Daily Prompt – Getting Seasonal

Do you miss the holiday season when it’s months away? When you’re in the midst of holiday madness, do you enjoy it, or can’t wait for it to be over?

This recent holiday season, I really couldn’t be bothered. I was so completely disorganised, it was embarrassing.

…Whaaaat?!

So, over the past couple of days, I’ve been too caught up dealing with getting ready for Christmas, and all the food, shopping, present-wrapping, guilt and sadness that comes with it (the latter, I’ll be getting to in a separate post soon), but this happened…

… And I really don’t know what to say. I’m incredibly humbled that so many of you are actually interested in reading some of the shit that I write on here – but maybe that says more about you, than it does me hehehe, but if that’s the case, then maybe we should be friends, because you’re here for a reason, aren’t you??

Anyways, to the 200+ people who have subscribed — Thankyou.

Oh, and have a Merry Christmas, unless you’re more concerned with being politically correct and not discriminating or promoting any specific religion, in which case, Merry GO FUCK YOURSELF – STOP BEING SO STUPID! Just enjoy the break and be with your family and loved ones.

xx

Daily Prompt – One At A Time

Today, write a post about the topic of your choice — using only one-syllable words.

Xmas.

Much stress. Much gifts.

I wrap gifts like a boss. Matte wraps and fun bows.

Smooth like silk with a bit of sheen. Scotch tape makes it soeasy.

Hard to make bows are,

well, hard, but look great when done

– if you can get it. Gifts for him and her and them

but none for me. All my gifts are cocoa-based. And so YUM!

They say I’m hard to buy for, but I’m not.

It is so easy. Gift cards make it so. When in doubt, cards

for tunes can sort it out, and I get to buy what I like. I say cards are good,

but some say they are not. I love tunes, so it is good for me, but not for those who do not

like tunes. Try a film gift card instead.

We all like a good film now and then.

**HAVE GOOD XMAS**

**SO XMAS. MUCH GIFT**

**STAY SAFE, HAVE FUN**

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/one-at-a-time/

700th Post – Christmas!

 

First and foremost… this is my 700th post. That came around REALLY quickly… and will perhaps be the last major milestone for quite some time, as I’m planning to move from daily to weekly prompts, focusing purely on creative writing.

But that’s going to be explained in a later post… instead, I’d like to talk about the reindeer elephant in the room…

It’s that time of the year again… bah humbug.

Currently in the office, everybody is going batshit crazy because there was a mistake with the Kris Kingle allocations amongst the staff, and heaven forbid, a couple of people have ended up with *gasp* TWO k.k. gifts this year… and some have ended up with none.

It’s a complete tragedy, and nobody seems to know what to do with themselves, because they’ve worked themselves up into such a state about it. And all of this after somebody decided to lose their shit over the fact that there are two completely identical parcels under the tree of the same size (DUN DUN DUNNNNN), and wrapped in the SAME PAPER!!

I know, I’m just as horrified… IT’S A K.K. GIFT… CALM THE FUCK DOWN, BITCHES!!

All week I’ve been fielding questions from people about what present they should get for another person in the office – even people who should already know the answer to this question – you’ve worked with them for how long now? And you STILL don’t know what they like? It’s unbelievable.

Currently there is more chocolate sitting in this office than there would be in the local supermarket – granted, majority of it is currently sitting under my desk waiting to be wrapped and distributed amongst all these… people.

I’m so unprepared for Christmas this year. I’ve bought no presents yet, I don’t even have a list of who I’m needing to buy presents for – it’s become so last minute, it’s disgraceful. Last year, I had most of my xmas shopping already done, and I did it all online so I didn’t have to go and deal with thousands of fuckwit shoppers wandering around a shopping centre, buying up absolutely everything, just in case it’s the last Christmas on Earth, on the off chance that a giant meteor is going to completely obliterate us all.

…but of course, that only comes after you’ve spent almost an hour driving around the car park, screaming at fucktard drivers who seem to have magically forgotten what driving is and what ‘ONE WAY’ means. That in itself is enough to turn me completely off going anywhere near our local shopping centre. It’s bad enough that on a normal Saturday, the traffic in almost every street leading to Knifepoint Highpoint is banked up for blocks and blocks and blocks. It’s actually so much easier to just walk there from our house, and the truth is, you could probably get in, do your shopping, and get out, before some people have even made it to the entrance of the car park.

It’s a fucking nightmare.

I really just want to complete write-off Christmas this year. I’ve reached a point where I just can’t deal with it anymore. It’s not about the festive spirit anymore… it’s about chocolate;  food, and waaaay too much of it; eating (and then complaining about eating too much – here’s a hint: PUT DOWN THE FUCKING FORK!!); shopping; attempting to make everybody else around you happy whilst you go completely broke or into debt; family obligation; and the most stress that most of us have had to deal with all damn year.

I want nothing to do with it.

This year it’s about Xmas parties. People banging on about how they need to see you before Christmas, with the kind of urgency usually reserved for somebody going off to war… like if they don’t see you before xmas, they’ll never see you again. Honestly, I wish some people would actually take that approach.

This is the first year that I haven’t been able to spend xmas with my mum. Conveniently enough she’s been on my case saying how lovely it would be if I could spend Christmas with her and my brother, because the three of us haven’t spent a christmas together for over ten years now… thanks for that, Mum. #ChristmasGuilt.

Instead, I’ll now be spending my Christmas eve (which I have always spent celebrating with mum) with Hulk’s family instead, followed by the usual massive lunch & dinner on Xmas day. I don’t even really want to do that. I would much prefer for Hulk and I to stay home and actually have some down time for a change, rather than running all over town dealing with stress and chaos.

Hopefully, whatever you are doing this Christmas, it’s not filled with as much stress and resentment as mine is. And we’re still a week away… *ugh*. A lot can happen in a week, and I’m anticipating that it’s all going to turn to shit quite rapidly.

We’re having our office christmas party tomorrow, and even that has blown out to some huge event rather than just a simple staff luncheon, and people flipping out about who’s organising which foods, and why this wasn’t ordered and that was ordered instead, and there isn’t going to be enough of this etc etc. Ironically, my understanding was that we were originally just going to all organise our own take-away lunch instead, and just sit down together for a few drinks and some presents and speeches etc… but no.

Nothing is ever that simple.

3 Nov – Fantasy Job

Write about an amazing imaginary brand or organization you’d love to work with. What would their pitch to you look like? What would your post say?

I’d love to work for myself. I’d live to be a freelance Dance technician.

Daily Prompt – August Blues

As a kid, were you happy or anxious about going back to school? Now that you’re older, how has your attitude toward the end of the summer evolved?

For us here in ‘Straya, the end of August is just that, the end of another month. Oh and the end of winter!

Daily Prompt: In the Summertime

Theoretically, summer will return to the polar-vortex-battered Northern Hemisphere. What are you looking forward to doing this summer? If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, what are your fondest memories of Summer past?

Well, for us here in ‘Straya, we get really hot summers… this past summer we saw some temperatures reach from between 46 – 48 degrees (celsius). I remember when I was a kid, we lived in the country and every summer we would have to endure 45-degree heat waves for up to two weeks at a time before we’d actually get a cool change come through.

As the world and society has evolved, along with the ozone layer and global warming, that has since changed. Living in Melbourne, I’ve noticed a distinct pattern in summer… it’ll get ridiculously hot for a few days in a row, then it will rain. Then it gets hot again, then it rains again. We’re fortunate enough to have air conditioning where I live as well as where I work, however catching public transport between the two of them can become quite a nightmare. A hot, sweaty, exhausting, sweaty, smelly, sweaty nightmare.

For me, the standout memories of this summer were extensive train delays due to track network upgrades; countless days of making my absolute favourite Watermelon Mocktail (Watermelon, fresh mint leaves, apple & mint juice, splash of lemon juice and ice – all whizzed up in a blender, and served over ice and some fresh mint leaves to garnish!); it was also a time of sleeping; blogging and PS3; copious amounts of food, but above all, the stress and drama revolving around Christmas.

What. A. Nightmare.

Surprisingly, not once did I get to go to the beach. I didn’t get to swim in the ocean. In fact, I barely managed to swim in a pool for most of summer. Granted I was also carrying a little excess weight, so getting my top off in public certainly wasn’t an option, but it’s disappointing that I didn’t even get the opportunity to visit the ocean.*sigh* I love the ocean. It’s so therapeutic for me.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/04/06/daily-prompt-in-the-summertime/

25 Dec – Christmas Traditions

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating today. Tell us about your favourite holiday tradition.

I don’t really *do* Christmas. I’m not really a fan of it, but most of the time it’s just done out of obligation. But for all the bitching and moaning about it, it always manages to turn out to not be the worst experience of my life.

Dec 27: Favourite Week of the Year

Which do you enjoy more: the last week of the year, or the first week of the year?

Oh without a doubt, it’s the first week of the year. Everything feels fresh and new. Here in ‘Straya, it’s our Summer, so the weather is usually hot and sunny. Well, perhaps unless you live in Melbourne.

It’s actually New Years Day and I’m in the process of catching up on some posts from the previous week, as I haven’t had an opportunity to write anything – I know, I know, poor form for a post-a-day challenge, but I’m determined to finish them all, dammit!!

So today instead of warm and sunny, it’s overcast and raining. Awesome.

But apart from the weather, the first week is usually pretty great. It’s usually hot and sunny. I’m also on holidays from both my jobs so I’ve got nothing but time on my hands: Sleep and PS3 come at me!!

The last week of the year pales by comparison – if it’s the last working week, it’s all about finishing up stuff at work; stressing about Christmas; juggling countless christmas parties and dinners and lunches and making sure that you have enough gifts for people etc etc etc. If it’s the actual last week of the year then it’s all about Christmas Day / Boxing Day – Have I got enough food? What time is lunch? What do I wear? Who’s going to be there? Who’s coming later? What am I taking? What do I have to make? Who are we picking up on the way there / dropping off on the way home? And then as soon as that’s over, it’s all about New Years: Where are we going? What are we doing? Do we go out? Do we go to so-and-so’s BBQ? What’s everybody else doing? Who’s having a party? Can I be bothered? What am I going to wear? Do I need to go shopping?

It’s just too much drama.

Dec 26: Christmas Expectations

Did Christmas fulfill your expectations this year?

Yes and no.

Yes, because I actually got a really great gift from my partner, and yes because I knew that I’d end up spending a few days eating myself into oblivion. Seriously, I don’t want to look at another piece of ham anytime soon.

Yes, because I spend the same few days with my partner’s family, which is always lovely (and a little bit tiring) but I always enjoy being around them. I think because I don’t have an opportunity to be with my family, and they’ve been so welcoming, I consider them my family… or that I’m part of their family… or something along those lines…

No, because I didn’t get to spend it with my mum. Although I knew it wasn’t happening, I actually had a brief moment where I thought that Hulk had secretly planned to fly my mum down for a couple of days, but when he gave me my present, I realised that thinking that was just me being foolish. I secretly wished that everything mum and my cousin had told me was all a big lie, and Hulk had already told them to tell me that, so then I wouldn’t be spontaneous and just hop on a plane on a whim.

Instead, Hulk and I are off to a Day Spa in the country for a weekend for a little pampering and feeling fabulous.