Hibernation

It's hibernation time again, the time of year when you pretty much have to drag me, kicking and screaming, out of the house. I've been putting off a certain set of errands for three days now, and have just decided they can maybe wait one more day (besides, if I wait another day, the things I need at Target -- which aren't currently on sale -- may go on sale). It's been more than a week since I've been in my car.

Which is why I think I'm going to enroll in some kind of class or activity that will force me to get out every so often. I've found a couple of options. One is an exercise class at the community college down the street. They call it "balletone" and it's supposed to be a mix of exercises drawn from dance, Pilates, yoga and related disciplines. That would both get me out of the house and force me to exercise. But there's also a community chorale that could be fun. They're about to start rehearsals for their spring season, and so they're open to new members. While they don't technically overlap, the chorale rehearsals start about half an hour after the exercise class ends, and it's at least a 15-20 minute drive from one place to another. That's doable, but it wouldn't really be nice to subject the chorale people to someone all sweaty after a workout. And it would eat up an entire night to do both. I do need the exercise motivation, but odds are that the chorale would open me up to meeting a broader range of people (somehow I doubt too many men will be taking a "balletone" class). Still, I think I'll go with the exercise class for now, since it ends in time for me to still get a night of writing in and I've got such close, tight deadlines for the spring, while the chorale rehearsal fills up my prime evening writing time. I can still look into the chorale in the fall, depending on my schedule.

I'm happy to report that my experiment of taking the laptop to bed and huddling under the electric blanket was a success. I got more done than I usually might, due to the lack of Internet access and due to the fact that I was so comfy I didn't have the urge to jump up and do anything else. The main downside is that it becomes far too easy to drift off to sleep when I get stuck and spend a little time daydreaming to figure out what happens next while I'm nestled up in the featherbed and leaning against pillows. That's generally not a big problem when I'm sitting at my desk.

One of the errands I needed to run was buying more laundry detergent. I think I have just enough left for one load. Trying to decide which one load of laundry to do isn't quite in the realm of Sophie's Choice, but it is making me consider my priorities. I do have clean underwear, so that's not a problem. But which do I need more: clean sheets, clean towels, brights, darks, whites? At the rate I'm procrastinating these days, I may just decide I don't need any of them right now and I can wait until I buy new detergent.

For now, though, I think I'm going to force myself to take a walk so I can experience life on the other side of the front door for a little while.