January 1, 2007

What's good about this year so far: seeing it in with my man, and getting my first ever New Year's Eve/Midnight kiss for good luck.

What sucked about the Midnight thing: my shoulder and arm were fine if I was laying down, but as soon as I sat up to be able to drink my sparkling grape juice and get my kiss, they started feeling like the muscles were being torn apart, so I sat there for a full minute going, "ow, ow, ow, hurry up and drop the ball, damn it, ow, ow, ow. Okay kiss, sip, lay down. Whew." It was not fun. But it was nice to not be alone on New Year's Eve for a change. Also, Dick Clark makes me sad. I should feel all empowered at his progress and how he comes out to do this thing even after his stroke and all that, but instead, I just got sad. I was actually happy to see him send it off to Ryan Seacrest and whoever that girl was.

And now J has gone back home, and I'm here alone. Kate (my fat cat) is yelling at me because she wants me to pick her up, but I can't right now because of my sore shoulder and arm. It's completely quiet here other than her meowing, which seems strange, and I'm suddenly not used to being alone. I liked having J here a lot. Like, he could have just continued to stay here and I would have been fine. Which is very weird for me. Could it be that I have finally grown up enough to want to share my life with someone? Strange!

Happy 2007!

Happy New Year's Eve!

This whole shoulder thing has been so frustrating. I'm feeling quite a bit better than I was a few days ago, but I'm still pretty sore and weak. J had to go to his old job today to show his replacement how to do a year end closeout thing, so I'm here at the house by myself for a few hours. I took a muscle relaxer, although I was hoping to be able to skip that today, and I rubbed some Icy Hot on my arm, and I feel decent. So I took the ornaments off the living room tree and the stockings down off the banister. And got exhausted and had to sit down. J and I are going to have our holiday ham dinner tonight, so I got the pan out and washed it and got the glaze made and started the ham basting in it. And then I was exhausted, so I had to go back to the living room and sit down. So frustrating! I want to just be able to do normal stuff again. Stupid shoulder.

Anyway. Today is the last day of 2006! I hope everyone reading has a great New Year's Eve, and a fantastic 2007. I can't believe that my ten day vacation from work is almost over. I'm going to be sad to go back to work on Tuesday, and even sadder to say good-bye to J when he goes home tomorrow night. The holidays are almost over, so I guess it's almost time to get back to real life. Vacations can't last forever, right? It was a great break, though. I found out that J and I can spend this many days in a row together without getting on each other's nerves, and in fact I learned that when I need help, I can count on J to be there. That's a really nice thing to know about the guy I'm in love with. I had a great Christmas - three of them, in fact, if you count all the different celebrations. J spoiled me like crazy with gifts, which he didn't need to do, but I certainly enjoyed it. :) My only regret from this break is that I didn't get to get together with Jamie and Sarah. Jamie was supposed to come over on Wednesday to watch Nip/Tuck, but my shoulder was seized up and he had a cold, so that didn't happen. And Jamie, Sarah, Jeff, J and I were supposed to get together for lunch on either Friday or Saturday, but my shoulder and arm soreness kept us from doing that. We'll do those things soon, though, I'm sure.

I'm catching up with some more TV on my DVR while J is gone. I got all the Ellens off of it, and one General Hospital, and now I'm watching the first of two Smallvilles that I have on the DVR. And I'm back to having almost half of the memory free! Excellent. If I can just find time to get caught up with GH and get Jamie over here to watch Nip/Tuck with me, I'll be in good shape. Someday, I hope.

Okay, I need to stop typing, because my arm is getting sore again, so that's all for now. Happy New Year! I hope you all have great celebrations, if you choose to celebrate it. :)

Holiday Catch-Up

Wow, just like that 2006 is almost over. It's certainly going out with a bang for me. I'm still recovering from the pulled muscle thing that I've had going on for a few days. The pain in my arms is a lot better, and the muscles in my neck and shoulder are still tight, but way less so than they were. I'm getting better everyday, so I'll be fine soon.

It certainly sucked that this happened during my ten day vacation with J, but I really don't know what I would have done if he weren't here. The basic daily tasks like scooping the cat litter and taking care of the animals would have been pretty much impossible for a couple of days. He has been a huge help to me, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate him right now. I know that I can count on him if I need him, and that means a lot.

So, now that I can sit at the computer long enough to do more than a simple "I'm hurt, talk to you later" post, I owe you a couple of days' worth of catch up. Christmas at my sister's house on the 26th went really well. The family was all really nice to J, and made him feel very welcome, and he got a first hand example of why they're so much fun to be around at dinner, when my youngest niece was throwing pieces of bread at her father at the table, and when my youngest nephew was doing imitations and having us all laughing so hard that we cried. They're a great family, and he came out feeling like he could have fun hanging with them, I think. And I love that. And I think he loved that I told him that when I first got there, my oldest niece pulled me aside and said that my man was a cutie! Hee. He is, so that's true.

Anyway, the 26th was fun. My sister gave me a gift card for Target and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on DVD. I loved them. I also got a taxi cab ornament for my tree, that sports a logo that my talented niece-in-law designed. Very cool. Thanks guys!

The 27th was supposed to be spent going to Syracuse for the day, but that's the day that my neck and shoulder seized up, so we ended up coming back home without even getting halfway, and I spent the evening and the next morning in bed moaning and wishing that Advil could at least pretend to touch the pain. And you know about that, so I really don't need to talk about it anymore. I'm healing, and that's what counts.

Today we stayed at my house and watched TV. J gave me Field of Dreams on DVD, and we watched that this morning, and we spent the afternoon watching some of the shows that I have stacked up on my DVR. Between what we watched and the duplicates that I deleted, we got about ten hours of shows off. I'm now up to almost 40 free hours of DVR storage time. Woo! I have about five or six weeks of General Hospital on there to catch up on, and I'll start hacking away at that tomorrow while J is in Syracuse helping out at his old job. I'm not going to clear the DVR off before the end of this vacation (although I would have come much closer if I could watch the DVR'ed shows in my bedroom, given the two days I spent trapped in there because sitting up and moving was so painful), but it's going to be a lot less backed up than it was, so that's good. And in between all of the time spent laying in bed wishing for the end of pain, we have still managed to have some fun. Which is a great thing.

And now I think you're pretty caught up, so I'm going to end this. Holidailies is almost over, which is kind of sad for me. I've missed three days this time - one because I forgot, one because I was having fun and didn't want to take the time out to post and one because I was in too much pain. I'm sad to have missed that many days, but making all but three posts isn't bad, really. And as hard as it has been to come up with content some days, I'll kind of miss posting daily. Kind of. ;) But of course there are still a couple of days left, so I'll be back tomorrow and the next day, at the very least. Hope to see you then!

Muscle Update

Just another quick post to update on the state of my horrible neck. It's still horrible and painful, but marginally less so than yesterday. Yesterday the pain was a 9 on a scale of 0-10, now it's about at a 6. Maybe 7. Still sucky, but there are signs of improvement. My knot of muscle tissue is gone, but my arm is incredibly sore from all the jumping my muscles did, and my shoulder is still really tight when the muscle relaxers wear off. So for now I'm still popping those things, and I'm discovering how many Advil and Aleve I can take in one day, and I'm waiting to feel normal again. Normal is going to be really nice.

We did manage to make it to the mall today, though. We exchanged an SU t-shirt that J got me that was too big, and we exchanged my necklace for one that fits the pendant, so I am once again wearing my pendant that my step-dad gave me. It feels really good to have it on again. I also got a dragonfly charm for my bracelet. So it still managed to be a good day. Oh! And I used one of my bookstore gift cards, and got the following: Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Good Grief by Lolly Winston and Love by Toni Morrison. I love books. It may take me forever to read them, but I love them.

I was about to sign off, but J reminded me to tell you all how great he is. (Hee.) He scooped the litter again! He spoon fed me chocolate ice cream, and that right there is a sign of a guy you want to keep around. Thanks J!

And now I'm going to go bed. I'll let you know tomorrow if I'm feeling any better, or if I'm still hating my left arm.

Oh, the Pain!

Sorry to miss posting yesterday. I have had a slightly sore stiff neck for a couple of days, and yesterday it seized up on me. I have a knot of muscle tissue poking through the skin on the back of my neck, and the pain has been horrific - I swear, it felt like something was broken. I went to the doctor's today and got a prescription for muscle relaxers, and they've helped some, but it still hurts quite a bit, so this is going to be a short one. I'll get you details on the last couple of days when I'm feeling better.

Before I sign off, though, I have to tell you that J has been really good to me today. He's taken care of the dogs, he's brought me meals, shoot he cooked macaroni and cheese (homemade, not boxed) for me for dinner. And - the biggest sign of his concern and caring and general good nature - he scooped the cat litter this morning! He is a prince among men, and I have no idea how I would have gotten through today without him

And now I'm going to go crawl back into bed with my heating pad. I'll be back tomorrow.

Christmas Day Recap

Happy day after Christmas! I didn't post yesterday, so I'm going to make up for it today by posting twice. Maybe. :) This morning I'll talk about yesterday, and then later tonight I'll talk about today. Sounds reasonable, right?

So yesterday was a great Christmas. J and I exchanged our stockings at just before Midnight, because we were awake anyway and we were impatient. He got me yummy malted milk balls from Gertrude Hawk chocolates, red pistachios because I told him once that I love those, strawberry scented V05 shampoo (I was using it when we first met, so he associates that smell with me now) and five or six of those Double Crisp santas, which I love, love, love. Yum. J got a bunch of chocolate, including lots of peanut butter cup stuff, because he loves those, a new toothbrush (to counteract all of that chocolate), a couple of scratch off lottery tickets and the big one - keys to my house. :) He liked those the best.

And then it was Christmas morning! The best morning, because it brings gifts! Followed shortly by cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk! Excellent. And do you want to know my haul? Of course you do! J went way overboard. I got a Bob Seger CD (Smokin' O.P.'s, which is an excellent CD), Field of Dreams on DVD, some Hickory Farms beefstick and smoky cheese (I love that cheese, yum), SU socks, a Stephen King book on CD, and then the two best gifts - a gold rope chain and a charm bracelet. And there is a story behind the necklace. At some point I showed him a pendant that I have from my step-father. Wayne (my step-father) died from cancer in January of 1993. For Christmas of 1992 he had my mother drive him to a jewelry store on a day when he was feeling like he could be up for a little while, and he went in and picked out this necklace for me. He couldn't stay in the store long enough to do anything other than pick it out - then my brother took him back to the car and my mother paid for it for him. It means a lot to me, and I used to wear it everyday. But then the chain broke and I couldn't afford to replace it with a nice one. I bought a couple of cheaper chains from Walmart, but they didn't last long before they broke too, so since then the pendant had been sitting in my jewelry box. J thought I should be able to wear it again, so he bought me a chain. I love it. I also love the charm bracelet - they're my two favorite gifts from him.

By the time we got done opening gifts and eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast (yum), it was time to get ready to go to his parents' house for the day. And I was a little nervous about it, because even though I had met them all before, spending Christmas Day with someone else's family is a big thing. But it was great. His family is wonderful, and I already love his Mom. She's great. I watched while everyone opened their gifts, and I had a few of my own to open, including a few more from J that he took over there (a Borders gift card, Quantum Leap season five and Bob Seger's Greatest Hits part two). And his Mom gave me a little stocking with a lottery card and a mini M&M thing in it, and I won $25 on the lottery ticket! Excellent. The luck was with me yesterday. And we had a great dinner of lasagne (his family alternates and does lasagne one year and roast beef the next) and we hung out and talked, and his Dad showed me pictures of J from when he was first in the Navy. I felt like they were making me part of the family, and I loved it. I hope he feels the same way while we're at my sister's house.

Anyway, this is a really long boring entry basically just telling you what I got for Christmas. Sorry for that. Today J and I will be relaxing for a while and then we'll be going to my sister's house for the holiday with them. All six of her kids and their respective others will be there, so poor J will be kind of inundated with a family that isn't his. Poor guy. They'll be nice to him, though.

And now that I've bored you with a horrible Christmas Day recap, I'll show you a picture to reward you for your patience. Below you will see Sable, enjoying one of the toys that Jamie gave her. Well, he gave them to all of the kitties, but it's mostly Sable and Gracie that play with them. Thanks Jamie! They love them.

Merry Christmas Eve

Happy Christmas Eve! I hope you all had great ones - I certainly did. I'm posting this pretty late, so it'll be a quick one, just to fill you in. Today J and I mostly relaxed. We watched Christmas Story and cleaned the house up a little and watched a couple episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip off my DVR (that's a great show, by the way - if you aren't watching it, you should give it a try). Then we got a little more dressed up and went to Syracuse to his Aunt's house for Christmas Eve festivities.

I wasn't really too nervous going in to this, because I at least already knew his parents and his siblings, so I wouldn't be completely surrounded by unfamiliar faces. But there were six people there who I didn't know, but luckily for me they were all really nice people. I could really be friends with his two female cousins, they were so nice. And there were gifts! I got two orange SU t-shirts from J, doggy treats and toys and kitty toys for the critters (from J's sister, who is a big doggy person) and a nice smelling bath set and candle from "Santa," who I assume was J's Aunt.

And we stayed there and hung out, and had birthday cake for J's Mom, who has her birthday tomorrow, and we didn't leave until almost 10:30, so it was almost 11:30 by the time we got back to my house. So I think we're going to do our stockings now, since it is almost Christmas, and we're impatient and can't wait, and then we're going to crash. Tomorrow is another big day. We'll have our cinnamon rolls and gifts in the morning, go to his parents' house for dinner and for their family gifts, and then we'll come back here to hang out and relax and enjoy Christmas night. It's going to be an excellent Christmas. I'll stop back in tomorrow night to fill you in on the details, and to describe all my loot. :)

And now, I'll leave you with a picture of a Christmas miracle. I came out into the living room earlier, and saw what you see below.

This is Willow and Kate, in the same crate at the same time. Miraculous, because Willow hates the cats. Or at least she pretends to. Maybe it's all a front? Hmmm... ;)

Vacation Day One

Day one of my ten day vacation is almost over. :( But, it was a very good one, so I'm not complaining. Well, okay, I stood on my feet a lot, but J is good at giving foot rubs, so it's all good. :)

We started out the morning with a trip to the local Wal-mart, for grocery buying hell. We left fairly early, but not early enough, because it was a bit of a mad house in there already. Ugh. I don't like going to Wal-mart on the best of days after 9:00, but on the Saturday before Christmas? Madness! But we struggled through, getting groceries and more baking supplies. And we ran into one person from my work, and then we ran into my sister, her husband and their youngest son in the dairy aisle. One thing about Wal-mart, you always seem to see someone you know.

When we were done at Wal-mart, we came back to my house, and holiday baking part two commenced! On the docket for today were sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms and whoopie pies, but frankly, by the time I had made 56 peanut butter blossoms and almost 40 sugar cookies, I was done baking for the day. And when I added the chocolate chip cookies that I made last week, the tins that we bought filled up quite nicely, so the other ones weren't needed. I'm holding on to that recipe, though, because I want to try them soon.

After all that hard work standing on my feet mixing and baking cookies, I needed a bit of a rest, so J and I watched an episode of Buffy (I just might have him hooked on it, ha), and then we went to the movies! Woo! We went to see Night at the Museum (I think that's what it was called), which was pretty good. It kind of lagged a bit in the middle, but it turned around at the end, so it was worth watching. Plus? It had Dick Van Dyke in it, and I love him in anything, so I definitely wasn't disappointed. He rocks.

And now that I've given you a laundry list of my day, I think it's time to shut down the computer for the night. Good-bye until tomorrow!

Official do nothing at work day

Today has been such a party day at work. I didn't expect to be working much today, since it's the last workday before the holiday break, but there has been even less working than I anticipated. Which I'm pretty happy about. :)

I got to work at 7:30 this morning, and was here about 20 minutes - long enough to clock in, check my work and personal e-mail and send a reply to J to his good morning e-mail - when Jamie walked in. He was in early, so I went ahead and gave him his gifts (a DVD and a CD off his Amazon wish list) and then followed him over to his office so that he could give me mine. Yay! Presents! I got the following:

Cool, huh? In case you can't tell, that's my card on the left, Frosty the Snowman Christmas tree ornaments in the middle back, a pink good luck troll doll (very cool) and a $15 Barnes & Noble gift card. Thank you Jamie! I love it all.

I hung out over where Jamie and Sarah work for a while, and came back to my office, but had only been here for a couple of minutes when I got called back next door. And their boss gave me an envelope with a $10 gift card to our local restaurant, which she also gave to Jamie and Sarah, so we can go to lunch together. Woo! Thanks, Jamie and Sarah's boss lady. She also wrote me the best note that she had in the envelope with it. I almost cried when I read it. Here's what she wrote:

Denise,

Enjoy lunch on me with your friends. You are an inspiration to all those people who don't appreciate their parents. I admire your courage and positive attitude in life. Enjoy the holidays!!!!

See you next year.

Love,

Jamie and Sarah's boss

Nice, huh? It was great. And then I came back to work, and I had been here two hours and only at my desk for about 20 minutes of it. I love that. And then everyone here decided to go to that local restaurant for lunch, and we were gone for two hours and only had two hours left to work by the time we got back. This is my kind of work day! Oh if only they could all be this good.

And now I'm watching the clock, waiting for 4:00, so that I can leave, get in my car and drive home, where I will take care of the dogs and relax while I wait for J to show up, so that we can begin our ten day holiday together. It's going to be great - I can't wait.

And one more picture, purely to make you jealous this time. Before we left the restaurant (which is owned by the same company I work for), the manager sent over a plate of the most scrumptious chocolates. Everyone except me had dessert, so a couple of them didn't want their chocolates, so I got to take two with me. One is for me, and the other is for J. Look upon them and drool, people, for they are mouthwateringly delicious. Yum. And as you drool, I'm signing off. I'll be back in everyday during break (assuming I don't forget on any given day), so check in daily, if you can, for updates, and I'll let you know how my holiday is going.

Why am I showing you my food?

I felt the need to show off my breakfast this morning. Take a look:

Yummy chocolate Lactaid milk and a Breugger's bagel, as supplied by J. Mmm. Thanks J!

After I got to work this morning, one of my coworkers went around giving out homemade washclothes with scratch off lottery tickets wrapped in them. Take a look! I won $10!

Woo! This day started out way better than yesterday. Christmas break is just two short work days away (less than that now, because there are only two hours and nine minutes left in this particular work day as I write this), and I can't wait. I am so needing that ten days off. It's going to be pretty busy for a lot of it, though. So far I have stuff booked for Saturday (grocery shopping and baking a ton of stuff), Sunday (Christmas Eve at J's Aunt's house), Monday (Christmas Day at his parents' house), Tuesday (Christmas a day late at my sister's house), Thursday (possibly, if Jamie comes over to watch Nip/Tuck so that we can catch up finally), either Friday or Saturday (lunch with Jamie and Sarah, so that J can meet them and they can quit calling him my imaginary or Sim boyfriend)...and I guess that's it for scheduled stuff. I'm going to be chatting with Sally on the 27th in the afternoon, and J and I are going to go to Syracuse to use an Outback Steakhouse gift card that he got and go to Lights on the Lake, but I'm not sure what night we're going to do that - I guess it'll have to be Wednesday, or any day from Friday until Monday.

Anyway, there will be some relaxation time in there. I hope to have plenty of time to clear off at least half of the crap that is on my DVR right now, before I fill it up completely. I also hope to have some reading time and some Sim time and of course lots of one on one time with J. It's going to be busy, but it'll be really nice. I'll be sure to keep you up to date throughout.

Okay, so back to today. Jamie came up with the idea of going to our local restaurant to get sandwiches for lunch, and since I had gotten gift cards for that place yesterday (thanks secret Santa!) I used one today and got a chicken sandwich and fries. Take a look!

Very yummy. They make the best fries ever, and their chicken sandwiches are yummy. And now J is drooling. Sorry, J. We'll get some over break, on one of those days. Kay?

And once the sandwich is settled enough to allow me to eat again, I have cookies from Sarah for dessert.

You're all jealous now, I know. :) Frosted sugar cookies are my all time favorite, so thanks again Sarah!

Once work is over today, I'm going home after a stop to the drugstore. I am going to relax and watch TV and maybe play the Sims! Ooh, exciting. I'm glad to be fitting that back in again, though - I missed it. And I am going to be looking forward to tomorrow, because it is jeans day and the last day of work before our holiday break. I imagine most people will be leaving early, so I'm anticipating a very relaxed atmosphere here at work sometime after Noon. It'll be a nice, slacking kind of day. :)

And now I think I'm officially out of things to write about today! Sorry if I bored you, but thanks for stopping in to read!

Riding the Coaster

Riding the roller coaster of PMS is never a fun experience. I got up today feeling absolutely miserable and sad and down and oh man, my mind was not a pleasant place to be. I shuffled out of bed at 6:17 a.m., trudged outside with the dogs and greeted the still black day. I looked over to the east and saw just the barest hint of pink on the edges of the horizon. Oh, how I love getting up before the sun.

Once the dogs had finished their business, I went in and scooped the cat litter, and for once Gracie didn't jump into the second pan right before I went to pick it up to clean it. When the pans were once again clean and the house was saved from smelling like a dirty litter box for another day, I fed the dogs and then gave the cats their treats. After filling the cats' food dish and getting out my clothes, I went into the bathroom and started preparing to face the day. A shower is just about the only thing that ever wakes me up in the morning, and this morning was certainly no exception. I shampooed, filling the air with the smell of strawberries, and by the time I put the conditioner in my hair, I was pretty much awake. I even managed to shave my calves without peeling a chunk of skin out of my ankle, even though the razor is way past needing to be thrown away. The day was looking up.

I left the house as the sun was breaking the horizon, and drove to work in the early morning half light. I got stuck behind a couple of school buses, but only for a short while, and then they turned off into the high school. As I drove down the country road leading to the town where I work, my mp3 player, which was on shuffle, threw an Alice Cooper song at me, making me think of J - he's a big fan, and is the reason Alice is on my player in the first place. I couldn't sing along, because I don't know the words, but I enjoyed the song, and it made me think of J, so that's a good thing. And when that song was over, a Billy Joel song came on, and I have to think that there is a certain craziness in that pairing. It worked, but only in a strange way.

I got to work, and today is a party day! I was still in a sad mood after I got to work at 7:30, but then they had a holiday breakfast party next door in my old office, and I went and crashed it. I immediately had a chocolate doughnut with chocolate frosting (yum), and the sugar did wonders for my mood. Chocolate, especially in the form of a doughnut, can cure most any bad mood, can't it? It's a wonder. The chocolately sugar and sitting and chatting with Sarah (the bringer of the doughnuts), Jamie and their boss was just the cure I needed to lift my mood. I came back to my office in good spirits again. These down moods don't hit me very often, and luckily when they do, they lift pretty easily. I love having a naturally up nature.

When I got back to my office, it was to find a card from my general manager and a gift from my boss in my mailbox. My boss gave me a $2 scratch off lottery ticket (I didn't win, but I had fun scratching) and a holiday Snickers nutcracker. My GM gave me a beautiful card with a wolf on it (I love wolves), with a $25 gift card for the company owned restaurant in it. The restaurant makes a great chicken sandwich, so I was very happy for that gift. It will be used and enjoyed.

And after doing a little work (imagine, working on party day!), we had our holiday lunch/secret Santa party. More food, until I was so full I was about to burst, and then gift giving! I sucked at figuring out who my secret Santa was - I would never make a detective. There were three possibilities, and I picked wrong twice. D'oh! Oh well. My final gift was very cute. Do you want to see? Let me take a picture of it.

Okay, here you go. Isn't it cute?

Now that the secret Santa lunch is over, I'm back at work, eagerly awaiting 4:00, when I can go home and get a huge hug from J. I have needed that hug all day. And he's bringing me bagels and chocolate milk for dinner, which is just perfect. He's a good guy.

Oh, and I was reading through Ladyloo's blog earlier - I found her through holidailies, and have been reading her earliest archives. And she wrote a line that I copied and pasted into Word, so that I would have it for this entry. She had been recovering from a break-up with her boyfriend, and wrote this: "…and where the hell is my boy that likes me, and falls in love with me without really knowing me. Cuz that's what I want." I read that (and this is incredibly mushy, so bear with me if you're not a hopeless romantic), and I thought - hey, that's what I have. I found that guy. After 37 years of finding the wrong guys and not finding any guys at all for a while, I finally have that guy in my life. I appreciate him more than he can possibly know, and fall more and more in love with him with each passing day. I can't wait to spend the holiday break with him. I love you, J.

Okay, now that everyone who isn't J has tossed their cookies from the mushiness, I'll stop. But I am happy to say that I rode that PMS roller coaster back to the top of the hill, and that car is parked now. A coaster with only one dip isn't much of a ride, but a short ride on that coaster is one I'm very grateful for. I hope you all have a great Wednesday night. I plan to.

Tag! I'm It

I had a comment from Deals on my entry from yesterday, and it said, "You've been tagged. (Sorry)" I linked to her website, and I found an explanation saying the following:

Obligatory intro: According to the rules…Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you’. People who get tagged need to write a BLOG of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your BLOG.

So, in accordance with the rules, here is my blog listing six weird things about me. With pictures! So you get a bonus. :)

First weird thing about me: My pinky fingers are crooked at the joint closest to the nail. Don't know what I mean? Here is that first visual that I promised you.

See? They bend in at the first knuckle. And lucky you, getting a picture of my finger.

Weird fact number two: I don't like hard candy. That means that at this time of year, whenever I'm given a candy cane, which I have been often this year so far, I give it to someone else. I re-gift candy canes. Here are four of them waiting to find another home:

I had more of those little curled ones, but they went to Sarah last week. She loved them, I'm sure.

Weird fact number three: I've listed this one here before, but for those of you who haven't read the archives (J) and who are new to my life (J) and who I haven't told this to yet (J) :), I'll tell it again. When I shut off my bedroom light at night, I won't shut it off when the clock is on an odd time. If it's 10:01, I sit and wait until it hits 10:02. Times that end in five are okay, though, so if it's 10:05, I won't wait until 10:06. Yes, this is very weird, and no I don't know why I do it. It's one of those weird childhood superstitions that has carried forward into my adult life. Even though I know it really isn't bad luck to turn the light off if the clock is on an odd number. I'm just weird.

Weird fact number four: I sometimes trace things in my head. (I think I told this one in here before too, so sorry about the repeats.) By this I mean, when I see certain shapes, such as the collar on a shirt or the square of a picture frame or certain logos, like the Pepsi logo, I'll trace them in my head over and over until I make myself stop. I have no idea why I do this.

Weird fact number five: I count steps whenever I'm going up or down them. I won't always count if there are only a few steps - I don't count the steps on my porch, for example. But if I'm climbing a flight of stairs, I'll count. And then I usually remember the numbers, because I count them so much, so I know how many stairs are in most staircases that I walk up or down. (There are 13 stairs between the floors of my house, 12 and then 9 (or 9 and 12, depending on if you're going up or down) between the floors at work, etc.) Yup, weird.

Weird fact number six: I don't like nuts in my chocolate. And, much like Sarah, this is a texture thing with me. I like peanuts on their own, but I don't want them in my chocolate. And I also don't like stuff in my ice cream, with the exception of cookie dough. Ice cream is smooth and creamy, and it shouldn't be chunked up with chips or brownie bits or any other thing that makes you chew. You don't chew ice cream!

So, there you go - six weird things about me, and I didn't even have to work too hard to come up with them. And now I have to tag six people, but I'm going to be a rebel and only tag four: Cathy, Clare, Barb (even though she hasn't updated her blog in forever) and Robyn. I could also add Sarah to this list, but she has already been tagged by Deals too. Sorry in advance to all of you who I am tagging. But the six weird things is kind of fun to do, so it's not a total bad thing, right? Right. :)

And if you want to tell me six (or fewer, even) weird things about you, comment away.

A Christmas Weather Rhyme

Twas the week before Christmas
And all through the air
Not a snowflake was stirring,
And I didn’t care

A green Christmas for me
Is the best way to go
Because traveling to others’ houses
That day is what I know

Living where I do
White Christmases are the norm
So I don’t expect the grass to be greening
On that cold December morn

I think I’d like to live
Where snow is never known
But then I think how I’d miss seeing
The flakes all windblown

So I have to accept
The snow when it comes
‘Cause my options are limited
Unless maybe I drink lots of rum

This year I hope
To continue this December thaw
But if the air turns cold
And flakes fall, I’ll open my maw

Eating snowflakes
Is a part of the season
Although you probably shouldn’t anymore
Pollution being the main reason

Anyway, If I really cared
About the snow coming near
I guess I wouldn’t live
In the cold climate we have here

So when it snows I put on my gloves
And I shrug into my coat
And I drag out the shovel
And think of leaving a note

And that note would say
To all who made it through
Careful on the walk, it’s slippery
And Happy Holidays to you!

Quiet Sunday Entry

I went online this morning and looked at the holidailies website, and found that yesterday's entry was named a "best of" entry! It was very exciting. They like me, they really like me! :) Kidding. I may have danced around my house while I was vacuuming afterwards, though.

I had a quiet day today. J and I hung out and watched TV most of the day. We watched Love Actually and he listened to his football game on the radio while I introduced him to the Sims 2. I think he kind of liked it. :) I don't imagine he's going to be playing it anytime soon, but at least now he knows what I'm doing when I'm playing it. It was a nice day, and another nice weekend.

Now it's one week until Christmas, so before I know it, I'll be off for a week for the holidays. I'm looking forward to the time away from work, and the time with J.

By the way, in the last couple of days, he has gotten the official seal of approval from Gracie, Zelda and Sable. And Lucy laid on the chair behind his head, so I think she gives her approval, too. Of course, Zelda is still clawing him a bit in her quest for affection, but she's a cat, so that's really all you can expect.

Okay, I think I'm going to have to call this an entry for tonight. I hope you all had a great weekend!

Memories Old and New

The sounds of holiday music filled the house as J and I hung out in the kitchen this morning. I stirred up some peanut butter cookie dough to put in the fridge, and then mixed up some homemade chocolate chip cookies to bake. J hung out and petted the critters, and then when the first batch of cookies went into the oven, we sat and read our books (still Lisey's Story for me, and a story about the Miami Dolphins and their perfect 1972 season for him) while the smell of cookies permeated every inch of airspace.

As I was baking, the radio was tuned to a station that is playing holiday music non-stop until Christmas, and memories of my mother were all over me as they played her favorite holiday music, like Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Jingle Bell Rock. I could close my eyes and imagine her in the kitchen of my childhood home, singing along and dancing. "Everyone's dancing merrily in the new old fashioned way," she would sing, and the glint would be in her eyes and that smile would be on her face - that special happy smile that had a hint of mischievousness in it. And I stood there spooning out cookie dough, periodically looking over at J, who was looking at me as much as he was his book, and I thought how happy she would be for me right now. Every mother's wish is for their children to be happy, and I finally am.

Now the smell of peanut butter cookies is still filling the house, the tree is lit, the banister is lit, and the gladness fills my heart. And that man who loves me, and who thinks that I am perfect as I am, is waiting for me to finish this so that we can watch a movie, so I'm going to stop talking about my life on the Internet and go live it.

Holiday Newsletter

I’ve never done a holiday family newsletter, and I don’t imagine I’ll ever send one out to my friends and family like so many people do, but maybe it’s a good idea to write one for this space. You don’t want to read through my archives from the last year? Then settle in and I’ll tell you what’s been going on in my life in 2006.

This year has been a time of change for me. It started off with a bang in the New Year when I started a new job in mid-January. It’s a job in the field for which I was going to school, and I got it before I even finished my degree, which made me very happy. In the eleven months that I’ve been working in this position, I’ve figured out a bit about marketing, and have really settled in. It’s a great job and I was lucky to get it.

After losing both of my dogs during the summer of 2005, I adopted a new dog in November, 2005 and another one in February, 2006. First came Willow, a brown spotted Dalmatian mix. She’s incredibly sweet, very neurotic and very grumbly, and I really thought she might make me lose my sanity in the first few months that I had her, but now I really can’t imagine my daily life without her in it, grumbles and all. Her name has evolved into quite a few nicknames in the time that I’ve had her. She still gets called Willow, but she also gets called Willa, Willa Billa, Will, Bill, and because I like to rhyme, sometimes she is Willa Billa Gilla Filla.


Willow – always a very grumbly girl – got even more grumbly in February of this year, when I went to the SPCA and adopted Bernie, a large male Bernese Mountain Dog mix. I fell in love with him because of his looks – I’ve always wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog, but will probably never be able to afford one. Well, not from a breeder anyway – Bernie fit into my budget quite nicely. And I lucked out with him, too. Bernie is the sweetest, most loving dog around. He doesn’t pay any attention to Willow and her grumbling, nor does he pay any attention to my cats. He loves to follow me around the house and he likes nothing better than being petted while staring at you with his big brown eyes. He’s been in my house for ten months now, and I have loved sharing my space with him.

In June of this year, my sister, brother-in-law and I went on vacation together. We fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and went to Maine – specifically to Bar Harbor. It’s a very touristy area to be sure, but that didn’t stop it from being completely beautiful. What has always drawn me to Maine are the rocky sea coasts, and we found those in abundance. We found a stretch where we were able to walk out on the rocks and watch the tide come in, and that spot will forever be one of my favorite places on earth. If it were closer, I’d be there often – nightly to watch the tide, if I were close enough. It was a fun trip, and I loved sharing it with my sister and her husband.

July 4th came along and continued to prove itself to be worthy of being my favorite holiday. I hung out with my sister and her family all day, doing the parade thing, the cookout thing and the fireworks thing. Good times were had by all. Well, all except my three year old great-niece, who was a little more than freaked out by the noise.

I turned 37 years old on July 18th. The new year of my life didn’t start out much differently than the last year. My pool was closed, due to financial strapness on my part, so there wasn’t a pool party to mark the occasion. I went to my sister’s house, and I got some gifts and I had some dinner and some cake, and was as happy as you can be to be turning 37 years old.

The fall brought a new semester of school, but one that I sat out for the first time in two years. I decided I needed a break from classes, and really, since I already have the job that I would be hoping to get with the degree, why bother finishing? I may decide to go back and do more classes next fall, but for now the break is continuing. I like not having to worry about classes and homework and group projects and finals. No thanks – I’ll just play in my free time.

The new semester also brought about a weight loss challenge at work. The goal was to lose the most percentage of your body weight over the course of a 16 week time period. The challenge ended today. I didn’t win, but I did lose 15 pounds over the course of that 16 weeks, so I’m very happy. The challenge is going to start anew with the spring semester in January, and I’ll be signing up again. This time I’m going to shoot for losing 20 pounds over the 16 weeks. If I accomplish that goal, I will have lost 35 pounds overall, and will be another 35 pounds away from my goal. I’ll get there yet!

The fall also brought what has turned out to be another good change to me. I filled out a profile on eHarmony at some point in the late summer/early fall, and in the end of September, I was contacted by a guy, who I call J here. We started communicating, at first through eHarmony, then through e-mail, then on the phone, and then we had our first date on October 21st. It’s been almost two months now since that first date, and we are still going strong. He’s in love with me, and yeah, despite some early freaking out on my part, I’ve fallen for him as well. We’re together as often as we can be, given that he lives 40 minutes away and has to be at work at 5:30 in the morning. He has two dogs, who have spent some time at my house. My grumbly girl Willow doesn’t like them much, but Bernie figures they’re just two more friends to share the house with while they’re there, so he doesn’t mind at all, thereby proving himself to be the perfect dog. Well, as perfect as a dog can be, I guess.

Halloween came and went with no trick-or-treaters for me, but then I live in the middle of nowhere, so I didn’t expect any. Thanksgiving came and went with a great dinner at my sister’s house. I went with J to his sister’s house for brunch, and met his family. They are very nice people, and I was at ease almost immediately. Of course, the fact that she has two very adorable little dogs helped too. Then last week J and I went to dinner with my sister and her husband, so he’s met my family, too. I don’t have parents to meet, so the siblings are all he has to face, and my sister is the only local one. He’ll have to wait to meet the brothers.

And now the holiday season is here, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with J for the first time. It’s going to be nice to not be alone on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

I’m also looking forward to having someone to kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve, thereby ushering in more good luck for 2007. I hope the New Year will bring good things to you as well, and thank you one and all for sharing my life with me through my blog. I feel very lucky to have some great people reading my site, and look forward to maybe having that family of readers grow throughout the New Year. Stop in often, and say hi from time to time! I love to hear from you. In fact, you can start with giving me the highlights of the last year for you. What changes did 2006 bring to you?

From J to me, Christmas 2006.

Secret Santa and Other Stuff

Today was the start of the secret Santa gift exchange in my office. It's so fun! I gave the person whose name I drew a Santa Christmas tree ornament, after leading her on a bit of a scavenger hunt following one clue after another. She loved the search and the gift. Then I got mine, which was started with a clue in my mailbox - a piece of ribbon with a snowman on it, and a piece of wrapping paper with a note on it telling me to look for that paper and ribbon everyday until the gift giving days were over. So I went and searched, and found my gift! It was a calendar with goofy dog pictures on it. Very cute. I have to confess, though, that I didn't get what I was supposed to be doing when I got the clue. I thought the piece of ribbon with the snowman on it was my gift. I was apparently a bit thick headed today. D'oh!

I definitely feel like holiday time is already here. I'm sure a lot of offices get this way as the holidays draw near - as the time to be off for the Christmas/New Year break comes nearer, less and less work gets done. Well, mentally I already seem to be in the do nothing phase, even though I have to work another week and a half. Oops! I'm still getting stuff done, but I'm having to force myself. Also, the diet is going by the wayside for the holidays, too. I'm going to be careful to not eat enough to gain any of the weight I've lost back, but I'm not going to be attempting to lose any weight again until the end of January. It's time for a break from the diet. Our office challenge ends tomorrow, and I'm not going to win, but I will end it having lost at least 15 pounds, so I'm happy. We're going to do the challenge again in the spring semester, so I'll do it again then, and maybe lose another 15 or 20 pounds. But for now, I'm done.

If you read my entry the other day about how I was jonesing for a Sim fix, you'll be happy to know that I finally played it again last night! It felt great - I really missed those little Sim people. Willow the Sim dog had her puppies - one female, who I named Farah, and two males, who I named Fido and Frick. They're all black like Bernie Sim, and I can't wait to see what they grow up like. They're very cute (although they all got the same personality of hyper doofuses, so that should be fun).

This afternoon the college is having a Christmas dinner for its employees, so we get to go over in about three hours and eat a good dinner. It's much better than the cereal I would probably have at home, so I'm happy! And tomorrow Sarah and I are going to go to the Pizzeria and get pizza and cheese sticks for lunch, so yum. It's a good couple of days for food.

I told J about this blog the other night. He didn't quite understand what a blog was, or why anyone would write about their lives on the Internet, but I tried to make him understand. Well, as well as I could. How can you explain what compels you to write about your life on the Internet for anyone to read? I don't know how well I did at making him understand. I asked him if he wanted the link so that he could read it, and he said no for now. Which is fine - he doesn't have to read it. I just wanted him to know that it existed. It didn't feel right to keep it a secret any longer. We've just gotten too close for that.

Also, I finally said those three words. You know the ones. ♥ :)

Christmas Domesticity

The Christmas spirit hasn’t always visited me during the holiday season. There have been years when I’ve wanted to ignore the very existence of Christmas; in these years, I didn’t put up a tree, didn’t hang a single decoration or light. The season passed by unnoticed, but for the day spent at my sister’s house and the gifts given and received. Then there have been years where I’ve been enough in the spirit to put up a small tree, and to hang at least a few decorations, but without going overboard. A little decoration went a long way in years like those, and a big tree, outside lights, wall decorations, banister garland and Christmas knick-knacks were never unpacked. This year I have landed squarely in the land of Christmas overload.

Actually, overload may be an overstatement of the situation – I have definitely seen people go way further than I do, after all. I have lights outside, but they are just simple icicle lights, hung around the porch to light it up and make it festive. I have decorations on the walls, but only two large quilted stockings that my mother bought years ago. I have garland and lights on the banisters, with stockings hung from them; I have a Christmas rug on the floor by the television; I have paper bells and balls hung from the ceiling. And of course I have a large (fake) Christmas tree in the living room and a small (fake) tree in my bedroom. But the knick knacks were put back away without being put out, and Christmas doesn’t permeate any room in my house other than the living room and bedroom. But for all that it could be more than it is, it is more than it was last year, and it gives the house a nice holiday glow.

I find the holiday spirit hitting me more in other ways than decorating, however. I took great glee in purchasing a long list of gifts for J, D, Jamie, Sarah and the person whose name I drew in my sister’s family name drawing. I bought wrapping paper and happily wrapped up the two packages that came in the mail Monday. I can’t wait to give away all of the gifts that I picked out for everyone, and to receive what they are giving me this year. And? I have the rather urgent desire to bake.

I have always liked to bake, but I haven’t done it much in quite a few years. I don’t even have the basic baking necessities in my house – I have some sugar, but there’s no flour, no brown sugar, no confectionary sugar, no shortening, and definitely no (fresh) eggs. I think that might all be changing, though, because I find myself filled with a desire to bake cookies of many different kinds – definitely sugar and chocolate chip, and whatever else I find in my cookbook that looks interesting. I want to make homemade (not from a box mix) blueberry muffins. I found a recipe on the Lactaid website for making lactose free Whoopie Pies (a treat that is usually found in Maine, and which look absolutely yummy) and I want to make those. And I want to make fudge.

Now, fudge is something that I can’t have if anyone else makes it, and I can’t have any from a bakery or store, because I can’t digest milk. However, thanks to the invention of Lactaid milk, if I can find a recipe that takes milk (not evaporated milk), that isn’t too difficult, I think I can make fudge and be able to eat it – I just need to substitute Lactaid for the regular milk. The problem, though, is going to be finding a recipe that isn’t too difficult. I’ve never made anything that required boiling syrup until it gets to any sort of ribbon consistency or whatever, and I don’t think I want to attempt that now. But if I can find a good recipe that doesn’t require that, and that will allow a substitution of dairy free Lactaid for the regular milk, I want to make it this year.

If I actually do all of this baking, I will be able to give baked goods to J’s family when I go over there on Christmas Day. I’ll be able to take some to my sister’s house for her very large family to enjoy. And I’ll be able to have some at my house for J and I to enjoy during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

Where does all this newfound domesticity come from? Is it just something that would have hit me anyway, or is it to do with J’s existence in my life? I have no idea. All I know is that I’m enjoying being fully embedded in the Christmas spirit, and I am looking forward to spending this holiday season with family and friends, and in my warm house, with the trees lit and shining, the banister glowing, the cats knocking ornaments off the tree, while sharing the season with the guy with whom I am falling in love. For this year, at least, wrap me up in ribbons and bows, because I am ready for the holiday.

A Cat and a Christmas Tree: a Story in Pictures

A tale of a cat and a Christmas tree, as performed by Sable, super adorable cat and mouse killer extraordinaire.

"Oh, Pooh ornament, you hang there, just in my reach, begging me to grab you and take you off this fake pine tree. You will be mine."

"What? I'm not doing anything. I'm just sitting here innocently staring at the wall. Tree? What tree? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah, yes! It is mine! Prepare to be conquered, Pooh ornament! Mua ha ha ha ha!"

"Oh, you're a tough bear, aren't you. I WILL get you off this tree."

"What? He was taunting me! That portly bear has it coming! Oh yeah, I mean - I wasn't doing anything. The bear is fine. See? He's still hanging there, right where you left him! God, you have no trust in me whatsoever."

Not pictured - two minutes later, the Pooh Bear ornament is on the floor, and Sable is trying to figure out a way to climb a fake pine tree. If it had a real trunk, she would have been in the middle of it.

This has been an illustrated story of a cat and a Christmas tree, starring Sable Little, with a Winnie the Pooh Christmas tree ornament playing a supporting role. Thank you!

Jonesing for a (Sim) Fix

My life has been very busy lately. Editing, working, spending time with J, having dinner with my sister, scrapbook-paryting with Sarah...it's all good stuff. But a few of my old pasttimes have fallen by the wayside. Reading? I've been reading Stephen King's new book for, what? A month? More, maybe? And I'm not even halfway through. Even though I'm liking it so far, and really want to see what happens. Watching TV? I still have somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 or so hours of TV on my DVR that I need to catch up with. Thank goodness for some recent repeats, or it would be even worse. But the thing that is bothering me the most lately, the thing I am starting to jones for in a big way - the Sims 2.

I have a desktop computer that I use solely for the Sims. It used to be my habit to have that computer on and running the game every night after work for about four hours, and on every weekend day for probably 10 or 12 hours at a time. Yes, I was seriously addicted, and wasted a lot of hours playing that game. But I watched TV while I did it, so I was accomplishing two time wasting activities at the same time! So at least I was multi-tasking my laziness. But then I met J online, and we started to talk on the phone every night, and we started seeing each other, and now we're on the phone every week night except the one that he is at my house, and he's at my house all weekend, and my Sims computer hasn't been turned on since somewhere around mid-October, or maybe late October. Yes, my poor little Sims have been languishing in the computer. My Sim Willow is still pregnant, as is her Sim owner. And I don't even remember what else was happening to all of my Sim people, because I've been gone so long. And I haven't minded not playing, because good stuff was happening. A relationship was happening, extra work (and therefore fuel oil money) was happening. It was all good, and who needs to play with fake people when you can play with real people?

Well. That was a good attitude for a while, but now the itch is returning. I am feeling the need to fire up that desktop PC and see what my Sim people are up to. I want to see Willow's puppies, I want to see what her owner has, a boy or girl, or maybe twins! I want to control their little simulated lives. I won't be able to do it tonight, because I am going to my Monday night dinner with D and K, to hang out and see what they thought of J. I have to get the lowdown from them. And by the time I get home, I'll have just enough time to take care of the dogs, put on my pajamas, maybe vacuum the living room and my bedroom, and watch one episode of something off my DVR, then the phone will be ringing. J will want to know what D and K thought of him, and he'll want to tell me that he misses me and can't wait until he comes out again on Tuesday. And I'll of course be happy to hear all of that.

So, no Sims tonight, because of dinner and phone call, and no Sims tomorrow night because he'll be there, but maybe on Wednesday. Yeah, I can fit at least a couple of hours of play time in on Wednesday, I think. I hope my Sims won't be mad at me for abandoning them for all this time.

Now I just have to figure out how to balance the time wasting activities that I miss so much with the relationship/work/friend stuff. There has to be a way to fit it all in, right? Here's hoping I figure out how to fit it all in. Otherwise, Sim Willow will be pregnant forever and my DVR will explode from being too full. And we wouldn't want that.

Missed a Day, and Weekend Update

Oops, I missed my first holidailies entry of the year yesterday, didn't I? I forgot all about it until earlier today when I saw a comment from Sarah asking what happened to me. Sorry! I don't have much of an excuse, really. I went to Sarah's yesterday afternoon, to her scrapbooking party, where I made a bee-yoo-ti-ful mini scrapbook with three pictures from my trip to Maine in June (I gave it to my sister last night). I was running late going to that, and then I had to leave while people were still making stuff and having fun because I had to run home and get ready to go to dinner with J and my sister and brother-in-law, for the big meeting of the family. And I was running late for that by the time I got home, so I had to rush around. And then we went to dinner and then we went back to my sister's house afterwards, and then we came home and watched Blues Brothers, after which I promptly fell asleep and slept like the dead, because I was exhausted. And there you have a whole one paragraph excuse for why I didn't update yesterday. :)

The dinner went really well. J really liked my sister and her husband. (And I'm sick of typing that out in reference to them, so I'm just going to say D and K - D is my sister, K is her husband.) K is a very funny guy who is really good at putting people at ease and having a good time with them, so J was feeling pretty comfortable, especially by the time we left their house last night. So the first meeting is over, and it was a success. He did well. Well, I think he did - I'll get the full report from D and K tomorrow on what they thought when I go over there for dinner.

The next hurdle for him is the Christmas dinner thing on the 26th. I'm sure he'll do fine then, too.

And I promise to try really hard not to forget to update again. I swear. :) And to close up this lame excuse for an entry, I'll give you a picture of the best, friendliest, most wonderful dog in the world (Bernie), who has already made friends with J's two dogs. They were lining up for a treat when I took the picture, and do you know how hard it is to get a good picture of three dogs who are all eager to get a treat, and not so into the thought of sitting still for the camera? Yeah, it's pretty impossible. So, Bernie is looking up at the counter, McDuff is walking to me and out of camera range, and Rosebud is just hanging out waiting for that damn treat that I'm taking my sweet time giving her. Aren't they all cute? I could steal McDuff and never give him back, he's so stinking adorable. Oh, and Willow is still being a stinker who thinks that his dogs shouldn't exist, so she was in my bedroom at the time. I would say that I'm hopeful she'll get over that soon, but she still thinks Bernie shouldn't exist, and he's been here since February, so I'm really not hopeful at all. She's never going to like them being here. Silly Will.

And okay, I'm going to go read my book for a little while before I go to sleep. I hope you all had great weekends. I'll talk at you tomorrow!

40 Questions

In lieu of actually doing the work to come up with an original entry, I present you with 40 Questions, as stolen from Robyn, who stole it from Nance.

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before? I met someone from one of those dating sites. I'm happy to say it's going well so far, and we're 2 1/2 months in. Woo!

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any New Year's resolutions, because, as I think I said last year, those are doomed to fail in my life. I never stick to them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No. My paternal grandmother died at some point, but it might have been in 2005? I'm not sure. I didn't have a relationship with her, so the date isn't sticking in my head. Although I think I was in my old job at the time, which means it was probably 2005 for sure, because I started my current job in January of this year.

5. What countries did you visit? None other than my own. But I did visit a new part of it when I went to Maine.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? The means to pay off some of my stinking bills. I hate credit cards.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 21st, because it was my first date with J.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Going on a diet and sticking to it for about 15 weeks now! Even though I did horrible last week. But I'll be better next week, so it's okay. Still - I've lost over 15 pounds, and that's a huge achievement for me!

9. What was your biggest failure? Umm, I'm drawing a blank. Which is a good thing, right?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No, thank goodness. Just minor illnesses that passed quickly.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Uh, I didn't buy anything major. I bought some TV shows on DVD, I love those. And the Sims 2 Pets! Although I haven't had much playing time lately, I do love the little Sim critters.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jamie's, when he quit smoking for a couple of months. But then he started again. :( (Hi Jamie! Hee.)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? If I paid attention to the news and politics, I'm sure it would be someone from those arenas, but I try to stay uninformed. It's the only way to stay happy. Ignorant, but happy.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, sadly.

15.What made you really really really excited? The Sims 2 Pets! I waited so anxiously for that, you have no idea. I was really horribly addicted to that game. And will be again once I have time. It's calling to me.

16.What song will forever remind you of 2006? I don't think any song will. Nothing is sticking in my head from 2006. Except! Storm Large's original song from Rockstar Supernova. I can't remember the name of it, but I loved it. The R rated version, of course.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Reading. I never get enough reading time in anymore.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Working. But unfortunately, it's what pays the bills.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I will be spending Christmas Eve with J at his Aunt's house, Christmas day with his family at his parents' house (probably) and the 26th with my sister at her house. And I'm dragging J along, woo!

21. How will you be spending New Year’s? New Year's Eve I will be staying up until Midnight, getting my very first ever New Year's kiss. Yes, I'm pathetic and have never had a boyfriend at New Year's. New Year's day will probably be spent doing nothing much of anything, other than moaning about going back to work the next day. Even though I like my job. But vacations are better than work anyday.

22. Did you fall in love in 2006? I don't know yet. Ask me before the New Year.

23. How many one-night stands? None, thank goodness. But unlike last year, I did get some action this year! Woo! :P

24. What were your favorite TV programs? Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Veronica Mars.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No. Thank goodness.

26. What was the best book you read? To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Kenny Wayne Shepherd, I think. And K.T. Tunstall.

28. What did you want and get? Can I be stupid and say a boyfriend? Schmaltzy, but true.

29. What did you want and not get? A million dollars. Or new windows for my house.

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Um, I don't know. I liked a lot, but nothing is standing out in my mind right now.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 37 on my birthday, and I think I spent most of it at my sister's house, and the rest at home, probably playing the Sims 2.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Getting some bills paid off and new windows in my house. Otherwise, it's been a pretty good year.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts on my days off when I actually got dressed, PJs when I didn't. I'm not a fancy girl.

34. What kept you sane? My critters, my friends and this blog. It's amazing how much it helps to write things out in here. See the freak out entries from last month as an example.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Can I say a fictional character? If so, George from Grey's Anatomy. I heart him.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? I try not to get too into politics, but the whole same sex controversy irritates the hell out of me. Let people marry who they want, no matter the gender. Why should it bother anyone else? I don't get that at all.

37. Who did you miss? My Mother, now and always.

38. Who was the best new person(s) you met? J.

38. Side question…who would you like to get to know better? A couple of people from work, maybe. Otherwise, I have no idea.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: You have to open yourself up to new experiences and make yourself vulnerable - it's the only way you can experience life. Take a leap, and sometimes great things can happen.

40. Favorite Memory of 2006? Multiple memories, not just one. All of the good times spent with Jamie and Sarah, all of the good chats with Sally, adopting my Bernie dog and the time spent with Willow and the cats too, the great Monday night dinners with my sister and her family, meeting J and getting to know him better, and being fallen in love with. It's been a great year.

Miscellany

I tried to give blood after lunch today, but my iron level was one point too low. I was sad to not be able to give, but I tried, and I got a free t-shirt, so woo! As for my iron level, I think I may have to start eating a big old steak the night before I donate from now on, because I'm taking a multi-vitamin with iron, and I just don't want to add another iron supplement. One horse pill is enough. Oh well.

I got my check from Sally yesterday for the last editing job that I did (thanks, Sally!), so I put it in the bank via the ATM last night, and was able to pay some bills this morning, and...do my Christmas shopping! I bought everything online - I love Amazon.com. Online shopping is the best invention ever. I got everyone done, but for a few stocking stuffers that I'll need to pick up for J. He's filling a stocking for me, so I'm filling one for him, too. I got him one thing to go in it, but I'll need to go to an actual store and get the rest of the stuff. I'm thinking the dollar store is a good place to go for this kind of thing, because I have no idea what to buy him to put in it. Except for a lot of candy, of course. Yum, chocolate. :)

It felt good to be able to do the shopping and to get some bills paid, too. I paid off my fuel oil bill and sent them $500 towards my next delivery, so I guess I won't freeze to death anytime soon. Which is good. I need to get J to go down to the basement and check the level of fuel that I have left, too. I like winter in some ways, but man I hate paying for heat. I really need to get an alternative heat source working, to cut down on the fuel oil bills. I have a wood burning furnace in my garage that could be used, but the chimney fell off in the Labor Day storm of 1998, so I'd have to have that replaced first. So for now it's non-functional.

And man, this is the most boring entry ever! This is what happens when I update daily, and when I don't have the time to sit and think of decent topics. And today is only the 7th - just wait until the end of the month! :P

And now I need to get to work. I have two more chapters to edit in my current editing job (the one that will pay for more fuel oil, oh joy), so I better get cracking - my deadline is tomorrow. Happy Thursday, everyone! I'll try to make tomorrow's entry more interesting.

And just to make this post more festive, I'll leave you with pictures of my office decorations. Enjoy!

Great picture, right? Yeah, it sucks. But, it shows my festive garland and decorations. And as a bonus you get to see a little bit of my work space. The pictures are from my trip to Maine. They're right over my computer, so that I can look at them and dream of being there instead of here. The rest is papers, papers, everywhere. It's very cluttered in here.

And this is on the wall behind my desk. I'm very Christmasy this year. :)

Christmas Traditions

Christmas has always been a time filled with tradition. Family traditions dictate how the tree is decorated, when the presents are opened, what food is served for breakfast, what dishes are served at the big holiday dinner. These traditions serve to provide a comforting, warm family celebration.

My family had their own fair share of traditions for the Christmas holiday. When I was a kid, my Mom would make homemade cookies, chocolates and fudge. Chex Mix was another holiday favorite that was made every year (I only liked the rice Chex at the time, although now I eat the wheat ones too). Our tree was always topped by a star, and paper bells and balls hung from the ceiling, draped with crepe paper. In later years, when it was just me, Mom and my Step-Dad Wayne, they would have shrimp cocktail and oyster stew for dinner on Christmas Eve, while I had tomato soup, because I didn’t like either of the things they were having. When we got up on Christmas morning, we would open our stockings while cinnamon rolls baked in the oven, and then we would have breakfast together. After breakfast, and after whatever of my siblings showed up that were in the area to come for Christmas day, we would open up the tree, with the oldest boy in the house playing “Santa” to hand out the gifts.

Once the gifts were all opened up, Mom would arrange all of hers under the tree, while the rest of us took ours to our rooms (and I would tear into whatever toy/electronic/game that I had gotten that year). We would have dinner in the early to mid-afternoon, and dinner was always the same – ham, corn, biscuits, mashed potatoes – all of the yummy holiday dinner stuff. Pies would be served for dessert, and just like that another holiday would be over.

Things have changed quite a bit for me now. My Mom and Step-Dad are both gone. My brothers all live in different states, so I don’t usually see them for the holiday at all. I still have tomato soup for dinner on Christmas Eve, usually, and I still have cinnamon rolls for breakfast (and have a lot of leftovers for later). But that’s where the similarities end. I haven’t had a stocking in six years, because there hasn’t been anyone to make one for me. I don’t make dinner at my house, and in fact don’t even usually spend most of the day there at all. I go to my sister’s house to exchange gifts and to have dinner with her family. Times have changed, and now they’re changing again.

This year I have a new person to add into the mix. I told J that I hadn’t had a stocking since Mom died, and he seemed appalled at that idea, so something tells me that I’ll have one this year – and I’ll be filling one for him, too. I have a star on my tree this year, so Mom’s old tradition of having one is back. Those paper balls and bells are hanging from my ceiling, albeit without the crepe paper. I’m not going to be alone on Christmas Eve, so I might not have my tomato soup for dinner – but that’s okay. I’m sure we’ll come up with something good. We probably will still have cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas Day, because they’re just too yummy to skip, but the rest of the day is going to be completely different. My sister isn’t doing Christmas until the 26th, because one of her sons is coming in from California on Christmas night, and will be spending that evening with his wife’s family. So I might be going to J’s house for Christmas Day. And actually, I’m going to his Aunt’s house for part of Christmas Eve, too.

New traditions are being created, with a few old ones in the mix. If J and I are together next year, then these new ones will be carried on, which is a good thing. But I’m still happy for the old ones that are carrying forward. These old traditions carry with them a piece of my past – they bring the family who are gone and those who can’t be here into the celebration. I see Mom in the star on my tree, and in the majority of the decorations in my house, most of which were hers or which she gave to me. Wayne’s Sugar Bear decoration is on the tree in my bedroom. I’ll still see my sister on the 26th for dinner, gift giving and family fun (and I’ll be bringing J along). My Christmas traditions this year are in flux, but they still bring the holiday home for me in a good way.

What are some of your holiday traditions? Are they changing this year? Are you starting new ones? I’d love to hear!

(Also, do you like my new Christmas header? The super talented Sarah made it for me. Thanks Sarah!)

Dinner Talk

My banister is ready for Christmas. (Oh, and I'm the baby on the top, and my sister is the one on the bottom who is losing the back of her frame. I've got to fix that.)

I had my weekly dinner with my sister today. We planned to have dinner, the three of us plus J, on Saturday, so that he can meet them. And, the best part - I'm bringing him to Christmas dinner. Ha! He's SOOO going to love meeting all of her family in one day. Overwhelmed? Yeah, he will be. But my brother-in-law had a good point - in a group of people that large, you can just kind of hang back and observe, and let the conversation flow around you. If it's just you and a couple of new people, then you're under more pressure to make conversation. So maybe it won't be bad for him at all. Anyway, it should be interesting - I've never introduced someone to the family before. And yes, I'm 37, but I'm socially backward, okay? What you all did in your early 20s, I'm doing now. I'm a slow bloomer.

I would usually be talking on the phone to J right now, but tonight I'm chatting with my good friend Sally. She should be showing up online anytime now. We haven't talked in a really long time, because she's been so busy with work, but she has some time tonight, so we're meeting online for a good long chat session. It's going to be good to catch up with her.

And, since I'm not going to be on the phone, I can catch up on some TV. First up, Veronica Mars - after that, who knows. I have about 40-50 hours worth of TV on here to catch up with, so I certainly have my pick. The only bad thing about having a boyfriend? The loss of TV time! Then again, it's certainly nice to interact with a real person for a change, so I am not complaining.

And suddenly I'm out of things to talk about for tonight, and Sally should be showing up any minute, so that's all from me tonight. Have a great night!

The tree, with light so that you can see the ornaments. It's not much, but I'm loving it. :)

Met the Parents

You will all be happy to know that I did not stress over meeting J's parents at all. We had a great weekend together, and this morning we went to the mall and got a Christmas gift for the person whose name I got in the office Secret Santa gift exchange, and I got something for Sarah for Christmas :), and then we went from the mall to his sister's house for brunch. And all of the worrying I did last week after he asked me if I wanted to do this was gone. His sister is very nice, his brother is hysterically funny, and his parents are just cute old people. The family obviously loves each other, and the siblings all get along really well, and it was nice to be around them for a couple of hours. We ate some good breakfast food and I sat and listened to J and his brother riff off each other, and watched his sister feed her two small dogs their own table food, off their own plates (spoiled much? And I thought mine were bad!), and before I knew it, we were leaving and coming back to my house to finish decorating.

And now Christmas has come to my house, even outside with the addition of icicle lights on the front porch, and the stress of meeting his family is over, as is another great weekend.

And because it's late (for me), and I'm tired and I have to get up for work tomorrow, that's all for now. I'll leave you with a picture of Willow, sitting on a Santa Claus rug that my Mom made years ago. Willow is a grouchy little thing, but she's awfully cute.

Christmas Prep

I'm slipping in an entry all stealth like while J is putting garland on my tree. I'm sneaky like that. We've been decorating my house tonight. I have some pictures, but my tool bar that has the button for uploading pictures isn't here for some reason, so I might have to wait to post those tomorrow. But we've strung garland and white lights on my stairwell, put my small Christmas tree in my bedroom on top of my dresser, and have put up my Mom's old artificial tree in the living room, and put lights and a star on it. And now J's doing the silver garland. It looks really nice.

I also put out the Santa rug that my Mom made years ago, and the dogs have enjoyed laying on it already. This time of year brings out all the memories - Mom bought me this ornament, this oranament was my step-dad's, etc. Enough time has passed since Mom's death that I can look back on those memories and smile instead of being sad. It's a nice feeling.

Tomorrow we'll just have to hang all of the ornaments and put out my Christmas knick-knack type things, and my house will be ready for the holidays. I have gone quite a few years with almost no decorations at all, and that's making it feel really nice to have stuff up this year. I'm really in the holiday mood this year.

Tomorrow is also brunch with J's family. Dun dun dun. I'm sure it'll be okay, but I won't say I'm not stressing a little bit, because I am. I'll be glad when it's over.

And okay, he's about done with the garland, so that's all for now. I'll put some pictures up tomorrow, if I can figure out how to now that the dashboard on blogger has changed. I hope you are all having a great Saturday evening!

First of December

I bought this candle holder from a candle party that Sarah had. Isn't it pretty? My living room smells cinnamony now.

So, it's the first day of holidailies. Woo! Get ready to get sick of me, because I'll be updating daily for the whole month of December. Or I'll be trying to, anyway. I'm not sure how I'm going to work it when J is around, because he doesn't know about this blog yet, so I can't do it in front of him. Hmm. I'll figure something out. Maybe I'll send him to do something for me, to keep him busy for a while. My tub drain is backed up again, even worse than before (I think putting Drano down it just pissed it off), so there's something he can work on for a while. Anyway, I'll be making every effort to update here every day, so check back, 'kay?

Today was weigh-in day. I lost another pound, and am now down 16.2 pounds. Woo! I'm celebrating by having a large chocolate muffin for breakfast, and take out greasy food for both lunch and dinner. Hee. But really, weigh-in day is cheat day, and why would I want to eat a boring turkey sandwich on cheat day? I wouldn't. So, chicken sandwich and fries for lunch and KFC for dinner, with probably brownies for dessert. Yum. You can't beat it. Cheat day food aside, the weight loss thing is obviously going well, though. We have two more weeks left in the challenge, so I don't think I'll make my personal goal (which would mean losing at least 6.1 pounds in the next two weeks), but I'll come pretty close, and I'm okay with that. I also probably won't win the challenge, but I was never in this to win - just to lose weight, and I have done that, so I'm happy. Here's to keeping it up once the challenge is over.

So, guess who's meeting the parents this weekend? Yup, that would be me. J asked me the other night if I wanted to come to his sister's house on Sunday for brunch. I'll meet his Mom, Dad, sister and brother. Fun! And not at all stressful! Right. I'll survive somehow, I suppose, and actually once I get there, I probably won't be all that stressed, really. I'm good with parents, usually. I'm a nice, sweet, innocent looking girl, so parents usually want their sons with me. Which is good, but knowing that somehow doesn't make it any easier to face the prospect of hanging out with his family for a couple of hours. Oy. Oh well, I'll survive, and it'll mean I'll have that many fewer people to meet on Christmas Eve. I have to arrange a meeting with my sister and her husband soon, though, because I can't be the only one going through this stress.

This weekend should be fun, though, parent meeting aside. J and I are going to work on decorating my house for Christmas. For some reason I'm very much in the Christmas mood this year, so I'm really looking forward to getting my stuff all up. I'll post pictures once we get everything out and up.

As I was walking out to my car last night, I remembered that my car inspection was expiring. Yesterday. Oops! I called my garage when I got home, fully expecting to not be able to get it in for an inspection until next week, because the garage is always so busy, but he was really nice and said he would try to fit me in today. As Sarah said, that's probably because I paid his mortgage for most of the summer with my car repair bills. Sarah was nice enough to pick me up at the garage and bring me in to work, so my car is at the garage now, waiting for them to find a few minutes to inspect it. I hope everything is okay with it. Cross your fingers for me, okay?

Okay, I think I've exhausted my updating abilities for day one. Check back tomorrow - I'll have an update up at some point, if I have to lock J in a different room so that I can get into blogger for a few minutes. Until then, have a great Friday! And I'll leave you with a picture of Willow and Bernie. It's not the best picture, because there is a streak of sunlight running right down the middle of Bernie's face, but I think they're cute, regardless of picture quality. Don't you agree?