I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season (whichever holidays you celebrate).
I can't complain too much about mine. Sweetie and I didn't feel up to celebrating yule, so we went out with my family for my Brother's birthday instead. Brother had wanted to go to Olive Garden, but there was a 40 minute wait for a table which would have been too much for the grandparents and children (4 out of 8 people), so we decided on Fudruckers for a second choice, which turned out to be a good one. The kids got to color and play tic tac toe, and eat their favorite foods: chicken strips and hotdogs with french fries. The grandparents got waited on hand and foot by Sweetie and I (nothing like dedicated servers to make things work out smooth). Brother is just going to have to find another time to go to Olive Garden when either the Grandparents or the children aren't in tow.
The anual holiday outing to Old Country Buffet went much smother this year. We picked a different location this year, one that had a seperated party room that they could reserve for us. We delilniated bus catching duties before the day of the event and had signin sheets ready. The clients (and bus drivers) were informed that a staff person had to be on the bus before it could leave and that both busses had to be fully loaded before either could head out. It's amazing what a little communication will do for these things. Once at the restraunt, the staff there allowed us to sit down before counting heads and filling out paperwork so that the clients were all standing around clogging the entrance to the place. And they helped up coordinate things so that we weren't swamping the buffet and everyone got a chance to get their food peacefully (including their other customers). The only hitch was that the 2 bus drivers dissagreed about the best way to get from the hospital to the OCB so they took different routes, but since they got there at almost the same time it didn't really matter and almost all the staff had cell phones so we could have called if we needed to. So it all worked out just fine.
Friday was supposed to be a glorious day off with plenty of time for finishing the craft projects I was making for Christmas presents and having a good time with Sweetie watching all the episodes of shows I'd missed for being in class that he'd taped. And I got to do all of that. I just didn't get to talk about it with him at the time because I woke up without a voice. I felt otherwise fine, but if I tried to talk I had a horrible burning sensation in the back of my throat and produced no sound. But that's OK, I know ASL . . . Sweetie doesn't. We made do with a combination of gestures, charades, fingerspelling (one letter at a time) and me just doing things for myself. Not perfect but not bad. A steamy shower and loving cuddles in bed and it was alright.
Saturday was a repeat of Friday. Still no voice but not feeling particularly sick. We needed to get the wrapping done (much pointing and pantomime), and still a few stitches to finish. More watching of TV and playing of Sims2. Until early afternoon I figured it was just another bout of voicelessness that I have dealt with all my life. But then the other symptoms showed up: runny nose, cough, headache, etc.
Sunday and I was definately sick. But since I probably caught it from my family and it is a family tradition to have someone sick, we decided to go to christmas anyway. Still no voice so I had to try to explain to my Niece where my voice went (over and over and over and over again - I got good and distracting her with funny gestures). We had fun opening preasents (I got a lovely warm sweater). Mom loved the blanket I crocheted for her and my niece liked the skirt I sewed (too bad it didn't fit, but I have time to try again before going back to school). Nephew squeeled with glee when he pulled the wooden firetruck out of the box. Brother squeeled in glee when he saw the custom clock we gave him. Sweetie squeeled in glee over the Kitchen Aid mixer Mom gave him (for which she'd asked permission some months ago, but I'd completely forgotten). After preasents came the traditional paper fight, then conversations and playing with the toys and boxes. I slipped off to the bathroom for a soaky bath. I slept (I know only because I'm pretty sure that one does not bathe in the top of a tree with fairies dancing all over the place). When I woke I had some voice back (yea).
Then Monday, getting better and Sweetie pulled out the new Dr. Who. He'd managed to find a source to download the whole season. I spent the day cuddled on the couch, letting Sweetie baby me and indulging in my oldest addiction.
My brain gets a little bit crowded sometimes. Of course I live there (all of the various versions of me). Then I frequently have characters stopping by to tell me their stories or bug me about why I haven't written their story yet, or to request a bigger role in someone else's story. My muse stops by every now and again to make sure that I'm not slacking. Then there are the random thoughts that pass through because they just want to be thought by someone. When it's just a couple of these things, I'm find. My head has plenty of room to hold a several of us at once.
Last night however I think everyone was trying to be there. Of course I was there (or I wouldn't have noticed the rest), as were characters from at least 4 different stories all bugging me about their stories. My muse was perched on my shoulder agreeing with all the characters. And then when I did consent to sit in front of the computer and type, random thoughts kept buzzing me and causing strange additions to my sentences.
In the end I managed to add a solid 1000 words to the lastest draft of my story formerly known as "Lady of Swords". I'm still looking for a better title for it.
It's finals week Yea!!!!!
OK, I know a lot of students out there don't really like finals week because it is full of stressful tests and lots of papers and the like. But for me, especially this semester, it contains only one paper and a small no-stress interview with the professor. More importantly, it means that for the next six weeks I don't have to work the crazy hours or worry about homework or make it to class even when I'm too tired to think straight.
So now I just have to worry about the stress that occurs during normal working hours - like the fact that Inpatient is going to be taking over more that 1/2 of our program space for the next year and we all have to double up. I'm losing my office (as are most of our staff). Also, with the new year I will recieve the mixed blessing of losing our part time secretary (know here as Box of Rocks) due to staffing cutbacks. This means that I will have to cover the front desk full time until the semester starts up again, but at least I won't have to redo most of her work.
On the home front, the car has decided that she needs a vacation. I am currently sitting in a computer lab at school because she is refusing to start. I promiced her that if she would just take me home I wouldn't use her in the morning, but she's having none of it. So Ken is on his way to rescue me. Who knows what we are going to do with the car. Ken thinks that he's going to be able to get her to start. I hope so.
Anyway, I get to experience normal life for a while. Any hints on how to survive?