more mundane accounting
Dec. 26th, 2007 10:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragonlady7I'm just going to list some of the things I got and gave for Xmas, just so I can remember later. It's a bit mundane, but I like to remember these things.
Z and I gave all our gifts collaboratively, except for the gifts I gave him. He has not yet thought of what to get me, though he did get me a couple of "just because" gifts last month.
I gave him some Achewood schwag, outlined here earlier.
We gave his mother a Christmas ornament I actually bought for her last year and then just didn't see her to give (they went to California last year, and I went to Troy), and also a $50 giftcard to three different restaurants. Two of the restaurants were ones we'd been to and thought she'd like, though she'd never heard of them, and the third was just to her favorite restaurant because we couldn't think of a third new-to-her place that was the right level of trendy/expensive-or-not/casual.
We gave his brother-in-law a set of video games-- World of Warcraft, and its expansion pack. He'd requested them; Z's sister mourned that she'd never see him again.
For his sister Z bought the Twin Peaks boxed set, having seen it on her Amazon Wishlist, still there, unpurchased, after Amazon's last ship-by date. So he bought it online at Best Buy, and drove out to Hamburg to pick it up. (It was an adventure.)
What's amusing is that she had purchased the same exact item for him. So he opened it and began to laugh, and she said "what's so funny?" just as I handed her the gift from us, and she hefted it in her hand and began to laugh, because it was obviously the exact same size and weight she'd just handed to Z.
I got a bottle of Bailey's from Z's sister and brother-in-law, which is nice, as I never splurge on the real stuff but always get imitation Irish Kreme (tm) and dilute it with coffee to make it drinkable. The real stuff, though, you can drink on the rocks without having to add things.
From Z's mother I got a set of tickets to the theatre, which was thoughtful; she gave Z tickets to Avenue Q, and me she gave tickets to... Lord of the Dance. Well, she knows I like Irish music. I believe I am going to arrange to be busy that night so I had to exchange them for another show on another date, but it was incredibly thoughtful of her and is not something I would ever have thought to buy myself. I am really excited about Avenue Q though. And I love theatre and never ever go. (And they're at Shea's. Which is a gorgeous place. It is a fancy fancy schmancy place, built in 1927 or so, all velvet and gilt and marble, and I have only been there once for a showing of Nosferatu with live music. It is the kind of Theatre that you Dress for, and I just love that kind of thing.)
I also got a set of fleece pyjamas, many pairs of socks, a scarf and mittens, lip balm, a CD of Irish music, a desk calendar, and assorted similar things from Z's mom, the undisputed master of buying small but useful things for Christmas. She has been storing up these items since last year's post-Christmas sales, I am sure. She has even purchased me a stocking she keeps at her house, which blew my mind the first time I saw it.
From my Kringle, Helen, I got the Chieftains' Celtic Harp CD, which I used to have on tape and sorely miss listening to, and two pairs of lovely earrings I'd wishlisted on Amazon when it struck me that I possessed no amber or garnet jewelry despite loving both gemstones.
Z got assorted things similar to mine-- socks, also underwear, scarf, hot sauce, etc., and from his Kringle he got a waffle maker. He was really excited about the waffle maker. He has wanted one for a long time. So I'm pleased, both for him and because I know he will feed me wonderful things he makes with it.
I had a lot of fun, and was less awkward than I often am around his family. I am intimidated by some of them, sometimes. But most of yesterday, I was just having fun. Which was nice.
Photos to follow, once I have some time. I don't know when I'll have time; tonight I've got to choose between 3 obligations, including Z's 10th high school reunion dinner, an extra-credit roller derby open skate that's half-required, and after-dinner meetup with Z's cousin who's leaving town tomorrow. The day after, it's dinner with his folks, followed by roller derby practice that I dare not miss. The day after, I'm *hoping* we can leave town straight after work to go see *my* family 300 miles away; the next two days will be spent with them, and I hope I can pull that off and not have to come back early to do PR shit for roller derby.
I'll be back Sunday night, most likely, though it'd be heaven to wait to come back until Monday morning. That's Z's birthday, and New Year's Eve; we're meant to be in Lancaster that night at his best friend's house for a party. I have not begun to think what we must bring to this party. I should probably ask. I don't know when I'll buy whatever it is. I hope it's something we already have.
Then New Year's Day... I think I have that day off. I might be able to sleep then. I don't know.
(I might mention that I'm at work today, and have New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off but nothing else.)
Then I've got three days until the first bout of the season, in which I am actually not yet positive I'm participating-- only 14 out of the 20 of us can make the cut, and while I had thought my improvement this season made me a shoo-in, in our scrimmage I was only in two lineups, neither of which I skated any new positions, so I'm actually no longer convinced our coach has any confidence in me. Whoops! So much for being cocky. At least my knee is (mostly) better (provided I keep popping ibuprofin like candy and don't spend hours of the day standing up like i did on Christmas Eve when I did over a month's worth of laundry in one go. Owwwww)...
I get laughed at when I claim to be busy, but on Christmas Eve, between loads of laundry and crawling around trying to wrap things, I took the time to open my WIP, and noticed the last saved-date was Dec 1st. Dec 1st!! I haven't written a word in nearly a month.
I don't do well like that. I'm amazed that I'm conscious. Barely.
Did I mention last night we got home around 10:30 and decided we had to watch the pilot of Twin Peaks? Yeah great idea. I spent the night jittery from the after-dinner coffee I'd drunk at the end of Christmas, and convinced that something horrible was going to leap out at me from the wall. Every hour on the half-hour I'd open my eyes and check the time. Yup, I've been in bed an hour now, it's 1:30 am... Now it's 2:30... Now it's 3:30, three more hours until I've got to get up... Now it's 4:35, wow, I almost missed this hour... OK, now it's 5:30, I could get an hour of sleep if I fell asleep now... how about now... onetwothreeNOW... ... Oh hey, it's ten after seven. I should've gotten up ten minutes ago.
I got up at 7:30 when Chita yowled, hissed, and then threw up next to the bed. (I guess she was hissing because her stomach was attacking her?)
Ug. I need a nap.
I guess I could pencil one in for... hmmm... well, if Z drives Friday, I could sleep then. Or maybe while I'm at home, Saturday or so. I never sleep much at my parents', though-- always too worried I'll miss out on something fun.
But other people are more busy than me, so I have no right whatsoever to feel rushed or tired. At all. It doesn't matter how I feel, if there is someone out there in the world who has it worse than me.
Or so I've been told.
Z and I gave all our gifts collaboratively, except for the gifts I gave him. He has not yet thought of what to get me, though he did get me a couple of "just because" gifts last month.
I gave him some Achewood schwag, outlined here earlier.
We gave his mother a Christmas ornament I actually bought for her last year and then just didn't see her to give (they went to California last year, and I went to Troy), and also a $50 giftcard to three different restaurants. Two of the restaurants were ones we'd been to and thought she'd like, though she'd never heard of them, and the third was just to her favorite restaurant because we couldn't think of a third new-to-her place that was the right level of trendy/expensive-or-not/casual.
We gave his brother-in-law a set of video games-- World of Warcraft, and its expansion pack. He'd requested them; Z's sister mourned that she'd never see him again.
For his sister Z bought the Twin Peaks boxed set, having seen it on her Amazon Wishlist, still there, unpurchased, after Amazon's last ship-by date. So he bought it online at Best Buy, and drove out to Hamburg to pick it up. (It was an adventure.)
What's amusing is that she had purchased the same exact item for him. So he opened it and began to laugh, and she said "what's so funny?" just as I handed her the gift from us, and she hefted it in her hand and began to laugh, because it was obviously the exact same size and weight she'd just handed to Z.
I got a bottle of Bailey's from Z's sister and brother-in-law, which is nice, as I never splurge on the real stuff but always get imitation Irish Kreme (tm) and dilute it with coffee to make it drinkable. The real stuff, though, you can drink on the rocks without having to add things.
From Z's mother I got a set of tickets to the theatre, which was thoughtful; she gave Z tickets to Avenue Q, and me she gave tickets to... Lord of the Dance. Well, she knows I like Irish music. I believe I am going to arrange to be busy that night so I had to exchange them for another show on another date, but it was incredibly thoughtful of her and is not something I would ever have thought to buy myself. I am really excited about Avenue Q though. And I love theatre and never ever go. (And they're at Shea's. Which is a gorgeous place. It is a fancy fancy schmancy place, built in 1927 or so, all velvet and gilt and marble, and I have only been there once for a showing of Nosferatu with live music. It is the kind of Theatre that you Dress for, and I just love that kind of thing.)
I also got a set of fleece pyjamas, many pairs of socks, a scarf and mittens, lip balm, a CD of Irish music, a desk calendar, and assorted similar things from Z's mom, the undisputed master of buying small but useful things for Christmas. She has been storing up these items since last year's post-Christmas sales, I am sure. She has even purchased me a stocking she keeps at her house, which blew my mind the first time I saw it.
From my Kringle, Helen, I got the Chieftains' Celtic Harp CD, which I used to have on tape and sorely miss listening to, and two pairs of lovely earrings I'd wishlisted on Amazon when it struck me that I possessed no amber or garnet jewelry despite loving both gemstones.
Z got assorted things similar to mine-- socks, also underwear, scarf, hot sauce, etc., and from his Kringle he got a waffle maker. He was really excited about the waffle maker. He has wanted one for a long time. So I'm pleased, both for him and because I know he will feed me wonderful things he makes with it.
I had a lot of fun, and was less awkward than I often am around his family. I am intimidated by some of them, sometimes. But most of yesterday, I was just having fun. Which was nice.
Photos to follow, once I have some time. I don't know when I'll have time; tonight I've got to choose between 3 obligations, including Z's 10th high school reunion dinner, an extra-credit roller derby open skate that's half-required, and after-dinner meetup with Z's cousin who's leaving town tomorrow. The day after, it's dinner with his folks, followed by roller derby practice that I dare not miss. The day after, I'm *hoping* we can leave town straight after work to go see *my* family 300 miles away; the next two days will be spent with them, and I hope I can pull that off and not have to come back early to do PR shit for roller derby.
I'll be back Sunday night, most likely, though it'd be heaven to wait to come back until Monday morning. That's Z's birthday, and New Year's Eve; we're meant to be in Lancaster that night at his best friend's house for a party. I have not begun to think what we must bring to this party. I should probably ask. I don't know when I'll buy whatever it is. I hope it's something we already have.
Then New Year's Day... I think I have that day off. I might be able to sleep then. I don't know.
(I might mention that I'm at work today, and have New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off but nothing else.)
Then I've got three days until the first bout of the season, in which I am actually not yet positive I'm participating-- only 14 out of the 20 of us can make the cut, and while I had thought my improvement this season made me a shoo-in, in our scrimmage I was only in two lineups, neither of which I skated any new positions, so I'm actually no longer convinced our coach has any confidence in me. Whoops! So much for being cocky. At least my knee is (mostly) better (provided I keep popping ibuprofin like candy and don't spend hours of the day standing up like i did on Christmas Eve when I did over a month's worth of laundry in one go. Owwwww)...
I get laughed at when I claim to be busy, but on Christmas Eve, between loads of laundry and crawling around trying to wrap things, I took the time to open my WIP, and noticed the last saved-date was Dec 1st. Dec 1st!! I haven't written a word in nearly a month.
I don't do well like that. I'm amazed that I'm conscious. Barely.
Did I mention last night we got home around 10:30 and decided we had to watch the pilot of Twin Peaks? Yeah great idea. I spent the night jittery from the after-dinner coffee I'd drunk at the end of Christmas, and convinced that something horrible was going to leap out at me from the wall. Every hour on the half-hour I'd open my eyes and check the time. Yup, I've been in bed an hour now, it's 1:30 am... Now it's 2:30... Now it's 3:30, three more hours until I've got to get up... Now it's 4:35, wow, I almost missed this hour... OK, now it's 5:30, I could get an hour of sleep if I fell asleep now... how about now... onetwothreeNOW... ... Oh hey, it's ten after seven. I should've gotten up ten minutes ago.
I got up at 7:30 when Chita yowled, hissed, and then threw up next to the bed. (I guess she was hissing because her stomach was attacking her?)
Ug. I need a nap.
I guess I could pencil one in for... hmmm... well, if Z drives Friday, I could sleep then. Or maybe while I'm at home, Saturday or so. I never sleep much at my parents', though-- always too worried I'll miss out on something fun.
But other people are more busy than me, so I have no right whatsoever to feel rushed or tired. At all. It doesn't matter how I feel, if there is someone out there in the world who has it worse than me.
Or so I've been told.
