Bad Blogger

But in my own defense, I had a busy few days, and I've been tired!

The good news is that with all this busy-ness, I haven't had a lot of time to feel blue. On Thursday, I put in four hours at Barnes and Noble, doing a gift-wrapping fundraiser for Chorale so that the lady who coordinates it every year could attend the funeral of the Chorale singer who passed away last weekend. That night, we had a dress rehearsal.

On Friday, it was more working out. I had set a goal for myself for the week--run and cycle at least 75 miles. I made it in five days! I'm getting very good at the stationary bike, and I'm averaging 28 miles per hour at level 3, for 30 minutes. Not bad. My short little legs are a blur.

Friday night was the first of two concerts this weekend. It went very well and we had a packed house--the first in a long time. On Saturday morning, I had planned on working out but instead opted to sleep in and then get to Lodi early to help set up for that afternoon's concert. I figure helping set up risers and moving pew seats and all that constituted a light workout.

The concert was at 3:00. Mom and Dad were there and Chorale put on a marvelous show. We had special guests--Velocity Handbell Choir. They were marvelous! Click the link to see a video I found of them performing Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy." This is the same group that came to our concerts, except that instead of the African-American man, there was another man with them. They were having way too much fun, and it's amazing to see what they can do with handbells.

After the concert, Dad headed back to Lincoln. Mom rode with me back to my apartment to gather up the cats, then we headed to Lincoln. Dad had soup and salad ready for us.

I slept in this morning and have stayed at home all day, relaxing and enjoying being with Mom and Dad (hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving!). Tomorrow is our annual Baking Day with our former Folsom neighbors, Luci and her kids, Justin, Logan and Morgan. On Tuesday I have to drive to Stockton to pick up some things that have sold on eBay so I can ship them, and check my mail, and make sure that Stockton isn't flooding in all the rain we've been having.

Then it's back to Lincoln, where I will hunker down at Mom and Dad's with my card-making supplies, lots of books and DVDs, and four snuggly cats. Oh, and lots of comfy, warm pajamas, of course. We're supposed to get another week of rain, rain, rain, which is good and bad. Good because I love rainy days with hot tea and a good book, but bad because as dry as California has been, it could cause flooding and mudslides. But the ski season will be great for the economy, the spring run-off will be excellent, and I'm hoping a good soaking in the winter will mean fewer out-of-control wildfires in the summer (because the state won't be a huge tinderbox).

I want to try to see some friends this week; we'll see who's available and what's going on. My friend Maayan will be back in NYC after two weeks in Israel, and I'll be happy to burn up the Facebook lines with her again. Maybe even the cell phone airwaves, as I'm sure we'll have a lot of catching up to do. I hope to see Summer, too, now that her semester is finished and her grades are turned in.

Christmas should be low-key, just Mom, Dad and I. We're not going all-out with presents. I can't afford to, and Mom and Dad would be upset if I bought a bunch of stuff for them. I have a few aces up my sleeve, however, and I can't wait to see their reactions. : ) 

So that's it, in a nutshell. I'll be back to the gym tomorrow with the hopes of making another 75 miles (or more!) this week. Even with the holiday, I think I can do it.