Now... I'm not one of the most organized people, but I like to be aware of all things that might seriously screw with my schedule and cause me to hyperventilate (because I think I might be losing my mind) or have an anxiety attack and cause me to consume one of those itty bitty teeny tiny yellow pills up in my cabinet that take me to a better place...to a land of relaxation, where all is peaceful... It doesn't exist? That's what YOU think! Hahaha! But seriously...
In the many weeks of January, I put up and take down my manual calendar. I prefer the Coca-Cola ones, because it really fits in with my decor. And I like there to be space in each day. And I like all of the general holidays already printed on it. And... and... And...
And so... I look up various websites. The one I reminded myself today when I said Self... DOES the mail come today? AND! Does the trash come one day later this week? And so... I headed to usps.com to look up the "Observed Federal Holidays" and came up with this:
Saturday, January 1 - New Year’s Day
Monday, January 17 - Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday
Monday, February 21 - Washington’s Birthday (President's Day)
Monday, May 30 - Memorial Day
Monday, July 4 - Independence Day
Monday, September 5 - Labor Day
Monday, October 10 - Columbus Day
Friday, November 11 - Veterans Day
Thursday, November 24 - Thanksgiving Day
Monday, December 26 - Christmas Day (Observed)
Monday, January 2, 2012 - New Year’s Day (Observed)
My Waste Management company doesn't have that many observed holidays, but still... I like to know... IN ADVANCE!
And so... I go through the calendar and on each of these day I write, "no mail". Yeah... it looks much prettier than this, because it's in my neat little writing, because sometimes, I like things the old-fashioned way and I want it available for EVERYONE to see, so there are no questions.
Questions like... When is our next school holiday? When do we go on vacation? When's our next restructuring day... When... When... When...?
The questions are never-ending. I therefore grab the school schedule (given at the beginning of the school year) and copy all that stuff down, too. I write in when semesters and tri-mesters end, when finals are, when Sr. Projects are due, when the Prom is... And for days that school ends at a different time... I write the time next to it.
Because I'm like that. And I like things in a certain schedule. I like them the way they are supposed to be. The way they should be. I like to know... so that um... when there's going to be ANY kind of predictable interruption or change in my day, I'm not unprepared. Because being unprepared makes me very afraid.
I am afraid of the unknown. I am afraid of being the world's worst parent and not knowing that my kid got out at 12:14, while I'm way the heck on the other side of the second city over and they are stranded and have been sitting in the parking lot for hours already. Didn't I know? uh... well... NOW I do...
Because, you see... It's all on the calendar. Oh yeah... I put birthdays and anniversaries and stuff like that, too. But... basically, it serves me as being somewhat organized AND it saves me money. How? Um... a) I don't have to go to my shrink to get a new prescription [$20 saved!] and b) Do you KNOW how much those little pills cost? [$??? Saved!] oh yeah! and of course... c) I don't have to go back and forth when I now know when these kids are all getting out. I can schedule my day and my errands around the school schedule and super duper save on gas! [$$$aved!]
And so... when my hubs asks me, "What are we doing next weekend?" or my kids ask me, "Are we doing anything next Saturday?" or myself asks myself, "Is this a postal holiday?"
I simply say, "Check and see if it's on the calendar..." And VOILA! Everyone's coordinated with me! (AS IF! it were truly that easy! but hey... let me live in my calendar world and think that I'm really ok... and I am ok with that...)
I couldn't survive without a calendar either, and this made me laugh because I really have to know about postal holidays in advance too. I'm slightly obsessed with mail, I guess.
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