The Last Few Days

Christmas itself has come and gone and it was, I think, one of my least stressful/stressed ones in a long while.  Very happy about that.

In the days leading up, they were calling for potentially quite a lot of snow.  That, combined with the rapid ongoing spread of the latest Covid variant (Omicron... that I seem almost unable to not call "omnicron" YMMV) meant none of us were entirely sure what the day itself would look like.

I purchased some rapid tests and they thankfully arrived on the 23rd so I was able to test myself before heading over to see my folks.  (We're all aware that a negative rapid test isn't an all clear, it's more of a "you don't have a huge viral load right now" but at least I wasn't positive for Covid that morning so... you know, mitigating risks a little...?)

The snow didn't hit us (although it did hit other areas) and we got just a light skiff that melted (?) as the day went on.  I appreciated that for folks wanting to drive over to see their relatives.  So I went to see my folks (after a negative test and with clear roads and little snow) Christmas morning and had a short visit which was fine.  They headed out to see my local brother and nieces with the plan to head home before dark and before the snow was expected to really start. 

I went home, did a bit of exercise and then took the food we'd bought (and stored in my fridge) over to Jason's.  He spent his hours of time and effort cooking a delicious meal and we had a nice, quiet afternoon and evening (his roommates were away so the quiet was extra delightful, honestly.)  I was nervous about the snow coming (they kept pushing the "start time" later and later) and so I headed home, after clearing snow and scraping ice off my car.  No driving issues although many folks reported extremely icy roads that night.  (There had been that light dusting of snow that then must have half melted and then frozen and then been snowed lightly upon so a lot of icy slippery stuff that not everyone has the tires for.)

I was in a bit of a low mood when I got home but a bath and a good show (I made the "mistake" of starting a streaming show that comes out weekly and now I have to be patient, ARGH!) I felt a bit better and was able to finish of my evening in a reasonable mood/headspace.

Yesterday and today have been cold.  Like, very.  With windchill factors and light snow.

Nothing is particularly deep around here, but I still haven't gone out and not sure I will today, although there is a book to be taken back to the library "soon" so... maybe?  We shall see.

So yeah, now there is a light layer of snow on roofs and things and an "arctic outflow" warning (meaning cold temps and windchill) and so no melting or washing away of said snow.  

I'm a little grumpy this morning, maybe feeling trapped, by my own desire to not struggle with the cold out there.  I have this week off of work and I'm strangely (maybe not strange actually?) worried about how stressed I might be returning next week after a chunk of time off.  Sigh.

My apartment is not particularly warm, but I'm surviving with blankets and hot water bottles and whining about it...

I am, as I often do, looking towards the "new year" (I put that in quotations because I haven't left 2020, not really) and where I'd like to see myself or what my intentions for myself might be. More on that later perhaps.  But for now, Christmas is done, it was fine, which is great.  I'm not stressed about New Year's Eve, although I should think about groceries at some point this week (nothing to do with NYE, just to do with time passing.)

It's cold.  There's snow.  Sometimes it snows and is really pretty.  I don't want to be stressed, I'm not in the best of moods.  I don't want to go outside but wonder if I should.

The end.