Over the weekend I bought three Christmas gifts at local stores. I'm feeling hugely successful since, by my standards, this is early. Other stuff bought on-line has already arrived. (Family members email Christmas gift suggestions with a link attached - easy peasy.)

Now to march through the holidays without sinking under cookies.

I'm still thinking over the logistics involved in my attending my gym's Christmas party on Thursday night.

We'll need to double-park at the curb while I climb out of the car with the walker. Someone will have to carry a chair inside, as I can't stand up on one foot for really long periods of time and of course, the gym hasn't got a lot of chairs for sitting around in. And someone will have to hold the door for me. Also, my mother thinks she's gonna drop me off for three hours and pick me up afterward. I don't really want to be there for that long -- I have always been all about putting in the obligatory 20-30 minutes and then leaving. Being deaf in one ear and not having stereophonic hearing, I really can't hear people very well when there is a lot of noise all around me, and I don't enjoy lip-reading for an hour or more.

Don't go, saef. It's not worth the trouble for the amount you would enjoy it.

Also, in response to your post on the other thread, may I suggest that you should go back to work when your doctor says you are able? I'm sure that's not going to be next week. I'd guess that until you can at least safely put weight on that leg, you shouldn't go to work. I know you're desperate, but you don't want a setback.

Congratulations, Bill, on your "early" Christmas shopping.

This week includes a road trip to Ft. Myers to ride the Seminole Mystery Dinner Train. (No, the dinner isn't a mystery. ) Going down with a couple of girlfriends from our spiritual living group.

Hope you all have a relatively calm week.

I'm having an internal debate over attending my uncle's funeral or going golfing on Saturday. The more I think of it I think we should do the funeral even though we were just there to visit the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The directions for the funeral say to wear Hawaiian shirts (the family lived in Hawaii for many years) and for those of us who have them, to bring the wooden cross my uncle made (I have two of them). He was into woodworking and made hundreds of inlaid wooden crosses and gave them away. Meanwhile, my Dad has said that he does not wish to fly down for the service so it's basically up to me to represent this side of the family. The other brother's side of the family will have no representation because everyone lives so far away. I should do it.

My Christmas shopping is done as well! It took some doing as I had no idea what to get my DD, but she finally gave me some hints so I ordered everything and it'll be delivered tomorrow. Tomorrow night I'll finish wrapping everything and then all I need to do is wait for the big day.

Good job on the shopping, Bill. I have done the majority but I still have some to do, including mailing some gifts, which I better get on.

Saef-- the more important question is-- do you want to go to the party? If you feel it's an obligation, skip it. But, if you really want to go, make it happen. Tell your mom specifically what you want from her-- would she be willing to stay so you could leave when you want??
As for work-- can you start off small-- doing some work from home on the computer/phone, etc.?

Allison-- yeah... sounds like you need to go... It means a great deal to those remaining....

I'm biding my time this morning until I go see the spinal specialist. I came in to work but then I'll leave and come back later. Wish me luck! Dh is going with me and I'm glad. It's always good to have two pairs of ears and eyes, and I think the docs realize the family is taking the issue seriously when husband and wife both go (I may be imagining that, but it can't hurt).

I've done the elliptical the past three days at the gym and that doesn't seem to aggravate my back, so we'll see what the doc says. I'm going to ask very specifically about what I can and can't do.... I started watching House of Cards to pass the time... only two shows in but I'm liking it so far.

Hello and happy Monday to everyone else. It's my last week to work this year!

Saef - Even though I've been married 29 years, I am independent. When I get sick I don't want anyone around. My DH always wants to get me stuff and take care of me and I hate it. I'm not a good nurse to him either. Don't know why I'm that way... just always been that way. So I can't imagine what you are going through. I can't imagine you would be cleared to go back to work, but if so it would be good to start part time, if they would allow it. As aggravating as work can be, it definitely will help your mind not dwell on all the stuff at home.

My bike ride didn't go so well on Saturday. I was dropped! It's fine - I'll improve. There were supposed to be 3 groups A, B and B-Nice, A is fastest and so on. But it was so cold (for FL) that there weren't many so everyone left together and we were immediately going 21 mph. I can only do that for a few minutes (and on a downhill slope)! So after about 4 miles I was so far back that I just dropped out. DH stayed back with me - even though I told him GO WITH THE GROUP! We rode on our own a different route because we don't know the group's route yet. When we got back to our car some of the people in the group were back and they said it was not good the way everyone went together and to try again in the future. So in a few weeks I will try again! I've only been riding since September so I'm happy with the progress I have made.

Exams start at school today - so only 4 days left! Then two weeks off from all 3 jobs. Got finals to grade for both my adjunct jobs starting Friday. Not sure how I am going to get everything done for DH and other company that is coming on Friday night and Saturday -- but at this point, what is done will be done.

Allison, a second vote for you going to the funeral. I've officiated or MC'd hundreds of them, and the personal connections are sometimes surprising. People are thinking about the Big Picture and sometimes you see sides of people you don't often see. And more loving, which is what The Big Picture shows us. Of course, it's not always that way!
Bill and all the rest of us, good luck with the cookies!!!!

Yeah, I'm going to go to the funeral. DH and my in-laws will come as well. I pretty much decided I'd go Sunday night but arranged it all yesterday. My sister agrees I should go to be our family representative.

Boy did I sleep like crap last night. It didn't help having one dog pressed up to one side, one cat pressed up to the other side and one dog on my feet. I opted to not get up and exercise this morning in favor of 45 minutes more bed rest (didn't sleep then either).

My report back from the spinal specialist was.... interesting.... overall good I suppose. I have spinal stenosis which is when "stuff" narrows. Of course, it's primary due to aging and genetics, and is causing my bulging discs. Treatment recommendations were anti-inflammatories (he prescribed a new one that hopefully won't wreck havoc on my stomach) and physical therapy, focusing on my core strength (I'll bring his instructions with me tomorrow to my PT appointment). He felt most exercise would be okay and just urged I take it easy at first. I went back to yoga last night and it was much better than the last time I went over 10 days ago, but still not pain free. Depending on how I'm feeling today, I may go again tonight.

Today's challenge is avoiding the staff lounge this morning. They are providing "cocoa and cookies" for staff.

4 more days of crazy kids (with continued rain) and I get a break!

I need to get my Christmas stuff organized but I was so tired last night it didn't happen. Having dh home is nice, but we like to snuggle on the couch after dinner which doesn't prove very productive.

I have all my Christmas gifts bought (including delivering all the client pet gifts yesterday) and here now, waiting to be wrapped. The food for the 12-13 people coming Christmas eve is all thought out and the big things - turkey, ham - have been ordered and their pick ups scheduled. My grocery list for all the things I'm going to make and serve is on the fridge The booze and soft drinks etc. are in our storage locker, ready for me to bring it here.

The tree is on the back deck waiting to come in Saturday and be decorated. The other outside decorating is almost done - two reindeer will be set out in the garden and 4 more will be fastened to the porch and the deck.

I have the plan for all the furniture and seating in my head and the buffet table and bar decorations are bought and ready.

So why am I starting to not sleep, eat candy like crazy, and want to dive into a bottle of alcohol, all signs that my general anxiety is ramping up out of control? I know I can pull off a reasonable performance of this event and I'm ready for all sorts of things with back up plans.

Sometimes I marvel at the stupidity of how I'm wired to deal with life. I have thought time and time again of taking anti-anxiety meds but never ask for them when I see my doctor once a year. SIGH.


Dagmar

Very quiet in here this week. I guess everyone is preparing for the "Christmas crazy". I'm going to sit down tonite and map everything out on a printed schedule. Once I see what I'm doing I will relax a whole lot as I will have visual evidence that all is relatively under control.

As a bonus I found out yesterday that I can go to City Hall Jan. 2 to renew my permit. That gives me 3 pre-Christmas hours on Mon. Dec 22 that I really needed.

I'll be back posting the week of Dec. 29. when all holiday stuff is done and I'm back to work.

Happy holidays to all!


Dagmar

I've been very busy with my three jobs, insanely so. But only one day left with students - today. Then I have grading for both adjunct teaching jobs to get done by Monday. Meanwhile, DD arrives home tonight and other family visiting this weekend.
Got a Santa's 5k I'm running Sat night with DD.
Happy Holidays to everyone!

I did go to the gym's Christmas party last night, though I'd decided against it. I'll tell you exactly why.

In my first session with the physical therapist on Wednesday, she talked about a passive mentality that sometimes sets in with people who are convalescing from an accident and are hospitalized or home-bound for long periods of time. It sounds like a form of agoraphobia. She urged me to fight against that, to push myself to try to do things for myself and when possible, to leave the house.

So going to the party was an exercise in seeing what was possible with my walker. My mother double-parked, I was able to jump the curb with the walker and get to the door, and fortunately someone inside ran out to hold the door for me. They had a chair ready for me.

The only awkward thing about the party was explaining to people why I was sitting & wearing a leg brace. Half the gym knew about it, half didn't.

Oh, and a gym member who's lived in the area for a long time told me about two different people who were killed in that intersection: A woman who'd lived in her apartment building, and a man, whom she knew less about. That gave me something to be thankful for and put my irritation into perspective.

I'm so glad you made it Saef. That makes sense about what the physical therapist said. I could very easily see myself (somewhat of an introvert naturally) falling prey to that. How frightening about the intersection-- and yes, it does put everything into perspective!

I want to say I'm busy holiday planning but I'm way behind. Just trying to get through today at work and then figure out what I need to do for the holidays (like wrap and mail presents-- ugh), start planning and packing for our trip next week, welcome dd home from college after a (hopefully) successful semester.....

Good for you, saef. I would have that same tendency, I think, because socializing is hard for me under the best of circumstances. I'm glad you weren't one of the fatalities at that intersection.

We went with friends to ride a mystery dinner train down south of here. My partner and I had done it before. It wasn't as good as we had remembered it. Mostly the trip left us both pretty exhausted. I hope you weren't too tired out by the gym party, saef.

We stopped on the way back on St. Armands Key, which has a big touristy shopping area. Pretty nice, but they had speakers on all the streetlight poles playing Xmas carols from the 1940s through 1960s. Can't stand Bing Crosby and not in the mood anyway. Same with Burl Ives, et al.

But, we ate some good food and walked around, to counteract the long drive back.