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Daze…
I honestly thought it was Friday today (it’s Tuesday), the constantly juggling everything singlehanded doesn’t require knowing what day it is apparently. Dates matter, the days they fall on not so much. My calendar is filled with little markers on the numbers, I rarely even notice if it has a little F or W above it.

Also I suspect at the moment I’m trying to run out the clock on December, I’ve got a “I’m going to make it through this year if it kills me” mentality going on. I even have a theme song about it.
I like to listen to it in the car while driving to appointments I don’t want to go to, and endless visits to the farm to do work that’s mentally and physically ruining me.
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Before Winter…
I really wanted to have the back deck done for Christmas. I want that quintessential Australian boxing day vibe, sitting around listening to a sportsball game on the wireless, drinking cold beverages, while the youngsters play totem tennis and destroy the lawn with the slip n slide.

But at the moment I’m mostly just looking at it through the window. A collection of bits clutter every corner, desperately needing to be turned into the the alfresco hipster cafe bar of my dreams.
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It’s Not My Fault…
I’m great at procrastinating, but terrible at relaxing. And that seems really unfair, I could live with not getting something done if I could enjoy not doing it.

At the moment I’m blaming all lack of progress today on people not showing up to buy my sofa. If the people had showed up a 9am when they said they would, then by now I would have moved my dining table inside, cleaned and painted 4 dining chairs and made a tasty lunch. But it’s now 2pm, I’ve done nothing and I’m hungry.
Update: Couch now sold, but they can’t collect till tomorrow, but at least I can go get something to eat now.
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Now Swallow!
Another day another test. It’s amazing the list of things you can find wrong with you, that aren’t actually the things causing the problems you were worried about.

Anyway blessed be the public health care system and all who make her work. I’ll toast you all with this gritty cup of mint flavored goop.
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Ghosts of Christmas Past…
I’m trying to be all tinsel and baubles this year, because I feel like all the ghosts arrived at the same time to tag team me.

Do any children of divorce enjoy Christmas? Competitive gift giving, one year here one year there, 12 days of pressure. Every Christmas from 8-18 was incrementally worse, and it didn’t occur to me why until years later.

Recently I’ve flipped between trying to Christmas traditionally, and not celebrating it at all. I’m flopping back to trying again this year, maybe it’s the almost adult kids, maybe it’s the loss of my father, maybe it’s the trauma. Whatever the reason for this particular season, I’m trying to provide a few happy memories if possible, but definitely less drama for my own kids.

Maybe it’s the ghost of Christmas yet to come that’s really weighing on me. There’s nothing like the loss of a parent to say “your next!”. I don’t know how many of these chances I have left, so I’m trying. I even ordered an online Christmas feast delivery in a box, which is the modern equivalent of opening a window and telling a street urchin to get you a turkey.

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I’ve Got the Beard For It…
So maybe I should become a Viking? Wear a tunic, learn to throw an axe, and so on. It might be nice to have an interest that gets me out and about.

I’m much more likely to plat my beard and go to a renaissance fair than I am to barrack for a sports team. I believe if you want to get out and meet people these are pretty much the only options:
Sports
Religion
Viking

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The Gall…
Todays round of Doctors poking me, draining me has pointed the towards “maybe a gallbladder problem”, so I’ll be getting up at 5am to go get a dose of radioactive isotopes, and scanned around the middle.
It’s nice that they are all taking an interest, but it would be nice if they could either fix the problem, or maybe stop sticking needles in me for a while.
Oh and I had to pee in a jar.

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Throw Me Down…
I don’t know if it’s the layers, the textures, or just the informal casual feeling, but I’m totally all about the throw rug.

Comfort, cosy, calm… all the C words. All the years living in disorganized clutter (the bad C word) has given me a huge appreciation for the CALM part.

There is also a bit of Sanctum Sanctorum going on, as I’ve definitely created a safe space away from the rest of the house. A place to retreat to when I get back from dealing with the maelstrom.

I’m almost looking forward to winter…
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Where’s My Off Switch?
It’s not having lots to do that’s exhausting me, it’s the constantly thinking about the things I have to do that really interferes with my life. I’m not great at just being in the moment and leaving stuff at work, and I really want to be. I’m either worrying about it or doing it, and when it’s done I just instantly start all over again.

Sincerely Congrat-u-bloody-lations to those that can either switch it off, or compartmentalize jobs, study, obligations etc. but that isn’t me. If there are things that need to be done I’m going to have that going on in my head, even if there is not chance it’s happening today. If I have a job to do tomorrow, it is definitely going to be in my head all night, quite possibly ruining my sleep and making getting anything done the next day more difficult.

I would give real world money to make it not the case. But I suspect unless I can ditch the Sisyphus boulder thing I’m heading for a Wile E Coyote boulder thing.


