revelgrove

I swear to Glorificus I just had this dream. Had to share... especially since I don't usually have (or recall having) dreams so detailed...

So I'm sitting around doing who-remembers-what with a few other people talking about whatever when one of them surreptitiously slips me a big glossy photo. At that point I remember that he's a P.I. that's been investigating me for some reason not related to what he witnessed in the photo. He wants me to pay him off or he'll give the photos to the police...

I'm sitting in the backseat of a car, leaning forward to talk to the people in the front. We're all smiles and laughs. We're all covered in red and blue liquid, so is the car's interior, big lines of red and blue are dripping down car doors and seats. At that point I remember that we'd been in some sort of confrontation that ended in some guy getting killed (apparently in the car?) - and there's me, center of the photo, covered in this dead guy's blood and... mana. Yep. I blame the video games.

i have stuff to do, but right now i'm just sitting around in my PJs, dinking around on the computer, listening to christmas music, and waiting for pancakes to be done.

the in-house pancake service around here rocks. :D

i could go make coffee though. *yawn*

we're ready. okay, so we still have some stuff to do (a few last decorating touches, some box-putting-away, and straightening) but we'll be ready. :D

we don't have to go anywhere until Christmas Day after lunch sometime when we head over to TWD's parents. hopefully the weather cooperates. we'll keep our eye on it, but i am not going to worry about that until/unless ice happens.

we mailed the rest of the cards today. they'll be postmarked in time, but they'll be arriving late. (to think i had such grand plans at Thanksgiving of sending them SOOO early so my family and friends would have our address in time to send us THEIR cards! lol--ah well. *g*) i also want to stick cards on my neighbors' doors and put one in the mailbox for the mail carrier. maybe i'll do that tonight.

we finished up all the shopping for TWD's family last night. so no last minute Christmas Eve present hunting for us, thank goodness. i'm hoping i don't HAVE to go out tomorrow, actually. i want to stay IN!

tonight we stop at the grocery store to get supplies for making Christmas Eve chili for the two of us. (because we always had homemade chili and my grandma's awesome chicken noodle soup on Christmas Eve when we went to my grandparents' house... and caramel corn. *sigh* damn i miss her. *sniffle*) anyway, we've been meaning to make chili for awhile and haven't gotten around to it, so that is what i wanted for dinner.

we'll need to get some eggnog, hot cider, and some cold ciders too. we also have wine and other boozes on hand for sipping by the fire.

we have wood for the fire, a clean and working fireplace, presents are wrapped (mostly), plenty of movies to watch, White Christmas and A Christmas Story (and rumor has it Christmas Vacation) are all going to be 24-hour marathons on various networks so we have those to tune into if we want, we have a purry happy (fat) kitty ... and we have each other.

snug in Our Little George Bailey House. :D

(merry christmas, sweetie.)

Arlatex.

for Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. (AR/LA/TX)

Arlatex.

*grumble* even the Weather Channel uses stupid mashups!

Been a long strange trip the last month.... more later when I FINALLY have a few days off over Christmas.

But before all that..... I hope everyone is safe, warm and with friends/family/special someones.... take time to remember those who've gone before, rejoice in the young and exuberant, truly connect with those dear to you and relax.... that "perfect" meal/holiday/celebration will be JUST fine even if it doesn't look like the cover of a magazine.

Connecting with others is... or SHOULD be... the focus.... save the Martha Stewart moments for Martha.... you don't HAVE to do it all--don't make yourselves crazy trying to do it all.

You have to be you.

You have to open yourself to others.

You have to be willing to try.

And of this, memories will be made.

Good Yule everyone!

why would you want to name your baby after celebrities who ... died of drug overdoses? apparently Jackson and Heath rose in the charts. i imagine Brittany and Murphy will be the next year's name du jour. or maybe Jackson Heath Murphy! sad.

Aiden and Emma though are the #1 names of the decade. (i wonder if Emma is #1 because Rachel named her baby Emma on Friends?) pop culture man. gotta love it!

i can't say as i know why Aiden became suddenly popular, but i know few who were born in the last 10 years. :)

it was also "interesting" to note that Bella, while not on the charts whatsoever in 2008 is #67 in 2009. that's a lot of people enamoured of boring and completely uninteresting high school girls who want to be eaten by sparkly vampires. so much so that they all named their babies after her. weird. (howcome no one named their kids Harry or Hermione!? or DUMBLEDORE. what's up with THAT i wonder? *g*)

anyway, i know a Bella who was named before that whole Twilight thing took off. i bet there are Edwards and Roberts and Pattinsons that come out of this too. and Jacobs. but really, if you're that into it enough that you lust after those boys, i think it's just doubly weird to name your child after someone you lust after--especially if you want to be eaten/bitten by them. :/

anywho, i forgot where that name link was, (Today show maybe?) but it's posted somewhere in teh intert00bs.

i'm named after my aunt. yup, my aunt buba and my mom had a sister named Dawntreader90. (yes i'm joking.) i wish i could have met her. (i'm not joking. i really do.)

following a menorah discussion at Hanukkah about whether a non-jewish person can own or light a menorah, can a non-christian write christmas music? sure! why not??

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/opinion/18feinstein.html?_r=1

do people get offended by it? apparently! though i've never personally met one who was actually offended by this. song is song and music is great music regardless who wrote it. it transcends culture, language and belief.

usually it's the people who want to avoid christmas altogether who complain that holiday music appears in the vicinity of a store they are frequenting. or at least complaining that it appears so early which is MY complaint. who wants to hear that stuff in early November?! christmas music is for CHRISTMASTIME. or winter time. solstice time. hanukkah time. (whateverisyourdecembertime.) it's like belonging to a musical where everyone knows the words. (considering some of the best-known songs are FROM shows and musicals, this idyllic view makes sense. *g*)

anyway. it seems like a lot of people are unhappy about this time of year because other people Don't Do It Right. i want to tell them to lighten up! it's winter. it's cold. people are busy. it's a time when warmth and cheer are in short supply.

why can't people just be nice to each other? howcome *that's* such a terrible thing? we watched A Christmas Carol the other night (the George C. Scott version). it got to the part where the Cratchitts get an anonymous Christmas turkey. they are so excited and happy at their good fortune and the kindness shown to them.

then i said wryly, "you know nowadays if that happened, the mother would probably shout, "DON'T EAT IT! it could be poisoned! we're not accepting that anonymous turkey if we don't know who it's from!" because no one can just "be" nice or "do" nice for each other anymore. it seems suspect that people just want to wish someone well in whatever 'language' they know how. cynical, i know. i feel awful even thinking it, but it's true.

another example of how things have changed, i love sending and giving cards, but i don't want to make people mad by giving them a card they didn't 'want' or that accidentally says the wrong thing in it. :(

then the other day i heard a lady in my office say, "I am SO TIRED of hearing 'Happy Holidays!' it's MERRY CHRISTMAS." real nice attitude, thar, toots. you bring it allll home.

so if you want to be offended that someone tells you Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, then you'll be offended. if you want to be angry when someone says Merry Christmas when you don't celebrate it or believe it, then you'll be offended. if you want to throw Merry Christmas like weapon instead of a happy greeting, you won't win many friends either. and if you (like Garrison Keillor apparently) feel that insist christmas is a special members-only holiday and no one else should experience wonder and joy this time of year (or steal your songs!?) because they don't believe the same way you do, well, life is going to be what you make of it.

unhappy and a little more lonely.

it's impossible to know what connections people could discover if their circles remained just a little more open and forgiving.

1. yesterday i came home to find a card in my mailbox. not unusual this time of year. it was actually the only thing in my mailbox. that part was a little unusual considering the amount of junk mail we usually get. but the TRULY unusual thing was the address on the card. just the first line of my address. no town, no zip and no ... stamp!

the return address? a lady's name and "Mail Carrier."

yup, our mail carrier gave us a christmas card. we don't have the same mail carrier here that we did across the street. (and obviously not the same mail person who stole and drank our wine.) but how cool was that? how nice is that? and how many cards does she buy for people on her route? i realize we live in a smallish town, but still, that's probably a lot of cards. i think that's unbelievably nice.

i had even thought of leaving a card in the mailbox before we got ours, but thought "nahh, they'll never notice it. they'd probably just think that was weird." now i want to reciprocate but think "she'll just think SHE'S getting one because she gave US one." lol but oh well. i probably will anyway. :D

2. after taking the card upstairs, i noticed a box stuck in the middle of our wreath. the note on the box said, "Sorry I missed you! Merry Christmas." the note? signed by our realtor. we opened the box (okay I opened the box because i couldn't wait. lol) and inside was a silvery ornament ball with white glitter dusted on it in the shape of homes lined up in a row. it's sooo pretty. it's our first 'home' themed ornament. i hadn't even *thought* of buying a home ornament! (which suprises me, because i usually think of those sorts of things for other people.)

i was really touched. even TWD said, "cool." i hung it on our first tree in our first home. so unbelievably nice.

3. the soiree we were planning to attend sunday evening at TWD's fencing club was postponed until last night and it was lovely. they catered some veggies, cheeses, and fruit trays, and some sammiches and pizza, and everyone was asked to bring a dessert. BOY DID THEY. and dips and chips and more veggies and fruit trays and some more cheese and cookies and brownies and eggnog and sodas and crackers and truffles and cakes and pies and *SPLODEY!* the table was overflowing with good things. LOTS of good things. (good things of which i ate far too many! *g*) we brought a yule log cake i bought at the store (not having the foresight to buy baking supplies BEFORE the blizzard meant i didn't have time or ingredients to bake anything). it was very pretty and festive. (and tasteh!) :D

the other thing they requested was to bring personal grooming items, cleaning supplies, or things like that because they were taking it all over to a local shelter to donate. we brought some bottles of shampoo and conditioner, liquid dishsoap, toothpaste and toothbrushes (2 adult and a 2-pack of kid snoopy toothbrushes--i wonder who picked those out??) with the knowledge they are going to a good cause this winter solstice. what an unbelievably nice thing to do for the community!!

but the other wonderful thing was when the coach thanked everyone for coming and wished us all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and such. on behalf of he and his wife, he thanked everyone for the support of the club. he thanked all of us for allowing them to do what they do for a living. he even got a little choked up as he genuinely tried to explain to everyone what it meant to them to be allowed to have the club and its members... the little family they've built up over the last couple years. he almost didn't get through it and cut his sentiments short. we all thanked THEM instead and applauded wildly.

i was honored to feel included and be there with TWD last night. we had a lovely time. :)

17 inches of snow? NO PROBLEM! egg-shaped car + a little sunshine = no snow on the car. lol

see, it pays to procrastinate and let it all fall off naturally. ;)

digging out where the plow came through, well, that took about an hour. but it was the natural kind of snow. you know, light, powdery, blowy, airy. awesome. i loved it!

the wind blowing actually took some of it away for me which means i may have to re-dig it out again later, but for now, i'm cool. actually, i'm warm. i was bundled. (i can't put my arms down!!)

anywho. this is the kind of snow i love. dump the snow, clean off the snow, don't worry about it, move on. ahhhh, winter. my favourite season! how i have missed you.

i also took a trip around the back of our building to see our condo unit. (heh. i said unit.) some of the front-facing units had HYOOOGE icicles in front of their windows which made me wonder what ours looked like in light of our heating issues. BUT. despite that, we have no icicles except over the rainspout on the corner. so that at least is good. it means no obvious heat-leaky spots!

i'm not sure what the final total was; our town doesn't "rate" for Baltimore news apparently. but wunderground says as of 8 p.m. or so last night (and it snowed another few hours after that) we had 16.5 inches and a neighboring town (i live on the border between) had 18. so, we got a lot of snow. however, as much as i can sing the praises of snow, i won't be washing my hair in it because that shit is cold! are you a crazy person?!

today it's VERY blustery and i have to dig my car out. they don't write songs about that. TWD has to dig HIS car out because we have to take separate cars to work tomorrow. i have a doc appointment in the afternoon and i may be going in late if i have to wait around for the chimney sweep guys. so we need both cars, otherwise we'd only dig out one and let the other rest in its ice cocoon. *sigh*

we might also have a soiree to attend tonight if it's not cancelled; it's for his fencing club. (for which we are SUPPOSED to bring a dessert, for which we have no ingredients. yeah. hello, grocery store!!) :D

anywhoozle... i finished all my wrapping, TWD has done 3/4 of his. most of the decorating i think we're doing is done (just some tiny holly garland and a big red bow left to put up, some candles to put out, and then i think i'm calling it "done" -- no second tree this year), and as soon as i'm done this post i AM starting my christmas cards. finally. some people might be getting new year's eve cards though. ;)

we even straightened, compacted the unpacked boxes, UNPACKED some of the unpacked boxes, and i'm going to do a few loads of laundry today.

we loafed and watched movies too. all in all, i'd say it was pretty productive. i wanted to bake or cook something though what with being snowed in. but we didn't have the ingredients and i couldn't figure out what i wanted to make anyway.

either way, i'm happy with the snow. and the BRRRR. :D

see more Lol Celebs

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colour me impressed!

i haven't seen this much snow in ... well, a long-ass time.

considering last week they were calling for a couple inches, and then suddenly yesterday morning it was all "HOLY CRAP YER GONNA GIT A BLIZZARD!" and usually we don't actually get what they say we're going to get, i'm totally impressed.

we have 8-9 inches reported here already and it's supposed to continue tonight through tomorrow morning. for my county? estimations are 17 inches when it's all over. that's pretty decent! biggest December snowfall on record if i'm not mistaken.

still. for a Colorado girl, 17 inches doesn't sound like tons and tons and tons. it's a LOT. it's healthy! and boy-howdy, i'm greatly impressed. :D seems pretty fluffy and powdery, too, and not all heavy and wet. i think the biggest problem here (aside from usually being ice and wet) the problem is that Maryland just doesn't get snow like this that often and can't keep up with the plowing of it all.

the thing i'm bummed about though is that the chimney sweep inspections guys had to cancel. :( dammit. we have no idea when the last time they had this chimney inspected and/or cleaned out. i'm not sure we want to risk it. so they're coming first thing Monday morning and i guess i'll be a little late for work. .. it's always something!

... i still have to have an electrician come back sometime soon, too. *sigh*

OH YEAH!!! all my UPS packages were delivered on time, when the UPS ticket said they would. in fact, some were earlier than expected.

i watched them leave the Sparks, MD office, go to the Baltimore hub, and make their way across the country to different locales. *bing* and done. it didn't cost any extra. in fact, i believe it was cheaper than USPS would have been. wtf?

post office! U SUCK. (as if i didn't already think that.)

1. i decorated my cube. it's white and silver and snow-flakey. it's got peace and hope in it. i love it. i decorated for me. the sari/scarf girl came by and was so happy i decorated. she said, "it looks so pretty in here!! that's the spirit!!" then she apologized. she said she felt bad for "making" me feel guilty.

i told her that no, she really didn't. i had said i would and i wanted to decorate. i just didn't feel i had the time. but i was so inspired by her efforts, that i made the time to decorate. i went out last night, bought a few new things (some i already had).

i have a couple more things i want to bring in, but otherwise, i am very happy with my efforts. it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

yay. :D

2. sari/scarf girl's holiday cards? she went online to a card/photo print place and made cards for everyone. individual cards with various office pictures from throughout the year, pictures of ourselves. HOW AMAZINGLY COOL IS THAT?!?!?! holy crap that woman is made of win.

mine is a collage of 2 pics of TWD and i, and 1 pic of me in my pirate coat. :D TWD's is a couple pics of himself at halloween and i forget the other pic. but that is so freakin' awesome. :D everyone in the office who has been in pictures has a card like that.

i still have to get our office cards done. ah well. maybe this weekend. ;)

3. i took pictures of everyone's cube. i might try to put them up sometime next week.

4. TWD is looking snazzy and snappy and IN A TIE AND JACKET. because it's dress-up costume day. you know, the holiday party. ;) i'm also in a skirt and tights. i don't even recall the last time i wore a dress or skirt to work.*

5. with the exception of cards and wrapping all TWD's presents, and decorating some more at the house, i'm "done" everything i'm going to do before Christmas next week. now we just hunker down and wait for the snow to come tonight and tomorrow.

6. pray the heater behaves this time! i still need to call someone to get that extra wire thing looked at. :/

7. but mostly, just happy today. that is all.

* and TWD has on pants and i have a shirt and cardigan in case you thought one of us forgot to finish dressing ourselves.

after all my cube decoratey talk and hopes, i did not decorate my cube much. i brought in a little lighty tree and a thing which hangs on my name tag outside my door. that is all.

LAAAAAME. i have always decorated more than this even when there was NOT a contest.

and i, i am soo outdone. the Jewish woman brought in a light-up menorah and she puts in a new bulb every day. (only one left!) the Indian woman's cube is the most beautiful, BEEE-YOO-TI-FUL cube i've ever seen with scarves and saris and lights draping every corner, even the ceiling and the door (i'm so taking pictures). the Indian guy's cube has evergreen and gold garland and ornaments strung from the ceiling, santa window-clings on the window, and a Santa-on-a-hot-rod drawn on his white board. i don't think he was done last i checked!

there is also a "Sugarplums dancing in my head" cube strung with glass candies and sugary-looking decorations. another woman decorated for the North Pole complete with fake snow and a freaking MAILBOX. she also has a Santa Suit hanging in the corner. not to mention other people with assorted loverly small trees or other reindeer and decorations. one woman's last name is "Donner" so her "reindeer roster" outside her cube lists all the reindeer as "in" or "out" with "Donner" listed as "in." lol :D (cute.)

and so, i was called out by the sari-scarf woman who said, "YOU SAID YOU WERE DECORATING!! i was inspired by what you said and now you are not even decorating!" okay. i am humbled. the judging is tonight (not by me--we have a sooper-seekrit judge so as not to tarnish the judging process or incur calls of 'favortism' or promote bribery).

i just didn't have time to get my stuff together to bring in. there's just so much other stuff to do around the house--our own decorating is only half-done. TWD told me to get my things together last night, but i had dishes piling up and laundry to do, a kitchen to clean, yadda yadda. so i did that instead. (especially the yadda.) even our kitty is feeling neglected these days.

but i have PROMISED them i will decorate even though the contest is over. either Friday or Monday, i'll bring in stuff to decorate my cube properly. OH YES I WILL. contest or no contest, this cube needs a-decorating. *g* i better, or they'll never forgive me. ;D

i think they couple "mashups" are stupid. i only use them if i am actively mocking the concept of people who use mashup couple names. it's stupid. HATE HATE HATE that trend.

i think it started with the whole "Bennifer" thing and went downhill from there. mostly i hate it because a couple is two people. they aren't a mashup of a single, two-headed person joined at the hip as much as some couples try.

but the names that come out of it are ridiculous. they aren't "cutesy" at all and i think i just saw the worst one. Ever. worse than "Brangelina" which already makes me want to chuck.

Gyllenspoon. Gyllenspoon!? Gyllenspoon!. i mean really. why do they do this? WHO does this? is it the media writers who thinks it's cute? i'm sure the couples don't think it's cute. do people who follow celeb news like it's News news think it's cute?

i don't get the appeal of the mashup. i guess it's better than Withergyll so maybe they got lucky. ;P~

AND ANOTHER THING. what's up with "chocolate diamonds" anyway? i realize i'm not a big gemmy gem encrust-me-in-diamonds-if-you-love-me girl in the first place, but those chocolate diamonds i've seen in those 'buy this year' commercials are weird-looking. they're brown. am i missing something?

re, migraines ... i think i am going to start to start weaning myself off the daily migraine meds and see what happens. doc approves and wants to know if we have "reset" my headaches enough that we can let go of the daily Topamax (generic brand now) without residual effect.

next time i renew the prescrip (i think january?), he's going to prescribe 25 MG pills instead of 50 MGs so we can "step down". if it gets bad i can always double up back to my regular dose.

maybe i'm crazy for trying, but 3 headaches a year is "manageable". but then i think maybe i only have 3 a year BECAUSE i'm on Topamax. i don't want to go back to having 2-3 a month or 7 in 2 weeks which is when the cycle had escalated to Extremely Insane and i was going out of my mind. :(

so it's a scary thought knowing what i might be facing, but i just don't want to be on medication forever if i don't have to be. i could have started stepping down a few months ago when i renewed then, but i didn't want to try it during faire and risk having relapse episodes.

i'm still taking yoga twice a week. still loving it and i would take it more often if it was offered more often. there's so much more to it than the stretching and balancing of the body, it's stretching and balancing of the mind, too. it's shutting off the external input for 50 minutes twice a week and focusing completely on the inside, internal Self.

there are not thoughts rushing through your head. there is merely the focus on the physical, internal workings of your body. how your blood feels when it rushes through your joints and muscles. how your muscles feel as they work in tandem to hold a pose for just a feeeewww seconds longer than you think you'll be able to hold it. how your back feels as it stretches out and you make space between all the vertebrae. it's completely engrossing and fascinating.

i can always tell when something is a little "off." this week i was stiff and creaky after sitting on a bench for 7 hours on Sunday at TWD's fencing tournament. :) other times i'm limber in some places and tense in others based on how i was sitting or how many boxes i lugged up and down stairs. it's amazing what stories the body has to tell you if you listen to it.

i'm still not very good at the meditation where you just sit there and do nothing though. well, "nothing" except meditate. lol! i guess final savasana pose is as close as it gets. if i could acheive final savasana meditation state without yoga, perhaps i'd be somewhere approximating true meditation.

anywhoozle, last week, i tried the Latin Fusion class. not AS cool and awesome as Zumba was, but it was pretty fun. i will probably take it again. i want to run again though. i have tons of new Indian mp3s courtesy of the way-cool-awesome Indian guy in our office and i'm dying to jump on the treadmill and listen to them. :)

but overall, i'm feeling pretty good about myself these days and considering it is the holiday season, i'm eating okay too. i'm enjoying the holiday foodz in moderation. not NOT indulging, but (with the exception of 10-12 rice krispie treats and 4 mini-ginger cupcakes for breakfast a couple saturdays ago--lol) have not felt i have over-indulged to the point of "oh god, i'm going to POP!" ;)

i probably should have more veggies and fruits, especially fresh, but i at least get something in the category every day.

looking forward to the new year of continued health and happiness.