Tag Archives: christmas

Saving Christmas

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Whenever I go to my Mom’s house, she is compelled to show me all the things she’s working on. For years I’ve suggested she get a blog because it gratifies the “I MUST SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE” feelings and may actually inspire others to do the same whatever it is she’s working on. In a perfect world, anyway. This blog definitely satisfies my hereditary urge to share everything I’m working on with humanity. The added bonus is that I’m not constantly pulling my husband away from what he’s doing with a “Lookie! Come see what I did!” And yes, I also realize this must stem from my childhood where I was in constant search of approval from my parents – mostly my father, I suppose.

In my previous post I mentioned how much I hate commercial wrapping paper. Every year it really gets to me what a waste it is. Laziness, however, trumps ingenuity and I end up throwing it away like everyone else. Not this year. This year I’ve salvaged a good portion of otherwise useless Christmas accoutrements.

Pictured above I have bows, ribbon, twine, wrapping paper, boxes, and tissue paper. OK, so what am I going to do with all this? Were I about 150 years old and into scrapbooking, I’d have dozens of options, but I’m not. Therefore, the plan is simple. We’re moving in about a month so the wrapping paper will be used for packing material. The tissue paper that’s in good shape will be used again next year as will the boxes and bows. The bows, even if they’re not fluffy anymore, can be taken apart, ironed and made into new bows. I seem to always need ribbon and twine for various projects so I’ll keep that around for uses as needed. ta da!

Everything that was in too bad of shape to save I put in the recycling bin – that is, whatever the city accepts. They can’t take everything and unfortunately, wrapping and tissue paper must have all traces of scotch tape removed before it’s put in the bin. What a pain. I actually didn’t bother and put it in anyway.

All in all, the sorting project took about an hour. If you’re OCD like me, it’s actually kind of fun and it satisfies my hunter/gatherer instincts. We still have quite a bit of new wrapping paper left over, so I’m pretty sure we won’t have to buy wrapping paper for a few years. A minor cost bonus is that we’re saving an estimated $20-$30 on wrapping paper and bows for next year. This means someone could get an extra present next year.

AJB and I aren’t on the skids or anything like that. We do fine. Some years better than fine. The reason I do this is because I feel a sense of accomplishment in diverting trash from the landfills and making use of things we’d otherwise throw away. The monetary savings are minimal for us, but I’m sure others might not think so and for some people $30 is a big deal. And let’s face it, wherever we can save money, the better. Am I right?

My mother in law, who is a wealth of wonderful old timey information, asked me if I was going to iron out the paper for next year – I imagine this is what people used to do in lean years. I suppose I might do that. I’m also on the hunt for a vintage Pixie Bow Maker so I can remake the squished bows that will ultimately get squishier during the next 12 months of storage.

Look at me saving planet!


*Pixie Bow Maker photo stolen from WellWudJaLookAtThat

So here it is….Merry Christmas

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It’s Christmas Day. The presents are wrapped, the house is a mess and we’ve got people coming over in 3 hours. I’m actually in a great mood.

Last night was truly wonderful. I love my family (as crazy as they are) and I love spending time with them. Not everyone was there, but those who came made the night memorable. My aunt had a neighbor who was dressing up as Santa and offered to come by to treat the kids. My eldest little cousin, Erika, began telling me that she didn’t believe in Santa – she’s 7 years old – but as soon as Santa started up the walkway she lost her shit and began screaming as if Justin Bieber was coming towards the house. As AJB said, there are no atheists in fox holes. All the kids were so excited and I managed to get some video. As soon as I take a look at it and pretty it up for the web, I’ll pass it around to family. For the first time ever, we sang Christmas carols as a family – oh and I got video of that too. It was a night filled with conversation, laughing at Xander every time he did a cartwheel and his butt crack hung out, drinking, eating, and making merry. The kids were high on sugar and ran around like Christmas maniacs. The gift exchange was fun (as always) and some good gifts circulated the room. I ended up with a pair of beautiful chop sticks, a small tiffin set, and Pocky. AJB got the quesadilla maker, which is appropriate because I think he’s the only one in the family who doesn’t know how to make quesadillas – being a Mid-Western Jew and all. Grandma was there and in good spirits. She looked lovely as always. My Mother-in-Law came and had a great time. It was a good night and I hope we have many more to come.

Wrapping paper is the epitome of wastefulness. You use it once and then toss it out. These days, more and more papers are recyclable, but hardly anyone is selling paper made out of recycled paper and it’s often expensive. Furthermore, if your city recycles the paper, you have to remove the tape. What a pain. Every year I TRY really hard to wrap my gifts in some form of recycled material. This year, I made it happen and the results are pretty fantastic, if you ask me.

Most years I simply re-use old wrapping paper, gift bags, or saved tissue paper. I finally found a use for all those paper shopping bags I’ve been saving. I wrapped everything in old paper shopping bags, hemp twine, and paper doilies. I’m not sure how eco-friendly the paper doilies or the scotch tape are, but for the most part I did pretty great and people are telling me they look nice – so I guess they do. I cut the labels out of scrap paper from the bags with scalloped craft scissors. While I was looking up inspiration for this year’s eco-wrapping, I came across a great idea for next year: Old maps. I always see them at thrift stores. I think I’ll start collecting for 2011. I’m pretty happy with the results and I feel really great about not wasting paper. Paper bags are definitely recyclable in more ways than one.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Oh, that we could always see such spirit through the year

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ARE people nicer during the holidays? I’ve noticed a few more people actually held doors open for me – I always hold doors for people and when I’m preoccupied and let the door slam in their face, I apologize. Seemed to me people were in bad moods this year. Not just me. Everyone seems to be kinda annoyed with the holiday. People in general seem worried about the economy, yet I just read an article that said we’re setting records this year. How’s that work? The economy is bad and we’re spending more money than ever? Perhaps this is why everyone’s in such tight fixes.

Ever since my Dad died I’ve become increasingly cold towards Christmas. I’m not one of those people who needs Christmas to be perfect and then implodes when it isn’t. Here’s what I want for Christmas:

  • Get gifts for my loved ones
  • Have my shopping done before Christmas Eve
  • Watch my favorite Christmas movies: It’s a Wonderful Life, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Miracle on 34th St., and A Christmas Story.
  • Bake cookies
  • Have and decorate a Christmas tree
  • Spend time with my family and have fun
  • Go to a Christmas party or two



    • So far I’ve done two of those things and they both relate to shopping. This year, however, I kept my gift limit to $20 and I pretty much stayed in budget. Only one or two went over because of insane shipping prices. Overall, I did pretty well and I think I got some nice gifts for my family. I’m also wrapping my gifts in paper bags, twine, and simple embellishments. They really look nice and the bonus: Recycling.

    *le sigh* I guess everyone’s been tense this year. You can kind of feel it in the air. Cashiers are glum, shoppers look worried, families are fighting, and I didn’t get a Christmas tree this year. Oh, I got the little ones AJB bought, but I didn’t get to decorate them. I was playing Left 4 Dead 2 with my brothers when it happened and wasn’t given fair enough warning; although I was told I had been.

    Yesterday I didn’t get anything done. I felt like I was in a car most of the day. We had lunch and then took my Mother-in-Law to see the new house – and also meet with the contractor to give him money. The house is coming along. All of the demo is done. The murder shed is gone, the ugly white cabinet that was blocking a beautiful window is gone, lots of ugliness is gone. Unearthed beneath the murder shed was 100 year old siding in a deep forest green. We think this was the original color of the house. The siding’s in great condition and there’s a slim chance most of it might be preserved under the stucco, which would be awesome. Eventually we’ll get to the outside of the house and we’re thinking we’ll restore it back to it’s original (or near original) look. I like the siding a lot.

    Now we start the…uh…what are we starting now? Technically we should be starting electrical, but our bids were so discombobulated we’ve had to start over. Again. The house will be upgraded to 120 amps (is that right? Is it amps?), we’ll have ethernet all over the house, all the superfluous wiring in the basement will be taken out – if it’s dead, it’s gone – new outlets, new light-switch plates for all the missing ones, a couple of phone lines in AJB’s office, a ceiling light in my office, better lighting in AJB’s office, push button switches in the downstairs, and I think that’s it. We’re also moving some ill advised switches to more convenient locations.

    By the time I got home yesterday, it was 5:30pm and I was kinda pooped. AJB and his mom had more shopping to do and I was going to help my brother make mashed potatoes. Except, he had to leave and now I’m making the mashed potatoes he’s taking to Christmas Eve. Go figure. Because I was having a bad day, I decided to treat myself to a glass of wine. Except, we packed all our wine glasses and yes, even the cork screw. I must continue to remind myself that NO ONE thought we’d still be in storage by December. It was inconceivable at the time, but certain things grind my gears like packing up the cork screw. Why? Had I actually done the packing, I’m not sure I would have stowed it. Serves me right. So then I tried to push the cork through and it’s one of those not-a-cork corks and was jammed in pretty tight. By now I was really frustrated and decided to venture out to buy a new one. I stood in line at Rite-Aid for 15 minutes while three cashiers SLOWLY rang up customers, none of them with smiles on their faces, and the lady behind me kept pushing her cart into my ankles. All I wanted was to relax and have a glass of wine.

    I used to love Christmas. I used to get so happy when I’d see the decorations and lights on the streets. I’d hear music and my heart would sing. Not this year. This year I kinda just want it to be over with. I miss my Dad and all the traditions I’ve held dear which are rather nonexistent. My husband also told me that he can take or leave Christmas. I mean, he’s a Jew after all, but his family has always celebrated Christmas. Don’t you lose Jew points for celebrating Christmas? He also doesn’t celebrate Hanukkah. Bad Jew. I watch him getting into the spirit and he seems to really enjoy it, but then to say he can take it or leave it. Man. Last year I swore this year’s Christmas would be better. It’s somehow worse. That we’re not in our house, no tree, no movies, no baking, all rushing around, tired all the time…people are in crappy moods. Christmas seems more like something we endure rather than celebrate. When Charlie Brown exclaims “Isn’t there anybody who knows what Christmas is all about?” I feel his pain. Next year will be better. We’ll be in our new house, I’ll have a tree, and perhaps…just perhaps, I’ll be in a better mood.

    Appropriately, I woke up with this in my head this morning: I think Charlie sums it up best.

    Merry Christmas everyone.

    It’s a Mad Mad Mad Holiday

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    The holidays are madness and it’s only when we watch It’s a Wonderful Life that we’re reminded what the holidays are really about. Except, no, it’s not really about that, George, is it? You wish it was, but it’s not. Christmas is about shopping, baking, cleaning, impressing, giving, getting, and running around like a maniac because every year you swear you’ll get it done early and you never do. At least, that’s how it is for me. This year is particularly odd because we don’t have a Christmas tree – all of our ornaments and decorations are in storage and when I think about it, I’m sad, but who has time to think about it? Last night AJB came home with two small plastic Christmas trees for us to decorate. Not quite the eco-friendly thing to do, but most certainly the wife-friendly thing to do. He got little ornaments and lights and we’re going to decorate when the kids come over tomorrow. My husband is pretty sweet.

    It’s 2.5 days until Christmas. Or depending on how you count, 3 days. I have yet to mail my gifts to siblings in far off places and I have to come to terms that they’ll just have to get them late. The good news is, I’m done shopping. Tomorrow I’m spending the entire day baking cookies with my Mom and as much as I love doing it, in the back of my mind I’m worried I just can’t get it all done in time. I have to wrap presents, work on real work, visit the house again – I have to make sure all this rain hasn’t flooded the pool or basement. To top if off, I’m fighting a headache that just doesn’t seem to want to let up. The added bonus is that we found termites in this rental house we’re in. Termites. Lovely. Hi Stress. How’ve ya been?

    I’m looking forward to making cookies all day, I just wish I was done with everything else. The truth is, I know it will all work out and I’m just getting worked up for nothing.

    This morning I woke up with this in my head:

    2008 in Review

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    As the end of the year draws near, I find myself saying, “wow, this year went fast!” And I guess it did. They always do. When I was a kid, a year was like, forever and a half. Wait a whole year till Christmas?? A year until my next birthday?? A three month Summer vacation was an eternity and you wonder if you’ll recognize your friends on the first day of class.

    I often think about the differences in the passing of time. It goes slow when we’re kids and fast when we’re adults. Is it simply about having a basis of reference? An hour is only 60 small minutes and each one of those is 60 small seconds. I guess knowing how long it takes to do something, takes the fun out of it. When you’re a kid, you have no concept of time beyond being home before sunset. You also don’t care about time. You don’t wear a watch until you get your first one in 10th grade and even then, you often forget to wind it. When the battery dies, you stop wearing it. Or at least, I did. I still have the watch my Dad gave me in 10th grade.

    This year hasn’t passed any faster than all those that came before it. So why does it feel that way? Once Christmas is over it’s on to New Year’s Eve and the whole thing starts all over again. Except this time, you’re a year older and perhaps a little wiser.

    2008 was the year I started my freelancing career. In January I was liberated from Hot Topic the same day my Grandpa Ernie died.

    In February we had a lunar eclipse and I took a really great photo of it. We also fired our gardeners and I took on the yard. I’ve regretted it ever since. Poloroid announced they were ceasing production of their iconic instant film.

    In March, I turned 33. I didn’t talk about my birthday and can’t remember what I did. A full year passed since my Dad died. March was hard. I did an amazing photo session with an old boyfriend. I got into an accident on the 5-FWY in which my car was damaged and the squirrel died. My baby brother announced that his (hated) girlfriend was pregnant – this would cause a devastating family rift that is still unresolved.

    In April, I went to Japan. A life’s dream come to fruition. April was a good month. I also learned why you shouldn’t get wasted on a long flight home.

    In May, a friend I’ve known since first grade got married. I went to the wedding by myself. Gas prices were the highest in my lifetime.

    In June, Wall-E came out. It remains one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen. I saw Peter Murphy at the House of Blues. The Apricots on our tree came in. I had this wild idea of making jam, but the fruit went bad very quickly and I missed the boat.

    In July, AJB and I went to Chicago to see his mom. The cicada were in full force. That month, we attended Comic-Con in San Diego and even though I wrote about it, I never published the post. I just did. I embraced Twitter and got into more trouble with the law – expired tags and mysteriously missing insurance information.

    In August, we had what might have been an attempted break-in or maybe ghosts. My sister visited for a weekend. I made a YouTube video to take part in an online piano teaching experiment. I still haven’t started because the book is expensive.

    By September, the heat was getting to me. I didn’t write much and didn’t get a whole lot done over Summer in general. I did some photo shoots here and there. I started up with a cool vintage clothing store that offers self satisfaction over heaps of cash.

    In October, Obama-fever was setting in. AJB and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary by getting engaged. I voted early in Norwalk and waited 4 hours. My sister came into town and helped me pick out my engagement ring. On Halloween, we drove out to Vegas to canvass for Obama.

    November, Obama won the election and all was right with the world. Mostly. We stayed in Nevada until the 5th. AJB bought my ring and presented it to me on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. A week or so later, we traveled to Florida for a theme park convention. I had a headache for three days, but got to meet lots of people and saw Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure. Starbucks unleashed their Gingerbread Lattes as “Ginger Snap Lattes”. My brother’s baby was born. Welcome Micheal Joseph Simental.

    In December, we traveled to Chicago and New York. I saw Jersey Boys in Chi-Town and Liza in Manhattan. My brother, my Mom, and I saw Frankie Valli in San Bernardino. Bettie Page and Majel Barrett died. Christmas came and went. I was unprepared but it all came together in the end. I announced to my family that AJB and I were getting married – they all knew something was up, but thought I might be pregnant. LOL.

    And now, here we are. The end of 2008. Is it just me or do years get more and more momentous as you get older? A long time friend got married, my grandpa died, I started my career, I went to Japan, Chicago (twice), New York, and Florida. I traveled more in 2008 than any other year. My brother had a baby and I got engaged. 2008 was filled with excitement and many life changing events. 2009 brings new promise, but I am hesitant to say it’s going to be great because I just don’t know. I do know that in 2009 I will be planning my wedding, turning 34, and getting married. The uncertainty of this economic crisis is casting a dark cloud over the new year. Who knows what the future will bring? *We are all interested in the future because that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.

    See what happened in 2007

    *Crisswell, Ed Wood

    The Tail End of Christmas

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    Leading up to Christmas this year was probably the most hectic, stressful, and anxiety-ridden couple of days I’ve had all year. Mostly, I was pissed that I didn’t have any money to go shopping until after a photo session – but it would come only three days before Christmas. I was counting on money I didn’t have, which always upsets me.

    We decided to throw an last minute, impromptu Christmas Night party and invited a handful of people. I figured it would be a nice way to unwind after all the fuss, but it ended up being yet another source of stress – as holiday parties often are. First off, the house was a disaster, I hadn’t done my Christmas shopping, I needed to cook for our family’s Christmas Eve party, and I needed to buy supplies for OUR party. In the middle of all that, I missed an entire day due to a bad sinus headache. Rushing around, hitting the malls, power-shopping. It was all too much! Meanwhile, AJB was decorating the house and I was freaking out because I hate doing it all last minute.

    We spent Christmas Eve at my cousin DD’s house. Kids a’plenty and a virtual present orgy commenced. Christmas is so great for kids. I mean, it really is the holiday of all holidays for them. The best part is watching them rip open their presents and squee with delight. We had a great meal of tamales, beans, rice, and all the usual fixin’s. Mom made a boat load of holiday cookies that looked straight out of Martha Stewart. DKS made a pumpkin/chocolate cake that was a big hit. Naturally, with so much to do, I didn’t get any baking done this year. Regardless, it was a great night and I love spending time with my family – especially now that my Grandma Laura is so sick, it’s starting to feel like she won’t be with us much longer.

    This holiday came and went far too quickly. We got our tree late, we were decorating, shopping, cooking, entertaining, and wrapping gifts with this huge countdown clock over our heads. Needless to say, it all finally caught up with me this morning and I had a major meltdown. Add to this that I miss my Dad and wish my baby brother in Omaha were here; but with a new baby and all, he couldn’t make it.

    Today, we got to Mom’s about two hours late. She decorated her house and made a wonderful breakfast feast. We opened presents and then rushed back to our house to get ready for our party. We did it. We got it all done and the house looked amazing! I must say, it looked like one of those houses you see on TV. Simply perfect. The garland I complained about taking so long to hang looked phenomenal. We played classic holiday music, lit candles, laid out a delicious spread, and warmed our buns by the fire. I made spiced rum punch (mental note: make next year) and Mexican hot chocolate. Everything was beyond wonderful. AJB’s kids showed up, his eldest son invited his new girlfriend (whom we all like very much), my Mom came and so did a few friends. It was lovely. We played charades and opened more gifts.

    Was it all worth it? *sigh* Yes it was. It always is. I just wish that I could figure out how to get it all done earlier. This last minute hustle and bustle drives me nuts and as proven by this morning’s meltdown, takes me to a place I don’t enjoy going. Somehow, however, it all worked out and it was just about the loveliest holiday anyone could have asked for. With all the stress, I think I forget that it really is about seeing friends and family. That’s it. Spending time with the people who make the other 364 days of the year meaningful.

    And now, finally, I can divulge a secret I’ve been keeping for two months. AJB and I are engaged. He proposed on October 15th, but I’ve been waiting to talk about it until all my family knew. And now they all know. We made our official announcement at my cousin’s house last night. Everyone was so happy. When I tell people about how he proposed and I show them the ring, I get ooohs and aahhhs. It’s hard to explain, but it’s sort of like being famous. Everyone wants to congratulate you and see the ring so you end up telling the story numerous times and it gets better each time I tell it as I slowly figure out exactly how to elucidate the turn of events. It actually feels odd to be the center of attention. You’d think it wouldn’t, but it does.

    Well, it’s late. I’ll write more about the wedding, the plans, the proposal, and all that later. I’m sleeping in tomorrow. Goodnite Christmas. See you next year.

    Christmas is Next Week. Time to Panic.

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    Today I realized that Christmas is one week away. For some reason I thought I had more time. We have the tree, but it isn’t decorated. In fact, the decorations are still in the closet. I haven’t done any shopping and I still don’t know what I’m getting anyone. I had this vague thought of putting up house lights, but with a week to go, what’s the point?

    What a bummer.

    I hate that the holidays come and go so quickly. I’m not like my brother JCS who does his shopping months and weeks in advance. Nor am I like those maniacs who get up at the crack of dawn on Black Friday to trample Wal-Mart employees. When it comes to the holidays, I am never prepared. Now that we’re in our own house, I feel like I should decorate the yard, put up lights, bake cookies, and throw a party. I think about it, but it just never happens. This year, our last minute trip to New York really threw a wrench in the holiday planning and because we’ve been traveling a lot in general, my whole system of keeping time is off. I still don’t really know what day it is.

    I also want to build good memories for AJB’s kids and create happy holidays they’ll remember for a lifetime. Easier said than done. As for shopping, money is tight and I have quite a few people on my list…plus I have a gig coming up that will bring in a little extra spending cash…it just happens to be 3 days before Christmas, which means I’ll be shopping during the mad rush- which I hate.

    Oh. If only I really did have an extra week. Just thinking about it makes me tired. I am filled with dread and disappointment in myself. I’ll go through some self flagellation for a while and eventually get it together, but it’s this mad dash to the finish line that really freaks me out. Christmas came too early this year. And even though I’ve already had a heaping helping of Christmas television watching, it still almost doesn’t feel like Christmas. Perhaps I’m just not in the mood.

    Naturally, this all reminds me how much I miss my Dad. This will be my second Christmas without him. Although last year was a lot more difficult, I still feel as though it’s just not the same without him. It isn’t. It really isn’t. Just knowing he won’t be there amongst the clatter of laughter and the tearing open of boxes, watching everyone open the gifts he gave. He once gave my sister-in-law a canned ham. Needless to say, the comedy factor of that moment continues to this day. My brother JCS and I still suggest that giving someone a canned ham for Christmas is the most awesome thing you can do. Awesome because it’s a terrible gift, but odd, and hilarious at the same time. Strangely, that’s the kind of guy he was. He thought it was a great gift and because it so wasn’t, therein lies the hilarity. Yeah, I guess you had to be there.

    Anyway. Jujitsu class tonight. Like Scarlet O’Hara, I’ll think about everything else tomorrow.

    Christmas Tree in Highland Park

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    A few days after we got into Highland Park, it snowed. Lovely white layers of marshmallow covered the landscape. I kept singing, “It’s a marshmallow world in the winter…when the snow comes to cover the ground”. I blame 3rd grade chorus. Man, I hated that class. Mrs. Jardine. I wonder if she’s still around.

    I wanted to take more pictures of the snow, but it was frickin’ cold. My fingers wouldn’t move shortly after this shot. I might use this for my Christmas cards this year…you know, if I can get off my ass and make them.

    Christmas Tree in Highland Park

    Christmas Tree in Highland Park

    Gingerbread Latte Time

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    I was never a huge fan of Ginger-anything until I got older. Not Ginger Snaps, sushi ginger, gingerbread, ginger ale, nothing. Then all of a sudden, it was like this revelation: Ginger rules. I frickin’ love it! I can pretty much eat anything with ginger in it cause it’s so good.

    One of my favorite times of the year is Starbucks’ Gingerbread Latte Time. While I make a minor effort to ignore the convenience of Starbucks and visit local coffee cafes, I find that since Starbucks has put most of them out of business, it’s just easier this way. Besides, as a global conglomerate, they’re not half bad. Along the lines of Apple Computers and Whole Foods. They’re not perfect, but they try and I do appreciate that they use free trade coffee and simply by their presence, make a neighborhood nicer. Yeah, yeah, they’re evil. I know. I also mustn’t forget that their so-called “free” Wi-Fi means buying a Starbucks giftcard which means it’s not really free and then, once you do go ahead and buy the card, you can’t get online anyway.

    I digress. It’s Gingerbread Latte Time. On Saturday, while in Vegas, AJB and I walked into a Starbucks and lo, there it was! Gingerbread Lattes…wait…what? Ginger Snap Lattes? What the? Changed? Why? I asked the girl what the difference was and she explained that it’s exactly the same except that they now include crystallized ginger in the mix. Hurm. Lame. I’d try it anyway. Yeah, it’s exactly the same except with the crystallized ginger. *shrugs* However, at the end of your beverage drinking experience, you end up with these gummy little balls of ginger which are odd after a warm latte. Reminds one of Boba Tea with those tapioca balls that always catch you off guard.

    I’ve been laying off the soy lattes for a while now. I was once heavily addicted to them and would partake in their comforting warmth at least 4 times per week. I’m now down to about one a month. I hadn’t anticipated Gingerbread Latte Time. I now face a serious predicament. I love Gingerbread Latte Time and it makes me happy, but I fear that my vegetarian addiction to soy might be actually harming me on a hormonal level – at least, that’s what they’re saying these days. It could all change next year.

    As an added bonus, Coffee Mate releases a selection of holiday favorites including Gingerbread. My fave. I’ve also started laying off the Coffee Mate cause it’s fattening and full of all kinds of harmful sugar-free, fat-free, made-up foods. Yeah, but it’s so frickin’ delicious. And Gingerbread Coffee Mate always sells out, so I tend to stock up. No, I couldn’t resist. And you know what? I don’t feel bad about it. Well, no. I take it back. I do feel a little bad. I’ve been really trying to eat better and get healthy, so Coffee Mate sends me back a step or two. I’m not going to give up coffee and apparently, I’m also not going to give up Coffee Mate holiday faves.

    All this means that the holidays are here. Yikes! Old Town Pasadena already has their effiminent holiday deers perched on buildings ready to strike holiday cheer into your still beating heart. “Hi guys,” it seems to say. “Thanks for shopping in Old Town Pasadena today! See you soon!” There it sits atop a gigantic red Christmas ball, waving merrily down at you, except you can’t hear the way his voice sounds in my head. Think Paul Lynde meets Carson Kressley with a dash of Ethel Merman. Oh, like you’re so special? Why? Cause you have gigantic Christmas balls? Oh deer, it’s not about you. It’s that your owners put you up two days after Halloween and totally ignore Thanksgiving. The crafts stores are already ablaze with holiday lights and Christmas music. *sigh* The holidays come much too quickly for my taste. I can’t seem to bring myself to shop anytime before December 1st. I also refuse to listen to Christmas music until that time. So there. Take that, merchants of the world!

    MMM. Gingerbread lattes. It’s like a warm hug on a cold day.

    Wil Can Blog, So Can I

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    I wake up a lot of mornings and start writing, but then (for whatever reason) don’t finish. I save and it automatically goes into a draft folder. I have 42 drafts half written, sitting there, unfinished; drafted but not completed. If you’ve come to this blog anytime in the last month, you’ve noticed a whole heckuva lot of Twitter updates. It’s about all I’ve been able to do, but honestly, it’s because I haven’t made any real time to blog. Besides, there’s almost TOO much going on. I have a hard time summing up. I like writing and before I know it, blog entries are over 1000 words. What is this, The LA Times? That’s not really a joke. I don’t think the LA Times has particularly long articles, but I couldn’t think of a paper that does.

    Wil Wheaton is the king of short and sweet blog entries. Then again, if I were a living deity, I’d probably be able to master short and sweet blog entries as well. Sometimes he goes on tangents, but mostly, he’s to the point and hilarious. I’ll try to be more hilarious anyway.

    As I said, there’s quite a bit going on. First off, there are some new developments in my life that I am not ready to talk about, but man…it’s good. Also, I’ve been terribly busy with work. That’s good, everyone replies. It’s good to be busy. I agree, but it’s given me less time to focus on things I enjoy besides photography: podcasting, writing, taking pictures of my cats, watching TV, and going for a walk every day. A week ago, I was juggling 4 clients. I was actually starting to go a little nuts. Things have slowed down and I am pretty stoked about it. I’ve been out of the musical loop. Turns out I missed Wire and Killing Joke – two bands I would have loved to see. Damn. Can’t lose sight of the music. Love it.

    Last night AJB and I saw 9 to 5 the Musical. I’m not a theater person. I think most theater people are pretentious, like they know something the rest of us don’t. They know what it’s like to sit through 2 hours of second rate musical scores, bad singing, and flouncy dancing. Yeah they know. I’ve been with AJB long enough to know that it’s definitely not all good and most of it is, in fact, bad. Still, 9 to 5 was pretty cute, I have to say. It’s funny that I would like 9 to 5 and not Sweeney Todd or Edward Scissorhands the Ballet. I didn’t. They kinda sucked. I could easily sit through Shakespeare any day of the week. I like old William S. I’m no scholar, but I’ve always found his flair for words exciting. I have this feeling that people didn’t really talk like that back then. If they did, it means we’ve gotten even more stupider. The English language has been butchered. Print is dead.

    AJB is working from home now. He’s downstairs and I’m upstairs. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, but come to find out, I actually do. It’s been good and we haven’t spend THAT much time together. Not like we’re getting on each other’s nerves yet. I speak for myself, you know. So far, it hasn’t become Deathtrap.

    We’ve got some serious travel plans in the next couple of months. Vegas for Obama and Cirque du Soleil, Florida for a theme park trade show, Chicago for Thanksgiving and college open houses for the eldest son, and finally Omaha to see my new nephew (whom is still in the oven as of this post). Of course, PMS (my baby brother, yeah, his initials are PMS, probably for a reason I think) doesn’t know I’m coming because he won’t call me back…even when I say I have exciting news. Ce la vie. I guess I’ll just show up, knock on the door and be all, “lemmie see dat babie!!!” *snuggle* *cuddle* I like babies.

    After all that, we still have to plan for Christmas Eve at our house. It’s the new tradition. Used to be held at Aunt J’s house, but the torch as been passed. We’ve got a big house and I love entertaining. I keep saying we need to do it more. And as the holidays are around the corner, it makes me think of my Dad. He never got to celebrate Christmas Eve at my house. He would have loved it, he would have told me how good I was doing, and how he didn’t used to like AJB, but that he turned out to be a good guy. I would have said, See Dad? I told you. I think my Dad would be proud of me. I miss all that. Automatically turning into a 5 year old when my Dad was around and clamoring for his attention. *sigh*

    Oh, and my Mom isn’t calling me. Who knows why.

    So yeah, busy end of year ahead. Who’s got time to blog? Oh well, Wil Wheaton does.