December 26, 2005
On a happier note, junior Diva London Avery was born last Tuesday morning to Phoenix of Villains Vanquished and her Prince Charming.
Also, the fair Jen and her Beau are preparing for their wedding on Saturday. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers, especially the Bridezilla
Christmas was good for us. Lots of presents, most notably one of these for DH and one of these for yours truly.
So, was Santa (or the Hanukkah Fairy, for that matter) good to you this year? What did you get (good or bad)?
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December 22, 2005
And she's pregnant. Gwen told the audience last night at her concert in Ft. Lauderdale that the baby is due in June and she's taking an indefinite break from the biz.
I know she's wanted this for a long time, and I'm really happy for her and her husband.
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It's always sad to hear of the death of a young person, especially this close to the holidays, but this really got to me, probably because I know the Dungys are a very close family and it must have been hard for them to let their son move back to Tampa, only to lose him so soon.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Dungys and their friends and family as they cope with this devastating loss and search for answers. I pray that their strong and deeply felt faith will guide them through this difficult time.
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December 20, 2005
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? If Santa is me, then yes. When I was a kid (and even some years since I've been "growed up") Santa even used to leave me a map to a special present.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Multi-colored on the tree, same outside. This year we have loops on the patio fence and lights wrapped around the balcony railing upstairs. White lights are boring.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but my Mom has a kissing ball hanging year round in her dining room.
5. When do you put your decorations up? ASAP after thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? My stuffing or cranberry sauce. Hard to decide.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Santa Maps (see above).
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth? You mean that he is the embodiment of the spirit of giving? A long time ago.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. My family generally gets together (Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc.) and we open those presents on Christmas Eve
10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him? It varies. Anything from homemade fudge to popcorn to Oreos. Whatever Santa wants
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it!!!! Especially how quiet it is outside when it is snowing.
12. Can you ice skate? Oh hell no.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift as a child? Barbie. Preferably with a fancy dress.
14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being together with the family, seeing everyone enjoy their gifts.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cheesecake, fudge, and cookies.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve with the family, opening one gift at a time on Christmas Day. Yes, we even take turns.
17. What tops your tree? A big Winnie the Pooh Angel
18. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? Both
19. What is your favorite Christmas Carol? I have several: We Three Kings, Oh Holy Night, O Come Emmanuel, and Adeste Fideles
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? YUMMY! but Peppermint only, please.
What about you?
Found here and here
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December 19, 2005
But I suppose getting woken up at the ass crack of dawn because DH couldn't find his school keys AGAIN doesn't help either.....
So here are some random thoughts while I wait for cuppa coffee #2
Bubbles in the water cooler are nice.
The mall is empty on Sunday morning. You can even park.
There's nothing I would like better than to get the hell out of here and go home and curl up with the princess under my favorite blanket next to the Christmas tree.
Eggnog Chai Latte is about the worst possible culinary idea of all time. Yecch. Of course it is served by Whorebucks.
Speaking of, my cup at a time takes less than 5 minutes to brew.
Saw about 3 minutes of the Prez on the CNN rerun last night. The man has balls. Stupid like a fox, I tell you.
There's nothing quite so good as The Full Monty on one channel and Sherlock Holmes mysteries on the next. With staggered commercials!
Damn the Redskins kicked the Cowboys' asses! Yay! (Hope my boyz in Charlotte are watching the tape..... they play the Cowboys next week)
Holy Crap! Christmas is in 6 days!!!!
It's amusing to sit down on Sunday afternoon and chat with a friend over IM and then realize that it's Monday where she is. Hence why she is working at home (hi Amanda!)
I seem to be a magnet for friends named Amanda. Or maybe it's just my age. My best friend growing up is Amanda, my best friend in grad school is Amanda, and two of my best blog buddies are also Amanda. Bizarre, I say. Bizarre.
The sad thing is, I want to go home to get things done, but I know I wouldn't. So I sit here and try to think about work.....
More later, and perhaps even coherently
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December 14, 2005
The show was a blast, mostly because it was at the Santa Monica Civic, which seats about 2,000 people, so it had almost a small room feel and there was no issue with parking or lines.....
Last night's opening act was the LeeVees, and they were fantastic. A Jewish band that writes and sings Hanukkah songs! Consider this a recommendation to any of you who are Jewish or want an album full of songs about Latkes and Hanukkah. They were funny as well as reasonably good musicians and songwriters.
BNL came on around 8:30 and played a 90 minute set. The first part included a kids choir from Orange, CA, and most of their parents were in the audience. The kids have been traveling with them for about a month and I think this was their last show, so there was much hamming and showing off from the kids.
Lots of BNL favorites and most of their holiday album, too. As usual, they were INSANE. From Ed and Steven being goofy to Tyler's "get off your lazy drummer ass" version of Feliz Navidad, it was a really fun show.
In a few days, I'll be downloading the concert from here.
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December 12, 2005
First, we learned this weekend of the passing of Steven Malcolm Anderson, a longtime denizen of Dean's World and minion of QOAE Rosemary, and quite an amazing character in his own right. I will miss his quirky individualism and his tradmark signoff: "HAIL TO THE QUEEN OF ALL EVIL!!!"
Also, this weekend, Bill Frey, father of BFLer Patterico passed away at his home. Patrick wrote a touching tribute to his dad that you can read here.
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December 09, 2005
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December 07, 2005
Got on the 110 N coming home, and (for a change) it was not bad. In fact it was wide open except for the I-10 interchange. I fly through downtown, and coming through the last tunnel in the RIGHT lane I see it all stopped ahead of me. DEAD stop. Shit. Can't get over for the exit. STUCK.
Arrrgh.
At least the right lane appears to be moving reasonably well compared to the other 2 lanes......
Then I hear "honk!!!! honk!!!!" behind me. Here comes the fire truck. SO I had to squeeze over for him to get through. Nice thing, though, I got back behind the fire truck, which cut off a lot of traffic.
Eventually we see what happened, a white Acura trying to take that first curve too fast (probably >80) flipped in the left lane and landed upside down in the right. These people should know, if the sign says 40, 80 ain't gonna do it.
Just before the exit. Grrrr.....
Anyway, the FD and ambulance were leaving as I got there, and the rest of the ride was uneventful.
Until....I get over to the right lane to turn right at the end of the freeway, and there's orange cones everywhere. Right and middle lanes, so I had to fight my way back left just to go right.
At least I made it home. Better than I can say for the dude in the Acura......
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December 06, 2005
Yay!
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I just wanted to point out that I love Target. No really. Beyond all bounds. I found just about everything I was looking to get for DH for Christmas, and the printer we picked up for $17 on Black Friday just paid for itself by printing the address labels for the Christmas Cards!
Not to mention that that was the EASIEST printer install of all time. Yay!
Now to label the envelopes and then off to the PO!
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December 05, 2005
Some 3,500 parents with children under 16 were surveyed by the retailer in the first week of November.The poll found parents spend an average of £223 on presents for boys, compared with just £127 for girls.
The top five boys' toys for Christmas add up to £428.95, but just £162.45 for girls.
The Beeb thinks that this is because dollies and board games and books cost less than video games and electronics. I dunno, I think there are just as many girls who want an iPod or an XBox360 as those who want a Pink Glow-Doodle Bear.
In my experience, my parents and my friends' parents generally had a budget for each kid, and if Kid #1 got a big ticket item (like a Nintendo or a bike), the other presents were smaller or there were fewer of them than the other kids got. So they spent roughly the same amount on each kid.
In one foul and evil case, budgets being what they were, a friend got a Nintendo for Christmas, including 2 controllers and the obligatory Super Mario, but the siblings got all of the rest of the games, so the SuperNES lived in the living room and he had to ASK one of the others if he wanted to play a different game
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Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Uma Thurman and Madonna have been recently revealed as knitters.John Lewis haberdashery buyer Lucy Wright said chunky knitwear was featuring on catwalks and knitting was "being referred to as the new yoga".
Heh. Although I've moved on to crocheting, now that I figured out how to hold the hook. Crocheting is easier on rheumatic hands since you're never holdign up the entire weight of the piece, as you often do while knitting.
And I'm up to my ears in big pieces (hint, hint)
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December 04, 2005
Good thing DH is making dinner
If I have your snail mail address already, you're getting a card, otherwise I'm sending the same thing via email
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December 02, 2005
Tomorrow is the big game, and today I'm wearing my National Championship shirt and my USC hairbows. Like a 5 year old. Should I put up a picture?
Fight On Trojans! UCLA SUCKS! (turn it up, these are audio links)
I did want to talk about PJM for a second. I am so f*cking tired of this guy and that guy and the other guy taking offense or calling someone else jealous or whatever. It's all a crock. However good an idea it is/was/whatever, you people are losing readership directly because of your association with PJM. You know why? BECAUSE I CAN'T GET YOUR DAMN PAGE TO LOAD BECAUSE OF THE PJM ADS. And frankly, Your Puppy-Blenderness, I am not going to wait 2 minutes for your page to load on our T3 here at work just to see what you said "Heh" about this time.
Also, re: the President's speech at Annapolis this week. Quit yer bitching about not seeing this plan 3 years ago. Isn't it enough that the President actually has a rational and reasonable plan? You know who you are (and you're not liberals either), so I don't have to link you.
To Patterico: Sorry my friend, as they say in the business, you wuz Scooped. Too bad. But him or you, it still makes your point, I guess.
On a happier note, Chuck Z is back home, recovering from his latest heavyweight match with the surgeon.
I need coffee. I particular, the coffee from this place. They have their own blend, which you can buy in the restaurant but sadly enough, not via their webpage. Arrgh.....
Moving along. Geez. I really feel like GIR today..... Taquitos!
Speaking of which, the CotR for last week is up at Like News but Tasty.
Speaking of news, Dad should be home Monday. Yay!
Rob is still sober. YAY! And blogging good. Check him out.
One last, a little Cuban-flavored humor for you, courtesy of the crack staff of Babalu.
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December 01, 2005
Of course, I got a much larger one to review and work on last night, so here we go again
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November 29, 2005
As many of you know, last week was my 29th birthday, last month I started my first "real job", and for the last two years, everyone around me has been getting married (or divorced) and having babies. Lots of babies. There were 8 in my office alone last year. This makes it really easy to think,"Ok, this is the stage where people are having kids. Wow I feel old."
Makes sense right??? Wrong.
This week, it's been back to High School. Nothing wrong with it, of course, it's just amusing that suddenly out of the blue two of my friends are working on new relationships. And it's like HS all over again. Giddiness, giggling fits, gross make out details.
I actually said EWWWWWWWWW more than once yesterday. And giggled.
And the thing is, I love these people, and I couldn't be happier for them, and I love listening to their giggles and insecurities and hopefulness, but at the same time, it is kind of jarring. But in a good way.
/stream of consciousness
PS if this is about you (you know who you are) and anything I said bothers you, talk to me. I'm merely venting my overwhelming sense of irony. I laughed more last night talking to you then I have in a long time!
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November 23, 2005
I just wanted to take a moment, before I get too carried away with work, to share some of the things I'm thankful for this year, in no particular order:
for health, even though it's not always the best
for Love, which sustains me every day
for my wonderful husband who makes me laugh every day
for my family, who have always been there for me and for each other
for my wonderful job that makes me happy and pays me better than I imagined
for DH's job, with normal students that don't try to hurt him
for my house, which we despaired of finding, and then of keeping, but which is wonderful
for my puppy, who is 6 years old and worth her weight in Molybdenum, but is still my Princess
for all our servicepeople, who sacrifice so much and so willingly that the rest of us don't have to...
for our police and firemen and paramedics who do the same at home
for our nation, that we can enjoy the freedoms we have
for good doctors and kind nurses
for funny emails that made me laugh when I was so stressed
for the friends and family that gathered around my mother on the day of Dad's surgery
for all of the generous folks who pitched in to make our Valour-IT fundraiser so spectacular. We raised over $75,000 together. That's a lot of laptops.
for wonderful friends, online, offline, and both. Y'all bring so much to my life
What are you thankful for this year?
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