Christmas Greetings!

One of the major benefits of working for a large state-run university happens between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and consists of one solid week when the university shuts down for the holidays. I imagine the Police et al. are still there, but for us worker bees, we have a whole week plus two weekends off. It’s glorious, and one of the best presents that the university can give to us. And that time is now, my friends.

So – have I been using my free time wisely and crossing pesky things off my To-Do list? HA.

Shall we see just what I’ve been doing the last few days?

• Had quite a few naps. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….
• Read half of a novel, couldn’t get to caring about the characters or the plot, and so it was a DNF. (One off the TBR pile though, so that’s good.)
• Finished up a British Library Crime Series book called “Crimson Snow” with lots of snowy murder mystery short stories. Another off the TBR…
• Superhero deserves a big raise for putting together my new large desk. It had so many pieces, and something like 67 cam-bolts, but he did it, and I can’t wait to get situated in the room now. Next step: chair for desk and chair/ottoman for reading. Plus lights.

My ankle is still encased in a plaster cast and so I’m cruising around on this knee-scooter thing. On a nice smooth surface (such as in the university library), it’s really fun to see how fast you can go. It’s fun until you hit the edge of a carpet which then catapults you over the handle bars and gives you bruised knees, a black eye, and breaks your glasses. Not only that, undignified as it was, but it also took three kind people to help me off the floor as I can’t put any weight on that surgery ankle. Needless to say, I have kept to a more sensible speed since then, but it was fun while it lasted. 🙂

It’s been freakishly cold here since Christmas, and so of course, the (mostly outside) cats have been sneaking inside for a nice warm snooze in the evenings. The temps got down to 24 degrees the other night (when 32 is freezing), and who can say no to three small furry faces looking up at you on the door step? Plus there was a dusting of snow the other day…

I caught some of the great Christmas sales for the community stockings that I put together each year. (Total fun to do, and if you time your shopping just right for the sales, you can get some good stuff without breaking the bank.)

Saw the new Star Wars movie, caught up with some friends, and am generally not doing much which is just what we need to get ready for the new year.

I’m working on a Best of… book post, catching up with the book stats and showing off my new acquisitions, so expect those soon, and in the meantime, I’m just diving into Emily Eden’s books, The Semi-Attached Couple and The Semi-Detached House (Virago imprint, 1859/60). It’s very forward thinking for being written more than a hundred years ago, and Eden has been compared with Austen et al., so looking forward to the read.

Hope your holidays and Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Hanukah et al. have been fun for you and yours. I’m off to catch up on some of my blog reading….