Adventures in Gluten (and Sugar) Freedom from a southern blogger chick!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Farewell to January (A Sunday Blessing)

This has been a rough month, and the blessing of it all is it will be DONE in four days. YAY. I am ready for January to be over. It has made me extremely grumpy.

I spent 2 1/2 weeks on antibiotics for an upper respiratory/ear/sinus/bronchial infections that made me sicker than I've been in years. My Daddy and Mary have had it too, and it's passing through school. To tell the truth, I still feel run down from this. I want to sleep whenever I can (only right now, I can't find the time).

It has been cold, cold, cold -- at least for here. I'm told old and achy for 22 degree mornings.

And school...well, it has been a challenge. Search committees, a tough schedule, and the feeling that I've been behind from the beginning...well, it just has been a slow start for me. I am being more critical than usual of my students. I don't mean to be.

Most of all, in four days, this research study Randy and I have been working on in earnest since December will be out of our hands. Last night, I was haunted by the ghost of Ralph Ginzburg in my brain. My former students remember him from Ginzburg v. New York in law class -- you know, pandering, mailing stuff from Blue Ball and Intercourse (which, i've learned, he only considered but settled on Middlesex.) I've been writing several hours a day for the last week, and I'm tired. My hands hurt. My BACK hurts. The paper has to be PDFed to the conference people by Thursday. I have no doubt the paper will be done by then, but I am tired.

But I am happy that in a few days it will be February, my favorite month of the year. I have a birthday two weeks from tomorrow, then there's the potential of a wonderful Valentine's weekend with my sweet husband. Plus some football, the Daytona 500, and the Georgia primary. Oh, and Jeffrey's Valentine dance, which I LOVE to attend (I can dance like a fool and no one notices). A BUSY 28 days. OOPS -- LEAP YEAR. 29 days.

I allow myself a plethora of birthday celebrations, a tradition started by my mother when I was a kid. I used to get one present for every year I was old. Sometimes, 20 of those presents would be a $20 bill, but she still managed to keep me celebrating all month long.

So next Friday, the celebrating begins. Janet and Don are coming to visit in Tampa, and Daddy and Mary will be passing through. We'll have a fun weekend, I hope, of sightseeing, cooking and eating, and enjoying good friendships. And football.

Of course, I have jury duty on my birthday...

Much love to you, and have a blessed end of this dreadful month.
Ging

7 comments:

Melanie said...

Happy Birthday almost two weeks early then! It sounds like you had a wonderful mother for her to celebrate your birthday like that. I hope your entire month is wonderful and not at all like January was.

I can't believe it's that cold down where you are! Lately, it's been a heat wave if we hit the 20's but there is a rumor we are going to get in the 40's this week! Yippee, my husband will wear shorts and the dogs will get bathed!

And lastly, what do you think about Eli Manning in the super bowl? We are just so excited to have at least one Manning there. I sure hope they win!

Cassandra said...

A busy 29 days! :) My birthday is two weeks from yesterday! Yippee for us!
I think it got into the high 60s here yesterday (or maybe 70). It's forecast for a high of 72 on Monday. Seems like your visit to Texas was just a little too early.

Bill said...

Not being much of a winter weather girl, I too am counting down the days until spring. BUT, each day that passes gets us closer to Hendley's 1st birthday, and when I look at it that way, time is flying by much too fast!

Hopefully your February will be much better.

Unknown said...

I'm with you on January-its been a crappy month for me too! And these 15 degree temps are for the birds!
I now know why I like you so much-we have a birthday very close to each other!! Mine is on the 16th! So, hope you have a happy Birthday this month too!

Joy Peterson said...

I think you should be very critical of your students....it'll prepare them for the real world...

Here's to February! I have way too many birthdays to celebrate, so all you Feb. bloggers (and other family members sans Jason) Happy Birthday!

celticjig said...

Argh, I too have jury duty next week. Enjoy your birthday month!

a kelly said...

This is so funny...I have been counting down the days till the end of January too! It was -20 here one day and the wind was BRUTAL.

February will be fabulous for you...so much to look forward to!