Wrapping up 2006.

December 31, 2006 | 2 Comments

Some new joys of the year:

My camera. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever bought for myself.
Making pretty jewelry and having people tell me how much they LOVE wearing it. (Be on the lookout for my Etsy shop opening in 2007!)
Taking lonnnnng road trips again. I’m already planning more of them. :yes:

Some new irritations:

My near-sightedness is getting worse.
Daddy Al’s manipulative “fiancée”, Hot Donna. If the wedding actually occurs I may have to stand up and object. I always wondered what it would be like to do that…
Nightsweats. My little welcome into the world of peri-menopause.

Important things that I learned:

To go over my credit card statements with a fine tooth comb each month. Earlier in December I discovered that there were fraudulent charges on my card – not huge enough to cause a noticeable difference, but sneaky little thievery by someone who hacked my account. (Some guy in Texas has been getting free internet access for at least six months, on me. That asshole. )
Depressive episodes have a natural lifespan and if I just hold on long enough I will get through them.

Important things that I obviously still need to learn:

The moment I download photos from my camera, I need to back them up to a disk.

Things that made me cry like a baby:

Leaving Tennessee on the last day of my vacation there. I’ve missed being with The Count ever since.
Knowing that people I love were going through extremely difficult things and that there wasn’t a thing I could do to help.

Things that made me laugh:

That show “Ugly Betty” – I love it!
Naked by David Sedaris.
Taking the Southern herbal remedy. Ok, that was more like giggle uncontrollably, but still…
The UPS delivery man walking into one of my therapy sessions and asking if Dr. K would sign for a package.

Things that made me want to give up:

The January-May depressive episode. (Holy crap, that was awful.)
The !@#$% mumps. I’m still not fully recovered from having them.

Things that made me want to keep going:

Mega-doses of Zoloft and lots of therapy.
Becoming re-acquainted with my two sisters again.
All of the supportive comments and email I have received from people who read this site.
Prayers.
Love.

Three celebrities who died this year that I will miss the most:

Don Knotts, Peter Boyle and James Brown.

Men who make me laugh, dance and sing will always have a place in my heart.

Three celebutards of 2006 that I want to bitch slap for eternity:

Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Rosie O’Donnell.

Ladies, please. Stop showing the whole world your … er… intelligence.

(By the way, if Rosie starts flashing her beaver in public I’ll pay Donald Trump’s hair stylist to give her a permanent combover.)

Three wishes I am making for in 2007:

Sorry… but if I tell you then they won’t come true!

**********

:party:Happy New Year, my sweeties… May the upcoming year be wonderful for us all.

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Holidays, I've Been Thinking

“I’m swingin’ in Iraq… just swiiiiingin’ in Iraq…”

December 30, 2006 | 1 Comment

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged in Iraq before dawn Saturday for crimes he committed during his reign. Al-Iraqiya state television aired videotape of Hussein’s final moments several hours after his death. Video of what appears to be Hussein’s body aired later in the day.

Heh.

Hehehehehe…

NEXT!

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Funny But WRONG., Funny Ha Ha

Caution: He may just need new glasses.

December 27, 2006 | 4 Comments

Did you all have a Merry Christmas? I sure did. :yes:

It was just the way we like to spend it, too — very quiet and peaceful. ‘Cept for that small, furious riot during present unwrapping time, when paper scraps were a-flyin’ and the cats were busy hopping in and out of boxes and stealing strands of ribbon, intoxicated with Christmas morning giddiness. Other than that, it was very mellow around here.

Two quick and funny cat holiday anecdotes to share:

1. During tree-trimming time, Randy amazed us with his brazen ability to walk right up the steps of a 6 foot ladder like he’s been doing it all of his life. We promised him that if he does it again next year, we’ll let him put the star on top of the tree.

Heck, if he gets really good at the ladder thing and learns how to use a Swiffer mitten, I’ll let him clean the ceiling fans once a month, too. I’m just generous that way.

2. The cats sleep downstairs in Jerry’s workshop at night, right? Well, Christmas morning when Jer opened the door and let them upstairs, both cats made a hot-footed bee-line straight to the tree – like they couldn’t wait to see what Sandy Claws had brought them! They even went for their own presents — not each others. WTF? These cats are such weird little people.

And in other holiday news…

I’m humbled to say how generous Santa was with the gifts for me this year.

I received some absolutely stunning pieces of jewelry :love: , an excellent LL Bean rolling duffle bag for my road trips, a camera bag that has a compartment for anything I could ever imagine, a gorgeous Christmas Bulb garden, beautiful red candle holders, fancy Christmas dinnerware, a Barnes and Noble gift card, gift certificates to Shutterfly, a big gob of money, really cute snowman ornaments, a couple new pieces of Scarlet Fiestaware… and a partridge in a pear treeeeeeeee.

And one of my most favorite gifts: The Little Pink Sock, Little Pink Sock Mug!

It works equally well with cocoa, tea, orange juice, and Alka Seltzer Plus.

(You know you are jealous! Hands off da mug, people! Heehee…)

**********

So… what does all of this mean?

Well, that I am actually a very nice person in Santa’s eyes and I was at the top of his Nice List for a mother lode of goodies, of course!

:innocent:

Or perhaps… it means that poor old Santa is now blind as a bat and it’s a darn good thing for me because I was on the Naughty List – and on the fast track headed straight for Lump O’ Coalville.

:eyebrow:

I think some further research is in order. To help understand this situation better, it would be great if some of you Known Naughties would leave a comment and tell us if you got more than you deserved for Christmas. And did any of you Nice-A-Lots get stiffed by Santa (in a non pleasurable way?)

The world needs to know this important data. I mean, if this “being good or else” thing is all a bunch of BS, I’ve got to make up for lost time!

By the way, in case you need a little objectivity, here’s a little quizzie you can take to help you get started. (See my results? Do those look right to you?)

You Were Nice This Year!

You’re an uber-perfect person
who is on the top of Santa’s list.
You probably didn’t even *think* any
naughty thoughts this year.
Unless you’re a Mormon,
you’ve probably been a little too good.
Is that extra candy cane worth being
a sweetheart for 365 days straight?

Were You Naughty or Nice This Year?

More again soon, my friends.

~xoxox

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Holidays, Pussycats, The Scoop

A lovely, silent night.

December 24, 2006 | 4 Comments

The Manger
Kasebier, Gertrude, b.1852-1934
Camera Work I, 1903
21.3 x 15 cm

Merry Christmas, my dear friends. May all of your hopes and dreams come true…

~xoxox

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Holidays

A Friday Music Mambo? Sure, why not!

December 22, 2006 | Leave a Comment

This Mambo drifted in on time this past Monday and it has finally made it to the top of my Fun & Relaxing Holiday “To Do” List. Time to shake your MerryMaker, kids…

Christmas will be here in one week! This week’s mambo will be about Christmas music. I’ll put up an additional question for those who don’t celebrate Christmas.

1. What are your favorite Christmas songs?

Oh, I have lots of them… but I’ve always liked “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” the best. It’s beautiful whether it’s being performed solo or by a group of people – either formal or informal gatherings. In fact, I think everyone who sings it becomes the Herald Angels of which they sing.

This is one of my favorite covers:

Amy Grant ~ Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

(I’ve listed more of my favorites in question 3.)

2. What Christmas song do you dislike?

I don’t actually *dislike* these songs, but I will admit they are much more tolerable if you are drunk on eggnog:

Bob and Doug McKenzie – The Twelve Days of Christmas

Cheech and Chong – Santa Claus and His Old Lady

The Singing Dogs – Jingle Bells

Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Chipmunks – The Chipmunk Song

And I’ve never heard a recording of this… but don’t these lyrics sound about right?

(Sung to the tune “Deck The Halls”)

Deck the malls this Christmas season,
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Blow your cash for no good reason,
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Push your charge card to it’s limit
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Your check book now has nothing in it!
Fa la la la la, la la la la!

3. Do you prefer Christmas carols, classics or new interpretations?

I like ‘em all, snowball!

Burl Ives – Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Dean Martin ~ Let It Snow

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song

Paul McCartney & Wings - Wonderful Christmas Time

Jim Reeves - Silent Night

James Brown - Please Come Home for Christmas

David Arkenstone ~ Angels We Have Heard on High

Gene Autry - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad

David Arkenstone ~ Do You Hear What I Hear

Eurythmics ~ Winter Wonderland

John Mellencamp - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Chuck Berry - Run, Rudolph, Run

Bing Crosby - White Christmas

And a question for everyone:

4. Was this a good musical year for you? What were your favorite purchases/downloads/new discoveries?

It was one of the best I’ve ever had. It didn’t have anything to do with favorite purchases or new discoveries; it was about hearing music in a new way. With more clarity, depth, and joy.

You might ask what brought about that change, and all I can tell you is that experiencing the world with Love in your heart transforms everything. With music it has been comparable to only hearing songs on an AM radio for years … and then hearing the same music performed live with a full orchestra back up.

It’s beautiful… I feel so blessed. :yes:

I hope you feel blessed as well, my friends.

~xoxox

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Monday Music Mambo