HYC Update: Week 52, Light Speed

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Here it is the last week of 2010.  The time has flown by, especially since September!  The latter part of 2010 has brought with it so many positive changes, which I know will continue well into 2011.  There’s so much going on this week, and I can’t believe I’ve already been on my Winter Break a week and a half. Her’s a bit of what’s been happening for me:

• I saw Black Swan with my friend Alice last Tuesday, and it was better than I’d hoped.  It was a haunting, dark movie that showed the seedier side of the ballet world.  It depicted psychosis, obsession, compulsion, and manipulation.  It was intense and shocking, and Natalie Portman definitely deserves a nomination, if not the main award for her portrayal.  If you like psychological thrillers,  go see it.
• I helped my sister pack, and as we added dishes to boxes, we started imagining how wonderful her new life (and by extension of how close we’ll live, my new life) will be.  It’s overwhelming and exciting, all at the same time.  It’s well past time, but the perfect time. Everything has fallen into place and it’s definitely meant to be.
• Christmas Eve I went to my parents’ house and had a delicious cioppino dinner with my parents and my mom’s cousin and his wife. We spent a nice evening catching up on all of the events of the past few months and looked forward to the new year.  They came back to my house for dessert, and really made me feel great with all of their compliments.  They were amazed at the size of the place, but also extremely impressed with the way I had set it up.
• The morning of the 25th I finally unpacked the last of the 10+ boxes of books that it took to finish my bookcase.  It feels good to have that task completed, and while the room still looks under-furnished and undecorated, it’s filled with a bit more pizazz now that the  bookcase is done.
• Christmas Day my sister, nieces, and Minnie arrived and we had a great time.  Dinner with my parents at their house, games played, presents unwrapped, and love all around.  Then LC and the girls headed back to my place for the night.  Once everyone was settled in, I felt a contentedness that I haven’t felt in so long.  It was nice to know that everyone was safe and sound and about to embark on a whole new future.
• The 26th the girls’ father picked them up (an hour and a half late, ahem) and LC and my dad spent the day painting their new bedroom.  Meanwhile, I took care of the pups.  It was nice to have my sister to myself that night, when she stayed over.
• The next day, LC & my dad finished painting, transplanted LC’s roses and calla lilies.  They look fantastic, and will look even better when everything is in bloom.
• I’ve been reading an amazing book, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, by Therese Walsh.  If you’re looking for something smart, quick, mysterious, and captivating, definitely check it out.
• Lulu & Minnie have become fast friends, and they play together all day long.  Here’s a little sample from last night, before bedtime:

The rest of this week is sure to be a blur of activity:

• LC and my nieces move in on the 29th, and I’ll spend that day helping her unpack and get the house organized.  I am so excited!!
• I still have to organize my closets, and I’m while I’m really dreading it, it won’t be as daunting as I’m making it out to be.  2 hours, tops.  It’s one of those things that I just have to start, but once I get going, it will be faster than expected.  I’m going to get to that today, for sure.
• Sometime before Monday I have to find time to grade those 45 essays. Yuck.  But, it has to be done so that next week and the one after aren’t miserable.  I’ll be able to carve out a couple of hours on Thursday and Friday and get them done.
• I’m seeing my friend Di on NYE day, which will be nice.  She’s a single mom so it’s not easy for us to find time together, but she’s anxious to see my place, say hi to LC, and catch up.
• My yoga studio is offering free classes on the hour all weekend, so LC and I are definitely going to attend a Bikram class (or two).  It’s the ideal way for her to start her new life, and for me to start the new year, refreshed, renewed, and balanced.
• I’ll be finishing up my Reverb10 posts this week.  I’ve enjoyed writing them immensely, and while it wasn’t always easy to find the time to write each day, I did it, and I’m glad.  A few themes/topics were prominent in my posts, as Carina pointed out to me.  (She said the same was true of her Reverb10 posts, too).  I agree with her assessment that this means that “we have a good perspective on the past year and lots of drive to ACHIEVE the goals we’re setting for 2011.”  I’m hoping to find some other writing prompts like Reverb10 to write throughout 2011.  If anyone has any suggestions for sites, please let me know.  The Reverb10 creators mentioned something about it continuing periodically into 2011, so here’s hoping.
• I’m looking forward to writing two other posts this week – my 2010 wrap-up post and my 2011 goals post.  Look for those soon.

I hope all of you have a fabulous week.