There is a Donkey at the End of This Post

This is basically a 'yes, I'm still here and breathing' kind of post. I feel kind of gagged at the moment, because while I am knitting, it is of a Christmas variety, and therefore can't be shared. I may have to post the latest projects and save them as drafts until it's safe.

Outside of knitting, my life is just ticking along. Some things are improving - work is busier and more challenging, now that I'm in a new role. It probably helps that I have no real clue what I'm doing, so every day is a learning day.

For a long time, I've felt a disconnectedness with my own life - as if I weren't really living my life but, instead, biding my time until this little period of uncertainty and fear were finished. Finally, now that I feel confident with my job status and know that I won't have to pack up and move again anytime soon (I'm feeling like I just jinxed myslef there) I'm starting to feel more in touch with my world. When I'm feeling disconnected, it touches just about every part of my life. My house gets really messy, bills go unpaid, letters unmailed, errands not run, meals not cooked. Right now, my apartment is only beginning to recover from this last bout. I know that I'm starting to come out of it when I get into a burst of tidying and cleaning activity. Last night, I cleaned out a shelf in my massive, chaotic hall closet, and immediately felt so much better. In the past few days I also got around to brushing the cat, depositing a cheque I've been carrying around for a couple of weeks, vacuuming a mess in the spare room, watering the plants, and swiffering the neglected corners of my bedroom. These are all little things - so little that when I'm hunched under a load of worry or uncertainty, they seem insignificantly unimportant.

Part of what's brought me out has been my visit home to see my parents. My mum's having some mysterious health problems right now that are leaving her completely without energy, and so I spent a great deal of my visit tidying and doing laundry and kicking the butts of my dad and brother into helping with household chores so that my mum wouldn't feel so much pressure to keep up with cleaning and cooking.

Speaking of, I should really get myself started on my own cooking and cleaning so that I'm ready for the madness of Thursday night television. Priorities, dontcha know.

I do have pictures from my Thanksgiving weekend visit - you can see them at Flickr. Want some incentive to check them out?

I present a gratuitous donkey picture for your viewing pleasure.