Diary: My week
Dec. 21st, 2013 11:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lyornDiary again, because last week was one of those where one looks back some months later and wonders, "was I even alive in that period?"
I made it through the last week before the holidays. Barely.
I had planned to be on a training in the town I live in. No commute, no work. Sounded too good to be true, and, of course, it was. The training got cancelled, and I got the opportunity to get some work done before the holidays... Yeah, sure. Was at work at seven a.m. or earlier on three days, because Urgent Stuff needed doing before anyone else was in. That's what I get for volunteering for server admin.
I didn't bicycle to work at all. To be in before seven, I'd have to get up around five, and... no. No way. Six is bad enough.
Sunday, R___, Ceridwen, Gwydion and I did our yearly Big Cookie Baking at R___'s place. We were very busy from after breakfast until well after dinner, but produced only (*cough*) eight types of cookies, because each one of us ran into one recipe that was more effort than expected. I had prepared eight recipes, and had hoped to do six, but managed only three: Chocolate-coffee ones, honey bread with candied pumpkin seeds on top (fun to make, very sticky), and something that should have been a thin shortcrust folded around blobs of raspberry jam, and ended up big, shapeless with scary red drips all over. (Nothing wrong about the taste, though.) The cookie is called a "little love letter", mine looked more like big death threats.
Monday, three players were missing from our Exalted: Dragon Blooded RPG group, so instead we finished the Classic Star Wars rewatch we had started on Halloween with "Return of the Jedi". First time I watched it in English. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.
Tuesday I went off work reasonably early (after only 8 hours) and did some Christmas shopping. Sweets and package material, mostly. Then singing lessons, and then home and a lazy evening with tea, cats, and reading.
Wednesday was our choir's Christmas party. There was no use going home before the party, but I did manage to redeem the coupon for a Christmas tree that Ceridwen and Gwydion had given me. I haven't had a Christmas tree for 30 years. (It now sits in a corner of the room, is about one metre high, and a little dishevelled. I like it.)
We met in a bistro/restaurant in town, that does not have backrooms, but just one room after another, so I felt extremely uncomfortable, when our conductor wanted us to sing. No matter how good we are, people have a right to get annoyed when some other guests are making so much noise that it is impossible to hold a conversation! I seem to be pretty alone in that way of thinking, though. The waitress had to ask us to quiet it down, and I was mortified.
The one good thing was, we found that we could sing Maybebop's version of "Engel" without sheet music, without preparation, and while sitting all over the place.
I left rather early, put on the long black wool coat, and wondered what moron had left his gloves in my pockets. And then I realised I had the wrong long black wool coat. Argh.
Thursday was an in-before-seven day, and at half past seven in the evening we had a company Christmas party. I always accept invitations to these in October, because, nice place, good food, and I always think "What the hell was I thinking? I could go home and sleep!" in December.
This time was not different. Or only insofar, as I nearly overstayed my max working hours and had to run out of the office and spend some time in a nearby store looking at clothes and shoes I had no interest in buying.
I did not get a place at a table with anyone I knew (that is not uncommon) and mostly took my entertainment from food and thinking (which is good enough for me).
Was home at eleven.
Next day, again in office before seven. At least, stuff went smoothly, and it was nice and quiet, as Most of my colleagues had already left or had not come in that day. In the afternoon, we had some spiced wine and cookies.
I went home around 4 p.m., and slept for two hours.
Later that evening, I met with Ceridwen and Gwydion, we exchanged presents, put up the tree, and had more spiced wine and cookies.
Today, Saturday, the cats felt that I should get up at a quarter to six and feed them. I did my best to ignore them and slept until half past seven. (Who am I, and what have I done with the Lyorn? I used to get up around 1 p.m. on Saturdays, cats or not!) Had a leisurely breakfast, went into town, and bought groceries for the holidays. My mother and my stepfather will be coming to visit on Sunday, I will provide three dinners and three afternoon coffees. Usually I could do this from what's in the kitchen anyway, but as it's the holidays, I want a little more variety.
I'll not be doing anything particularly fancy. Sunday evening, we'll have squasch soup with apples and ginger, bread, cheese, and cold cuts (I might bake a rosemary bread tomorrow if I feel like it), baked apples for dessert. Monday it's a quiche, either the pear-and-camembert one from last week, or one with Brussels sprouts, bacon and parmesan cheese. Dessert I have not decided on yet. Probably something involving yoghurt, nuts and honey.
Christmas Eve will be a rolled spinach soufflé filled with goat cheese and porcini, next a beef stew in wine, and then a gingerbread panna cotta.
Coffee will be, well, coffee and cookies and gingerbread and stollen.
When I got home, I had lunch, tried to read the newpaper, nearly fell asleep, and went back to bed for a few hours.
So now I'm quite energetic and rested, but I still have to tidy up the place tomorrow, get stuff down into the cellar, make squash soup, bake bread... So, I'll call it a day.
I made it through the last week before the holidays. Barely.
I had planned to be on a training in the town I live in. No commute, no work. Sounded too good to be true, and, of course, it was. The training got cancelled, and I got the opportunity to get some work done before the holidays... Yeah, sure. Was at work at seven a.m. or earlier on three days, because Urgent Stuff needed doing before anyone else was in. That's what I get for volunteering for server admin.
I didn't bicycle to work at all. To be in before seven, I'd have to get up around five, and... no. No way. Six is bad enough.
Sunday, R___, Ceridwen, Gwydion and I did our yearly Big Cookie Baking at R___'s place. We were very busy from after breakfast until well after dinner, but produced only (*cough*) eight types of cookies, because each one of us ran into one recipe that was more effort than expected. I had prepared eight recipes, and had hoped to do six, but managed only three: Chocolate-coffee ones, honey bread with candied pumpkin seeds on top (fun to make, very sticky), and something that should have been a thin shortcrust folded around blobs of raspberry jam, and ended up big, shapeless with scary red drips all over. (Nothing wrong about the taste, though.) The cookie is called a "little love letter", mine looked more like big death threats.
Monday, three players were missing from our Exalted: Dragon Blooded RPG group, so instead we finished the Classic Star Wars rewatch we had started on Halloween with "Return of the Jedi". First time I watched it in English. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.
Tuesday I went off work reasonably early (after only 8 hours) and did some Christmas shopping. Sweets and package material, mostly. Then singing lessons, and then home and a lazy evening with tea, cats, and reading.
Wednesday was our choir's Christmas party. There was no use going home before the party, but I did manage to redeem the coupon for a Christmas tree that Ceridwen and Gwydion had given me. I haven't had a Christmas tree for 30 years. (It now sits in a corner of the room, is about one metre high, and a little dishevelled. I like it.)
We met in a bistro/restaurant in town, that does not have backrooms, but just one room after another, so I felt extremely uncomfortable, when our conductor wanted us to sing. No matter how good we are, people have a right to get annoyed when some other guests are making so much noise that it is impossible to hold a conversation! I seem to be pretty alone in that way of thinking, though. The waitress had to ask us to quiet it down, and I was mortified.
The one good thing was, we found that we could sing Maybebop's version of "Engel" without sheet music, without preparation, and while sitting all over the place.
I left rather early, put on the long black wool coat, and wondered what moron had left his gloves in my pockets. And then I realised I had the wrong long black wool coat. Argh.
Thursday was an in-before-seven day, and at half past seven in the evening we had a company Christmas party. I always accept invitations to these in October, because, nice place, good food, and I always think "What the hell was I thinking? I could go home and sleep!" in December.
This time was not different. Or only insofar, as I nearly overstayed my max working hours and had to run out of the office and spend some time in a nearby store looking at clothes and shoes I had no interest in buying.
I did not get a place at a table with anyone I knew (that is not uncommon) and mostly took my entertainment from food and thinking (which is good enough for me).
Was home at eleven.
Next day, again in office before seven. At least, stuff went smoothly, and it was nice and quiet, as Most of my colleagues had already left or had not come in that day. In the afternoon, we had some spiced wine and cookies.
I went home around 4 p.m., and slept for two hours.
Later that evening, I met with Ceridwen and Gwydion, we exchanged presents, put up the tree, and had more spiced wine and cookies.
Today, Saturday, the cats felt that I should get up at a quarter to six and feed them. I did my best to ignore them and slept until half past seven. (Who am I, and what have I done with the Lyorn? I used to get up around 1 p.m. on Saturdays, cats or not!) Had a leisurely breakfast, went into town, and bought groceries for the holidays. My mother and my stepfather will be coming to visit on Sunday, I will provide three dinners and three afternoon coffees. Usually I could do this from what's in the kitchen anyway, but as it's the holidays, I want a little more variety.
I'll not be doing anything particularly fancy. Sunday evening, we'll have squasch soup with apples and ginger, bread, cheese, and cold cuts (I might bake a rosemary bread tomorrow if I feel like it), baked apples for dessert. Monday it's a quiche, either the pear-and-camembert one from last week, or one with Brussels sprouts, bacon and parmesan cheese. Dessert I have not decided on yet. Probably something involving yoghurt, nuts and honey.
Christmas Eve will be a rolled spinach soufflé filled with goat cheese and porcini, next a beef stew in wine, and then a gingerbread panna cotta.
Coffee will be, well, coffee and cookies and gingerbread and stollen.
When I got home, I had lunch, tried to read the newpaper, nearly fell asleep, and went back to bed for a few hours.
So now I'm quite energetic and rested, but I still have to tidy up the place tomorrow, get stuff down into the cellar, make squash soup, bake bread... So, I'll call it a day.
