nagi_schwarz | Day 1326: In the new year

It's only one week into the new year, and life has been good, but not great.

Update on goals:
Been better about spiritual things! Cody and I have been getting up earlier this year, because Cody's goals this year involve getting up early and getting into the lab earlier. We're reading together, which is good, but I am also reading on my own, so that's good. Church is now at nine instead of one, so that's kinda rough, but this year started off well, and I am pretty excited about recommitting and doing better.

Fitness! Haven't been so awesome. I did walk the dogs every week day this first week, but then I went snowboarding all by myself on Friday (took half the day off). Even though the snow was icy and hard, I did pretty good, only fell a few times (but now my hands are bruised from landing hard), even carved okay. But I think my right boot was too loose and my right calf was just killing me after only three runs, and I literally had to crawl up the steps to get into the house. Couldn't put any weight on my right foot. I took a bath (and used up the last four bath bombs) and still couldn't put weight on my foot, so instead of going out for a date, Cody and I ordered in pizza and watched a Jackie Chan movie. Poor Cody had to carry me up the stairs. But fitness is off to a good start. Best fitness advice I ever got was from my dance instructor, which is listen to your own body. Shoulda listened to my body and quit after two runs. Oh well.

Work! I have not studied this past week like I should have. I had no appointments on Friday, so I took half the day off to go snowboarding. I should have studied Friday morning. But I didn't. Instead I answered emails and calls. Oh, the things they never prepare us for in law school, the things we'll need to know to be good lawyers but aren't in any law school textbooks. Like potty training. And how to score a cover-up tattoo for an underage girl who recently marred her own body with a hideous gang tattoo (that was acquired illegally, what with her being underage and all). But the guy at the tattoo parlor was good about answering my questions. He sounded sort of appalled when I said my kid had a gang tattoo. It starts somewhere, doesn't it? And younger than any of us like to think.

Writing! I am behind on my writing goals already this year, but I have met deadlines, and really that's all that matters to me at this point. Didn't have nearly as much time to write yesterday as I thought I would because I babysat my niece and nephew all day while my husband helped my brother-in-law move my sister out of their family home. We went to McDonald's because the kids like the playplace, as it has rotating waves of kids, so there are always new kids to play with. The best part of the day was running into one of my old friends from college, the lovely delacouer, who was there with her kids. So our gangs of kids could play together while she and I talked.

Since writing wasn't going to happen, I tried for knitting instead. My niece was intrigued and wanted to learn how, so when the kids got fed up with the playplace, we went to Walmart to get knitting supplies for my niece - and a hat for my nephew, because it was cold and snowing and he had no hood or hat (my niece and I had hoods on our jackets). Then we went to the local library so the kids could play in the kiddie corner, and I showed my niece how to knit, and we read books. I did the casting on and binding off, but my niece was really proficient once I explained it to her (bottom to top, through the middle, top to bottom, off the needle). I bought super huge needles and chunky yarn in hopes that she'd be able to see the stitches and understand and also be motivated because she'd get results faster, but I forgot she had tiny hands and it was hard for her to hold the needles. But she did admirably. After the kids were bored of the library, it was safe for us to go back to the house, so the kiddos turned on Monsters v. Aliens for me (I adored Hugh Laurie's character so hard, as well as the heroine) and I finished the scarf for my niece. We all went out to dinner after, including my sister, which was generally okay, but there were some definite awkward moments, no lie.

Work this week in general was pretty hectic, but I started doing like caseworkers and bringing a game to home visits, and that went really well! I stayed longer and had better interaction with the kids. Conversation was casual and flowed naturally and wasn't an interrogation. A new absolutely crazy case came down the pipe, and I was glad it did not become mine, but I did pick up a new crazy case, so there was that. Had some long, emotionally draining meetings, because I was not made to comfort people, and breaking up arguments and calming people down is not my forte. But I survived, and that's what counts.

Also, Cody and I have instituted Spanish day, one day a week. It's Sunday, and hoo boy, it's not easy. But he's been super patient with me, and I appreciate it. We are both hoping for more snow so we can go boarding later this week. Not sure how that'll pan out.

Here's to doing better this week!