so this was Christmas
I hope everybody else's Christmas was as great as mine. We decided to try deep frying the turkey this year, and that turned out *really* well and will more than likely be our default turkey method in years to come. It's nice that Dad gets to be in charge of the main dish, freeing us up to cook more than five substantial side dishes in the kitchen inside... like my new traditional cranberry sauce from scratch (yes, we used to do the disgusting stuff from the can, though even as a child, something within me has always cried out that wasn't Quite Right *g*); my mom made her candied sweet potatoes that she has loved for years but only brought back as an annual tradition when my grandmother moved here (because that way she has someone else who will eat them). We even had mince meat pie.
I've occupied myself over the past few days with cleaning (already did my post-semester cleaning; this was my post-Christmas tidying-up), reading my new books, watching the Big Damn Movie (of course), and packing for San Diego (I'll be gone over New Year's). But I guess it's about time for the Christmas wrap-up. I'm a little afraid of this, in case I forget something, because honestly, I think I got more presents this year than I ever have, um, ever. It was *awesome*. Heh.
DVDs:
Serenity (which has not been out of my DVD since and won't be, for a long while). I honestly think I love this movie *more* now that I can watch it on my own TV. I have to say that, while I've had the same two favorite movies since Moulin Rouge! came out in 2001 (my favoritest has been around a *lot* longer), Serenity has officially edged its way into the ranks.
Long Way Round (the Ewan McGregor/Charley Boorman motorcycle journey of insanity). I love this mini, too. So entertaining, it's freaking ridiculous. I want a motorcycle of my very own every time I watch it. *g*
Smallville season 4 set.
Also a gift card that will allow me to buy many more movies. Yey.
Books:
Dean and Me (A Love Story) by Jerry Lewis. I haven't put this down since I got it. I love Martin & Lewis; I'm almost ridiculously fond of some of their movies (others: not so much); and this book is exactly what I hoped it would be. It really is a love story, and they (because Jerry had help) manage to stick to that theme very well.
Serenity: Official Visual Companion, Finding Serenity, and Battlestar Galactica: Official Season One Companion from lyrian!
CDs:
Firefly soundtrack, which I like better than the one for Serenity (hey, it has the *theme song*!).
Johnny Cash reads the New Testament on CD. Which is a cool set, but not very well packaged. In fact, it's barely packaged at all; the CDs are in paper sleeves, stuck in a box. That's it. For the price, it's kinda ridiculous. Ahem.
Games:
Cards! Batman Begins Uno, which I love *so* gorram much (from dingogrrl), and huge, snarky Maxine cards from littlest_peach (who also gave me a Phase 10 dice game).
I gave my family the TCM edition of Scene It!, which we played yesterday. We're pretty good, but we could get a lot more competitive if the questions included a more even ratio of comedy classics to the over abundance of dramatic classics trivia. Sigh. Why do people consider the dramas more "classic" than the comedies? Give my family some minute Bop Hope movie trivia and we'd be all over it. Maybe there will be an expansion pack...
Coffee mugs (I love coffee mugs):
A personalized "Chick with a brain" mug from littlest_peach. (It was a big hit.)
A terrifically bizarre Nook Art mug from dingogrrl. Heh.
Toys:
The aforementioned Serenity action figures from littlest_peach! So. gorram. cool.
Happy Meal Batman toys and things from dingogrrl. (I sent out Oompa Loompas and candy, myself.)
Kitchen tools (always of the good!):
Micro-zester.
Other zester tool. (Apparently, the lemon bars I made this year were a *big* hit.)
Honing steel (for my baby, my Wusthof santoku).
An old fashioned coffee mill. That isn't electric and won't make noise. For those early mornings before school. Meh. But also, yey.
Misc:
My brothers made me a shelf for my action figures, to hang in my room. It's terrific. They did a great job. I'll stick a picture at the end of this list.
My parents got me another digital camera, a smaller one (Kodak) that I can actually carry around with me (unlike the dinosaur with the excessive extra features that works great but is hardly portable). This means I'll have a camera to take with me on the trip. Yey! Also, camera bag. My dad has a bag mania.
dingogrrl gave me several amusing (though *very* prettily wrapped) presents, like the Aussie slang book. And the Batman Begins tin where Jayne and Mal are now stowing their extra guns.
Socks. Lots of them. Hm.
Ankle weights, which I've been wanting for awhile.
Wireless (IR) headphones, which are *terrific*. I can hop off the treadmill without taking my head phones off! I can listen to stuff without bothering the on-going classroom just outside my doors! Very exciting.
littlest_peach also took the time to fill up a Christmas stocking for me, which I appreciate like whoa. It was filled with fun stuff. Face masks and the like. Also, the totally amazing Serenity poster that was originally intended to be in there, I guess.
Oh, and she also gave me washable crayons, so now I can jot down writing ideas even when they come to me in the shower. Thrilling.
Cool sparkle-studded AC/DC baseball cap. It's red and black, and my niece gave it to me wrapped in aluminum foil. Heh. There's a whole story behind this cap that involves it being passed from person to person due to, apparently, some stigma against wearing it in public. We shall see if I ever manage to take it out into the light of day; I may have to smuggle it out in my bag.
Insulated Batman lunch bag, for those lunch breaks at kindergarten, and a The Batman thermos bottle. Both from littlest_peach. *g*
Aussie Tangakinya coffee! dingogrrl, I couldn't believe it, but this is exactly what I would have asked for had I thought of it myself. I *love* trying different beans from different locals. So excited, though I haven't managed to use any yet. Tried it today, ceremonial afternoon coffee drinking with my mother. Heh. We liked it. Wouldn't rank it above Kona or Mexican Altura, but it might give the latest batch of Guatamala Antigua a run for its money.
Also, regarding the TimTams. Well, they certainly are yummy. They remind me of some other cookie, though, oddly--Fudge Shoppe Graham's, maybe? Though the chocolate is different. I also notice your brands seem to get by with a lot less of our usual over-abundence of hydrogenated oils, a fact that makes me annoyed (as always) with our snack food industry. But, moving on...
I also got tea--Christmas tea mostly, and Ginger Peach (from my mother).
Handy compass/flashlight thingy. Apparently a survival tool.
Oh! And a sign for my wall that says "Home is where your story begins" like this. Sounds slightly cheesy, but it isn't, it's really neat.
And from lyrian, a Chinese seal. Very fancy, in a box, and it's strangely impressive to see my name in Chinese (I'm a *four* character name, and now I know that *g*).
Hm, I hope that was mostly everything. But to sum up and cover all: best. Christmas. this year! Ha.
eta: D'oy, I promised pictures, and then I forgot.
The shelf. Featuring figures from littlest_peach and dingogrrl, among others. The Reaver figure is far more bendy than Mal and Jayne, which I think is totally unfair. Also, that box, center bottom shelf, is the one from lyrian.
The infamous hat. (That arm that looks like it's sticking out of it? That's from a Spider-Man doll on my desk behind.)
And just so I can keep track, or for those who missed it as well: before Christmas, I posted the rest of The 12 Days of Christmas Eve, and ficlet gifts of Mr. & Mrs. Smith for littlest_peach, a Batgirl/Superboy drabble for dingogrrl. Also, for serenity_santa, I wrote River & Simon gen with a side of Mal/River and Simon/Kaylee called Love and Other Unscientific Matters. (There are a couple other good stories up at that comm, as well, like this one by musesfool. No word yet on my own present, though, which makes me sad.)
Finally, I highly recommend that everybody go read crystalkirk's 50 Men of 2005 list: 50-26 / 25-01 ASAP. This is the most definitive list you will never see in any magazine. (Also, pretty pictures. *g*)
I've occupied myself over the past few days with cleaning (already did my post-semester cleaning; this was my post-Christmas tidying-up), reading my new books, watching the Big Damn Movie (of course), and packing for San Diego (I'll be gone over New Year's). But I guess it's about time for the Christmas wrap-up. I'm a little afraid of this, in case I forget something, because honestly, I think I got more presents this year than I ever have, um, ever. It was *awesome*. Heh.
DVDs:
Serenity (which has not been out of my DVD since and won't be, for a long while). I honestly think I love this movie *more* now that I can watch it on my own TV. I have to say that, while I've had the same two favorite movies since Moulin Rouge! came out in 2001 (my favoritest has been around a *lot* longer), Serenity has officially edged its way into the ranks.
Long Way Round (the Ewan McGregor/Charley Boorman motorcycle journey of insanity). I love this mini, too. So entertaining, it's freaking ridiculous. I want a motorcycle of my very own every time I watch it. *g*
Smallville season 4 set.
Also a gift card that will allow me to buy many more movies. Yey.
Books:
Dean and Me (A Love Story) by Jerry Lewis. I haven't put this down since I got it. I love Martin & Lewis; I'm almost ridiculously fond of some of their movies (others: not so much); and this book is exactly what I hoped it would be. It really is a love story, and they (because Jerry had help) manage to stick to that theme very well.
Serenity: Official Visual Companion, Finding Serenity, and Battlestar Galactica: Official Season One Companion from lyrian!
CDs:
Firefly soundtrack, which I like better than the one for Serenity (hey, it has the *theme song*!).
Johnny Cash reads the New Testament on CD. Which is a cool set, but not very well packaged. In fact, it's barely packaged at all; the CDs are in paper sleeves, stuck in a box. That's it. For the price, it's kinda ridiculous. Ahem.
Games:
Cards! Batman Begins Uno, which I love *so* gorram much (from dingogrrl), and huge, snarky Maxine cards from littlest_peach (who also gave me a Phase 10 dice game).
I gave my family the TCM edition of Scene It!, which we played yesterday. We're pretty good, but we could get a lot more competitive if the questions included a more even ratio of comedy classics to the over abundance of dramatic classics trivia. Sigh. Why do people consider the dramas more "classic" than the comedies? Give my family some minute Bop Hope movie trivia and we'd be all over it. Maybe there will be an expansion pack...
Coffee mugs (I love coffee mugs):
A personalized "Chick with a brain" mug from littlest_peach. (It was a big hit.)
A terrifically bizarre Nook Art mug from dingogrrl. Heh.
Toys:
The aforementioned Serenity action figures from littlest_peach! So. gorram. cool.
Happy Meal Batman toys and things from dingogrrl. (I sent out Oompa Loompas and candy, myself.)
Kitchen tools (always of the good!):
Micro-zester.
Other zester tool. (Apparently, the lemon bars I made this year were a *big* hit.)
Honing steel (for my baby, my Wusthof santoku).
An old fashioned coffee mill. That isn't electric and won't make noise. For those early mornings before school. Meh. But also, yey.
Misc:
My brothers made me a shelf for my action figures, to hang in my room. It's terrific. They did a great job. I'll stick a picture at the end of this list.
My parents got me another digital camera, a smaller one (Kodak) that I can actually carry around with me (unlike the dinosaur with the excessive extra features that works great but is hardly portable). This means I'll have a camera to take with me on the trip. Yey! Also, camera bag. My dad has a bag mania.
dingogrrl gave me several amusing (though *very* prettily wrapped) presents, like the Aussie slang book. And the Batman Begins tin where Jayne and Mal are now stowing their extra guns.
Socks. Lots of them. Hm.
Ankle weights, which I've been wanting for awhile.
Wireless (IR) headphones, which are *terrific*. I can hop off the treadmill without taking my head phones off! I can listen to stuff without bothering the on-going classroom just outside my doors! Very exciting.
littlest_peach also took the time to fill up a Christmas stocking for me, which I appreciate like whoa. It was filled with fun stuff. Face masks and the like. Also, the totally amazing Serenity poster that was originally intended to be in there, I guess.
Oh, and she also gave me washable crayons, so now I can jot down writing ideas even when they come to me in the shower. Thrilling.
Cool sparkle-studded AC/DC baseball cap. It's red and black, and my niece gave it to me wrapped in aluminum foil. Heh. There's a whole story behind this cap that involves it being passed from person to person due to, apparently, some stigma against wearing it in public. We shall see if I ever manage to take it out into the light of day; I may have to smuggle it out in my bag.
Insulated Batman lunch bag, for those lunch breaks at kindergarten, and a The Batman thermos bottle. Both from littlest_peach. *g*
Aussie Tangakinya coffee! dingogrrl, I couldn't believe it, but this is exactly what I would have asked for had I thought of it myself. I *love* trying different beans from different locals. So excited, though I haven't managed to use any yet. Tried it today, ceremonial afternoon coffee drinking with my mother. Heh. We liked it. Wouldn't rank it above Kona or Mexican Altura, but it might give the latest batch of Guatamala Antigua a run for its money.
Also, regarding the TimTams. Well, they certainly are yummy. They remind me of some other cookie, though, oddly--Fudge Shoppe Graham's, maybe? Though the chocolate is different. I also notice your brands seem to get by with a lot less of our usual over-abundence of hydrogenated oils, a fact that makes me annoyed (as always) with our snack food industry. But, moving on...
I also got tea--Christmas tea mostly, and Ginger Peach (from my mother).
Handy compass/flashlight thingy. Apparently a survival tool.
Oh! And a sign for my wall that says "Home is where your story begins" like this. Sounds slightly cheesy, but it isn't, it's really neat.
And from lyrian, a Chinese seal. Very fancy, in a box, and it's strangely impressive to see my name in Chinese (I'm a *four* character name, and now I know that *g*).
Hm, I hope that was mostly everything. But to sum up and cover all: best. Christmas. this year! Ha.
eta: D'oy, I promised pictures, and then I forgot.
The shelf. Featuring figures from littlest_peach and dingogrrl, among others. The Reaver figure is far more bendy than Mal and Jayne, which I think is totally unfair. Also, that box, center bottom shelf, is the one from lyrian.
The infamous hat. (That arm that looks like it's sticking out of it? That's from a Spider-Man doll on my desk behind.)
And just so I can keep track, or for those who missed it as well: before Christmas, I posted the rest of The 12 Days of Christmas Eve, and ficlet gifts of Mr. & Mrs. Smith for littlest_peach, a Batgirl/Superboy drabble for dingogrrl. Also, for serenity_santa, I wrote River & Simon gen with a side of Mal/River and Simon/Kaylee called Love and Other Unscientific Matters. (There are a couple other good stories up at that comm, as well, like this one by musesfool. No word yet on my own present, though, which makes me sad.)
Finally, I highly recommend that everybody go read crystalkirk's 50 Men of 2005 list: 50-26 / 25-01 ASAP. This is the most definitive list you will never see in any magazine. (Also, pretty pictures. *g*)