Shopped 'Till I Dropped, Literally

OMG! I guess I have forgotten that to be a good, all-American suburbanite you really have to shop the day after xmas. And not a little shopping trip. Oh, no. You have to get up really early and go to umpteen million stores, searching in vain for bargain items you didn't even realize you had to have!

Of course, I had a list of things I wanted to pick up, cause stuff is just plain cheaper in the southeast. Really, it is. Something that costs $50 in the bay area might be merely $30 here because that sweet pair of boots you wanted in the bay area that were immediately snapped up, might linger here for a while until they go on super duper sale!

So, yes. I shopped. Some highlights:

Donnie Darko dvd for $4.99. Excellent film. I paid a whole lot more to see in the theatre.

brown boots with faux fur trim - $35

new socks to match brown boots

eye cream - cause from what I hear you'd better start using an eye cream the second you turn 30 years old -- if you even wait a day you'll get wrinkles

yarn to make my friend a belated doggie sweater (you'll get it by spring come hell or high water)
Whew. I don't need to shop again for a year. Unless you count the numerous trips I'm going to need to make to IKEA to furnish the new apartment. *Sigh*

Merry Christmas, now please pass the Tater Tits

Well, Christmas has come and gone again. Santa and the fam were good to me -- I received lots of wonderful gifts. Thanks fam. You guys rock.

We also had a delicious linner (lunch + dinner at 3pm) which included my mom's homemade rolls, cranberry sauce, turkey, country ham (cause if you're having a holiday meal in VA then by god you need to have the world's saltiest ham on your plate--preferably inside a biscuit).

We also had mashed potatoes, which were delicious as usual. Of course, mashing them thar taters proved to be a task that my poor mom just wasn't up for. My folks recently remodeled their kitchen, and they are still putting things into cabinets, etc. When my mom went to mash the potatoes, I think she was just too tired to find a bowl deep enough to use the electric mixer.

Which meant that while mashing the potatoes she ended up wearing about 25% of them on her sweater...in the chest area...hence the "tater tits."

Of course, she was able to swiftly recover after a giggle fit, and put on a shiny new xmas sweater and resume Christmas dinner.

Oh, and the pie was delicious too.

Second-worst Hangover of Life Finally Working Itself Out

I had such elaborate plans for all of the things I was going to get done today...laundry, cleaning, packing, knitting...

However, these efforts were thwarted by the second-worst hangover of my life. Perhaps it was the 5 mixed drinks or several shots which were consumed last night in post birthday revelry...stop buying the drunk girl shots, folks!

At least I've learned a valuable lesson. There is no "handling your liquor" after the age of 30. Now let's hope I'm not still hungover tomorrow for my cross country flight...

I love ice skating

It isn't something I get to do very often, but for some reason when nothing else will get me in a holiday mood ice skating seems to do the trick.

We didn't get to skate last night -- it was raining too hard. :-(

These pics are from a recent lunchtime outing...





Btw, I got ALL of my holiday shopping done today. All in one day. Whew. Now I just have to pack this stuff up and fly across the country.

The big three...oh...nooooooooooo!

It's a fact. Today I am officially 30 years old. I'm trying really hard to not even think about it...it's just a day like any other day. I'm certainly not an old maid or anything. It's not like my life is already at least a third over...I definitely still look 21 (yes, I'm well aware that is a stretch but humor me, for goodness sake, it is my 30th birthday). Maybe if I'm lucky tonight I will get carded somewhere (hey, it could happen).

So far it's been a pretty good day. When I stepped out of the shower this morning, Griffin was standing there with a birthday eclair (candle and all). Boy, he knows me so well. I LOVE donuts. Who wouldn't love deep-fried, chocolate-covered, cream-filled sugar balls? Of course, now that I live in California, I'm a slave to healthy eating. Which means, I get a donut for breakfast literally once a year.

..........................................

My friends/co-workers are fan-freakin'-tastic. We decided to go out to lunch at a slightly she-she (a.k.a. high end) lunch spot. We walked in and didn't have a reservation (insert gasp here). I told to the host it was my birthday, and he GAVE us champagne. Just like that. A bit later we were seated for an absolutely fantastic lunch. Good times. And, those sneaks picked up the check. We dined on delectable cuisine, toasted with excellent glasses of wine, and even had dessert. It was perfect. Of course, I had to then leave work at 3pm since I was so sleepy from the perfect birthday lunch.

Thanks you guys! You rock. I totally owe you lunch kudos (no, not actual kudos candy bars for lunch, but you'll be getting some birthday props of your own eventually).

Plans tonight include a bit 'o bar hopping, followed by ice skating, followed by a late dinner. I guess if I can survive all of that I'll be able to handle being 30.

Time for a nap. Bzzzzz.

Winter Wonderland...

in playdough...made during the same unbearably long company "retreat" (which translates into driving an hour+ to sit and stare at 6+ hours of powerpoint)...

Self-portrait

in playdough...



more details later!

Chirper Lund (1990-2005) Minima Maxima Sunt

Our beloved orange tabby, in the advanced stages of kidney failure, has passed away. Chirper was 15.

In 1997 Griffin accepted Chirper as a stray, sight unseen, in what became a kind of morality tale for the rewards of graciousness -- for he turned out to be a very handsome devil. After a brief period of adjustment (18 months give or take), in which we broke him of constantly attacking us, he also mellowed into a lovable devil.

Chirper became a constant companion. Most mornings we'd awaken with a cat butt in our faces as he tried to nest on our pillows - it was his reminder that it was time for canned tuna with cheese bits. Each day we came home, he awaited us with meows, trailing our every step until we final settled and he could climb into a warm lap.

He lived for table scraps. Thanksgiving was a particular joy. And, he would turn circles for shrimp. But most of all, that savory shellfish that has tempted so many of us, crab meat, drove him to distraction. I still have a small scar from the time that scraps weren't enough, and he accidently tore into my hand trying to paw a catch of crab from my dinner plate.

His absence from our lives is already glaring. We miss him terribly.

Chirper Lund
(1990-2005)
Minima Maxima Sunt
The Smallest Things are the Most Important

Out with the old, in with the new...

I know what you're thinking, but I'm just talking about my hair. I sort of grew it out last year half as an experiement, and half because I had to be in a so-cal wedding.

Today, I lopped most of it off. It felt good. Oh yeah, I also dyed the underneath red. No, not candy apple red (stop worrying, sis, I'm sure I can bleach it out before your wedding). More like a person with dark red hair red.

Sorry about the lack of pics on the hair front, please be patient...

Kitty update: Chirper, one of the best cats ever, is at home and is getting near his time. He's 15 years old, anemic, is having kidney failure, and could have cancer. Poor baby. For now I'm making him more comfortable...poor little snuggly kitty...I'm just not ready to let go of him yet (he's still eating ravenously and still able to get around) ...plus what if he gets better (it could happen, I swear)...

Love you, Chirpy.

Ugh

Griffin and I broke up.

One of my cats is suffering from acute kindney failure and will probably have to be euthanized this weekend.

I have to find a new apartment.

Talk about exhaustion and drama.

My life is in shambles.

Stay tuned.