December 1, 2002

Ya know?

Do you know how much writing I intended to do this weekend? Do you? Did you realize that I haven't fulfilled any obligations - ANY - to the collab rings I am a member of? Can you see how they're going to kick me out of the rings any time now, because I am a lazy, lazy thing that doesn't deserve to refer to herself as a "writer"?

Feh. A "writer", she says. Feh.

Lately, what I *am* more resembles a shopper. A cooker. But not a cleaner. Or an exerciser. Perhaps a hot-tub soaker. An occasional laundry-doer. A cat-chaser. A girly-talker. A web surfer. A Bookworm playing fool (thanks a LOT, Sherry). But not a good collaber who gets her entries in on time.

What I have managed to do, though, is get almost all of my Christmas shopping done. Mostly on line (ala Target.com, Amazon.com, and Land's End), with one very fun shopping day out and about with Heather, on Saturday. We hit the Harley Davidson Store (who knew they had such cute clothes, I ask you?), Bath and Body Works, a lingering two hour lunch at The Olive Garden (served by Sven! Whose real name is Chris!), CostCo, and Mervyn's. We were going to attempt Target, but one look at the full parking lot sent us away. I finished my shopping on Target.com, while IM-ing with Heather later that evening.

I'll come back to that, after I've gotten the minutiae out of the way.

Tuesday night Calvin, Marie and I took the Grandparents out to dinner at Applebee's. They are truly two of the most wonderful people in the world. It was so nice to sit and chat, hear all about Grandmother's trip to North (or was it South?) Carolina, and hear the two of them reminisce about trips they have taken together. We laughed and gabbed and ate, and had just a great time. We spend such little time with them, Calvin and I have vowed to do that kind of thing more often.

Wednesday I took the day off from work, and cooked and cleaned like a fool, assisted by Marie (whom I let stay home from school). We spent several hours in the kitchen, doing up the pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie, spinach artichoke dip, four-bean salad, tomatoes for bruchetta, and cornbread for the dressing. Then she went off to spend the night at her mother's. Calvin and I had a very nice, kid-free, grown-up style evening.

Thursday morning I got up early and started cooking, while Calvin worked on building a dog house for the puppies. Yes, it actually gets cold at night. No, the hairy beasts are not sleeping in the house. I basted that sucker (the turkey, not Calvin) every twenty minutes from 10:30 until 3:30, with Marsala wine and chicken broth. It was the only thing that could fit in the oven. Twenty pounds, and no room for anything else at all. Fortunately, the dressing and veggie casserole could cook up while the turkey was "resting".

Heather came over at 2:00, and spent the next two hours trying to intervene on my behalf, as Calvin questioned every damn thing I was doing in the kitchen. "Eew, what's that for?" "What are you going to do with that?" "Why are you putting that in there?" "Isn't the turkey getting too brown?" "How come the timer hasn't popped yet?" "Is that the gravy? That's going in the gravy? What the hell is a giblet? Gross, neck meat!!"

She'd say, "No", every time he opened his mouth. And, "Shut up, Calvin." And, "She's going to kick your ass, Calvin." And, "I think my brake lights are out, why don't you come out with me and check, Calvin?" She's a life saver, our Heather. Not mine, Calvin's.

We ate a little after 4:00. Everything came out great. The turkey was so moist you could practically wring it out. I was really obscenely proud of that bird, the first one I've ever cooked. Heather, rather shocked, marveled that I wasn't taking a picture of it for the website. At that point I was so sick of cooking I just wanted to sit down and EAT, already. Carving it was a little bit of an adventure, as I did perverted things with the legs while trying to figure out how to start. Finally we just hacked it up. A single breast off of the thing fed the three of us, which left a loooot of leftover turkey.

Calvin ran out with Marie to pick up one of Marie's friends to spend the night, and Heather and I went to Heather's house to let out her puppy and feed him. We visited with her cats - the garrulous Gabby, and the oh-much-prettier-than-*you* Harley (also known as SuperKitty). She gave me a tour of her house (up until then I'd only seen the living room), and had me take a gander at the two dresses she's choosing between for her (and Calvin's) company Christmas party.

I'm sticking with the red, dear.

We headed back home, and Calvin served us each a sampler plate of all the desserts - apple pie, cherry pie, chocolate cream pie, and vanilla ice cream (the pumpkin pie came later - it wouldn't fit on the plate). Then Heather and I bailed into the bedroom to watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special that she'd brought over. I'm such a geek for those shows - we were laughing hysterically at Snoopy and Woodstock in their pilgrim costumes. But he doesn't do the Snoopy Dance in that one! I was so disappointed. Heather will just have to bring the Christmas tape over later this month. Hee!

After that we went back out into the living room and watched "Men in Black II". Heather went home at about 9:30, after being up since 4:00 that day to take a friend to the airport.

And that, my friends, was Thanksgiving. Low-stress, low-key, very excellent company, great food (if I do say so myself), and wonderful friendship. We talked to Michael several times throughout the week, and despite missing him I'm chalking this up to being one of the best turkey days I've ever had.

Friday? I know there was a Friday in there somewhere. I did nothing. As a matter of fact, I think I distinctly stated that I planned to do nothing useful at all. I must have succeeded, I don't remember a thing about the day.

Saturday was The Shopping Day. Heather came over at 11:00 (on the dot! That girl is always very punctual, which we really appreciate because non-punctuality is a pet peeve of both Calvin and I. Not that we wouldn't still love her if she was perpetually late. We just really like timeliness. It's next to godliness. Or is that being clean? Carrying on...), and she and I headed out, lists in hand (well, I had lists. You know me.). Calvin declined my offer to come, which, you know, shocked the hell outta me.

That was sarcasm, yo.

We hit The Harley Davidson Store. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I mean, I have a passing appreciation for the motorcycles themselves, but they had such cute clothes there! Freakishly expensive yet cute clothes! I saw at least twelve things I would have bought for myself (boots! $230 boots that were the coolest in the land!), but managed to keep my shopping money intact. Heather made her purchases, and we dragged ourselves away.

To Bath and Body Works.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Also freakishly expensive, but I'm more apt to buy gooey smelly lotion goodness for myself than leather halter tops.

By that point my stomach was eating a hole through my spine, so Heather indulged my craving and we went to The Olive Garden for their soup, salad, and breadsticks (and Merlot, and coffee, and tiramisu) lunch.

It's not often that I feel an immediate comfort and kinship with another person. I met Heather through Calvin's job, and we met socially on only a few occasions. But over the past several months we've been doing things together more often, and on Saturday I really came to realize the very good friend I have in Heather. It's so rare to find someone that *gets* me, and she does. On a very important level.

She lost her mother around the same time I lost dear Grammy. She and I can relate to the absolute and complete suckiness that is losing a loved one. We can commiserate on the intimate details that not many people in my life can relate to. I mean, Calvin is a wonderful support and completely sympathetic, but Heather really understands the deeper levels of the grief that I feel. And I understand hers, as well. We just... know.

I didn't realize until Saturday just how much I needed to talk about some things. Even in the process of talking about such grief-filled details, there was a lightening of my spirit that I felt in just knowing that I can express my feelings to someone who has also been there. There are experiences that Heather and I both had to go through - she would be describing something, and I could only nod along because I, too, had been there. We don't even have to fully describe something, to know that the other person gets exactly the feeling that is being conveyed.

I have had very, very few close friends in my life. I'd like to think that Heather is becoming one of them.

Anyway, we lingered for two hours, and it was just... nice. Really nice. All girly talk and "Oh, my GOD"'s, giggling and bothering the people around us. Except Sven. He was nice for the sake of his tip.

CostCo was next. My newly purchased membership in hand, I got a SERIOUS case of the "I wants" in that place. Except that they were out of the Nutcracker statues (3 feet tall! $12.00 each!) that I really, really wanted. Ah, well, I'll probably go back. And spend another $193.80. Baskets of chocolate for $19.95! Three-packs of wine ("Should I get the wine?" "Get the damned wine, Heather." "That man is laughing at me!") for $15.99! Boxes and wrapping paper and bows, oh my! Nativity scenes and fleece pullovers and pumpkin cheesecake, hold me back!!

The back seat of the truck was rapidly filling up as we left CostCo and headed to Mervyn's. I lingered over the jewelery counter, and Heather kept bringing up baubles to show me, as possible gifts for Marie. I squealed over a particular pair of angel earrings, and you know what she went and did?

Yep, she bought 'em for me. Because I squealed over 'em. I heart that girl. Heh, I'll get even, though. She gave me a LOT of ideas for what to get for *her* Christmas present.

After Mervyn's, we swung by her house really quick to check on her doggie and go through her Christmas ornaments. I was needing some that wouldn't break my heart if the cat destroyed them (he will, I just know it), and she had some for me. Then back home, where she helped me unload the truck and visited for a while before leaving again. As it was, I *still* spent a good two hours IM-ing with her later that night, while I was finishing up my shopping on Target.com.

I was wiped out, as shopping usually makes me. But it was a HELL of a lot more fun to go with Heather than go by myself. As she said, "I'd better not start liking to shop. Heads will roll if I do."

Man alive, this has been a spendy kind of a weekend. Today Calvin and I burned more plastic off my debit card at Pier One (love love LOVE that place, Kirsty Alley (sp?) notwithstanding). We bought some wrought iron shelves and whatnot to further fit out Marie's room, and I got some frames to FINALLY hang the pencil drawings of San Francisco scenes that have been lingering on the computer desk in the bedroom since, well, July. And we got very cool, very blue glasses and goblets. Because we wish to quit drinking out of plastic cups. Because we're all growed up now and can be trusted with real live glass.

Man. I just ran out of steam. I am *tired* of writing these "what I did today" entries. I really hope to break out of this cycle, or else I'm going to lose all of my readers. Except for you, of course. I know you'll stick around.

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©Laura Charon 2000 - 2002.