It was a workday where I got a *lot* on small things done and done well... and then there was the holiday party, held at Bertucci's so I could eat like a normal person. Balsamic chicken, green beans, terribly delicious mashed potatoes - co-workers saw my red-skinned buttery mashed potatoes hit the table and immediately ordered sides of 'em for themselves! The co-worker with the new baby brought her baby, and there was silliness and baby time and good food and good company, and a Yankee Swap with gifts ranging from tea and coffee and bath salts to finger moustaches and punching bags and breathalyzer kits. I snagged a fabulous ginormous fur hat that is in itself as big as my head. It is ridiculous. I love it. Someone tried to trade his gift for it and I crammed it on my head and pulled a Puss in Boots, and it was decided that I looked too adorable in it to have it cruelly torn from my grasp. I don't go adorable on people often. But I meant business about this hat.
Made it home a bit late and a lot tired - I'm still not 100% energywise. Thankfully, Elayna said she hadn't signed me up *specifically* to bake the cookies that need hours of prep for her bake sale, she'd just signed me up to bring *something*. So! Baked chocolate-chip muffins. They were good. And then we watched an episode of Babylon 5 (Divided Loyalties) over dinner.
The thing about Elayna is that she loves music. Love love loves it. So when she's playing something she likes, decorum goes out the window a bit. Oh, "Oye Como Va". There were hipwiggles and bouncing and bopping and grinning! She rocked the hell out of her solo, and she knew she rocked it, and that clearly felt so good - she set her flute aside for the next non-flute part and did a bounce-laugh-full-body-wiggle like an excited puppy!
So that was awesome.
We went from there to
Worthy of note: Due to my massively Type-A perfectionist background - and oh, mamas, do not do this to your babies! - I have tremendous difficulty doing things that I am not good at in public. So if you noticed me shaking like a damn leaf last night, that is why. I have many skills! Singing is ever so much not one of them. And part of the thing of only doing things publicly that I am good at is that no one believes me when I say that. *sheepish grin* So what I am saying here is that I did a thing that was hard for me, and I had fun, and as I was told, there is no shame in the karaoke room. Even though I was below even my usual standards due to being short of breath from this damn cold still.
I sang (for certain values of the word) "Fever" by Peggy Lee, "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies, and...
You know, it used to be a Thing that everyone knew the one song that I can't not sing. That, if it comes on the radio, I cannot refrain from singing it. I'm pretty sure this has been public knowledge. So I'm going to see if that still holds. Who knows what song I can never not sing? (People who were there and already know what I sang, answer not!)
It was a very good day and night. Often we fall into the trap of blogging the negatives; I wanted to post about one really good day, which is honestly one of many. Was it perfect? No; I had some tired and some nausea and a skin reaction to what must've been a very casual glutening. That doesn't mean it wasn't an excellent day. The saying is that when you don't have your health, you don't have anything, and I find this to not be so. I find that you have to find other things. I find this in work, too - let's face it, my job has some hella depressing aspects to it. But we have silly banter and ridiculous hats and we keep the joy going.
Just keep your joy going.
It is almost always a good day.