First Present

This morning, on my way to work, I thought I saw a beached cloud. At least, that's what it looked like. It wasn't up in the brilliantly sunny sky like it was supposed to. No, this one was lying on the ground near the highway. Very peculiar.

Work was very productive (as it usually is when I'm at work when no one else is around). I felt good enough about what I was doing that I regretted having to leave it unfinished. AND I was learning a cool program (Google Sketchup). It's very intuitive and it's free!

I spent the evening with my family, eating yummy Crockpot lasagna and talking about nonsense, as usual. My nephew kept us entertained and my latest marshmallow experiment - vanilla marshmallows made with honey, sesame and poppy seeds - turned out well.

This evening, I returned from my brother's house and decided to check that I didn't have any presents tucked into the inside corner of the front porch. Good thing I did, because sitting there unobtrusively was a gift package from the lovely and talented Jen A.

Inside was a thoughtful card, cookies, a cool reusable bag, a lovely bracelet (perfect color for me!), and a sweet little keychain with a pair of people hugging. I love it!

The bag was a really clever design and quite attractive when open.

Thank you so much, Jen! You are wonderful!

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to everyone!

Holiday Crush

I hate the "sorry I haven't been posting" posts, but this one will serve also as a run down on how my life is going recently:

- Historic Preservation project at work that has three days of exterior work planned for next week (was planned for last week, and fortunately able to be rescheduled, or we'd have been popsicles)
- Design project at work with an extremely short schedule, understaffed, and the client refuses to take any responsibility for decisions
- Cookie Exchange Party next weekend (I have no time for anything new and fun, so it'll be baklava, I think)
- Insulation needs to be put into the above ceiling (above grade) portions of the BitB (Bathroom in the Basement) project. I was thinking I'd do it this morning, but I "wasted it" sleeping in and relaxing.
- Drywall insulation on the BitB, scheduled for Wednesday evening.
- Making a Christmas gift for my nephew
- Buy a Christmas gift for ... someone in my family.
- Go through the finances to make sure that my household finances on track and the BitB project won't go over budget. (Need to pay some people next week.)

Addendum: Just foiled an escape attempt by Matti by grabbing him by the tail as he jumped off the railing. (Didn't plan it, just reacted.) I held him in my arms as soon as I hauled him close enough and even moments afterward he didn't seem too worse for the wear. A bit shocked at myself, but it turned out OK. Whew! I'm super glad I didn't hurt him.

New Year, New Prezzies, Resolutions, and "Staycations"

I had a lovely Christmas and I hope you all did too. :)
I got cozy socks, Stardust (LOVED it!), and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I also got some lovely stocking presents, including a lovely dragon pin and a sweet little puzzle box shaped like a cat (both shown above).
THEN, yesterday morning (though it might have been there since the 31st) I found on the doorstep a yummy tin of homemade cookies (also shown above) from Jen A! She is just too much some times. Thank you, Jen! I have my revenge planned!

Now, it's the new year, and after several lovely gatherings of one sort or another, I'm ready to begin what's looking like it will be an exciting (in that Chinese curse kinda way) year. Several of my friends, like Michelle, talk about not making resolutions because "If something is important, why not just do it once you have decided it is important?"
Honestly, she's right. Every new second is an opportunity for a resolution to begin or begin again. However, there's nothing wrong with people needing an event, an impetus, and a special moment to begin doing things differently. Many heroic changes are started with a New Year's Resolution (for example, the incredibly brave Kate, who put it all out there on her blog and said "wish me luck"). So, I'll state something too. Something similar to Kate's. I am going to be aware of what I eat. I am going to exercise regularly. Not because I want to be thinner, but because I want to express how I love myself. I love feeling healthy and I love the way my muscles feel and operate when I am in shape. I want the beauty of my insides to be reflected on the outside. So, I'm not making a resolution, just another step in a path I've been on for... (Jeez!) nearly 15 years.

Happy New Year to everyone! And in honor of the new year, I'll point out to you Eric's musings about the arbitrariness of "keeping" time.

And finally, I'll mention that "staycations" are cheaper, but not really as good as "vacations". I've been on one of the former for the past week or so and while I read a lot and had a good time with my family and went to several fun get-togethers, I have been a lazy bum. Which is not generally OK when you are surrounded by a house that needs a little TLC. Yes, my dad and I worked on an ongoing project in the basement, but that one thing was offset by the hundred other things I can think of that need to be done. So, what you save in $$$, you make up for in guilt. :P

Merry Thursday and Baron Watch: Day 8

Hope you all are having a lovely midwinter celebration. Last night we opened presents (not our typical tradition, but we like trying out the imported traditions). It was a bit different, since we were doing a "secret Santa" version. That's the one where you each draw a name and only buy one gift. Would have been much more straightforward, except that four of our Santas were trapped in the Pacific NW. Very peculiar feeling for some people to open presents and some not.
My dear aunt Ruth was there, so it was wonderful to see her. G&A were lovely hosts.
I'm sitting with Baron right now, waiting to go to my sister's till a little later in the day. He's been missing J & T more than usual today. My mum took him for a walk and she felt like he was less into the walk and more into looking for his house. I think it's because he had a yummy peanut butter mailman that reminded him of J & T. We reminded him that he only has two more days until they come back.
He'll be OK. He's snoozing in his crate right now. Soon I'll take him out back for a potty break and head on up to the festivities.
Hope all the rest of you are having a great day. I am thankful to have you all as friends. It's really friendships and families that make the holidays as special (or "special" if you've got one of Those families) as they are.
Merry Thursday!

Christmas Prep & Baron Watch: Day 7

Well, all day I was either shopping or cooking most of the day.

Baron, Jag, and the rest of the crew went out for a quick walk (it was cold!).
Then we (sans dogs) shopped for Christmas ingredients.
Then, we headed up to my sister's. Baron stayed behind, not because he wouldn't behave, but just so I could focus on cooking and he wouldn't get too stressed being in a new place.
I made AB's baklava, easy fudge (not a true fudge, but oh, so chocolately and really, what's the difference?), and chicken salad in toast cups (the salad and the cups are separate until tomorrow). My mom put together the artichoke and Parmesan dip (to be baked tomorrow) and cut up veggies for the veggies and dip and the cream of broccoli soup. My sister made "texas caviar" and sugar cookies (I think there was something else she made, but I can't put my finger on what it was). My BIL made homemade eggnog. My dad made an emergency trip to the grocery store for forgotten items.

Now, I'm back at home and I've just put the finishing sauce on the baklava. There are sounds of Baron eating his dinner coming from the spare bedroom. We'll go for a walk and then it's back into the crate for Baron, 'cause I'll be going up to G & A's for a Christmas Eve gathering. Hopefully this'll be the only day out of the week that he'll have to spend so much time in the crate (albeit with breaks at decent intervals).

Yes, my parents do think Baron is a nice, well-behaved and handsome dog. My sister will make sure to come down on Friday to meet him...
Ah, he's done dinner. Time to go for a walk!

Home Again Home Again, Jiggetty Jog

I started a post last night about how nice it was to be home again, and then (ironically) today I spent most of the day out. I maintain it IS nice to be home, you just have to stay at home to really reap the benefits. I left my parents at my sister's house yesterday and came home to do laundry and wrap gifts that had not managed to be wrapped before Christmas. It was lovely. At one point, I was trapped, lying back on the couch with one cat on my lap and another one tucked in the crook of my arm. Fortunately, I had a good movie on, I Now Pronounce You, Chuck and Larry. It's actually, a pretty hilarious movie, if a bit contrived. The sentiments in the movie were very worthwhile. Highlights include: the comic chemistry between Adam Sandler (in fine "Sandman" form) and Kevin James (a very good comic and a great "straight man"); the fine looking Jessica Biel; and a cast that included many notable actors/comics, such as Ving Rhames (his sweet singing and dancing in the shower is not to be missed) and Dan Aykroyd (I love his line - "If my pencil sharpener had a skirt, I'd have to hide it."; and the participation of actual gay people (Richard Chamberlain and Lance Bass, for example).
The cats also "helped" me wrap presents. I tried to take photos, but the results were either out of focus or (typical for cats) they had just moved out of the pose. Needless to say, they were very happy to have me back. They are well taken care of while I'm gone (the lady who feeds them sure charges enough) but they miss human companionship.

Today, we had Second Christmas (like the Second Coming, I suppose) with the family members who were in CO over Christmas, and did not make the pilgrimage out to OK. We had it at my half-brother's house, along with a yummy breakfast. I just realized that I didn't describe my "loot" for this year. I got some fun stuff: Rome, the first season (DVD); a pair of beautiful Spode tea cups and saucers (which I am using to drink tea, right now); a work coat (for the jobsite and camping); a Japanese tea set with some fabulous teas; bath stuff (which I already used during/after that lovely jetted tub bath I posted about); a "shopping spree" (just one or two items, really) at Ann Taylor Loft with a pair of fabulous fashion consultants; and a crepe pan with crepe recipe book and Nutella. I think that's everything and I haven't left anyone out. Anyway, it was a good haul. I'm looking forward to using each of these things, but in the long run, the best thing about Christmas is the company.
(Granted, at this point, I'm also looking forward to a little time to myself, but I love and appreciate my family.)

We also went to see I Am Legend. It is a very well done movie. There are so many subtleties that we are just not used to seeing in Hollywood productions. Not everything is explained (hallelujah!) and some small moves are done only once and not referenced again. Will Smith does an excellent job, as usual (unlike my brother-in-law, I find Will to be pretty universally charming). I love that he can carry a film all by himself with no problem. I highly recommend this movie, though I'll warn you, it's scary and deep.

[sv] It's Christmas! [/sotto voce]

When we were growing up, my sister was always the first one up on Christmas morning. She would come into my room and whisper, "It's Christmas!" This is my first Christmas without her alarm clock nature, but I woke early. I'm tempted to call and wake her up, but we're adults now and there are no stocking presents with which to entertain ourselves, so I'll restrain myself and write this post instead.
Our Christmas prep went well. I made the Chicken Salad and the Toast Cups, Deviled Eggs (in honor of my sister), and Rice Krispy Treats (marshmallow creme (a standard ingredient for fudge) was purchased instead of marshmallows, so I'm looking forward to how that turns out). Breads (baguettes and banana bread) were also made, and veggies and dip prepared. The famous artichoke heart dip was put together, but not baked. The dough for the cookies was made, but it looks like the actual baking and decorating will occur today. AND of couse, we watched A Christmas Carol (the best one, the one with George C. Scott).
And now the prep is over, and it's Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you all, whether you're celebrating the birth of Jesus or taking an opportunity to get and give loot or sharing your love with those around you or taking a day off work. Merry Christmas everyone.
Hugs to you all.

PS - Lest I get too much ribbing for how early I'm up, it's actually 6:00 in the central time zone.

Christmas Prep

It is our family tradition that in order to make Christmas Day as work free as possible, as much food prep as possible happens the day before. So, the plan is, go into town, get a few last items, then spend the afternoon making cookies, cutting up vegetables, mixing up the dip, and making my Christmas specialty Chicken Salad in toast cups.

One thing I love about vacation is not knowing what time it is. The day just flows as it flows.

[Gasp] Squee!

I was on Amazon today, checking on an order and spotted the Red Dwarf Complete Collection. Squee! I've wanted them since Max lent his to me a long while back and I've never gotten them since they tend to be expensive. This, however, looks like a good deal. It's a really funny English scifi/comedy show. Like The Odd Couple, if it were set in space and one of the couple were a hologram of a dead guy and a complete git. Hee! I love that show. If I don't get these for Christmas (which I probably won't, since it's probably too late), I'll buy them myself with some credit card reward money. That'll take the sting out of the price and I'll get to finally have these!

Have I said "squee?"

PS - I had a hellacious time getting the link to Amazon right. I ended up having to transcribe it myself, character by character. Wierd!
Oh, and thank goodness for Blogger's wonderful new autosave feature, 'cause in testing the link, I would have lost the post without it.

PPS - The link copy/paste didn't work again on the show link. Fortunately the imdb link was a lot shorter than the Amazon one.

Cautiously Optimistic

I started doing some of the practice exams this evening and although I'm not getting everything right, I'm doing pretty well in terms of understanding a majority of the questions. There are three chapters in a second book that I should really read. I might skim them tomorrow. We'll see.
Regardless, I'm happy that I'm not super stressed out.

I've been spending some of my procrastination time reading the archives of the online comic strip, Player vs. Player. It's a funny strip with lots of computer/gaming/scifi references, but most important of all -- well drawn characters.

Also, my sister made me laugh my ass off when she said that she had a feeling of half deja vu when she sat in the passenger side seat of my car. See, my brother-in-law, her husband, also has a Subaru Impreza WRX. The reason it's half deja vu? My BIL's car is impeccably clean. Mine, however, is... not. Not that there's McDonald's french fry boxes all over the floor or anything, but the dash tends to get dusty and sometimes dead leaves collect on the floor mats. I wasn't offended at all, just had a really good laugh.

My big Amazon order last week hit a snag since I was trying to get the free shipping, which necessitates waiting 'til everything's collected to send it out. When they predicted I'd get the whole order in mid to late January, I went in and changed the settings to "send it whenever you have stuff to send." Snag unravelled and now I have at least some of my purchases headed my way and the rest are scheduled to be sent early next week. There may be a Christmas after all. Whew!

One more advantage to all-wheel-drive: I usually like to back into the garage to park. (I prefer to be able to see where I'm going.) However, when there's snow and ice, I used to have to just suck it up and drive in front-ways, since I had front wheel drive and I needed to get powered wheels onto dry concrete to pull into the garage. Now all my wheels are powered, so I can back in under snowy conditions -- the back wheels will pull me in. Yipee! Small thing, but it's nice.

Post Christmas Breather

Needless to say, I've been a bit busy lately.

As usual, work is challenging. Here's a photo of a column that was poured too tall and needed to be jackhammered down to the proper height. Time consuming and expensive? Yes.

One thing you may not know, however, is that I decided to learn to SCUBA dive. I had to do some book studying and some swimming and treading water prep, then a couple of pool dives for my confined water portion of the certification. Next weekend, when I go to Key West (for a wedding and a birthday party), I'll do the open water part of the certification. It's fun and a little scary. I'll make sure to give a good description of how it goes.

Then there's the usual holiday preparations: decorations, presents, etc. Christmas went great. Everyone loved their presents. The food was good. The house isn't as clean as I would have liked it, considering I have house guests, but hey - I'm working on it.

All in all it's been a busy busy month and I'm very happy with where I am and what I'm doing.

PS: Oh, yeah, and I've been seeing someone very nice for about the last 6 weeks. Thanks for trying to out me at the beginning of December, guys!

Blessings

The Universe has been good to me.
During Christmas I got to spend a few days with the family I love. We grazed on all sorts of yummy foods, cookies, fudge, veggies & dip, pita & hummus, cheese & crackers, deviled eggs, panini and soup. We had punch and eggnog lattes. We laughed and hugged each other and opened presents.

The puppy dogs traded toys all day long and my present to my dad, a big basket of exotic foods, was a big hit. My sister liked the tea set I painted for her. The Horatio Hornblower set went over very well with my mum (I couldn't believe she had never seen it before).
My big gifts were a Kitchen Aide mixer (WooHoo!) and the first four seasons of MacGyver, my favorite show when I was in high school. I remember seeing the one where he's battling killer ants in the Amazon about four times before I got hooked. And now I carry a Swiss Army knife, of course. (Except that the fracking airport security stole my original one.) I also got small gifts, like DVDs and comfy socks and a dragon statuette and books and music. They are as much appreciated as the big gifts.
We lounged around and watched DVDs and ate and napped and did a puzzle and watched some more DVDs. All in all, it was a wonderful day.
We managed the 11 hour drive home without murdering each other too, which was very nice. The portable DVD player helped a lot. Good purchase, Brian! And I was overjoyed to come home and be with Da Boyz again. They were happy to see me and are being very clingy for the moment.
I feel very blessed to have such a nice family and the best cats ever. I feel blessed that I can afford to buy gifts to show my affection and to be able to travel to see the people I love. I feel blessed that I have a nice house to come home to and a steady job that I enjoy. Thank you, Universe!

Christmas Trimmings

I have given myself over to the madness of Christmas preparations. I've put the novel on hold and am living guilt free for the next two weeks or so.
Presents were bought (more spent this year than any year before, I believe) in two evenings and one morning of intensive shopping and were wrapped in one afternoon and one evening of intensive wrapping. I have my wrapping scheme, of course -- silver and white this year -- and I've packed all the presents ready for transportation to OK.
I've attended holiday parties. My sister was my date at the office party and we both had a good time. I did much better at the Texas Hold'em Poker table than I thought I would (being my second time). I didn't mingle as much I perhaps should have. Oh well.
I got to reconnect with an old friend whom until Sept. I hadn't seen in 6 years. In Sept. she got married and to my surprise and delight, she invited me. As is usual with weddings, I didn't get to talk to the bride or groom much, so I was happy when they said they would be spending a week in December skiing in CO. I had a wonderful time visiting them.
I've also managed to keep up with my soccer team. We've been moved up to the B League (out of 4) and though it's been challenging, it's been fun. I've also been helping out with a beginner tai chi class. Unfortunately, that means I'm going to have to carve out a third day in the week to go to the upper level class for my own improvement.
I really do love Christmas, despite the strains on my wallet and time and despite the stress. I love showing how much I care about my family and friends.

Cue Evil Chuckle

I just read something that triggered an "aha" moment. I know what I'm getting my sister for Christmas. And I have a month and a half to find it. Muahahahaha!
(Why the big deal? My sister is a freakishly good gift-giver. I always want to give her something as cool as she gave me, and that's not an easy thing to accomplish.)

Anyone Else Smell Burning?

If you do, that's a few of my brain cells going up in smoke. I just had one of my rare outbursts at work, due to a phone call from a team of monkeys in Houston, TX.
I won't go into the particulars, but I just narrowly avoided a #%&* load of work due to some other people's incompetence. Monkey #1 wanted every file we had on a particular building and Monkey #2 assumed he couldn't open the files I had already sent them. Boss Monkey hadn't even told them to expect a CD of files I overnighted to them last night.
Few things irritate me more than having to do extra work because of someone else's idiocy.

In other news, Christmas was a little weird feeling, but good.
It felt weird because it was our first Christmas away from the family homestead. My parents sold the house we grew up in this year, so it was our first Christmas in 23 years not in that house. We had all the pieces of Christmas -- food, family, pets, presents, etc. -- but it wasn't quite the same.
My parents came up from Oklahoma and we commandeered the house of my brother's best friend. He and his wife were very nice about letting us stay there for a couple days so we could all be together. (Yay Gabe and Krissy!)
I got some nice things: silverware (hey, I'm not a college student anymore), Peewee's Big Adventure on DVD, a CD of Celtic music, a CD of awesome theme songs stolen off the internet, Jon Stewart's book America: The Book, a great snowboarding hat, and some other odds and ends. I also got a cool present [item description removed to prevent spoilers for the Australian readers] from Karen and Co.(thanks, guys!) and a hand-quilted runner from Gregg and Amy (thanks, guys!).

I still have some tidying up to do in my life before the new year, but I'm hoping in January to set a new task -- either finishing the novel I have in progress or editing the one I finished. We'll see.

Retry: Stealth Holiday

I had a nice post written out yesterday, but Blogger ate it and I didn't feel like rewriting it. Essentially it said what I was up to, buying gifts, going to holiday parties, decorating the house, etc. I've been having a good time, but have been extremely busy, of course.
The office holiday party was fun. They had a "casino" theme, and the gambling (with fake money) was a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be. Fear not, I won't be rushing out to Vegas anytime soon. If the experience taught me one thing, it was that under the right circumstances, I can lose a lot of money very fast.
I've bought all my presents, finished yesterday evening. The folks are getting into town today. This is the first Christmas in five years I don't have to get on a plane to celebrate the holidays. I must say, it's a little wierd.
Soccer's going well, though we've been losing. This higher league is tough, but we're playing better, so it's all good.
We just came back from a long lunch, where we ate, then played a couple rounds of pool. That was fun. Of the four of us, only one really played well.
Well, I'm thinking I won't get much blogging done in the next few days, so I'll just say... Happy Holidays to all my (three) readers!

Busier Than Ever

What a productive weekend!
Friday night: tai chi holiday party (got a stupid purple dolphin candle in a white elephant gift exchange)
Saturday: snowboarding in the morning, Christmas shopping in the evening (got an awesome dress for the office holiday party)
Sunday: went into work, then visited my sister, then played soccer (we lost, but felt like we played well -- interesting contrast to the weekend before)

Giving up on the challenge off goofing off for the present. Too much holiday stuff to get done.

Remember I said I was having a little trouble with being unusually pissed off unexpectedly? Well, it seems to have gone away completely. I'd blame it on the old three letter acronym that starts with a P, but it lasted for months.

Things are looking up.

Trying to not do

Every time I've started a blog entry for the last few days, I haven't gotten much further than the opening phrase or first half of a sentance.
Why? I don't know.
Work has been busy. Outside of work I've been busy too (yes Nate, you'll notice I have difficulty not doing).
Tonight I'm going to do some pottery painting -- a mug for the office "white elephant" exchange at the holiday party.
Last night, I made honey-lemon baklava for the office cookie exchange tomorrow. While I was doing that, I watched "Angels in America" which won so many Emmy Awards last year. It was a bit peculiar. It featured lots of characters, few of whom I identified with (homosexuals, Jews, Mormons, lawyers, the mentally ill). The storylines were very interesting, though, including a reluctant prophet and a man who struggles against being something he believes he will go to hell for.
Sunday, I played indoor soccer, as usual. Our team got our butts handed to us by a very skilled team with half the number of players. I also went shopping, but didn't buy any Christmas presents and few holiday decorations. And I made catfood for the kitties. I also went to church and had brunch with the extended family.
Saturday evening I went up to Fort Collins to celebrate Max's birthday with him and Gabe and Krissy. That was fun.
And on Saturday morning...
I sat in front of the TV and watched "Frequency" (which I've seen before and liked) and "Serendipity" (which I hadn't seen before and thought it was OK).
So you see, I did goof off, for about 4 hours.

Getting a Grip

I'm trying to get used to the idea that my life is not to be spent at my desk, doggedly writing.
I've been trying to keep track of parties and get togethers. Trying to plan my Christmas gift and decoration shopping, plan shopping to restock the house in general. Trying to get caught up on emails I tagged for reply after Nov. 30.
And trying to relax. Still haven't taken that bubble bath yet.
I had forgotten how complex life is.

(And there will be no warm weather vacation in my near future. Too expensive and I have too many other needs at the moment. Latest ideas for rewards - ficus tree for the house or... darn it, can't remember.)

Post Novel World

So what did I do on my first free evening in a month?
Accomplished stuff. :) I made a present for someone (who may or may not read this blog, so I won't say who) at one of those pottery painting places and then I went home and mended some clothes. But I'd like to point out that I was in front of the TV for that last bit! I'm going to have to try a little harder at this "doing nothing" thing.
Also, I just started reading a book (Angel Fire by Ron Franscell) with some very good descriptive passages and am starting feel that with time I might be able to bring the newly finished book up to that level of quality. Things are not hopeless! Yay!
I had promised myself a reward for finishing the novel, but now, right before Christmas, I don't know if I have the dough to do it. I guess I'll have to wait till after Christmas presents are bought (to date, zero).
I had been thinking of getting one of the following: a PDA (been wanting one for years!), a new desk and desk chair (the one I have was free, but I bump my knees on it all the time), a spa package (never done it). Then, of course, there are the bazillion things I actually need: armchair, telephone w/answering machine, cell phone, etc.
My latest idea is to give myself a vacation. I have that timeshare week burning a hole in my pocket. All I'd need would be the dough to get there and for food.
The one reason I think I need a vacation is I've been noticing lately that my "anger" reactions seem a little more extreme than I really think is warranted. It doesn't happen all the time, or in all cases, but every now and then I think "Whoa, simmer down there!" and wonder where it comes from. Would taking a vacation/retreat kind of thing help? I have no idea, but it might be worth a try.