Well Christmas has come and gone. I participated, I ate, I didn't excercise and I feel like a fat lump. Christmas really isn't as much fun as an adult; I prefer New Year celebrations. This year there will be fireworks downtown, so may be that will be the peak of my holidays.

Hmmm, I guess you can't argue with an online test!

I'm A Popular Cadbury's Flake!




Take the Little Miss Alien Test.

The social calendar continues...
Today was the company Winterfest party, it was fun. We had a pot luck at lunchtime that was also a competition. I won for the best dessert - caramel shortbread :-)
We then went bowling. I suck at bowling, but I have to say it is way more fun with a beer or three! After work I met some girlfriends for the ornament exchange (the only day we could all make it). Later I'm pinting with Irish Kevin, we were supposed to go pinting yesterday but everything got pushed to today!
Good job I don't have to get up early tomorrow!
Good job I don't have to work tomorrow!

I'm halfway through a mega-social calendar; workers party on Friday, neighbors party on Saturday, friends round for dinner Sunday, sushi with a friend tonight, girls ornament exchange tomorrow (meet in the bar), pinting with Irish friend Wednesday, company Winterfest party Thursday. And if things keep going, there will be something scheduled for Friday and the weekend...sheesh!

So far I am only mildly sleep deprived and I think my liver is fairing well due to the fact I slowed down a little and soaked up the alcohol with food yesterday. I'm sure all the training I got in Scotland growing up helps too. The weird dreams have returned, last night I dreamed I kissed someone from my past. They are not scary dreams, just a little unsettling.

I'm not really into poems, but I saw this poem and thought it was really beautiful.

“I Am Not Yours”
I am not yours, not lost in you,
  Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
  Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still
  A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
  Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love -- put out
  My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
  A taper in a rushing wind.

-Sarah Teasdale (1884-1933)

Chris bought a chess set at the weekend; really nice 3.5 inch pieces and a gorgeous board. I used to play a lot as a kid because my Dad was a good chess player and my brother played in the British Chess Championships when he was about 12. So on Sunday, when we played our first game, there was a lot of pressure for me to whoop his ass, so I did. The next day I didn't feel very well and was sure he would be able to sneak one past me as I lost my queen to a silly mistake, but no -- I whooped his ass by checkmating his king in a tunnel of pawns. The third time we played he had been reading up and was on the attack from the start. He was so intent on the attack that he forgot to protect his king AND -- I whooped his ass by checkmating his king in a tunnel of pawns AGAIN!

Sheesh, I cannot believe how busy the shops and malls are. I guess it's the same every year at this time, but I really thought we would see some of the affects of online shopping. I have done practically all my shopping online this year (she types smugly). The most traumatic thing I have done is wait in the Post Office (I got #61 when they were serving #39) and even then it was the airmail costs that traumatized me the most.

So today I discovered iframes. Yum!

I really need to keep up with this stuff, but it takes so much time and there are so many other cool things to play with!

I have become addicted to BBC America this year.
Earlier in the year I was watching a lot of Changing Rooms, perhaps because I had just moved into a new house with boring white walls that needed some color. When the weather got better I found myself watching Ground Force. The host is from Yorkshire where I spent my early years before moving to Scotland, so it is comforting to hear his voice and northern English sense of humor. The dust bowl of a back yard was also an influencing factor, as I longed to have Alan, Charlie and Tommy come and create an Italianate garden complete with pergola and water feature.

Now, I'm now enjoying So Graham Norton. His sexual innuendos and personality are a refreshing change from boring US TV.

Today is Saint Andrew's day. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, like St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. So it surprised me a lot, when I first came to the US, to learn that on March 17 everyone becomes Irish, but on November 30, no one becomes Scottish. Ah well, tonight I will drink a small whisky and think of my countrymen.

This was what I wrote to friends about what I expected Thankgiving to be like -- it wasn't far from it :-)

09:00 am Wake up, get Chris to make me breakfast, coffee and get papers.
10:30 am Take a shower, paint toenails.
11:00 am Try on 5 different outfits...eventually find elasticated attire!
11:30 am Think about what I'm going to take to Luries; Salmon Kedgeree and Caramel shortcake
12:30 pm Make Kedgeree.
01:30 pm Small snack - really!
02:00 pm Leave for Luries.
02:30 pm Arrive at Luries (add 15min if Mandy is driving), open bottle of wine.
03:00 pm Drink wine, eat snacks, open bottle of wine and talk with guests while Luries run around fussing.
03:30 pm Open another bottle of wine, sit down to eat.
04:00 pm Open another bottle of wine, keep eating.
05:00 pm Take a break from eating, rest on sofa, chat with guests, open another bottle of wine.
05:30 pm Offer to help clean up, but Luries profusely refuse any help.
06:00 pm Tidy up wine bottles as they are scaring Elvis and impeding his route to cat bowl.
07:00 pm Think about a snack as guests ponder tofu sandwiches, open another bottle of wine and drink it with coffee.
08:00 pm Food coma set in, get Chris to drive me home.

I have been having some really weird dreams lately.
The weirdest yet was about fingers. My fingers were jointed like long beads threaded on elastic (this seemed normal in my dream) and, for some reason, I decided to remove a link from each of the fingers on my left hand so all the fingers were shorter. After looking at my stubby hand I decided I had made a mistake and tried to put the links back in. This was painful and when I was done the elastic didn't work quite as well and my hand looked really nasty. It was at that point I woke up, and for the rest of the day I clenched my hand to make sure the links didn't slip off. I am very sure this is not a good thing to dream about!

Since my company cut our salaries we have all been taking every second Friday off, the pay cut hurt but the three day weekends are great. I could totally work a 4 day week; 4 x 10 hour days would be fine. Well, yesterday was my Friday off, had lunch with a friend (they paid), dyed my hair and went on a 15 mile bike ride before the snow arrives. I think I used my day-off time well :-)

I'm blue today, not sure why... I dreamed about cutting my hair which is supposed to be a good sign for the future.
Also, am I too old to blog? How old is too old? May be I'm blue 'cause I'm feeling old. Wonder if Santa would bring me some botox for Christmas? :-)

Well, after spending way too long trying to set this up on my website I gave in and posted it to the blogspot server -- it worked like a charm! May be one day when I'm an expert blogger I can get it set up on my server, but for now this will work nicely, though I do feel like a looser for not having the technical ability.