Tonight was the official holiday party for our greater department, and every year since we moved from Metrazur, it's the same.  Overly crowded, only knowing our department's people, doing the whole see and be seen thing, enduring extremely loud music and yelling to hear each other.  In a lot of ways I guess I could say I'm easing back into things, particularly since I'm pretty much on a schedule until the New Year.

Tomorrow I hit Brooklyn, then work from home Friday before heading out to my aunt's to bake our annual batches of cookies.  I do look forward to this every year, but with this year being so dysfunctional and unusual, there will likely be some interesting questions that I'll have to deflect because I don't have answers.

It should be fine.  We'll get done what we have to, enjoy ourselves in a lot of ways, and the rest of the time I have to focus on work since I have no time off (literally) except Christmas Day itself.  That really has to be the engine driving me to the finish line of this year.  What next year will hold, hell, who knows; there are about 20 moving parts that don't fit into a cohesive pattern at the moment in a day to day as well as overarching path of how things will turn out.

For now though, it's time to keep a long tradition running and concentrate on baking.