People
😌
December’s parties have been pretty low key this year. Our department Christmas party a couple of weeks ago was at a restaurant with lots of good conversation but only a quiz for a game. The company party last week was a meal at a golf course with a party game that ended up being optional. Just the way I like it. The most memorable party was a small birthday gathering on Sunday for my friend Tim at his favorite restaurant, where I got to know one of his newer friends.
Nature
😎
Sunday Chicagoland had a rare day of fog.
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Holidays
🙂
My vacation with family has been on a slow build as we wait for everyone to arrive. I made it to Texas in one piece this time. So far we’ve mostly been puttering around with everyday life while we wait. There are always new restaurants around here, so we tried a fancy Neapolitan one with very good tear-and-share bread. I asked Claude to look at the PDF menu and tell me what would fit into my diet, and I ended up with a tasty radicchio e farro salad.
I still haven’t finished the Christmas labels. I spent the evening before I flew out preparing the materials to pack for the trip. Since then I’ve gotten past one of the main humps in the design, so now it’s mostly a matter of finding blocks of secluded time to wrap things up.
Productivity
🧐
My productivity project for these couple of weeks is to see how I can hold onto some order while on vacation. Waking up closer to my usual time is making the days more satisfying. I’m still finding that every activity is expanded to 2-3 times its normal length, but starting the day earlier makes it mostly work. I do end up needing a nap, but fortunately my family is accommodating. I’m also paying more attention to our patterns, such as TV time, so I can work around them.
Hope you have a lovely Christmas, Andy!
Thank you, and you have a good one too, Linda!