Happy New Year

Warren Peace parties like it's . . . whatever. Meow.

VERY QUIET

Three-year-old CNE knows Daddy is sleeping upstairs and that she should be quiet near someone who is sleeping. She wants her dolly from the other upstairs bedroom, so she creeps silently up the stairs. Three from the top, she turns back and bellows, "MOMMY! I'M BEING VERY QUIET!!"

I love this kid.

etiquette questions

Regarding brownies:
Icing: yes or no?
Nuts: yes or no?

Regarding chocolate chip cookies:
Nuts: yes or no?

Regarding Rice Crispie Treats:
Icing: yes or no?
Mixing other stuff (like peanut butter or M&Ms) with the Crispies: yes or no?
Using non-Rice Krispy cereal: yes or no?

Not that I'm preoccupied with dessert this week or anything. ;-)

Merry Fishmas

This morning, Christmas Eve, Mom and I got together with my Aunt Jo in the tiny berg of Newell for morning coffee. We met at the Sinclair station and chatted in a booth beneath this and several other festive, fin-tastic decorations.

When I was 14, I took my driver's test in Newell, population @ 650, 25 miles from home. I could have waited another three weeks for the examiner who travelled our rural circuit to come back around to my hometown, but when you're 14 and eligible to get your learner's permit, who wants to wait? Rather than hear about my misery for another three weeks, my parents allowed me to go to Newell for the test. I failed parallel parking (and still do), but passed the rest, so I have fond memories of Newell — even if the mighty Irrigators did beat us in basketball a little too often.

Please send photos of interesting holiday decor! And tell me about your driver's test. Did you pass on the first try? No fibbing, now. Santa will hear you.

Let the festivities begin!

The cats and I made it to SD in one piece (despite one cat food spill in the car). Mother Media's tree, with just a few gifts beneath it, gave us a warm welcome. The cats have already burrowed in, and I've been eating Chex mix for two hours. Mom and I will soon be off to the store to buy ingredients to make cookies. More cookies.

Sister-san, Chef Jeff, and CNE will arrive late the night of the 25th, so our celebration will extend into midweek. It's going to be fantastic!

Road trip

My little clan is on the road, headed west to Mother Media's house for
Christmas. I meant to leave yesterday, but a flare-up of Warren's
health problem delayed us. After some TLC from the vet, though, he's
back in travelling form.

Below, Sprite checks out the motel room while I, of course, test the
wi-fi service. I'll eat at Culvers and turn in early.

don't hate me because I'm beautiful

This morning I wore these keen red shoes to work at the U to go with my holiday-esque red velvet jacket. I really like these shoes, and they've received many favorable comments from others.

The first person I encountered when I arrived was M, who noticed the shoes immediately. "Oh, wow, check out your red shoes! And they match your jacket," M said. I smiled, thinking I was receiving a compliment. But then she continued, "That's kind of sickening. I hate it when people are so coordinated."

ZzzzzrrrrppWHAT?!

WHY do women say things like this to one another? Why? This remark ranks right up there with the time someone called me a snot because, when she paid me a compliment, I said thank you — instead of falling all over myself to protest that I was unworthy, apparently.

WHY is it so abhorrent to women that one of us should look nice or feel good about herself? When are we going to figure out that we are not diminished by others' OKness?

I told the sickened M not to barf on my good red shoes and scurried away with my tea, feeling a little sick myself. It was not a great way to start the day.

My holiday challenge to you is twofold:
1. Say nice things to people.
2. If people say nice things to you, thank them.

It's not that hard. Really. In fact, it feels kind of good.

blisscat

invisible bunny

This week's snowfall left my back yard crisscrossed with rabbit tracks — and some scramble marks where one took shelter under the deck.

These are iPhone photos taken at about 12:00 p.m. Not bad, eh?

so far, so good

It's been a good week so far because:

• I got a new project this week.
  
• I got a new client this week — pending approval of a sample project, which I'll make sure they love.
  
• My friend Nicole, a fellow ex-HealthPartners employee, got a new job.
  
• During Tuesday's snowstorm, it took me 3 hours to get home. That's 15 miles in 3 hours, which means an average speed of 5 mph. This is good only because it took some people 4 hours.
  
• After the storm, on Wednesday morning, my snowblower started up on the first try. For a few hours, my driveway, sidewalks, and deck were mostly clear of snow.
  
• I can touch my nose to my knees again. I still have to squash some belly to do it, but I can do it.
  
• I can also wear some jeans that didn't fit a few months ago. This going-to-the-gym thing seems to be paying off.
  
• During this chilly week, I've drunk several cups of Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread tea, acquired in Colorado in October, but there's still plenty left.
  
• Some books I ordered have arrived. Yay books!
  
• Warren, who could barely eat a few weeks ago, is pestering me for food.
  
• Patient Sprite is half on my lap, purring, content.
  

Jubilee Roll-ups

Flocked wallpaper. Grandma's holiday candles (which you know are live because the flames are blurry with festive flickering). Mini-guitar adorned with . . . eyeballs? Ornaments? Mutant holly? And spiky white cacti to keep out the riffraff. To me, that spells jubilee!!!

As I'm sure you know, the best way to serve jubilee is rolled up, on a cookie sheet you've protected with doilies. I mean, what else would you do? Not serve dessert on doilies? The only real question here is whether to use paper doilies that stick to your guests' tongues, revealing yourself as a lazy cheapskate, or trot out the real, tatted deal (stored in the box with the candles and crunchy with wax particles) and resign yourself to the hours of scrubbing with a toothbrush it's going to take to get the jubliee out of those tiny crevices.

Again, thank you to Senor Editor for providing these breathtaking images.

It's here! It's here!

No, I haven't received a secret decoder ring in the mail. The winter storm that's been the talk of the town all week has finally arrived. At last! An excuse for the way people drive! . . . Not.

The cats and I plan to ride out the blizzard with the help of numerous sci-fi DVDs, some old Dick Francis novels, online nonsense, and lots of pasta. How will the rest of you survive?