CafeChatNoir

Just love looking at what I’ve done (or not done) this year…

Net Worth: Down
Retirement Assets: Down (and let’s not talk about what I poured into my Roth and 401k this year which seems to have disappeared)
Debt: Still there.

Semi Good News: Tax Refund on the horizon. (Yes, should have re-adjusted withholdings, but oh well…)

Being the eternal optimist, respectable 401k contributions and a max out of the Roth are again in the works for 2003.

Here’s hoping what I manage to put away doesn’t get eaten again by the market.

Chemist
Claims to Produce Human Clone

Well, if you can get past the whole alien thing and the fact that there is something about this woman that just screams “freak on wheels” then sure, I suppose human cloning could be going on right now.

Wal-Mart Yanks Pregnant Barbie Pal from Shelves

Can’t say I understand this one either. The character is *married* and already has one kiddo. It’s not like they took Skipper and got her knocked up by some stoner beach bum.

Twister Sister to Play June Concerts

I mention this only for Scott, the God of 80s music.

Telescope Tips: How to Use a New Scope and Where to Point It

Especially handy for Dad when he’s on hour 4 of “some assembly required” for kiddo’s new Christmas toy.

Armstrong Named AP Male Athlete of Year

It’s about time. Well, unless you’re in the “chemo is just another performance enhancing drug” group, in which case, he may not have been your first choice.

Yes, You Are Being Watched

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.

Well, already one Christmas present has completely disappeared, I can’t remember if I turned off the Christmas lights on the tree before I left the house (at least it’s an artificial tree…) and frankly, I sure would like to be spending Christmas Eve in my own house.

Silly, but I do like being in MY house…

Merry Christmas, though!!!!!!

really rocks.

There has been some nasty stuff going on in the office. Cuts looming, general hate and discontent that comes from a mega-corporation acquiring a smaller firm whose business it knows nothing about, etc, etc. My boss spends a lot of time getting beat up on by the folks at mega-corporation.

I do everything I can to make sure I’ve got his back. He’s a good guy and a really good boss, and generally has his head on straight and his priorities in line. He treats people like they are people.

We have similarly twisted senses of humor, and good cynical streaks when it comes to dealing with large companies.

This morning, I found at my desk a bottle of wine for Christmas and this note:

“You are one of the few bright spots to me in this less than joyous situation. I’m glad you are around. Merry Christmas.”

I think it is probably one of the nicest compliments I have ever gotten.

And that is why, today, when we have tomorrow and Christmas off, I stayed around and waited (and waited and waited) for him to get done w/ his conference call from hell to make sure everything was squared away before I left.

His words?

“My advice to you. Start drinking heavily.”

I thanked Brother Bluto and left after getting a stern admonishment to NOT think about work during the holidays. He’s a good boss, and I hate to see mega-corporation beat the crap out of him, especially when it’s not anything that he’s had any control over.

I will probably end up overworking this job… I do that with good bosses.

Confession - all items being baked today are either from a mix or premade dough… Good consistent results that way, and frankly, more time to bake more things… :) It’s been several years since I did Christmas baking. Heck, this is the first time in about 5 years I’ve even decorated for Christmas.

Item one is a loaf of pumpkin bread. Set oven, start mixing. Look for loaf pan. On top of the fridge. Of course, isn’t this where everyone keeps them? Wash out dust from pan. (It’s been a while since I baked.)

Get mix to pan, notice oven still not to 375 yet. Also notice that the can of Baker’s Joy is still sitting on the counter, unused.

Decide to prep the sugar cookies. Finish prepping sugar cookies, bowl back to fridge. Oven still not quite there. Wait 10-15 minutes. Decide to heck with it, put pan in anyway. (If you hadn’t figured it out, my oven sucks)

As I put the pan in, knock off the oven thermometer. Put back, close oven door, hear thermometer fall off again. Open, put back, close, hear it fall off again. Open, put back, secure with pliers that are sitting next to oven. Realize that the oven temp has now plummeted below 300. Grab oven mitt and remove pan. However, pan is non-stick on the outside. *Very* non-stick. End up w/ oven mitt IN the mix, almost dump the entire thing all over the inside of the oven door.

Place pan on cutting board. Pray that it doesn’t melt cutting board. Close oven, tweak temp knob, will be trying again in 10 minutes…

I think this loaf will be the one that I am keeping for myself. :)

Finished Christmas shopping on Friday night. Well, almost. Discovered on Saturday morning that one thing I had bought, the recipient already had one…

Saturday afternoon, a whirlwind of errands, including exchanging the aforementioned gift.

Today is baking and wrapping packages…

Where is that Charlie Brown Christmas CD???

I am not moving. (For now)

Spent the weekend in Atlanta and it was basically a good refresher course in why my mother shed no tears in leaving the area. :)

Atlanta

it’s time for mistletoe and holly…

Got
my tree today

Hadn’t been planning on it this year, but decided to do it earlier this week.

It’s perfect. The tree I always wanted.

4′ high. Pearl garlands, ivory and gold bows, white lights and my ornaments.

I love it.

Courtesy of

ISFJ
Lord, help me to be more laid back and help me to do it EXACTLY right.

http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~bof/Psychology/myersbriggsprayer.html

Go to http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp if you don’t know your “type”. Mine changes weekly, I swear.

I’ve figured out why I love snow so much, though I hate the cold weather.

It totally satisfies my inner hermit.

No reason to do anything except stay in, stay warm and putter around the house - and nobody thinks you’re weird for doing it. ;)

Is this you? ;)

I’ve got a blue and red Adidas bag
and a humongous binder
trying my best not to like a miner niner
went out for the football team to prove that I’m a man
guess I shouldn’t tell ‘em that I like Duran Duran
this is me in grade 9 baby, this is me in grade 9

- Bare Naked Ladies - “If I had a Million Dollars”, performed live at the Bryant Street Theatre.

Don’t know why the lead singer reminds me of you, always has. And the intro to this song ALWAYS reminds me of you!

:-D

It’s Snowing!!!!!!!

Did December get filled up already??

I seem to have already run out of shopping weekends. This is probably not a good thing.

Thank god for Amazon.com and the dress shop where I’ll be shopping for Mom & Grandma.

The days when I could get by on three hours of sleep and it didn’t even faze me.

Not so much anymore. I’m definitely kinda tired.

Sky was falling at work yesterday. In office from 9 am to 9 pm. No lunch. Come home, eat, chill for a little bit. 11 pm start working again. 3 am finish working and go to bed.

Amazingly, I managed to get up close to on time this morning. Had to make time for Starbucks on the way in. (Good stuff, but damn they can be slow.)

Somewhere between 9 and 10 hours on the clock today. Partially still working on putting the sky back in place from yesterday, and ensuring that we get NO snow by getting everything done I need to do to get the books closed.

By some miracle, I actually got some stuff done around the house when I got home, but I’ve run out of steam, and pizza is on the way.

I actually got off my backside and got some crap done around the house today.

And remembered at 4:00 that I am supposed to be at my mom’s at 6:00 to go to the ballet.

But I have clean clothes to wear and I won’t kill myself coming back in the house cause I got the junk out of the entry hall.