Small Day Tomorrow

Christmas was pretty uneventful here. Did the New Yorker thing (for those not celebrating in a traditional manner or who don't celebrate at all) and went to the movies (big surprise, I know). I'd planned on making a small marathon of it, but the theaters were a little crowded for my taste, so was okay at stopping at one. I skipped the Chinese food part of that tradition in favor of homemade food (I'm not crazy about eating Chinese food much). I stopped in an open cafe on the way home, read for a while, came home and got laundry done and watched a DVD (part of Rodney's present to me - we exchanged before he left). Current read: "Catcher in the Rye". It seemed both seasonably and geographically appropriate. Plus, I've never read it, which surprises even myself.

I never got around to getting a tree this year. I missed it a little, but by the time I could do it, it was a bit late to really enjoy it to the fullest. At that point, getting to the Christmas box also seemed more of an effort than the payoff of the tree (storage is a strategic puzzle when living in a small studio). I thought of getting a wreath, just for the smell of a tree (which I love most, along with the lights), but it never really made it to the top of the to-do list before it was really too late. The thought of the wreath, though, did finally get me to put up a hook on the back of one of the doors for a more convenient place to hang my coat(s). Everything has its up side. And for lights, I really just needed to walk down to 5th Avenue to enjoy some beautiful ones everywhere.

Friends are out of town doing the family thing, most shows were dark today, and the streets are eerily quiet with exception of the bustle near movie theaters. Most of the souvenir shops in the neighborhood seemed to be open today, which I thought was a little weird. The knock-off hand bag guys are also out in droves. I suppose if you need a last-minute gift, one can never have too many purses or I <3 NY t-shirts.

Having spent a Christmas in the city now, I think I have a better idea of how I want to spend it next year. I have a better sense of the low key, lay of the land.

I'm back to work tomorrow. It's a good opportunity to catch up while most are out of the office on vacation. I'm taking off next week, instead, when most are back. It will get me out of town for New Year's Eve when I want to be nowhere near my neighborhood (around the corner from the ball drop-- no exaggeration). My doorman was telling me most people do it the first year and vow never to do so again. I'm happy to be ahead of the curve. Trying to cross the Macy's Thanksgiving parade route was insane enough (and also completely unsuccessful until hours after it was over). I'm only gone a couple of days so that I can enjoy the rest of the week in town, getting things done, taking advantage of discounts on some shows and hanging with friends. I'm only going about an hour away, but it's far enough for some chill vacation time. I wasn't really up to flying anywhere or doing anything really big. I have a couple of vacation things planned out later in the year with friends for longer getaways, so just wanted something simple this time around.

The rest of the week is busy, but not in a stressful way. Tomorrow night I'm seeing a show, Thursday it's dinner with friends from out of town and Friday I have yet another friend in town for a couple days up until I leave Sunday. I'm looking forward to it all.

Okay, back to bed with me. I went to bed earlier tonight, as I was so exhausted I couldn't keep my eyes open, but didn't stay asleep. I'm back to feeling droopy-eyed, though, so have no doubt I'll be sawing logs again very soon.

Hope everyone reading this had a nice Christmas, if you celebrate. If you don't, then I'm hoping you had a good day doing whatever you wanted.