The First of the Season

Here’s what it looks like outside my window this morning:

Pretty, I’ll grant you. It’s supposed to be nearly 40° this afternoon, so I suspect that it’ll all be gone before dinner (which makes Mr. Chili happy; no substantial shoveling required). The prognosticators over at NOAA are saying it’s highly likely it’s going to snow again, especially on Wednesday. We shall see…

Monday Slight Chc Snow Hi 38 °F

Monday Night Chance Snow Lo 26 °F

Tuesday Mostly Sunny Hi 39 °F

Tuesday Night Partly Cloudy Lo 22 °F

Wednesday Snow/Sleet Hi 37 °F

Wednesday Night Rain/Snow Likely Lo 33 °F

Thursday Chance Snow Hi 40 °F

Little Bit of Holiday Nothingness

You’re getting a meme today because I’ve got a lot of stuff to do; Beanie wanted to dig out the Christmas Countdown Calendar this morning, and we decided that, if the rest of the decorations are coming up in the next couple of weeks, we need to clean up and make some room.  Today will be spent in general housekeeping in anticipation of the holidays.  Here, then, is a little bit of fluff, boosted from TWO sources this week – Kwizgiver and NurseExec.  Thanks, Ladies!

1. What to you is the most joyous aspect of the holidays? Without question, the best part of the holidays for me is the fellowship; getting to spend time with friends, family, and friends-who-are-family (you know who you are!).

2. Do you get much snow where you live? If yes, do you enjoy winter sports like skiing or would you rather stay in by the cozy fire? Oh, dear Goddess, do we get much snow where I live and no, I don’t enjoy winter sports.  If I had my way, I’d spend from the end of December until the beginning of March on the couch, under a feather blanket, and with a steady supply of hot cocoa.

3. Have you ever been on a sleigh ride or a carriage ride? Do you even like horses? I do like horses, though I was never a horse-crazy little girl; I never wanted a pony.  I’ve been on sleigh rides (well, carriage rides, I guess; wheels, not runners), but if you’ll reference my answer above, you’ll see that if it involves being out in the cold, I’d rather not.

4. During the busy week, what do you do to relax? I read, I blog, I waste time on the computer.

5. Do you get stressed during the holidays? I do, but I find that I get less so as I get older.

6. What holiday song could you happily hear over and over again? Gabriel’s Message by Sting and pretty much any version of O, Holy Night (which is funny, given that I’m not at all religious…)

7. How do you decide on what present you pick for a person? I usually just hope for inspiration (or outright requests).  Sometimes, though, I’ll be out in the world and something will just speak to me.  I never ignore those moments when the Universe says “pssst!  Look!  Over here!  Isn’t this PERFECT for So-and-So?”

8. What does this holiday season mean to you and why? It’s an opportunity to revel in the life that I’ve created, and to enjoy the people I love (and to let them know that I love them – not that I need an excuse for that…)

9. What holiday movies best describe the season for you and why? I’m very fond of A Christmas Carol, and I think I love it so much because Scrooge comes to understand that he gets to create his reality through the choices he makes.  That lines right up with my philosophy of life.

Happy Saturday, Everyone!  I’m off to clean and tidy!

The Big Question

It’s that time of year again; the time when the Ronco and Chia Pet ads start airing on t.v., when drivers get even less courteous than usual, when the mailbox is stuffed to bursting with catalogs, and when everyone starts asking everyone else, “what do you want for Christmas?“

Oy.

My in-laws started asking this question last weekend.  My husband borrowed a tool from his father – a reciprocating saw -  that he needed (or thought he might need) as he and Auntie put the shed together, and Mother Chili called to ask me whether she should buy Mr. Chili his own.  “No, Mom; he’s borrowing Dad’s because this is the only time he’s going to use the thing.  If he thought he’d need it more often, he’d have bought one already.”  I managed to put her off with Mr. Chili’s request for new jeans, and he’s promised me that he’ll get some specific requests to me to pass along to his mother (she likes model numbers; trust me, it’s better that way).

I’ve already asked Auntie what I can get for her and The Girl, my daughters have been busy making lists, and Mr. Chili popped the question to me this evening.  My answer was that I really, really want to go to the TwoBlueDays‘ in Florida during the February break (I KNOW I’m going to want to get the hell out of Dodge come February; it’s been my pattern for years now) but, beyond that, I find myself with no major material desires this year.  I’ve got my Amazon list, certainly, but there’s nothing burning a hole in my psyche; I have everything that I need and damned near everything I want.  It makes for a very nice life, but it also makes me a tough target for holiday shopping.

image credit

What do YOU want for Christmas?

Thought for Thursday

Lately, most of my blog writing energy has been spent over at A Teacher’s Education.  Despite the impression I might be giving – both by my recent posts and by this little message – I do still love my job.  Sometimes, though, the turkeys really do get me down…

New Calendars

I bought next year’s calendar yesterday.  Well, one of them, anyway; I keep two paper calendars going in the house – one on the fridge and one on the wall of my office nook.  It’s that one that I replaced yesterday, and what my meaningless little post is about.

The first thing I do when I get a new calendar is to grab the old one – usually the one on the fridge, as those are often flip-type calendars, where the one on the wall is a tear-the-month-off kind – and fill in all the important birthdays.  This new calendar is missing my mother’s birthday, and I’ve chosen to not transfer a couple of former friends’ birthdays to the 2010 calendar, as well.  Much like deleting information off my phone (it took me a long time to remove April’s contact information after she died) I find I have trouble letting go of the dates that were important to people who used to be important to me and who are now, for whatever reason, not.  That kind of made me sad.

Of course, I also have new dates to put on the calendar, too, which counter-balances the melancholy.  The Girl’s birthday is now part of my record, as are the dates that BlueMoon and NewMoon came into the world.  In fact, I think it’s true that I’m actually ahead of the game; I’m pretty sure I put more new stuff on than I took old stuff off.

The other thing I did this time – which I usually don’t, and I end up kicking myself for – is calling up the school district’s calendar on my computer and putting in all the vacation, workshop, and early release days.  No longer will I be surprised when the girls get home early on a random Wednesday; all those dates are on my calendar!

I’m still looking at December’s page from this year’s calendar.  On it, I’ve got that Bowyer and Tonks are coming over this Friday night (YAY!), I’ve the annual Lesbian Christmas Party next Saturday night, and I’ve got that the girls are getting an early release day next Wednesday.  I see that Local U. classes are done next Wednesday, as well, and that the girls’ and my winter break starts on the 23rd.  On top of that, I’ve got a love note, written by Grammar Snob on a sticky note, that says “Smile!  Someone’s thinking of you” stuck to the “notes” section of the page.  I DO smile when I see that; of all the lovely presents she sent me this summer, that little note has done me the most good.  Thanks, Honey!

Quick Hit

Today is World AIDS Day.

Awareness is important. Education is vital. Activism matters.

Thank you, Auntie, for the work that you do.

Ten Things Tuesday

Ten things for which I am grateful.

You all know that I’m grateful for my family and my friends and my health and blah, blah, blah. Let’s just assume those as givens and move on, shall we?

1. I’m thankful for hair conditioner. There’s something about soft, shiny, tangle-less hair (that smells pretty!) that makes me feel a little extra good about myself.

2. I’m grateful that my car has heated seats, and that gratitude is going to continue to deepen as the season progresses. Nothing says comfort like a warm kiester.

3. I’m grateful for wireless internet access at school, and anywhere else (though a little less so for the “free” wifi in restaurants and such that require me to log in. Thanks, but I’d rather not). SO much information at my fingertips!

4. Speaking of my fingertips, I’m grateful that I know how to type. If I weren’t able to get my words down as quickly as I do, I think I might explode.

5. I’m thankful for ATM machines, self-check out lines, and RedBoxes (when they’re all working, of course).

6. I’m grateful for my iPhone. It’s my calendar, my alarm clock, my lifeline to people I love, and so much more, all in one cool little package.

7. I’m grateful for good writers, be they of blogs, newspaper articles, t.v. shows, novels, or movies. I really do love a good story, and I have a deep appreciation for the people who can come up with them.

8. I’m thankful for central heating, electricity, and on-demand hot water. I live in an age of boundless wonder, and don’t think I don’t know it.

9. I’m grateful for internet shopping. That I can have a man in a funny brown suit bring things to my door is a sublime joy (so much the better when the term “free shipping” is involved). I find, as I get older, that shopping – especially around the holidays – just doesn’t hold the same appeal it did when I was younger. Now, I’m all about the end result, and process be damned.

10. I’m grateful for warm socks, pretty much anything that’s Polarfleece, and comfy shoes. So much the better if they’re pretty, but the way they look is entirely secondary to the way they feel.

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Uninspired

Really, I just don’t have it in me today.  I’m going to leave you with this while I go and put together the stuff I’m going to need for tonight’s L.U. class (logical fallacies tonight!  Yay!)

I’d much rather be on the couch….

Help a Friend

A dear friend of mine is putting together a persuasive paper about whether or not law enforcement should be allowed to use data from on-board computer systems – OnStar and Easy-Pass and the like – in the investigation and prosecution of crimes and/or accidents.  Would you take a minute, please, and fill out his survey?

Thanks!

Back Among the Living

Well, friends and lovers, it took me a week, but I think I’m finally back among the living!

This morning was the first where I didn’t open my eyes to the brooding undercurrent of phlegm-weighted dread (not that there’s no phlegm, mind you, just that it’s not the focal point of my attentions anymore).  I can’t say I’m not conflicted that I got sick when I did, though; part of me is delighted that I didn’t have to miss any work and deal with the attendant guilt and frustration of having to hire subs to teach my classes, and part of me is frustrated that I didn’t get to enjoy all this time off.  I guess it all works out in the end.  Here’s hoping I get to skip my annual Christmas cold this year!

I’m hoping to get some things done today.  I’ve already completed all my grade book updates for the CHS kids, and I’m hoping to knock off the rest of the Local U. “analysis” essays the afternoon (and I say “analysis” in quotes because, well, most of them didn’t understand what it means to analyze something, but whatever). Once I’m at the bottom of that pile, I’m done with grading!

I’m also hoping to plan my classes between now and the Christmas break.  I’m going to work on debate and persuasion with the big kids, and to continue plowing through To Kill a Mockingbird with the younger ones.  Oh, and I hope to get through at least a couple of loads of laundry today, too.

What I’m really looking forward to is leaving the house (for the first time in, what’s it been?  Three days?).  My family and I are going to venture out for lunch, mostly because we feel the need for something other than turkey.  Once Mr. Chili is done with the floor of his (our) new shed (have I told you about the shed!? Oh, dear Goddess; Mr. Chili bought a shed.  Mr. Chili bought this shed, in fact.  It came last week in a big, shrink-wrapped cube, all color-coded and ready to assemble.  After studying the instructions for about a month, Mr. Chili is ready to start the assembly process.  A funny side story; the instructions say that it should take so many people so many hours to put the thing together.  Mr. Chili’s flipping through the booklet, wondering out loud how many hours it would take a single engineer to get the job done…).  ANYWAY, once Mr. Chili is done with the floor of the shed, we’re off to lunch out.

Have a lovely, lovely Saturday, Everyone!