An unexpected one, but not questionable.

A few weeks ago, Stephany posted about how she was grateful that it was finally peppermint mocha season. OK, I confess – I scoffed. I’ve never been one for holiday coffees (no, not even pumpkin spice) and usually go for plain nondairy creamer in my coffee.

But something about “peppermint mocha” made me think that I might actually like that taste. So when my grocery store had it on sale last week, I picked some up.

Friends, this was not a questionable decision. It tastes so good – and so different from my usual! It’s a lovely way to oh-so-slightly emerge from my grinchiness and embrace the season. So thanks, Stephany! And go me, for making a good decision. 😉

Happy Monday, friends. I hope re-entry after the holiday for those in the US is as smooth as possible. Post-holiday Mondays are the hardest Mondays, for sure.

Ever make a decision and then stop, and think, wow, that was really dumb? (If you said no, then I want to learn your magic, because this happens to me about every other week, if not more frequently…)

Last week’s questionable decision: Opting to get my new laptop last Wednesday morning at 8 am.

I’ll let that sink in. Who would choose to get their new laptop on the day before a long holiday weekend, when University staff are not working and even the Help Desk has a skeleton staff? Oh, and how about we make it a day when the person who needs the laptop also has a bunch of meetings scheduled? Me! That’s who.

(#facepalm)

Things got off to a rather inauspicious start when I went down to IT to find the assigned IT person missing. I assumed it was the result of a bathroom run or something along those lines, so cooled my heels for 5 minutes. Until it occurred to me that it was decidedly unlikely that the IT person was coming back any time soon. Had they forgotten? Had I messed up the day and/or time?

Nope. They were just waiting outside my office. Oh. Apparently this is a we-come-to-you thing now? Which was fine but it might have been nice to know.

Anyway! New laptop was obtained, my non-standard software was installed and all was good. Except, well, not exactly. I double-checked on one non-standard program – nope. Not there. And of course that program would take a long time to install, putting me at risk of missing the next meeting, which was pretty important. I sighed, realized that I could use my tablet for the next meeting (not ideal, but needs must…), and went down to IT to install the program. Where I learned that hey! They could push it out to me over the VPN later that day, rather than me hanging out in the building. Problem solved!

I zipped home (the benefits of living nearby), finally had a snack, and got my new laptop connected to the WiFi and the VPN. And realized that another non-standard program had not been installed.

Sigh.

One important meeting and frantic email to IT later, the IT person was installing the 2nd missed program on my computer. It worked (whew) and I thought all was good.

And then, the next day (ahem, Thanksgiving, if you’re keeping track) a few things went sideways. The 1st missed program (the long download) wouldn’t open – error message. I couldn’t open Microsoft files on the server-based drives in protected status – so I had to disable that. Outlook thought my personal folders were corrupt and wouldn’t connect properly. Etc. I now have a sticky note on my desktop titled “Things that are messed up”, LOL.

I’ve managed to MacGyver myself into a functioning (new) laptop over the weekend, but you can bet that I will be sending an email to IT later today that outlines the “things that are messed up”. Meanwhile, I am not making any decisions until I find my brain.

What about you? Any questionable decisions lately? (Please tell me I’m not the only one?)

Here we are again, Saturday, and my mind is blank when I try to think up a “good” post topic. And then I realized…there are so many random thoughts drifting through my head that it makes more sense to just get them out vs. letting them keep circling.

• I am completely discombobulated regarding what day it is. Is it Sunday yet? I thought yesterday (Friday) was Sunday. I was convinced of the same today. I blame end of the semester fatigue and, of course, the holiday for this. (Let’s hope it’s not me losing my marbles…)
• I had a fun adventure to a part of town I’d never seen before. It’s always amazing to me that no matter how long I live somewhere, there are always places that I haven’t seen. I’d say I should get out more, but since we are heading into cozy hibernation season, I think that will have to wait til it warms up again. 🙂
• Does anyone shop in-store for Black Friday & the weekend sales anymore? I went to Target this morning for a few things and while it wasn’t deserted, it seemed like just a regular Saturday.
• I started a book in a long-running series that recently changed authors and… I was so disappointed. This was the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. His brother took over the writing and changed the voice. The books were always in the third person, and now… they’re in the first person. At first, I thought it was just a one-off for the start of the book, but no. It’s consistent throughout. And so, I think my long-running history with this series is now, sadly, done. It was a good run while it lasted. Has that ever happened to you? I know most authors end series, rather than handing them off, but I was hopeful this one would continue to be at least readable. And it wasn’t, at least not for me. 🙁

And with that, I shall spare you any more of my random thoughts. A slightly pathetic post for a kind of gloomy but still enjoyable Saturday. Be well.

There’s a difference between being alone – which I am, frequently – and being lonely – which, fortunately, is not something I experience on a regular basis. For me, there is joy in solitude, in being with myself, in the (relative) quiet of my small apartment. I spend time with others when I want to or need to, but solitude is my typical state of being these days. I know that doesn’t work for everyone, though.

I was alone yesterday, on Thanksgiving here in the US. My parents have finally accepted that I can’t travel out East for this holiday, given limitations of my work and teaching schedule. And I have long accepted that I will spend Thanksgiving (and, this year, Christmas) by myself, most years.

Others, though, are appalled, which I find surprising. (One friend said they were “so sad” for me, even though I said this was typical for my holidays. She texted me yesterday to make sure I was okay, which was so nice and appreciated. <3) There are many people who are alone for holidays – I am definitely not an N of 1! (I’m not that special!) Thanksgiving and other holidays tend to be Family Time, which probably drives peoples’ reactions to my solo holidays.

I had a lovely day, though. I didn’t work (much). I read a trashy book. I took Ernie’s advice and went on a walk in the brilliant afternoon sunshine. I made something a bit more special than usual for my lunch. While I missed my family at points, I didn’t miss the noise and the chaos. (There was a lot of chaos per this morning’s report…)

If you celebrated Thanksgiving, l hope you had the day that you wanted to have, whether alone or with others.

And gratitude, of course, for those connections that have become so important to me.

A brief post today, just sharing a lovely paragraph from Susan Cain’s The Kindred Letters.

So by all means, enjoy your dance parties and your family reunions, your dinners out and even your team-building exercises.

But also notice the quiet ripples. Notice the way that each thought, each action, each step you take in the world, has vast and far-reaching effects that you never quite anticipated.

And notice how these ripples are forming at this very moment, in ever-widening circles, all around you.

That’s what connection truly means.

~Susan Cain