Glad I'm home

Yeah, I still feel guilty for having gone out on a workday but there's nothing in my campus e-mail suggesting I was missed.

Traffic was less than your typical Friday or Saturday, but the stores couldn't be any hooter hotter than they were*


(*Yes, I watched part of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" the other night and as cringeworthy as some of the bits are, they are still kind of mentally indelible)

Five Below was full of probably-moms, or perhaps-classroom-volunteers going through the shelves and just sweeping All The Things into their carts. (I would've guessed it was closer to Christmas from that sight, but maybe if they're classroom-moms getting trinkets for holiday parties....)

I did get the cards I went to get.

And two little treats for me.

From Ulta:

A new lipstick (One of the Burt's Bees ones that's semi liquid. At first, when I tried it on (here at home), I thought "oh man, I'm channeling my inner Goth" because it goes on very dark but once you blot it, it's not so bad.

I like the semi-liquid ones; they seem to stay on better for me.

And then this:

Yes, a pink unicorn blanket, but as I've said before: I don't think you can have too many of these little fleece blankets. (I do want to prewash it, I'll see if I have some similar colored things that can go in with it. I am leery of too much close contact with things that may have sizings or other not-so-good chemicals in it.

But yeah. I'm glad I'm home. It was bright and sunny when I drove down, but walking out of the bookstore (almost done at that point) it was clouding up and getting gloomier and colder. And now the OKC weather guys are predicting mild doom, at least north of me, for this weekend.

But yeah, being down there....wasn't great. I had one eye on the sky and the clock (do not like driving in the dark, and it gets dark early right now). And driving down, my "low tire pressure" light went on. Yes, these are untrustworthy, and often they do a false-positive when it's cold and you go out on the interstate, but I remember when that tire went flat on me back in 2015, so I figured I had better check it. Anyway, it had been over a month since I did (It's an easy thing to forget. Sometimes I think I need a minder, or maybe a husband, for things like that)

They were down some, perhaps not dangerously so, but since I'd found a safe place to pull off ("The Peanut Shack" - a former gas station that now sells, well, you can guess - I decided to haul out my little pump and bring them back up to 40 psi (max inflation is 44, but I thought "given the changeability of our temperature, maybe it's best not to go to the very max on a chilly day" and also it's hard to read the marks-between-the-tens on the little gauge). So that took maybe 10 minutes to make sure all four tires were up to the right level, but it shut off the light, so that was good.

I also will admit to having muttered, "You're so very special, I wish I were special" (a slight euphemism of the Radiohead bit) at people doing selfish things; for example, one person pulling straight across a lane of the parking lot to grab the space I was aiming for) and similar stuff. At least I didn't see any kids having meltdowns (school was still in session).

I wound up ditching going to the natural-foods store: I got a few food-type items at Target (some grapes and some cottage cheese) but I don't really need a whole lot (I have chili in the fridge, and some other "raw materials for food" things). Did buy a carton of "reduced fat" eggnog. Yes, I like eggnog and was thinking about how I wanted some. Yes, full of sugar and also fat even in the low-fat kind, but....sometimes it's just nice to have the old traditional foods.

But yeah. They are predicting cold, heavy rain Friday and Saturday and so it perhaps makes more sense to stick at home. If I don't get the short final papers from Policy and Law graded before the weekend I can do them then.

And next week is finals. Monday I don't give one BUT Sunday evening is "family night" at church (food will need to be made for that, and the bell choir is playing) and Monday night is CWF party, so I will need to consider food for that.

(edited to add: NOTE TO SELF: CHEESY GRITS WOULD BE A GOOD CHOICE)

Tuesday I give an 11 am final (so I am thinking: don't set the alarm, get up when I get up, work out, come in some time before the exam). Wednesday I collect a take -home due at 10 but I said I'd be there starting at 7, and I give an 11-1 final.

Thursday, I give an 8-10 am final, my last one, and at 1 pm we have the annual departmental lunch.

Friday - well, if I get all my exams graded and the grades in (I might even come back late in the day Thursday to ensure that) - I have that day off. (Could be my antiquing day if I want it, or I could just relax at home, or I could write my syllabi for next semester....)

Saturday (a week from this coming Saturday) is graduation which means the day is mostly gone, but maybe Saturday afternoon I clean the house up a bit and do laundry and start packing, and then Monday I leave for break...