Funny Stuff

Christmas here was good for us. We got to spend more time with Erin than we have in awhile, which was really nice. We had a good time at my folks' house and there was no chaos, which is always a bonus, if you ask me. Everyone seemed to be pleased with their gifts, so I hope they were. I know Erin was a little disappointed that his were all practical, but I never know when he's going to pack up & hit the road, so I didn't want to get him anything that he could take with him. I guess if he wants fun stuff, he ought to settle down & get a job, so I know he's staying in one place.

One of Rhi's friends really cracks me up. If you've been reading here for awhile, you'll remember that she dated a boy named Sean last winter & that they broke up a couple of times before decided that they were destined to be friends & not a couple. Well, they're still friends, and it seems like he's always getting a new job. Just a couple of weeks ago he was looking for Dodge Charger accessories and working at Carl's Jr. Now, it seems he has yet another job & is driving a Chevy Impala. A few months ago, it was a Chevy truck and a different job. I just don't get how he does it, you know? Is it that he doesn't care where he works or what hours? Is he such a hard & good worker at his jobs that he gets great references even after he quits without notice? Is it just that anyone who isn't picky can do the same thing & my kids are just picky & lazy? What is it?!

Sheesh Part 2

Rhi did finally go shopping. She bought some nice pigment eyeshadow & a lip gloss, and some body sprays. She also bought an eyeshadow that she hid from me so that she wouldn't have to wrap it up and some deodorant. I let her keep the rest of the money to do whatever with.

Troy bought himself some new Wranglers, a t-shirt with Ninja monkeys on it & an expansion to one of his games. I got Bare Naturale make up (foundation, blush, finishing & an eyeshadow), Lip Vitamins and some pants. We spent what we had left buying Erin a jacket he asked us for.

I missed a call from him last night, I'm hoping he was just drunk-dialing again, but I am a little worried, since he never called back & didn't leave voice mail.

Sheesh

My mother-in-law sent us a check for Christmas, just like she always does. We only feel that it's right to actually buy ourselves some gifts with it & wrap them up until Christmas morning, it is why she sends the money, after all. When I handed part of the money to Rhi & told her that she had to buy herself a gift or two for the amount I gave her & wrap it & put it under the tree she seemed offended. She got even more upset looking when she was told that it didn't include Pepsi, sunflower seeds or going out to eat. What is so bad about being told you have to buy yourself something & not waste the money on junk food?

She did finally take her money & go shopping, I hope she gets herself something nice & not a bunch of crap. I'm still not sure what I want to get for myself, so I'm waiting & holding onto mine.

Good Weekend

Our party was a lot of fun, and yes, my headache was gone by the time we left. I just kept on top of it with pain reliever & caffeine until it went away. There were a bunch of good things to eat, like chocolate rum cake, orange meringue pie, Rice Krispies treats, cookies, fudge, pumpkin mousse, granola and of course, a lotof yummy drinks, too. Everyone enjoyed the gift exchange and a good time was had by everyone.

Sunday, Rhi & I took Kris home & then Troy & I pretty much just relaxed all day. We didn't go anywhere, except to grab some lunch, and we didn't do anything. Rhi had gone to her friend's house, to help him with his computer & they were eating out, too. I really think we need to look into key holders of some type, because she keeps misplacing hers and so we have to leave the house unlocked when we leave unless she's with us. Not that I really believe she'll use one, or anything.

Yesterday, we were just kind of sitting around, getting ready to go to Dawn's so I could take her a hook for her knitting loom & an old friend that we hadn't seen for a few years showed up. He was in town visiting his 5 sons and trying desperately to put out fires and get them back on track at school. We showed him where Dawn lives, because he had asked & we were on our way over there anyway. She was thrilled to see him, too, and we all visited awhile.

Cherokee (Dawn's younger daughter that had runaway on November 30) came home yesterday, too. She didn't really have any answers for her mom when she was asked why she came home, but Dawn was going to talk to her last night & try to figure out where to go from here, so I hope they've at least started on that. I really hope she'll do what she's supposed to this time and stop giving Dawn so much grief.

Getting Ready to Party

Our annual Yule party is tonight. I still need to make my pumpkin mousse & fudge to take along, but I have to look up the recipes, since they're on the hard drive I fried last month. I'm trying to get together enough variety in Christmas music to make a mix CD to take, but I'm having a hard time finding some of the songs I'd like to include (I had them, they're on that hard drive, too). So, if any of you have a copy of "The Little Blue Bell," "Father Christmas" (by The Kinks) or that one about Santa by Cheech & Chong, that you're willing to share with me, before about 5pm MST today, please let me know :)

I woke up at 5:30 this morning with what appears to be trying to become a migraine & I just decided to get up, after lying there until 7:15 & it not getting any better. I knew I was going to wake up with one, I couldn't get comfortable on my pillows when I went to bed last night. For me, that usually means it's already starting, but I just don't know it, yet. I hate it, for more than one reason. I want to feel good for the party tonight, yes, but I just got some new perfumes & I was hoping to be able to try one of them today. I'm very sensitive to fragrances to begin with, and I have to know if I can wear them without getting a headache from them.. if I already have one, I'll never know. Oh well, maybe I'll feel better later on. I think I'll make a pot of coffee & see if that helps at all.

Bringing Work Home

I remember back when Troy worked for the cable company here. He used to drive a company truck & he got to bring it home with him. Sometimes, he drove a van that they had & the kids loved to get in the back and play. They'd sit on the spools of Cat 5 cable and pretend they were working, or having lunch at work or whatever. It was pretty cute.

When he started working where he does now, they let him bring some blue plastic barrels home, and the kids used them for toy boxes for a long time. We still have one sitting in the kitchen, waiting to be thrown out, but we can't throw it out for some reason. I think it's some regulation with the company or something. I don't know.

The company that he's with now manufactures the stuff that goes in fire extinguishers (Halotron, I think it's called), so they gave us a really nice one a couple of Christmases ago. I was really thankful for it, because we could have never been able to buy one like that. I can be thankful he doesn't bring home the other stuff they make out there, I guess! (they make components to solid rocket fuel)

Geek is the New Cool

Have you heard that being a geek is cool, now? If that's the case, then up & coming bands need to start rethinking the way they name themselves. Instead if tough names like "Joan Jett & the Blackhearts" the new names in rock should be on the geekier side.

I can just picture it now, "The Polyhedrals," "Bruce & the HDMI splitters," "Shaman 5," and "The Hax0rs." Can you just imagine the names of songs? The music would all be very techno, of course, and everything would have to be recorded at home, on a computer. It would all be very "Revenge of the Nerds," and I'm pretty sure that I'd love it.

Worries for the Future

The company Troy works for has done a lot of growing in the past few years, buying other companies in the UK, California & on the east coast. With the growth has come a lot of change, in order to meet the needs of many different types of employees, some of which are union members, some who aren't and so on.

I often worry that there will be a big corporate relocation, and we'll have to move & leave everything and everyone we love behind just to be able to pay our bills. I own a home here, that I have no desire to sell and won't live in for many years, yet (my parents are in it). All of my family except one of my children are here and I have fantastic friends here, too. I don't want to leave. This is my home. I truly hope it never becomes an issue with us, and that if it does that we can come up with a solution to it.

I know, I worry about some strange things, but at least I'm not sitting around jumping at every sound I hear! Speaking of which, some drunk guy walked right into our house last night, without knocking. Rhi was here with Kris & her friends & Troy & I were gone. She handled it really well and the guy left. He was looking for the tweaker who used to live next door and thought he was at the right house. I sure wish he'd have pulled that stunt with the guy that lives in that house now!

TV Shows

I've found myself, over the past few years, becoming less & less interested in the fictional lives of TV characters & more drawn to real life stories. I'm not talking about shows such as Survivor & American Idol, but instead Intervention (a show about people who enter alcohol & drug rehabilitation after an intervention by their loved ones), The First 48 (following police in the first 48 hours of a homicide), Forensic Files (showing how murder cases were solved using forensics), and strangely enough, My Sweet 16 (lavish Sweet 26 parties given to spoiled teens).

I get almost instantly bored with the normal fare of network television, although I am a fan of House MD & watch Dexter & The Brotherhood on Showtime. Am I becoming more morbid as I age, or do I place a higher value on the time I spend in front of the television more than I used to? I watch Food Network, The Travel Channel and Discovery, too. I can always find something to watch when I'm bored, I just refuse to settle for whatever comes up first, I guess.

I won't watch TV shows in syndication, especially if I've seen them all before & I rarely watch movies on the premium channels if I've seen them before. I figure that if I like them that much, I probably have the movie on DVD or should go out & buy it. Anyone else getting pickier?

Mmmmm Bed!

I've been wanting to buy a new mattress for awhile. I'd love one of those really nice memory foam mattresses, maybe I'd be able to sleep through the night, without tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position. These platform beds are particularly nice, they'd be even better with a memory foam mattress.

I don't want a brand new bed, I love the one I have, I inherited it from my grandmother when she went into the nursing home and I love it. I wanted that bed for as long as I could remember, so now that I have it, I'm not really willing to give it up. Unfortunately, the mattress appears to be almost as old as the bed is, it's at least as old as I am & that's way too old for a mattress.

I just want to look forward to going to bed at night again, and I really don't anymore. I put it off as long as I can, just so I don't have the nightly struggle with sleep and comfort.