I have now been on vacation for ten days. In that time, I have watched five Harry Potter movies; become addicted to Scandal on Netflix; gone for one run outside*; baked sticky toffee pudding, lemon squares, and chocolate/candy-cane dipped marshmallows; and spent three days in Grande Pomme city with my younger sister where we walked and walked and walked and talked and talked and talked. I have also written part 3 of the massive application that continues to consume my life, moved the process of getting myself an online faculty profile** at Innovation U.*** forwards, and set up a google birthday calendar for my old lab so they can’t blame me when there is no pie for birthdays anymore.
I have eight more days before we fly to Canuckia for the epic reenactment of the classic Christmas movie “Four Christmases”. Which I think, having not seen it, was about a couple that had been engaged for a long time who visit all of their divorced and remarried parents in one day. I might be conflating this with The Five Year Engagement. Also I don’t know if they tried to do it all in one day. That would make for a better movie because it would be effing impossible and hijinks would necessarily ensue. We’re doing our round in about 14 days, giving each set of parents a solid 3 days. Just long enough to eat some classics from that household, chat a lot, and start to get on each other’s nerves before we sail off to the next destination, lather rinse repeat.
In the next eight days, I need to do ALL of my Christmas shopping, as well as ALL of Pea’s, once he tells me what I’m getting (I will shop for him, I will not present-designate), host a farewell party, buy more professor clothes, visit the ocean, and pack to move across the continent. I have a week of no-application-crap-vacation, and I think I will spend the vast majority of it shopping. I hate shopping, am renowned for my hatred of shopping, so I am going to try to make this as efficient as possible. I may be able to get it all done in one morning if I plan it right. Fingers crossed.
*the first real run in over a year thanks to a stubborn tendon issue
**I need this to happen so I can recruit students without feeling like a shady person in a trench coat in the park, pulling one side open while hissing “Wanna buy a degree?”. A faculty profile lends legitimacy, is what I am saying.
***After months of writing about how this institution is “the most innovative school in province/country/the WORLD!” for applications, I’ve settled on this for its pseudonym. Welcome to the blog, Innovation U.
labmonkey2 
I got totally addicted to Scandal when I was on leave. I now believe I could surreptitiously run any country.
I’m four episodes in and there are three people sleeping with the president of the United States. I’ve lost my belief that anyone is ever running this country.
I feel like such a couch potato, I’ve seen both Four Christmases and Scandal (all of it, and it kind of made me hate myself). I think the couple in Four Christmases are married, and they hate their families and lie to them every year about doing charity work over Christmas so they can avoid them all and go on holiday on their own. Then their flight is cancelled or something and they have to see their families. Terrible movie.
I have assumed it was a terrible movie, and also it’s not ideal when movies too accurately mimic one’s own life – not much of an escape.
I’m now done season one of scandal, but the tension with the president and the main character is wearing on me. Yes yes, forbidden love is powerful, but you are otherwise highly competent adults who brook no weakness from others, so get it together! I’m waiting for the alternative love interest to arrive (also because I know it is Scott Foley and I still have my teen crush on him from his Felicity days).
I have been gleefully watching horse movies that Q. never wants to watch (to be fair, he will always watch them once, but draws the line at multiple viewings). Last night I wept through Secretariat winning the Belmont (and then backed it up to watch it again and cry some more- yay pregnancy hormones).
I am also rewatching early episodes of the West Wing, mostly because I can’t handle the current American political climate and like to dreamily imagine a West Wing world.
You and Pea are going to have to figure out some ground rules about parental visiting once you get settled. It will kill you if you have to try to see all parents (or even 50% of them) every time you head in that direction.
Good luck with the Christmas shopping. I also refuse to choose presents for Q.’s family (although I will offer ideas for the kidlets) and this leads every year to stress about whether or not his presents will arrive on time, because he is a 23rd of December kind of guy and that doesn’t really work when you’re on the other side of an ocean.
xoxo
I rewatched the West Wing last year. Such good TV, although occasionally jarring in their treatment of women (the episode “these women” was a shock, as I had forgotten in the 90s it was still subversive to have all these working and powerful women around. So there is this great congratulatory soliloquy the president has about something I now think of as obvious.)
I think we figure we’ll be able to just do single household weekend visits. I’m done with any attempt at more than one household in a three day or shorter span, it’s just awful for everyone. Plus they can come visit if they are truly pining for our company between our visits.
Pea did all his Christmas shopping! So now I just need to get my own stuff done, and I have five free days. Should be entirely feasible.
xox