Happy Whatever

We had a nice time at d'Mum's. Saturday p.m. was spent at Bro#1's place. In attendance were Bro, SIL, Mum, niece-in-law and her rugrat (hubby had to work), Eli and myself. We had a nice turkey dinner and opened some prezzies (Bro and his family have always done it Christmas Eve). SIL gave me a nice red vase and Bro gave me the weirdest gift: cheap pad of stationary paper (with a "cute" kitten on it) and envelopes. I have no idea what he was thinking. I mean, it's nice enough but totally out of left field. NIL gave me a pretty porcelain Lennox box with holly and berries on it. Anyway, a nice time was had by all. Oh, and the ornaments I made were a hit.

Sunday a.m. I managed to wait 'til 7:30 to get Mum & Eli up to see what Satan Santa had brought to us.

From Eli: ten dvds (yes, 10!) most of which were on my "want" list (best of the bunch: Romeo and Juliet), a beautiful short sleeved sweater, a fleece "lounging about the house" sweater, a glass bee window ornament hanging thingie, a scarf (brown chenille) to go with my new-ish jacket, pink chenille slipper-socks and two pairs of Christmas socks (they were in my stocking).

From Mum: a beehive shaped tin filled with Bit-O-Honey and a bee magnet, a new bird-feeder with extra seed (that was for both Eli and myself), toys for the wee beasties and a $30 Border's gift certificate. I used the gift certificate to buy the collector's edition of Charlotte's Web and a calendar (olde-tyme posters with cats on them, suitable for framing at a later date, link is to cached version of the site).

Lots of kewl loot, eh? We didn't bother to shower or get dressed Saturday. We had breakfast, watched Die Hard (I got Eli the boxed trilogy), had a nap, watched Die Hard 2, had dinner, watched Die Hard 3. What a rough day.

Monday Eli and I went to Border's (to spend the aforementioned gift certificate). Bro showed up about 2 p.m. and whilst Mum started lunch dinner lunner (Tex-Mex, yum!) Bro, Eli and I chatted about EverQuest. After lunner, Bro and I proceeded to wipe the floor with Mum's and Eli's arses as we won three out of three cribbage games. Although I remain the Cribbage Queen, I now have to share my crown.

I hope each of you had a Happy Whatever as well.

You Think?

I am: 22% Republican.

"You're probably one of those people who still thinks that getting a blowjob is not an impeachable offense."

Are You A Republican?

[ via ]

Just Because

I like this gif. That is all.

Happy Winter Solstice!

I'm so glad the days will grow longer from here on out. I like winter and the cool weather but the days are way too short.

I finally was able to get the last bits to finish up the ornaments I'm giving as gift. I'm never doing that again. It would have been much cheaper and easier to just buy the damned things.

And I got all of my xmas shopping done. Yay me! Spent a bit more than budgeted but that's the way the cookie crumbles, eh?

[ Sun from unSungArt ]

Yet Another Anniversary

Six years ago today, Eli and I met for the first time. It seems like a long time ago and yesterday at the same time. Weird, eh?

I opened my birthday card from Eli and this fell out:



I married a smartass. Really, though, I found it funny. It's sitting on my monitor shelf thingie. I was amazed to find a picture of the button online. I ♥ Google.

We went to the park Christmas party last night. We were there about an hour and a half. That was just enough time. We met up with our ex-neighbours and sat with them. There was lots of food and snack-type thingies. We had already eaten but Eli filled up a plate with sweet stuff. Yummm. There was a present raffle as well. Eli bought six tickets for two bucks at the last minute. We ended up with two presents. The first one was a 1,ooo,ooo candle power rechargeable spotlight. Damn, that thing can blind you. The box says it's visible up to one mile. The second present was a bottle of sparkling white wine (La Scala Spumante). I have no idea if it's any good or not. I did a Google on it and it's pretty much the lowest price-wise. I found one review at ePinions and it was favourable. Anyway, beggers can't be choosers and all that.

Eli is going gift shopping for me today. I'll be working on making ornaments for gifts. Finally. I've had the stuff for days 'n' days but can't seem to work up any enthusiasm. Ah well, nothing like the last minute, eh?

To Me

Ol' Bugger

Yesterday was Eli's birthday. He's 55. Yeah, I married an ol' fart. Not really, he's like me - very kid-like. Anyway, it was very low key. I bought him a couple cards (always two - one funny and one serious) and a birthday cake. We don't usually do birthday cakes so I thought one would be a nice surprise. And it was. There would normally be gifts but since funds are short due to the trip back to Ontario, we're combining birthday (mine is Thursday), anniversary (five years December 2) and Christmas gifts into just Christmas gifts.

A friend of ours works at Rona (similar to Home Depot) and last night was "Friends and Family" discount night. Eli wants a 18 volt cordless drill/screwdriver but even with the discount it was out of our budget. And we didn't really find much else to buy so it was a bust, but it was fun just wandering around.

I've just about got our Christmas cards done. I need a few addresses for Eli's side of the family (and this time, I swear I'm going to put them in my Outlook address thingie!), Eli needs to sign them and we'll be all done.

Our Christmas swag is up. Swag rather than tree, if y'all remember, due to the cats and room. It looks nice. I'll try to get photos taken and posted (can't find the old photos) soon.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

A Christmas Story told in 30 seconds, by bunnies. Yeah, bunnies.

Our nice neighbours just moved. They're still here in the park but in a better site and I'm quite jealous. The new site has a much larger yard and better parking to boot. I'm still closer to the laundry room, though - neener neener neener.

South Park Me

For whatever reason I've revisited the South Park Character Generator.


A fairly realistic me. Well, as realistic as you can get with SP.


Goth me. Well, if I had ever gone Goth... I had to tweak this one a bit. Her hair came out around the top and upper sides of the hat and I couldn't have that. I also mirrored/flipped the graphic so she'd be looking the other way.

I did an Eli version as well:



Oh, and look here.

Putting the "Fun" Back in Dysfunctional

Today is Eli's second day back to work. He's doing okay. What I'm finding odd is that he's showing more emotion with his father's death than he did with his mum's. I'm guessing it's because his mum lived on borrowed time for the last 40 years or so. Dad's passing was so unexpected and therefore more shocking. Well, at least that makes sense to me.

I told one of my sisters-in-law that Dad's passing means more to me than my own father's ever will. As it turns out she feels the same. Her father was (he's dead) as much a loser as mine is. Dysfunctional families unite!

The service was nice, not overly religious which is a plus because Dad wasn't. The "viewings" the previous day were a little awkward. Mostly because of not knowing the people visiting and my own shyness. And as it turns out the family didn't know many of the people who showed up. Dad had a lot of friends that were unknown to them. Ah well. I hung around the (my!) grandkids, mostly. They did really well especially considering their ages (six and nine). I put "viewings" in quote marks for a reason. Dad was cremated right away. His remains were placed in a nice oak urn and that was on display rather than a body to ogle. I'm grateful for that. Having Dad's body on display would've been too much. Oddly enough, my daughter-in-law said she prefers a body. It gives her a better sense of closure, I guess. Well, to each his/her own.

Thanks to my daughter-in-law I figured out what I'm doing for family gifts. In this month's Martha Stewart's Kids magazine there are ornaments made of buttons and pipe cleaners. They look really cute, and better yet, cheap to make. (Oooh, I just checked out that link. There are several more ideas for handmade ornaments. Cool!) Anyway, so I'll get the stuff for those this weekend and get to work on them. The ornament and a candy "thingie" will be it for the local gift giving*. I don't mail gifts to the rest of the family. I did that for several years without a "thank you" or "kiss my ass" so fuck 'em. They're lucky they still get cards.

*Last year's gifts were nice brass deer ornaments. Guys got gold coloured deer, gals got silver deer. Everyone also got a chocolate-candy-thing that was his/her first initial. I'm hoping to find the same thing this year.

Oh, we didn't get the promised snow. We also didn't get the promised sunshine. Well, the sunshine showed up today, finally.

Home

We got home at just before 7:00 p.m. last night. I don't think I've ever been so grateful to be home. It was a long, rough week. Although, in spite of the reason for being in Ontario, we had a good visit. It was wonderful to see people I hadn't seen in four years. Eli's son and his family were there, too. We saw them recently (August), but even so, the grandkids seem to have grown several inches.

The wee beasties seem to be glad that we're home. They snuggled close last night to sleep and are really underfoot this morning.

Oh, and we came back to snow. Our neighbours said there was a good storm on Thursday and it's still sticking around. It's snowing today and we're supposed to get 10 to 15 centimeters. It looks something like this.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Snow

We're still at home. We're scheduled to fly out tomorrow morning. It just works better for flying schedules and, frankly, it costs less. It may seem a little odd to be concerned about $200 right now but that's where we are. Half of that savings is going for an upgrade in the rental car. It will snow while we're in Ontario and a bigger car will, hopefully, help.

It's supposed to snow somewhere between 5 and 10 centimeters tomorrow morning. That'll be fun for driving to the airport and taking off. On top of everything else, I (actually, we) haven't flown since 9/11. And, oddly enough, we were in Ontario when that happened (we were able to fly out the Friday after the bombings). Needless to say, I'm a wee bit nervous about the whole thing.

Grieving

The trip down to the extended family Turkey Day went well. Mum and I had a really nice time and met some more extended family. Friday we went back to Mum's place. I called Eli while we were eating breakfast. He sounded a bit distressed and said he'd talk to me when he got to Mum's that evening. We ended up having another phone conversation because he was worried that I thought something was wrong between the two of us. I was concerned, of course, but it hadn't occurred to me that it might be something I had done. Anyway, it wasn't.

Eli's oldest brother called Thursday night and told Eli that their father was in hospital and had been there since the beginning of the week. Dad had an infection of some sort and had been on antibiotics for a while. We don't know yet whether the drugs or something else had given Dad diarrhoea. Anyway, the oldest brother had visited Dad and noticed his weakened condition and took him to hospital. He was admitted and some tests were run. It also happened that they found a clot in his heart and damaged heart valves (Dad had five bypasses earlier this year).

Jump to Saturday. Mum, Eli, Bro#1 and his wife and I were at the Seattle Museum of Art for the Tiffany exhibit. The rest of us had gotten a bit ahead of Eli. I wandered back to a previous room and there he was looking kind of lost. I wandered up and poked him in the side and asked him if he was lost. Eli turned to me with a stunned look and tears in his eyes. He choked out that his younger brother called to tell him that their father had just passed away. I hugged him for a couple minutes and told him to go downstairs and that after I told Mum what was going on I'd catch up to him. The rest of the family gave us a few minutes downstairs before catching up to us.

We're flying out tomorrow sometime for the service which will be held Wednesday or Thursday, per Eli's oldest brother. We'll probably be staying at Dad's house.

Dad also had a cat. If there's no one else available to take him, we'll bring him home with us.

In spite of Dad's previous heart problems, this has been a shock to everyone. He had been doing so well. Hug your loved ones and let them know you love them.

I don't really know how to end this post. It'll be quiet here for the next week or so.

On Her Way

Mum called at 8:30 a.m. to let me know she was on her way out the door (that gives me about 1½ hours to get my shit together). Anyway, I realized that this is the first time I've actually missed her since I was a teenager. (No, I'm not going to tell her, I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings.) It's been about three months since we've seen each other. There have been much longer gaps between visits so the timing isn't the culprit. I'm not sure why this is. And I really don't know what this says about myself.

Time for breakfast.

Weirdosity

Weird dream last night:

I'm with a group of people that have been gathered up into one place by another group of people. We're loaded into tram-like vehicles and start moving along. I'm very suspicious of this second group's intentions. More and more people are added to the tram. Eventually a cloth cover of some sort is draped over the tram. I keep saying something about this all being wrong and these "people" aren't what they seem. I kind of fade out for a moment and then we're in a different place. They pull off the cover and we're allowed out of the tram to wander about. Out of the corner of my eye I notice something in the sky. It's Earth. I knew it! We continue wandering about and I notice the kids in the group are gradually disappearing. I comment on this and then people start getting concerned. Um, hello? We've been kidnapped to another planet and now you're getting concerned?! Dimwits. We run across this other group that seems rather confrontational yet friendly. A couple people in that group says to leave us alone and they seem to focus on one member of their group. They tell her to not forget that she was once human. "Once human"? Uh oh. Time to leave. But wait! A couple guys show up and say that it's my turn, that I'm really special and the only adult they're taking. I wailed something about how I always end up being picked up by the ugly guys. And then I woke up.

Do I have the dooziest dreams or what?

The RV is sparkling. Why yes, Mum is coming to visit. How did you ever guess? It's just an overnighter. She's taking me with her to visit some family for Turkey Day. We'll be back to her house Friday sometime and Eli will join us there. He's taking Monday off. It would be nice to have him there for the whole thing but one day is all he can take at the moment.

And yes, I've moved again. I'm just not using my webspace enough to justify the cost. In spite of that, it's really not the money (it costs about $45 per year to keep going - hosting and URL renewal). Eli has said the money spent on it is fine (remember - he's the money maker, I'm unemployed) and not to worry. I can't justify using money this way to myself - I feel guilty when I can do it for free. Does that make sense? Anyway, between Blogger and Flickr I should be satisfied with my online presence.

100+ Things

01. Deborah

02. December 15

03. Sagittarian

04. Year of the Horse

05. Female

06. Reddish-brown w/silver, short

07. Dark bluish-grey

08. 5'4"

09. MYOB

10. Glasses

11. Tattoo #1: bee and flower on inside of left ankle

12. American in Canada

13. Married December 2, 2000 to Eli

14. No kid(s), ever

15. Heretic

16. Pale pink, silvery green

17. Cheerios

18. Sarah McLachlan, Evanescence, Jann Arden, Dixie chicks, '80s

19. Star Wars, Last of the Mohicans, costume dramas

20. Mexican, Italian, Chinese
(I haven't had good Mexican food since I left California)

21. Diet Coke w/lime

22. Autumn

23. Early morning

24. Pale pink roses

25. Jeep Wrangler - white

26. Silver, white gold, pink gold

27. Cats and dogs

28. Amethysts

29. Irish Breakfast tea - coffee smells wonderful, but tastes icky

30. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate

31. 4 brothers

32. I'm next to the youngest

33. I always wished I was (were?) a single child or adopted

34. I went to 8 schools growing up

35. capitals are over-rated

36. I met my husband on the internet

37. In a chat room

38. I've been online since May 15, 1999

39. INFP

40. Bookworm

41. Favourites - Dune series, Outlander series, Kushiel series, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

42. Pathologically shy

43. I suffer from SAD - Social Anxiety Disorder

44. And diabetes which was discovered in my first ever physical at 34

45. I applied April 2001 to become a Landed Immigrant in Canada

46. Survivor addict

47. I haven't spoken to my father since 1987 (tried again 08/05 - he ignored me)

48. Born and raised in Southern California

49. Moved to Texas in 1994

50. Moved to Washington in 1999

51. Moved to Canada in 2000

52. I've been to 5 countries
(America, England, Scotland, Mexico & Canada)

53. I've been to 11 states
(California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois & New York)

54. I've been to 3 provinces
(British Columbia, Ontario & Quebec)

55. Deborah means bee in Hebrew

56. I collect "bee" things

57. I was 8 when I broke my left arm

58. I was pissed-off because it was all scraped up and I couldn't wear a cast

59. I fell out of a neighbours' tree

60. I have seen 3 "Stonehenges"
The original and 2 psuedo - one in Texas & one in Washington

61. I've been to Avalon (Glastonbury Tor)

62. I believe in magic

63. I was in the chorus in Bye, Bye Birdie in junior high school

64. Tattoo #2: eye of Horus on outside of right ankle

65. Addicted to The Sims (see below)

66. I can swim

67. I am also addicted to our cable internet access

68. I've received two traffic tickets (speeding & illegal passing)

69. I'll never jump out of a perfectly good airplane

70. It broke my heart when Watterson discontinued Calvin and Hobbes

71. I love long, hot showers and rarely take baths

72. I didn't wear makeup until my early twenties

73. I love orange juice but can't eat them because the pith makes me gag

74. I am supposedly allergic to vitamin C

75. I haven't had a problem with it since I was an infant

76. The only thing I've ever won is a Max Headroom t-shirt

77. I make kick-ass spaghetti

78. My garlic bread is even better

79. I've thrown up in public

80. It was in elementary/grade school, I had heat stroke

81. In my purse:
wallet, Excedrin Migraine, brush, Burt's Beeswax lip balm, lipstick, compact, cell phone, pen, notepaper, gum, keys, passport & Maple Card

82. I am also allergic to peanuts, but only in mass quantities

83. In spite of having no kids, I am a grandmother of two

84. I have a step-son

85. He's only four years younger than myself

86. I hate shoes

87. I want to be a photographer when I grow up

88. I want to learn to play the violin

89. I want to learn to speak Japanese

90. I dislike math

91. I wish I were a better writer

92. I am alone most of the time

93. Most of the time that's okay

94. Sometimes I'm desperately lonely

95. When I was a kid I wanted to be a cop

96. I have no idea what in hell I was thinking

97. I used to be afraid of the Easter Bunny because he could get inside the house

98. For some reason Santa Claus didn't scare me

99. In my immediate family (parents & brothers) I am the only one not to have been in jail

100. I can't believe that I finally reached 100 things

101. I love dandelions

102. Eli and I adopted two kittens (Abigail & Oliver, May 16, 2003)

103. I've had an online journal since June 4, 2001

104. I'm thoroughly convinced that if I could get over my shyness I would be an awesome actor

105. Anything over 75 degrees Fahrenheit is too hot

106. I love to curse

107. shitpissdamnhellmotherfuckingcocksucker

108. I almost drowned once

109. It's the closest I've been to death

110. Except when I used to get tonsilitis on a regular basis

111. I was physically and sexually abused as a child

112. The first record I bought on my own was Air Supply

113. I can't dance

114. I got my nose pierced in August 2003

115. As of June 29, 2004 - I am a Landed Immigrant in Canada

116. I've remembered that I have won a few dollars here and there

117. I'm addicted to EverQuest (MMORPG)

118. I am currently taking meds for depression (Effexor and Wellbutrin)

119. I don't care who knows

120. If I talk about it, it's possible I'll help lessen the stigma against depression and taking meds

121. I'm no longer playing The Sims or Sims2 (not until I get more RAM)

123. Sweetened iced tea is icky; lemon only, please

124. I spend way too much time at MetaFilter & Metachat

125. If I can't be a photographer, I want to be a librarian

126. I have no money to go to school to become a librarian

127. Since I have no money I'd like to work in a bookstore

128. I'm not employed currently (see #118)

This post is subject to changes, rearrangements, redactions and additions. Do not bend, fold, spindle or mutilate. Not available in Quebec, Kentucky and/or Poland. Void where prohibited by law. No animals were hurt in the typing of this post.

Obligatory Test Post

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.