It feels odd getting back into the regular routine. The alarm went off this morning and I was reluctant to do more than hit the snooze button and snuggle deeper underneath the blankets, surrounded by purring, sleepy-eyed cats. But duty called, and I reminded myself that this would only be a 'two-day week', since today felt so much like a Monday. My internal clock is off-kilter after this mid-week holiday.

The office was quieter than usual when I arrived, with so many still out on vacation til the end of the week. The break room seemed oddly empty without the clutter of goodies that have crowded the table for the entire week prior to Christmas, and the office doors look bare without their holiday decorations.

A plethora of email greeted me, filled with assignments, deadlines for projects, questions to answer and meetings to accept. My manager warned that things would shortly get busy and it appears she wasn't mistaken. I'm going to be working pretty hard for the next few weeks and it seems there may even be a few long days in the bargain, but that doesn't seem all that bad right now.

We went over to my parents' house after dinner. Older sis is coming down with a sore throat and fever, and so is my little niece, while Bil-2 has finally gotten over his. But there was still enough energy to laugh and talk and play a game of Worst Case Scenario. I was so tired after dinner and not really in the mood to be social, but they are leaving on Saturday to fly back home, and who knows when we'll see them again.