Whine & Cheese

Weekend Mash

Some random stuff from the weekend:

• The holiday season was officially over.  Everything came down over the weekend... some stuff going quicker (picking up outdoor lights) and other stuff taking longer (finding, then re-boxing ornaments).   Some of the bigger house displays in the neighborhood dismantled shortly after Christmas, but I didn't think it was that odd to stay up through New Year's Day.  Though, even I will admit, that it dragged on a few extra days since the holiday was early in the week and it seemed to take awhile to get to the weekend.


• Though we didn't plan on it, we ended up watching a good portion of the NH debates on Saturday night (about half the Republican, all the Democratic)... and so you don't think we're total losers... it was over a very large cocktail.  As I have mentioned before, it is with metaphysical certitude that I am voting for the Democratic nominee and while I do have a preference, I am "fine" with whoever that may be... at this point, it appears pretty certain that that will be -- in alphabetical order -- Clinton, Edwards, or Obama.  That said, I am bit weary of the attempts to distinguish themselves as "change" or "experience."  By merely being a Democrat, they are all "change" candidates... and on the opposite end of the spectrum I don't think any of them are particularly "experienced" (again the top 3, arguably you can say those candidates out of the Race, or even low-polling Richardson, are more experienced).  And, amongst ourselves, we agreed that this time-condensed primary season is not good.  While it is somewhat of a relief to think that most of this jockeying/in-fighting will be over come February 5th, it's not allowing enough time for momentum shifts and re-shifts (and re-shifts!) that I think are pretty important part of the selection process.


• Having blogged for several years now, I have learned that misery loves company.  Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, posts about your wonderful relationship or fabulous vacation are not very popular.  So (!!!), as we tend to do once the calendar rolls over to a new year, we have begun to ponder where to go on vacation this year.  We think we have narrowed it down to 3... again, I am fully unaware of how un-endearing this is... so in that spirit and in no particular order, which of the following destinations would most piss you off to read all about here on W&C:
  

1. Canadian Rockies - This has been a "finalist" destination for several years now.  We likely would have done it last year if we hadn't decided on the Colorado road trip/MINIs in the Mountains last year.  To get slightly more specific, we're talking Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper...
   


2. Hawaii - Our destination of two years ago (Honolulu and Maui)... this/next time, we're definitely interested in going to the Big Island... and probably one other island (a return to Maui?).  While we had a good time there and certainly have pleasant memories (Todd still ribs me over one particular drunken moment), I feel like I need/want to give Hawaii another chance.  Last time, it was in the aftermath of the car accident (not fun to be calling the body shop/insurance companies from your tropical vacation), so I wasn't terribly relaxed or as "present" as I would have liked to have been (and, in retrospect, it took a very long time to get over all that).


3. Europe - Since getting my passport, this has obviously been another destination that has come up over and over again.  Here I can't give specifics.  I have never been "across the pond."  If you are a W&C regular, you know Todd travels to France on business pretty regularly (and is going there in March), but I am just overwhelmed by where to go!  Of course, the "biggies"... London, Paris, or Rome... are immediate considerations... but part of me wants to go a non-obvious route... say Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin, or Switzerland (I know that's a country, not a city, but not exactly sure where to start there either... just want Alps!).

If you have an opinion on any of the above... chime on in!

Same Sh&t, Different Year: 2008 Edition

Hey!  Welcome to W&C v2008 and Happy New Year!

I used the same phrasing in the first post of last year and figured it was good enough to recycle... though thankfully a different tone (less "whine")... and while I probably should be announcing some profound change of course for myself and/or this blog, it ain't happenin'!  Like I said, just more of the same stuff you've grown to love (or hate) these past several years.

I have a lot of "blog material" zipping through my mind, but I think I will just focus and tell you about a couple of them and save the rest for a "rainy day"... and if it doesn't end up getting told, it probably wasn't worth my effort and your time anyhow!

First off, our New Year's!  More whimper, than bang to end the year... but on purpose and "okay."  We did something different this year, we slept our way into the new year!   Allow me to back up.  Upon his return from visiting family, Todd came home with a stomach flu bug.  On the way back, he text'd me that he was not feeling well... and, sure enough, I didn't see all that much of him when he did get in on Saturday night... and we'll just leave it at that.  While he was feeling better on New Year's Eve, he was still cautious about eating and there was definitely no drinking (of alcohol, that is). 

We watched what had to be the gayest thing on television for the night ... the East Coast/Times Square live television celebration... on... wait for it... CNN!   Yes, CNN.  Not only Anderson "Andy" Cooper anchoring... but special co-host, Kathy Griffin... and (!!) with regular visits via satellite to the Annual Midnight Drag Queen drop at Key West, Florida.  Kathy was on fire... though I am guessing she was the first to ponder how she landed that decidedly non-D List gig.

We were pretty much done with that celebration at 10:30pm our time.  At a loss of what to do next, not a whole lot interesting on TV, and both of us kinda zapped... we figured, what they heck... let's just go to bed!   Ironically and oddly enough, it was me who was out like a light and the recovering Todd who was likely still awake at our midnight (at 11:40pm, he told himself he wasn't going to look at the clock again).

So there you have it... New Year's Non-Rockin' Eve... and absolutely no regrets!

Well, I planned to switch to another topic here... but my long-winded tendencies apparently haven't curbed themselves in '08 (as I said... same sh&t, different year!)... so come back late for some more... eye candy, too!

Oh, one quick topic-shift/small thing!   I did get the MINI Cooper back on Monday/New Year's Eve.  The $1600-worth of a scratch is now a memory and all looks "good as new"... again!  I told the body/paint shop customer rep person that while I think they do great work, I hope never to see them again.

I was thankful that Cooper didn't have to spend one day more there and spillover into the new year.  I hadn't made (nor do I typically) a New Year's resolution... but here's one I will do my very best to keep... after 49 days in 2006 and 20 days in 2007....

No body or paint shop visits in 2008!!

Christmas '07: The Results Post

For those of you celebrating, hope you had a very nice Christmas... for those of you who didn't, cocooning for one of the few days when the outside world (well at least in the U.S.) seems to shut down for business... though there are plenty of people working too!

Had a very nice couple of days.  Todd's parents came up from Tucson and everything went quite well.  Now, I think myself and Todd have a pretty good relationship, but the last few holidays where family was involved were... shall I say, a bit tense (made even worse by Johnny Mathis cheerfully singing that "it's the most wonderful time of the year").  But with a couple of years experience under my belt, being aware of my past pitfalls and triggers, simplifying things (mostly involving the mega-meals)... pretty much not putting the pressure to over-achieve... made it a relaxed and glare-free holiday... though I'm guessing 3 bottles of wine over the 2 days were probably quite helpful in lubricating the relaxation cogs and wheels.

Though, at the moment, it all feels like a dream.  This morning, I woke up to an empty house (if myself ... and four animals... can qualify as "empty").  Todd left before sun-up to meet his parents in Tucson (they left yesterday afternoon)... before heading over to New Mexico for a post/inter-holiday visit with the rest of the family for the remainder of the week.  So while Christmas did go well, it was still tiring... and it will be nice to decompress from all the pressures and expectations that did build up to the big day.  Thankfully, I have some "unofficial" vacation time (yet another nice thing about being self-employed, is not having to "show up" or fake it if there's no urgent work... or no work at all!).

Got lots of good stuff... electric razor, shirts, calendars, books (of course!), leather jacket ... and, the always welcome... gift cards and cash!   So, nary a complaint in sight!

Hopefully, I'll be getting a belated Christmas gift this week... The scratch on my Cooper didn't quite get done before Christmas.. but, from what they told me last week it should be back later this week.  I just got a call from the car shop... so it sounds like I should have my car back this year... ummm, barely... December 31st (it's been there since the 12th).  The silver lining is that at least Todd will be back (and still "off").  I was going to attempt to be self-sufficient and started exploring bus routes and schedules...  and while it could be done, it was bordering on a tad too adventurous for me (an almost 2 mile walk just to get to the first of two bus routes!).

I guess that's it for now... after taking Christmas Eve and Day off... I have to get back to hitting the books for the final days of my reading challenge.  While having reached the "challenge" of 10,000 pages back in October, I still have a hundred or so pages to go for another numeric milestone.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!

For those who didn't catch a the sneak peek of this over at Flickr (no coal in Jeff's cyber-stocking this year!) or are on our snail-mail list...

Here is the hotly anticipated much-hyped photo from our holiday greeting card this year!

Elf Rocky & Santa Toby.

We took about 20 photos... and, believe it or not, this one was the very first picture taken!  I decided  to upload some outtakes over on Flickr.  I likely should have used one of them... they are pretty amusing... but my gut told me to go with one where the kids were behaving!

One of my favorite... ok, I am going to go ahead and say it CHRISTMAS!! songs is... "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

(Tangent: I am sooo confused these days.  While I think it is only polite to wish people, particularly strangers, "happy holidays" during this time of the year...  I am experiencing backlash from the backlash over it being politically incorrect to say "Christmas" ... or is it back to being anti-"holiday" and people insisting on "Christmas"?  Soooo very confused.  How 'bout everyone -- whatever the "side" -- just unbunch their panties about the whole thing... it's so anti-holiday... errr, I mean anti-Christmas....ack!)

So yes, one of my favorites songs this time of the year is "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

So while the blog-world takes its annual breather for the next few days, let me say that whatever you are celebrating (or not!)... it is my sincere hope that the spirit of the holiday season finds you with plenty of peace, goodness and light.

See you on the flip side (probably mid-next week)!

Gold, Frankincense, and Myr-oist Brownies!

WARNING:  Politically and religiously incorrect post ahead!

This is not an advertisement. 

Although this is the place I ordered baked goods gift baskets for family members (who have enjoyed them in the past), this company got more than enough money out of me that I don't feel obligated to provide a link or mention their name outside of the un-croppable (as far as the company name goes) graphic below...

But this "it's not too late to spend even more money with us" e-mail pretty much made me spray out a almost made me spray out a mouthful of coffee this morning.

It just totally cracked me up... and got my snark-filled juices bubbling...

So let's listen in on a Republican Christmas Iowa Caucus Cookie Exchange:

Mary:  Helen sure does make some heavenly lemon bars... but did you see her cookie tin?

Margaret:  I know!  She seems so religious... I see her at mass every week and she even switching to Huckabee.

Mary:  Now granted that Mitt is a looker... but do those people even celebrate the birth of Christ?  Oh, wait I think I may be confused... they do, they do!   But they just think our Savior was born in upstate New York, right?  Or is it Missouri?

Margaret:  Hmmm... you know, I'm really not sure either!

Mary: But really?!?!  Helen coming to the party with a secular cookie tin!

Margaret:   Frosty the Snowman !!!

Mary: ... and, don't forget, Rudolph too!

Margaret:  And I couldn't care less if it was one of Oprah's favorite thinnnnnnnnnggggggs!

Mary:  Ugh... don't even get me started on Opra-ma! 

Margaret: To think I used to like her, traitor!

Mary:  I know, well... thank goodness we still have Condi!

Margaret:  But back to Helen... obviously she is unaware that there are other choices when it comes to holding and transporting baked goods!

Mary:  Now Margaret, you're aren't turning Pro-Choice on us now?  Haha!

Margaret: Oh Mary, bite your tongue!  Though that does remind me... what day am I scheduled to chant "baby murderer"... err... I mean.... pray... in front of Planned Parenthood next week?!?   But anyhooo, Helen should know there are cookie tins available for those who wish to recognize the religious nature of the Christmas holiday.

Mary:  Amen to that, girlfriend.  There is nothing that says "let's celebrate the birth of Christ" better than a the The Three Kings and Star of Bethlehem tastefully rendered on an oval-shaped, aluminum cookie tin.

Margaret:  And speaking of tasteful, it's even yummier inside!

Mary:  Tell me about it... 4 Mini-Teacakes, 5 moist and chewy Brownies, 50 Gingerbread Mini-Cookies, 6 Oatmeal Fruit and Nut Cookies, 6 Gingerbread Cookies, a Lemon Square, Peppermint Twists and 4 Chocolate Truffle Cookies.

Margaret:  Oh my... that much!?!  It's practically a miracle.

Mary:  Oh Margaret!

Margaret:  Oh Mary!  Now what's this I hear about that nice Josh Groban boy is Jewish.^[1]

[1] - According to Wikipedia, Josh's father was Jewish but converted to Christianity after marriage... thus that nice Josh Groban boy was raised Anglican-Episcopalian.

Holiday Free For All Friday

No surprise... various holiday related items dancing in my head this Friday...

After my recent holiday "there's not enough time left" freak-out, I've made progress... did quite a bit of online shopping this week and with the exception of getting some gift cards, I think I may be done-ish.  While I am not totally and completely satisfied with the results, it's to the point where it's "okay"... which, if you take away all the media pressure and retail hullabaloo, likely translates to "totally and completely satisfied."

Some impressive shipping -- I have already received two item that I ordered earlier this week... and with standard shipping no less.  I don't know where all these "free shipping" offers are... even for "regular" shipping it seems as if I am paying through the nose... and it's particularly sad/funny when you pay more for shipping than the item you purchased!

Among other things, I decided to send my parents and brother's family gift baskets (they don't read/know of this blog to the best of my knowledge).  Though I just about spit when the two baskets of cookies and other assorted baked goodies (+ shipping!) totaled over $150.   I should go back to see if the cookies contain gold chips or spun with some other precious metal.

Hope to start writing out the Christmas cards later today or this weekend.  Put the final touches on the Christmas letter this morning... but, thanks to my relatively new "work" laser duplex printer, I had to figure out how to position the holiday stationery in the paper tray so it would print correctly.  Flipped over with the top of the paper closest to me.  Only took three attempts.

With the display up for almost a week now, and despite my the mental duress... I am quite pleased with how the front yard turned out... though I just wish it was a tad further away from two insanely lit houses... it's like we're Knot's Berry Farm right next door to frickin' DisneyLand... I know, I know... I need to just let that go!

We are planning to get together for some pre-holiday festivities with Scott & Buckaroo this weekend... so if any of Scott's competition for the 2007 QueerVerve Awards is interested in sabotage outsourcing, I am currently entertaining monetary offers. 

Currently, in my own race, I am hanging on to the #2 spot for Best Entertainment/Gossip Blog... though that's pretty tentative... from what I can tell, I am the only one who is even begging for votes promoting their nomination.  Need another reason to vote for me?!   I'm the only one of the bunch that is free of advertising!  (No offense, to those of you who do... I am just trying to differentiate myself from the competition and distract from the fact that this isn't a full-time entertaintment/gossip blog as proven by this very entry).

It's Called SILENT Night

A week or so ago, we watched the Christmas at Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting show on NBC... it was definitely a mixed bag of musical performances...

Goose-bump inducing awesome (Josh Groban)
Quite Good (Carrie Underwood)
Mondo Cheesy (High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale)
Bit Senile (Tony Bennett... We love him... but sorry, just not a good night!)
... and Tad Inappropriate (Celine Dion capping the show off with her cover version of Heart's Alone)

Now there were some performances that we fast-forwarded thru (bo-RING)... but this was such a wreck we were simply glued...

I generally don't like to go too negative here ... but at times like this, I am reminded of this exchange from Sex and the City:

Stanford: Before I tell you, you have to promise not to judge.
Carrie: Do I judge?
Stanford: We all judge. That's our hobby. Some people do arts and crafts... we judge.

Without further ado... country artist (and just nominated today for a Best New Artist Grammy) Taylor Swift  "singing" Silent Night:

Ooooooouchie!   Is it "sleep in heavenly peace" or "wake the dead"!?!?   And it's pretty much a dead heat between which is more hideous...  the singing or the mangling arrangement.

Now I could be wrong.  When searching for this ... there were folks who thought it was... (a) awesome, (b) amazing, (c) cute, and (d) gr8!!!!

So give me your best Randy, Paula, or Simon... what do you think?!

Just a bit pitchy... did she "make it her own"... or, do my ears not deceive me and we officially cyber-charger Ms. Swift for assault and battery on a holiday classic?

Halls Decked, Check!

It's threatening to be a frenzied work day... but while I am in "hurry up and wait" mode, let's see if I can get in a blog post about this past weekend's activities.

As the title suggests, we are as decked out for the holidays as we are going to get!

With the weather still a bit dicey on Saturday (we had a rare for Phoenix all-day rain "event" on Friday), we concentrated on the interior. 

First order of business... the holiday card!  As I hinted, this year I decided on something other than the standard boxed card.  More details... it's a photo card this year and if my regular readers think about it for a half a split-second they can probably guess what's the subject matter was and why it threatened to be an ordeal. The "staging" ended up going surprisingly well... and after a couple dozen pictures were snapped... the decision was to go with the very first photo taken (of course!).   I will share the "official" holiday photo with you closer to the big day!

The crazier part was printing out the photo.  I cropped and "fixed" the picture on my computer and put in back on the memory card.  The first place we went to didn't instantly print out the pictures for you (it was more than 1-hour thing??), so headed to Target where I knew they had a printer.  My cropped/fixed pic didn't work... so ended up starting from scratch on the original photo and re-doing the fixes.  Needless to say, Target was a crazy place to be... but we took advantage and were able to buy the photo holiday cards (slipping in the newly printed photo) and we also bought some replacement lights for the front yard.

Next, it was a trip to Petsmart to buy another doggie gate/pen.  There was no doubt in my mind that our tree (and the lights on the tree, ornaments, garland, etc.) would not be in peril if it was not protected... again, not naming any names (but it rhymes with fa-la-la-la-Locky).

In the afternoon, other holiday indoor decor was distributed about the house... the tree went up... and post-dinner it was trimmed... all without any major incident.

Sunday we tackled the yard.  And while ultimately, it all came out fine... I pretty much thought I was going to have a mental breakdown (or two) and/or not be in a relationship by the time it was all over.  Being a brand new decade older (my quads are pretty much "toast" today)... and almost reduced to tears over tangled strings of lights... has me thinking next year's display should probably be scaled back/simplified.  Patience wore thin/frustration grew in distributing the lights across the yard... trying not to attach too many strings of lights too each other... etc.

Upon returning from Sunday dinner out... we were pleasantly surprised to pull up to the house and see that all the lights were all on ... no blown fuses or electrical fires.  Everything really looked quite good with only a few minor adjustments to be made... though the few thousand lights in our front yard still looks like something Santa's frickin' wonderland right across the street meekly burped out.   

(I likely won't bother taking pictures of the front yard this year... pretty much no design changes from last year)

I am very happy to have made some holiday progress... it was really weighing on me... which seems so anti-holiday, but I think something where many of us go vs. the warm and fuzzy spirit.

Now, I just have to get around to some shopping... though, at this point (when did it get to be Dec 3rd?!?!), I'm thinking the cross-country family members are going to have to be satisfied with some mail-order basket-y stuff and gift cards... which would be perfectly fine for me in return.   

UPDATE: 

I'm quietly working and suddenly hear the whirl of leaf-blowers... the landscapers are here for their once a month visit of the front yard!  Dozens of meticulously placed, but easily moved, strings of lights strewn around our yard!   

In the immortal, guttural, and insanely over-promo'd word of Desperate Housewives' Lynette Scavo... and post-tornado'd Wisteria Lane...

"Aaaaarrrhhaaaaaaa...aaaahhhhheaaaaaahahhaa!

(deep breath)

"Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrhhaaaarrrrhrhhrhrrhrhrhhrhaaaaaaa!"

All appears to be fine... though I'll take a more detailed walking tour of the yard a bit later.

Mental Jumper Cables... Anyone?

After the long Thanksgiving weekend, it's always difficult getting started again... but considering my deficiency in the momentum department even before the holiday, you can imagine what I am feeling like today!

As I run-down the weekend activities, that certainly doesn't appear to be the case... but just because I'm physically moving doesn't mean the head/mind is necessarily following.

Todd's sister arrived without travel incident on Wednesday night... well, if you don't count traveling from NM to  AZ, via TX and OK... but that's pretty common on Southwest Airlines, particularly when originating out of a small(er) airport/market. 

Of course, Thursday was the big Thanksgiving gathering in Tucson ... a total of 10 of us.  As always, thankful to be "adopted" into the family and comfortable enough to enjoy watching everyone interact... and with pretty much no effort on my part other than showing up and eating (and drinking)... it doesn't get much better than that.

Friday, we met up with Todd's family for lunch at the kinda/sorta halfway point between Tucson and Phoenix... the quickly burgeoning town of Casa Grande (I am convinced that in my lifetime there will be little undeveloped land on I-10 between Phx-Tuc).   And while we certainly weren't planning on it, we couldn't avoid being a Black Friday participant, though it wasn't for holiday shopping.  I won't name names (hint: it rhymes with Glocky), but someone destroyed Todd's wireless adapter while being left without his humans on Thanksgiving day... but thankfully at 5pm Best Buy wasn't too bad... and no damage was done to the brand-spanking new computer.

Todd's sister headed out early Saturday morning... so a pretty typical weekend otherwise... and while there is more, to speed things along I will merely mention we headed to the car show at the Phoenix Convention Center on Saturday... and to the dog park on Sunday.

Winter (well, at least Phoenix's version) seems to have arrived.  While Thanksgiving was beautiful weather-wise... by the weekend, I found myself donning socks, sweatpants, and long sleeves.... with morning temps dipping into the 40s.  But alas, with Thanksgiving behind us and the sudden onset of cooler weather... that oomph is not quite there to get going on the next holiday. 

Todd was a bit shocked when he overheard me talking to my Mom on the phone that I had absolutely no desire/motivation to get started on the holiday decorations.  In the past, I am usually rarin' to go.  While I am not as bad as my Mom with regards to the holidays ("I wish there was a pill you could take, that you would just wake up when it was all over"), I might be headed in that direction.  Beyond the decorating, I haven't even started any shopping and likewise have little idea of what to get anyone (though, thankfully, that list of people is short)... and then there's the card (a self-inflicted "great idea" that will require considerably more effort than usual), the holiday letter, etc.

It will have to kick in next weekend.  The impetus for the front yard will be neighborhood peer pressure, while the inside (i.e. the tree) gets done thanks to Todd's parents stopping by the following week on their way to/from a weekend getaway (and perhaps their only holiday time visit this year).  Ultimately, all these things do make me very happy... I really do love all the lights... but increasingly it seems harder and harder getting to that point.

Halloween 2007 Recap

We had a decent amount of trick or treaters last night.  I always panic about candy.  I seemingly buy a ton of it (this year was 300 pieces) and during the "rush" I think we're going to run out... but then we have plenty of leftovers... though not as much as I thought, maybe in the 50-60 piece range .... it's all the "fun size" candy, so we give out 2-3 pieces to each person.

My cutest award goes to a little girl who was a geisha and instead of verbally thanking me, she bowed after I dropped the candy into her little Halloween pumpkin bucket.

While most of the kids were pretty polite, of course the you tend to remember the others.

Of course, there were more than a handful of "kids" who weren't wearing any sort of costume.  Todd took care of one group of kids, that feature one wearing a "costume" that consisted of a Burger King "crown" and a trash bag for his candy.

Another kid made a request that I give him gum... sorry, no gum... just fine chocolates from the Hershey company... deal with it.

I had a "ninja" that informed me he would "drop-kick my face" if I didn't give him candy.  While appreciative that he was committed to his costume/role, it didn't find it all that endearing.

And what exactly is the deal of parents trick-or-treating with the kids?!?   I would guess I gave candy to at least 5 parents.  I don't know what parents were more annoying the ones with kids of an age that they could run up to the door without close supervision.... or parents with babies?  Does your two-year old really need a Charleston Chew?  One time I had to go completely out the door to drop candy into a bag that was on top of a stroller!

So another Halloween in the books... and now the full attention turns to Thanksgiving and the December holidays... not quite ready for that!

Christmas Goodies

Despite not a creature stirring here at W&C of late (yes, not even a mouse)... we survived Christmas. 

We had a really wonderful time spending the day with Scott & Buckaroo... it was Mexican food and margaritas galore!  Yep, it's not your mamma's baked ham and sweet potato casserole when you're invited over to our house for Christmas!

And despite having known each other now for well over a year, it was the first time our "children" met as S&B's Bailey and new puppy Karter came face-to-face with our Toby.  I think we were all a bit nervous, but everyone was quite happy and well-behaved. 

Why were our dogs so well-behaved?  Well, a perfect segue to some of the fun stuff Santa brought me.  First up, this t-shirt...

I am a huge fan of Cesar Millan and The Dog Whisperer... and with a new pup in the house, S&B have started watching as well.  So let's say there was a lot of "chch-ing" going on.   Now granted I only have a "pack of one" but at least folks will know Toby is under control when I am walking him around the neighborhood.  We joked that it might be interesting to see the reaction this t-shirt would get in a gay bar.  You can find this shirt and other products at Cesar's official web site.

Next up, I didn't have to make a trip to the Scranton, PA Chili's restaurant to get this t-shirt...

My very own Dunder-Mifflin t-shirt!  Extra awesome... on the back, it shows I'm a Dundie Award Winner!  Not sure what category I won, but safe to say Phyllis is likely still the Busiest Bushiest Beaver  (one of my all-time favorite Office moments). You can find this shirt and pretty much anything from the peacock network at the NBC Universal Store.

Finally, our new gadget... and a kitchen one too... so doubly good! 

A Keurig Single Coffee Cup Brewer!

Todd has had some personal experience with Keurig since they have an industrial version at his work. 

It's really quite cool... you just pop a K-Cup (pictured next to the machine and in greater detail below) into the machine an in about 15-seconds you have a freshly brewed cup of coffee... or mug or travel mug... you specify the size of your beverage container by pressing one of those three buttons you see below that blue screen.

The K-Cups are just adorable.  They come in dozens and dozens of varieties... bold, dark, medium strengths... all kinds of flavors... even organic!  And, if you don't like coffee, there are many varieties of tea too!  No muss, fuss, or mess... you pop in the K-Cup "as is"... the machine automatically punctures it, shoots thru hot water and in about 15 seconds you have the hot beverage of your choice.  Pop out the K-Cup (which amazingly doesn't leak at all) and throw it away.

We've now become obsessed with finding K-Cups.  We picked up a couple of boxes at some local stores, but will likely do most of our future shopping online. Price-wise, the range seems to be 35 to 50 cents per cup, depending on where you shop.  Seems a bit pricey, but then I only have to remind myself that a trip to Starbucks for 2 pretty much relieves us of a $10 bill... so really not bad at all.

And even better yet, you don't need to use the ready-to-go/branded K-Cups... get a My K-Cup (that brown thing above)... and you can put a couple scoops of any of your own ground coffee for use in the machine.   

So needless to say... though we definitely don't need it... we are drinking more coffee, especially after dinner where we were just too lazy it never seemed to make sense to make a pot of coffee.  Time to get those decaf K-Cups! 

   

Merry Christmas (Indeed!)

I have not heard a thing about my car accident since July.  While certainly curious, the whole thing had put me in a funk for far too long... so I tucked it away and placed my faith in the 'ole adage "no news is good news."

In today's mail, lurking among a handful of Christmas cards, was an envelope from my insurance company.  My heart sunk... no way was this crap going to resurface just days before Christmas.

I cautiously opened it...

December 19, 2006
We have concluded the handling of your insurance claim (date of loss: May 12, 2006) in which we were attempting collection.  We were able to make a recovery which included your deductible.  We are attaching our payment which is your proportionate share of your deductible based on the same percentage as our recovery.

Out popped a check for $500 -- 100% of my deductible. 

Like some sappy Christmas movie, the music began to swell with "The End" popping onto the screen.

I kind of feel like Jimmy Stewart running through town...  Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!

So, political-correctness aside, Merry Christmas to all!

Here is the Christmas card that I sent out to most of the folks on my snail-mail list:

Inside: Wishing You Peace and Happiness this Christmas and in the New Year.

Todd is home all next week... I am working "as needed"... so I am going to try to detach myself from the computer as much as possible... thus W&C likely won't be back in full-gear until the New Year... stay safe, don some gay apparel, remember to breathe... eat, drink, and be merry!

MisMatch #4 - Holiday Edition

... and not only a special holiday edition... but one pulled from real-life events!

So you are innocently walking your dog... and come across this holiday display...

... while The Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" is playing on your iPod.

Holiday Lights Part Deux

Just got in from another attempt at taking pix of the front yard holiday lightdisplay.

Thanks to Scott for leading me to this article... Strobist: How to Photograph Christmas Lights... it definitely helped (I hope you agree... you can compare the pix below to the one "good" pic I managed to get a week or so ago). 

The key seemed to be setting your camera's white balance to "tungsten" (get out that manual!)... taking pix at twilight (not when it is entirely dark)... and, if you don't have a steady hand (I sure don't!), using a tripod.  Keep shooting away... my first and last 10 or so pix were so-so... as the post says, there's a magical 10 minute window where the amount of light is just right.

Holiday Prep

For some reason, I just feel woefully behind for the impending holiday.  I don't know why?  I guess I have been more ahead of the game by this time... it's hard to believe Sunday is already December 10th... double-digit December days (how's that for a little alliteration?!).

As you know the outdoor lights are done, but that's about it.  This weekend it'll be the tree (if not this weekend when?!) and that'll probably be it... if there are some other decorations we stumble upon that are "easy" they'll probably get put out, but I am pretty sure the Christmas village will stay in their boxes this year.

The other day, Todd and I were discussing if this Christmas was going to be our first "solo" one?  Sure enough, neither of us could not muster up a Christmas Eve/Day that we've had all to ourselves... either we've had family in town or one of us has been away... and that's over a decade of Christmases folks!  That said, I am still plotting our traditional Mexican holiday feast... and hopefully we'll have our first "friends" Christmas with Scott and Buckaroo (sound good guys? if so, pencil it in!).    

But I will feel a whole lot better once the following is done....Holiday letter finished, holiday stamps purchased, and Christmas cards to be written out and sent, Packages to family back East (which must go out next week).

I feel I got wimpy with my brother's family.  My family has always been big on "cash" as a gift... so, for me, that gene seems to have segued to giving gift cards.  At least with gift cards, you know what the giver is giving you in absentia.  With cash (and there's still nothing wrong with that!), it just seems to get mixed in with every day activities... is that $20 bill going for groceries or a "real" gift?   So while it may seem lazy to give gift cards, at least the person getting it will get something they want.  My nephew can got to Best Buy and get whatever video game he wants (I don't have a clue!) and my brother and sister-in-law can use their Visa Card for... dinner out, a book, light bulbs, whatever!

Well, I guess that's it...  just needed to get it down in writing... a bit therapeutic to do that!   Have a nice weekend and best of luck to those of you who may be feeling the same! 

Lighting Up, Lighten Up

We put up our outdoor lights on Sunday. I can finally write about it rationally today.

In the Christmas spirit... OY!   It seemed like such a bear this year.   

The "display" is not terribly different from last year's set-up... we have an snow-covered (white lights) "island" with a snow man and a polar bear (both move their heads)... and "moving" water (white chaser lights thru the blue lights) surrounding the island.

But we were dealing with aging strings of lights... so that meant multiple runs to the local home improvement store for replacements... and then, when we were just about done, one of the strings blew a fuse.  We have thousands of lights on the ground... and we had the prospect of finding it and pulling it up... in now a wonderfully and randomly tangled mess on the ground.

So that made me wonder...

Has everyone ever been strangled by a string of holiday lights? Or hung oneself (by the chimney with care, of course!) by that method?

If not, I was threatening to be the first...by either method.

Todd will be the first to admit that this is not his favorite activity of the year... plus he he has to put up with my "artistic vision" for the yard... only adds to the "joy"... though he is incredibly patient with me.   And three hours into it, finding the blown string of lights had me ready to "fall on my knees" ... no hearing any "angels' voices"  O night, not so divine!

To make a long story short (for a change!)... Todd found and replaced the fuse, we took much more care where we were connecting all the lights...and it got done.

Our new additions this year were some green lights to the "island" (it's now partially snow covered)... and a new little isle with an 11-foot pre-light tree (not a "fir"/fake tree, but one of those skeleton-ish trees with twinkling white lights)... and it looks great.

Now at this point, I should be sharing pictures... but I haven't taken any yet.  But now that I have recovered from the trauma, I'll do my best to get out there... though attempting nighttime pix without a tripod (I have one but to find it!) is always dicey... and also today is the first day that I my body has decided to ease up on the achy/sore legs and back... ah Father Time!   

UPDATE: Well, here's a pic:

I fooled with my camera settings (night option, "fireworks") and even used a tripod... but still couldn't quite get a picture to my satisfaction... trust me it looks better in person!   Can't quite seen the green on the main "island" but at least you can't miss the new 11-foot tree!

Holiday Jeer

Before I start, I have to say to my other half that I am "over it"... when something moves from "a bit peeved" to the "this'll make a great blog entry!"... that's usually a good sign.

So this past Saturday, we had an interesting little interaction with our fellow man... and it didn't quite have us humming "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."  As I was putting this post together in my head, I read about Kenna's similar post-Thanksgiving run-in... so watch out folks...cover your mouths and wash those hands...  bitchiness is on the loose and contagious!

So... we're about to step off the curb from the movie theater to the parking lot (at a designated crosswalk!)... and this SUV stops. 

I think... how quaint... stopping for pedestrians.

We get halfway across and the SUV hits the gas!

They stop in plenty of time... but your body still reacts... tenses, jerks up... but after realizing you have not been run-over, a couple of micro-seconds later the instinctual "WTF?!?" expression kicks in.  Now nothing bad... no fingers, solitary or otherwise, directed at the vehicle... just a scrunched up face and a shrug.

We continue on our way, mildly annoyed... but more "whatever" than anything else.

But then, the passenger (and "adult" male) puts down their window and shouts to us (we're a good 15+ feet away by now): 
"She didn't see you, but I told her you were there... so just quit the hand gesture shit"

And that's a direct quote..."quit the hand gesture shit" and he wasn't using his "indoor" voice.

Now we hadn't even looked back after we had moved on... it was obvious that the vehicle had not stopped because of the presence of a crosswalk, let alone people attempting to use it (I am guessing they were looking down an aisle for an available parking space)...

But to take the time to roll down (I know, no one "rolls down" car windows anymore!) a closed car window and yell at us was just plain bonkers!  I guess we should have thanked him... since the insinuation was that if he wasn't there we would have been run over! 

True Start of the Holiday Season

This weekend, we received a sign of the true start of the holiday season...well, okay... at least for me!

The arrival of the red Starbucks cup!

This has become my true harbinger that the holidays are approaching... we can no longer rely on most retailers who insist on stocking shelves with holiday merchandise before Halloween... others are a bit more patient... but I was in a grocery store the day after Halloween and the swap-out was already in high gear.

So I think Starbucks has the timing down just right.

Now, I know many of you may not even want to see this prior to Thanksgiving.  But since my family lives back East, I have to get my butt in gear much earlier... so the shopping needs to be done and packages shipped by the second week of December... or about a month from now... so this "sign" from Starbucks starts that countdown.

The only sad part of the red holiday cup is that it marks the end of my autumnal addiction, a 3-month run of... the pumpkin spice latte.  So I switch over to the quite wonderful, but not nearly as good gingerbread latte... with this success of this beverage hanging on the barista's nutmeg-ing skill... an extra flick of this potent spice can spell disaster! 

Of the 7 Starbucks within a 5-mile radius of our house, I suggested we go to one with a drive-thru.  Not one of my smarter ideas... there was a five-car line-up... and later when we drove around, we saw there was no one in the store... so it would have been much quicker just to do it the old-fashioned way (you know... park, get out of your car, walk-in... oy!).   

Todd had the honor of doing the the drive-thru order... so we finally pull up and he requests...
A grande gingerbread latte and a grande coffee

The detached voice repeats back... a grande gingerbread latte and then... a pause... what was that second one?

Over the years, Todd has learned that, more often than not, it is a challenge to order a mere "coffee" at Starbucks... confusion and bafflement generally ensue... and there has even been an instance or two where plain 'ole coffee was not available!   Go Figure!

My Holiday Card To You

Since a lot of us are likely kicking it into overdrive (myself included!) in preparation for Christmas Weekend, just wanted to give you all our wishes for
Happy Holidays...
Merry Christmas...
Happy Chanukah...
Joyful Kwanzaa...
Happy New Year...
... or if you don't celebrate any of those... be patient, it's almost all over!

For those of you not on my Christmas card snail-mail list... here is this year's card:

The Stockings Were Hung By The Air Conditioner With Care -- and no kidding, high temps for this weekend are expected to be in the upper 70s!

On behalf of our other four-legged family members (Mindy, Lola, Elvis), Toby sends holiday greetings:

This was the 2002 card marking Toby's first Christmas... hard to believe this year is his 4th!   He still looks the same, although I seriously doubt he could fit in that box!

More holiday decor:

Our dining room hutch with just a small portion of our 'Christmas in the City' Village - this year's pieces include (from left to right):  Radio City Music Hall, Hard Rock Cafe, Casino, Church, Bookstore, Bank, Cafe, and Music Store.

Whipped up a centerpiece this year... very "Martha" ... large bowl filled with colored glass ornaments (in three different sizes!) and glittered pine cones.    We may actually use our dining room table for the first time this weekend!

The new Christmas tree -- on closer inspection you can see bottom branches are empty -- that is on purpose, if we put them there they would become cat toys and/or are eaten by Toby (he still managed to destroy one ornament this year).

Happy Holidays and probably see you back here some time next week!

My Grown Up Christmas List

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
Can you still help somehow?
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream

So here's my lifeful wish
My grown up Christmas List
Not for myself
But for a world in need

Okay, here are some of mine as well as the "world in need"... apparently some folks are looking for the same things on Google & Yahoo (honest, click here and browse!)

Nick Lachey Shirtless

James/Jamie Denton Shirtless

Carter Oosterhouse Shirtless

 

Jeff Probst Shirtless

Alexandre Despatie bulge

May you all get what you want this Christmas as well!

Holiday Cheer or Sneer?

I have noticed blog-land seems notably cranky this holiday season... just doesn't seem like a whole lot of holiday cheer is going on.  And before you start going through my blog-roll looking for who I may be speaking of, let me add my usual caveat that I check out a lot more blogs than those off to the right ...

Now that I think of it, some of those folks are terminally cranky no matter what the season (which is probably one reason why I don't link to them... though I still obsessively read and internally bitch about).

But anyhow, don't go getting the impression that I am Mr. Holiday Cheer.  As the years have progressed, my enthusiasm for this time of the year has declined... the religious aspect has become virtually non-existent... and even from a pure secular/commercial, the holiday is more for kids... though I am having my doubts even about that, as most of the kids I know already have everything they could possibly need or think they want.  And it is certainly not genetic, my Mom's mantra about this time of the year is that she wishes she "could take a pill and wake up when it's all over."

So yeah, I was a bit stressy about the holidays a couple of weeks ago.  There were too many things on the "to do" list and not enough ideas or conviction to get them done.   But then I rounded the corner about a week ago with the outdoor decorations and the new Christmas tree taken care of... and this week I managed to made more headway... gained that momentum and now things seem to be falling off the list in pretty painless fashion.

Earlier in the week, I took a quick trip to the local strip mall which conveniently has Toys 'R Us, Bed Bath and (Frickin') Beyond (you Sex in the City fans may remember that Anthony reference), and Borders Books... and within about an hour's time I managed to take care of my brother's family... with only a hint of what the heck I was going to get them going into that trip.

For my nephew, I got 20Q Challenge (a shout-out to lobster messiah for an assist on that one!) and then a $40 gift Toys R Us gift card to get something he really wants (i.e. video games) that I would not have the first clue about. 

My brother and nephew golf together... so I got a few items that hopefully both of them will enjoy... this contraption that you pound into the ground to practice hitting straight, hook, or slice... and this weird golf ball thing that is supposed to help you putt straight.   

For my sister-in-law, got this pre-packaged "mini-bar" of martini mixes (just add vodka!) and then I was going to get her a Borders gift card (I have done the gift cards w/ them alot!)... but instead thought I should do something different.  She likes the kitchen/cooking stuff (as do I), so I bought a copy a Everyday with Rachael Ray and will enclose a note that she'll be getting a year's subscription.  I know Rachael is a love-hate type personality, so I am hoping my sis-in-law is unaware of her or is in the non-hate category.  I am a fan and regular 30-Minute Meal-er here... and while I do swirl the pan with EVOO, most of the time when I eat my food it is more like "it's pretty good" more than "YUM-O!"

My parents are more a challenge.  Every year I get my Dad the Arizona Highways calendar, so that was purchased this week... and after a conversation with my Mom, she said that $$ is something that will work fine... so I think that is what I'll do... so at least they'll have a buffet or two (or some extra gambling funds) for their trips to Atlantic City. 

But otherwise, I was an online fiend.  Got my Mom this nice fleece cape (with a hood) with matching fleece gloves and "earbags" ... and decided to round out their gifts with some food items... a Lemon Cake from Mrs. Beasley's/Miss Grace... and walnut/cinnamon rolled cakes from Harry & David.   These "nut cakes" are a holiday tradition in my family... my grandmother made them all the time... but sadly, that home-made tradition has ended with her.  So when I saw these cakes in the catalog, I thought it would be a nice "blast from the past."

So now the only person I have left to buy for is Todd... you think I would have done that since he was conveniently out of the country this past week... but alas it did not happen.  But I am not too worried, I can always "sneak out" during the workday and pick something up for him... what that is, is still to be determined... but I am hoping it goes as easy as the rest of my family.

Oh, I also managed to write up my annual "holiday letter" that goes in the Christmas cards.  One of the great things about having a blog is having all that "what the heck happened this year" stuff right at your fingertips!

So I guess that's all... I am definitely feeling more cheer than sneer ... the outdoor lights make me happy and it is nice just to be in the room lit only by the Christmas tree (which still need to be decorated)... and listening to some Christmas songs help too... though that Nick & Jessica version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" is not nearly as fun as it was for the 17 hours I had it before they split!.

Have a nice weekend... and be merry!

Winter Wonderland

Winter officially arrived here in Phoenix.  On Friday, I was putting up Christmas lights in a t-shirt and shorts (not terribly unusual), but today I woke up to a temperature of 36 degrees... which is a bit odd, since we only tend to have a handful of days when we hit the freezing mark here in the Valley of the Sun. 

But even if it does warm up again, our front yard is officially a pretty non-denominational Winter Wonderland!  Yes, I went from unprepared just less than a week ago... to all decked out over this past weekend.

So get something to drink, sit down, relax... this is going to be a ramble... or just skip to the end of this post and look at the pictures.

As mentioned briefly in yesterday's post, Todd left for France on Saturday morning for a business trip (believe me, it is not as exciting as it sounds)... and despite having a crap-load of stuff to get done, he wanted to help me get beyond the holiday decorating stress exhibited in that particular post from last week.  So much of early Friday, we bucked the "Black Friday" crowds and went in search of a new Christmas tree and new decorations for our front yard.

Our bad luck continued... or else I was just being too damn picky.  We hit about 5 different stores and really nothing was jumping out as "it."   We then went to a pool supply store that transforms itself into a holiday store... and I think I may have audibly gasped when we walked in... everything was really beautiful.  Well, until we started looking at the prices... this tree $1700, the next one... ooh, a bargain at $895... and these were all with alleged 40% discounts!   They also had some nice outdoor stuff, but again a bit pricey.  While I am sure we would have had years and years and years of use from one of those trees, it just seemed too unnecessary to shell out that much cash for something that is just in use for a few weeks a year.

So with still and empty car we headed back home... and let's just say I was not heeding the warning of "you better not pout"... I do not hide "unhappy" well and Todd knew it.  So after lunch, we headed back to Home Depot (a trip we would make 4-5 more times over the weekend... buy some of their stock!) and bought a fairly decent Christmas tree.  At this point, I just wanted something (anything!)... I wasn't excited about it... but now that it is up in our TV room (still waiting to be decorated) I am pretty happy with it ... it fits much better in the space and most importantly it does not lean!

Then Todd suggested we go back to the pool store and get the outdoor decorations we liked... it was way more than I intended on spending on re-inventing our front yard display... but Todd insisted and also insisted on paying for everything himself.  So finally... mission accomplished!

While Todd ran to the office to get his computer and get packed for his trip, I started working on the front yard.   Three hours later I was done and we had one of our typical "arguments"... he thought I was made that he didn't help out, I thought he was mad because I did it all myself.  All very "Gift of the Magi"... but we quickly settled it and it didn't escalate into someone getting really mad over not being mad... got that?

So our front yard display is bigger and better than ever!

Since we moved to this house, I envisioned this idea and generally stuck with it over the years... we have a hill in our front yard... so I surround the hill with blue lights to achieve an "island" effect.  I saw this on a holiday show (on HGTV I think) and really liked the idea.  You then add in some white chaser lights into the blue lights to achieve a motion effect. 

But I felt the need to shake it up a bit this year...  the past three years, we have just had a Santa sleigh and 3 animated "flying" reindeer on the island.  It was kind of a pain to put together... and the white light/wired reindeer are all over the neighborhood in some form or another... so they are out!

So at the pool store, we Todd bought new island inhabitants...  a polar bear and a snowman ... both are animated, moving their head back and forth. 

Also, I decided to light up the island  for the first time this year... putting down white lights to achieve a snow-covered effect.  Actually a mix of 3 different types of white lights:  big white lights, regular/small Christmas tree white lights, and small white lights that twinkle.

I was really quite happy with the end result.  It was nice to have people slow down as they drove by (well, we have a speed bump in front of our house... so they have to slow down anyhow!)... or even a few who yelled out the window that it looked nice... or have kids ride by on their bikes and say "cool" or something.

So here are some pictures.  I couldn't quite get the pictures perfect... using the flash, exposes all the ugly wiring on the ground... and not using the flash, the camera just didn't want to focus right (I know there is a way around this, but I didn't feel like taking the time to figure it out!)... so apologies that some of these are fuzzy... but you get the idea.

Here is a pic with the "flash" ... and probably the clearest view of the new polar bear and the snowman. This picture is taken from the street towards our house/yard.

A fuzzy "non-flash" version of the previous picture.... but you see the "concept"... I joked that those of a more cynical nature may view this display as the warning signs of global warming... as the polar bear and the snowman are marooned on the island and can't get off!

A reverse view... from our house out towards the street.  A better view of the full water effect.

I didn't count the number of lights... kept on adding on (those extra trips back to Home Depot!), but I figure there are about 1,700 lights on the "island" ... NOT including the polar bear and the snowman... and probably at least 2,000 blue lights to create the lake/river/bay.

Believe it or not, our yard probably qualifies as "middle range" holiday display in our 'hood.  The house across the way is on the "holiday light map" and has about 10,000 lights and there are a few more houses in our development that are on that competitive level.   

But after a lot of stressin' about what to do and how to do it...  I am really quite thrilled with the new display, though it was certainly a challenge to get it all plugged in and working on all those timers (three of them!).

Unprepared

With two days to go until Thanksgiving, I am feeling woefully unprepared... for Christmas ("thanks" to Todd's parents, who have the turkey day responsibilities).

I am just not ready for Christmas in any way shape or form.   You think I would be more prepared since the stores were already decking their halls with Christmas stuff even prior to Halloween.

I don't have a clue what to get anyone for the holiday.  The parents are notoriously difficult to shop for and that has not improved as time has gone on.  For my nephew, I am not in the loop of what are the hot items for kids.  Last week, I was excited when I got a cool wine basket catalog -- something for my brother & sister-in-law... until I read the fine print and saw they do not live in one of the 17 states that allow wine shipments.  And I am even clueless when it come to Todd.  Heck, I can't even come up with something that I want that I can pass off as a gift for him our "the house."

But I am more stressed about the pre-Christmas stuff.

We were planning on getting a new Christmas tree this year.  The first year we moved into the house we bought a pre-lit tree well ahead of the holiday season.  A month or so later when we put it up, we realized it was missing some piece, so we have had to do this little fix to prevent it from leaning at a fairly noticeable angle.  We looked at some trees this weekend, but they all seem pretty crappy.  Fake trees are looking more fake than ever!

Likewise, I was thinking of changing up our outdoor display.  Again, after 3 years it seems like it was time to mix it up... not that we are trying to compete with the 60,000 light display with huge wood cutout figures house just across the street.  But again, we go into the stores and nothing really is floating my boat.  I saw these lighted Christmas penguins in a Sunday flyer one week. I thought they were at Lowe's, but they were not.  Some eavesdropping fellow shopper told us she thought they were at K-Mart ... but with all the recent K-Mart store closures, the closest one is like 15 miles away... which kind of seems insane (considering we used to have 2 within five miles).  So we might just have to stick to our lighted "flying" reindeer.

Heck... I don't even have one of my easiest pre-Christmas items... my Christmas cards!   Since moving to Arizona, I have sent out Southwestern-themed holiday cards (since 90% of my cards are out of state).  That makes the decision of what card to get pretty easy, since there are not a huge selection... but finding them is the hard part.   I went to my usual card store on Sunday and you guessed it... crappy selection.  I have another store in mind, but if that doesn't work out I will be in full panic mode.

And I don't know where I am going to find the time to rectify all of this since apparently we have to put our house up for sale by the end of the week.  Saturday we headed over to Scott & Buckaroo's for an evening of fun, food and games... and we even got to meet "The Pacer" (again signed confidentiality documents forbid me from revealing any further details)... appropriately enough, the night started off with Wine & Cheese.  I joked that only I put the "H" in W(h)ine. 

Despite my going into a wine-induced giggle fit over a game that required us to "name 5 things to complete the phrase: small _____" (you can probably guess my 'mind in the gutter'  response), Scott was not scared away and tried to convince us that we should move to the recently vacated house across the street from them.   And if Scott is one thing, persistent it is ... so he has taken his campaign public. 

While it would be nice to actually know our neighbors, our current HOA rules and regulations highly discourage any interaction with the folks next door, so I am not sure we could deal with such a dramatic "social" change.  And thinking back to my college days when friends were just down the hall, I don't think I would get any work done!  And to top it off, S&B's street has two MINI Cooper owners already... so my springtime arrival wouldn't be very special or unique parked out on that street!   Hey guys, we have a couple of house for sale on our street, too!

UPDATE:  Just got back from the card store... I have my Christmas cards!  I am quite pleased with it, it is both Southwestern and a little bit funny too!