Apparently there are other plans

It would seem as if I wasn't meant to do much these next three months.

First, I am hoping to take a foreign language course in preparation for my potential vacation in May. That means two nights each week I must sacrifice my leisure time to memorize, write, and converse. In addition, there will homework that I will madly rush to do in the hours before class starts. Going directly from work to class will also mean saving a little lunch to eat later in the day, buying some unhealthy processed food package from the nearest market or vending machine, or desperately scrounging around my purse and glove compartment for any uneaten, forgotten morsels. But, it's all for a good cause, and it's by choice. I'll meet new people, stimulate my brain, and possibly feign speaking a foreign language with some competency.

Second, it's snow sports season. In past years, I would have already had a couple trips on the calendar. Strangely, nothing yet. TJ's annual trip is MIA. With this year's El Nino, who knows if there'll even be that much snow. I keep wondering if I should leave my weekends open for a few trips, but it's been quiet. Maybe it's a good thing I missed out on the six-ticket discount in September.

To complicate matters, I have quite a bit of work travel lined up. This is not normal for this time of year. It would seem I am making up for my light travel schedule last year. I wrote out my calendar for January, February, and March, marking the days I will be out of town. Overlapping that, I noted the days I have language class. Out of 24 class meetings, I'm missing at least six (including the class before the final exam) and could lose another two. Aack! Since language classes weigh a portion of the grade on participation, I don't know if I can even earn a "pass." At least the cities I'll be visiting are not boring or in the middle of nowhere. I'm looking forward to one of them since it's supposed to be a lovely, historic town that I've never seen.

Then, as you know, I'm trying to meet men through my "consultant." Yeah, this'll be interesting. I'm not available two evenings per week, I'll be traveling every other week for two to five day trips, and I might be gone a couple weekends for skiing. You know how it goes, after being away from home for awhile, you just want to stay in when you get back. I'm wondering if some element of fate is telling me that this isn't the right time to be dating. Well, they say making yourself unavailable can make guys more interested. This will be a good test of that theory.

I'd better get some major house cleaning done this weekend. I might not have time to pick up a brush or pull out the vacuum again until April!