My New Years so far

Manicure: The dark purple fingernail polish that I got in my stocking has been talking to me for a few days. Tonight, I heed the call, and now my nails are all pretty.
Garden Salsa SunChips: This is the perfect appetizer for a New Year's evening, after having eaten dinner a while ago.
Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin on CNN: Best part of my evening so far, by far. I've been giggling my butt off for the last two hours because Griffin is terrifically inappropriate, and Cooper is totally rolling with it. Also, they talked a bunch of smack about Psy and then were flummoxed when he showed up on their dais. Fantastic.
Chocolate chip cookie dough dip: Oliver and Daisy, who will wake for food, enjoy the dip, though their bites had no chocolate chips in them. I eat the dip with apple wedges, because that makes it healthy.
Twitter: I'm constantly watching for new tweets so I can see what the outside world is up to on this New Year's. It's a drag being cooped up inside with a sleeping baby ... and husband. I remember what it was like to go out on New Years! Maybe I'll get to do that again sometime!
Facebook: I don't think you should be able to "Happy New Year" on your status until your time zone has moved into 2013. I mean, I'm waiting until Houston's midnight. If you're going to bed, just go to bed and wait until tomorrow for that kind of thing!
Rain and weather: It's been a dreary day full of inside activities and no sunshine. It hasn't been bad, but not very exciting. Tomorrow will be more of the same. But with better football.
Almost midnight: It's 11:51 p.m. right now. Gotta go wake up my husband!!

Paper! Paper! Paper did it!!

One of the worst places to get a paper cut is on the tip of the middle finger. I have that paper cut right now, and even though it's well on its way to healing, it is still annoying the hell out of me.
First of all, I have no idea how I got the paper cut. It could very well be from something not at all related to paper, but since the length and depth and width of the cut are consistent with a paper cut, it shall be referred to as a paper cut.
Anyway, it's on the tip of my right middle finger. This allows for multiple opportunities to bam the finger on things, and therefore split it open multiple times. This makes for slower healing, don't you know. Also, there's very little effective medicinal or bandage help you can do with a paper cut there, so it's also pretty much on its own for fighting bacteria.
But finally, after a few days of hoping you remember the paper cut but then being surprised by it every time it gets bammed, it will cease to split open. This is good. However, said paper cut's scab becomes an additional problem.
With a scab on the tip of your finger, you can't always feel things exactly right. Silly little computer things, like moving around a cursor or a mouse on a laptop, you see, gets tricky, and weird. I can't feel much where the scab is. It's like having a nerve ending mini-paralysis in that one place. Moving my mouse tonight and all day today has been a study in patience.
It took me a couple minutes to figure out why the mouse track pad felt weird. It took me longer to decide that ripping off the scab would just start the damn cycle over again. It took me no time at all to blow this entire thing up into a blog post that I'm sure makes me sound completely insane.

Yay Christmas presents!!

I got an abundance of randomly awesome Christmas presents this year:
Bright Pink Footie Pajamas, which I am wearing right now, and they are super warm. Except I feel like they could totally use a hood, since I'm discovering that the back of my neck is cool. Ollie and Daisy have no idea what to make of the owl-decorated foots of the pajamas.
Lava Lamp, with black lava in clear liquid, is bubbling away in my bedroom right now, and it's making me feel very zen. I miss having a lava lamp in my house.
iPhone Cleaning Cloth, which will come in handy, as I am tired of wiping the things on my pants and wondering why exactly that doesn't get them as clean as I'd like. Also, texting gloves.
Books, Books, Books, which is exciting because I actually got to pick a couple out during our stop in Barnes & Noble, but also, the priceless-no-matter-the-value B&N gift card. I have got to get to reading soon.
Reading Glasses, which have been ordered, so I don't have them yet, but I am looking forward to having them soon. I think I (we) chose a nice and flattering frame, and I'm hoping to get used to them relatively quickly. I freak out a little about them, and my god what if they don't work, at least once or twice a day.

Movie review: Christmas "Les Miserables"

There is a definite disadvantage when watching a movie of a beloved musical stage production that you have seen several times. It makes for unfortunate comparisons between actors and Broadway singers, and allows for disappointment.
You know that moment in Mamma Mia, when Pierce Brosnan starts to sing, and you think, Oh, that's too bad, but at least he's still pretty? Well, I had better hopes for Russell Crowe, knowing that he's had a musical career as well as his acting one, and that he spent some time preparing for his roll as Javert in Les Miserables. And I suppose he could be granted the opinion that he can hold a tune, and his voice wasn't ... unappealing. But really, Javert needs a deep and gutsy voice, and Russell Crowe just doesn't have it. I hate saying this because he really did fill out the uniform well, and looked the part of an obsessed French military man. But the singing. Oh well. At least he's still pretty.
One could say the same for Hugh Jackman though, too. He had better singing chops, to be sure, but again, not the deep, strong and heavy sound of a Broadway-caliber Jean Veljean. Also, not the physical presence of Veljean, who is supposed to be quite large, hefty and strong. Jackman would have been better served with a more Wolverine physique than how he looked in this movie. But he did well with the acting.
You know who impressed me? Anne Hathaway. She was a fantastic Fantine, and had a much better singing voice than I had thought. But Marius' friend, whose name I can't remember, also lacked for the heavy singing voice I'm used to in this show. Explain to me why they couldn't use a Les Mis stage veteran to play that part who could really sing it well. That would be because we couldn't have any real Broadway singers, as they would show the inconsistencies of the movie stars' voices.
But, like I said, I was at a disadvantage going into the movie theater to see a stage musical I love so much. Mom and I came home and listened to the Broadway recording highlights CD the next day, because that was where the music and voices really reside.
Having said all that, I did very much enjoy the movie, and did cry my eyes out at the end.

Two turtle doves; partridge in pear tree

So, the wi-fi in the house went kaput Sunday night. It happened, coincidentally, right after I had unplugged and re-plugged a power strip, so when the Internet was suddenly gone, I, of course, blamed myself for it entirely. So, I spent an hour or so trying to "fix" it. Then, Monday morning, I called Bob's Cable Co. to complain, and was told that yes, the Internet was out for the complex, and that tech was on its way. I have no idea how long it took him yesterday, but last night I was up too late doing other stuff, and today was too busy, so I didn't get to the Internet issue until just a bit ago.
Happily, the tech guy obviously fixed the problem, and after re-booting the modem and the router, we have Internet in the house again. Sadly, when I tried to fix the problem, I reset the router, and now our network has a boring name. I need to figure out how to change the name of our network without going through all that crazy setting up business.
Also, today was Christmas and it was awesome.

Three French Hens

Well, I think I may be ready for Christmas. I've got all my shopping done. I've got my groceries bought. I'm ready to get to wrapping ... tomorrow. I did a fair job of making my family run around to random places today, but then still ended up going out on my own for a little bit to finish up.
And tomorrow, the holiday preparations begin for reals. I'll get some wrapping done in the morning. I'll try to organize the closet a bit so Mom can have some room in it. I'll do both those things without Sydney seeing anything she shouldn't. It'll be glorious.
I need to water my plants; vacuum the living room; get to Einstein's for bagels; do the afore-mentioned wrapping and organizing; and then, happily, head out to the airport to pick up my mommy.
I made a batch of fudge tonight, and for the first time, used butter instead of margarine. I'm interested to see if there's a taste or textural difference, but, judging by the bowl remnants that I tested ... for quality ... I'll give a probable "no" to that.

Four Calling Birds

I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open tonight. I'm super tired, and very much looking forward to getting some sleep. Since today was Sydney's last day of school before the winter break, I can now turn off the morning alarm, which means, wonderfully, that I can sleep in tomorrow morning.
Every time I close my eyes, my head gets heavy and it wants to rest on a pillow. I'm of the thought right now that I should get to doing that.
Sleep is a good thing.

Five Golden Rings

One Golden Ring: My ponytail was so tight today that it gave me a headache, and my hair would have looked so messed if I took it out that I lived with the headache for a ridiculous amount of time before removing said ponytail. I'm pretty sure the ringing in my head is the sound of my hair follicles going back to where they are supposed to be, and they're singing.
Two Golden Rings: My nail polish doesn't look as awesome as I was hoping, and that's made me a bit disappointed. How could it possibly disappoint with the name, Rudolph Red?
Three Golden Rings: The mall was not as crazy as I feared before lunch, but was everything I avoid after lunch. I just can't shop comfortably when there are so many people around, bumping and pushing. And you all know me, I must be comfortable when shopping.
Four Golden Rings: There was a nap this afternoon, and it included a sofa, an overweight Lhasa Apso laying across my chest, an elderly and awesome Lhasa Apso curled up between my knees, and an alarm set on the phone so I wouldn't sleep through picking my kid up at school.
And finally: In fact, I totally didn't do any cleaning today.

Six Geese a-Laying

Unbelievably, I am excited about hitting the mall tomorrow, a mere five days before Christmas. I've got lunch plans with Emily at the mall, and I'm pleased to say that I have a bit of a list in regards to stores to visit while I'm there. I may just spend my entire day wandering through the place. It'll be nice and relaxing, since I'll be alone in my cruising, which is paramount for my sanity this close to the holiday. Also, Nordstrom.
Other things: I've got my Rudolph Red (actual name) nail polish on my fingers, so my hands are looking festive; Sydney's written another letter for Buddy to take to Santa tonight, because she is very concerned that her request will not be fulfilled; the cleaning of the house begins in earnest tomorrow afternoon, because, you know, my mom is coming over, and my house needs to be clean; I sold Sydney's old car seat this afternoon, and I discovered that raisins, crumbs, dust and Cheerios make an interesting paste in the hidden corners of a car seat; and Google Maps is totally awesome because it can follow you along your directions and give you real-time updates to your actions on your way to places.

As a Lincoln, he looked weird

ITEM!: We watched Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter this evening. It was ... not as good as the book (though movies rarely are), but entertaining enough, I suppose. At this point in my pop-culture education, my knowledge about the different mythologies of vampires is pretty extensive. But I did learn something new about the legend of vampires in this film. Apparently, vampires are unable -- UNABLE -- to take the life of another vampire. How weird, right? How random would Buffy have been if Angel couldn't help with the slaying? Or Blade if he couldn't kill other vampires? Or how spineless would Lestat be if he were so immobilized? Goodness gracious, even frickin' ridiculous Edward was able to kill other sparkly vampires. I don't like this new "rule," so I shall ignore it. Shenanigans.
ITEM!: I think I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping. In fact, I only have a couple more things to finish up, and then it's nothing but wrapping, wrapping, wrapping for me. I'm not a big fan of locking myself in a room and doing the wrapping, but I will persevere. Also, I "get" to wrap my own gifts. I'm so lucky.
ITEM!: My life on CraigsList selling things has been relatively successful this holiday season. I've sold one of Sydney's larger and more irritating toys, and am selling her car seat tomorrow afternoon. The other two things listed, well, whatever. I can donate them and feel fine about that. Really. I enjoy meeting random CraigsList shoppers in Starbucks parking lots. It's my new hobby.
ITEM!: I totally spaced on Sydney's class trip to the library today. My penance is that now I have to drive to Katy to drop her books at the library and pay a late fee. Who knows what that is, probably 50 cents or something, but I know that if I don't do it tomorrow, it won't get done until her next class trip, and that's in January. You know, when the late fee could be a dollar.

Reassuring, but not

We got a letter from Sydney's school today, that basically told us about the security at the school, and how they evacuate, and how we get notified in case of an emergency, and how often they have lock-down drills, and all that.
They changed the code at the front door of the school.
All this is great, but at the end of the day, it wouldn't be enough to protect any children, should a madman with an assault rifle come calling.
They mentioned how they will not be discussing the recent school shooting with any of the children or in class. If a student asks a question, or makes a statement, the school will notify the parents to have the conversation with the child, but won't allow any in-class dialogs about it.
I'm in favor of this in a thousand ways, but mainly because I don't want her to be afraid of going to school, or worrying about this incident. The last thing she needs is to be as scared as I am.
The letter was, I'm sure, written in an effort to calm the fears of the parents. I think I would speak for most of them (us) when I say that this didn't do that. We already know the school is secure. But so was Sandy Hook Elementary.
Sometimes, this is such an awful world.

A good day for us

I'm no less outraged today.
But I did a good job of hiding my head in the sand. I didn't want to know what the medical examiner said. I didn't want to see the pictures of the babies. I didn't want to wake up this morning thanking the universe that I was able to hug my baby, and feeling overwhelming grief for those parents in Connecticut who are no longer able to do the same.
It's still so wrong. I haven't changed my mind, either. I don't think guns have a place in our society. We're better off without them. I would add "gun-hater" to my official bio over there, but I like the positivity of the bio, and don't really want to sully it with anger.
Along those lines, I rolled with pretty much whatever Sydney wanted to do today. We went to the dinosaur museum in Sugar Land so she could spend some time in the dinosaur dig pit and we could check out the displays; we ate noodles and chicken at Pei Wei; we made pumpkin spice quick bread; she played with the computer and Legos all afternoon; and she had Tootsie Rolls with her sandwich for dinner.
I'm overcompensating for the horrors of yesterday, and my all-encompassing fear of losing my own baby rather well, don't you think?

Make the guns go away

It's official. I am officially an anti-gun, pro-banning person.
I've never been a fan of guns. I've never allowed one in my house (I said my house: Daddy had some, and Howie had a couple rifles, but as long as I've been in charge of a house, there have been no guns in it). And I'll never understand why ordinary citizens should have access to guns at all.
And don't throw that 2nd Amendment bullshit at me either, because the Founding Fathers would never have protected activity like today's as being within someone's Constitutional rights, and also, the words "well-regulated" are in the Amendment. I can't see where any guns are being well-regulated outside of the police and military (which also is up for debate, but let's stick to "John Citizen" going out and buying an automatic rifle or handgun).
I can't imagine any parent hearing news like today's, where 20 children were killed in their school, even any gun-toting parent, would think, "Oh, well, he just didn't know how to handle a gun. Or know what he was doing." Rather than thinking, "Holy shit, why does that guy have access to a gun at all?" No parent heard that news and didn't immediately wonder how safe their own child was at that moment. And no parent considered, at that moment, that just any citizen having access to buying a gun or getting a gun is a good idea.
What the fuck are these people thinking? WHY ARE THERE GUNS? We're talking about a device created and maintained for the sole purpose of killing another human being. That's not good in any way, but the sheer number of guns in the hands of ordinary citizens for the purpose of "protection" is ridiculous. I've got a news flash for those people: There will be no zombie apocalypse. The English will not attack again. The populace will not rise up against the government. There will be no coup. There is no reason for anyone other than police or military to have a weapon.
I'm down with banning guns.
It amazes me how the United States (as an entity) likes to think it's so far above the countries of the rest of the world, but how in reality, this country is so backwards about so many common sense things. How can we call ourselves a First World country when such horrors await our children at their schools? How can we sit back and let one, two or six people, in one, two or six incidents, decide that their cause is so strong that they should kill innocent people, and then give them the access to a gun to carry out their whim? How can we justify this country's thirst for blood and carnage, but at the same time look down our noses at other countries with human rights issues we describe as inhumane? Is it less inhumane to give killers access to guns and let them take our children? Is it less humane to choose one man's 2nd Amendment "right" over a child's right to go to school in safety? Over a parent's right to watch their baby grow up? Over society's right to not have its people murdering each other?
I'm disgusted. Guns are the problem. If people didn't have access to them, these things wouldn't happen. Name me one other weapon that can kill 26 people in three minutes. Nothing but a gun can do that. If guns were banned, we'd be safer. Our kids would be safer.

Good stuff for a Wednesday

ITEM!: It's the best when a phone call can put you in a good mood. Chatting with Mom or with Brian's mom is always a good thing, and my Tuesday evening calls with Andrea are sometimes the best part of my week, but every once in a while, a phone call comes along that puts an extra-happy spring in my step. Today's call was from my dear friend Julia, who I haven't spoken to in a long time. Monday was her birthday, so I called and left her a message, wishing her a happy birthday, telling her how much I missed her, and that she should be sure to call me back so we can catch up. I am embarrassed to tell you how long it's been since Julia and I chatted. So when she called this afternoon, I was ridiculously giddy. It was a relatively short conversation (20 minutes), as she was running errands and picking up Aidan, but it was the exact balm I needed for my soul today.
And I guess my call on Monday made her happy, too. Yay college roommates!!
ITEM!: I did some preliminary Christmas shopping today. I bought some cards. Like I said, "preliminary." But I've got some ideas, and I cashed in our jar of coins today, too, so I've got some spending money to start with. I think stocking stuffers at Target on Friday will be my first big Christmas shopping task.
ITEM!: I'm getting into the swing of not watching a whole lot of television again! That's always so exciting for me! I've got about four books to read, and Brian and I want to burn through some Netflix movies, so these next few weeks should be good for entertainment ... (she says, as the books remain on the shelf, and they decided against a movie tonight to play a video game instead...)

My nose is wounded internally

I think, given the choice between a Christmas tree that doesn't smell hardly at all, and a Christmas tree that someone has sprayed with fake Christmas tree room freshener, I'd pick the unscented tree.
This is because the room freshener actually smells more like Old Man Forest Aftershave than actual tree scent, and because 30 spritzes of any scent is enough to make a person gag.
Brian has, once again, hit upon one of the worst solutions to a somewhat non-existent problem. Know that at this moment, I am still smelling Forest Aftershave throughout my home, and he sprayed it about three hours ago. I did not agree to this, of course, and he did it while I was kissing Sydney goodnight, so as the smell spread throughout the house, my first reaction was more of an, "Ew!! What DID you do?!?!"
As for my own solution to this secondary predicament, I told him that the room freshener-slash-counterfeit tree scent may "be lost" the next time he goes looking for it. I mean that, too. With every fiber of my being, that spray will not be around tomorrow.
This place smells awful. Seriously. I yearn for the days of no-scent tree.

So, how's the weather?

"Hey, baby, it's cold outside ..."
Finally, we're having some winter weather here in Houston. It's been incredibly warm lately, with highs in the 80s, which isn't good for anyone when they're trying to get into the winter spirit. Today though, the high was in the 50s. Tomorrow morning, I should freeze my butt off when I take my dogs downstairs for their morning pee.
It's nice to have a reason to put on a jacket and jeans. Also, my Uggs are being worn. All good things.
Sydney's got the heater going in her room to keep it nice and warm, and I'm sure I'll be in good company in bed tonight with Oliver and Daisy, who sleep super close and touching me throughout the night when it's cold.
This week continues with the colder weather, but it looks like it warms up a bit again next weekend.
I miss Boston so much sometimes. A change in weather for a whole season would be a nice thing.

My Day in Bullet Points

• Our Christmas tree fell over tonight. First, know that a tree makes noise when it falls in Houston, so it must when in a forest. Also, there were about eight ornament fatalities, one slightly hysterical child, two adults laughing, one wet tree skirt, a few minutes of panic, and one very funny photo.
• I'm agreeing that I need the reading glasses. I've had a hard time focusing on too many things the last few days to ignore this any longer. Monday, I suppose, I'll head back to the eye doctor's and order my glasses.
• Sydney got to visit with Santa! Her school sponsored a Santa visit again this year, and held it during the day, which was different. We arrived to an almost-empty parking lot, and no line to see the big man. Syd was very excited to have Santa all to herself, and told him exactly what she told me she would tell him.
• All my Christmas cards are addressed! All I need are some stamps, and they'll be ready to mail first thing Monday morning. I love that I've gotten so efficient about my cards over the last few years. it makes for a less-stressful mid-December when I know that the cards are already mailed.
• I didn't get through my magazines today, but I'm hoping for some success with that tomorrow. Also, my recipes and food lists for Christmas-time. And some laundry. And bills. And the grocery store. And Target.
• But the day may also be a complete wash, since my kid went to be early tonight with a fever. If she's still sick tomorrow, I'll be home with her. Or I may put Brian in charge for a bit while I run some errands. Big day, Sunday.

Friday night ITEM!s

ITEM!: I love that on Friday night, as I tuck my kid in and tell her I love her, I can say, "Tomorrow is Saturday; you know that that means!" And she says, "You get to sleep in!" It would be better if she actually adhered to that, but I suppose it's the little victories. I mean, she knows I get to sleep in, but won't really let me.
ITEM!: There is a monstrous pile of magazines and catalogs on the floor of my bedroom. I keep telling myself that I'll power through them in an hour, turning them into fodder for recycling, but instead, every day, they keep multiplying. We'll make that a High Priority for the weekend.
ITEM!: I like it when my dogs remind me how totally chill they are, and how good they can be. Of course, I know that they're good dogs. And I know that they're well behaved. But when we bring home a friend of Sydney's, and there's no barking, no growling, and no undue activity, it makes me very happy. Daisy, my barker, did very little noise making. Oliver, my anti-player, even let Jaclyn give him a hug and sit next to him on the sofa. Daisy played fetch, and even gave out some kisses. Oliver begged for a treat as only he can, and both charmed Jaclyn. My kids rock.
ITEM!: I am very pleased that it's not even 10:30 p.m. yet, and I'm tired and almost ready for bed. My dogs are cozy on the bed, and I can think of nothing better than cuddling in with them right now.

Do it right, or not at all

Christmas tree lights have a ... way.
There's a right way, and a wrong way. In my head, it's a very specific way.
You see, there is a multi-colored base. I prefer the multiple colors all over. The lights also need to be wrapped around the limbs and branches, in order to have all kinds of light all over the tree. I hate seeing cords, and I hate having spaces in the tree with no lights. So, my base needs to be all-encompassing of the tree.
Over the last few years, this has been added to by Brian, who decided that we should have red bulb lights on the tree as well. These additional lights look pretty awesome, and their awesomeness is because Brian puts them on in his random Brian-ish way.
For whatever reason, Brian decided to rebel against the "way" and require some solid strings of lights instead of an all multi-color base. Uncharacteristically, I allowed myself to be gainsaid by him and a six-year-old. So, we had a few solid color strings on my tree tonight. It was decided by said husband and child that it looked "funky."
Until I was a single string short of finishing, and Brian turned off the house lights to check out the effect. He didn't like the purple string. He didn't like the "too bright" LED strings. He pouted. I, of course, pointed out that this unhappiness is what happens when you mess with the way of the Christmas lights. And then I got super annoyed because the three strings were going to have to be redone, and ... I'm too insane to let anyone else put the lights on the tree.

Really? Really, Texas?

Arizona is a warm cocoon -- a cozy little place that strives to lessen your worries and make your life simpler. Did you know that? I didn't really know that, until today.
But apparently, as a state, Arizona is among the highest echelon of fuzzy places for, of all things, glass coverage in auto insurance. I discovered this morning that Arizona is one of only a few states in the country that requires full coverage on glass in regards to auto insurance. You get a ding, you call the guys to fill it. You get a bad crack, you call the guys to replace the window, and you don't get charged anything for it. It's all part of your insurance. Because of Arizona.
Now. In Texas, this is not the case. In Texas, if you get a ding, you may be able to get someone to fill it for free. If you get a crack, well, don't forget that your comprehensive coverage starts at $500, but the windshield should be less than that.
Wait. What? I have to pay for my new windshield? It's not covered?
I was, for several minutes, flummoxed by this turn of events. I made the guy explain it to me again. I started to get that twitchy feeling in my stomach when I know that something is going to be a lot more irritating than I thought. And I waited, patiently, for "Jimmy" to call me back with an estimate.
In Arizona, the windshield replacement is free. In California, the replacement would cost me about $100. In Texas, the windshield will cost $255, including taxes and labor. And they can put me on the schedule even this afternoon.
Thank you, but I'll be hanging out with my cracked windshield for a little bit longer. I've been driving with it like that for three months, I can last until after the beginning of next year. Because there is no way I'm going to let Texas take anything away from my holidays.
I prefer auto insurance in Arizona.

And so it begins ...

So, this is how it looks as I'm getting closer to 40 years old.
I do, in fact, need reading glasses. It was not my imagination; I do have blurring issues when things are up close. I also have a slight distance prescription, but since it's not bothering me, we don't need to do anything about it right now.
I'm a healthy woman, but if I decide to have another baby, it's a 5 percent chance of getting pregnant, and there's a one in 40 or 50 chance that the baby will have some kind of chromosomal issue. The age of my eggs make me a high-risk pregnancy.
I would like to have a physical. Like an old-days, check everything is going well, kind of physical.
Also, mosquito bites are even more itchy and gross, and I've got this weird wrinkle on my neck when I'm brushing my teeth.
Someone please, what the hell is going on with my body? This is ridiculous.

So.
I'll be getting my glasses soon.
We'll probably get a puppy instead of have another baby. Sydney wants fish. I'm thinking a betta.
I'll call my gynecologist's office and ask about an internist for a physical.
Mosquitoes shouldn't be a problem right now because it's December, but this is Houston, so they are.
If I can't see the wrinkle, it must not be there.

To glasses, or not to glasses

I've got my first eye exam in a hundred years tomorrow morning. I've noticed over the last few weeks that my vision gets a little blurry when I'm on my phone, or reading, or putting polish on my nails. Whenever I need to focus on something up close, the tends to get a little fuzzy around the edges. So, to figure out what's going on, and whether we can conclusively blame my iPhone for this, I am off to the eye center to get checked out.
If need be, I will be one of those women who wears her reading glasses on a string of pearls around her neck. And I think they shall be red (the glasses, not the pearls).
Honestly, I think I'm lucky that I haven't needed glasses before now (I assume tomorrow's exam will show that I do need them). But, you know, whatever. Reading glasses.

So much sneaking around

• New rule: Sydney is no longer allowed to snack on something while at the computer. There is a dreadful amount of jello residue on my little mouse pad here, and it's infuriating. I'll clean it up tomorrow, but the new rule is put into effect (affect?) immediately.
• Also tonight, my maternally deceptive duties are doubled, as I will play both Santa's elf and tooth fairy. Yes, Sydney lost her first tooth today, and she is beyond exited for the tooth fairy to visit tonight. I've got the $2 bill, and I think she'll be happy with that. My instinct, of course, is to go overboard and give her some toys and such, too, but I'm resisting, and will stick with the "funny" money for the tooth.
• Monday mornings are my favorite.

Yay December!

I prefer December for the most festive month of the year. I've already got all my Christmas decorations up, I've ordered my Christmas cards, and I'm chomping at the bit to get some shopping done. (Also, I'm inexplicably caught up in this random episode of CSI: Miami that's on right now.)
I do love December.
I shall ignore though, that December is at the end of the year, and that I need to start considering a brand new year in less than a month. I'm too tired to get anxious for 2013. So I say, but you know I'll get all eager, anxious and anticipatory for it. But I relish that I've got a full month before I'm faced with that.
I'm obsessed with planning Christmas right now.