The Mixed Feelings Vacation

Getting ready to take a few days of vacation time. I try to do it at this time of year when the kids are out of school and there isn't a great deal of programming going on at the library. Last year, I spent my entire Christmas vacation deathly ill. This one has got to be better, almost by default...knock on wood.
As much as I need the time off, and of course want to spend time with my children, a part of me always sorts of dreads vacation time. First, being at home more leads to more possible interactions with WTG and especially lately that is NOT a good thing. Secondly, when I am home the kids would like for me to take them fun, exciting places. I know the best things in life are free, but they prefer things that...well...aren't. Right now, I am maxed out from the seasonal shopping. I don't like to disappoint them and be a boring mom, but I know they wish for more excitment when I am home all day. But let me not dwell on that. Let me appreciate that I will have 10 days to not think of work or school...10 days of some extra sleep...10 days of just being there for everyone as I can't usually be.

I hope you all have a truly wonderful Christmas or whatever winter holiday you might enjoy. And a Happy New Year.
See you again on Tuesday, January 2, 2007.

xo, l.b.

What Kind of Holiday Food Are You?

One final holiday quiz, just because they are so fun...

You Are a Yule Log

While you do have holiday spirit, you have a secret, heathen past.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Christmas Meme

Double grabbed from Furtive Wangler and Eclectic Spaghetti.

Yes, it is a Christmas meme that even a Grinch can appreciate!


1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate, no question.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He is a wrapper, unless it is, you know, like a bike or something ginormous like that...

3. Coloured lights on tree/house or white? Colored lights on the tree and the house.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Some years. Not this year.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Some things will go up at the beginning of the month, but I usually don't put up the tree until about a week before or so.

6. What is your favourite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Figgy pudding. No, just kidding. I don't know what that is but it sounds disgusting. I guess it would be the white chili I make with leftover turkey.

7. Favourite holiday memory as a child? That moment when my parents let my sister and I open the hall door and enter the livingroom on Christmas morning.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What do you mean?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We do our big family party on Christmas eve and open presents from people that we won't see the next day. On Christmas morning it is mostly immediate family gifts and Santa stuff.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Colorful lights and mostly ornaments that my kids have made at school over the years. All those sweet construction paper with school photo inserted stars and houses and boxes...

11. Snow. Love it or hate it? It doesn't snow where I live, so when I go visit it deliberately I love it.

12. Can you ice skate? I can skate, but I'm not used to it so my ankles get sore.

13. Do you remember your favourite gift? One that stands out in my memory was the Charlie MrCarthy ventriloquist dummy that I got one year. I loved that guy!

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being with all of the family.

15. What's your favourite holiday dessert? I like it when someone opens a box of See's. Simplicity baby!

16. What is your favourite holiday tradition? Everyone in the house needing to be awakened on Christmas morning and entering the livingroom to open presents all together.

17. What tops your tree? An angel with pretty filiment lights.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? As a grown up I have come to appreciate the joy of giving. It is very gratifying to be able to make someone happy by showing that I was thinking of them.

19. What is your favourite Christmas song? I like Aimee Mann's rendtion of You're a Mean One, Mr Grinch.

20. Candy canes? Yes, certainly. They are delicious and refreshing!

21. Favourite Christmas movie? I guess my number one is A Christmas Story.

22. What do you leave for Santa? Milk and cookies. When my kids were small I started crushing up shredded wheat and putting it in little baggies and calling it reindeer food. Each kid would get a bag to spread out on the front lawn for the reindeer before they went to bed. My youngest son will still participate with me, maybe just to be nice :-)

A - Z Meme

I tagged myself over at Comedienne's Sidekick...thank you Rachel :-)

A- Available or taken? Available
B- Best Friend? Milly
C- Cake or Pie? Cake
D- Drink of Choice? Hot coffee or cold Dr. Pepper
E- Essential Item? Something to read
F- Favorite Color? Blue
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Bears, for sure.
H- Hometown? La Puente, CA was where I grew up.
I- Indulgence? Sleeping in when I can.
J- January or February? February, because of my birfday
K- Kids and names? Four sons and one daughter. See their names in my profile :-)
L- LIfe is incomplete without? Friends
M- Marriage Date? I don't think about this anymore.
N- Number of Siblings? One sister
O- Oranges or apples? Apples
P- Phobias/Fears? Heights is my main one.
Q- Favorite Quote? Thats what she said! (from The Office)
R- Reason to Smile? Happy children.
S- Season? Summer...all hot and sweaty.
T- Tag three people! Like Rachel, I won't tag anyone. If you want to do it, consider yourself tagged.
U- Unknown Fact About Me? I can still do splits.
V- Vegetable you hate? Most of them cooked. I like some of them raw.
W- Worst habit? Not asserting myself
X- X-Rays you've had? I had one on my spine for my pre-employment screening...dental ones...thats about it.
Y- Your favorite food? Pasta with cream sauce, sundried tomatos, and pine nuts from Macaroni Grill.
Z- Zodiac? Aquarius

Haiku #125

Cute Kristy Parish
An all-American girl
I thought you were swell

Time to Post the Festivus Song Again!

This is a song that some friends and I made up a couple of years ago to celebrate the very special alternative to traditional winter holidays. Enjoy.

The Festivus Song

Now it's time for Festivus
a holiday for the rest of us
no dreidel to spin
or fat guy creepin' in
a season that quickly ends
gather your family and friends
this part is the most fun
tell each and every one
how this last trip round the sun
every wrong thing that they've done
has really let you down
but no need to wear a frown
beeeee--caaaaaause
---- now it's time for Festivus ...

Now it's time for Festivus
A holiday for the rest of us.
No big ticket items
Or games of gelt hide 'ems
Its no festival of unity
But you'll speak with impunity
Call your dad and mother
Invite your sis and brother
Tell 'em what you REALLY think
Bottoms up, lets have a drink
Spread the ugly truth around
Cry, if you must, without a sound
Beeeeeeeee-caaaaaaause
---Now its time for Festivus.....

Now it's time for Festivus
a Holiday for the rest of us
We'll gather round the festive pole
an icon of majestic length
and stretch and flex as we prepare
the challenge of the feats of strength
We'll feast as friends who hate us
are preparing to berate us
we gather for this yearly meal
with family we'd like not to see
why subject ourselves to this ordeal?
because, you putz, the chow is free
Beeeeeeeeeeee-caaaaaaaaaause (gasp)
----- now it's time for Festivus!......

Now is the time for Festivus
a holiday for the rest of us
but keep us far away from mistletoe
because we really don't trust Uncle Joe
and big expensive gifts for kids are poxes
because they end up playing with the boxes
you know that you can count on sweetie's mom
to tell you why your turkey was a bomb
while in the den Ed, Bill and Walter stare
as if a football game were on the air
you're tired of each other -- that much is clear
and so you smile and wave "Same Time Next Year"
beeeeeeeeee-cauuuuuuuuuuse
---- now it's time for Festivus! . . .

And now, it is the time for Festivus,
A holiday made for the rest of us.
Blow out the pilot light and crank up the stove,
Insert your head and reunite with Jove.
Beware the cars carreening to and fro,
don't sin too much, and don't eat yellow snow.
The carolers evoke a thoughtful grin--
One well aimed .22 will damp their din.
The yule log burns, it is a merry light
It's Presto scent's like smoking Samsonite.
The guests are gussied up, so no one knows
that Uncle Fred has cankers on his nose.
And all those joys abound with little fuss
Because it is the time of festivus.


Verse one by Rich W
Verse two by wildblue
Verse three by - Poppaspank -
Verse four by Stephen lyonheart Lewis
Verse Five by John H. Spencer

See if you can figure out which one I am by a process of elimination :-)

Am I a Grinch?

No surprise here I'm afraid :-)

You're a Total Grinch

Ouch! You make the Grinch seem like Santa Claus. Holidays definitely aren't your thing. Just relax, and create your own tradition. Even if it's drinking spiked hot chocolate and heckling carolers.

Are You a Grinch?

And the Parties Continue

This morning we had the Holiday Breakfast party for library staff. This is not the big city party, you see, it is for the library. Uh huh. Anyway, there was a new caterer this year and they didn't do an omelette bar. That was the whole point of the breakfast for me, so I was quite disappointed by the pan of souffle they set out, alongside some fruit salad and croissants. Oh, the troubles I have seen! haha!
Oh well, in addition to breakfast we also do a cheapie gift exchange. We play that game where you get to choose a present, then the next person can take what you opened away from you or choose a new, unopened present and so on. When it was my turn I took a Target gift card away from a co-worker...but then someone else took it from me. Gift cards and cash are the hardest things to hold on to. Then I ended up with an electronic sudoku game. Not a huge fan and although I gave it hard thought I couldn't think of anyone to regift to. Drat. Luckily though, the museum curator needed a gift for a cousin, said she'd love it, and traded me her two packs of nice Gevalia coffee for it. Yay! In case you were curious, what I brought was a Starbucks gift card and I assure you, it was quite the belle of the ball ;-)
Tomorrow is my Friday off work and unfortunately I have big shopping plans. I get my check today, so I am determined that after tomorrow I will be completely done with my Christmas shopping for another glorious year. Wish me luck.

Haiku #124

D'Arcy you were cool
But went too far with the whole
Attempt to be deep

Of Small Monkeys and Awkward Positions

I was extremely bored while at the desk earlier today and was glancing through a local paper that has tons of DBAs. One that caught my eye said that an individual is doing business as Tiny Monkey Don't Squat. I admit, my curiosity was piqued. What kind of business would you be conducting under that name? It boggles the imagination.

Haiku #123

I loved David Seal
Kissing him in his parked car
Was heaven on earth

Haiku #122

You were so tiny
Like a happy little doll
Cute Cathy Sanchez

If I Had a Photograph of You

When I first started my family lo those many years ago I was so good about organizing my photos. I received photo albums regularly as gifts and also regularly filled them with photos of my babies and that fun stuff. Over the years though, my system kind of fell apart. At some point I didn't have an album handy and the slow decent into photo hell began. Suddenly, there was a shoe box filled with envelopes of pictures. Then, I think I got a couple of albums, but by then the monster was unleashed. They sat and collected dust while the unmounted photos in boxes multiplied like little rectangular bunnies. There may not be a single photo of my youngest child that actually appears in a family album.
My mom has always been the main photographer in our family and I don't see her going digital anytime soon...so every holiday, every family gathering, brings more for the boxes. I love the family pictures, honestly, but you'd never know it by the way I treat them. At some point, I am going to get a handle on this issue. Any suggestions will be gladly accepted and considered :-)

What Will Be In My Christmas Stocking?

Your Christmas Stocking Will Be Filled With Little Wrapped Presents

You've made Santa a very happy fellow this year. Don't worry - what happens at the North Pole stays at the North Pole!

What Will Be In Your Christmas Stocking?

Aw! At least Santa loves me! ;-)

The Day After

Here I am enjoying last night's Holiday event. The theme was Tinseltown or something...I ended up having a good time thanks to my friends. We managed to keep each other amused by giggling over the horrible woman they misguidedly got to sing a selection of Broadway show tunes, rating the firefighters in decending order of hotness, and rating the men from City Hall on degrees of baldness. (BTW, my two best friends aren't into the balding men, but I personally don't have a problem with that.)
The dinner part of the evening was nice. The food was quite good and included chicken Florentine, garlic mashed potatoes, glazed carrots & snow peas, cranberry salad, and flaky rolls. There were a couple types of cake offered for dessert, along with nice strong coffee. During this one boring speech part me and a couple of my cohorts simply went into the outer lobby and goofed off taking pictures and drinking what was left of the sparkling cider out there. We also went around peering through the doorways in order to do our ratings. We reappeared in time for the raffles and I won a $25 gift card for Best Buy. All in all, not a bad night at all.

Haiku #121

The pretty captain
Of my first year of Drill Team
You were Kim-tastic

Party Time. Yay.

This evening is the annual Holiday Party for city employees. Sounds exciting, I know, but please consider these two points:

1. There will be no alcohol on the premises
2. There will be no music or dancing

Okay, I am no raging alchy, but what is a party without a little social lubricant? And no dj or band? Not a party, thank you very much.
Still, we get some dinner, they give out awards for years of service. I'll get my first one next year when I have five years under my belt. They will do a little slide show with photos of other events we've had this year and there will be raffle prizes. I tend not to be lucky, but who knows? Maybe this is my year...iPod, you are mine! :-)

My Very Own Snowflake

I made this (poorly) because Furtive Wangler told me to. Well he didn't insist on the doing it poorly part..that part was aaaalllll me.

My Very Own Snowman

It is make your own snowman day over at Eclectic Spaghetti.
Here is mine found online:

Have a South Park Day!

Wednesdays Tend to Suck a Little Bit

Wednesday tends to be my busiest, most task filled day at the library. Knowing that ahead of time though, allows me to prepare for it practically and mentally. Today contained a little bubble of fun because I went out to lunch at LeRoys with my Dancing Murder Bear cohorts Milly and Ceku. What are Dancing Murder Bears you ask? Lets just say that around the busy days like this, there are slower ones. My friends and I are forced to amuse ourselves by making up nicknames for everyone who works here and creating imaginary performance art groups that never actually perform.
Anyway...lunch was delicious and fun. I need both deliciousness and fun. I could think of other forms that could take, but I guess this is as good as it is going to get for me today :-D
I am reading Philosophy Made Simple. It is good and he has some other books I'm interested in reading as well.
I'm listening to...mostly my XM, because my cd player is behaving majorly hinky. I am loving the new Fall Out Boy single It's Not a Scene, It's an Arms Race.
And I guess thats all I have to say for now...whew.

Haiku #120

Smart Chris Horeczko
We went to the prom as friends
I wished it was more

http://x365.org

P.S.

One more thing. No, two.

1. Today is Team C's birthday. I sent him an ecard, but he hasn't viewed it yet. I called him, but got voicemail. At least I tried.

2. Full moon tonight. Watch out for werewolves.

That is all.

Muzak

I am sitting on the phone waiting to pay my electric bill with a check by phone. I am at my desk, phone cradled between my shoulder and ear and the sounds of smooth jazz...okay blah, blah, blah...done. I am still working on paying this bigass deposit that I incurred when I got my power shut off a few weeks ago. Luckily the nice people at Edison broke my 750. down into four monthly payments of 190. On top of my regular enormous electric bill, I barely feel it. Okay, not to be a whiner, but dang! My bills just keep going up and my salary just keeps staying the same! I could use a second job, but don't know when I would do it, plus I sometimes feel that I barely see my kids as it is. At least I am not in debt. I would be probably, but I had to give up credit cards quite a few years ago :-) Nowadays it is just a matter of staying afloat.
The words to the Blue October Song "Into the Ocean" seem completely appropriate here:

I'm just a normal boy
That sank when I fell overboard
My ship would leave the country
But I'd rather swim ashore

Without a life that's sadly stuck again
Wish I was much more masculine
Maybe then I could learn to swim
Like 'fourteen miles away'

You're floating up and down
I spin, colliding into sound
Like whales beneath me diving down
I'm sinking to the bottom of my
Everything that freaks me out
The lighthouse beam has just run out
I'm cold as cold as cold can be
be

I want to swim away but don't know how
Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean
Let the waves up take me down
Let the hurricane set in motion
Let the rain of what I feel right now...come down
Let the rain come down

Where is the coastguard
I keep looking each direction
For a spotlight, give me something
I need something for protection
Maybe flotsam junk will do just fine
The jets, I'm sunk, I'm left behind
I'm treading for my life believe me
(How can I keep up this breathing)

Not knowing how to think
I scream aloud, begin to sink
My legs and arms are broken down
With envy for the solid ground
I'm reaching for the life within me
How can one man stop his ending
I thought of just your face
Relaxed, and floated into space

I want to swim away but don't know how
Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean
Let the waves up take me down
Let the hurricane set in motion
Let the rain of what I feel right now...come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down

Now waking to the sun
I calculate what I had done
Like jumping from the bow (yeah)
Just to prove I knew how (yeah)
It's midnight's late reminder of
The loss of her, the one I love
My will to quickly end it all
So thought no end my need to fall

Into the ocean, end it all
Into the ocean, end it all
Into the ocean, end it all
into the ocean...end it all

[Zayra]
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)

I want to swim away but don't know how
Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean
Let the waves up take me down
Let the hurricane set in motion (yeah)
Let the rain of what I feel right now...come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down

Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
(In to space)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
(I thought of just your face)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)
Into the ocean (goodbye) end it all (goodbye)

Haiku #119

You were a tough girl
With crazy flyaway hair
Warm, spicy Ginger

Haiku #118

Tammy tall and blonde
Your crooked smile was charming
You sure laughed a lot

What Movie Is My Christmas Most Like?

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas

For you, it's all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Aaawwwww! Cheese!

Christmas Shopping

I spent four hours or so of my precious day off yesterday doing some Christmas shopping with my mom and sister. We have to go together at least once...we used to go more often when my sis and I were stay-at-homes. We manage to have fun, but it isn't easy because none of us really enjoys shopping. Me, personally? I do not like to shop AT ALL. Not grocery shopping, not clothes shopping, certainly not recreational shopping. It has been suggested to me that if I had enough money I would grow to love it, but I don't think so. Grocery shopping is, of course, a necessary evil. I have gotten good at it over the years, but my skill doesn't bring me all that much pleasure. I declared that I was going to to all my holiday shopping online this year, but it is starting to look like that isn't going to happen unless I act quickly. I did get started yesterday with a few things here and there, but it feels like a drop in the bucket. I don't want to sound all Bah Humbug, but I find the holidays somewhat stressful. I want so much to please people and provide happy memories for my kids...it may be that I don't have the knack. Well, not that we haven't had nice holidays, but I just always get the feeling that maybe everyone was wishing for more or something...it is sort of a vague feeling. Maybe it is just my own personal paranoia. I am pleased to note though, that I have to be one of the easiest people in the world to shop for myself. Without sarcasm I can say that I am perfectly happy with anything that someone choses to give me. Socks? Right on! Who doesn't need more socks? A bath set? Yay! Nice smells and bubbles! A gift card? Unlike some I could name, I don't see the gift card as an insult. I love being able to get what I really want or need!
In conclusion, I solicit your thoughts on holiday and any other kind of shopping.