This was a week where I just didn’t do all that much except knit and watch movies.  My mother-in-law was in and out of the hospital — she’s in rehab now, for back pain from degenerated vertabrae.  They’re not gonna operate on an 84-year-old woman who weighs a fast 90 pounds, so they’re mostly just medicating her.  My father-in-law is fairly helpless without her at home…plus today is their wedding anniversary, 65 years.  Rough time.

I managed to relax myself over the week, but I’m starting to get charged up for work again because the Lynch book is on sale and the Boston Post and NY Times pieces came out and the tour starts in a week and a half and the book is SELLING — #94 on Amazon.com right now.  I couldn’t be more excited.

Big resolution for 2007:  lose 50 pounds.  I weighed in at 190 this morning, so we’re looking for 140.  It was doable ten years ago — I lost 30 pounds in six months.  That’s the big one.  Also, stay with three times a week exercise as much as possible.

This is me trying to figure out what to do with my time off.  I’ve been so wound up that I’m not sure how to have spare time.  Part of me would just like to sit around and knit.  Part of me would like to go into Manhattan and see INLAND EMPIRE.  Part of me thinks I should go to the gym.  My blood sugar looks good these days, but I haven’t managed to lose much weight.

I could go into the village, see INLAND EMPIRE, go to the gym near there, and pick up that extra skein of Noro Silk Garden at The Point.  Or I could go for a nice walk around here, get a few things I need on Avenue U and then come home, knit, etc.  I could also go to the Brooklyn branch of my gym and then come home and take it easy.

None of these are really floating my boat.

On top of it all, I actually have some spending money available and a lot of pot.  Good for all kinds of adventures!  I could even do something like go to Kings Plaza and buy some corduroy pants.

I don’t wanna move.  And even though that’s a perfectly legit vacation sentiment, it doesn’t feel right.  Phooey.

Linda’s coming in from Jersey tomorrow and we’re going to get together, maybe the Museum of Modern Art.  Such things do get me off my ass.

In general, I’m feeling good these days, what with gym and proper diet and all; I’ve even (finally) dropped a couple of pounds.  But today, I’m just beat.  Too busy, too much stuff. 

I’m going to try to get four things done this weekend:  (1) gym (2) shopping (3) seeing new Lynch film Inland Empire (4) going to a memorial service on Sunday for the founding librarian of my grade/high school.  I’ve been avoiding all kinds of school reunions for 20 years now, mostly because I’ve felt so very less-than when I think about my high-achieving peers.  But I actually do have a job I’m proud of, and I’m also very appreciative that they’ve actually scheduled a memorial for this hard-working and much put-upon woman.  (She was for many years the wife of our philandering founding headmaster.  I don’t think his behavior was a secret to any students or parents, and it just amazes me that his wife continued to work in the same building for all of those years.  About ten years ago, he finally left her for a former student from my graduating class — yuk.  The board finally retired him a couple of years back.)

Let’s see how much of it I actually get done.  Right now I just feel like sleeping all weekend — at least, after I finish watching the second disc of the second “Evening with Kevin Smith” DVD.  Kevin Smith just kills me — super-funny dude and great storyteller.  His movies are a mite uneven in my opinion, but mostly good to great.  My favorites are Clerks, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. 

Will and I have a tentative date for a week from today.  See if a little time off has made any difference.  I’ve told him that I’d like to try it (1) just being ourselves (2) without pre-planning any of the acts:  spontaneous, him and me…you know, just something a little more real.  He agreed, tho I’m sure he’s itching to get back to the way he likes things.  Leo and I went to his & Sherry’s Thanksgiving weekend party again this year, and it felt warm and pleasant with Will and me, all OK.

After today, only two more weeks until my week off.  They’re giving us the entire Christmas week as paid holiday time.  Nice.  Leo doesn’t have all that time off, so I imagine I’ll be doing fun alone stuff like the gym and maybe a movie or two if I’m not too broke.  Sleep late, cook more, compose playlists for my mp3 player.

I love that little bugger, I mean the mp3 player, which is a SanDisk 512 mb.  It holds somewhere around 100 songs which is plenty when you figure what I’ve had before were cassette and CD walkmans.  I have an insane amoung of music accumulated on my hard drive at home, like 7,000+ songs, so I’m starting to plow through the things I’ve never listened to — bands I’m investigating, other music by favorite artists, new genres.  Because it holds so many songs, it seems to work for all occasions because I can always forward to something I like if something I’m not in the mood for pops on. It’s teeny and easy to operate.

I seem to be more about creative at work than at home. I knit a bit and haven’t touched jewelry in weeks.  Mostly I create mailing lists and publicity schemes.  I seem to be good at what I do.  Ben — we still stay in touch — thinks I may get the Lynch book on the New York Times bestseller list.  That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

The gym is starting to be something I enjoy again, and I seemed to have reasonably good strength and stamina right off the bat.  I can already do 30-40 minutes of aerobic workout (usually divided between an elliptical trainer and a recumbant bike), and on my last visit, started weight-training my upper body.  I must be doing my stretching right, since nothing’s really hurting too badly.  It definitely helps keep my blood sugar low, and I find my appetite is somewhat decreased after I work out (!). 

I hope I get some kind of a raise at some point…I’m not sure if that happens at year-end or after my one-year anniversary.  It does kind of suck to be so hand-to-mouth with money even with both of us working full-time and permanent.  My benefits are great, but that doesn’t always work when you run low on cash.

My brother & family came into town last weekend, so I got to see the little guy.  Leo didn’t feel like going out on Sunday night so it was just me.  At 3-1/2, Walter is just crazy about me, and generally a friendly, happy, easygoing little boy.