As you can see, I’ve added some holiday improvements to my site. Not the best layout, and I’m sure about 4,000 other people have it too, but it’ll do for a while.
Still a busy week. Just finished the prologue–or what might turn out to be the first chapter–of the novel I’m working on. So I was psyched about that. Also, last night, while I was the spare for one of the parks, I got pulled to be in parade–in one of my favorite roles that I haven’t done in forever! (Let’s just say it involves a harp and about thousands of electric lights). Also very exciting. And of course I’m still busy planning and getting together gifts for everybody.
As exciting as this time of year is, it’s also very stressful too. I’m usually not stressed out by the effects of the season, since I just love Christmas so much. But this year is out to get me. My car is acting up again. Judging from the oil spots on the driveway, I think I have a slow leak. It also sounds funny, which probably means the timing chain’s about to go. Plus my radio dial came loose, and it’s just really hard to turn the volume up and down now, which isn’t that big a deal but is just really, really annoying. Well, I hope my car hold out until the new year, because there’s no way I can afford repairs now. Why do things always wait until right before the holidays or vacation to break on you?? It’s Murphy’s Law.
Besides the car, I’ve had some weird health issues lately that have been freaking me out. It’s no big deal, I just mentally freak out about anything wrong with me. Like, why am I so tired this week? Oh my God, it’s cancer, right? I’m not really a hypochondriac, I think it’s just cancer that I fear is lurking behind every dark corner (shudder). Anyway, I’m pretty sure I can trace this back to Coke Zero, which I recently started drinking. My boyfriend pointed out that the artificial sweetener they use, Aspartame, is a particularly harmful chemical. We googled it, and you would not believe all the awful side effects that were listed! Apparently some people it can affect right away, and others over time. I must be one of the “immediate reaction” people. Needless to say, I’m off the stuff for good, whether or not it was really the culprit. Why are we putting stuff like this in our bodies?? Yup, it’s back to good old-fashioned sugary Coke for me (hey no one’s perfect).
And of course, the everlasting, big-gunned holiday stress factor–money. You’ll never have enough, and you’ll always spend too much around the holidays. Already this week, after paying rent, I have like 30 bucks til my next paycheck. And I have to do some more shopping this weekend. Sigh. What’s the point of paying off your credit cards all year when it just goes right back on during Christmas??
Multiple stress factors can easily make a person go crazy at this time of year. Somehow though, it’s not enough to make me forget how exciting the season is. Money, health, and car problems will always be there. But Christmas is only once a year.
