Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Well I am happy now

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I am at Mom's house now with a bowl of lasagna and a glass full of Sprite. I got myself all purtied up, almost washed the car, but would be a little over the top, wouldn't it? I bought everybody a gift card to P.F. Chang's, the Chinese Bistro- er, what's a bistro, anyway? And I feel a lot better, ho, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum- hey! there's an idea! I could get snockered here at dear ole mum's. He he.

Everybody is late today cuz my ex-wife's daughter from her second marriage got married last night and they are prolly all partied out. Josh, my son, won't answer his phone, my daughter, Serenity, is dancing her Irish Step dancing stuff. My two older boys, who never answer their phone, are still away.

So, the Christmas music is playing in the background, the kids are calling about coming over and I'm happy.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Monday, December 18, 2006

Gonna do this Christmas meme

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Eggnog, of course! Only for Christmas, though.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? No Santa around my place since my kids are grown.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I prefer those white ones that hang down like icicles.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope, nobody to kiss, am thinking about getting a dog, though.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Geez, I don't know.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: When the Christmas tree fell....
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth?
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sometimes.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Don't usually get one.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it, but then again, I live in the desert.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Christ's incarnation
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Hmmm, pumpkin pie.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Midnight Mass
17. What tops your tree? see above
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? I am terrible, but it is receiving
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night
20. Candy canes: Nawww
21. Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooge with Albert Finney

Tag for anyone reading this: all four of you. Heh!

Enough of the Christmas blahs I just blogged about- now for something funny!


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You never know what goes on behind closed doors when you are away.

You think they are innocent creatures who just lolligag when you are not around, do you?

H/T to the Anchoress.

Blah- humbug!


Well, I got a serious case of the blahs....
Tomorrow is my family's Christmas celebration. Most of us work in the casinos and must work on the big day....
And I can't motivate myself to get one Christmas present! I'm a real dud. It's a symptom of my spiritual state, which really needs a lot of help, folks....
Money's sort of a hassle but it's not as bad as years past when I had none. I can get some up with some difficulty- I do have some savings....
Then there's my son who won't return my phone calls and all that emotional distance jazz. And his big brother who also won't return them but for different reasons. I just don't feel like being diplomatic when I see them tomorrow. You know, unselfish and kind and understanding and all. Blah!
What am I going to do? I just can't show up tomorrow with nary a gift. *Sigh....
Oh boy, don't know how I am going to get out of this one.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

And now for a look into my latest addiction (among others)

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Yep, I have played this game for years and I just started up again recently. I play literally for hours. Kinda wierd, I know....
Guess I'm easily entertained.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Can't resist this classic


From despair.com

H/T to Julie D at Happy Catholic

The Anchoress is at it again

She is at it again. Spinning a web of delightful words:

I’m sitting there, eating the banana, and the dog plants herself before me and says, “Ma,” (I swear, she says “Ma”) “Ma, what you eating?”

Border Collies are very smart dogs. They’re like having another teenager in the house, and once they get an idea in their head, they pester you. In the past this dog got after me for a burned-out lightbulb in the ceiling fan which bothered her because it messed with her light-and-shadows and kept making her jump. When I didn’t fix it fast enough to please her, she followed me around all day, saying, “I could fix that lightbulb for you…You’re going to fix it, right? Because if you’re not, I could probably do it…do you have a ladder? Please fix the light…”

Tonight, I got, “Ma, what you eating?”

“Go away,” I said. “You’ve had your supper and this is a banana. I know you don’t believe this, but you’re a dog; you don’t eat bananas.”

“I could eat bananas,” she said defensively, cocking her head. “You’ve never let me try.”

“It’s fruit.” I explained. “You won’t like it and you’ll spit it all over the floor and then I’ll have to clean it up.”

“I am quite certain that I will like it,” she argued, “you’re being mean and lazy. You always keep me from growing and learning because you don’t want to do a little cleaning…”

Because I am weak-willed, I broke off a bit of banana and tossed it her way. She grabbed it neatly and chewed it with determined expression on her face. The mushiness seemed to surprise her, but she swallowed and defiantly planted herself before me. “More, Ma.” She demanded.

“I can’t believe you ate that,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You didn’t really like it, did you? You’re just trying to make a point.”

“The point being I love bananas,” she narrowed back. “They’re now my favorite food. Gimmee.”

I tossed her the last bit of my banana and she chewed it with that careful expression and then, finally, walked away - tossing one last look at me. “Told you,” she said.

Snot nose. Then Buster walks in. “Ma, you used to be a girl, right?”

With a sigh of long-suffering, I nodded. “Yes. I used to be a girl.”

“What does it mean, when you ask a girl to hand you a pencil, and when she hands it to you, her hand lingers on yours for a minute?”

“What, like this?” I demonstrated the way I used to do it, a wispy touch of fingers across the palm.

“No, more like this.” His demonstration seemed much more forward, to me - a definite full-palm lingering, with a pat.

“Ummm…she likes you a lot,” I explained.

“Well, what the hell? What is it with women, anyway?”

Turns out the pencil-lending-lingerer was his latest break-up - a girl he really likes, has liked since elementary school. They’ve been good friends for a while and started “dating” - briefly, it turned out - over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“I think she’s confused,” I said. “You were pals for a long time, then you got pretty hot pretty fast…I think she fears risking your friendship by being your g/f.”

“This crap sucks,” he announced. “Dating sucks and why can’t girls just say what they mean? Later this afternoon, in lab, I handed her her wristwatch so she wouldn’t forget it and she did it again.”

“Be patient,” I advised.

“Maybe offer her biscuit,” the dog panted with banana breath.

“And you shut up, also,” said Buster. “You’re no help.”

The dog, 9 years old and past caring about teenage angst, decided “chump don’t want good advice, chump don’t get good advice,” and went to sleep.

I miss when they were all little.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Saw a Vegas floor show last night


Went over to Mark's house to pick up some more parts for my new computer system (which STILL ain't working- but that's another drama...) and he invited me to see Plaid Tidings, the Christmas version of the longstanding show at the Rio of Forever Plaid, a group of 4 part harmonizers.
Folks, they were wonderful!!
It was a warm and charming musical display. And the Christmas song theme was just what my grinchy little soul needed. They can act and dance, too. A great display of heart-warming talent.
If you come to Vegas, ya gotta see this one. And tickets were only $43.00!

There's this little dog that hangs out in the neighborhood and it is so sweet. It is a naturally affectionate dog, it came up to me the other day and gave me the most personal greeting... Haven't been able to get that out of my mind.
I think I want a dog.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Sad Christmas songs...

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I am one of those kind of people- the kind that has somewhat of a hard time at Christmas. The holiday blues, you know? I must say that God seems to have healed me from bipolar disorder. A wonderful thing, that.
But it seems the holiday blues thing is still with me....
I am blogging about it because I have noticed something this year. I really enjoy those bluesy Christmas songs.... You know like, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas? Or Joni Mitchell's "River" (a.k.a. "Comin' On Christmas"), Elvis's "Blue Christmas," Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas," The Eagles' "Please Come Home For Christmas."
They appeal to my soul. They reflect my inner state yet have this wonderful hope in them and beauty that only Christmas can bring. You know what I mean?
Here's another blogger droning on about the same thing.
Any of you out there relate to what I am saying?

Here's Carrie to drive the point home:

Thomas Merton describes our "pointe vierge."

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The Anchoress quotes Thomas Merton in a beautiful treatise:
At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us. It is, so to speak, His name written in us…It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely.


Simply for your edification....

Tuesday, December 05, 2006