73 posts from 2006

What is one of your addictions?
Submitted by Paperheart.

Definitely lip balm.  I cannot leave home without it.  I don't think it's an addiction more than a necessity.  Go figure.  Could be worse.

What's the best present you gave this year?

Probably the Nintendo Wii I gave my son.  He was so not expecting it, though he was really wanting it.  I pretended to not know a whole lot about it and that it was sold out everywhere so that he wouldn't suspect anything.  The look on his face when he opened the package was great!  We just returned home today after being at my parents' house for the past 5 days, and he's now downstairs with 3 neighborhood kids checking it out.

This may be the last entry I can make until after Christmas, so I'll try to make the best of it (a-hem).

What have I learned this week?  That I hate shopping when ther are more than 5 people in a store.  That I have no patience when it comes to drivers who don't know where they're going nor any idea how to get there.  That I have absolutely no patience to look for freakin' gift tags that I keep losing.  But most of all, I learned that people are not as easy to shop for as I thought they would be and parking during the holidays can be such a bitch.

However, I think I can finally get that much-deserved rest that I've been yearning for.  Tonight, the kid and I will head off to my parents' for the weekend and a couple days beyond.  I'll eat, sleep and be totally self-indulgent with the slothing around.  Then, tomorrow I'll be looking forward to coming back to my home.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going to my parents' house and hanging around for awhile.  However, after a couple days, I'm usually done.  Unfortunately, we'll be staying more than a couple days because my mother's birthday is the day after Christmas and, well, we can't just up and leave right away.  And, what really sucks is that they don't have a "hot spot" for my wireless internet connection so I can't even use my computer when I'm there.  I might as well hibernate.  (Which I think I will.)

Tomorow, they're supposed to have some Christmas shindig at the house.  I got a turkey for the occassion, but my mother told me it probably wasn't big enough.  The package says it serves 10-13.  Just how many people did they expect to have over?!  She couldn't tell me.  My dad couldn't tell me.  I think they didn't WANT to tell me.  I don't care, I mean, it's their house.  Sometimes, I get a little surly when there are people around...but if I'm prepared to be surly, it alleviates some of the anxiety.  So, I went out and got a bigger turkey.  I just hope I'm not forced to take 20 pounds of turkey leftovers home next week.  Then, you'll truly see surly!

Most of my presents are wrapped.  I need a couple of boxes I'm hoping to find at the parents' house for the last two presents.  Last I heard, they didn't even have a tree yet.  They've been out of town on vacation for the past couple or so weeks so they really didn't have the time to do the full-on decorating.  It should be interesting to see.  Got all the packages that I needed to send off to the post office the other day.  I'm hoping they will arrive at their destinations in a decent amount of time so that the recipients won't think I'm a huge loser and forgot about them this year.  Unfortunately, I didn't send the cards out.  The envelopes are a weird shiny material with which ink does not like to adhere.  No wonder the cards were so pretty (!) but cheap.  I'll have to get different envelopes so that I can send them out next year, perhaps.

I actually have not completed all my Christmas shopping.  I still need to get something for my hair stylist, Joe.  I am totally stumped as to what to get him...I am not sure why.  Just what do you get an Emmy Award winning hair stylist?  Yea, I'm sure I'll think of something.... (not!).

At any rate, what are holidays about but to fuss about and be with family and friends (or be with them in spirit if unable to be with them physically).  And, of course, the reason for the season.  Next week, I'll still have different challenges.  I'm sure people will still continue to piss me off, I'll still continue to piss my cat off, and I doubt I'll run out of other things to complain about. Oh joy!  So, until then -- Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

I think my head's going to explode.  After running around all morning doing the last (questionable) of my Christmas shopping, I had to rush to get the pizza I promised my son to his school by 1:00 and meet my parents at my house shortly thereafter.  It's the last day of school before the winter break and the kids are going to treat themselves (or rather I will treat them) to a non-school-issued pizza.  I went to two shopping centers earlier looking for something that no longer exists (Wii controllers) and I was fit to be tied.  Then I had this clever idea of calling ahead for the pizza so that all I needed to do was pick it up and swing by the school to drop it off.  Much, much, much to my dismay, when I arrived at said pizza shop, the dude at the counter had the cajones to tell me he didn't have my order.  I insisted I had just called it in and repeated the order.  He then promised it would be done in 6 minutes.  In the meantime, I though I'd go a couple of doors down to the beauty supply shop to pick up some shampoo.  Now that I'm on vacation, I don't really spend much time on my hair (and it shows).  It's usually various shades of outgrown this time of year and I really don't care.  However, the I-don't-care look is kind of growing on me.  Ha.

So, getting out of the little strip mall where the pizza joint, beauty supply, etc. was located was insane.  It took me twice the time to get to the school as it normally would, but the kids were glad to see me and I didn't take up too much of their 30-minute lunch (which is a rip-off since my 60-minute lunch days back when dinosaurs roamed the earth)!  I rush back to my house to meet my parents.  Usually, they'd just let themselves in, but since the new windows and doors, new locks had also been put in and they did not have the new key yet.  I got there just in time because it looked like they were ready to walk up.  After giving them stuff to take back to the house for the Christmas get-together this weekend, I was able to sit down and breathe a little.  Unfortunately, that short respite was waaay too brief. 

I tried wrapping the last of the presents and getting that ordeal over with when I FREAKIN' COULDN'T FIND THE EFFING GIFT TAGS!!!  AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!  Twenty-freakin-one gift tags that I had just bought and I couldn't find the effing things!!!  Grrrrr!!!  I looked everywhere.  I looked in bags that were already under the tree.  I looked in my closets.  I looked under the table!  No effing tags. (sigh)  Why did I know this would happen?  So now these last few presents have little yellow post-its on them with the name of the recipient.  Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame, lame!!

Just as I got done with the wrapping, I hear the thunderous sounds of 20 footsteps trudging toward the house.  My dear, sweet son had decided to invite 10 of his "closest" friends over for an after-school, winter break party at the house.  This was three hours ago. I think my head's going to explode.

I know most of his friends, and they are all good boys.  But you get 10-12 of them together in one room, and it's all utter chaos.  I don't mind the shouting, loud talking and yelling over the video games (after all, boys will be boys), but they have this "new" card game which requires them to pound on the dining room table like restless natives in combat.  From upstairs (where the cat and I have taken refuge), it sounded like bombs going off in the dining room. 

I came down a couple times to tactfully hint that that noise was rather annoying.  The first time, they explained that it's not really as loud as it sounds (well, come up here and listen to me pound for a few hours, sonny!).  The second time, I gave them the signal to "kill" the noise.  The boys that were playing the video games got it, the boys pounding the cards on the table (my dear, sweet child being one of them), apparently did not.  (SIGH)

What's this?  It has gotten considerably quiet. Unfortunately, they've infiltrated the upstairs now because I can hear voices in my son's room.  At least there are no bombs bursting in air.  Just my head exploding.

How do you take your tea or coffee?
Submitted by Vasquez.

Hot tea (oolong) or iced tea w/Spenda.  However, I do like the pre-sweetened raspberry iced tea that many restaurants serve, as well.  Coffee...ideally, 3 parts Kona coffee with 1 part chocolate-macadamia nut coffee and let's just say I like a little coffee in my cream (fat free, french vanilla, non-dairy)! MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm!  (Not that I'm particular or anything.)

Congrats - TIME Magazine voted you "Person of the Year"!  What's your acceptance speech?

I'd start by saying, "I'd like to thank all the little people..."

Ok, as much as I enjoy shopping, you might as well stick a fork in me because I'm done.  Well, I technically have 2 more presents to buy, but the joy of shopping has been replaced with the joy of vegging-out for me.  I got off to a slow start this morning at the mall.  Turns out half the population of So Cal is also on vacation and decided to go to Southcoast Plaza today.  I don't know if it's because I'm getting particular with the gifts I'm picking out these days, but 90 minutes into my jaunt, I still hadn't bought a thing and I was getting surly (ok, surlier than usual).  However, once I got going, I felt better.  What took the longest was figuring out what to give certain people.  I saw at least 1,000 great gift ideas for me but I wasn't shopping for myself (much to my dismay).

Now that I got most of it done, I still need to mail the items that need to travel.  Yea, I know Monday was the cut-off date, but my policy is "better late than never."  I meant to go to the post office this afternoon once I got home from the shopping trip, but I got tired and took a nap.  I also still have cards to send.  I actually bought cards in a timely manner and meant to send them accordingly...however, best intentions and all that.  I still may send them even though people will get them sometime after Christmas.  It's the thought that counts, right?!

I think tomorrow, I'll sleep in.  Oh yea, and go to the post office...

Are you throwing or attending a holiday party this year?  Any ideas/tips to share?

I skipped the office holiday party this year, but when I attended last year, I made sure I sat with people I enjoyed being with, ate, then promptly left when the "dancing" began.  Good times!

For someone who's on a 3 week vacation from work, I'm sure in quite the surly mood.  Probably becuase, like an idiot, I agreed -no, volunteered - to take some work home.  It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but now, I don't feel like doin' no stinkin' work!  Instead, what do I do?  I go Christmas shopping.

So, I thought it would be a good idea to head over to Costco on a Monday morning because 1) it isn't a weekend and 2) it's early in the day.  Boy, was I surprised at the shortage of parking I encountered.  I know I shouldn't have been, but I was.  Nevertheless, I went in and proceeded to do some serious shopping.  Much to my dismay, I didn't find anything I was looking for.  I was able to get 2 of the 11 presents I still had to get.  And, I spent $15 on toilet paper (albeit a 6-month supply, but still...). Not a terribly happy shopping experience.

Then, I decided to try Tarjay.  I had no delusions about this one -- the traffic on the street wasn't pleasant and the parking situation was a zoo, but I did manage to score a spot right up front.  And, to let you in on the inside joke between my mother and I, this means I needed to shop there all day to make the most of my close spot.  Well, I did have all day, but again, there really wasn't anything I wanted from the Targe.  I wandered the aisles, checked out their limited electronics section, their toy section, the housewares and the seasonal gift sections.  I ended up buying a toy for a friend's son, some candy and carmel-coated popcorn for myself, and some gift wrap and tags (which I always seem to run out of).  The package of tags I bought contains 21 tags.  I don't have that many gifts to tag at this point, but I guarantee you -- before I wrap my last gift, I will be short on tags. Happens every time.  But I digress.

I am going to try another shopping jaunt tomorrow.  I am going to the mall this time.  Wish me luck...

Do you have a nervous habit?
Submitted by Herding Cats.

Yes.  Several.