— पांच हजार तीन सौ पंद्रह —
So here I am, on the eve of my first entire-week vacation for Thanksgiving since 2014, when Shobhit and I spent that entire week in Los Angeles (while he still lived there), Palm Springs and Phoenix. This, however, is easily the first time I have taken the entire week of Thanksgiving off when I was not traveling anywhere.
To be honest, had I realized how much of a budget shortfall I'd have at this point for next year's trip to Australia, I likely would have rethought sticking to my plan of taking PTO all of next week and nearly all of the week prior to Christmas—I could have cashed out these hours. It's too late now, it's all done. Technically my budget shortfall after the PTO cash-out I get next week, minus what I spend on this year's calendars, will be as much as around $2,600. But, there's a few months to go yet and plenty of time to mitigate that, so that the shortfall may be as little as $800-$1000 by the time the trip is actually happening. I think I can live with that.
It does dash a lot of hopes for other trips next year, particularly for our anniversary. Then again, we'll see where we stand by the time June comes around.
I'm even leaving from work early today. I completely forgot I have a doctor's appointment at 4:00. I'm not even sure why, except that it probably has to do with having a new doctor. I got reminded by an automated phone call two days ago. I probably need to talk to my doctor about only making in-person doctor appointments twice a year instead of four, as I had done with Dr. Brandon. I'm pretty sure this has to do with the required quarterly check-ins in order to stay on PrEP, which also includes quarterly STI screenings. I get to have blood drawn yet again today.
After that, though, I have a wide open week ahead, which will prove to be plenty busy: Alexia and maybe Shobhit and I will go to the opening day of the Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Hotel tomorrow; I hope to attend a Nordic "Julefest" in Ballard for the first time on Sunday; Thanksgiving is Thursday; the Lighting of the Tree Ceremony at Westlake Park on Friday.
I'll see probably at least four movies between Sunday and the next Sunday, in theaters. I'd actually see more, except my AMC A-List membership only allows three movies within each Friday-Thursday span. Having gone to see
She Said (which was
very good) last night instead of tonight as originally planned may allow for one more, but that depends more on movie release schedules.
I'll be doing my monthly Movie Watch Party with Kwanteria tonight. We were going to do it last night but then apparently she got asked to work overtime and she needs the money, so we switched it to tonight, which I was easily able to accommodate. This means, actually—and unusually—that I won't be seeing any movie in theaters over this weekend. But, the three I see next week will all be midday while Shobhit is working, since I won't be working.
The time off should also give me plenty of time to finish the large amount of work left in constructing next year's calendars. I'm already getting anxious to get that done.
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— पांच हजार तीन सौ पंद्रह —
I just finished with my biweekly virtual lunch with Karen. We talked about all sorts of things, but nothing especially noteworthy. Travel plans, and the like. She did show me her new power chair, which apparently can lift her nearly twice the height of her old chair. She said her old chair could lift her vertically about eight inches, and this one is fourteen! She even rolled away from the camera so I could see all of her in the chair, and raised herself up. It was kind of astonishing. She was also thrilled that she got it within about two and a half months of ordering; she was apparently expecting to wait a good six months.
I did tell her about my taking PTO all next week, and all the plans I already have, particularly this coming weekend. She seemed to think it all sounded fun. I believe she has family from out of town coming to visit for Thanksgiving. I'll see her again on December 2. I just remembered I was going to see if she wanted to switch one of the December lunches to another rooftop bar happy hour; I still need to look into that. Or maybe not. Maybe it's better to wait for that until after Australia. I need to scrimp and save where I can.
Anyway we kind of went long, and I really need to get back to work. Eric canceled our 1:1 this afternoon which will actually help, but I'm still leaving at like 3:15 for my doctor's appointment. I need to get some last things done before I'm out for the next week.
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[posted 1:12 pm]
