I think the lingering effects of illness took more of a toll on me last week than I realized. This week, I feel more energized to take on life. (Maybe it was making the Advent calendar too—tell me my compulsions actually soothe the neuroses.) Looking ahead, our week’s schedule is fully, but quite regimented, and that combined with my clean house and warm, partly cloudy weather, has me plowing through my to-do list. If I tackle what’s lined up on my plate for the week today, I’ll have more open time later in the week for creative work.

I tried to buy tickets to see the Christmas lights at the Botanic Gardens next month. It was the one little holiday splurged I’d worked into the Advent calendar. I didn’t realize tickets opened to the general public today, and I ended up having to wait over an hour in an online queue. Is this just the way we do things now? It’s like Taylor Swift for every event? When I finally made it through, the only time slots left, for any day from now until Christmas, were from 9AM to 2PM. Please tell me why you’re even offering Christmas lights tickets in the day time? I guess we won’t be doing that for Christmas, so I have one more Advent slot to fill.