Dumbass Moment of the Week

Reminder: Don't put your finger in the hole of a bagel while slicing it with a sharp serrated knife.

Otherwise, you'll end up like me with a big cut in your left index finger. It hurts like a sonofabitch! And it is impossible to keep the padded part of a band-aid dry on your finger.

Overall . . .

Overall, I've had a good Christmas. Moments have been sad, puzzling and frustrating. But overall, it was good.

I took last Thursday off to prepare for visitors arriving on Friday. Originally, I thought the HUSband's parents might even come Thursday night. As the day got closer, I learned that they probably wouldn't even be in Austin by lunch-time on Friday. That was somewhat of a relief since it would be one less meal to plan.

Wednesday night we went out to dinner with a friend to celebrate her birthday. She lives in Dallas and stopped over at our house on the way to her parents' house in the Hill Country. So, Thursday morning wasn't as productive as I'd hoped (that's what vacation is for, right?). We met up with "the girls" for a yummy Mexican lunch. It was a place I'd never been and they had some scrumptious tortilla soup to keep me warm. Then Thursday PM I went to the grocery store to get everything we needed for Friday's and Saturday's meals. The HUSband had already purchased the turkey and the ham arrived from Omaha Steaks, courtesy of my Great Aunt, so I just had to buy the stuff for to make side dishes and desserts.

I woke up fairly early on Friday to begin making my Dad's birthday cake. It turned out good - - I'd forgotten how many steps there are in making a cake from scratch. It was a recipe for a Mexican Chocolate Cake from Cooking Light. Yum!

Just as we were getting in the shower (I was actually already in the shower), the HUSband got the call from his parents that his Grandmother, Mimi, had passed away. She'd been in the hospital since just before Thanksgiving and just didn't have the strength to pull through the long recovery from her most recent surgery two weeks ago during which a rather significant part of her colon was removed. Mimi was a wonderful, caring, kind person. I'm so happy that I had a chance to know her. We're headed to Minnesota next weekend for a memorial service. Brrr...

Needless to say, Mimi's death put a bit of a damper on the rest of the weekend. She typically comes to Texas around Thanksgiving and stays 'til just after Christmas. The original plan was that she would make the drive back from MN after thanksgiving w/ the HUSband's parents and fly back to Arizona on 1/1. She went into the hospital in MN the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and didn't make it home (although she did improve enough to spend a week or so at a rehabilitation center). So, this was only the second Christmas in about 20 years that she hasn't been in Texas. It's also the first time we've hosted in Austin rather than spent it at my in-laws.

The best part of my long weekend was sleeping in yesterday and not leaving the house at all. Sure, there were tons of things I could have done. I enjoyed the down-time while the HUSband was at work. I updated my addresses and synced the Palm (got some new games). I paid bills. I watched too much E! - - damn True Hollywood Story. I didn't get around to vacuuming, but I did do two loads of laundry.

I'm back at work today - - another 3 day work week. :) We're off to Dallas on Friday for a party w/ some friends and the Christmas celebration w/ my Mom's side of the fam on Saturday.

i can not stand the way you TEEEEse

whoaoa - touch me baby, tainted love.

i love my yahoo radio. it plays the 1982 version (much better than the '91 re-mix) of the soft cell song followed by the new song by U2, Vertigo.

hurrah!

no more work for me 'til next tuesday! i'm gonna be leaving in about an hour - - if i can make it that long.

much of today has been spent browsing the internet, catching up on blogs, and on personal phone calls. speaking of, mom even called today. hadn't talked to her in a little over 2 weeks. i was being stubborn and wasn't going to call. funny thing is that i had decided to break down and call her tonight.

Poor Man's (Woman's) iPod

I've been listening to quite a bit of Launchcast radio at work through my Yahoo! Messenger. It's fun. I can rate songs, artists, and albums and then it plays something I've already rated or something it thinks I'd like to hear. I remember being so amazed by Amazon's recommendation tool when it was new. . . sort of the same feeling here sometimes.

While listening to a friend's station the other day, I rated a bunch of her selections as well. Now my own station has a bit more variety. It makes me laugh and think of her when I get a random Nelly or JaRule song on my station. Doesn't exactly blend with the Erasure, Depeche Mode, Live, U2, Counting Crows influenced mix that is generally playing.

A few songs bring back some very distinct and vivid memories. Most of them from college. I suppose that was the last time that I was really buying new music and going to see concerts. I'm such an old fuddy duddy. Counting Crows are playing now - - a song from August and Everything After. I can't tell you how many hours I listened to that CD.

New!

Our living room has a new coat of paint! It is the only room that we hadn't painted since moving into the house almost three years ago. We've had a color swatch taped to the wall for almost a year. At first we liked "Celery Ice," but the longer it was up, we realized that our current furniture wouldn't work well with it. Two weeks ago we picked up a bunch of samples and actually made a decision for a new color called "Cracked Wheat." The finished result seems more like "Popcorn Ball" (the lighter shade on the color sample) than "Cracked Wheat," but we like it. What I like most is how clean and fresh the rooms seems.

I have to vacuum around the baseboards tonight before we move the furniture back and then we're going to put up the tree. I even bought a pattern last night for a tree skirt and stockings. I wasn't pleased with the fabric selection at Hobby Lobby though, so will make a stop tonight on my way home at another fabric store to see what I can find.

What Kind Are You?

Is it a bad thing that the HUSband won't drink tequilla? He apparently had a bit too much many years ago and even the smell makes him back away if he gets too close. Thankfully, a margarita in front of his lovely wife is not "too close."

You Are Tequilla

When you drink, you're serious about getting drunk! You'll take any shot that's offered up to you... Even if it tastes like sock sweat! And you're never afraid of eating the worm.

What alcoholic drink are you?