The best parts of my 10 day staycation (voncation? kidding. go see MenD's comments):

• Saw all of my most favorite people. This includes: Laura, Shannon, TheMarty, Chris, Lizzie, Victor, John, Toni, Jessica, Tim, Doc, Caroline, the J5, lots and lots of all of my favorite people.
• Watched the most recent season of "Lost". I'm all caught up and looking forward to 2/2/10!
• Purchased and watched season 1 of "Glee". I'm a gleek. I wish I could belt out a song or two at random too. Might try this. At work. Like maybe some "Working for the weekend" on Friday afternoon. I'm no Rachel, but I can hang. (or at least carry a tune)
• Started and finished MenD's scarf. It's taking me a lot less time to make an awesome scarf, I still enjoy the process, and I'm getting better! Maybe something new next, like a hat? Nah, I'll stick to scarves for a while. I crochet, I do not knit - mix them up and I will stab you with a crochet hook, got it?
• Took naps. Lots of naps. Nearly every day. And I was ok with it. Work is h a r d.
• Finished reading "The Post Birthday World" (the jury is out, gotta chat about it with my friend that lent it to me).
• Also read "The Glass Castle" in ONE DAY. The book was amazing. Have I ever mentioned I'm slightly obsessed with the Appalachian poor?
• Was super-duper nice to VonMom on numerous occasions, which were acknowledged and appreciated.
• Had a wicked wild time at FunTuesday - which can only be had at Daily, and only with Shannon and TheMarty. Also had at FunTuesday (by me): 3 pints Hoegaarten, 3 Jameson shots, 2 Washington Apple shots, 1 grape "penalty shot" (for yawning), 1 shot of Petron. Yes, you may puke now. Surprisingly, I didn't.
• Discovered two new songs that are on repeat on my iPod (and I'm not ashamed!) "Snuff" by Slipknot - fucking ridiculous how much I love this song. AND. "Need you now" by Lady Antebellum - not a country fan, but this song rips my heart right out of my chest, every time. Slipknot and Lady Antebellum in the same sentence? I'm nothing if not musically eclectic.
• Met some super awesome new womenfriends at Chickmas last night. It was a great night, and I was so glad to be invited!
• Lost about 90 minutes in a drunken red wine haze on Christmas Eve, but managed to control myself and A) No one was any the wiser to my debauchery and B) I didn't piss anyone off and C) no Christmas morning hangover! Thanks Step-bros for bringing expensive wine that didn't make me puke in my stocking Christmas morning.
• Surprise box of homemade awesome from Boston Lauren. While it made me pine for my Boston folks, I cheered myself up with the choc chip cookies, peppermint bark, and fudge.
• Well thought out gifts trumped all this year. I was lucky enough to get two: from TheGodmother, who is someone I adore - a pair of perfect earrings. Exactly what I was looking for. She picked them out on her own, not knowing I was in the market for tasteful yet awesome earrings for everyday. She rocks. Followed by gift from Laura: a movie collection. Not just any movie collection, no - the Jim Henson Fantasy Collection. As in Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and MirrorMask. So suited to the me that is really me that Laura knows better than almost anyone else.
• Manis/pedis and Red Lobster with VonSis and Sil1x. I was exhausted and hung over, and it was exactly what I needed. Pretty red nails make the winter blues go away.

A Christmas Story

Happy Monday. Here is the story that Tante Reni sent to VonMom via email. We figure the year she's referring to was about 1948. Please keep in mind that English is her second language, so forgive any spelling or grammar errors, as I chose to not edit the story, but just to paste it here as written. Enjoy. "Had a memory flash of a christmas when i was 17, This christmas was something that seems to come back over again and gives me a warm feeling. This christmas was one completely unplanned and a spur of the moment thing.The best christmas ever. it was late november or early December during the Blokade in Berlin.Since we only had gas and electricity for 2 hours during the day and 2 hours during the night , we could not cook dinner and had to go to a soup kitchen set up in a church hall not far from our house. Anita , my bosom buddy and I both went to get some soup for our families.Standing in line on this cold, grey noon , we saw a very elderly lady approaching the line and let her ahead of us in line.She wore no gloves and had her feet wrapped in rags, she wore no shoes.her hands were turning blue.Both Anita and I were whispering how sorry we felt for her predicament .Then an idea hit me, why not help her and make a christmas for her.We followed her at a distance to detect where she lived, knowing that we very likely otherwise would never find her again.Then both of us returned to my home and made concrete plans what in reality we could possibly do for her to lighten her burden.She looked so frail and alone.She needed shoes, gloves and possibly some food that could not be obtained with food stamps.A big order understanding that during that period of time there were no manufacturers in production of anything.This ment we had to find any kind of material we needed, by other means.I found an old sweater that we unraveled and stretched over a cardboard to straighten the wool out for knitting.i started on gloves right away.Anita could not knit.We searched for something solid to create soles for shoes , and came up with old bicycle tires.An old blanket from somewhere became the top, on of my childhood muffs of rabbit fur became the liner.I had an idea of patterns , learned from making dolls clothes.Both Anita and I stitched and sewed with an upholstery needle to get the shoes done.It turned out warm soft and with the bicycle tires as soles, quite sturdy.Then we both used our own allowance to start bartering on the black-market for sugar , coffee and butter.A pound of each.We then had to get her also a christmas tree, which we purchased from a florist. A tiny tree in a pot. On the 24th in the afternoon we set out with all of our goodies completed to her home hoping she would be at the place we thought she lived.We had the little tree decorated with some tinsel a few tiny candles and few mini balls. Both of us very excited marched to her house , rang the bell and when she opened the door we also were speachless. We gave her all of our goodies her eyes were wide in surprise, we just could say :Merry christmas turned around and left running.Never knew her name and that was not important anyway, but the feeling that surged through both of us was overwhelming joy.We had done it ! To this day i still see this little old lady against the dark hall. By now it was pitch dark, but for us we where in the glow of giving from the heart.My best ever christmas.And the best part is it returns to me every year and gives me again a warm surge of satisfaction and joy.It was such a dark time in history and yet we glowed. " True or enhanced, I hope this story gives you the same warm fuzzies it gave me. Happy Holidays to you, and yours, and theirs, and those other peoples. Ho, Ho, and Ho.

A gift given, to be passed on

Yesterday, VonMom forwarded an email to my sister and I that she received from her sister, Renata. Renata is nearly 80, and she's in the process of writing her life story. She's got a very interesting tale to tell, as she grew up in Berlin during WWII. In the email that VonMom forwarded was one of Reni's memories, which she titled her favorite Christmas ever. I asked VonMom if I could repost the story to my blog. She said that I could, and I intend to do that tomorrow. After reading and re-reading the story, I asked my mother if she felt all of it was true. She sighed, and chuckled, then said "Well, Von, it's how she remembers it. So most of it is probably true." Let's keep that in mind tomorrow when you read it. The main point of the story is about giving. And not gifts to loved ones, but a gift to a complete stranger. It got me to thinking. My parents are and always have been quiet givers. Watching them do good things for others while not making a big show of it might have inspired me. I'm not going to go into specifics, because in this I will not look for pats on the back, or atta-girls, but for the past 10 or so years I've been quietly giving myself. Much like Tante Reni, who I rarely see and seldom talk to, I look for a need and I do what I can to fill it. Her story made me feel that even though she's quite a bit older than my mom, and thousands of miles away, and from a truly different time and place, that she's my family. We're very much alike in some understated, blink-and-you'll-miss-them ways. Her story makes me finally feel in the spirit this season. I hope in some way that you either have or will give this season, to someone in need, or a group of people you admire. All I ask is you do it quietly. And then be proud of yourself.

This could get interesting.

Things could get interesting over at the old facebook. One of my very most super duper pet peeves is when people are repeatedly, unending vague and/or cryptic in their status posts (AG - I AM, in part, talking about you). I hate it. Either say what you have to say or don't. Don't make me ask - Gee, what's going on? or Gee, what's wrong? or Oh my! What's up with that? I don't care. Or I did care, but your cancer of cryptic turned me off. SO Instead of going to each and every offenders' pages and virtually punching them in the face, I'm doing something else. I'm being blazingly transparent with my status updates. I'm making a point. They may suck. They may be boring. But they will be point blank exactly what I'm doing, or feeling or whatever in that moment. I hope some of the people take the hint.

Uh buh bye

I would like to request the banishment of the phrase "It is what it is". I think as of 12/31/2009 11:59:59 we should all stop using that phrase. I've heard it used by each of my friends who lost their jobs this year, also in regards to deaths in families that I care about. When my car breaks down, when your car breaks down, when it rains/snows/is hot/cold/tepid/chilly. ENOUGH. What a defeatist horrible statement. It should always be accompanied by a dramatic sigh and the swiping of one's brow with the back of one's hand. Please. Please help me in my campaign to abolish this phrase from our daily vernacular. And if it does get carried into 2010? Well, it is what it is. Sigh.

I smell like potato pancakes

But the warm fuzzy in my belly from eating said pancakes, and bratwurst and some cocoa make it all ok. God bless the ChristKindle Markt in Daley Plaza. And woo-hoo for my parents and sibling coming downtown to have lunch with me there. And cha-ching to the candy shoppe who has my $$$, and I have their cola gummies, and cherry gummies, and chocolate santas, and wafer kuchens, and kinder eggs...... Man, I love german stuff.

Reason # 467

Why do I love SIL1X so much? Let me count the ways...... but here's reason # 467: Got a text message from her on Friday: 'can you stop by on your way home from work? I have something for you.' my response: 'sorry, I'm already at Old Town. ooooh what have you got for me?' her response: 'Fun Dip' See, not only does she read my blog, she gets me candy just because I said I want candy in my blog.