(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Boots

Hello, all. Hope your holiday season has been a pleasant one. 

As I mentioned in my last post, this isn't my favorite time of year, as is the case for many of us. Last year was particularly difficult; I was dealing with a nastier-than-usual bout of depression, for reasons that still escape me. Fortunately, this year, while still not great, has at least been tolerable. That said, I'm glad it's nearly over for another year.

We had crazy weather here the past two days. We received well over two inches of precipitation, all told. I say "precipitation" because it ran the gamut, changing literally from minute to minute at some points. We had snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain, and (mostly/fortunately) plain old rain. Oh, and gale force winds (of course).

At one point last evening we were simultaneously experiencing sleet, hail, and - wait for it - thunder and lightning. That was a first, even for New England. We received over an inch of sleet in less than an hour; luckily it switched back over to a drenching rain, which washed nearly all of it away.

In spite of the less-than-hospitable conditions, my feet stayed dry and toasty as I made my way around - the result of a fortuitous, spur-of-the moment purchase I made while visiting my friends A and B up in Canada back in early November, as noted in a previous post:

They're almost cute enough to make winter worthwhile. Almost. :c) That being said, they also enable me to share one of Elvis Costello's most beloved songs, so there's that as well:

I'll end with two songs I play every New Year's Eve and pass along their sentiments to all of you good folk. First up - Big Country, recorded live at Barrowlands in Glasgow on December 31, 1983:

I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert

But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime

In a big country, dreams stay with you

Like a lover's voice across a mountainside

Stay alive

And another hopeful song from the same show - "Wonderland":

And finally, Pearl Jam's ragged-but-right version of "Better Things," from The Kinks:

Really glad I found this tonight - one of of my favorite bands covering another of my favorite bands!

So, here's wishing all of you the bluest skies and the very best of choruses in 2020. And I hope tomorrow we all find better things. Happy New Year, everyone!

Hello 2016!

Greetings and salutations, gentle readers! And Happy New Year! I hope this finds you all well. 

I've finally managed to shake off the lingering effects of my annual holiday bout with the flu. This one was particularly tenacious, managing as it did to affect all of the Big Three (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day), alas. But I survived, and am moving forward, bloodied but unbowed, into the new year. And full steam ahead too!!!

Follow along below the fold - you'll be glad you did!!!

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Here's Wishing You The Bluest Skies

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope the holidays were good for everyone.

I am still here. But I will not sugarcoat things: the past two weeks, particularly Christmas week, have been the most painful and draining of my life.

I touched on some of what happened with my family in my posts just before Christmas. I learned even more about what happened in the next few days (I spent the holidays apart from my parents and my brother's family) from my sister, who visited me Christmas night with my nephew C.

I will write about the family matters soon, but suffice it to say it confirms everything I suspected, or, really, that I knew all along.

Right now I am as exhausted as I have ever been, other than when I was recovering from mono several years ago. But this is close. I slept for nearly 20 hours on Saturday. Last night I came down with a nasty stomach bug that is going around, and missed work. I slept from about 8:00 AM until nearly 5:00.

I've been meeting regularly with my therapist the past few weeks; we met three times last week, at her suggestion. I'm glad we did. She is concerned about how exhausted I am. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for next week, and I will discuss matters with her at that time.

I carried over a week of vacation with the intent of using it for a trip in the next few months, but I may need to use it before then simply to… well, do nothing. I really want to save it… but not at the expense of getting really sick.

In spite of the enormous heartache and loss of the past two weeks - and as far as I am concerned I am done with my brother and sister-in-law - I am proud of myself. The past two weeks were the culmination of the two and half hardest years of my life.

And I survived.

In fact, I grew enormously. (Well, OK, not my boobs or butt; you can't have everything, I suppose.)

"He" could never have stood up to my parents, or my brother, the way I did. Nor could he have resolved to take the high road no matter what they chose to say or do - and then followed through.

But I did.

I am bruised and battered… but I am done with the worst of it, I suspect.

I will write a new post about my new year's resolution soon. Essentially, it is this: 

I am now going to focus on ME.

I am going to get in the best shape of my life.

I am going to learn how to look my best.

And I am going to embrace my new life. 

Because I earned it.

Look out, 2014. 

Here comes Cass!

:D

***

I've used this song before, but it's such a perfect song for new beginnings I am going to post it again. Also, you can never have too much of the Kinks in your day!

So… here's wishing you all the bluest skies. Oh, and the very best of choruses, too. :c)

Tidbits, Pt. III

One last item, to close out this little series with a grace note.

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"A Night of Transition, and of New Beginnings"

Happy New Year!

I still wasn't feeling well last night - and in fact I still don't feel well now - but I had enough reserves in the tank to go see My Morning Jacket and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band as planned with T & J.

I'm so glad I did. :c)

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Better Things

It is hard to believe that 2012 is over. "Tumultuous" is the first word that comes to mind. I can state unequivocally that this has been the most difficult year of my life. It began that way and never let up.

That said, I learned a great deal about myself as a result.

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