![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragonlady7I never did the Obligatory What I Got For Christmas Post. As I am waiting for my hair to dry, and feeling utterly uninspired and unproductive, I will here make an attempt at it.
From my mother and father I received a scooter jacket-- this one, in fact. Z received the man's version. It was too small, and had to be returned, but now we both have the proper size, and are foxy, in a sort of armored, Eurotrash kinda way. Amusingly, to check the fit of the jacket they ordered for Z, they had my dad try it on. It fit Dad, but was humorously tiny on Z. Their waists are the same size, but Z is about 3 inches taller, and is considerably longer in the arm and leg, and apparently, although I'd never've noticed this, Z's shoulders are broader. So a jacket that fit Dad snugly and appropriately didn't even fasten up on Z. Which was amusing.
Z gave me drambuie and three babydoll t-shirts with clever slogans: "I Hate My Self And Want To Die" graced my chest on Christmas at work, while "Stuff is Awesome!" is what I wore for the ride home, and "I'm Blogging This" was worn on my stroll through Troy, rather inappropriately as I didn't, in fact, really blog it.
Katy sent me a houndstooth brown, white, and pink skirt, knee length and actually wool and lined, which is rather cuter than I had expected when I first saw the pattern. She also sent me a glass pendant from Venice, a large and heavy thing in white streaked with really striking iridescent blue and green bits. It eerily matches all the other jewelry I got.
Ann made me some jewelry herself, dangly long earrings and a turquoise pendant. Dave's mom bought me some jangly earrings that gorgeously match both Katy's and Ann's pendants.
Fiona got me the handbag I wanted, which I think I've mentioned.
Everyone got me socks. I have zillions of socks. This makes me unreasonably happy.
My grandmother gave me a balsam wreath for my door, and also a pair of earrings that are heart-shaped and blue-green.
Uncle Pete bought me a copy of Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Oh shit, that's what I was going to do today: Read it. Hm.
I bought my mother and sisters booze, and my father booze as well. Also, I made a calendar on Snapfish using twelve of my best photos. This should probably become an annual tradition.
I also got innumerable funky and awesome small things, many of them food-related, from the farmer's market in Troy. Mom and Dad go every week, and Uncle Peter goes quite often as well-- it's like two blocks from his house, I realized when I was there. Did I mention that I thoroughly, shamelessly covet Uncle Peter's house? It's a modest, unassuming, two-story brick townhouse on a street full of other lovely similar buildings (many far more ornate), dating from I'd say (uninformedly) somewhere in the 1860s or so, possibly earlier. Its interior is in somewhat shabby shape, but retains many charming original details-- marble fireplaces in every room (all converted to other uses, but the front parlor one has a lovely gas log in it), ornate woodwork, pretty plaster, a nice staircase banister, etc. The backyard has a high wall around it and would be well-suited to a semi-formal garden. There is space in the back for a garage which would open onto the back alley (plowed by the city but largely closed to traffic). The back of the building has a two-story porch overlooking the walled backyard. And the basement contains another apartment which could easily be let out at a rate that would cover the building's maintenance costs, if only it were fixed up. Most importantly, the surrounding neighborhood is a lovely one, containing a women's college, a public library, the farmer's market, the downtown strip of quaint shops, a historical society, the first-ever Bruegger's Bagels shop, several trendy coffeeshops, the county courthouse, and a family-owned but well-stocked hardware store, all within easy walking distance.
And my uncle's got the place stuffed absolutely full of junk, and it needs a lot of work. Ah well. Also, he has seven cats, and I offered to adopt one, but nothing came of it. He seems genuinely fond of all the cats, but he really can't keep up with them.
Anyhow. I digress. The farmer's market: I got some awesome expensive organic cheddar cheese, and a thing of braided garlic, and all sorts of indescribably nifty things.
I'm getting hungry and my attention span is failing. I am going to go attire myself attractively. Z has decided that today is the day he'll cash in on my offer of Taking Him Out To Dinner For His Birthday, and so we're going to a middle eastern place we've been to a couple times and like. I feel like I ought to dress up. We took my parents there, last summer when they were here, and Mom pointed out that the restaurant's building is a very, very old house. Full of Lebanese people. Why not? It's lovely.
From my mother and father I received a scooter jacket-- this one, in fact. Z received the man's version. It was too small, and had to be returned, but now we both have the proper size, and are foxy, in a sort of armored, Eurotrash kinda way. Amusingly, to check the fit of the jacket they ordered for Z, they had my dad try it on. It fit Dad, but was humorously tiny on Z. Their waists are the same size, but Z is about 3 inches taller, and is considerably longer in the arm and leg, and apparently, although I'd never've noticed this, Z's shoulders are broader. So a jacket that fit Dad snugly and appropriately didn't even fasten up on Z. Which was amusing.
Z gave me drambuie and three babydoll t-shirts with clever slogans: "I Hate My Self And Want To Die" graced my chest on Christmas at work, while "Stuff is Awesome!" is what I wore for the ride home, and "I'm Blogging This" was worn on my stroll through Troy, rather inappropriately as I didn't, in fact, really blog it.
Katy sent me a houndstooth brown, white, and pink skirt, knee length and actually wool and lined, which is rather cuter than I had expected when I first saw the pattern. She also sent me a glass pendant from Venice, a large and heavy thing in white streaked with really striking iridescent blue and green bits. It eerily matches all the other jewelry I got.
Ann made me some jewelry herself, dangly long earrings and a turquoise pendant. Dave's mom bought me some jangly earrings that gorgeously match both Katy's and Ann's pendants.
Fiona got me the handbag I wanted, which I think I've mentioned.
Everyone got me socks. I have zillions of socks. This makes me unreasonably happy.
My grandmother gave me a balsam wreath for my door, and also a pair of earrings that are heart-shaped and blue-green.
Uncle Pete bought me a copy of Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Oh shit, that's what I was going to do today: Read it. Hm.
I bought my mother and sisters booze, and my father booze as well. Also, I made a calendar on Snapfish using twelve of my best photos. This should probably become an annual tradition.
I also got innumerable funky and awesome small things, many of them food-related, from the farmer's market in Troy. Mom and Dad go every week, and Uncle Peter goes quite often as well-- it's like two blocks from his house, I realized when I was there. Did I mention that I thoroughly, shamelessly covet Uncle Peter's house? It's a modest, unassuming, two-story brick townhouse on a street full of other lovely similar buildings (many far more ornate), dating from I'd say (uninformedly) somewhere in the 1860s or so, possibly earlier. Its interior is in somewhat shabby shape, but retains many charming original details-- marble fireplaces in every room (all converted to other uses, but the front parlor one has a lovely gas log in it), ornate woodwork, pretty plaster, a nice staircase banister, etc. The backyard has a high wall around it and would be well-suited to a semi-formal garden. There is space in the back for a garage which would open onto the back alley (plowed by the city but largely closed to traffic). The back of the building has a two-story porch overlooking the walled backyard. And the basement contains another apartment which could easily be let out at a rate that would cover the building's maintenance costs, if only it were fixed up. Most importantly, the surrounding neighborhood is a lovely one, containing a women's college, a public library, the farmer's market, the downtown strip of quaint shops, a historical society, the first-ever Bruegger's Bagels shop, several trendy coffeeshops, the county courthouse, and a family-owned but well-stocked hardware store, all within easy walking distance.
And my uncle's got the place stuffed absolutely full of junk, and it needs a lot of work. Ah well. Also, he has seven cats, and I offered to adopt one, but nothing came of it. He seems genuinely fond of all the cats, but he really can't keep up with them.
Anyhow. I digress. The farmer's market: I got some awesome expensive organic cheddar cheese, and a thing of braided garlic, and all sorts of indescribably nifty things.
I'm getting hungry and my attention span is failing. I am going to go attire myself attractively. Z has decided that today is the day he'll cash in on my offer of Taking Him Out To Dinner For His Birthday, and so we're going to a middle eastern place we've been to a couple times and like. I feel like I ought to dress up. We took my parents there, last summer when they were here, and Mom pointed out that the restaurant's building is a very, very old house. Full of Lebanese people. Why not? It's lovely.
