Christmas #2 and #3

I made it back. Finally. After a long break and wonderful, very busy holiday filled with little surprises... I am back. One day of work and then we're off for the next round of holiday cheer. If the snow doesn't interrupt the festivities anyway. I have to head home and pack for the weekend. I haven't even really unpacked. Next year I'm doing Christmas at an absurd time of year and not traveling when it might snow. From now on Christmas really will be in June. Well, at least my visit will be. Maybe August. Or May. NOT December. It'll be at a time when I actually have time to see people and they have time to see me. Yeah? Yeah. I think so.

Being a guest at home

I love coming home. Mostly because I no longer have chores here. I'm on vacation. Not living "real" life. It's a nice thing to be on vacation with the people I love. I'm so very lucky today. No major plans. Just hanging out. Maybe wrapping some presents... Ooh! Buying a Christmas tree? maybe... and some video games thrown in for good measure. All knit together with some really good food.
All in all it should be a VERY good day.

Oh Shenandoah

I love to see you....

And I get to see you today! We're leaving the big city and migrating south for Christmas. One week of BV goodness and madness and then it will be back to our real lives.
I'm hoping to see at least 4 good old friends, my WHOLE family (and that's a LOT), and eat plenty of traditional foods. Also relax a little. And make sure that all my christmas presents made it out. That's not too much to ask for right?
And Christmas songs keep slipping through my head... Happy Holidays..... I'mmmmm Dreeeaming oooof a whiiiiite ChristMaaas.....

East Coast

We made it safely to D.C. So far? We ordered a pizza and played 3 hours of Super Mario Bros. on the Wii. Good Vacation. :)

The LAST day

of work! I'm leaving for the east coast tomorrow, and I'm stoked!!!
I'm not so excited for the early morning flight, but honestly the fact that I'll be in VA( or at least DC)by 3:30 pm EST totally makes up for it! YAY!!!

Tooooniiiiight Toooniiiiiight....

Me, Em and P are getting our Tron on!!! Em hasn't ever seen it (and to be fair neither had I until I met P and he MADE me) and so we're going to all hunker down with our tostadas tonight and watch TRON. It's going to be epic. No. Really. I like it. And the new one opened today. I'm super stoked to see it.
With Em and P of course! (Em? You go on lots of dates with us. I like having you with us, but maybe we should work on the getting you coupled up? . . . Or you can just keep hanging with us. :)

Time

Today has been moving incredibly slow! I mean it feels like it should be five already.
It's definitely not. The sun is still up, so it can't be before 4. Ridiculous winter.
So to pass the time, I'm reading this. And I'm loving it. It's very compelling juvenile fiction. And I happen to identify strongly with the heroine. So all in all, it should be a good day. Just slow.
Pudding cup + finishing the book = very productive work day!

Magical Misty Mornings

It snowed last night. about 2 inches(?) And while I wasn't too thrilled with it, I have to admit that the effect of the little short trees at work + white lights + a light misty morning = magic. Too bad I was on the way IN to work.

F-Mobile (I could write this one in my sleep)

My phone STILL has the stupid data plan on it. I'm asking politely people. I'm not being mean or rude or in any way inconveniencing YOU (T-mobile). ALL I'll doing is asking for one small portion of my plan to be removed. Is this really the best you can do? You make me want to eliminate phone service altogether. I refuse to believe that you are incapable of doing this. This happens to be your entire job (Customer care? I think not.) fixing phone issues. It seems that your job is instead just telling me you can't. Way to be awful. You overcharge. You underserve. You make me hate this particular technology. Way to destroy your customer base. From now on I swear to only get the most minimal plan you provide. It seems to be the only thing you can correctly service. I'm not even sure that, that is a gross overstatement. F minus again T-mobile. If you had any accountability you'd be closed by now. (Unfortunately I'm sure that's true of most phone services.) Inadequate. FAIL.

The last week

I'm only five days away from going home for Christmas. It's been three years since I was actually there for the day of Christmas. I'm so excited. And for some vague reason I'm worried. I'm thinking it's because I'm making P miss his usual Christmas. But I'm not entirely sure about that. Maybe it's the traveling. The whole TSA routine. Remembering everything we need for 10 days away from home. Forgetting a "vital" christmas present. I'll just worry until I make a list or actually pack. But once we get there, I am determined to relax! Ah the holidays. "The most wonderful time of the year..."

Started!!!

So two posts ago (Kickstarter) I discussed the awesome website Kickstarter. I put a proposal out there, and guess what! They accepted it. I'm not going to reveal all the great details yet, and I have quite a few things to work out before I actually open it up for rewards. I'm super excited that my idea qualifies. I really wasn't sure if it would. I have a lot of work ahead of me to make this happen, but I haven't been this excited about a project since my senior year of college in Production Design. I still get a little misty inside over that project.
I'll be sure to keep you all updated on what's happening. (Hint: it has to do with me writing again! but it's not this blog. :)

occupations

I've obviously got plenty of free time at work. Which is not to say that I don't do my job. I do my job. Quickly and well. It's just that as any secretary can tell you, waiting for the phone to ring can be a tedious process. This is why I blog. Because of the tedium. I don't feel super productive reading a book. I feel cliched reading a magazine. And watching video at work is just taboo. So I blog and surf. Which, is a great work activity, because I'm still typing and reading, but I'm using the computer in a work condoned fashion. Also I don't go crazy thinking about what to do. I do however like the busy times at work when I have papers to file, phones to answer, projects to work on, and other various and sundry things. I like the feeling that comes with completion (though these things aren't really ever done.) I like clearing my desk and knowing that it's "finished." I'm a bit obsessive over where things go on my desk. I know it looks cluttered, but it's where it's supposed to go! I used to tell my mom this, but she never believed me. And that's why I don't live with my parent's anymore.

Kickstarter

Yesterday, after browsing the great wide interwebs all afternoon, I stumbled upon Kickstarter. Now, I've read a few things about Kickstarter in the past but I hadn't looked all that closely at what they do. oh? You're not familiar either? Okay, here's what they do. They let you fundraise monies to help support or pay for a creative endeavor. They also let you pay to support other people's awesome ideas. The record on fundraising? This guy. He overshot his goal by 4,467% and he's not done yet. There's 8 days left to go.
I'm fascinated by this business model. I'm trying to think of a qualifying project, and if I come up with one... You'll be the first to know. After P.
In other news, I'm excited for this weekend. I'm going to get to spend Friday and Saturday with EM!!! YAY!!! I finally get to hang out with Em again! We're having another thanksgiving and decorating a tree. :) It's gonna be epic.

From one blog to another

I've been reading lots and lots of excellent blogs lately. To use up the early morning blah that I feel when I first get into work, to pick me up and inspire and motivate. To remind me that it's okay to be. However that is. Some of these blogs have thousands and thousands of followers. Some have less than ten. I love reading them all. Just like I love looking in lit windows at night. The voyeur in me wants to see your lives. As much as you're willing to share.
I love the moments where you see the honest truth, and the funny bits of life. I like seeing what you really think. For that matter I like saying what I really think. Not that I don't censor what I say, because I know my mom is reading this (Hi mom!), and because writing is about editing. Sometimes writing is more about what you don't say than what you do say. Isn't that funny? I love the ability to change the meaning with a letter... or punctuation... or ...
That's why I love blogging, and more importantly, love reading your blogs. Thanks for sharing.

Trading Futures

This article from the NY Times about Breastfeeding at work was almost enough to make me apoplectic. Not the article itself mind you. The article was fine. Nothing overly radical. Not really. It's the comments that made me furious. Especially the one about needing a smaller population on planet earth.
I'm sorry, but if we stop having babies we will soon be seeing problems similar to France and China. (France is struggling with a lack of native frenchmen, and China's problems with population control have been well documented.)
America has ceased being a world leader in that instead of creating we are consuming. We are putting capitalism ahead of families. Small steps are being seen in hybrid vehicles, smaller affordable housing, eating and buying local, and creating things with our own two hands. The "green" trend is about sustainability. Something our culture is severly lacking. We need to stop taking and start giving.
Our need to self-gratify is short circuiting the future of our nation. Fewer young adults are getting married. More couples are waiting to have children. Families are getting smaller. I don't see this as a good thing. I don't see this as a way to make sure that everyone is provided for. I see it as selfish. An unwillingness to sacrifice. The great mothers and fathers that I've known (and have) sacrifice everyday for the future. It's hard. And they love it. Most days. They've given up careers and hobbies. They've given up "figures" both physical and financial. And I don't know one who regrets the children they're lucky enough to raise. I see larger families and small towns as building community. I see it as a selfless way to increase the amount of love there is in the world.
When I read people's opinions stating that children are obnoxious or whiny or out of place, I can't help but think that they are just frustrated with the competition. Children are the future. We won't be young forever. Neither will they. When they're "adults" I expect them to sacrifice too.
There is a reason it's called the circle of life. I expect to sacrifice for my children so it can continue. And if it means being "poor" and spending time with them, I will gladly follow my mother's example of selflessness and sacrifice. If I had to cut back hours or quit my job to feed my child, I would. The life of a child is more important to me than money. I can get by on less. I have before. I hope I can remember that when push comes to shove.

Addendum: I'm not saying everyone should be seeing fertility specialists and going baby crazy. I'm not saying that every mother should have her toddler at work. But healthy families should be supported and encouraged.That's what I'm saying. Have your family the way you want. I'll have mine the way I want. 

Weekend News update!

P and I did indeed sell our trusty vehicle this past weekend. Gone and DONE! Yay! We are now pedestrians and public transportation users. Which we kind of were already. Which reminds me. Gotta get rid of that insurance plan! I watched  No Impact Man on Friday, so I felt rather funny selling the car on Saturday. Very trendy. Anyway, I'm really liking the feeling of getting rid of stuff and cleaning out our tiny apartment.
In celebration of selling the car we stopped at IKEA and bought a smaller table to go in our kitchen. And it's perfect! I really love it.
Part of this cleaning frenzy has to do with the fact that we're going out to the East coast for 10 days over the holidays... and then once we come back my older sister will be coming to stay for awhile with us. So I'm busy making room. And it's frustrating to know that some things are REALLY lost. And some things are just gone. No clue where they went. But we know they aren't in our apartment any more.
I've been on a documentary kick recently. I watched The Royals, The Lottery, Food Inc, and No Impact Man. I'm a fan of the genre, but mostly because it fuels my interest in finding out more about the topics. As documentaries are skewed to the extremes, one way or another.
It's been a good weekend here in the city.

Saturday is an amazing day

I may have sold my car. I'll let you know on Monday for sure. But for now we'll wait and see if the transaction goes through. Thank heavens for bus passes!

blahg

That's what I came home to last night! Right after blogging about our dirty kitchen I went home to find my hubband in an apron washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen! And he hadn't even read my post yet. Such a sweet man.
In other news, Bones last night was so good. I love the fact that they are allowing Hannah to be a real character and not just a foil. The problem is that while I like the growth that Brennan is going through in seeing what a good relationship can be, I think they're going to kill off Hannah. I just don't think it's permanent. (Also I could have sworn that she was on an ad for a show premiering in January. But maybe that's just some other similar hot blond chick. Nah. We all know there's only one of those in Hollywood.) And they're going to have to kill her, because what girl in her right mind would leave Booth? On another side note, Kathryn Winnick (Hannah) is a licensed bodyguard. Awesome.
Oh, and if any of you loyal readers are wondering what to get me for Christmas? Bones is definitely on the list.

Waiting ...

Sometimes you learn new things about yourself. Today I'm grouchy and tired. I have a bit of a headache. I'm looking forward to the end of work though. It's been a rawther quiet day as a friend of mine would say!
Unfortunately Em and I aren't having our Thursday tradition... I think. Em?
But that's okay, I'm meeting a couple of other friends for dinner. At Cafe Rio!!! YAY!! I love their nachos. And not cooking. Especially since our house (read: kitchen) is a MESS! I don't mind too much, because P washes dishes. So I'm okay with the clutter. This is the agreement we have. And I like it.

Also, I like buying people presents. Which is why P is getting loads of stuff this year. :)

nuthouses

I am trying to coordinate a meeting with over a dozen people. Not regular people mind you. Doctors. People whose schedules are already nuts, and I want them all to stop for an hour in ONE room. I am attempting the impossible. Again.

The Christmas Season

I really can't believe that the year has gone by so quickly. I blinked and it's December already. Usually at this time of year I'm scrambling to figure out what to do for the holidays, but this year? This year I'm going home. And knowing that I would have to get presents to the other side of the country, I shopped early. I shopped often. And online. That way everything would go straight to my mom's house. Well almost everything. I'm still waiting for a few packages...
Christmas is well on it's way, and I only have a two more weeks before I actually leave to go home! (Can you tell I'm excited?) I get a 10 day vacation and lots and lots of family.
Having crazy family. That's the true meaning of Christmas right?