Dominic got glasses, family together, other stuff
It's been an interesting few days.
Saturday, Rob arrived (with Sparky!). He will be here until next Sunday, which is the most time I've gotten to spend with him in a long time. Yay! And yay for Dominic having both his mom and his dad here for Christmas! Saturday night Dan and Rob and I hung out until really late talking and having fun. Good times.
Monday, Rob took Dominic to Lens Crafters, as his school had sent home a note saying he didn't pass his eye screening. They came back a few hours later with Dominic sporting glasses. He looks quite sharp in them, if I do say so myself. They're nice frames and the prescription isn't very strong, so they don't make his eyes look the wrong size or anything.
Last night I finished the painting I was doing for Dusty and Sara (will post pics soon, they're still on the camera.) Yay! I think it came out well. Portraits are one of those things that make me nervous, and especially doing it for a friend, the pressure is on to make sure you don't screw it up. They have seen it and like it, so I'm relieved!
Today my mom flew in. I picked her up at the airport without incident. She's here through Sunday as well. Dusty came over this evening to give the kittens some ear medication and he hung out for a bit chatting with us, then he went home and we all went to dinner at Red Robin, then went to the grocery store. Unfortunately we didn't get molasses. After Dan, Dominic, and Rob had all gone to bed, my mom and I made a batch of mace cookie dough and started to make a batch of gingerbread cookie dough (we will make the actual cookies tomorrow after the dough has chilled overnight) but we ran out of molasses so the half-finished dough is in the fridge, and I have to go to the store again tomorrow. Doh! (heh... get it? I said "doh"... oh nevermind.)
My mom and I had a long talk about gay marriage, the idea of religious people saying that gay people shouldn't be teachers, and the distorted ways that some people twist the Bible to serve their own agenda. We're on the same side in this particular debate, so it wasn't an argument, but it was an interesting conversation.
Then my mom went to bed and here I am. I hung the last two stockings and put various things in everyone's stocking. Is it sad and pathetic that I put some candy in my own stocking? Thing is, I know nobody else is going to put anything in it (or probably any of the other four) and it just looks so sad hanging there all limp like that. (I know some families don't put stuff in the stockings until Christmas Eve, but we're not one of them.) I also wrapped the last gift (just arrived from Amazon today) and put it under the tree. This isn't a big gift year, what with being students and money and all that, but there are at least some things down there.
This is going to be a great Christmas just because Rob and my mom and Dan and Dominic are all here. Oh, and Sparky :) He's getting along quite well with the cats, I must say. They aren't afraid of him anymore. Dusty and Sara came over on Sunday and brought their dogs, and that was a little overwhelming to the kitties (though Pixie stood right up to them!) but overall they're doing remarkably well with the whole "very large animal in the house" thing. Dusty and Sara brought presents for us as well--they gave Dominic a set of DVDs (Band of Brothers, I think it's called--he likes historical stuff) and Dan a cool folding table to go with the zero gravity chair, and got me a bunch of tubes of oil paint, which was not only thoughtful but also really awesome because damn, that stuff ain't cheap :X
Oh, I also have gotten a lot of work done on a website for an organization in Arizona that I'd had to put off until the semester was over. It's nice to get it done finally (and get paid!) I have another site that I need to work on, but that one is one I'm doing for free as a favor to my mom and so I'm not as worried about it. (I got the site up, it's just kind of generic looking. I will customize it more when I have time, but for the time being they are able to edit their own content and all that, and it's live and stuff, which is what really matters, so I don't feel guilty.) I have to put together two half-page ads for Juggle Magazine by January, but that shouldn't be a biggie. (I do volunteer graphic design work for the IJA throughout the year, and in exchange I get free admission to the annual festival every July, so that works out well.)
Saturday, Rob arrived (with Sparky!). He will be here until next Sunday, which is the most time I've gotten to spend with him in a long time. Yay! And yay for Dominic having both his mom and his dad here for Christmas! Saturday night Dan and Rob and I hung out until really late talking and having fun. Good times.
Monday, Rob took Dominic to Lens Crafters, as his school had sent home a note saying he didn't pass his eye screening. They came back a few hours later with Dominic sporting glasses. He looks quite sharp in them, if I do say so myself. They're nice frames and the prescription isn't very strong, so they don't make his eyes look the wrong size or anything.
Last night I finished the painting I was doing for Dusty and Sara (will post pics soon, they're still on the camera.) Yay! I think it came out well. Portraits are one of those things that make me nervous, and especially doing it for a friend, the pressure is on to make sure you don't screw it up. They have seen it and like it, so I'm relieved!
Today my mom flew in. I picked her up at the airport without incident. She's here through Sunday as well. Dusty came over this evening to give the kittens some ear medication and he hung out for a bit chatting with us, then he went home and we all went to dinner at Red Robin, then went to the grocery store. Unfortunately we didn't get molasses. After Dan, Dominic, and Rob had all gone to bed, my mom and I made a batch of mace cookie dough and started to make a batch of gingerbread cookie dough (we will make the actual cookies tomorrow after the dough has chilled overnight) but we ran out of molasses so the half-finished dough is in the fridge, and I have to go to the store again tomorrow. Doh! (heh... get it? I said "doh"... oh nevermind.)
My mom and I had a long talk about gay marriage, the idea of religious people saying that gay people shouldn't be teachers, and the distorted ways that some people twist the Bible to serve their own agenda. We're on the same side in this particular debate, so it wasn't an argument, but it was an interesting conversation.
Then my mom went to bed and here I am. I hung the last two stockings and put various things in everyone's stocking. Is it sad and pathetic that I put some candy in my own stocking? Thing is, I know nobody else is going to put anything in it (or probably any of the other four) and it just looks so sad hanging there all limp like that. (I know some families don't put stuff in the stockings until Christmas Eve, but we're not one of them.) I also wrapped the last gift (just arrived from Amazon today) and put it under the tree. This isn't a big gift year, what with being students and money and all that, but there are at least some things down there.
This is going to be a great Christmas just because Rob and my mom and Dan and Dominic are all here. Oh, and Sparky :) He's getting along quite well with the cats, I must say. They aren't afraid of him anymore. Dusty and Sara came over on Sunday and brought their dogs, and that was a little overwhelming to the kitties (though Pixie stood right up to them!) but overall they're doing remarkably well with the whole "very large animal in the house" thing. Dusty and Sara brought presents for us as well--they gave Dominic a set of DVDs (Band of Brothers, I think it's called--he likes historical stuff) and Dan a cool folding table to go with the zero gravity chair, and got me a bunch of tubes of oil paint, which was not only thoughtful but also really awesome because damn, that stuff ain't cheap :X
Oh, I also have gotten a lot of work done on a website for an organization in Arizona that I'd had to put off until the semester was over. It's nice to get it done finally (and get paid!) I have another site that I need to work on, but that one is one I'm doing for free as a favor to my mom and so I'm not as worried about it. (I got the site up, it's just kind of generic looking. I will customize it more when I have time, but for the time being they are able to edit their own content and all that, and it's live and stuff, which is what really matters, so I don't feel guilty.) I have to put together two half-page ads for Juggle Magazine by January, but that shouldn't be a biggie. (I do volunteer graphic design work for the IJA throughout the year, and in exchange I get free admission to the annual festival every July, so that works out well.)