if i only could be running up that hill

Today was almost entirely relaxing. I did about an hour of work, since I had to deliver a performance review that had slipped through the cracks over the past couple of weeks, but I was done by noon, and I spent the rest of the day doing v. little. My sister came over and brought my great-niece (grand-niece? either way, I'm too young to have one) -- luckily, Jaci is one happy baby and, at six months, starting to display personality and army-crawling with her super-chubby little arms and legs, so I had fun playing with her for an hour or so. After they left, I ate a bologna sandwich and had my favorite french onion sour cream dip; that meal is probably one of the worst choices one could make, but it brings back happy memories of my childhood. I finally decided to clean myself up, and so I took a long, relaxing bubble bath and almost fell asleep in the tub. I spent a couple of hours reading 'The Canterbury Tales', and then had a totally delicious supper; my parents made bratwurst, steak, gold potatoes that had been boiled and then fried, and corn. It's a far cry from the hummus and tomatoes I probably would have resorted to on my own, and it was exactly what I wanted. I spent the rest of the evening watching tv with my parents, although the last four hours don't count since they were asleep and I was playing with my laptop.

My to-do list for the rest of the week looks similarly laid-back; I want to read some books, think about my two-year plan, bond with my family, and take more bubble baths. And that's about it, which is just what the doctor ordered. The funny thing is that it's like a prelude to my Christmas vacation; even though I leave on Saturday for California, I will be back in three weeks, and I'm spending almost two full weeks here for Christmas. Yay - I was desperately in need of a vacation, and this is exactly what I wanted. Now, though, I should go to sleep; it's 1:30 in Iowa even if it's not all that late in California, and I should get out of bed before noon tomorrow. Goodnight!