Ketchup

Let's see... what has happened since the last time I posted?

I am up to eleven friends on Facebook. One is a friend from college fighting stage III breast cancer. (BTW - see link to Army of Women on the right.) One is a semi-friend from college who has potential as a new fiber fiend. Several are former co-workers. One is my SO, who posted the funniest profile photo I have ever seen. Every time I look at it, I laugh. Every time I think of it, I laugh. I call it "Portrait of the Artist as a Curmudgeon" because he has this angry philosopher look on his face. When he explained that the camera went off while he was trying to see if it was time to smile, I laughed until I cried.

My month-long spending ban is still in effect until next weekend, when I plan to apply for a passport and upgrade my cell phone. I didn't do too bad - the only non-essentials I purchased were a couple of used books.

My bladder infection is gone, although it felt like it was coming back. That or I was developing ovarian cancer. Have you noticed that many of the symptoms of diseases are everyday things like lower back pain and fatigue? If unintentional weight loss is on the list, though, I know I am safe.

Speaking of weight loss, some study has arrived at the conclusion that the only way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. Duh. The tricky part is figuring out a successful way to do that. Along with a zillion other people on the Web, I have been making lifestyle adjustments. For one thing, I have committed to attending yoga class twice a week. If the weather would cooperate, I would walk more, too. Another modification is eliminating flour and sugar from my diet. This is not such a big stretch for me, but so far, it has not resulted in any weight loss, so I am also dropping potatoes and popcorn. Given my penchant for salty snacks, no chips or fries will be a big deal.

And speaking of bladders, my stepmother's surgeon is sending her to physical therapy to strengthen the muscles "down there". He says it may take as long as a year to "get dry" but she can do it. Maybe if she is successful, she will try PT for her back pain.

I have been busier at work, which is a good thing. I've been cooking more, also a good thing but a time suck, especially the cleaning up. I'm thinking it would be nice to make a trip to the beach, any beach, and meditate to the sound of the waves. Picture downward dog in the sand.

What have you been up to?

Socially challenged

I now have three friends on Faceb00k. Or is it four? Earlier today I could not get the stupid thing to update my status (and I had a darn clever status to post too!) and then one of my three/four friends started a chat and I didn't feel like chatting but what are you going to do?

And THEN my PC locked up. For the first time ever. I have had this laptop for about three years and have never had any problems with it. Until Faceb00k.

Tonight I tried to find more friends, people I would really enjoy getting in touch with, but apparently they are all a bunch of Luddites. Or have more interesting things to do with their lives than get involved with a time suck like FB.

Otherwise, it has been a lovely day.

A VD orgy

A shredding orgy, that is. I decided I did not need to keep all those old duplicate checks, especially the pre-divorce ones. Seeing my ex's name under mine was a bit of a shock. Ancient history.

Folk Alley is streaming a Nanci Griffith concert this weekend, if you are interested.

I'm on Facebook now, under my real name. So far, I have one friend - my daughter.

My VD gift from my SO this weekend is some quality alone time. When I start talking about moving to the country and building a geodesic dome, he knows it is time to give me some space. Thanks, hon, I needed that!

It's hell getting old

I didn't make it to the post office to get a passport because I slept in Saturday morning, and when I did get up, decided I did not feel like going anywhere. Plus I had one of those ice-pick-up-the-nose-and-behind-the-eye kind of headaches. The headache hung around all weekend, then was joined by a pinched nerve I acquired during yoga Sunday afternoon. And yesterday I developed a bladder infection. *sigh*

In the not so distant past, my bladder infections were run-of-the-mill: classic symptoms that could usually be flushed away by drinking gallons of water. Now they start out with a systemic reaction to the infection (exhaustion and maybe chills), and only later do some telltale symptoms appear. Meanwhile, I've missed the window of opportunity for successful water treatment and have to resort to antibiotics.

Two issues arise. One, I feel too sick to go to work, but because I don't have any real symptoms, I also feel like a malingerer. Two, I hate my doctor but I don't know how to "divorce" him.

Regarding the first issue, if The Powers That Be would provide me with a laptop instead of a desktop, I could dial in from home when I'm sick and at least respond to emails. I don't know what one has to do to qualify for a laptop, but it seems like almost everyone at work has one except me.

And as for the other issue, not liking my doctor means I'm not likely to make an appointment for minor ailments, which is a good thing. But sometimes I worry that I won't call him when I should. He is part of a large citywide practice with multiple locations, so if I moved to another part of town, they would change my doctor, no questions asked. But moving seems a bit drastic for what amounts to my own temerity.

Besides, I'm just a malingerer who doesn't deserve a doctor with rapport.

THAT didn't last long

My pledge to buy only essentials until March 1? FAIL. I had been keeping my eye on a storage thingy at Home Depot, waiting for it to go on sale, when Target put lots of storage thingies on sale. For the price of one Home Depot storage thingy I bought three Target storage thingies, but still. I was supposed to buy nothing. AND I no longer have an excuse to defer cleaning the garage.

One of my major complaints about working for an international company is I have never been offered the opportunity to travel internationally. Never mind that my passport is 35 years old. While I am breaking my buy-only-essentials rule, I might as well get a new passport. Maybe that will change my traveling luck.

And THEN I will buy only essentials until March 1. Or we could make it March 7, to make up for my transgressions.

Lost weekend tidbits

Here it is, Saturday night already, and I feel like I haven't done a thing all weekend. I have plans for tomorrow, so I can't even lie to myself and say I'll do everything that I planned to do today tomorrow. Why can't every weekend be a three-day weekend? I need one day just to decompress.

Other people's dreams usually make boring stories, but this one is short: I dreamed I was tired of being responsible for my life, so I decided to let someone else drive for a while, but there was no one else in the car with me.

Reminds me of the following dream: I was trying to fill my car up with gas, but the nozzle kept shutting off. I asked myself, What if my tank is full and I just don't know it?

Very koan-like, huh?

I decided to copy one of Toni's experiments and buy only essential items (food, gasoline, electricity, etc.) until March 1. It's not due to the economy per se, but because I went over budget on house renovations last year. I was hoping to have rebuilt (ha!) some of my savings by now, but in January I actually lost more ground. The question is, what can be classified as "essential"? I manned up and started trimming the dog's claws myself, but are we agreed that expressing anal glands calls for a professional? I thought so.

Something that is going around the blog world is daily listings of "grace in small things". I am usually too crabby to take much notice, but occasionally I do feel blessed. Like when my neighbors clear my driveway after a heavy snow.

When 3carnations posted about locking the bathroom door and SundryMourning wrote about hemorrhoids, their comment stats went through their respective roofs (rooves?) How about a related question? Besides trying a variety of non-surgical solutions, my stepmother has had two operations for urinary incontinence. Nothing has worked. I don't know much about incontinence and I hope I never need to, so my question is, Is there a way to prevent it? And I'm not asking just to juice my stats.

The Duchess

I read a good review of "The Duchess" somewhere. The movie sounded intriguing and stars Ralph Fiennes, so I figured it would be better than average. But it was not.

Based on a true story (although I'm sure the details were embellished), the movie tells the tale of one clueless eighteenth-century duchess. Georgiana marries well, but the duke is uninterested in his wife except for her ability to produce an heir. Everyone else is in love with her, though, especially Charles Grey, a political up-and-comer. He is rather clueless as well. Maybe if the two of them had watched "Becoming Jane" they would have had an inkling of how the society they lived in worked. Anyway, in the end Georgiana chooses her children over her lover, the lover avoids scandal and is elected prime minister, and G, the duke, and his mistress all live happily ever after. Until G dies. Then the duke and the mistress marry and continue to live happily ever after. (The movie is so predictable, I don't feel bad about revealing the ending.)

The movie was rated PG-13. Today's 13-year-olds must be more sophisticated than I was at that age, because I would have been aghast to see a bare backside in a movie back then. In some ways, I still am, but now in a good way.

Just say yes, at least once in a while

I am a true homebody. I like nothing better than a quiet evening at home. Just me and the dog. And the cat. And the rabbit. And sometimes my SO.

But there is a fine line between being a homebody and being a stick in the mud. Consequently, I have been making a conscious effort to get out more by saying yes when the opportunity to go somewhere and do something arises.

And no, my change of heart is not because of "Yes Man" which I have not seen. I will acknowledge that I might have been somewhat influenced by The Year of Yes. Also, I am reading Plant Seed, Pull Weed which, it turns out, is not about gardening.

Examples of my willingness to leave the yard:

Reunion luncheon with some former co-workers: Ordinarily, I don't go out for lunch, period. But the opportunity arose to meet with some people I had not seen in ages, and I went. And people remembered who I was. And I had a good time.

Company holiday party: We have our holiday party after the holidays, and usually my attitude is Why would I want to spend more time with people I already see forty hours a week? Also, when I did go, I never won any of the door prizes. I still did not win any prizes, but I did have two wonderful martinis (after one, my nose went numb; after two, my lips went numb), and the food was quite good as well. Entertainment included Little Vegas. I just don't get gambling. Probably just as well, because I suck at it.

Live music at Come2Go: Many years ago we saw Rachael Davis when she fronted for Patty Larkin. Rachael was young but had a powerful voice. She's all growed up now - mostly - and still has that voice. Steppin' In It played as well. And Sunny Taylor. A lot of music for little money.

Live drama at the Arts United Center: Occasionally, my employer offers a limited number of free tickets to this or that. Recently, it was a local production of "The Glass Menagerie". We went to that last night. I saw a television version of this Tennessee Williams classic many, many years ago, and all I can remember is I hated the mother, identified with the daughter, and found it to be incredibly sad. Last night's production was actually humorous, the mother was likeably annoying, and the son came off as shallow and self-absorbed. After the show, all I could think was, How did the mother and daughter survive after the son left?

More live music: In a couple of weeks, there will be a fundraiser for the Embassy Theater, featuring local bands paying tribute to musical legends. Down the Line 3 is rumored to be featuring Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, and Jimi Hendrix, among others. We went last year, and we plan to be there this year. Again, a lot of music for little money.

So, I have been enjoying all my outings of 2009. But you know what? I would be just as happy staying home.

My inner child is a brat

I haven't been posting lately because I have been in such a funk that everything I wrote sounded like a big whi-i-ine. I'm feeling perkier today, so I thought I'd better post while the posting is good.

No big reason for my funk - just my job. I have been at my current employer for eleven years. My MO when I start a new job is to stick it out for one year, then decide whether I am staying. Then at each anniversary, I again consciously make the decision to stay or go. I hated this job from the start, but after one year I was working on something somewhat interesting, so I stayed. After two years, I started interviewing outside the company but then was able to change departments, so again I stayed. For the next two years, I was relatively content, but then we were sold. I hung around, waiting to be severed, but it never happened. Then I hung around just to see what would happen next. Then I hung around long enough to qualify for early retirement. Now I am hanging around to grow my pension and pay off my house. Also, I can't make this kind of money anywhere else around here. And the benefits are great. I feel like I cannot walk away, especially in the current economic climate. Some days I am grateful to have a job, other days I feel trapped.

Today was a pretty good day, though. I figured out the solution to a problem I've been battling for days, may get to attend out-of-town training, and won two free tickets to a local production of "The Glass Menagerie". Instead of going to yoga, I practiced at home, ate leftover Chinese for supper, and caught up on some housework and petwork (cage cleaning and claw trimming). Now I am going to knit a bit and read a bit and go to bed. Some days, this is enough.

Breathe free or die

Today is a holiday from work (yay) so I scheduled a deep tissue massage (hurts so good). I have had chronic sinus problems most of my life, but especially the past few months, to the point that my inner ears are affected. My massage therapist advertises massage for sinus problems, so I asked for that as well.

The sinus massage includes a hot towel under the neck (ooh), light aroma therapy (mmm), and acupressure (ouch). When she finished, I didn't feel much difference, but figured it was worth a try.

I ran some errands on the way home, and after about 20 minutes, my head opened wide and said, "AAAHHH!" Deep pockets of my sinus cavities experienced fresh air for the first time in forever. In fact, I developed a headache from the internal change in pressure. Whoo!

I am curious at to how long the effect will last, but from today's experience, I recommend that those with sinus problems give this treatment a chance.

Friday Night at the Movies

By Friday, I am done. I curse profusely at the least little irritant, tears well up over the silliest things, and anything attempted is doomed to frustrating failure, all because instead of being thankful it's Friday, I am already angry that Monday arrives in two days. What a good night to watch a movie!

Confession time: I watched "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." as a tween (I even got David McCallum's autograph!) And I also watched the other spy-related series, including "Get Smart" the television show. I also like stupid movies and sight gags, so it was only natural that I should rent "Get Smart" the movie.

I expected to snicker and I did. I expected to laugh out loud and I did. I expected to lose myself for a couple of hours and I did. It helped that I was familiar with the television series but forgetful enough not to recall all the details. And the movie was kind enough to include references to the series without beating me over the head with them.

The characters are not exactly complex but they are portrayed as being more than two dimensional. Max is a former fatty who dances with the morbidly obese woman at a party (who tells him he is light on his feet). Agent 99's identity was compromised, so she had plastic surgery, wistfully noting that she used to look like her mother. Max protests "Am I invisible?!?" when repeatedly bumped on the street. Agent 99 kicks a former lover in the face for suggesting that she is not feminine.

No surprises, but all in all, a pleasant and entertaining way to while away what is usually a pissy evening in this household. Thanks for the endorphins, Max!

Does anyone really know what time it is?

I have too many calendars. There is the little one, complements of my hairdresser, I carry in my bag. There is the big one on my desk. There is one on my computer at work. I have two on Google (but I use only one). There is a paper version of my Yarn Harlot Page-a-Day and an online version of another Page-a-Day for words. NOW sent me a "Love Your Body" wall calendar that I think will stay at home. I gave my son the calendar NWF sends me every year (even though I have not contributed to them since 1999). Hey! Where is the calendar from the Smithsonian? I am a member, but maybe not in good standing.


I don't wear a watch because I just don't need to anymore. My computers at home and at work provide the time (and the date!), as do all my phones, including my cell. In the kitchen there is a clock on the stove, the microwave, the coffeemaker, and the wall. Another wall clock in the livingroom. A clock radio by my bed. The watch with the broken watchband is in the bathroom, to let me know if I am running late. Ditto the clock in the car. I have no excuse not to know what time it is.


When I was a kid, the 365 days between one xmas and the next seemed interminable. Now waiting a year for something is nothing. My only concern regarding the passing of time is whether my own passing will occur before I get the chance to enjoy my retirement.


I asked a friend of mine if her husband, having recently survived a near death experience, had reordered his priorities. She said that he did that after his first heart attack ten years ago, making time for his music, but this time he was a little puzzled over what he could do different. He still has to go to work, still has bills to pay and aging parents to look after and other responsibilities. Some EMT friends tell him, "You are so lucky to be alive - God must have a plan for you!" and his response is "But WHAT?!?"


If god has a plan for me, so far it involves sitting in a cubicle at work and cleaning up animal waste at home. I make time for yoga and knitting and gardening and spending time with family and friends, but I too still have to go to work and pay my bills. I still spend an inordinate amount of time sitting in my car and on the john. I still have to eat and sleep.


And time just keeps marching on.

Happy New Year.

Plans for 2009

The past couple of years I have been successful with my resolutions because I chose ones that did not involve deprivation. Last year it was to manage my vacation days better. The year before, do something fun each month. These resolutions were also somewhat measurable. But I'm a little stymied this year.

One aspect of high dissatisfaction in my life is my job. I don't have a lot to do, and this past year I fulfilled that duty beautifully. Some would consider getting paid a decent salary to do very little an ideal situation, but you would be surprised at just how boring eight long hours a day in a high-walled cube can be. Yes, there is Internet access, but the Powers That Be block my ability to listen to music, write blog postings, and download porn (not that I would do that!)

My supervisor knows I have little to do, his supervisor knows as well, and the business is such that I can't just wander over to another department and ask them if they need help with something. Plus I need to look busy, which requires a surprising amount of effort.

I became a software developer because, once I learned to program, I discovered that writing code was one of the few things that totally engrossed me mentally. My first position as a developer was the best, and it has been downhill ever since. Now it is to the point where I don't do any software development because that has been "sourced" elsewhere. And I have been not writing code for so long my skills have atrophied.

So. I would like to come up with a resolution, New Year's or otherwise, to remedy this problem. And I think I have a plan, if I can just stick with it once I return to my little cube on Jan. 5. There is an application that I "own" that needs some rewriting. Instead of doing the least amount of work possible, I plan to immerse myself in it and in relearning Java. Besides keeping me occupied, this goal will improve my coding skills, which may be a godsend if I become "redundant".

Now, the problem with this goal is every time I psych myself up to do something like this, The Universe smacks me down. We shall see how it works out.

A second concern of mine the dwindling of my already less than stellar creativity. Everyday, in every way, I am getting duller and duller. I have been trying to come up with ways to feed my creativity - draw a picture a day, write a haiku a day, watch an art film a week, read more, write more, etc. - but am having trouble believing I will stick to any of these goals. Perhaps if I mix and match, though, do one - any - of these activities each day? Maybe that will be flexible enough to see me through more than the first week of the new year.

Then there are the other usual New Year's resolutions revolving around health - eat less, exercise more, meditate daily, etc. Recently I monitored my food and calorie intake through this site, which quickly became boring, but my efforts did indicate that while I usually make healthy food choices, I simply eat too much. Over the past week or so - while on vacation from work - I have lost a couple of pounds. Much of my overeating is due to boredom at work, so maybe relearning Java will help in that regard.

Anyway. What am I willing to commit to for 2009?

1. Relearn Java.
2. Do something creative everyday.

And I think we will leave it at that. No sense going overboard, right?

New Year's Quiz

This wasn't my idea. Blame it on All & Sundry. Play along if you wish.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Added a room to my house. I didn't do the work, but the stress was all mine.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Yes, and yes.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Two of my WW friends became grandmothers for the first time. They are beating me in the Grandparent Race.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Sadly, yes.

5. What countries did you visit? Canada, for the final time without a passport.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Confidence in my retirement accounts.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Election Day. Duh.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Showing up at work on a regular basis. You don't know how hard that is!

9. What was your biggest failure? We don't dwell on failures.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No, but I gained ten pounds. That hurts!

11. What was the best thing you bought? The new room.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Hillary, as evidenced by her convention speech.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Giuliani, as evidenced by his convention speech.

14. Where did most of your money go? The new room.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The election.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? I'm blanking on this one.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? same
b) thinner or fatter? fatter
c) richer or poorer? poorer (on paper)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercise.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? No.

22. What was your favorite TV program? NFL Football.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No hating allowed.

24. What was the best book you read? I'll say Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? This would probably require that I listen to the radio, which I rarely do.

26. What did you want and get? The new room.

27. What did you want and not get? Sheep.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? This question assumes I watch movies in a timely manner. Looking through my Netflix history, I see I gave the following movies 5 stars: "Lars and the Real Girl" and "In the Valley of Elah".

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? We were on vacation at Giant City State Park when I turned 56. Not that it is any of your business.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being able to retire.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Hand knits.

32. What kept you sane? Knitting and blogging and yoga.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I loved seeing photos of Hillary and Obama together and really wish they had found a way to be on the same ticket.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Global warming. My heart breaks for the polar bears.

35. Who did you miss? My mom.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I'm going to say my yoga instructors. Because of them, I am stronger and more flexible and healthier (even if I am fatter).

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. The stock market is a lie.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Damn, another song question.

Overheard at Work

Three co-workers walking down the hall.

C1: How old are you?
C2: I'm 39.
C1: I'm 38.
C3: I'm 39. And a half.

Wishes DO Come True

It's our turn for an ice storm. Work is not usually cancelled unless the city declares a weather emergency. The city did not do that today, but - miracle of miracles! - the office has no power. Theoretically, they could call any minute and say Back to work. But I'm not counting on it. Heh.

What To-Do?

The other day I got a couple of miles from my house before I realized I had forgotten my glasses. I don't need them to drive, but I generally wear them all the time. How could I leave home without them? And what clued me in on their absence?

Today I forgot to wear a belt.

I used to have a small white board by the door that said, "Coffeemaker off - stove off - lights off. Vitamins, makeup, earrings." I should add to that "Belt? Glasses? Sweater? Teeth?" Yesterday I forgot to brush my teeth.

With my diminished short term memory, I've learned a few tricks. A sticky note in the car screams "Prednisone!" to remind me to stop at the vet for the dog's medication. "8:30 meeting" on the back of a used envelope next to the coffee maker gets me rushing in the morning. Before I exit the house, I make sure I am holding my keys in my hand, so leaving them by the recharging cell phone ensures I have both. But today I meant to recharge the phone in the car, and I forgot.

Enter the Moleskine notebook. I carry several of these in my purse, jotting down reminders and grocery lists and to-do items with abandon. List making has the additional bonus of giving me something to check off once the task is complete. Uncompleted tasks also nag, nag, nag.

Now, if I could only remember how to do my job.

I'm a software developer who has not developed any software in years. All that "code grinding" has been moved off-shore. Well, almost all of it. I am still responsible for an application that has not required any attention from me since we upgraded to XP. Therein lies the problem. The original development tool is not only defunct, it won't run under XP at all. The libraries we use from that development tool work just fine, but may not if we ever upgrade the operating system again. I procrastinated on rewriting the code because I kept expecting to be "made redundant" - i.e. job eliminated - but I haven't been, probably because I'm the "IT owner" of this application. I made the mistake of listing this task as a goal on my annual review for 2008, which means it should be done by now.

And it has been so long since I wrote any code that I don't remember how.

*sigh*

Home Alone

Wednesday night is date night. Last night was yoga night, and thanks to the snowfall, it took me almost an hour to travel ten miles. I would have turned around but the northbound traffic was worse than my southbound traffic, and 45 minutes of yoga was better than no yoga. By the time I left the studio, the traffic had magically disappeared, and I glided easily home.

Ordinarily, traffic heading downtown in the evening is light, and at first I could not figure out why so many people were going my way. Then it dawned on me that there weren't more cars on the road, they were just going so slowly that traffic slid to a halt. Bearing this in mind, this morning I sent my SO an email, warning him off trying to make his way north tonight. He pooh-poohed me, and when I left work shortly after four and the roads were clear, I felt a little silly. But guess what? Even though he left early, he ran into the same problem, compounded by xmas shoppers who stayed home last night and are planning to stay home tomorrow night when the ice storm is supposed to hit. He gave up and went home.

So I'm already in my jammies and terry cloth robe. When I thought we would be eating out, my taste buds were primed for Chinese. When I discovered we were not eating out, my focus switched to popcorn, the single person's hot meal. I cook mine on the stove, but for some reason did not check the gas flame under the pot. The oil went up in smoke, literally. I hope that pan is not ruined; it's soaking in vinegar right now.

(It's things like these that make me worry about getting old. At what point should I not be allowed to cook for myself? Better to call Meals on Wheels.)

Plan B (or C?) was bacon and egg and toast. The bacon was left over from Thanksgiving (two slices went into the butternut squash soup), so I cooked it extra crispy to ward off food poisoning. There was only one egg, so I splurged on two pieces of toast and, since I was feeling a little sorry for myself by then, cinnamon sugar on the toast. And apple juice.

Between the vinegar and the bacon, the smell of burnt corn oil has almost faded from the kitchen. I'm nearing the end of both I Was Told There'd Be Cake and Planetwalker. (When did I start reading more than one book at a time?) There are bills to be paid, pets to groom, litter boxes to clean. Why, we're just having a grand time tonight.

Wind Advisory

I have family in New England, so when I read about the power outages Friday, I tried to call my dad. No answer. Not even the answering machine picked up. So I sent a text message to my brother. Hours later I find out that yes, neither of them have power, and a tree fell on my dad's new car.

I pictured my dad and stepmother huddling in their cold home, not even able to heat a cup of tea, not using their cell phone for fear of running down the battery, because that would be me. Saturday I tried their land line again, then gambled on the cell. Dad picked up on the second ring. They were at a Marriott near Boston, on their way out to do some xmas shopping, making lemonade out of lemons.

When I called Dad, I was about to do a little xmas shopping of my own. Let me say up front that I hate to shop, I detest malls, I'm not that wild about xmas and conspicuous consumption, the amount of crap that appears this time of year never ceases to amaze me, why do Americans think they are entitled to an extreme xmas, etc. In short, I come very close to being Scrooge personified. But I was looking for some unusual stocking stuffers, so my SO and I visited some alternative shopping sites. Instead of stocking stuffers, I wound up buying stuff for myself.

I have been looking for my fetish for a while now, scrutinizing ravens and coyotes and buffalo, but none ever spoke to me. But then I saw this llama at Friends of the Third World.



Hand carved from combarbalite, a kind of soapstone that is mined only in Combarbala, Chile, and standing about six inches tall and weighing in at 350 grams (that's over 12 oz.), he's a little hefty to be a fetish. But I picked him up and could not put him down.

Recently I have also decided I need to accessorize, so have been in the market for unusual necklaces. I found this one at Ten Thousand Villages.



Made in Vietnam of what I think are silk-wrapped beads, the color demanded I take the necklace home. I love looking at it, but am not sure what I can wear it with. I suppose it would make more sense to buy something for a particular outfit, but I'm new at this business of personal adornment. Where's my personal shopper when I need her?

I Must Be Getting Old

One word. Syriana. Has anybody else seen this movie? Can they explain it to me? I tried, I really, really tried to follow all the story lines, knowing that at the end, they would lead to a significant conclusion. But everything just did not add up for me.

At the beginning of the movie, there was some explanatory dialog. And there was something about oil companies and covert operations and selling missiles. And there was this lawyer and these sheiks and the CIA and the CLI and the radical Muslims. And too many middle aged white guys - they all look alike to me.

Some of the characters I could keep track of, but their backstories were lost on me. Who was the older guy living with the lawyer? Were the scenes of George Clooney and his son supposed to mean something? What was the point of the Matt Damon character?

Ordinarily, I like movies that make me think, but this one just made my head hurt.