All By My Lonesome

This week I'm all on my own, friends, while Gil is off to Newfoundland again.  He does this fairly regularly, traveling over there to visit friends as well as to see some patients in the community where he used to live.  I knew before we married that this was a priority for him, and I'm proud that he keeps it up, even though it pains me a little to have him gone so long.

This week I'm trying to make some plans to make this week count.  I'd like to use the time well, but also to do some little things to make our house more home-y.  I know I could do this while he's here (seeing as I am at home a lot while he works), but it's a bit more fun to do it while he's gone so I can surprise him.

So far, my big plans for the next five days are:
1)  Have a mini-spiritual retreat.  I'm trying to "fast" from television and secular music for a few days and get back in the habit of journaling during my quiet time. 
2) Study Chinese.  Like, a lot.  My teacher wants me to write another big exam in 5 weeks, so I need to get myself in gear ASAP.
3)  Hang pictures up around the house.  There are some that will have to wait until we get a new couch, but there are other areas that I've been meaning to decorate,
4)  Organize my closets and my clothes.  I'd like to get my fall and winter stuff ready, as well as giving away clothes that I no longer need.  I realized last winter that my years in Ottawa have left me with way more hats/toques/mitts than I will need in Toronto, especially as I no longer have to wait for a bus in the early morning hours!
5)  Potentially set up some autumn decor.  I'm thinking a wreath may be in order...

One thing I have noticed in our 11 months of marriage is that when Gil is away, my sleep habits change.  I've become used to going to bed around 10:30-11:00 and getting up when he does most mornings.  As soon as he's gone, my body shifts into my "natural" pattern of bedtime around midnight.  When I was on my own and working, I found that during vacations, I would gravitate towards a midnight bedtime.  Isn't it weird how our bodies have these natural tendencies?  Even years of getting up at 6 a.m. for work couldn't shake the night owl out of me!

Do you do anything fun while your spouse is away?  Do your habits change at all?  I'm curious, so let me know!