At a (Happy) Loss

No one in the immediate family is participating in a sporting event this weekend, nor are we planning to attend any. 

We don't have tickets to anything at all. 

No one's having a birthday party. 

I don't owe any organization any volunteer hours.

I am nonplussed.

Occasionally, I find myself looking forward to a weekend that, a few days out, appears unscheduled.  But then, inevitably, events start to stack up.

It is 3:57 pm on Friday.  And nothing is stacking.

And I'm rapidly progressing from nonplussed to giddy.

Okay, so I skipped lunch, meaning that I have to go to the mall on the way home to return the second of the Hoodie Buddies that the elves ordered the week prior to Christmas.  (Because, I am informed by the Ship-to-Store Gods, if I do not claim said item by the end of the day, they will "send it back."  But what does that MEAN?  I already paid for it.  Am I to assume that part of "sending it back" will involve crediting my card?  You know what they say about assuming.  Well, actually, about "assume."  Anyway, I am going into the store to take care of things.)

Then I am meeting Lamar the Cabinetmaker and Spouse at our actual house, where I will be introduced to my new cabinets.  Well, cabinet, singular.  A door, actually.  Lamar wants to make sure that he got the molding right.  We're also going to play with stain and shellac.

Yay.  Progress.

And then what?  Oooh, I know, dinner out - utilizing one of the many restaurant gift cards that we never seem to remember to use.  I can feel good about having dinner out on a Friday.  I don't feel quite as good about dinners out on Saturdays, because, theoretically, I have the entire day to plan and make something.  Compare and contrast with a weekday.  That's when dinner out really comes in handy.

On the way back from dinner, I'm going to buy some stretched canvas.  And then I'm going to go the apartment, and, I think, actually do nothing.  Until I feel like going to sleep, and then I will go to sleep and JUST WAKE UP WHENEVER THE HECK I FEEL LIKE IT.  Probably at some point on Saturday morning - but who knows?

I will probably clean a bit (the sure sign that you are a busy working mom:  you actually get excited at the prospect of having time to clean), after taking down the remnants of the Christmas decorations.  Some of which I will drive over to our actual house, and I'll pick up around the yard while I am there.  That will take care of working out - bonus.

I'm definitely going to paint, and work on centerpieces for Reading Rocks.  Yay, crafts!  I will get some actual billable work done, too.

I might do some grocery shopping - or send the boys (big and little) out with a list.  Then I could bake, and make soup.

Critical points:

1.  Strictly speaking, I don't have to do any of the above.

2.  I can do things in, basically, any order that I choose.  (Well, taking into account the laws of physics.  It would be hard to bake with ingredients that are not actually in my possession, because no one has gone to the store.  But you get my drift.)

3.  I can add things to the mix.  Fun, spontaneous things.  I could call up my parents, or some friends, and say, "Hey, let's get together for no particular reason!"  That almost NEVER happens - unless we have car trouble and have to call for rescue, or some other ultimately-happy accident occurs.

4:01.  Yup.  Definitely giddy.

(By the way, appropos of not much:  "nonplussed" is quite possibly my favorite word of all time.  Why?  Because it started out meaning "perturbed," and then, for some inexplicable reason, and on some unspoken signal, everyone collectively started using it to mean "unperturbed" - thus, the bipolar dictionary definition reproduced above.  See?  Meaning #2 is the polar opposite of Meaning #1!  Isn't that hilarious?  Okay, it's hilarious if you're a total word geek.  And a giddy word geek, at that.

Why did we change the meaning?  Who knows?  See "inexplicable," above.  HEY, WE'RE AMERICANS!  We don't need no stinkin' badges, and we don't need reasons to corrupt our language. 

Although, based on the Italicized portion of Meaning #2 above, the Canadians may share the blame with us on this one.  Just sayin'.

Giddy word geek, signing off.)