So, after the feeling of general cruddiness wears off from being sick, and the full effect of “holy shit, I’m really doing it: after 9 years of regular cigarette-smoking, I have been nicotine free for 11 days” kicks in, life is pretty shit-sandwichy.

I’m cranky about everything.  The cat is crying, but doesn’t want to be petted or picked up? Kick it in the kidney!  You broke a nail? Pull the rest of your fakies off – screw them if they don’t want to stay on!  Your chin is breaking out? Dig the offending blemish out: that will show that damn skin not to break out again!

Of course, I’m sure the other things I’m angry about and not mentioning here are valid things to be angry about, but they are liberally peppered with neurons that are full-blown-tantruming for a nicotine fix.

The bake sale went tremendously well. After lunch, I could find nary a whoopie pie from the 24 I brought in.

Baked and baked and iced and iced for the bake sale to raise money for the Cleveland Food Bank, dying for a cigarette the whole time.

I gave into eating icing straight from the pastry bag (mmmmmaplesyrup), but not to the cigarette.  Go me!

This afternoon, I headed west on I-90 to get down to school, Cleveland Browns Stadium was getting ready to sit thousands of fans in its belly by lighting its LED screens, welcoming fans.

Oh, we band of downtrodden rust-belt fans!  Our chorus of “This is the year” changes so quickly to the dirge of “There’s always next year”.

I certainly hope there is joy in Cleveland tonight.

Well, today was a waste of a day: and I had the best of intentions.

This week, I’ll be baking for the Food Bank of Cleveland in my company’s annual bake sale.  In addition to that, I need to coordinate my department’s Secret Santa exchange (reminder: figure out what to do about lunch…), I also need to work with The Boy to get his annual Christmas party planned.

I’m just very, very glad that I am done with my group project at school.  And, I’m already registered for next semester.

After The Boy got out of his annual conference this year, he came out to see me and we moved a free desk out from my mother’s office to my new office.

I got the opportunity to move to a new office a while ago, but finally took it when the thought of dealing with another winter without seeing any light was unbearable.  So, after I supplied my own furniture, I got to move.

I’m really, really excited for this change of scenery, even if it is the rooftops of the surrounding shops below.

I figured out what I’m going to make for the bake sale.  I’ve added a whammy third!

1. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream filling
2. Rice Krispie Treats made with Maple Marshmallows
3. Apple Cider Cookie/Muffin Tops

I have a Christmas Conundrum.

I have about three people in my life who are impossible to buy for.  They either have everything they want, don’t need anything, or have no interests or hobbies of their own which make it easy to buy for them.  I know that last year, I did okay, but this year, I’m at a total loss.

I think I’m going to send these people’s Significant Other (or someone who knows what they want) out shopping, get the difficult recipient the gift they want, stick my name on it, and I’ll cut the buyer a check.  It just seems easier.

Am I breaking the spirit of Christmas law doing this?  Everyone gets what they want, there’s no particular disappointment involved, what’s the harm?

I’d been feeling pretty beat up lately as far as working on MK was concerned.  Intended or not, I put it on the backburner. That is, until I had been chastened by a customer I had forgotten to touch base with months ago.  There’s no incentive quite like being embarrassed.

Even though I worked to make up for the embarrassment, the point is that I worked.  And, I felt pretty good about the work I got done. Sometimes, getting the work done is more important than the sentiment.
BlackBerry

I have been keeping track of Organized Christmas because there are few things I find more pleasurable than being organized and Christmas (these few things may or may not include winning the lottery and naps).

And every day, they diligently send me another task to complete on my Christmas Countdown so I can get ready for Christmas.  I haven’t even started reading the countdown entries, much less gotten a binder together to keep track.  I currently have a very slapdash Excel file that I’m using to keep track of holiday receipts, and what needs to be planned for [The Boy's] annual Christmas party.

I’m trying to fight letting this over-planning for a semi-distant holiday mean that somehow, my life is spinning out of control.  I tell myself, I am very busy: I am going to school, I am working full-time, I am working part-time.  I’m trying to balance.

But at the same time, I’m very acutely aware that I have a finger-tip grasp on all of the things that I am trying to get done.  GTD, productivity, and organization practices are life practices designed to help busy people get everything done.  But my practice of this art comes in fits and spurts.

An engine works harder when it starts and stops (city driving), than it does by working continuously (highway).

I also have to keep reminding myself that wearing a hair shirt doesn’t make me a better person:  killing myself working on the skulduggery projects in my life doesn’t mean I’m  better person.  It might just mean I’m a masochist.  Sure, I need to plan a time to make Christmas cookies for Christmas, but I really should be fitting it into my schedule because I like it, not just because I feel like I have to do it for a productive Christmas.