sidebar of the people

Kirk, the Sidebar should have a spot for comments!

In the spirit of the season, and because there has been a lot of hard work to do here recently, I want to give the senior members of my team some nice gift. All three are women about 30 years old. One is very annoying, two are very nice. I need to keep it relatively inexpensive - and I'm feeling booze and chocolate are played out (and fattening!). What's a girl to do?

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It's 10 time. 10:10 am and about 10 degrees outside in Cambridge. I am off to Braintree to deliver pies my wife and I made for a charity. Our apartment is about 800 sq feet, so holiday projects like pies, cookies, gifts and such tend to occupy more than one room. I am getting ready to leave, packaging pies and putting them by the door. I put on my scarf and gloves and just start howling with laughter. On Friday, I had a job interview that won't produce results until some time today. I have no idea how to call it and am quite anxious. The de rigeur question "What do you see yourself doing in five years?" sticks in my head, as well as my canned dryly professional answer.

Five years ago, I did not see myself as married, looking for work heading into the holidays. I certainly didn't see myself doing charity work, doing yoga regularly, or still living in Cambridge. To be blunt, life has surprised me on almost every front, if I was to try to measure based on my expectations five years ago. Old plans I had came undone, new plans were made in haste to suit opportunity and came to fruition. I have been surprised pleasantly in most cases, granted undeserved grace in others, and bracingly dissappointed on a memorable few.

God's rest to ye, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Chances are it will all have changed in five years anyway.

Merry Christmas.