Happy New Year?!

I guess.

I'm mostly looking forward to the new year 'cause it holds the promise of getting the hell /out/! Having our own place, with only myself and Andi and my cat to worry about. Oh - heck, and the fish too. It's a nice idea.

*sighs* May be a while, of course.
No, I haven't updated yet. But that's definitely on the list of Shit To Deal With - assuming I don't wind up hips deep this weekend.


... .Y'know, it occurs to me there ain't a hell of a lot to look forward to in the coming year. We still have a power-mongering, money-grubbing, war-hound for a president, we still have a unemployment list a mile and a half long, the US is still in record debt (with no signs it'll go away in my lifetime...), and there are over a million people dead in a natural disaster that we're /still/ reading about in the ruddy paper - with every expectation that it Will Get Worse. Hm. And no mention of the /other/ umpteen million dead because of shit we pulled. *grump* I love my country. It's the people in charge I'm not too keen on.
Which reminds me. Support the military. Enlist. Or, if you can't for whatever reason, Thank a Vetran.
This public service announcement is brought to you by all those gods-damned yellow ribbons.

*grump*
Oh well. It's a new year. I can hope something will change, and we'll drag ourselves out of the muck we're mired in and demonstrate that we're really /not/ a nation of asshats. Either that, or Andi and I will move to Canada, and they can kiss my ass. ;p

And in the aftermath...

Also known as, what'd you get, and how many people went 'Ooo!' in your direction?

We did good. I came out of it with a handful of books, a comp game (that I am actually playing - I'm liking this..) a set of woodworking tools (also known as a /serious/ set of X-acto knives - YES!) and a copy of the Gargoyles first season on DVD!
Mom was very pleased with Perquacky - we later discovered that if it's her and me playing, a 5,000 score ending comes /way/ too fast - and the rest of her pile was very well recieved. ^^ (Among other things - Santa found her some blue glass 'raindrops' - she's slowly amassing a collection of raindrops and dolphins - she was very pleased. I need to remember to lend her the clear monofilament so she can make hangers for them)
There were a lot of books thrown around. Andi got a couple of gaming books, I got a trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen, by Garth Nix - I recommend.) Mom and Ladd both walked out with paperbacks (Mom's was a new copy of the one she lost at the train station a couple weeks ago - neat. ^^) Uncle Leslie got a book on writting CSS (Or whatever that scripting language is that lets you write pages without using tables for design) ... of all of us, I think Uncle Iain was the only one to walk out without a book. I think. Could be wrong.

Anyway - dinner was a success - Mom managed to get her hands on a roast with fat on it (two, technically - so we have one for another time...) and so we had roast beef, with roast potatoes and yorkshire, and steamed veggies, with a plum pudding for dessert. (Not bad, but Mom's threatening to /make/ one - it wasn't up to her standards. The lack of suet probably had a lot to do - it was a 'vegetarian safe' plum pudding.. O.o) Crackers were yanked (we're still sort of chuckling over the fake mustache that Andi wound up with..)

And I'm just now getting over the urge to growl, snarl and generally be uncivilised to get people to leave me alone. (Actually, that's got more to do with having had to go out earlier and chase all over the place to sort shit out...) I may get into all the /other/ stuff that needs done - I just have to figure out what all of it is..

Why'm I pissed off about having to go out? Well ... lesse. The USPS is having issues - Andi sent his passport down to the embassy in Friso, via registered mail. He did this last week - according to the lady in the post office, it got there yesterday. According to the Embassy in Frisco as of this morning, it wasn't there yet. This might have to do with the holiday mailing issues, or it might have to do with the airline baggage handlers 'Sick out' (Sounds like something one does to a child who's maybe swallowed poison..) - either way, it ain't there.
Yet. That we know of. So, while we were out today, we hit the bank, to have a 'lost passport form' signature notarized, Safeway, to get the damn thing faxed, then the UPS store to have the SoB sent out Express Second Day (should be there tomorrow before noon..) and then, finally, the post office to find out /their/ end.
*thunk*
However, we managed to get a few other things accomplished too, so I guess it was a success - sort of. O.o
We're still not amused. I think I'm going to go immerse myself in Neverwinter Nights for a while. If I'm /really/ effective, maybe I can drag Andi in with me ..... Either that, or I'll bounce gnomes. ^^

Happy Holidays..!

Ahh... the holidays. A time to relax with family, enjoy meals in their company, and act nicely to people when you'd /really/ rather bite their heads off.

I make no bones about hating the commercial holidays, the Christmas Extravaganza Last Minute Sales and all that bull - but I love the holidays. The time with family (at least until I can't stand to be around 'em anymore and run off to hide..) and the food and the looks on their faces as they open gifts... I'm into it.
Thing is - most of the /nice/ things I do for people, like hold doors and stuff - I do that all year 'round. I fake 'friendly and polite' very nicely, and I can hold a conversation with a complete stranger for at /least/ a minute in the checkout line with no problems.

And I /hate/ people. No, really, I do. I'd like to think the best of them, but in general (particularly when I've nearly been rear-ended, side-swiped or backed into.. or just nearly /run over/..) I hate people. Especially around Christmas - they all retreat into holiday 'manners', acting sweet and nice and /human/ - and after New Years - it's gone.
This, I don't get. If not for the fact that there very obviously /are/ people who do that kind of thing all year round, season or no, I'd probably turn into the world's worst grinch. *shaking head*

Anyway. I'm sitting in a houseful of people, three cats umpteen fish and a snake (Uncle Leslie brought Snavely the Ball Python with him this time... cool!) having minor amounts of stress trying to figure out where to put the stuff that is currently taking up the space I plan on putting hte tree up in, how to get the table /cleared/ before Yule and wondering exactly how many people are actually going to /want/ oatmeal for breakfast Saturday morning. (Hey, it's a tradition for me. It's a tradition I /like/. Soemthing about .. oh, nevermind.. Suffice to say, it's a Good Thing from my point of view. I'm not sure Mom gets it, though..) Mental note. Take up a camera collection and make sure that everyone's got at least one... ^^

This is fun. It'd probably freak me out if we did it regularly, but as a one off, it's fun. ^^

*grumble*

Well, I /was/ planning on going out today, but Mom made off with the car...

Have to wait for Monday. That includes the mailing of packages that I'd intended to get out today - sorry, Lutra. >.<

Oh well. I /did/ get a major scan-party done - details in the Creative Vortex as usual - and that will probably be cue for a large /update/. ^.~

Nothin' else much happenin' - Andi's been called in for a job interview next Wenesday and had one a couple of days ago, and The Interview is sceduled for Jan 4 - bout damn time. ^^
I'm attempting to make sense of the living room, since I have to squeeze one uncle and a tree into it for two weeks. I think I can pull it off - I just have to move a lot of things around, and maybe box up some books. *pause* We have half a libraries' worth, and the only rooms that do /not/ contain books are the bathrooms and possibly some closets. Everywhere else, there's at /least/ one. Usually more. *sigh* Maybe we're up to another trip to the used bookstore....

I should probably go see who's doing what about dinner - I've been up here scanning and playing and generally having a good time with my art - it's probably time to do something productive.. ^.~

Holidays ...

It's starting.
Across the street, they've already got their lights up - nice white lights. No flashing, chasing busybusybusy stuff. Nice.

And I grabbed Andi and went tree-hunting. I was anticipating a lot of chasing around, but we found a nice little tree at the first place we went, and I snatched it up. Are we pleased? You-betcha.
Mom just looked at me and said, "Are you /joking/?"
I just shrugged and pointed out that I'm the one who puts it up and takes it down every year. If I'm going to fight a tree, at least it will be a /real/ tree, even if it has been trimmed down to a fare-thee-well and what not. And I will come out of the battle smelling of Noble Fir rather than cheap imitation. ^^
(Besides, my uncle's coming up from Missouri to spend Yule with us this year. It's /worth/ it to have a real tree for his visit. ^^)

Now all I have to do is find a nice set of napkins. The set I bought Mom for Mother's day a few years back only has four in it - and they're blue. So I'll have to find something else. *evil grin* I have an excuse. My uncle is coming up and this will be the first Yule we've had together since I can't remember when. So. /I/ am going to splurge a little as I can.
Mom said she'd get a roast - enough roast to feed six will probably be a splurge all on it's own - so I might as well arrange for a nice table to go with it. Hee!

I'm finding I like to fuss a bit on special occasions. It's fun. It's a little weird ... but it's /fun/. And I enjoy it - I don't really mind cleaning up after it. Although I sense I'm going to have some trouble arranging a center-piece. *mumble*
We've got a /big/ table, but I don't want to take up a quarter of it with the middle while we're shoe-horning six people in around it. ^^;

All of which means I'm behind again. Still. Probably perpetually until the holidays are over and the fancy stuff's been re-stowed in the attic. Hopefully, without anyone banging their head on the door-lintel. ^^

No. I am /not/ getting any mistletoe. ;p (Well, not unless Andi asks.. ^.~)