I’m tired today, even though I’ve had plenty of sleep. My part-time hours at work are quickly sliding into full-time hours again. The store owner has only hired one new person, and she is not working out at all. Both the owner and I are being run ragged, trying to clean up Christmas items and get Valentine’s Day items out, as well as trying to clean up the mistakes the new girl is making. Right now, she is just a warm body until someone else can be hired. Quite frankly, I don’t know how much longer I can keep going. But, I am a nice person who hates to see others be put out, so I keep agreeing to work more hours. *sigh*

One of my resolutions this year was to take better care of myself–get the proper amount of sleep, exercise, try to manage my pain better, etc. And yet, I am already letting other people’s feelings get in the way. I keep telling myself that in a month it will be okay, but I say the same thing next month. Argh! When am I going to learn to look out for myself just a little more?

This is really a whiny year for me so far, isn’t it? 😛

Having a website can be very frustrating. Although I do get many nice comments and emails about the pieces I post over on The Lotus Pond, it is the rude and mean emails that stick with me the longest.

Last night I got the following:

wiccan is only 50 years old my ass wiccan is older than the catholic religion it can be traced back many centurys dont make yourself seems like someone that knows all when no one knows everything. stop acting like there is a scientific reason for everything those whole webpage makes me sick

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t take personally a message from someone who confuses the name of a religion (Wicca) with a person who follows it (Wiccan), but that is just the sort of person I am. I put a lot of work and thought into my site. In my piece on the history of Wicca, I present two views and try to provide evidence to show why I support the theory that I do. It’s not like Ronald Hutton pulled everything out of his butt when he wrote Triumph of the Moon. And, uhhh… there is a good chance that Gardner may have.

Anyway… I’m just seriously frustrated. I was thinking about new essays and a new layout of the Pond, but now I’m just thinking about scrapping the whole thing. Blah. But I guess it is better to keep my somewhat educated site around to counter some of the more fluffy one. Who knows.

Happy 2005! Let’s hope that this year is a wee bit quieter then the one just past. And I wish for all of you a great deal of love, joy and peace in the new year.

Today my parents are coming for a visit, and we are cooking a lovely chicken dinner. (Turkeys are hard to come by right now.) After that, I’m escaping off to Hamilton for a couple of days so that I can drive down to Paris (Ontario, that is) with my mom to plunder Mary Maxim’s January clearance sale.

It looks like the year is off to a good start. 🙂

I’m finally back after my long hiatus. (I wonder how long it will be until anyone notices. 🙂 ) I feel a little refreshed after being away from my blog, and the Internet in general, for so long. My time, though, wasn’t spent as wisely as I had hoped. I ended up getting bogged down with work and health issues, and got very little done. But a new year is about to start and it is time for new goals, new plans, and new priorities.

The most important thing for me to do in the new year is to pick up my pen and write. I am learning that my fear of failure, when it comes to writing, is coming true when I don’t write at all. So, by trying to avoid my fear, I am actually making it happen.

My second biggest priority is to attend to my health. I have reduced my work schedule, and I have also began to implement a new eating and exercise plan.

I also have other resolutions with regards to spending money (I buy far too many books), following up on half finished projects, etc. I’m optimistic about the new year, and I hope all of you are too.