12.29.2005

So, I'm putting my final touches on the Winter Reading List (tm). That's the list of books (everything from snobby intellectual type books to tasty junk-food books) that I will be reading Winter Term. Winter Term being January through April. I will be reading them at my night job, because, trust me, there ain't nothin' else to do.

Here's where you come in, my favorite figments. I need your ideas. What have you read lately (or not so lately) that you think I should read? That you luvred? That inspired you? That made you cry? That you hated, but you hated enough to remember it? Fork `em over. I need just a few more, and then my monster will be complete!

I've sort of already cheated, and read four of the books on the list in the last week. It doesn't matter though, because I shall replace them with your wisely chosen suggestions.

Suggest away!

My idiotic foot hurts something wicked tonight. Somebody come pamper me. If that makes me a whiner, so be it. Pamper! Pamper I say!

HotD:

Splishy squishy splash.
Big drops falling on the ground.
Let's go puddle jump.

12.28.2005

The word of the day is 'Blah'.

Blah because in three days it will be 2006.

Blah because in five days classes start.

Blah because in five days my first class is at 6 AM.

Blah because in five days I go back to work at the other two jobs.

Blah because it's once again time to start thinking about New Years Resolutions I will most likely have broken within the first week of the sparkling New Year.

So, I'm going to spend the next couple of days pondering them, but I'm pretty sure I know what they will be. What about the rest of you? Do you have your New Years Resolutions all picked out, or is it still too early?

HotD:


Sing the mid-week blues.
Only five more tiny days left,
Then it's grind time, poo.

12.25.2005

I had a fun Christmas. A gigantic dinner with a ton of my family, and lots of fun goodies under the tree. I hope all the rest of you celebrating today had good days as well.

I got totally whipped at a game of Simpson's Operation today. I couldn't for the life of me get the dumb plastic parts out of Homer without the buzzer going off. I'm completely miffed about it. It totally does not inspire confidence in my medical carrier abilities.

I snagged some good loot though. I got a new purse which is totally cute, a CSI board game, three bath stuff gift sets (you know, with lotion, bath salts, bubble bath, ect), a froggy lufa, a book from my winter reading list (which I'll post in it's disgusting entirety tomorrow), some totally gorgeous gold-flaked glass tree balls, and a frog shaped serving dish from Elaine. Elaine is absolutely convinced I can't beat her at the CSI game, I told her that I'm an armchair detective, and good luck with whipping me. We haven't had a chance to play yet, but I'm sure when we do, I'll mop the floor with her.

I got a ton (a ton, like 30!) pieces for my Christmas village from Robin. I love villages. I have one for fall, spring, summer AND two winter ones - one Christmas themed and one just winter themed. My Christmas themed one is currently the largest, and it takes up two whole coffee tables. I'm a decoration whore, I admit it. I'm probably the only person in the world who likes getting decorations as gifts, but it really trips my trigger. She also got me a bunch of really cute Halloween decorations, a set of Christmas plates, a couple snowmen, some frog socks, a couple DVDs (Young Guns II, woooot!), a set of absolutely lovely lead crystal votive candle holders, and some candles to go in them.

Everyone was a little short on cash this year, so I was actually surprised I got as much as I did. And thankful, of course.

No jewelry though, but I got some for my birthday, so I guess a girl can't get jewelry twice in one month. That's just greedy right?

I'm still totally stuffed, and terribly sleepy, since I had to get up at 6 this morning and finish wrapping stuff. So, I think I'm going to throw my jammies and my new knit frog socks on and veg out for a while. Mmm...vegging.

Anyway, Merry Christmas! May you all sleep well tonight. Also, since it's past sunset, Happy Hanukkah to all my wonderful friends who celebrate it!

HotD:

I just shop and prep,
And in a flash: woosh it goes,
Another one gone.
Merry Christmas!!

12.24.2005

Well I'm back from a rather enjoyable day! It's a long drive there and back, but it's worth it. I got to gossip a ton while playing hand after hand of Canasta. My team won, by the way. We didn't even cheat...much.

On the way back I passed a house with a santa in a sleigh. Pretty typical Christmas outdoor decor right? Yeah, except the santa was buck naked and leering at the street. I would have written them a strongly worded letter, if I wasn't laughing too hard to write down their address.

So, now wish I could just throw my PJ's on and watch some good saccharine-filled teeth-aching holiday specials on TV before football takes it completely over, but I can't. I've still got a large mound of presents to wrap, stockings to stuff, cookies to bake, and some presents to deliver to people in the neighborhood before tomorrow morning, when I'll be heading off to Robin's house to spend Christmas.

I just got to keep telling myself it's all worth it, just so I don't have to do the dishes this year.
A very merry Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate Christmas. I'm heading out the door in just over an hour to go out of town to drive three and a half hours to visit relatives for the day. Doesn't that sound like heaps big fun? I'm looking forward to it, but don't tell them that.

I still have to come home this evening and finish my baking and wrapping. I baked and wrapped (wraked? Bapped?) all day yesterday, but as always, it's endless. There is a circle of hell where all you do for eternity is wrap oddly-shaped items with scraps of paper a quarter of an inch too small and one piece of tape from the end of the roll - you know, with the cardboard from the roll torn off on the end.

I've got Almond Roca bars to bake, those are time consuming in themselves. But I did get two huge pans of brownies and about 9 dozen sugar cookies done. I decorated the cookies yesterday, which is always fun. Most of them were dipped in chocolate and then covered with crushed candy cane. Yum.

Weather is nice and clear, and it finally stopped raining outside for a bit, so I'm out the door. Have a fantastic day, and to those of you who are traveling, be safe!

HotD:

Grinch is my fave, man.
But I haven't seen it once,
And that makes me sad.

12.21.2005

Every day at work I read Busstop an odd little column located (oddly, just like the column) on the front page of the classified section of the Statesman Journal.

Busstop is written by Patrick Johnson, who's so totally my hero. He goes out to the Cherriots bus terminal and asks people weird questions sometimes from him, sometimes sent in by readers, and then prints their answers. He prints E-mails on Tuesdays, and voice mails on Saturday which, is my favorite. Because everyone likes weird, random, bizzre voice mails don't they? The whole thing could be boring or just stupid, but Pat has a quirky sense of humor that makes it addictive.

It's updated every day, so if you're bored out of your mind at work, then I suggest giving it a quick read. You'll thank me, honest you will.

HotD:

Little drippy drops.
Cascading into puddles,
Getting feetsies wet.

12.18.2005

Happy Birthday to Michael. I knew it was today, honest I did. Have a great one, ya hear?

HotD:

Pretty white flakes fall.
I am both happy and mad,
No work, but no shop.

12.17.2005

If anyone would like a Holiday card from me, send me an E-mail and get one out to you. Getting mail is super fun!

Yesterday I was driving downtown to deal with my bank (another post, which will be long-winded and angry, for those of you who enjoy that sort of thing) and while driving a man was let out of a parking lot (henceforth called Scrap Tin Man), and so then was the car directly in front of the car I was in. Just then, the large truck (henceforth called Bubba) in front of him went too far out into the cross-walk at a four way stop, and backed up, squashing his entire front end like a beer can under some overly drunk deer hunters foot.

Bubba truck didn't even notice he had hit Scrap Tin Man, and poor STM had to get out of once very posh and shiny black car and walk to his window and tell him.

Here is my question, because the man was let out of the parking lot by the car I was in, does that mean:

A) Somebody up there really does love me, and doesn't just spit on the ground whenever my name is mentioned like I originally thought;

Or is it:

B) One more way to stick it to me, and build up that nasty Karma that I know is going to come back and bite me in the tush. People who let other people get smashed by cars are bad people.

Help me decide so that I know how much tithing to do to The Church of Valkaslavakia this holiday season. Either way, I figure a payment is in order to those big baseball-bat wielding Button Men in the sky.

HotD:

Baby, it's cold outside.
Toes are turning blueish green,
Matching lights on trees.

12.14.2005

Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
I'm older the diii-iiirt,
But not older then Prana!

12.13.2005

My tootsies are cold. My tootsies are cold and I'm sans a cute cowboy and/or sailor to help me warm them up. This is a crime! It's cold outside, people. If it was rainin' it would be snowin'. Thank goodness it's not, otherwise I'd never be able to get to work, and then I wouldn't get paid, and my power would get shut off, and I'd become a Jamiecicle, and how would you get your fantastic Christmas presents from me then, figments? Unless you've already peeked at them in the closet, and know that they're really sucky. In that case, I apologize, and I promise to never again buy you a cocker spaniel hair scarf or that shoe horn cleverly shaped like a shoe.

According to semi-trustable Weather.com, it is currently 27 degrees outside and dropping. Unacceptable! Now for those of you who are already below zero, this is silly to you I'm sure, but for those of us tender Pacific Northwest cool rainy weather lovers, freezing weather really puts a damper on our outdoor Salmon grilling.

HotD:

Today is the thirteenth.
Tomorrow is the fourteenth.
That is my birthday.

12.11.2005

I've moved my very cute blue recliner in front of my computer desk to replace my broken computer chair (a stroke of friggin' genius if you ask me!), and prop up my broken foot (yes, I broke my foot, another fun story for later on today) so while I'm waiting for Prana to get her naked self clothed and get on here so we can go fry our last collective brain cell in World of Warcraft (The total extent of my geekyness right there folks, the rest of me is all nerd), I bring you Sunday's Question, stolen from Christie.

Do you have any phobias? Have you ever faced one? If so, did facing it help you overcome it? If not, would you ever face one?

Aside from people having things in their closed fist and wanting me to put out my hand to take whatever it is without me seeing it (yay for irrational) I have a pretty big phobia of needles.

Actually, I have a gigantanormous phobia of needles. I get physically weak when I see them, even if they're on TV. What's worse? Even people talking about needles or getting shots gives me the heebies. Fortunately (or...Unfortunately depending) a few years ago while I was in and out of the hospital I was harpooned so much by those thoughtless medical vampires that I've slowly become more accepting of needles. I still hate them, and I haven't gotten past them enough to do anything like donate blood to the red cross, but I can be around people who are talking about them without dry heaving. I think that's a big time accomplishment. Somebody give me a gold star.

Now that Prana's naughty bits are all covered up, I'm going to go be a geek. Thankfully, her streaking only struck me blind in my left eye, so I can still play, I just have to squint a little to compensate.

HotD:

Vacation, woohoo!
That's woohoo yay for happy!
Not the kind in Sims.

12.07.2005

Why is it, when things just get going good (like the first offical day of vacation from classes) and it turns out to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?

Hopefully things will be better by the end of the day, since it is only almost 10:30. At least I didn't wake up with gum in my hair.

12.01.2005

Surfer Snowman layout until I get time this next week to make a new Christmas holiday layout.

I refuse to say Christmas this year. All I'm going to say is Holiday. I'm so cheesed off over all the idiotic people wasting tons of idiotic time and money because they're mad that some people and companies don't say 'Merry Christmas'.

I know so many people of so many faiths that celebrate holidays this time of year, that I always say Happy Holidays to people, because it's the nice thing to do. I don't assume everyone celebrates Christmas just because I do, because not everyone does. Stop being Grinches, you meanies, and quit blowing hot air over how people are supposedly trying to ruin Christmas and distroy Christmas and how it's all a bunch of anti-Christians. You do know Christmas was adapted from a pagan holiday, right? And that Jesus wasn't born in December?


Why don't you take all that energy and money you're putting into newspaper ads, tv commercials, tv interviews, and speeches on how Christmas is being discriminated against, and ohmigod, won't you think of the children? Put all that money into making sure the hundreds of thousands of children you're so worried about, who are going hungry this Christmas, have food.

What? That would be rational and logical? Oh, then God forbid anyone asks it of you. I wouldn't want to mess up your irrational groove, or anything.

HotD:

Happy Birthday, Day!
To Miss Robiney Robin,
Have a great day, now!