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Momentary Thought
I'm just slipping this in since it's been a while since my last update. I've been working on a little project that I hope to post sometime this week - probably Thursday when I'm off work and have more than two seconds to sit down and finish it.
High/Low
High: Short work week!
Low: Short week or no, it's still Monday.
Current Obsession
Christmas shopping!
Grin Source
Hearing the testosterone-laden males who sit in my vicinity retelling tales of their annual "Turkey Bowl" football game, which was yesterday. They're remembering just how old they all are.
Singing
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine...
"End of the World" by R.E.M.
A Year Ago
More or less
One of the many abortive attempts at an exercise routine.
Storyteller
Bio
Dramatis Personnae
Who I Read
Recipes
Friday night Michael called - he and Calvin are trying to work out arrangements for Michael's flight home for Christmas (gee, for some reason Priceline won't accept our offer of $150, round trip from Florida to Phoenix and back. I thought it was perfectly reasonable). I took Marie to a school dance while they were talking, and then Calvin and I went out for Chinese food. For some reason lately, hot and sour soup has been my passion. We made a quick run to the store, picked Marie up at school and dropped her off at the movies, then went back home to hang out until we had to go *back* out again at 10:15 to pick Marie up again. We usually don't have to do quite this much running around - we usually drop her off somewhere and someone else's parents bring her home. Sometimes we pick her friends up on the way - it's a parental bussing exchange program. We all grumble at having to do it on a Friday night, but as long as another parent is sharing half the burden (and the suffering), it's more gracefully accepted.
At any rate, Calvin continued to get killed playing Delta Force, and I worked on my little project, which I think I'll use for this month's On Display contribution. I recorded a conversation Marie and I had at The Coffee Grounds, and I've been transcribing it into an entry. Due to the hither and yon nature of our conversation, wandering from topic to topic, I thought it fit this month's assignment of "Journeys". Unfortunately, I don't have one of those dictaphone deals that make stopping, starting, slowing down, and rewinding a tape an easy thing. I have to listen to it on headphones using the recorder to play it back. Which means I have to stop typing to fool with the darn thing. But I'll get there, dammit. We had too much fun doing it, to give up on it now.
Saturday we got up at around 9:00. I took a bubble bath and listened to Looney Tunes on the TV, while Calvin cursed his way through another level of Delta Force. I got the grocery shopping list together and researched a couple of recipes on-line. We're going to Calvin's grandparent's for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night, and I've been requested to bring dessert. So Marie and I are going to bake on Wednesday afternoon - our first try at a blackberry cobbler, and pumpkin pie with a walnut topping. Thankfully we're baking on Wednesday, so there's time enough to pick up some pies from the store if our efforts fail. If our efforts *don't* fail, I'll post the recipes here. They seem to be easy enough.
I made fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner, and occupied my evening by downloading Christmas songs off of Morpheus and burning CD's for myself and AB (I told my boss about that during a meeting we had together, and now she wants one, too. I wonder if I should just do up a bunch for the family, and give them out on Thanksgiving). We watched Saturday Night Live, and periodically stuck our heads outdoors to see if we could see any Leonids. We had some high clouds that were interfering with visibility, but we were optimistic we'd be able to see *something*.
Finally, at 1:00 in the morning, we decided to get in the truck and drive out away from the city lights. We headed toward Firebird Raceway, in the south valley. We passed quite a few cars parked at the sides of the road, with other stargazers, faces turned upwards, bundled in blankets and coats. We found a likely spot and pulled off the side of the road. Calvin made a nest out of the blankets and pillows we'd brought, and we lay quite cozily, staring up at the sky. The clouds interfered with the perfectly clear night we were hoping for, but we did see dozens of meteors streak across the sky. We'd chorus "Ohh, did you see that one?", "Wow, that was a big one!", and "Look! Over there!", as well as "Darn it, I missed it!" and "I'm always looking in the wrong direction." What we thought was a quiet side road ended up being a rather busy thoroughfare, and the headlights and rumbling interfered with our Total Stargazing Experience. But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
We headed back home at a little after 3:00, and crashed in bed right away.
Sunday morning we again woke at a decent hour, despite the *indecent* hour we'd gone to bed. We did the normal Sunday paper/coupon clipping routine, and I did a bit of internet surfing. After lunch, Calvin and I started our Christmas shopping while Marie hung out and IM'ed with her friends. We didn't find any of the gifts we were looking for, but we did find a feather mattress pad for Marie's bed, and new tennis shoes for me (which are rubbing my heels raw as we speak). We grabbed a few videos at the video store. And we got an obscene amount of candy, and fixin's for the tacos we were making for dinner. I'd started a roast in the crock pot in the morning, and instead of having it with potatoes and gravy like we usually do, we decided to make some home-made hard tacos, Calvin Style.
Just let me say - Oh. My. God. These were the best tacos I've ever eaten. Calvin took corn and flour tortillas, filled them with roast and different sauces/salsas, and cheese, folded them, and popped them in hot oil for a few seconds to harden and shape the taco shell. Then we filled them with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and more salsa. I wish I could have eaten a million of them, but I only had room for two. They were *amazing*.
Earlier in the evening, while we were waiting for the roast, I got out my copy of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", and read the first chapter out loud to Calvin and Marie. We've decided to read one chapter a night, and then go see the movie. Calvin and Marie act as if they're humoring me (I go for this kind of family bonding stuff), but I could tell they were enjoying the story. We'll see how long this lasts, at any rate. After all, it was *Calvin's* suggestion, after I was describing how cute I thought the story was. Can you believe it?
After dinner, we watched "The Animal" (it was okay), and "Shrek" (absolutely adorable). Gone are the evenings when I sit alone in the living room and sigh at a movie I'd rather be watching with someone. At least, I remind myself of that when I'm forced to watch a movie I'm really not interested in (like "The Animal"). But I survived, and it was better than I thought. "Shrek" was just great - the animation was fabulous, right down to the detailing of the shadows, and the little sparks floating up from the fires. Shrek even had pores on his nose, for heaven's sake. I was impressed. I shall buy. And I don't say that about many movies.
So, I work a full day today and tomorrow, and I work until 2:30 on Wednesday. Thursday is Thanksgiving, Friday and/or Saturday is a rodeo AB invited us to. I have Monday off, and I shall try my best to convince Calvin to take it off, too. Sometime this week/weekend we'll have to clean like fury, because we'll probably be scheduled to get the house appraised next week sometime. Christmas shopping also looms - I can never relax and enjoy the season until that's done (hah, listen to me - "never". This is only the fourth year that I've even *celebrated* Christmas since I was 10). But I think it'll be good this year. Missing Michael, and having him come home for the holiday, will make it extra special.
Expect that transcribed entry here in the next couple of days. Oh, and thanks to everybody who expressed their well-wishes for Gypsy. Vet results from last week were that her "cough" was actually a "reverse sneeze" (of all things), which indicated a sinus condition, and not a respiratory condition. The upshot of it all was a prescription for antibiotics and an antihistamine. I know I owe several of you an e-mail, rest assured I haven't forgotten you! I've just been wrapped up in a flurry of domestic and relationship bliss.