Settling for "good."

That's what I have to learn to do. That good enough IS good enough.

I realized this yesterday afternoon, in the time between my two labs, I ran over to Print Shop and got the Chrismon patterns copied to the heaviest cardstock they could run through the copier. (Total cost to me: $1.40. My time, even five minutes of it, is worth more than that now). But I looked at them as I was walking back to my car and found myself thinking: these are really pretty thin. Maybe you should get some cardboard and a glue stick when you go out to get milk and orange juice and reinforce them.

And then I thought: you know, there are eight or ten other people at church, people who have more free time than I do, who could have volunteered to do this. Yet, they did not. The templates as they are will be good enough; they will have to be good enough.

Also, we got a mass e-mail for another volunteer "opportunity" on campus. And I just stared at it in dismay: do they expect us not to sleep, now? They do realize that we also teach, do research, grade, prep for classes, advise students, and serve on committees? I wonder if my skipping this is going to go on my "permanent record" but I also can tell that all I'm trying to do is affecting me adversely. Either way too much is expected of us, other people around here aren't working as hard as I am, or I'm somehow doing things wrong and therefore not having the time I'm "supposed" to have to donate to Good Causes. I don't know.

I did get out to the grocery, finally, last night. It was as awful as I anticipated. I had called in a carry-out order at the newest barbecue place in town and set it for about 45 minutes after I was due to arrive at the grocery even though I just needed milk and orange juice and some iced tea for a lunch tomorrow. And, true to form, I wound up in a long line (They were all long. This grocery has 24 check out stands but I've never seen more than 9 open) and the person who was checking out when I got in the line did not know how to run her debit card through the scanner.

That always happens to me when I'm in a hurry. There's always some hang-up in the line ahead of me. (I'd go somewhere else for the things, except the only other grocery in town doesn't carry some of the items, or some of the brands I use. So I can't even really vote with my feet.)

I did finally get out on time to pick up my order, but it was sort of close.

And then when I got home, ta-da, a letter from the IRS in my mailbox. ("Maybe I'll rent SIX horror movies". No, I'm not to that point but I'm getting to the point where I'm all "Life, whatever more you can throw at me, I am now past caring") This time, though, it was a receipt sort of thing saying, "We applied the blood from a turnip extra payment you sent and you now owe zero." Well, DUH, IRS, I can count. I know that I should owe ZERO after sending in that check. (It would be nice if they used a different type of envelope, maybe one saying "receipt enclosed" or something, so you don't have that moment of horror when you pull it out of the mailbox)

But yeah. I'm ready for something good to happen for a change. Not sure when that will be. I'm trying to push extra hard to get done with stuff for this week so I have minimal stuff I have to do Saturday. (not "no" stuff, "minimal" stuff. Sigh.)

I also wound up with a cramp in my neck/shoulder last night and spent most of the evening with a hot water bottle applied to the area. I know why I got the cramp - a combination of going out in the cold in a t-shirt (I had to take out the trash) and also that I've been carrying too much stuff (both literally and figuratively).