I just have to say … I am so freaking proud of myself at the moment.
This semester, more than any other in grad school or as an undergrad, I stayed organized and on top of my work from the beginning in order to avoid that last-minute, procrastination-induced manic 96-hour writing binge the last week of the semester.
So even though I had an unexpected "pain event" that pretty much took me out of the game the secnd half of November, leaving me a little more tight on time than I would've preferred, I was able to switch back into school mode and still get things done on time.
I wrapped up one of the semester's largest projects yesterday (360-degree feedback), and I'm completely on target to finish everything else (even my incompletes from last fall) in a timely manner and without too much stress.
I know this might not seem like a big deal to some of you. But in the past, I've allowed my self-doubt to manifest as crippling procrastination. I haven't done that this time around. I've maintained confidence in my voice, in what I have to contribute to my learning community. And now I'm seeing the payoff.
We didn't go out shopping yesterday … crowds suck, and prices will just drop as the holiday gets closer anyway. My parents did take advantage of Black Friday to go buy a new dishwasher on sale—I guess that counts.
I actually did do some shopping online yesterday, but again, it was mostly stuff I need/was planning on getting anyway that I just put off till yesterday for some discounts. (Specifically? Curtain rods, sheets, and some wall frames.) I suspect there's going to be a lot of that this shopping season—still an uptick in spending, but more practical than frivolous.
The only conspicuous consumerism I took part in yesterday was some music shopping on the Amazon MP3 store. They're running a somewhat irresistible promotion—50 albums for $5 each—so I picked up a couple albums I otherwise would've passed over (Coldplay, R.E.M., and the Avett Brothers). In the process, I inadvertently introduced my mom to the Amazon music store, where she promptly indulged her Christmas music addiction.
I offer you a taste of my family's traditional Christmas soundtrack. Some of these albums are, objectively, really pretty bad, but were hardwired into my brain as a kid; others are selections that I've picked up on my own over the years and have become part of the tradition.
My name is Becky Blitch, and this is my blog. Like my life, it's organic, juicy, unpredictable, messy, romantic, fierce, and beautiful.
