Travelin’ li-ight

Feels like New Year’s Day with all the bowl games and stuff. I am not a football fan but I somehow enjoy the ambience of a bunch of folks hanging out watching football on the boob tube. The Outback Bowl in this case. It was extra fun today as various friends and relatives, Michigan State Spartan fans all, were posting things on facebook like, “Wow!” and “Damn!” and people were commenting on those posts as if they knew what was going on. And actually so did I because I was hearing similar sentiments from the GG and Rey in Landfill Back Room and apparently there were three overtimes and even I know what eez an overtime. And now some of those noises are emanating from the Back Room again. This time it is the Rose Bowl. When I was young, there were some people in my family who were absolutely rabid University of Michigan fans and I can remember when Michigan did some really stoopid thing in a long-ago Rose Bowl and someone watching the game at my parents’ house got rather upset and for years after that, Radical Betty would occasionally mention “the time Don had that hissy”. I don’t remember the details of the hissy but I miss those folks.

I don’t know if you could call it a New Year’s resolution or not but mine is to travel as lightly as I can on this earth. It isn’t really a resolution because I have been really rather doggedly pursuing this philosophy for quite some time now. And I am making some progress. This morning I think it took me about 15 minutes to pack up to leave the Group Home @Houghton Lake. One bag of leftover food, my clothing (with dirty clothes in a plastic bag), and my electronical crap, and I have even downsized that from a couple years ago: laptop, iPad, and iPhone plus power cords. My electronical crap now fits into a smallish backpack, the same one that I schlep to the Plum Market. I am finished with hauling around digital cameras and stuff. My phone does everything. Not every trip is that easy. We were packed to the gills for the return trip from xmas in Sault Ste. Siberia and had to leave some recycling there for the next trip up. And Dogmomster took care of the garbage. When I got home today, the neon green flyer from Easter Seals reminded me to put out the five (count ’em) bags of old clothing, toys, etc., etc., to be picked up tomorrow morning. The Landfill Dungeon is still a mess but the donations area is empty. Until the next time…

I am looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow but I am not really looking forward to 2012. To be completely honest, The Comm is still in the hoosegow up in Siberia and… Well… I just wish they could figure out exactly what the heck is going on and fix it. All I know is that it’s complex. I am feeling guilty for not being there and wondering whether I have made the best decisions. At the time I made those decisions, they seemed to be wise. Not sure now…

Anyway, after a very snowy start today, we had a relatively quick trip down to The Planet Ann Arbor and we got the xmas tree etc. down in short order. All other lights are still up. It’ll be dark here for a while yet and we need light [and color] to survive the winter. At the moment, the Back Room is filled with 20-somethings and that makes me happy.

3 Responses to “Travelin’ li-ight”

  1. Margaret Says:

    I would like to travel lighter emotionally. Getting rid of other stuff would be great too. 😉 My husband was watching the Rose Bowl, but I was rooting for WI and they lost. Made me unhappy. I hate the Oregon Ducks.

  2. pooh Says:

    Don’t second guess your decisions and beat up on yourself. You are loved.

  3. jane Says:

    thanks for entertaining Rey! I ended up spending time with friends who were home for the holidays from far flung parts of the country. but that meant I was not a good aunt. sigh.