Today was my last day in the office until January 3rd. It was a pretty quiet day to begin with, and I didn't have a whole lot of motivation to do too much. I poked around on a couple of projects, but there was nothing hanging over my head that had to get done before I left for the extended break, so I didn't feel any pressure.

I have no travel plans or anything to do except shop for the remainder of my Christmas presents this week. I have such a short time before I have to get everything together for the house that I have to save every penny. I'm in decent enough shape right now, but I don't want anything to get in the way.

Part of the plan is to pay off the car before I get the mortgage. I have to talk to the mortgage broker one more time before I commit to the payoff amount, but if my assets won't be too diminished by doing so, I think it will help in the long run. It'll be one less bill to take care of, at any rate.

It's still a bit surreal to me; the speed with which all of this has happened. I can't wait to have a house of my own, but until the day I take the keys and walk around there knowing it's mine, it's not going to feel entirely real to me.

I really have no plans for vacation, which is usually a recipe for boredom about halfway through, and a little bit of regret towards the end. I should come up with at least one productive thing and one fun thing to do each day while I'm on break.

Productive shouldn't be difficult. I know I have to check out the gym in town and start going there on a regular basis. I never stopped paying dues, even though I haven't gone in about two years. A waste of money, but at least I don't have to pay a sign-up fee again. (That doesn't work logically either, but I'm trying.)

I've found the weights at the company gym to be fine for starting out, but I really need to start using a real barbell and some of the equipment they have at a fully-stocked gym. There's only so much progress I can make using barbells and the one bench they have downstairs in my office building.

If I can bring myself to do it, I'm going to get up at the normal time I do to go to work (on weekdays...weekends are still free to sleep as late as I want) and hit the gym first thing in the morning. I used to do this when I was going to the gym regularly, and it'll be good to get back into that way of thinking. If I get my workout out of the way first thing, I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the day.

I'll probably still run on my lunch hour. I like how it breaks up the day for me, and I like the brain-dump that happens about halfway through my run. I stop worrying about work, about finances, and whatever else is on my mind and just go with the music and paying attention to how I feel as I run. Part of the time, that's wishing that time would move faster, it's not always a zen exeperience.

The rest of my time, when I'm not shopping for or wrapping Christmas presents, I'll be finishing revisions on Parthenogenesis. I definitely know how the changes I've made so far change the scenes around them (not in a major way, but there's some tweaking that needs to happen), and the one scene that needs a major overhaul is next on the plate. It takes place in a location completely different than the rest of the play, which is convenient for me as a writer, but would be tough for a director or an audience to deal with. Best to keep everything on the same set.

The rest of the time, I'm not sure about. I can always visit my new niece. I've only seen her during brief visits when there have been a lot of other people around, and I'd like to get some time in with her before the craziness of the holidays.

I'd also like to put a significant dent in the books that have been accumulating around my bed over the past few months. I never feel like I have the time to just sit down and read, and with so much unstructured time ahead of me, I don't think that'll be too much of a problem.

It sounds like the dullest vacation ever, but I've had three really good vacations this year, where I've traveled, met friends in places I've never been before, and spent a good time traveling. A bit of boring may be just what I need before I start the new year.

The only other thing I'd like to do on vacation is find some sort of regular group to start attending.

Whether it be something sports-related (there's a gay running group in Boston), or a writing workshop or a continuing ed class, I'd really like to have at least one thing going into 2006 that's a regular commitment.

I don't want to go back to school full-time, or join anything that would take up every weeknight for any length of time (such as acting in or directing a show), but I would like to meet a few new people and have something to look forward to every week. Gay-oriented would probably be best, as I've been holed up for such a long time while saving for this house, I really haven't had too much of a gay social group around me, and I'd like that. A few new good friends to hang out with, grab a bite to eat with, or just know will be around every once in awhile.

I've never had too large a social group to hang out with, and I don't know how easy it is to find one, but I think the time is right to start looking.