Best-laid Plans

There are days when it seems like the universe is out to show you that all your grand plans mean nothing. For instance, I had grand plans today for the first "work" day of the new year to be all hyper-efficient, jump out of bed, get things done, really get back to work, etc. And, of course, it ended up being the kind of day that's least conducive to that. It's cold, gray and rainy, the perfect day to lounge in bed and then curl up with a good book and a pot of tea.

In fact, I've been wanting a day like this throughout the holidays. One of my other grand plans was that I wanted to re-read the whole Harry Potter series straight through. In spite of the summer releases, I think of them as "winter" books, best enjoyed on a cold, rainy day, snuggled under a blanket with a pot of tea. I think those books work best in total immersion, and this kind of day is perfect for losing yourself in a fantasy world like that. The first time I read the first book, it was a day like today. I re-read the first book and first read the next two just after Christmas, which was when I really got hooked (and first came up with the idea that became Enchanted, Inc.), and then read the fourth book for the first time at the end of January. After that, I was on the release schedule, so all my re-reads have been in the summer, and I've only read the last three books during the summer. This was going to be my chance to enjoy them properly. And wouldn't you know, just about the entire time I had set aside for this, it was warm and sunny, or at least sunny. Then the day I'm supposed to go back to work, it's exactly the kind of reading day I was waiting for.

But as I was lying in bed whimpering about having to get up this morning, I decided that if I can't adjust my activities to fit the weather, then what's the point of working for myself? So I let myself lie in bed and listen to the rain for a while, and then I made scones and had tea and scones while listening to Beethoven and watching it rain. And now I'm going to get the important tasks for the day done so I can spend at least part of the afternoon reading. It will be warm and sunny again tomorrow.

Normally, this would be a good writing day, but what I have to do involves thinking, planning and brainstorming, which isn't good on a day like today.

I also badly underestimated the amount of time it would take to read the whole series. When I got through it all in the week between Christmas and the new year, it was three books, and they were the short ones. I think I allowed three weeks for the last pre-release re-read, and that involved one less book. I'm mid-way through book 5 now, and I'm noticing some interesting patterns and hints of foreshadowing that I will post about when I'm finished with the series.

Aside from having my plans thwarted, I'm doing okay on my resolutions. I've been getting exercise and I've done some cleaning/organizing. The house is still a mess, but what I've done hasn't been tidying. It's been more like sorting through and tossing. That's making room in my storage areas so I can put away the things that need to be put away.

Now I must go send a few e-mails and do a writing task or two.