notes & things | holiday edition

Christmas, for the most part, was quiet and close to home, which despite its ghosts and nostalgia, is not a bad way to spend a holiday. We had a couple shorter visits with J's mom (who only lives a few blocks away) on the actual holiday. Christmas horror marathons at home with snacks and turkey/stuffing sandwiches. An overnight visit out to Rockford with gloriously comfy hotel beds and many assorted treats. I got a new digital camera for taking better art photos, some cute mugs, some tea and edibles. I also bought myself some new plates that look like bowls (after breaking one recently), some sugar scrub, a journal, and a new (or another) black floral georgette dress. Christmas has Christmas-ed, and I considered taking down the tree and lights today when we returned, but took a nap and then got absorbed in some writing for upcoming deadlines. If it's any indication of how fast things move along, the first piece that I already wrote for Valentine's Day paper crafts and such debuted, so no doubt we will slide through these wintry months (hopefully) at a steady and swift pace. 

I am planning on working most days later this week to make up for my days off, the curse of freelancing being no real PTO. But then again I remind myself that for all the PTO I had at the library, due to terminal staff shortages, I couldn't even really take it most of the time. Holiday breaks (usually one, sometimes two if the dates fell right) would be spent recovering from the stress and staring shell-shocked at the internet or streaming and dreading going back.  I no longer feel like I need quite as many breaks and can take them at my leisure when I do. I don't dread going back to work after time away but actually look forward to getting back to my little daily routines. On the other hand, the Trello boards and Slack are quiet this week, so it feels like I and a few others are the only ones cobbling away (mostly since I probably spent too grandly in December and now need to the extra cushion of this last week at full-pay to not come up short in January.)

I did manage to finish out the advent project on the 25th, and will probably now turn my attention toward something else-maybe some tiny miniature boxes I've been hoarding up supplies for late this year. I'm hoping to keep moving forward with the witch house poems and finish them up shortly after the new year. I am not quite sure where I'll be directing my focus after that creative-project wise, which is freeing but sort of terrifying feeling all at once.