Procrastination

I'm not dead...far from it.  Well, I don't know that I can say far from it.  I am alive and I made it through the holiday's.  Not for lack of trying to get fired, unfriended or go broke.  I started off getting so excited about Christmas and how I was going to make all my gifts.  Well....that is the dumbest decision I have ever made.  It was right up there with thinking a 8 oz can of hair spray in my bangs and a bunsen burner would get together.  It was a silent death for them and that was the time period when them being 6 inches from the top of your forehead was radically cool.  I smelled like burnt sock all the rest of the day.

I could never get my hair to look like this...bitch

Going into December, I had really great intentions.  I had one or two gifts started...I had plenty of time.  Plenty.  But then some part of me just went total knob and I just could have given a shit about who got what.  I just wanted to stop sewing, crafting or gluing.  I was done.  I was so cranky about the whole thing that I haven't finished 2 presents.  That's horrible.  I'm a horrible friend and shitty gift giver.  It's just that I was so burned out for the whole of December. I managed to pull some all nighters and get the ones that I had to have shipped done.  The ones that I had to have for Christmas day where actually done the night before. I just didn't sleep.

When I don't sleep, which happens somewhat regularly, I start to see things.  Weird things.  I think it's the Lithium.  I'll smell things differently or instead of.  There has been a couple of times that I'll walk into a room and BANG...make me gag, it smells so bad.  Come back in a few moments to start looking for the source of the smell and there is nothing there.  I opened the plastic around a Post-it note pad and my eyes started to water. It smelled like dirt and ammonia.  I took it to another lady in the office and she couldn't smell a thing.  I put it on my desk, thinking it just needed to be aired out and about 4 hours later, I had to take it back to the office supply room.  It was just making me cry.  I smartly tried another one, taking the wrapping off and it smelled too.  So I've just gone and bought my own.  But no one could smell it.  So I try to sleep because I'm just useless the day after I stay up.  It's like I've turned my skin around and I'm looking and smelling out the back of my head. 

The week after Christmas was supposed to be when I was going to deliver all my friends gifts.  And I did to a point.  My Rubber Ducky has yet to get her gift (I'm STILL working on it) but I think I'll have it done today. In my defence, I changed my mind 3 times over the last two weeks in December on what I was going to make her.  I started something and decided that I wasn't going to do that so I started the 2nd gift and then decided (last weekend) that I was going to go back to the 1st gift.  So I'm finishing up the last little bit and I hope to give to her tonight.  She's been super nice about it.

I still have one last gift and that one I have to have done by Monday because we're going to lunch. Now, she does not know that I am giving her a gift.  She's a friend of my Mom's and actually GAVE me my sewing machine (2 to be exact) and has never asked for anything in return.  She's a really great lady.  And I know what I'm going to do, I just have to do it.

So...lessons learned:
1. Do not make 19 gifts by hand, no matter how much time you give yourself
2. Make less complicated gifts if you are going to make several of them (assuming I'll ignore #1)
3. Start saving up now for all the shit you think you'll need to make 19 gifts.
4. Actually put a plan together (storyboard) early on so you can prepare
5. Do not commit to anyone that you'll make them a gift.  This means you can buy them a $15 gift card to WalMart and still deliver on a commitment.
6. Buy gift bags....not wrapping paper.
7. Save up for the $85 for shipping to four different people (or just send them $15 gift cards to WalMart)
8. Unfriend people in November and then beg for their friendship in January.



Hope everyone had a great Holiday!  Remind me in October that I need to take my remaining vacation and go to Cleveland. I'd have more fun.