Loathe:
* Seasonal gym crowders. They’ll start showing up next week and either thinning up and sticking to it (yay!), or thinning out to return next January (boo!), by February. Please, if “getting in shape” is on your resolution list, stick to it! It’s so worth it. Don’t be a seasonal statistic.
Love:
* Theme parks without crowds. I read, horrified, that Disneyland closed twice this week due to reaching maximum capacity. Hard to believe how few people were there when we went last week (4 popular rides in the 2 hours we were there, walked right on 3 of them and a 5 minute wait for 1), and how many people “maximum capacity” might be (2 hour waits for each of the rides we rode) in a place so big. Disneyland on a day like that does not sound like the happiest place on earth to me.
* Well placed encouragement. Fish Whisperer says my female cichlid is well on her way to being better and commended me on doing a great job. I’m not usually needy for praise (yes, I am!!) but sometimes, like in this situation, I had been feeling very discouraged and overwhelmed, and his encouragement meant a lot to me.
* Snug is feeling better. I came home last night and he was out from his self-isolation, weaving himself around the kitchen table legs. I scratched his ears a bit, which he leaned into, and then I went upstairs to change clothes. (Back story: For the last couple days, I had been storing a special bowl of food in my rolltop desk that I would bring out and feed him from to keep his sick face out of the “public” food bowl.) When I went upstairs, Tony said he started hearing weird clinking noises and he couldn’t figure out where they were coming from — you see, I had forgotten to close my desk, and Snug took it upon himself to hop up there and feed himself. Snug had been so sick, I wasn’t even certain he had known where I was hiding it. Obviously, he had noticed. Even funnier, there had only been about four morsels of food left in that bowl. Tony pointed out succinctly, “Not anymore…”
* Holiday euphoria. I love the relaxed and easy attitude that everyone has at work when a short work week is book-ended by 4 day weekends. I really wish it could be like that throughout the year. I’ll miss it next week…
* Unused sick time and cool bosses. Both of my bosses told me to leave early, but I fully intended to work my full day today. Then I discovered that I had two hours of unused sick time leftover for this year. Sick time is a “use it or lose it” deal. So, I gave them a heads-up, finished up my work, and after 6 hours on the clock told them that I suddenly felt unwell. They both laughed and encouraged me to please “take care” of myself.
* Facing a 4-day weekend. I love this moment right now and wish I could stop time just to hold this anticipation in my hands a bit longer.
One Last Thing:
It’s been quite a year here in the House of JammieJ. When I looked down the binoculars last January toward the end of this year, I saw something completely different. In fact, those pretty pictures I saw in my binoculars turned into an upside down kaleidoscope with pieces everywhere. Several times throughout the year.
Hope and joy have actually been pretty difficult for me to hold onto this year, which eased open the doors of depression and anger. Oddly, last night driving home from work, I felt something that I’m vaguely thinking might be… hope. Hope that next year will be different for us. The cynic in me is standing back, arms crossed, with a bit of a nasty weathered smile splitting its face, trying to stamp it out like wineries do to their grapes. But sometimes the cynic is wrong and, sometimes, through the stomping comes the greatest juice that an oenophile has ever tasted.
That’s what I’m hoping 2011 will be for all of us.
Tony somehow scored free tickets to the Lakers game tomorrow night. Assuming that they’re legitimate (they should be, but I’m always suspicious of free), looks like we’ll be trying to touch the back of Kobe’s head on New Year’s eve. If you watch the game, look for us. We’ll be the two goofheads wearing purple jerseys in honor of our team. I’m sure you’ll recognize us!
With that, I wish you a Happy New Year!
Jammie J's Quest 
Hope you have a good new year.
Whoa dude. I didn’t know you even visited here anymore.
I’m hoping your new year is better, too.
*muwah*
Happy New Year!
Thanks, lovey. Happy New Year to you, too.
Your little one is adorable… I don’t tell you often enough, I’m thinking.
I will be a seasonal gym crowder… ;P hehe. Well, I’ll have to stick with it, but I’m taking some time off. The gym is just not where I want to be right now.
Steve told me about how D-land was sold out!!! I couldn’t believe that.
Glad you have cool bosses 🙂 I used to lose my sick time all the time. And my boss was pretty cool with me. heh.
Have fun at the game! And Happy New Year! 2011 will be awesome. 🙂 xox
Nooooo, don’t be a Seasonal Gym Crowder! Please stick to it. I don’t want you to be on the “Loathe” side of my list!
I was (still am) horrified at the thought of Disneyland being that crowded. Did you see the pictures? Whoa. But… at least they were responsible about it. I remember at Knott’s Scary Farm the last year we went, the allowed waaayy more peeps in than they should have and I was seriously scared that I was going to be trampled.
I think they were amused at how rapidly my “health” declined. I’m still laughing about it. hehe
I can’t wait for tonight, can’t wait, can’t wait! hehe The seats are unbelievable.
We spent 2 hours at Disneyland watching fireworks show too and watching the last bit of Small World Christmas show and waiting in line for some good soup and then eating it and also walking from one end to the other to go on rides. The longest we had to wait for a ride was Matterhorn which was 5 min. the other 3 rides we walked onto. The 2 hours we were there was mostly walking, not waiting. We had a great time at Disneyland…love you sweetie, XXOXOXOXO
Best usage of 2 hours of our time ever. Well, I can think of only one thing I would have been doing more than Disneyland… *leer* hehe
Yay for hope! And I *hope* you have a wonderful, blessed 2011, my friend!
Thank you, dear one. Hope is nice. (Pushes down the cynic…)
Jammie…Such a sweet comment on my Blog…I thank you with all my heart! You made my day, my dear, and I appreciate it more than I can say…
Have a FABULOUS time at ‘The Game’…..I won’t be watching but if I were watching I would be looking for you and Tony!
Hoping 2011 will be a Fantastic year for you & Tony. May it be EVERYTHING you wish for, and more!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU BOTH!
I mean everything I ever tell you, you know. 🙂 I think the world of you.
We had a really super time at the game, enjoyed every second of it. Even more so because the Lakers won — huzzah!
If the rest of 2011 continues in the same vein as the first 5 days, I think it’s gonna be an awesome year. Here’s to hope!
Dear Jammie, wishing you, Tony and your loved ones a meaningful New Year blessed with love, growth, hope and good health.
It looks to me that every one of our experiences were to prepare us for a better year ahead. So we know the year of 2011 will be a better year.
It was a privilege to know you despite us being miles apart.
Thank you… you are so sweet. I love “knowing” you. 🙂
I feel similar to you with the glimmer of hope. I felt it too this week. I don’t know if I should trust it though. As I wrote on my blog, my trust in hope has been slightly shattered and I’m scared to hope. I think about how if Shawn doesn’t find a job soon we’ll be fighting to keep the house and I don’t know if I can handle that. It’s been such a difficult year and I am losing faith that things will ever get better.
But I have Shawn, my dogs, my family, my friends and I know these things matter most of all. I will continue trying my best to focus on that….
I wish you and Tony and your animal menagerie all the best in 2011 and that the hope we feel shines through for us all. xoxox
I know what you mean about not having job and fearing for the future. It’s so very hard to hold onto hope. Hope is a funny thing… the glimmer of it can give you the strength to carry on when you don’t think you can. I say hold onto it with all your might, because the alternative is preparing yourself for the “not so good” and while preparation is good, it doesn’t lessen the pain of the bad. If that makes sense?
Your blessings DO matter, because those loved ones are the ones who will be with you through it all.
Hugs and thanks for always being here.
Hope for you guys in 2011 makes me smile. I’m sure it will be a better year. Happy new year and many blessings in the coming year.
Here’s to hope. 🙂
Wishing you a 2011 filled with all that is good and happy : o )
Thank you, my dear.
i remember the seasonal gym goers. i used to hate that so many came in january and filled things up. then i realized they were all gone by february, which is a bit sad, and yet, i had the gym to myself again. these days i never get to see the inside of a gym, i have to create my own home gym with videos.
i hope 2011 finds you feeling happier, healthier and always more hopeful. for myself i am hoping for a very boring, very uneventful year. boredom just sounds so lovely right about now 🙂
I just wish more people would stick to going to the gym. Maybe that’s weird of me, especially being introverted like I am, but I reach out to the newcomers and try to make them welcome, and then… they’re just gone.
I’m glad you have a gym of sorts… fitness is important.
Boredom… yes, that does sound lovely. 🙂
Why is it, I read think I comment then realize I didn’t comment after all? Sheesh.
I was gonna be one of those seasonal gym goers and start back this week, but figure I will wait til next month when all the others quit so it won’t be so crowded! What do you think?
I don’t know… because you’re funny that way, thinking you’ve already commented when you haven’t? And then I feel all sad and lonely because you’re not here? And think you don’t love me anymore? *sniffle* *sniffle*
heh. Kidding. But I had you going, didn’t I?
I think, why put off to tomorrow that which you could do today?