One of the best things about the company I work for is that they understand the value of time OFF around the holidays. Not so in my previous days working hard for the City, where I got off of work at 6:30 p.m. last Christmas Eve, and then worked the day after Christmas. This year was a different story all together. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the important Day after Christmas - off (with pay!). New Year's Eve afternoon, New Years Day, and the day after New Years - off (again with the paid thing!). How sweet it was.

So, having just sort of drifted around in my own little world for the last four and a half days, I'm back. I avoided my computer purposefully during the break, because I generally spend close to 40 hours a week at the office on the computer, and another hour or two on it at home each night. Instead, I spent my unplugged time doing other vacationy things. Thinking. Cleaning. Organizing my house. Painting my toenails. Reading books (I just finished Midwives, it's excellent). Watching Real World marathons on MTV. And, most importantly, not smoking any cigarettes at all in the year 2004.

Yes, you heard me right - and it's a resolution I intend on keeping. It hasn't even been too hard yet, although the first day without nicotene I swear I saw stars each time I blinked my eyes. (Okay, there was that one moment that I freaked out on Brad for saying "hi" to me in a weird voice, but we agreed to pretend like that never happened. Moving on.) I'm a little nervous about going back to work without smoking, but that'll be the trust test of my willpower (and the Nicorette gum we just bought).

I like vacations. I wonder what it's like to do that all the time. Just work around the house, paint my toenails, rake the mountains of leaves in my yard into 15 30-gallon bags while wearing flipflops outside during the first week of January. Oh wait, I remember this feeling. It feels just like ... back in June, when I was unemployed for a month. Why can't someone pay me just to sit around and think?

So, I know I promised informative and compelling writing. Stick with me, it's coming, I promise. I just need another day to shake off this cloud of withdrawal, and then it'll be ON. You just wait.

Lucy loves you |