Christmas season

Christmas season always seems more hectic than it needs to be.  Between everyone trying to clear desks of work, client functions, the "seasonal catch up" coffees or beers that are quality time with friends and acquaintances, time seems thin.  Add to that the usual FirstEnergy Christmas "we put the capital P in Party" costume ordeal, and there's a lot to pull off in a short period of time.  The corporate culture of our group makes it hard for me to picture surviving in any other group - we're effective, gutsy, diligent go getters but can laugh at ourselves and don't take anything too seriously along the way.  The costumes this year were so money again: head of A&D was indistinguishable from Robert Plant.  Research was "biblical" to say the least.  James Bond and Odd Job were there.  Ozzy, the Spice Girls, the Queen, The Clash, those funny looking old school British police "bobbies", Prince Harry the Cowboys waitress, Eddie the Eagle, Amy Winehouse, Robin Hood, Harry Potter, etc.  I displayed my long appreciation of Rod Stewart as best I could.

In the short run, one thing I'm looking forward to is the 20 hour flight to see Tori and get to Singapore/Cambodia, as that'll allow a lot of sleep catch up.  I'm on about 4 days of midnights then up at 5:45, followed by two days of up at 6, in bed by 2:30 after the party crowd thins out, inclusive of a full day of skiing.  Just gotta keep awake 3 more days then Air Canada is going to facilitate my upcoming one man slumber party.

I'm going on 10 years of a different "normal" and I love it.  Only a small part of Christmas for me is wrapped boxes, commercial junk and Christmas carols.  Much more of it is seeing a new place, having awesomely good times and catching up with people - the stuff that counts.  You can pack a hell of a lot into a year when all the stops are pulled out - double time is a fun approach.  I guess that's the "you get out of life what you put into it". 

Things just seem so awesome lately!