TCTC downtime

sitting on the bed in a motor lodge, with the balcony door open, listening to Pandora on a borrowed laptop, and the sound of passing cars on wet pavement, and the occasional little cheepy sound from a bird out by the street. my group of teens is still wandering about town before coming back to my room to play spoons, so i'm taking a few minutes of downtime to sip a quiet cup of coffee and just be still. There are no lights on in the room; the only light is through the open window and balcony door, and even that is from a mostly overcast sky. it's not an unpleasant sort of dimness, though. on the contrary is vaguely familiar and and promotes a reflective, pondering sort of mood. i think i'll go ponder.

got some whack back

Good Mornng!
I've been finding little bits of whack and stuffing them in my pocket, so things have been better. It is kind of funny all the places you can find whack. Friends with extra have been really good about sharing, and I found a little bit here and there about town (lying on the sidewalk, mixed in with grocery change, etc)

Speaking of groceries, Used Grocery has an enormous stock of canned artichoke hearts for .69. I got two cans yesterday to try it out, and made a yummy dish of chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and artichoke, all tossed in an italian dressing. It was pretty freakin' tasty, and I got the idea from my pal Tara. We went to her house for NYE and played some great games with some of our favorite teenagers.

So... the standard topic and conversation starter these days seems to be resolutions. did you make any? Originally I'd planned something I felt would be acheivable and settled for becoming more cynical and drinking more alcohol. Eventually, though, I settled on the resolution of setting myself weekly goals, like not eating fast food, or washing the dishes, or remembering to take out the garbage.
Have any yourself?

got any spare whack?

why does it go so quickly? my cousin ryan asked if i meant money, time, life, youth, cookies, or what, and i guess the answer is all that and the rest, too. i feel so overwhelmed and unmotivated, in both the large areas (kate is already planning for college) and the small (i didn't make a single gift for anyone for christmas, i cook about 3 meals a week, and i still haven't put away the laundry from 3 weeks ago.) it was like this last year and the year before and the year before, unto reverse perpetuity, but this year i feel so overwhelmed that i just have not one iota of motivation to do ANYthing. i don't want to do anything but be at home. no offense, friends, but i don't even want to hang out with you, and that is NOT LIKE ME. my favorite thing to do is hang out with you, and i don't even want to do that? wierd.

now, don't get me wrong - i am not feeling sorry for myself or ungrateful; to the contrary i don't think i've ever felt more grateful. i'm just... out of whack.

Your soul is an appalling dump heap

So who watched the Grinch last night? Hands down, it's my favorite of all Christmas movies, followed closely by Rudolph and Charlie Brown. But let me just tell you - nay, let me count the ways that I despise Frosty the Snowman. He is a wuss. oooh, I don't like red thermometers...

psh. what a freakin wimp.
I hate that movie. But I digress...

Another REALLY good one that I highly reccommend is Nightmare Before Christmas. Maybe not for your toddlers, possibly for your tweens, but perfect for teens and adults. (clarification: adults who aren't entirely too serious all the time)

So what's your favorite? Or your least favorite? Let's argue some video tradition!!!

sloppy monday

It's just one of those gross days. Shameful that December 1st should choose to be like this, but it is gray, dark, wet, cold, and gross. Perhaps I should send some advice to the person in charge of weather. That would help, I'm sure.

So have you gotten started on your shopping? I have a small start, and plan to finish by the 25th. I think that's reasonable.
Hey, I was skimming the radio the other day and heard Dr Dobson telling that of the 30 businesses that he approached about saying "Merry Christmas", 19 of them have chosen to at least add that back to their advertising along with "Happy Holidays". This is a big deal. I'm trying to find the list of stores for you, and also the ones who still won't. Of "Merry Christmas" group, I can only remember Target and BassPro, but of course there were 17 others. Unfortunately, Borders, Waldenbooks, and Barnes & Noble remained in the "Happy Holidays" only group.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all had a good time and got to spend it with people you like, eating too much yummy food. Boy, I did.

This evening I'm on my couch watching Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. I think next year I'll makes toast, popcorn, and jelly beans for dinner. :-) I especially like the scene with Snoopy and Woodstock dressed as pilgrims. It reminds me of Doug and Paula!

So as tradition dictates, Kate is spending the night at Sarah's house, and they will be joining the throngs of shoppers at 4am, along with Maureen and James. I'll be at work tomorrow, so if you find yourself on Hurstbourne, swing by and visit me.

By the way, do any of you want to give someone a kitten for Christmas? Mippen has 7.

sausage balls

This morning I slept in til 8:47 because I have Day Off Work (tm). You ever get one of those? Actually, my entire little pod is home today from their various jobs, schools, and activities, and we have planned a lovely day of putting things away, painting random objects for fun, and eating of Amanda's homemade sausage balls. Yum.

I love waking up in the morning and having my girls here. :-)