Friday I took a half day and went to see Lord of the Rings. Tim had taken the whole day off, had a morning appointment with El Docktor and then met me at the theatre (saving a spot for me). I got there with five minutes to spare and started to watch 15 million previews. Wow, they certainly took advantage of the big audience draw in that movie...I am kind of worried how many previews will be there next year, at least 45 min worth, I am sure. In any case, Lord of the Rings rocked. Gollum was fucking awesome. Afterward we went home, and I took a nap, and then got up later to play more Suikoden III.

Saturday, got up...but had a the beginnings of a head ache. We had to pick up our car at the Saturn dealership, which means we had one hell of a public transport adventure a head of us. I couldn't find my hat, so wore a scarf. Halfway there, the headache I tried to stem got worse and I had to take more medicine. By the time we finally got our car, and I had a jelly donut, I was in a haze. No mood to do anything, even though Tim drove me to the only fucking walmart in the Chicago area...and it was packed. I mean seriously packed and people were honking their horns for no other reason than they could. I told him to just go home. I wasn't in the mood for any shopping. He said we would go on Sunday earlier. I liked that idea. At home, we managed to get a parking spot on our OWN street! I took a nap until 9.00 or so. Felt a lot better.

Did dishes and putzed around a bit before we went to the Red Line to see Quatre Tete for Grrlfest. Yah. Had beer, watched three bands, and talked with Bekah (the bass player in Quatre Tete) and then thought about a late night burrito. Decided against it, and went home to bed. Got up the next day, went to IHOP (the most interracial place I have ever been too) and then to Target for shopping. Tim went to Best Buy to get my little bro a gameboy and a game..and Babylon five for me. 8) Awesome. I got shit for my family, while Tim sipped a white cherry freezy thing in the cafe...stressfree.

Went home. Baked cookies and stuff, watched the first two episodes to Babylon Five (boy it WAS rusty in the beginning). Wrapped some presents...which reminds me I need to "borrow" more scotch tape from work because I seemed to have misplaced mine at home. Went to bed. Next day, is today. Here I am. Bored. I can leave early today...I think around 1.00. Go home. Decorate cookies...wrap some more crap...play some more Suikoden...or watch some TV? I wonder what's on.

Here we are....remember I did this at work. There is no link back to my homepage other than hitting back, or retyping the url.

A CHRISTMAS PARTY 2002

Um. Another day of work. It's really warm outside...and rainy. We almost got electrocuted standing outside on the porch smoking our bedtime smoke. I had swedish meatballs, a old orange, and a nutrigrain bar for lunch. I am getting harrassed by a small professor who wants his shit done PRONTO (little stuff...no pun intended..okay. It was...) Tim has been making the most wonderful dinners this week which we have been enjoying with our surplus of wine. It seems so classy. I have been playing ridiculous amounts of Suikoden. I have gotten to the point where I pick one champion....thank god I saved it. So I can go back and play each of the other story lines later. I am just *that* addicted. I wish I could play it here at work.

I would get more work done. Promise.

The stuffed pony!

Ok. Let's see. On Saturday my newly fixed chipped tooth thing, chipped off. Leaving me back to where I started, but at least the actual filling didn't come out. I guess that happens. And here I was all happy because I thought I was almost finally, all done. But no.

Friday night was the Season of Enchantment party at Tim's company's bosse's mansion. The crazy lady's house is seriously filled to the brim with expensive crap. Tons of it. Hardly any open space...which is okay. I mean our house is kind of filled with stuff...but hers is all expensive and layered on each other, set perfectly....to look..well...perfect. The biggest thrill of the night..for me at any rate, was discovering the stuffed pony in the Southwest/Native American room. Folks, when I say stuffed pony, I am talking about a pony that once was living and then taxidermied, complete with it's mane, tail and hooves (which were glued, or nailed down to a skateboard rolling type thing). I could not believe what I was seeing...oh and it was wearing a saddle.

The dinner was okay. Full of mushrooms. I am so fucking tired of everyone including mushrooms in their "elegant" meals of late. At least I could eat the chicken and some of the potatoes...everything else had freaking mushrooms. Tim liked it though. There was chololate raspberry cheese cake and mango sorbet for dessert. The sorbet was good. I had lots of wine and got tipsy and enjoyed that smoke outside of her house, in the warm glow of a thousand lights, and five or six inflated snowmen, santas and reindeer.

Saturday I woke up feeling slightly hungover. Took some advil, drank some water and slept it off. When I finally did get up, my nose kept itching and filling with snot. I took an antihistimane and immediately felt tired and mellow the rest of the day. Sigrid and Matt were supposed to come at around two..but then they called them to say they were coming more around 5.00. We took the opportunity to go shopping, like *we* had intended to earlier but didn't because Tim was attached to the Mech game. Getting him to vacuum or do anything was like pulling teeth because he had to do work instead of "lounging around". Our house looking like shit is not a problem for him until guests actually arrive. In any case, went shopping and pick up like two or three more gifts at Target and got food. It was great because all lunch items we ever eat were on sale. I also bought a toy...a micro mascot. Which is apparently the micropets ripoff. 8) Mine is a penguin though. It was a total impulse buy because I didn't feel well standing in line.

Got home and unpacked and immediately started wrapping the wine glasses and wine for Sigrid and Matt and was ALMOST done when the door rang. Yah! We talked, rested, ordered Chinese, opened presents and cards, showed Sigrid my craft stuff and tried to teach her to crochet, got dressed and finally made our way out the door to Saturnilia IV. The transportation there was perfect, the bus to the train, the train to the connect...we didn't wait for more than one minute total. It was awesome, and I wish that it could be like that all the time. We entered the Centruim and was greeted with more gothic posturing than I had seen in my entire lifetime. All together in one place. Downstairs was the prom (DJ area) and upstairs in the main room was the band area, and vendors. There were so many outfits and craziness to look at, I can't even begin to describe it.

For the most part, we drank, sat, looked at people, danced, watch Matt DJ (he did a great set and even gave me a copy of the CD and signed it!!!!) wahoo, drank some more and eventually ended up back up stairs to watch God Module play. I had no expectations, but when they started, I found I actually really liked them. Unfortunately the fates were not with them as everything went wrong with their set on the part of the sound, monitors and stuff. So they gave up....even though they tried for like four songs. Besides everyone was getting kicked out at three anyway. SO...I felt sorry for them and bought a CD. They came all the way from Florida that day or the day before and had to leave the next morning for that show, and it sucked. They were sold out of the full version so I got the EP and had them sign it. They were really nice.

We got home at four, and no one threw up, passed out or burned themselves.

Saturday we all slept in really late, and then ate leftover chinese food and talked some more. We decided not to go shopping because it was dark out at 3.30 and just not in the mood. Sigrid and Matt left at 5.00 and were going to stop at Ikea on the way home. I tried and tried to convince Tim to take me too, but my request was denied. 8( Then I played Suikoden III until bed time and ...went to bed.

Today Tim is going to get the stamps, and I am going to take the Christmas party film to be developed. Oh, and I got request to add a guest book...but no. Thanks. Not gonna do that. I hate guest books...if you want to comment please...email me. I can always post it here. I just think that guest books are vanity posting... "OH PLEASE sign my guest book and tell what a wonderful job/person/thing I am!" Gush, gush ...gag.

Although comments are appreciated. 8)

Geez..what day is it? I do know that it is Friday. Seemed like this week went by pretty quick. I got most of the Christmas cards done the other night and last night, but have a few I need to finish up on (mostly because I don't have the addresses...and I NEED the addresses). Then on Saturday I am going to make the trek to Evanston Post to get stamps and mail them...or maybe I will get stamps to day and then affix them at home for easy mailing on Saturday....there is one package I have to send and rather than slathering the box with stamps, I would like to go for the classy paid stamp look. OH...it's Friday the 13th. I knew that.

Tim came home last night! We smoked a smoke and went to bed. He was tired and so was I. This morning at 5.30AM I was having this really weird dream, and I had gotten to a point in the dream when I was standing by my Mom wearing a red shirt, entering a house. She was opening the door and I noticed that she was shaking all over, she turned to me and half-smiled and said "The end of the world is here. I didn't realize I would be nervous." I told her she wasn't nervous, just excited. Then I felt a sharp pain on my chest by my armpit... I reached for it in reality and woke up screaming because there was a monster on me! Like a long snakey mouse with claws and stuff. I sat straight up....and seconds later Tim started to make noise and then sit up asking me what was wrong. It was kind of funny at that point...I was really scared...but realized after sitting up for a second that the monster was Arkham. Stupid cat.

I am so bored. There is nothing for me to really do this week. For once in a long long time, I have no idea what I could be doing. Maybe I am just not looking hard enough at things I *could* be doing because I have been doing things that needed to be done quickly on a day to day basis, and December is just a slow time.

Last night we decided not to go grocery shopping because Tim was feeling bad about his bad haircut. He just lets to stupid women guilt trip him into bad hair cuts! Currently his hair is the shortest I have ever seen it. Ever! I told him next time I was going to go with and stand there and watch. When the woman would start to guilt trip him, I would interupt and remind her that he is not her husband, but mine and therefore his hair will look the way I want it to look. Or, I will cut it myself, and no...I do not know how to cut hair, but I bet I could do a better job than they are. So, we ended up having tofu stirfry for dinner, which incidentally will be my dinner tonight too. Afterward I played Suikoden until bedtime.

I got the tickets and program in the mail for Saturnilia this Saturday. I have no idea what I am going to wear, I am hoping that when Sigrid and Matt come I will be inspired in some way to think of something that looks really cool. Boys are easy to dress up for these kinds of events. Girls have to work at it a little harder.

Tim is leaving on the 5.45 flight out to Boston today, and returning tomorrow night. He is going to drop off the film from the party today, so I can pick it up tomorrow. Then I will have something to do, scanning and rendering images later this week. Plus he is going to work on the story part for the House on the Rock trip we did in November. The pictures and everything is ready, I just need dialogue.

Holly is having her baby today. She called and gave me the passwords to set her vacation email and change her answering machine to an outgoing message. Apparently her water broke at 1.00 last night and then they went to the hospital. She sounded fine because three hours previous to the call, she said that the pain was absolutly unbearable and had to have an epidermal. Ouch. Is all I can think. Ouch. How the heck did SO many women do it before the 19th century? Our ancestors were absolutely amazing. We will get word when the baby is born..... wow. Already. It seems like yesterday that she told us she was pregnant.

Last night when we got home, we cleaned up. It was really easy, all we have left to do is vacuum and then I can really put away my stationary, craft stuff, etc. It's even better than before the party now. We also got our first post Christmas card from Rachal and Mike. It's a good thing because I did not have their address. I will work on mine later this week because Tim is flying out to Boston for two days tomorrow. So I am going to have plenty of time to play Suikoden (which I did last night while drinking wine and having a piece of cheese cake....there is NO food in our house currently) and write cards and letters to all my dear friends.

My wish of the week, is that I had someone to go Christmas shopping with other than Tim. Anyone want to go Christmas shopping with me? Please?

Thanks to everyone who came and made the party such a success! It was the best one yet, complete with caroling. The only thing that sucked was that we ran out of gifts for the last 5 people. The late comers...but still. I guess I wasn't expecting such a terrific turnout. We had a total of forty-six wonderful guests making the trip from the depths of the city to outskirts of suburbs, to the folks who drove all the way from Madison and Milwaukee.

I did take pictures and finished the roll of film. I will develop this week and then put them up for all to see. Check back for details.

After all the running around and preparing that we did for Saturday, and then the party itself, we were rather tired on Sunday. I laid around and watched TV for most of the day, taking time out to have a ex-friend hang up on me (apparently this is nothing unusual as she is doing to the few friends she DOES have). I was okay with the hanging up after being annoyed for a few minutes...because...well. I achieved the goal I had, which was to not talk to her anymore. =I I know this may sound mean, but if you were in the same one sided conversation I was, about things from the past so far and forgotten, and she didn't listen to a damn word you said even though she asked the questions...you would have too.

Watched a lot of TV yesterday, cleaned up all the bottles and trash...but left the rest of it until tonight, which consists of moving the furniture back and vacuuming. The tree and decorations I am going to leave up because it is still the holiday season, and Sigrid and Matt will enjoy them this weekend when they come for Saturnalia (in which Matt is Djing)

Today. I am bored at work, and working on my Christmas card list.

Last night I feel asleep at 8.30 !!! What? How is that possible?! Easily explained... you see after the hectic day yesterday I decided to have a drink at the Lighthouse. Tim joined me, and we had two. Then I went hom and ordered Chinese...devoured that, had a smoke...and was tired. I was going to take only a nap. Tim was supposed to wake me up at 10 so I could write some email...but either he didn't do it..or I really slept through it. In any case, woke up at 1:00 when he decided to go to bed. You see, when I am not around, or am sleeping, no one is there to tell him when to go to bed. So he gets all naughty like that and stays up late. A wonder when he says he is tired the next day.

So. Tonight. I am going to watch Gattca and try to do some more stuff... to get ready. My Mom said she sent me a letter two weeks ago, and I still haven't gotten it. Disturbing.

Today is looking to be REALLY low key. I like that. Busy, but monkey work busy, which I can deal with. Last night, I finished decorating the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, cleaned off my stationary table (more or less moved it into the bedroom. 8( and then thought about doing some dishes, but decided against it. I don't like getting my hands wet unless I absolutely have too. And yes that means that I hate all of you militant handwashers that FORCE me to wash my hands EVERY single time I visit the restroom. Even it is to blow my nose.

Then played Suikoden III the rest of the night. It is *such* an interesting game. Said to be the best RPG game of the year for PS2. Seriously folks, this game is good...I would venture to say better than Final Fantasy in terms of story line.

[Blog has been having some problems] SO. Like a half an hour after I post the previous thing....this guy comes up to my door and says "I heard you had a dream about me." And there, before my startled eyes is standing Bert Menco. Holy shit!!! I told him the dream, and that he was in alaska...and he said he was in Venice (for an art exhibit) and then to Holland to visit his family. Hmm Not hungarian, folks...but ...dutch. Crazy. I couldn't believe it. I think I blushed.

I am such an idiot. I can't believe he came INTO the our office suite, and to my office to tell me that! My god. Stupid Jenni told him.

Woke up this morning, and got to work on time! Wahoo. I have a obession with Soil and Eclipse right now. I think I will write them a fan letter today.

Much better mood this morning. The frentic activity of yesterday is over. One interesting thing yesterday. I had this strange, long involved dream about this guy by the name of Bert Menco...in the dream (which was a cross between City of Lost Children and Moulin Rouge). He showed up at work wearing a snowsuit mechanic type outfit with his customary scarf wrapped around his neck a couple times. I opened the door, and he said in his hungarian, softspoken accent "I was in Alaska!"

Hm. So I went over the other department across the hall (which he works in), and asked the program assistant there if she had seen him. It occured to me that I hadn't seen him float around for months. She said she hadn't seen him in weeks...and come to think of it, no one else had seen him either. BUT, his mail was being taken. So someone, or something...is taking his mail for him. Jenni, (her name) revealed that he gets strange, exotic mail. Elegant handwriting, fantastic stamps, thin air mail letters...etc. I asked her to keep an eye out for him.

ANd yes, I have only spoken with him once. Once. But dude, when you have a neat dream with someone interesting in it, isn't your duty to tell them?

Or is that creepy?

Hello Hello, what a nice weekend. The only reason I am happy to return today is because I have not been on a computer since last Wednesday. So this is a nice refreshing change...check my emails accounts, update this, and then as a reward read how everyone else's weekend went. I got a RSVP from Phil and Sarah saying that they will come this weekend! I am so excited. Alright. Let's start with the basic recap of this weekend, shall we?

On Wednesday night we drove to Milwaukee to stay with the in laws. Pretty uneventful night. Thursday morning was church, had turkey (For the first time in THREE years!!! Since we do alternating years with my family and his, we have had the luck to have them each do "something a little different" for their respective holiday), fantastic jello, pie, stuffing, mashed tatos, veggies, salad, cranberry sauce...it was good. Then we watched Sam I am, played Flux and The Great Dalmuti, crafts for me, Tim read, and talked, and then went to bed. Friday came, and we got up, showered and packed up our stuff. I "convinced" Sharon (mother in law) to take us to Sam's club. In part because I wanted to see what they had for food, and decoration for the party. I got the food, and cider so I don't have to cook on Saturday at all. It was also a great bonding exercize for all of us. I am happy to see that happen, considering what a rocky path we started on. After eating at Subway we said our See you later's, and headed over to American Science Surplus where it was really tough to just limit ourselves to the presents for the party. The Milwaukee store is a 100 times better than the Chicago one. Did some other shopping and headed home, were I spent a couple hours playing Suikoden, and then went to the Lighthouse for a few drinks before bed.

Saturday we slept in (boy did I need it, the dogs at the Benninghoff's are LOUD and annoying...really early in the morning), watched alternatively movies and played more Suikoden, and at night we watched some bad movies while wrapping the fantastic gifts and I tried to figure out how to make a bow. I decided to go with my own design in the end, and it looks pretty good.

Sunday, got up and went to Evanston to see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (which wasn't that great. I mean technically, and visually, it was very nice...but it was just missing that spirit...the spirit that made LotR what it is). Then we went to EBGames to return a game that was defective, then got in th car and headed to IHOP for our meal of the day, did more shopping, got groceries, and then went home. Watched a little tv, and played Suikoden until 1.00 AM. 8( We were naughty, but we weren't tired!!!

And Monday. Here I am today. Okay, so I didn't finish my writing my 50K novel. I did get 30K words in...but Suikoden killed the rest of my enthusiam for it. Plus, going on vacation in November didn't help matter eithers. In any case, I will suceed next year, and it did instill in my the will to write 20K a month. I can do that, and it is still writing. And that will add up to quite a bit over a year...great writing practive and sheer volumn is the next step in my goal to publish before I am thirty. I mean, this whole exercize wasn't that bad because I realized my resolution of last year ot write more went exceedingly well. I had two writing groups, which both failed...but not because I never wrote in them but more or less because the others really weren't that interested. Then the solo writing, and the nano equals to more creative writing than I have ever done in my life. Which is good. I am pleased...and not feeling like a total loser.

Thank you to Christain for his advice on the whole friend thing (see previous entry), I agree. Thank you for the perspective. Although it is weird because Tim had one of those dreams that you convinced are real...where she called two months after the baby was born, and said she was doing well, and that the baby (girl) name started with a M or an N. Huh. How about that. I won't hold my breath though. This girl can hold onto a grudge better than a miser pinches pennies.

All in all, I had a really good, restful weekend.