It’s been a busy few weeks!
We had a brand new heat pump system installed in our house, which means our office is functional again! I’m impressed with the amount of heat these things put out. We’ve only had to turn the oil furnace on once or twice, when it got really cold outside. Hoping this will save us some cash in the long run, and reduce our dependence on oil.
I’ve joined Goodreads and am tracking my reading habits; until now, I’d been reading mostly fanfiction (there is so much good X-Files fanfic out there!) but I’ve been sitting on a stack of unread books for years. Currently working my way through Justin Cronin’s The Passage series from the beginning, so I can pick up a copy of City of Mirrors and actually understand what’s going on.
I also opened a new store at Redbubble, something I’ve been meaning to try for ages but hadn’t gotten around to. Inspiration finally struck when I needed a new phone case and couldn’t find any designs that caught my attention, so I thought I’d use one of my own. That led to my adding a bunch of work there, and I’ve been drawing/doodling more stuff as a result.
What else? I was called for jury duty in January, so at the end of this month I’ll find out if I’ve been selected for a jury. My first! It’s an interesting time to be part of the judiciary process, given everything that’s happening on a grander scale in the US. That’s also been taking a lot of my energy; keeping up with the latest in our nation’s steep decline into madness.
Pokemon Go recently released a bunch of new Pokemon, so I’ve been walking more. The Apple Watch app is super handy for this, and it nudges me to get up and move more often. It’s even been warm enough outside to go for the occasional walk!
Then there’s the usual work and family stuff. It looks like I’ll be traveling to Montreal for work at the beginning of May. My fifth anniversary with Automattic is also coming up, so I’m preparing for a three-month sabbatical starting mid-May. Every five years, Automatticians can take two to three months off to completely disconnect from work — travel, spend more time with family, explore a pet project, etc. It’s an excellent perk, and I’m excited to have the time off. I haven’t taken three months off since I had Gwen, and this time I won’t have a newborn to care for.
What will I do? I haven’t made any concrete plans, but I’m thinking we’ll visit friends out of state, maybe take the kids somewhere new, and I’ve been saving for a comic con in case Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny make a joint appearance this summer. I may also work on a fanfic novel I’ve been mulling over for ages.
I’ve managed to keep the winter blahs at bay with all this activity, although I’m very tired of snow and ready for spring. Only a couple more months before things start to warm up!