In which I start wearing pajama pants early on New Year’s Eve.

Yes, somehow, I’ve ended up with no plans tonight. I think I thought that once I moved back here, I’d have all these offers for socializing and I’d have to pick and choose. And, in fact, my life has been blessed with lots of friends, new and old, since I moved back and I have rarely been in want of company. New Year’s Eve snuck up on me, though, and–well, here I am.

It’s all good, as I seem to be more of a hermit lately than ever, and that’s saying something. A lot of it is getting old, some of it is the migraines, and some of it is my finally accepting that I’m a homebody and that that’s okay. It’s mainly my mind and heart and spirit that like to wander out and about, it seems. That’s a lot more fun.

Speaking of staying in, I’m going to be doing a lot more of it in 2009. I re-budgeted last night, and it is SO not pretty. There are several unfortunate items in my financial repertoire, but the most so is the credit card bill I rang up when I moved. Uhhh…so, that’s my fault. I needed stuff. (Maybe I should have listened to the naysayers when they questioned my Wii. I still contend they’ll be sorry when they see how HOT the Wii Fit makes me, but whatev.)

In any case, I’m going to have to be more conscious of where my money goes in the year to come. Which means less eating out, more menu planning, less spontaneous downloading from iTunes (which I think will hurt more than anything), and NO pulling out of the Visa card. Which means…er, being even more of a hermit, I imagine.

But that’s okay too. Something else I’ve got to work on is just sitting down and getting all my work done. I’m always so drained after a school day that I usually say, “oh, I’ll just grade when I get home.” Then…I don’t. Because I’m drained. Then I get really stressed and overwhelmed, and the migraines get worse, and sometimes I cry. I’ve been fantasizing about a job where I could go to work, work, and then go home–well, I don’t have one of those jobs, but I could take some steps to move it more in that direction. Which means–sigh–staying after school until the work gets done. I already stay about an hour afterward–I’ll just have to stay longer if need be.

Which means I’ll be even more of a hermit and spend less money…wheeeeeee! See how this all works together?

Speaking of, er, money and migraines and budgeting and getting old…I had an appointment with a TMJ specialist this morning. I learned SO MUCH in the three hours I was there–turns out, my jaws are MESSED UP. That, I knew. I also knew TMJ disorder could affect a lot of things, but the doctor really brought home just how, repeat, MESSED UP I am because of my MESSED UP jaws. It’s possible that I’m this way because of an injury when I was 4–that, I did NOT know, and it’s scary.

In any case, everything he said made a lot of sense and I don’t want to get my hopes up, but it sounds like he can help me. I’m just waiting to find out if my insurance will come through . My mom said she and my dad will help me if not, but I hate for them to do that since they’ve taken up so much of the slack in my financial situation already. I think this may be the key to a lot of my pain, though, and I really, really want to be able to get the treatment. By the way, thanks to Newton for turning me on to the guy. I love the blog-a-spherr.

Well, this has certainly been a self-obsessed stream-of-consciousness, but that’s this blog in a nutshell, I suppose. Sounds like I’m going to be kind of boring this coming year, but I’m kind of looking forward to it. And it looks like I’m ending 2008 and starting 2009 in an appropriate manner for such.

If I get too boring and you stop reading, I’ll understand . But, one more thing before I go be boring some more–thank you for reading thus far. For almost two years now, this thing has been essential to my sanity, whether it’s been boring or annoying or repetitive or freaky or whatever to you. I don’t know what it’s like to be on the other side of it, but it means a lot on my side that you choose to be there. Happy new year, all.

P.S. Gratuitous pic of Dorian sitting on a pizza box: