I think my cold is both better and worse today. My sinuses hurt when I lie down so I didn’t sleep very well last night, but I think my congestion is starting to clear up despite my sleep deprivation so that’s a good sign. I can still barely breathe out of my nose and I feel like I’m going to sneeze all the time, but it’s not too bad. I originally planned to stay home today and try to recover, but this is the kind of illness that seems even worse when I’m sitting around doing nothing. So after watching a couple of episodes of “Doctor Who” on my iPad (I admit it, I’m in love with this show. I’m up to the beginning of season 4 now.), I got out of bed, got dressed, and went out for a while to get my mind off my cold. The first place I headed was The Block at Orange to do a little shopping. Usually I’m not much of a shopper, but I had unusually good luck today which is good news because my wardrobe needs some serious help. I’m not sure if “help” is the right word for what I bought today, though. I keep wondering if my fashion sense is improving or regressing recently because I’ve been buying a lot of cardigans and blazers for work, but also tank tops and hoodies (mostly for outside work, but there are exceptions). It’s like I can’t decide how old I want to look. The first stop I made was the Converse outlet for a new pair of gray All Stars. My old pair was in sad shape so I had to get rid of them. Luckily there was a 30% off sale so I didn’t spend as much as I expected. Then I went to the Aeropostale store for a gray lace hoodie that I’ve had my eye on for about a third of the original price. Are you seeing a theme here? To continue the trend I picked up a couple of new cardigans (orange and navy blue, perfect for a die hard Gator fan like me) at Ann Taylor Loft for half price, and finally I got two pairs of jeans at the Levi’s outlet for $25 each. I came home with more stuff than I usually buy in five shopping trips and I didn’t spend very much! Quite a stroke of luck, but I was exhausted when I left due to my cold. On my way home from shopping I picked up my new awesome flat screen TV at Best Buy. It didn’t take long to set up once I got home and right now I’m using it to watch some Disney movies I recorded on ABC Family while I was in Florida. There are quite a few of the animated movies that I don’t own on DVD so I made sure to DVR them when they were on earlier this week. I already watched “Pocahontas” (which was one of Disney’s weaker offerings) and I’ve got “Mulan” (one of my favorites) in the queue, but right now I’m in the middle of “Hercules” (which is better than I remember). I definitely love the music. This bit in particular rang true with me today.

I am on my way, I can go the distance
I don’t care how far, somehow I’ll be strong
I know every mile will be worth my while
I would go most anywhere to find where I belong

That’s a mantra I need to keep in mind each day. Besides my disgusting cold I’m feeling pretty good today and I have a lot of hope for the future. 2012 is ending in a way I never expected, but I have every reason to believe that 2013 is going to better than I could have ever imagined.