss.
Buddha
Tomorrow I’m hoping to let the mental exhaustion from work melt away so that I can finally post here and on AG- brain is mush!!!
calm
