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 | Monday, December 14, 2009 at 14:51:59 mst
Comment ID: #1
Name: PDS
E-mail: pdspds(at)gmail.com
12 years ago synthroid more or less changed my life. Your situation sounds similar to mine, pre-synthroid. I know some folks poo-pooed the effects of synthroid here a while back, but that hasn't been my experience, for whatever it might be worth. |
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| Monday, December 14, 2009 at 18:57:43 mst
Comment ID: #2
Name: Caroline
A few years back I emerged exhausted from a harried, frazzled Christmas of trying to do too many things, and decided to redefine my celebration on my own terms. Not so much downscaling as just refocusing on what I enjoy most about Christmas.
Having a design background, I ended up with a strongly decor-focused holiday. Each year gets a new decor theme that is carried out in various Christmas trees and indoor holiday decor. Gift wrap is elaborate and quite over the top by most standards, but it makes Christmas more fun for me. This year I just added another white Christmas tree with fiber optic lighting that transitions through all the colors of the rainbow. I am also making a tabletop scene of a sparkling white winter forest with reindeer and a snow frosted house. Next year I am considering expanding the scene with a skating pond, and maybe a train set.
In my family, there used to be a tradition of going to church on Christmas eve. However, when all the kids grew up we became atheists so we stopped that tradition. Instead, we dress up for Christmas eve in cocktail finery and have an elegant punchbowl of super-strong eggnog. Much better than church!
Another great Christmas tradition is finding new Christmas music. There is a lot of joyful classical music, especially Bach, and also some wonderful popular music, including some delightfully bawdy works. |
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| Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 7:59:30 mst
Comment ID: #3
Name: Tom Rowland
E-mail: atlasfan(at)earthlink.net
Last year Julie and I were just too busy to do much of anything. But this year, given evough energy, we're going to up teh level a bit with a small miniature (not the same thing)winter scene, a small christmeas tree, and some lights. The extended family that live nearby will be getting together to enoy some meals together. Julie has some deadlines for papers to finish her Master's program and I will be working on some of the details of my novel.
Diana, is it possible that some of your balaise isdoe to the contrast between your pre and post-graduation life. I know that I experiencesd a big change in my disposition and energy when I had to drop out of my program and didn't teach any more or write papers, etc. Sure do wish for you a return of your energy. Doesn't look like you've lost your zest for life though. |
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| Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 8:23:23 mst
Comment ID: #4
Name: Diana Hsieh
E-mail: diana(at)dianahsieh.com
URL: http://www.dianahsieh.com/blog
Tom -- No, I don't think that my completing my dissertation has anything to do with my current state. The timing isn't right, and the symptoms are very clearly rooted in a completely physical problem. At most, I might have staved off the problem by diet and force of will for a while, but I even doubt that. (I just don't seem to have any mental control over my symptoms.) In any case, my problems clearly need a physical remedy.
Also, I have lost some of my zest for life. That -- meaning the periodic depression, the constant emotional flatness -- is the worst of it. It's so completely unlike me, but standard with hypothyroidism. (People are often mis-disagnosed, then put on anti-depressants that mask the symptoms. I won't do that.)
Thanks for your concern -- and I hope that you do get your winter scene up this year! |
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| Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 9:24:22 mst
Comment ID: #5
Name: Mike
E-mail: michaelbahr(at)cox.net
I like Caroline's decor idea. I'll share that with Steph -- household decor is her sandbox.
This will be the fifth holiday season for us in which we shuttle between three extended families throughout the 24th-25th-26th. Steph's father died young, so there is his family and her stepfather's family both to visit, as well as my folks. This will be the third holidays for us with a child (two this time!) and we have found that it's very easy to make the family happy -- and very gratifying to be able to give that happiness to them -- simply by bringing the girls and taking care of the sundries while they play with Nana, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa, four remaining Great Grandparents, and various levels of Aunts and Uncles.
One tradition that has grown kind of organically that we're trying to continue is to go to at least one big football game for the Christmas holidays as a couple, and as many more as possible with friends and family. We can usually score Fiesta Bowl tickets cheap and Insight Bowl tickets for close to nothing, and I have Cardinals season tickets in the front row so there are usually a game or two bracketed around the holiday week. This year we have the Rams on 12/27 and I'm going, and the Packers on 1/3 but I sold those off. From 2005 to 2007, we hit all three every year. Last year we missed the Fiesta. It's a very fun tradition that will hopefully stick. |
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| Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 18:26:31 mst
Comment ID: #6
Name: C Andrew
E-mail: ca4papen(at)mindspring.com
I think we need to put Christ back in Christmas 8-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtICZNUsDtQ |
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