Or work’s out for winter.
Same thing, really.
Or to put it in a phrase that’s been an inside joke between me and one of my best friends for years – the dishes are done, man.
And speaking of the dishes being done, my house is clean.
Every time I clean up my place, my OCD becomes apparent. There is no half cleaning measures to be taken by my brain, save for the bicycle parts I need to donate to the Bike Kitchen that I stuffed in my hallway closet.
I spent yesterday tidying up loose ends and cleaning the floors and right now my apartment looks like, well – it looks like an adult lives here.
Sort of.
There’s still nothing on the walls after almost nine years, save the poster that covers a hole made by a very angry ex-girlfriend a long, long time ago, but I plan on rectifying that when I get back from my holiday vacation.
My studio smells a little like Murphy’s Oil Soap but it’s a good clean smell and the windows are open to air the place out because it’s finally not freezing out for the first time in a week.
All I have to do is make it through the next day and change, and I’m on vacation.
In my own town.
To go explore a place I know so well, to get lost with someone who’s never been here before, to go and treat myself to a couple of nice meals and some time spent wandering a city I usually drive other people around…
I can’t wait.
Tonight potentially marks the first time I go out for a twelve-hour shift at my cab company, though we’ll see if I last that long. I know that now that it’s an option to work twelve instead of ten hours, the potential for my income to not take the usual slide in January just became a real possibility, though I don’t like the idea of working a full twelve-hour shift regularly.
It’ll all be fine.
In my mind, I’m already out at Land’s End trail, cruising up to Point Reyes, walking Golden Gate Park, hitting the Saturday morning farmer’s market, and I’m already knee-deep in a bowl of Ramen.
I’m already back home with my parents, my sister, my friends, my nieces and nephews, eating Mom’s pie and waking up on Christmas morning to open presents.
It feels pretty good to be on vacation already, and it’s going to make work next week a breeze. It feels a tiny bit like my last week of college – incidentally ten years ago this week – where all my work is done and handed in and all I’ve gotta do is make it through the last couple of tests that I’ve already prepared for.
It’s been a long time since I went back east for the holidays and until this week, I hadn’t realized just how much I’ve truly been looking forward to it. While I don’t miss living there, it’s gonna be nice to visit.
After all, I do get to come back here to my real home.
San Francisco.
But until then, it’s off to work with me. Gotta get that last bit of cash before the fun starts.
