Lateshoes

and for the original….my beloved Judy!

I finally convinced Lars to get an artificial tree this Christmas. That was surprising enough, but him agreeing to the white, 2001 Space Odyssey edition? Totally mind blowing.
It’s a little like staring into nuclear winter, but I kind of like it.

Okay – let’s just start with the “Har! Har” things that I want. You know, just in case I have any rich friends or family I don’t know about. Tee hee!

The Canon Rebel…with lens. Sigh. If anyone has 900 bucks burning a hole in their pocket – eh hem! *cough* Costco! *cough*

The Macbook Pro! I know, I know I have a Macbook and I’ve loved it for like totally over a year now, but I want a little more Umph…a little more screen size, functionality, durability and speed. I’m just saying.

The DVDs I want pretty much go without saying…and the Ikea gift card – well – la doy.

Anything hand made, neat-old knick-knacks, mix tapes (cds, etc…), found treasures…an iPhone – you know, little stuff.

I thought I would really be able to come up with like a million things, but after mentioning the Canon Rebel and Macbook Pro I just started daydreaming and the whole post turned to shit.

Hi guys! I feel like I haven’t seen you in like…two years! I feel like National Blog Post Month messed with my brain in unspeakable ways because just about the instant it was over – I started getting things done again.

Our house has been a certifiable wreck since, well since March frankly – so, as you might imagine little “projects” like laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the toilet – you know, all that unnecessary minutiae – really piled up. I mean, really. To the point where it was either address the problem or set the back half of the house on fire. Shh! Don’t tell the insurance people.

Before you go thinking the choice was easy, remember I now have two perfectly cute rooms where even if they are messy – don’t look that bad, so choosing to leave them…and Tivo for any length of time, was honestly heroic, like Braveheart – heroic. That dirty toilet may take my life, but it’ll never take my FREEDOM! If you know what I mean.

I tackled the mud room first. Holy shitballs, you guys. There were half-eaten bags of chips from LAST CHRISTMAS in there. Next, the kitchen cupboards and the refrigerator. One nasty task after the other and after 7 hours – I felt like my old, anally retentive self. Sigh.

It’s good to be back home.

In a spare second yesterday I started working on my annual Christmas mix and it almost made the impending holiday seem real again. I don’t know why, but for the last 3 or 4 years Christmas has crept up and bit me in the ass. Huh? What? Already? And that’s completely unlike me. I’m typically Aunti Mame-esque when in comes to Christmas – gloriously over-romantic and over-the-top. So, what’s been going on?

I’m sure being poor hasn’t helped…and let’s face it – there’s nothing like the pressure of buying or making 800 presents for loved ones in three weeks. So yeah, I also usually wait until the last minute which, duh – is like the stupidest thing an OCD person can do. But, oh how I love it. I love the lights and the cold and the rosy cheeks of all my friends.

Of course, I miss my family. I know it’s the nature of living 3000 miles away and I’ve gotten used to being away from them over the years, but it doesn’t take the sting out of not being with them.

This year, I’m determined to be different. I’m making a commitment to myself to really celebrate this year. I want to put up lights and decorate a tree, like a proper pagan.