Work Returnage and Resolutions

I was not looking forward to returning to work on Monday. Sunday was a really nice, chilled-out day. I stayed Saturday night at the rents' and woke up a little later than planned, feeling rather rough and unable to shake the cold I have probably had for about two weeks or more. I had a nice hot shower (I was quick!), got my stuff together, went downstairs for some toast and tea and texted my uni girls to let them know I wasn't feeling too great, so was running late for our Sunday lunch date. Mum dropped me at the train station and I managed to meet them in fairly good time. We had a great catch-up as usual, me eager to hear about how things were with the both of them and they eager to hear about what had happened with NY Guy since we last spoke. They laughed and were supportively critical of him ("Enough about K-Dog," Ms. Benetton randomly quipped, much to our amusement), then got excited when I told them about the unexpected development with Samson. "I haven't seen your eyes sparkle like that for a long time," said Ms. Blunt, when I had finished getting them up to speed. He was going to come and meet me for a drink afterwards, since my usual meeting place for lunch with girls is only a ten-minute bus ride from where he lives.

It was lovely as always to see them. We had a lovely meal: tasty-looking grilled salmon for them and a boring but comforting spaghetti bolognese for me, followed by a yummy carrot cake and tea each. We belly-laughed as usual and talked about our plans for the coming year, or at least the next couple of months, both Ms. Benetton and I hoping to move out in the next few months or so. After we left, I walked back to the station and met Samson, who was waiting for me. He greeted me with a hug and kiss and we wandered down the high street to a pub that he had frequented before with his housemates. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and just enjoying each others' company, over a few drinks. We stumbled onto the question of what we were to each other and when dating becomes seeing each other and so on. "Can I call you my girlfriend yet?" he asked, explaining that, "I'd like to continue seeing you. And no-one else." I felt shy all of a sudden, but liked the fact that he was the one initiating moving things along. We had only been on a few dates, but our time together was feeling more and more comfortable and more and more couple-like. I wouldn't think of seeing anyone else and would be offended if he decided he wanted to, so I couldn't find a reason to object. "I'd like to be your girlfriend," I finally admitted, after ineloquently stumbling over my words and not knowing exactly how to express what I wanted to say. It was only later on that I realised that the label wasn't nearly as important to me as either the fact that he had wanted us to have one, or how happy I was starting to feel about the situation.

He had the week off work, after plans to go skiing with his friends fell through because of a lack of cash. We made plans to see each other on Wednesday night, him joking that with the long stretch till pay day still ahead of us, that he would cook me a pot noodle and toast for dinner. Eventually, we decided to make a move to our respective homes, me to get an early night and try to prepare myself for the week of work ahead, and he to perhaps make a start on the application form for Shoulders' job, applications for which were due to close the following evening. He walked me to the station, his arm around my shoulders and mine around his waist and asked me to text him when I got home, before kissing me and waving goodbye. I had only just got on the tube home, but Wednesday already felt like ages away.

On Monday morning, I managed to get up in fairly good time and without too much inner resentment. Work ended up actually being OK. It was busy, so the day passed quite quickly and for some reason, I felt relatively motivated, so ended up staying at work till 7.00pm. Strange behaviour, I know, but I have to work a little extra so that I can leave early on Fridays, so I thought while I actually felt somewhat willing to work late for a change, I might as well. Flame-Grilled and Boots (the equivalent of Flame-Grilled for the other half of our team) had both decided to give up smoking at the beginning of the year. They were both feeling fairly positive about their progress so far, although Boots was slightly more positive than Flame-Grilled, seeing as he had given up since the 1st of January and she had only given up on Monday 4th. Towards the end of the day, I asked him how it was going and he seemed to suggest it was okay. "How about you, have you made any resolutions?" he asked, to which I ashamedly replied that I hadn't. I nearly said something that might have come across as overly cheesy or dramatic, like "To be a better person," or "To just get through the year," but I didn't know what to say. It has been such an odd year that to be honest, to just get through 2010 feeling more positive, contented and happy would be the only thing I could genuinely say I wanted most. I suppose I could convert that into some smaller resolution-like aims, but I didn't really know where to start. I just want to take things a day at a time. Or maybe I'm just rubbish at sticking to such things and know it. Hmm.

On the way home, almost to prove my point, hunger outweighed self-control and I got a burger to eat on the train. When I got in, I was still feeling bizarrely energetic and ended up starting to tidy my room. It probably looks barely tidier to the untrained eye, but I managed to get rid of a recycling sack's worth of paper rubbish and a couple of small bags of non-recyclable rubbish, as well as generally just making things vaguely more organised. Embarrassingly, I found a pair of boots I bought at least a year ago but hadn't yet worn and had been wondering about. I am seriously going to have to continue downsizing if I want to move out this year. I dread to think about just how many vans I will need when moving if I don't get rid of some stuff now, lol. I was up tidying and sorting things out until well after midnight, when I finally got to sleep. This sudden burst of energy, especially on a Monday, a work day, a day so early in the year and a day during which I had felt tired and cold-ridden, was sort of odd for me. I didn't bother trying to question it. It's only a matter of time before it wears off.