Early Jan. blahs

I wasn't really expecting much of a post-holiday let down, since I barely had a holiday.  I did have a few three- and even one four-day weekend, and those were nice, but otherwise I worked straight through.  Obviously we didn't go anywhere.  The holidays were relatively low key.  We didn't spend all that much, and generally the kids liked their presents (particularly a large stuffed lion that I finally caved on and bought for my daughter...). 

So you would think I would be sitting pretty, but it has just been so cold.  This morning it was -22 C.  It's gotten up to -16 C, and I can actually feel a bit of a difference in the back office (which is actually the coldest room in the house).  The furnace has been running pretty much constantly, and I can't really bear to think about: #1) what the heating bill will be next month and #2) what we would have done had the furnace gone out this week.

I had actually wanted to work from home Friday, but, in the end, I had too many meetings, and I just couldn't swing it, so I ended up going in.  Surprisingly, I didn't actually end up waiting too long for the bus, which was a small mercy.  I was really quite surprised when I got home that all the ornaments had been taken down, though I still need to take the tree down and stash it away for another year.  There is just this lonely Santa on the mantle, and he'll get put away today as well.  The outdoor lights will come down tomorrow, however.

Indeed, I vowed I am not going out today, and I have stuck to it.  I did bring home enough groceries we can make it to Sunday before I have to go to the store.  I should probably start cooking fairly soon, so that we have something to eat (and I don't make some poor schmoe have to deliver something to us...).  I am not even about to start feeling guilty about not going to the gym.  I should be able to go on Sunday at some point.  At least according to the Weather Network, we come out of this deep freeze tomorrow.  I can hardly wait.

In the meantime, I have been going through a stack of old newspapers.  I have an idea (though not a full-fledged resolution) that I would like to really get the office straightened up, which means not just getting rid of newspapers, but purging an old printer (I'll try one more time on Kajiji and then it is off to be recycled at Staples) and selling off or donating a box of CDs and DVDs.  This would theoretically allow me to have the space for a litter box, but I haven't committed 100% to the idea, even though I am leaning towards getting a cat.

I somewhat inadvertently ended up in a free trial for Amazon Prime, and I decided to see what all the fuss was about with The Man in the High Castle.  It is certainly well done, though many things were switched around in the tv series, not least of which the book-within-a-book, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, is actually a film rather than a book.  Perhaps the producers simply couldn't expect today's audiences to think that a mere book would have the ability to change the world.  I really don't like binge watching tv (and indeed barely watch tv at all), but I'll see if I can get through Season 1.  I don't plan on keeping Prime, however, so I don't know how I'll ever view Season 2 (or the rumoured Season 3).  Along similar lines, I decided I would break down and try Apple Music.  I have to admit, it is like being a kid in a candy store.  There is more music than I'd ever be able to listen to.  That said, Canadian customers still only get 80-90% of the offerings that Americans get.  There are a few albums that I was looking for (on the US site) that simply aren't there, which I find deeply unfair.  That said, it still may be worth signing up, though I would definitely cancel eMusic if I shift over to Apple Music (and finally join the rest of the world in streaming).

It wasn't a super productive day, and I still should get a bit of work started for an academic paper I am writing.  But I am pleased that I managed to complete the script for Final Exam (the project that is going to be part of next summer's Toronto Fringe!).  In the end it is Bennett's The History Boys mixed with a bit of Miller's Incident at Vichy, plus the Borg from Star Trek.  It has gotten a reasonably good reception so far, though clearly it will need to be workshopped.  I have two actors essentially signed up and leads on two more.  I figure I have the rest of the month to get the basic legwork finished (apply for the permits and land the actors and ideally a director), and then we'll see what is needed after that.  Anyway, when I think about this project it does largely blow the blahs away, so probably I should just focus on that for a while while waiting for (slightly) warmer weather next week.