The movie "Tombstone," not "Wyatt Earp"

Check me out, you guys!
"I'm your huckleberry."
Rock on! What a perfect avatar for me to start off this new year. I feel like 2009 needs to be attacked, and bent to my will! I will win over this year, and I will make it my bitch. How's that? Sounds a bit too angry? That wasn't my intention, but I really do want to make this year mine. I've got plans, and I have every intention of bringing them to fruition. Of course, because this is me, I've also got contingencies for my plans too, so don't worry too much about the consequences should I not win the day.
At any rate, I thought that looking very Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer, not Dennis Quaid), as in, you know, when he's kicking everyone's asses and beating them at cards and riding the range with Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell, not Kevin Costner), would put me in the right frame of mind.

The Big List

So ... obviously ... I've taken some time off from the blog over the last week. I could go through a litany of reasons why I haven't written, bored, having a cold, blah, blah, blah, but oh well.
Today is the last day of 2008, and, well, it'll be kind of a whimperish one. I'm not feeling well enough to make it a smash of a day, and there are no plans for tonight, so Brian and I may just be ringing in the New Year with a viewing of the ball dropping in New York, and then a nice sleep.
But don't think that tomorrow will be greeted with the same attitude. No, no. I am going to tackle this next year, and tackle it well! (After I'm over my cold.) But I can start all my research now, and I shall!
What's on the Big List for 2009?
House;
Job;
Car;
Potty Training (that one, of course, is entirely up to Sydney, so it may well get pushed to 2010. I say, whatever);
Weight Loss;
Simplification (I'm being deliberately vague on this, because I'm not sure what I'd like to, or be able to, simplify);
Reading;
Class Work.
That's a pretty good list, if I do say so myself. I'll need some help, obviously, but will take these list items to task as best I can.
2009, Bring it!

Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! I certainly did! And for all those times everyone ever told me that watching my kid dig into Christmas was going to be so much better than opening gifts myself, I say that, "You are absolutely right!" I would have happily watched Sydney open every gift under the tree this morning, including mine. And that's hard for an only child to admit!
This week wasn't without its sadness though, as my wonderful Uncle Sam passed away on Tuesday night. I'll count my lucky stars that Mom and I went by to visit with him and Aunt Bette that afternoon, and that we were able to give out hugs and "good vibes." Tomorrow is Uncle Sam's funeral, so that's where Mom, Auntie Donna and I will be hanging out for a couple hours.
After the funeral though, my own little family will be heading back to Phoenix. This will be a very long and tiring day, but it's worth it to me to be there for the extended family, as well as get my own group home and sleeping in their own beds. Besides, Santa still left some stuff for Sydney at her house, under her own tree. And to watch that again, I'd drive through a snow storm, hail, tornadoes and a hurricane.

Santa Claus is comin' to town

So I've finally got a spare couple moments to blog something, and it won't be much. As you know, when we're out in California, the office becomes Sydney's bedroom, therefore our time with the computer is severely limited, as Mom and I are both mainly nighttime computer people. Every one in a while, we can sneak in while Sydney's asleep, but that is a rare occurrence. Right now, I've got the television on and Sydney chilling in her crib, so I've got a quick second to update you.

Activities so far this trip out to Cali:

1.) The drive itself went pretty well. Two dogs, one baby, two married people and a car full of Christmas presents do not make for a comfortable trip, but it was a pretty quick one.

2.) Dinner party at Jeannine's house! A night to hang out with my friends? Always a good thing, and that it was a nice casual thing with us just hanging out and laughing made it absolutely perfect.
3.) The Owens Christmas dinner is always, always, always a fun event, and this year did not disappoint! Sydney was a frickin' rock star, and even proved it by rocking out with Guitar Hero. She would insist on holding the guitar, but wouldn't push any buttons ... nor would she allow anyone else to push the buttons for her. Funny!

4.) Lunch with Julia! I haven't seen Julia since before Howie died, and it was a lovely thing to sit across a table from her and catch up. Since she's back in California, we'll be able to hang out more, I hope!

It's been a great time so far, and it'll only get better, as it gets more Christmas festive! Yay holiday!

I'm hoping for a 7 a.m. departure

It's not even close to the temperature that a penguin in a Santa suit would find comfortable, but really, this picture is too awesome not to post. I'm frickin' so excited to get to California tomorrow that I'm actually almost entirely somewhat totally packed for the trip already! Sydney's bag is packed; my bag is packed (minus the morning toiletries); the dogs have easy stuff to just toss in their bag; and the presents are already in the car. It's great! Tonight, I have to do my nails; finish packing the extra stuff (which is why the blogging is being done at 8:45 p.m. instead of 11:45 p.m.); organize the departure; and start and empty the dishwasher. The cookies for the road, I'll have you know, are already baked.
Yay California!
Honestly, I'm beyond pleased with how my week is shaping up. I'm getting to see family and friends; I'm spending time with them, too, not just a quick hello and goodbye; and I'm going to be happy, festive and relaxed about it. I feel like once we all get in the car tomorrow, I'll have to be calm about it, since there's nothing else to be done with any of it, and if something goes wrong, my mommy can help me fix it.

A delightful candy, yes?

You know how I knew it was going to be a good day today? One thing: scotchmallow.
Sydney and I had our last trip to make to the mall this morning. I had a minimal list, but an important one, as I still had to get something for my nephew and my brother for Christmas. I also needed to make a stop into Baby Gap for the pink jacket I saw last week (but didn't buy, for some ridiculous reason) for Sydney ... because the child doesn't have a jacket, and it's supposed to be a bit chillier in California next week. Anyway, I also had a one-pound certificate for See's that I meant to use and give to my Molly Maids for the holiday, because they frickin' rock for doing all the stuff around my house that I refuse to do. So I picked up the box of chocolates, and got into line. And the wonderful lady behind the counter offered me the sample: a scotchmallow. This is one of my very favorite candies from the store. In fact, I was contemplating buying some for Brian and I to enjoy this evening, when she offered me the sample. So I ate the candy, and that completely satisfied my yearn for the confection; thereby saving me the money for the pound of candy, but also saving my ass from spreading due to that perfect pound of candy.

I can be an "appropriate organization"

So I've got less than two years to raise more than an estimated $42 million to buy one of the soon-to-be retired space shuttles. Once the shuttles are taken off the docket for flight, they'll be available for purchase. One is already headed to the Smithsonian, which leaves two left, including the one for me.
[NASA] said Wednesday it's looking for ideas on where and how best to display its space shuttles once they stop flying in a few years. It's put out a call to schools, science museums and "other appropriate organizations" that might be interested in showcasing one of the three remaining shuttles.
The estimate includes $6 million to ferry the spaceship atop a modified jumbo jet to the closest major airport. But the price could skyrocket depending on how far the display site is from the airport. Only indoor, climate-controlled displays will be considered.
So not only do I need to collect the money, but I need to build a really big garage for the shuttle, too. They're making this super hard for me to pull off.
If a space shuttle is too pricey, NASA is offering some of its shuttle main engines for anywhere between $400,000 and $800,000, not counting shipping costs.
There's no way I would compromise on such a thing.
The space shuttles, so you know, will not come with any main engines.
I can't even take it to the grocery store or drive-in theater? Damn. But still, totally worth it. I can sit in it and play astronaut.
NASA plans to retire Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour by Sept. 30, 2010, in keeping with President George Bush's initiative calling for a return by astronauts to the moon by 2020.
A transition team set up by President-elect Barack Obama is reviewing all the options, however, including the possibility of keeping the shuttles flying beyond 2010.
If that happens, then all space shuttle deals are off.
I wonder if I'd get all my money back if NASA has to turn its back on the deal. Or maybe just a ride in one, to the moon, as a consolation prize? I'm all over it.

"Keep in Touch!" "Have a great summer!"

I can count on one hand how many real, real friends I had in high school (and still have; Yay Lisa!). I knew plenty of people, had classes and sat next to a lot of them, and enjoyed spending time with, and talking to, a whole lot of my peers. But at the end of the day, when looking at all my classmates on Facebook pages, I can say that I'm freaked about contacting them to be "friends." I'll admit to this fear as being one of the issues I've had for a long, long time: I'm terrified of calling, writing or contacting someone and having them say, "And who are you again?" The possibility is keeping me from befriending a lot of people on Facebook. Tara tells me to just do it, and enjoy any renewed friendships. I'm still iffy about it. It's so easy for me to say to myself, "You're a grown-up now! Don't be shy! Say hello!" But then I get all nervous about sending that friend request. I feel so vulnerable. It's incredibly weird.

What a cool picture of lights

Honestly, I'm getting bored with getting ready for the holidays, and wish that I can just dig into the fun and merriment, you know? I've got so much to do in the next three days, but I'm really eager for them to pass so we can get to the traveling. I've got a lot of my shopping done (I epiphanied an idea for two more people this afternoon ... my last person eludes me), and I have only the packing and baking to do before heading out of here on Saturday. I say that like the packing and baking are easy and quick, basically no-brainers, but in fact, both things will take up an irritatingly long time. As I now remember too well, the peanut butter cookies take a couple hours to finish. And packing for a week, for three people, and the two dogs, is no small chore. So why am I just sitting her on the sofa, loitering on Facebook, blogging about everything that I need to do, and watching a ridiculous movie that I've already seen a hundred times, instead of doing any of these things? It's too early to pack, and I can't hit the mall and shop right now. And I'm really just chilling -- enjoying the happiness of my fantastically giddy day.

Britney in April!

So did I tell you all that Katy and I are going to the Britney Spears concert in April? Honestly! I am so excited! I got us some decent seats, though they're not the best that I think I could have done for us. I couldn't find a single place where it said when the tickets would go on sale, so had to depend on my spotty memory and flighty sense of focus to keep checking.
Sadly, I let the wrong set of three consecutive days go by without visiting Ticketmaster.com, and missed out on the day the tickets became available. (A Saturday morning? Are they kidding me with that?) Thereby, when I finally checked and found that the tickets were available, they'd been on sale for three days, and all the super good, cost-not-an-issue seats were gone. So we're not on the floor, but in the first level of seats, and in row Q or something. I am comforted by the fact that I won't need binoculars to see the stage, and that I actually had seats farther away from the stage the second time I saw U2 in Boston, to they can't be too bad.
But I'm totally going to get a t-shirt and a program.

Five days and counting...!

Honestly, I cannot believe that we're heading out to California in five days. I've still got so much to do! Tomorrow, I hit the mall to finish up the shopping I need to do there. Maybe, just maybe, Sydney and I will get to Target tomorrow afternoon, but I feel like, if the weather is as bad tomorrow as they say it will be, that particular errand will be put off until Tuesday morning. I need to make another batch of peanut butter cookies. I need to pack for my family's week-long trip away from home. I need to wrap a couple random gifts, but I'm saving all the California presents for wrapping out there; that way I don't have to worry about the paper getting ripped in the car (why didn't I think of that two years ago?). I'll need to do my nails.
I guess I really only have to organize my life for the holiday. Grr.
I'm excited to put our Christmas cards in the mail tomorrow!

Cards, cards, cards

So we tried something different for our Christmas cards this year: There is ... wait for it ... a family portrait on it. Of course, there's still the bigger photo of Sydney, because she's so awesome, but instead of a photo of just Oliver and Daisy (assuming I would ever be able to get them to sit together long enough to snap one), I thought a nice, casual and fun family photo would be a nice complement. Not a single one of the family portraits turned out exactly right, but I still included my favorite of the group. Once you see it, you'll know why. My baby cracks me up.
I'm almost sure that next year's card will go back to the older tradition of being just pictures of the kids. It's all cuter that way.
At any rate, I've finished with a majority of the envelopes, and am only waiting to hear back from a few people for their addresses. And one more thing gets crossed off my list. Yay me!

I was two when I first said it, as well

Alright, so here's a random Sydney-based post that I'll share because what happened was really frickin' funny. We were walking through the parking lot after our play class this morning. As we arrived at the car, and I reached down to pick her up. As I lifted her into my arms, my keys slipped out of my hand and hit the ground. "Shit," I mumbled as I gripped her to my side, and bent down to pick them up. And then, like little music in my ear, I hear this little angel's voice squeak as well. "Shit ... shit," it said. Then, she kinda dragged it out, really feeling it in her mouth. "Ssshhhiiittt." Of course, I had the exact opposite response as they say a parent should: I looked at her and just started cracking up. I gave her a huge, huge hug, and just kept laughing. She found this awesome, and said it again. And I laughed again. I put her in her car seat, and she said it again. Fantastic! Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing! Nor could I wait to tell her daddy. I called him from the car, and as I'm telling him, she's in the backseat repeating it! Love it! It is so much better to hear than the f-word!

Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C"

Here's a picture of the homemade, created from scratch, yummy peanut butter cookies I made tonight. Whatever for? Sydney, Brian and I are invited to Maria and Doug's cookie party tomorrow night, and I decided to make the old-school peanut butter confections that I love so much. I had forgotten how many cookies the recipe made (about 60), and how long it takes to follow the recipe through to fruition (2 hours, start to finish). I'm excited to take them to Maria's, because I really do know how good they are. Don't think I'm too generous though, I'm keeping some for myself and Katy to enjoy this weekend. (Brian doesn't like peanut butter cookies. More for me!) I like it when my house smells like fresh-baked cookies, too. Isn't there just something cozy and warm and fuzzy about a house that smells like cookies? At any rate, I'm inspired to make more cookies before the month is done. Hosting an event that I'm invited to this holiday? I may be bringing cookies with me!

Have phone, will travel ... or just call people

I lost my phone for about two hours this evening. And let me tell you, that is the craziest feeling! I swear, I felt so helpless, and kind of vulnerable, and definitely like I was lost myself. I knew that probably no one had tried to call me, but my heart kept telling me that I was missing out on everything that could possibly be happening. I swore that Mom and Brian had each tried to call me a thousand times. (Thank goodness I had Sydney with me, otherwise my paranoia and crazy fears would have spun way out of control.)
But then the rest of the mental dominoes started falling in my head: Could someone who found the phone find me? How, in the world, was I ever going to re-create my address book? Why do I no longer have anyone's phone numbers anywhere other than in the phone? And how did I ever become so dependent on a little piece of electronic plastic that fits in my pocket?
I realized the phone was missing right before dinner, and before Katy joined us. I asked her to call it, and while it didn't ring in my bag from some hidden corner, it also didn't ring on her end. It went right to voice mail. Ugh. We all know what that means: the phone was turned off. If it was in my car, or my bag, or the parking lot, it would just ring and ring and ring before going to voice mail. If it was off, someone had it.
After dinner, we drove back to the Target, where I knew that I last had the phone (I called Lizzie from the video games section of the store, and was sure I put the phone back in my pocket). Katy checked around my former parking spot: under, around and near the Mitsubishi that was currently in the spot. We parked and went in the store and straight to the customer service counter. The customer service guy asked me for a description of the phone, and for my name, and, if you can believe it, the phone was there! The guy had checked through the address book for the "Home" listing, called and left me a message, and turned off the phone to preserve the battery! And that's Target policy for lost phones! CRAZY COOL!
But here's the best part: When I got home and listened to the message, he had said that the phone was found in the parking lot. Not even in the store! A good Samaritan helped me! How great! I'm so excited and pleased that someone else took the time to take care of my little phone and return it to the store, and ultimately, back into my hands. That person frickin' rocks!

The kid loves Abba; what can I say?

ITEM!: I've got my list, and I'm checking it twice! And I'm in full-on shopping mode tomorrow. I even got a babysitter so I can run in and out of the stores I need to with a minimal amount of fuss (which is something I get a maximum of when I've got my baby with me). Oh, and yes, I've got some stores to visit: Toys R Us, a few in Fashion Square, Target, and Michaels. Each stop has a nifty list of purchases to be made, and I'm crazy excited to dig into it. I won't finish everything tomorrow, I know that, but this day is going to be a huge step in that direction.
ITEM!: I was hoping that The Journey to the Center of the Earth would be a fun and awesome romp, similar to The Mummy. Not to be, but at least I finally sat and watched it. I always, weirdly, feel a sense of real accomplishment when I finish watching a movie from Netflix. I can send it back to them; they know I'm not a lameass who doesn't ever return the movies; and now I can get something else. I've still got Get Smart in the living room. Who knows when I'll get into that one.
ITEM!: Sydney and I enjoyed the soundtrack to Mamma Mia! during our afternoon dance party today. I love that she gets so excited when she hears her favorite songs start! Those first four songs are money for getting that kid up and dancing around. Fun! I can't wait for the movie so we can watch it together. I think she'll really dig it, even if she doesn't understand what's going on or much of what the characters are saying. She'll love the music, and that's the best part of any musical anyway, right?

Same Batman, blah bat result

I won't be buying The Dark Knight tomorrow. I'll tell you why, I didn't like the way the plot went down. At heart, you see, I'm a crazy romantic, and I like to see the happy couple get together in the end. To be sure, this did not happen in The Dark Knight. While Heath Ledger's performance was certainly worth the price of admission, and Christian Bale was fantastic (though the voice killed me sometimes), I don't like at all the end of the movie. And for me, how a movie ends is a huge, huge thing. The final impression of a film sticks with me for a long time, and I always remember, even if it's just a vague sense of "meh," how a film made me feel. And when it comes down to buying a movie's DVD, that last feeling as I walk out the theater is crucial. Look at Hancock if you need another example. Or Heat. I really hate the way that movie ended.

Did you hear? De La Hoya lost

I am so glad that we did not buy this fight on Saturday night. It was touch-and-go there, for a while, but I finally just said no. We've fallen for the hype before. We bought the last two "big" fights on pay-per-view, and felt totally cheated by the time the main fight came on, and even more disappointed after it was over. And I was only more irritated when that $50 charge would come through on the next month's cable bill. So I knew, going in to this De La Hoya/Pacquaio fight, that we would have to resist the build-up, fight the peer pressure, and just deny ourselves the supposed thrill of watching it in real-time. Besides, as HBO does, the fight will be on again anyway, and this time as part of our normal cable programming, so what's the big deal. So we didn't buy it. And instead watched normal television, hopping on to ESPN for regular updates (which is weird, because I don't really like boxing, and Brian isn't a rabid fan). So when the eighth round (am I remembering that right?) was over, and Oscar De La Hoya decided his fight was over, I felt like Brian and I were the real victors in the situation: We had real-time insight into the fight, knew when it was over and who won, and it didn't cost us any money to see it.

Is it so hard to use two hands?

So how is this for a random bit of violence against an innocent household fixture? You'll notice that this is an innocuous, benign and stagnant paper towel holder. It's red, which is why I bought it. It's metal, which is why the key for the magnetic childproof locks is on top of it. You may also notice that the rod that is supposed to hold the paper towels in place, is resting on the counter next to the holder.
Brian, in his infinite ability to have little to no patience for anything he can't do with one hand, took the pliers to the little, helpless rod that holds the towels from unraveling and snapped it right off this morning. Apparently, while attempting to pull a single towel from the holder -- with one hand -- he got frustrated with the holder that wouldn't allow the towel roll to spin quickly and freely.
I won't lie, we've had the discussion about the paper towels before. I always said, "Oh well, it holds the towels, and is only difficult for a day or two before I go through enough towels to thin the roll and make it easier to turn."
This morning, evidently, that mental note got shuffled to the side, and Brian decided to commit violence to the holder. I was still in bed when this actually happened, but noticed it almost immediately upon walking into the kitchen. (I'm a freak like that.) Because I tend to be neurotic about such things, I will keep the holder as it is, because, well, it's red and metal, and also because I know that if I buy another red and metal one like this, he'll just snap the f*cking rod of that one, too.

Have a mooo-ey holiday!

So we did something pretty cool this morning. We took a holiday tour of the Shamrock Farms dairy farm! Of course, I got us crazy lost -- we overshot the offramp by about 20 miles; oops -- but we made it in time to catch the tour, which was, conveniently, running about 15 minutes late. Sadly, Lisa was still later than us, so she and Chris missed out on the tour. I'm still bummed by that. Anyway, the tour took us on a tram ride through part of the cow pastures first. But then it dropped us at a little play/adventure park where we could: put our fingers in a milking machine to feel what the pressure is like (not unlike a massage, actually; that's mine and Katy's fingers being milked to the left); take pictures on large, life-size plastic cows; walk through a wall maze to a raised platform (where Sydney knocked off Brian's glasses and they broke); and play in a small, children's area. Following that, we "hoofed it" over to the milking area, where we got to watch the cows file into the milking stalls and get milked, and then leave. We watched a video there, too, on the process of getting milk from the cow to the grocery store.
Interesting facts: The milk is never touched by human hands; the cows are pampered like queens; there are 25 to 30 calves born every day; the cows establish their own pecking order and follow that order moving in and out of the milking area; Shamrock makes more flavors of milk than any other company in the country; and milk goes from cow to bottle in three hours.
We took the tram around more of the farm, past the nursery where the baby cows live, around more pastures, and finally, back to the main barn. There, we were offered Krispy Kreme donuts and milk (of course), and were joined by both Roxie the cow and Santa Claus! Sydney didn't want any part of either of them, though we did manage to get her to interact with them a bit ... from a distance. We had some fresh, fresh, fresh ice cream; Lisa bought Sydney a bunch of stuff at the gift shop; and then we got to play in the "snow." I quote that word because even though there was supposed to be tons of snow made at the farm for the occasion, the snow-making machine was not working, and all we got was a good-size pile of soft ice, really, in the middle of the parking lot. As disappointed as we were, Sydney totally dug it. She threw all kinds of snow at her mommy (at Daddy's urging, natch), and climbed, played and threw some more.
The smell? Not so bad, actually. Of course, it was ick, but it has to have been less toxic then rolling through that place in July or August. (Tara assures me that this is true.) Really, I think I'll make the holiday tour an annual event. Yay cows!

I must possess that soundtrack; it's a new quest

Holy crap, you guys, guess what movie is on Cinemax right now! No shit, it's Top Secret! This is, in every way, one of my favorite movies of all time. I am compelled, right this minute, to see if the soundtrack is on iTunes.
10 minutes later:
Sadly, the soundtrack is not on iTunes. The movie is, but not the album. I'll have to check Amazon, I guess. Anyway, I remember seeing this film for the first time at the Melody theater in Thousand Oaks, and I totally dragged my mom to see it. I think she thought it was ridiculous, but I loved it. I mean, really, I loved it. And still, I sit here, 24 years later (yes, the film was made in 1984, and I'm old), giggling at "phony dog poop," the station moving instead of the train, and how awesome Nick Rivers' songs are, and always will be. Oh yeah, and Val Kilmer was hot. And the girl's hair after the motorcycle ride towards the end. And the male ballet dancers. And Latrine! And "I know a little German. He's sitting over there." And the prop room. And the backwards bookseller. And the fireplaces.
I must stop! I'm overdosing on funny!

Late night TV in the day rocks

I think this is the first naptime in a week where I haven't been running around the house doing stuff, and I'm feeling pretty lazy about it. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to chill for a little bit, but I can't help but feel ... still and quiet. That is so not my modus operandi lately. [Odd side note based entirely on what I'm watching on television right now: The dude that Stephen Colbert is interviewing -- from last night's episode -- has the craziest comb-over! Yikes!] And that, in a nutshell, is what's going on. Actually, I think I'm going to take my dogs for a walk. That's always fun.

21 days until Christmas

If you were to ask me what I'd been doing the last few days, I would have no idea what to tell you. I do know that I've spent the majority of those hours surrounded in various and assorted bits of Christmas. All my household decorations are up, including the stockings you see here, and I'm happy to say that my place is looking quite festive. My kitchen is usually the last section of the house to be festooned, but this time, the stockings were the last pieces to be put up. Mainly because I didn't know where to put them, until I decided that this particular wall was looking a bit naked, and was all, "What the hell, let's go all the way." And so now my living room is crazy Christmas-y with stockings taking over an entire wall.
Also, and I'll brag about this a little, I got some Christmas shopping done today! Huzzah, Target! I love it ... presents, presents, presents! It makes me so happy to buy stuff for the people I love. I spent some time with my list this morning, decided that there was no reason for me to wait until next week to get it crossed off, and dragged my baby over to Target for a second time this week. I distracted her with a bag of pretzels, handed her every toy she was interested in to occupy her while I shopped in earnest, and was able to cross off a significant portion of my list. Tonight, I regroup and prepare for another trip out into the world of gifting.

It's fun to write in birthdays

Well, I'm surrounded by Christmas-ness. Not all of it is were it should be, nor is it where it will be, but it is everywhere right now. I started digging through the decorations this afternoon while Sydney slept, and did a lot more after she went to bed tonight, but I'm still skipping over piles of the stuff in my office. Interestingly, I've got a pile that I don't want anymore. My goal was to lessen my Christmas by a full bin/box, and I think I may have done it. Of course, I have a bag full of new stuff, but that's neither her nor there. Something I did choose to bypass, but still kept, was the collection of window gel clings that I use on the windows (duh) and mirrors. I actually decided at Halloween not to use them anymore for a while, because for some reason, I became bored with them. I kind of like it without them, but we'll see how it looks when I'm done.
Also, I got my new calendars this afternoon! Yay! I have never, never been so late in filling out a calendar. These things are usually all taken care of by mid-November, at the latest. You want to know what I got? Boston for the kitchen, as usual, Planet Earth for the office, Winnie the Pooh for Sydney's room, and The Princess Bride for my closet. If I'm done with my decorations by naptime tomorrow, I may get them done then. But if not, you know I'll have them finished by the end of the weekend. I love calendars ... la, la, la.

It's a circus and a funhouse on iTunes

I downloaded Pink's new album, Funhouse, and pre-ordered Britney's Circus this afternoon. The deluxe version of Circus includes a video and a bonus track for pre-orders, so of course, I had to get that. I got the deluxe version of Pink's Funhouse as well, which also includes a video.
But someone tell me about this "Digital Booklet." Is that like the actual little book that comes in real, plastic CDs? (Full disclosure: I just figured that out.) Does it include lyrics? Cool! I guess I should take a look at that, huh? Well, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to look at Britney's, but I could look at Pink's tonight.
I probably won't though. I'm tired, and kinda lazy.

An Apple-tini instead, please

I decided to bail on the Apple Store this morning. For a few reasons: 1.) I don't have the money to repair anything wrong with the computer; 2.) I'd rather just pay to buy a CD's worth of music twice (once on iTunes and again on plastic) rather than credit card the repair. Besides, I rarely buy a plastic CD anymore, so it would only happen two or three times in a year; 3.) It won't be too long (I hope) before I get a new laptop anyway; and 4.) I really needed to visit the grocery store instead of the Apple store.
All these may sound like spectacular excuses, but really, I'm okay with all of them. I'd been on the fence about the fix anyway. And right there are four reasons to hop to the side of "not do anything."

"Dear Santa ... I'd like iTunes cards for Christmas, please."