Well-Rested And Working Ahead

It's December, and I'm officially stressed out about work. I'm stressed out because I'm taking significant time off for the holidays to see my family in DC, and so I'm working ahead on top of the working ahead we're supposed to be doing anyway. Add that to the fact that half of my sources are trying to leave on vacation too, and that jack shit happens on the local health care scene during December and January, and I feel fucked.

Despite my anxiety, things appear to be going (I'm hoping this doesn't jinx it) ok. I've been able to call and schedule things, and I've even had a few people call with story ideas. I'm working ahead, which hardly ever happens. I'm not programmed to work ahead; it almost makes me as nervous as procrastinating, but I'm familiar with procrastination. It's an old friend. We get along well. I'm not sure I really need new friends like working ahead right now.

The real thing that's ticked me off lately was one of these PR people in a major city across the country who's repping a local company and just CANNOT leave me alone. Yesterday and today included bouts of really spiteful comments, just because I was so angry and couldn't take my frustrations out directly on this person.

I fantasize about bitching out a bad PR person some day. But then, I also fantasize about bitching out my sister and other people who tick me off, and it never really happens. I don't have the guts to be as bitchy in person as I am in my imaginary conversations in my head.

I'm sitting on the couch right now, watching House. The couch is my favorite place to be lately, especially when I'm in sweatpants and under two blankets. The living room is the coldest room of the apartment--the hottest in the summer--but I don't have a TV in my room and my internet is sketchy in there. Plus, there's nowhere to sit in my room except on the bed, and if I'm on my bed I'm gonna fall asleep pretty quickly.

Over the Thanksgiving break I spent a lot of time on this couch--reading, watching TV, lots of napping. I really can't stomach TV commercials, so I usually mute the TV during commercial breaks and read my book in 2-minute intervals. It's pretty lame, but that's how I roll. This is how I spend my time during the evenings when I'm done with running and the barn.

I also know this is probably how I'll spend significant time at home with my family. My parents are a fairly quiet bunch--they go out and run errands and go to craft fairs and stuff like that during the day, but they're usually at home in the living room by about 7:30 and in bed by about 9:30. (This makes sense when your idea of sleeping in is to sleep until 5:30 a.m.)

I would worry what my quiet evenings say about me, about how freaking boring I'll be when I'm 40, but then that hopefully I'll be a well-rested 40-year-old instead of one of those perpetually-tired ones, and that makes me feel better.