:: anne in the attic ::

Create Your Own Countdown

:: Sunday, April 27, 2003 ::

Today is the first day of a week's vacation, the first of two staggered to fit the choir schedule somewhat. This week, our big concert is next Saturday; two weeks from then is our annual coastal retreat. Regardless of why I scheduled that time off when I did, I found that as I approached it, working became less and less tolerable until yesterday I was downright irritable at work. Fortunately, my job requires me to be outside on foot most of the day, and I could just walk it off -- in the slicing wind and the pouring rain. And last night, after taking some of my "famous" spinach lasagna to friends, I headed over to my girlfriend's house for some down time.

So this morning, I am tired but happy. The thought of a whole week ahead rises slowly with the steam from my coffee and settles in, an easy feeling in my bones, some sorely needed R & R. Of course, I have some serious plans, and have resorted to a loose schedule in order not to forget something I've been wanting or meaning to do. The most wonderful part is that I hired someone to clean my house yesterday while I was at work, and my vacation begins with a blissfully orderly atmosphere (I'm sure that will gradually come undone throughout the week) and the faint aromas of orange oil, Simple Green, and Murphy's Oil Soap. Way to a Virgo's heart, man. As I told a friend yesterday, and have said in the past: forget foreplay -- clean my house!

This morning, I plan to sift through the foot-high stack of papers that need filing, and possibly finish up some ironing. Then later, weather permitting, I might check out softball practice and have a beer. Monday, I've arranged to hang out with my brother; Tuesday I have a massage appointment (oh, yeah!) and lunch with a friend afterward; Wednesday, my girlfriend and I are doing breakfast at the local bookstore and seeing some old friends. One of those evenings will probably be an impromptu cram session for some of the tenors in the choir. One of those sunny afternoons, I want to wax and buff my car. On another day, I want to prep my deck for summer and re-pot my tomato starts. And at least once, I want to get out to the woods for a hike, possibly with a friend. I also predict I'll start the recording process of another song sometime this week (one from about ten years ago that has lately risen from the ashes for some revisions and additions). There's one last choir rehearsal Thursday night, and then Saturday morning we have a two-hour tech rehearsal, followed by the big concert Saturday night. Sunday will be all about recovery, I'm sure. Then it's back to work for a week, and then another week off, which ends with the retreat at the coast.

Gonna have a great time!

:: Anne 7:40 AM [smartass remarks] ::
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Last night, I tried to post an entry here, and the site went down just as I hit the "post & publish" button and the entry was lost, even my draft.... And I have to think one of two things. One, maybe my entry crashed the site. Yeeeeaahhh, baby. Two, I have to take it as a sign that those were not the right words to say, that the universe rejected them and forced me to rethink them (or forget them, as the case may be). There were some political judgments against our president, some "not in my name" sentiments, and general fear at what we've set ourselves up for. After which I turned the leaf over with "but I just can't stay angry with all the beauty there is in the world" a la "American Beauty," practically verbatim.

Well, but what a different world it was today when I found myself becoming frustrated at the most insignificant things. What a difference a day makes: in manner, in feeling, in which weblog entry appears on your site for all to see, in which country is beating up on whom. Maybe Rome was built in a day, after all. And it sucked, so they tore it all down and began again from scratch.

:: Anne 8:46 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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