Whine & Cheese

Happy Holidays 2008

Since the blog and online world in general will likely be taking a breather - both in writing and reading - it is probably time to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Kwanzaa, Joyous Festivus or whatever you do/do not celebrate... but Happy New Year (at least that one applies to everyone!).

While the stresses of the holiday season often seem to get the best of us, it really is if not the most wonderful... at least one of more special... times of the year.

We're having a nice quite Christmas here. We celebrated the holiday with Todd's parents this past Sunday. As I type, the ingredients for our traditional Christmas Eve meal of posole (a spicy and savory Southwestern pork stew) is simmering on the stove and we plan on getting together with some friends for the holiday tomorrow.

I hope this finds you spending time with the ones you love, either near or far.

Weekend Review

It was a pretty busy weekend, but oddly enough not much had to do with the rapidly approaching holiday.  As I suggested last week, my panic holiday post tends to kick me into gear and things tend to fall quickly into place once I get going. 

So, pretty much there are a lot of things that would be worthy of a full post, and I might get back to those I skim over, but here we go.

On Friday, ended up having a good talk with Todd over dinner... well, it wasn't about dinner... but about me.  I have self-admittedly been in a big 'ole funk lately... it has been the proverbial "perfect storm" of things, but I have been pretty moody and usually takes one of those mood swings (in the bad direction), to get around to talking about things.  It's nothing bad, but just some mental homework so I don't get too/further down... and admitting you have a a problem (or the start of one) is always the big first step... even that makes it sound more serious than it is... it's more like that Cher "Snap out of it!" slap from Moonstruck.  

So there was nothing better to cheer me up after that then to head off to a angsty musical about oppression, suicide, a botched "medical procedure," and lost love... Spring Awakening... pretty an R-rated Romeo and Juliet set in 1890s Germany... fun, huh?!   Well, I loved it.  It's still all sinking in, so I am really not sure how much I can honestly say about it.... but I will echo what I twittered about it over the weekend, that it restored my faith in musical theater.  As a season ticket holder, we see so much crappy theater ... that it was great to see something so different, edgy, and ambitious.  I kind of felt old, as I found myself thinking that the youth of these days have their musical... much like I feel about Rent (even though I was likely a bit too old for that to be my show either).  I've been hesistant to download some of my favorite songs from the show as I'm thinking I should just download the full cast recording. 

Then, Saturday night was some good 'ole Southwestern holiday celebration... more so of the New Mexican variety than Arizona.  First, we went to one of our favorite restaurants and decided to change it up a bit and just get some appetizers and soup instead of our favorite entrees.  We definitely wanted some posole (a pork and hominy-ish, red-chile based soup/stew) and then we got some loaded nachos and foo-foo'd it up a bit with some crab cakes (the habernero aioli is the star ingredient for me)... and we ended up more stuffed than usual (and the check pretty much came out to be the same vs. just order two regular entrees).  But good stuff!

Then we were off to the Desert Botanical Garden for Las Noches de las Luminarias... in my 18 years here in Phoenix, I am kind of embarrassed to say that I had never been to the Garden... not even for the Luminarias, which is a big 'ole holiday tradition here in the Valley.  Despite seemingly expanding the number of nights each year, the event -- where over 7,000 luminarias placed around the Garden -- sells out each and every year.  

But I am so glad we went this year, because in addition to the "lumis" (as the signs around the Garden seemed to like to call them) they are currently in the midst of a 6-month exhibit of the incredible glass artwork of Dale Chihuly - and his first outdoor exhibit in a desert setting.  Before this, I was most familiar with Chihuly's stunning glasswork flower ceiling in the lobby of the Bellagio in Vegas.  But the combination of the luminarias and the glass work was stunning, though Todd and I both felt it certainly detracted/distracted from the traditional Southwestern holiday display of luminarias. 

And the night proved to be a challenge for me from a photography standpoint, I had kinda sorta thought I figured it out when I was experimenting with the "Manual" mode of my camera while in Paris.  I was thrilled with those results and intended to repeat them here.  But quickly things did not seem to be jiving.  The difference was that I was dealing with a whole lot of different settings and lighting... and unlike the stationary Eiffel what worked in one picture didn't work for the other... it wasn't just a matter of changing the shutter speed or aperture. 

Fortunately, Todd was able to talk me down from my frustration/panic (are you detecting a behavioral pattern here!?!) and get me using the flexpod was very much needed (though I am kinda kicking myself that I didn't bring the "real" tripod) and calmed me down enough that I was able to talk out a Plan B (manually focusing and going to "program" mode, giving the control back to camera in making those aperture and shutter speed "decisions").   

Ultimately, I would say about 60% of the pics did not turn out well ... which sent me spinning, but then I just needed to flip that around that I did have 40% that were acceptable, which after some thought was still a pretty good.  Now, probably half of those (so we're down to 20% of the total shot) are good enough for Flickr or to share... but those I am very happy with!   And even before I get them up on Flickr, I'll share a couple of them with you here (and no post-processing either!):

Here is one of the Chihuly installs... and by far, my greatest success when it came to the Chihulys:

And one of my unofficial goals of the evening, was to get an image that I could use for a future Christmas card... and I think this one is it!   

For my photography buddies, this was a craaaazzzy 20 second exposure... and it was way darker out (probably around 7:30pm)!!  For my non-photography buddies, one can typically "hand hold" a camera for maybe 1 second without blurring/shaking it. 

Holiday Mail

Just taking a quick break from holiday mail here.  Work has been very on and off lately... and right now it is a "off," but since it can turn on in little less than a moment's notice, I am trying to take advantage of the time and pulling some holiday packages together and starting the Christmas cards.  Most folks get one of my hokey Christmas letters, but I still try to write a little something in each card. 

I just wrote up a card that was one of my moral dilemmas this year.  I questioned whether to even send a card, but ultimately I thought best to take the high road and harness some of that holiday spirit.  So here's the story/ramble:

This was one of the my first friends (no surprise a female, as the large majority of my friends tend to be!) I made here in Arizona while attending grad school.  We would get together regularly (movies, dinner, etc) and even play tennis w/ each other... check in on each other's pets if we were out of town.  Fast-forward, a year or two after graduation and this would be the very first person I came out to.  While I knew she was religious, obviously I felt comfortable enough to think she would be okay with it.  Well, you probably know where this is going... long story short, I was met with much disappointment and words that I was making a mistake and that I would be going to hell (well, maybe not exactly that - but pretty much inferred).  So needless to say, I read that very wrong!  We still socialized and she even met Todd... but things were never quite the same.

Fast forward a couple more years, and I had a message on my cell phone (that I rarely used) that said she was moving and asked if I still had the extra set of house keys.  Again, since I never checked my cell phone by the time I got it, she had already moved and oddly enough, no forwarding telephone number.  I sent a Christmas card to that old address later that year figuring it would get forwarded - but never received anything back, either a reply or a "return to sender."

So fast forward to last year, and very late in the holiday season I get a Christmas card from her... saying that she was thinking of me and hoping that all was well... and she was still living in the Phoenix (I had kind of thought maybe she decided to go abroad on a mission or something).  I chose not to reply last year and I was a bit miffed about how things were left and the years that had gone by without any sort of closure... and Todd will tell you everytime we drove by her old neighborhood I kind of wondered what happened. 

So anyhow, I saved her card with her new address... and when I was flipping through my address book and got to her name, I decided to dig it out and send her a card this year.  I have no idea where it'll go... or if it'll go anything beyond this annual check-in.. and I if I want it to go anything beyond that, but I figured life is too short to hold grudges or be petty... and while I'll admit there is still some of that lingering, I figured this was sort of a way to start letting it go.

Over The Holiday Prep Hump

Well, as predictable as my "panic about the holidays" post is... just as predictable is my "ok, it's better now" post.  While I still find myself a bit susceptible to some wild mood swings, I believe that major combat holiday preparation operations are now over... so fly that "mission accomplished" banner!

The weekend was the biggies ... the outdoor holiday light display on Saturday and the tree on Sunday.

On our way to lunch on Saturday, we quickly agreed to scale back our outdoor display.  A few years ago, I came up with this great idea and each year it seemed to escalate a bit more... and in the last year or two, it seemed like it was much more a chore to get it done... nearly a half a day of work... and frustrating at times, as anyone who has dealt with strings of lights can likely attest. The basics of the display are still there... but just less... and it was nice to not worry about blowing fuses or figuring out where to plug everything in.

Sunday was the tree... and since I built up my worry so much, it wasn't too bad opening up the ornament box.  Again, we had a a lot of basset hound ornaments... and this is our first year without a basset... so I tried to emotionally buckle down.  What I wasn't expecting was to see a couple of old Christmas cards with Toby on them.  We have put out past Christmas cards as decor (including last year's with Rocky as an elf to Toby's Santa), so that was something I had forgot about being in the ornament box.  There was the "Toby's First Christmas" ornament that I had made by hand, and put that one the side... as I could not honestly bear that one being on the tree... but each of us put up another basset hound ornament (with a bit of a gulp and sigh) on the tree in honor of Toby.

But no worries, it was not all gloom and doom with the tree.  Every year, the first ornament on the tree is a new one... and usually that is some place from our travels.  I always try to find a Christmas ornament, or something that could pass for an ornament, whenever we go on vacation.  This year, it was an embarrassment in this respect.  I did manage to get some real ornaments in Paris... and got some that passed as an ornament in Amsterdam and Beijing... but funny enough, I could not pass up getting most our new ornaments just a couple of miles away at our Cost Plus World Market.  Here they are:

I think it's a pretty fun collection... and I am guessing there are not many "Sex Shop" ornaments (far left) adorning many trees this holiday season... haha!   But c'mon, it's kinda cute!  Besides the obvious... I took great liberties in considering that an ornament... and that little clip was a perfect way to put it on the tree (what could one possibly use a clip like that for in Amsterdam... hmmm!?!?!).   

The real point of this picture were the tags on two of the ornaments.  It's hard to see in this size (plus there's a lot going here -  foreground and background - that it was hard to focus), but you can click on the pic to go to Flickr to see a large version of it.

Anyhow, the Eiffel Tower ornament... surprise,surprise... was Made In China....

But, funny enough, the China ornament was Made... wait for it... In Poland... and that is what totally cracked me up (I never said I wasn't easily amused!)

Otherwise, I think most of the shopping is done.  As I mentioned last week, a lot of my gift-giving was done online and being directly shipped to my family... this week, I need to buckle down on the Christmas cards and hopefully get those out the door and mailed... along with some gifts... by early next week... and then just try and kick back and enjoy!

Holiday Prep Update

I was contemplating another book post today, but two days in a row seemed a bit much... and then I never got around to it, but the good news is that I made some progress in my holiday prep!

Since my rant/whine earlier this week, I have managed to get out a good first draft of my holiday letter.  It really wasn't too difficult this year... dog death, Europe, Beijing, and oh, San Diego too... some other quickie items... and Happy Holidays!   But it is still a challenge, as you W&C regulars know I tend to ramble (which is one reason I am not likely to give up on this blog anytime soon), so it is still rough to get it down to one page and especially with the more restrictive margins of holiday stationery.  I have a love/hate relationship with the holiday letter.  I honestly really do enjoy writing and receiving them, but I am in the camp that it should be quick and easy.  I do care what is going on in your life, but if you have to use a squint-inducing font size or go to a multi-columns, well you're pushing it.  

This morning, I also managed to get some online shopping done for my enigmatic immediate family.  I decided to with what works... some nice gift baskets.  My parents are getting a bread-centric one.  They may be picky eaters (most particularly my dad), but we have always loved our bread.  Now, I would have loved to get some of the different varieties, but pretty much with the standard good 'ole traditional stuff.  I was really out of ideas with them since my Mom put the kibosh on flowers and/or a calendar (though they might just have to deal with it on the latter, since I already picked up something before being told not to).  

For my brother's family... which really means something for my sister-in-law... and that's not meant as an insult, over time and many situations it seems like any adult males would agree that if the wife/mom is happy, everyone is happy!  So they are getting a gift basket with a lot of wine in it... so happy I can ship wine to their state this year!   My nephew is getting an iTunes gift card (he got an iPhone for his birthday a couple of months ago) and either another Visa/Amex gift card or cash... because I have absolutely no idea of what a kids/young adults want these days and (thankfully) I come from a family where money is a perfectly acceptable and desired gift!

So these accomplishments have started to get me a bit out of my holiday funk (Joanna, you'll have to be much more convincing to my other half re: puppies!  haha!)... and I'm guessing things will improve even more once the outdoor stuff and tree goes up this coming weekend... because, if not this weekend then when?!?!

The Post Where I Stress About The Holidays

I have a sneakin' suspicion this is turning into something I write about every year... but I am not going back to look to see if it's true... but yes, it is that special time of the year where I stress about the approaching holiday...

... well, maybe stress isn't exactly the right word... this year, I seem to be more indifferent or unexcited about it more than anything else.  I am not sure if it is just some mental genetic code being passed between myself and my mother... as her annual quote seemingly every year (which I am sure I repeat here every single year), is that she wishes there was a pill that she could take where she could sleep through the entire holiday season and wake up when it's over.  While I am not that bad right now... scary enough, I can see it trending towards that.

I am not sure when or why of it.  I was a pretty big Christmas fan... and anyone who knew me even through my late 20s/early 30s (okay, maybe even mid-30s) would tell you my birthday was very much a self-directed EVENT.  The best evidence of this being that my best friend's husband knows my birthday off the top of his head and can't do the same for his own two kids! 

I think it just might be the perfect storm.  Right now, I don't think we expect any visitors over the holidays... so that is providing no motivation to get the outdoor lights or the tree up (though that is on tap for this coming weekend).  I have really no good gift ideas for anyone this year... and typically, even I can get excited about one thing that gets the ball rolling and  spurs excitement about the rest... but nothing so far this year... and that fact that neither I or the folks I am shopping for are lacking / wanting / needing anything doesn't make it any easier either!

... basically once everything gets up, bought, shipped, etc... I'm fine... but these past few years, I find myself being/feeling very cranky until then... and unfortunately that all takes some time... and I think the mental instability is being exacerbated by my work situation and also the Toby-less situation and all the basset hound related stuff that I know is looming in the ornament box.

I am making some progress... bought this year's greeting cards and have the holiday stamps and stationery (for the holiday letter) purchased... and I have already whipped up this holiday present for a handful of folks... so I guess I should give myself credit for that!

Thankful 2008

While birthdays or New Year's seems to be a good time to reflect, Thanksgiving as well offers up a good chance to take a look back.  I have never experienced the "go around the table and say what you're thankful for" routine... while I personally don't mind it, but I think it puts some folks on the spot... and/or it's just stating the obvious things like loved ones, good health, etc... which granted are all worthy of thankfulness!

And while I won't be spending time with my immediate family this year (oh, the guilt!), I am thankful that we have been spending the last several Thanksgivings with Todd and his family (which I may be well doing at this very moment as this is pre-posted!)... it's nice for me to have this surrogate family that always makes me feel so welcome... so much so, that I was fully expected to go on the family vacation over July 4th weekend.

And speaking of travel.. this time last year, I could not imagine where life would take me... physically speaking.  I know for sure I certainly was not expecting to log 25,000+ air miles (and basically w/in a 6 month period)... and I don't think the Europe trip was even in the planning stages.  I am so glad... I mean thankful (!!!)...  that I finally got to see London and Paris and all their iconic landmarks... and then off the beaten track to Amsterdam, which granted is still a major European city... but something totally different and unique.

And needless to say, thankful is understatement for our trip to Beijing for the Olympics.  China (and Asia, in general) was never high on my "to do" travel list and now I am telling anyone that if they have the opportunity to go to China... do it!   We still shake our heads in our amazement that we were there... and to throw the Olympics on top of it... and that it was all-expense paid... just created the "awesome" perfect storm.

And I am thankful that we did the Europe trip this past year, as with the current state of the economy would have likely squashed it from even being a part of the "where to go?" brainstorming session for the foreseeable future.  Thankfully, both of us are fine with employment and savings (and hopes that it remains that way)... but I am sure we're not alone in buckling down and hoping for the best... and a quick "thankful" shout-out for the outcome of the Presidential race... thank you, Easter Bunny!

Of course, I could not not have a Debbie Downer portion to this post... and while it still smarts that we lost Toby at only 6 years old, I am certainly thankful for the time we did have together.  He was certainly
an interesting character for my first ever "from scratch" dog... and while the end came quickly, I am glad we had some time to prepare for it and that he didn't suffer too much or for too long (ok, I seriously need a tissue right now... oy!  I should have known better than to go down that path again).

But I am certainly thankful we have Rocky... who was a particular comfort during that difficult time.  A character in an entirely different way, there is a lot to be said for having a dog who smiles... literally!   He is such a happy dog... and while he certainly exhausts us, there is probably not a day that he doesn't bring a smile to our faces.

And I am sure you all would be thankful if I got around to wrapping up this post!   So I am thankful for this outlet.  While this blog is an incredible wonderful and much needed outlet for me... it is made all the greater that people are reading it and enjoying it (or if not, having some reaction to it).   I am particularly thankful for the friends I have made because of it... though with two notable exceptions, I wish you all lived closer so we could go meet up for coffee or dinner or something!  (Update: Sorry if I made anyone paranoid, but the 'two notable exceptions' are my friends who already live in town!)

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving no matter how you are celebrating it or not... and wish that you have many, many things to be thankful for right now and in the days, weeks, months, years ahead! I'm guessing posts will be very light to non-existent until next week... see you on the flip side!

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.