I've collected a few surveys over the past couple weeks and figured I'd better post them so I can close this Notebook window, but I guess I'll do that for the end of the post. I'll start with True-Life Updating.
So I've finished Christmas Carding. This year I got super-creative and/or insane and decided "Sammy can help me make cards!" No, no sane person decides to have an 8 month old make Christmas cards, even I wasn't expecting it to work and it was my idea, but as it turned out it DID work and Sammy got a great big kick out of it. See?
What I love about this picture is how proud he looks, like "Look what I did!" not "Look how I was a pawn in Mommy's creative madness!"
Also, in my search to repopulate my friends page with communities now that One Book is ending (although now I'm super-too-busy with CHRISTMAS stuff, and maybe I should get rid of the communities again to focus my computer time on SUBMITTING IAN, DANGIT), I stumbled upon
lisayee'S LIVEJOURNAL. Yay for authors having LiveJournals instead of other sorts of blogs or Stupid MySpaces (I really can't get the hang of MySpace), and yay for
lisayee who I totally friended because she's so COOL! I looked for other authors I knew but she was the only one I'm actually a fan of. Granted,
I HAVE only read ONE of her books, but that's just so far! It's not for lack of interest! Besides, her LiveJournal is pretty hilarious too. Also I found
this site which lets you read lots of kid-lit related blogs at once for when I need a big fix of procrastination about something I'm WAY INTERESTED IN EVEN MORE THAN, DARE I SAY IT, EVEN
60s_rockbands!
The Holiday Survey (answers effective as of yesterday or friday, I forget. maybe both
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
It depends on the shape of whatever you're wrapping. But what's more fun is wrapping something in a package that is a completely different shape from what the present actually is.
2. Real tree or artificial?
This is a good question because I can't decide. Certainly not the crappy hand-me-down bottle-brush artificial we have, but we have enough beautiful ornaments to balance it out so you don't care anymore, like Charlie Brown's tree. But if given a CHOICE, I prefer a NICE artificial-- like the one my parents have-- for the ease-of-use and the fact that you can leave it up longer, but I was just thinking today that I miss the smell of a real one.
3. When do you put up the tree?
THAT depends on whether or not I have an 8-month-old. But in almost all cases, last of all the decorations, like a crowning glory sort of decoration.
4. When do you take the tree down?
After Epiphany (Jan 6), most likely the weekend after. Definitely before my mom's birthday at the end of January.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Only without the rum in it. And even then usually only in small quantities, but I definitely love a little bit.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I guess the dollhouse my grandparents built me. I kept making improvements and fixing it up and collecting stuff for it for years. I'd do it still if I didn't have enough trouble keeping my OWN house fixed up.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene?
Two, a hand-me-down white porcelain set on the mantle, and the
rockin' stuffed set my mom made me a couple years ago. 8. Hardest person to buy for? Danny. First, he never seems to want anything, and then, when you do get him something he might like, he always reacts with just a slight smile and a "Hmm, okay." He might go on and on about it later, but it's always pretty disconcerting if you're not expecting it.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Maggie, who is the opposite of Danny in that everything seems to excite her. Plus, it's not so much "BUY for" even, because most of the time it's that I keep thinking of things to MAKE or DO for Maggie that she'd be thrilled with too, and it would be really hard to act on all that especially when it's so dang hard to think of ONE thing to get her brother.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I have this lovely ability to block out bad gifts. OH! That or they just amuse me so much that they no longer count as bad, like the time Jason's grandparents gave us
all their leftover almonds out of their various containers of mixed nuts because they don't like almonds. (that's the same link as the last link. I don't know how to link to a particular part of the entry without going back and completely editing the original entry, which I don't feel like doing). And it's not like I didn't LIKE the almonds. It was just sort of a ridiculous gift.
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail. Christmas cards are just like that. We've only had 3 cards so far this year, which is weird for this far into December.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't know. I guess "A Christmas Story" if only for its ability to be quoted on lots of various occasions throughout the year.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year I bought a bunch of stuff at garage sales in July. And actually, I also bought Sammy a marble roller-coaster thing for his 5th birthday at the same time, so how's that for planning ahead.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Like, regifted? Possibly but I can't think of an example.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Dude where to begin? Aunt Betsy's garlic-tomato stuff, Mary Beryl's molasses cookies, my own clam dip, Maggie's little hot dogs, and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear, or one color, but I like multicoloreds elsewhere.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Traditional, "What Child Is This." Contemporary, all the non-traditional songs on the Muppets "A Christmas Together" album (not that I don't like the traditional covers on that album, but the unusual songs are really gorgeous)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? That depends on your definition of "travel." We get all around southwestern PA...
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes. Are you asking me to?
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Well, it's a different bunch of presents! Both!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Well, it depends on what's actually happening at the time, how annoying something is. My mother-in-law going Seasonal Affective Insanity on us and not telling us what exactly is going to happen with Christmas with that family. But when not actually dealing with her, it would be Bad Radio Christmas Music. Emily pointed out bad cover songs, of which there are plenty at Christmas. In a similar vein, any recorded cover of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (even the one on "A Christmas Together") kind of bugs me because that song is SO not meant to be listened to. It's meant to be sung with a large group of people with everyone taking one of the gifts and trying to outsing everyone else. If you just LISTEN to it, it's repetitious and dull. Nathan pointed out manufactured sentiment like that horrible "How many tear-jerkery references can we fit into one song? It will be the ULTIMATE Spirit of Christmas song that way, won't it?" song "Christmas Shoes." Which reminds me of another song that music-wise is decent but is actually pretty dumb when you listen to the lyrics, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" the song a bunch of people got together on in the 80s to raise awareness and funds for famine victims in Africa, but seriously, if you listen to the lyrics it really sounds like they said, "Hey, let's sing a song for famine victims in Africa, let's just whip something together really quick and put it out, no, nobody will still be playing it 20 years from now, we don't have to worry about it sucking or not, it's just to raise quick funds!" so they get away with lyrics like "And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas," is there ever? And if there was snow, does that mean there'd be no more famine? I mean seriously, listen to the lyrics and put the charity behind them out of your mind, the lyrics suck. And speaking of crappy lyrics, "Happy Holidays." Half the lyrics are random and also stupid nonsense words. "whoop-di-do and dickery dock and don't forget to hang up your sock"? Ai.
Bet you didn't think somebody so Christmas-obsessed could come up with so many annoyances.
23. Favorite Christmas tradition?
My parents' Christmas Eve party.
24. Up early or sleeping in?
Up whenever I feel like getting up, but hopefully before everyone else nowadays so I can make the downstairs all festive before everyone else sees it.
25. Who hands out the gifts?
Also depends where we are. Usually my dad, most places.
26. Does Santa wrap your gifts?
Sure. Well, not mine personally. But gifts get wrapped. Except a few for effect (like the unicycle-riding bear on a tightrope we got one year) or because they're huge.
27. Do you leave cookies for Santa?
Not here, because I AM Santa. And so I eat them.
The One Where You Sum Up the Year By Posting the First Sentence of Each Month
NOTE: These are the first sentences of the first posts of the past twelve months. They probably do not actually relate to anything currently, so don't get confused:
Experimenting to see if you can see the videos we made on the camera online.
First, Worship my clean and tidy office space!
I've been really abnormally sleepy the past three days.
Full moon, two-week-dropped baby... no contractions.
My incredibly advanced 19-day-old said his first word today, "uh-oh."
Huh, out of nowhere he fell asleep after being inconsolably cranky for fifteen minutes (only fifteen minutes), so maybe I can manage to post all this junk about the past week now...
peektures-- all of June
more pictures OR, if that link doesn't work, try here.
I did some Book Project so now I'm going to do a survey:
hey all y'all,I'm in a hotel room right now waiting for my pictures to finish uploading from my dad's computer, because unfortunately they're on there now instead of my own camera so as to enable me to just do this from the comfort of my own home at a much faster speed when it isn't late at night...
This is where I pop on just to say I Finished the Reading Activities Section of the One Book Manual So That Means I Was Sort of Productive Again.
Yesterday was Maggie and Zeke's wedding!
-------
One I Actually Got Over Email (answers effective yesterday)
What do you want for your birthday next year?
Something I wouldn't buy for myself but actually want, like certain books/movies/music or useful non-necessities like a waffle iron. But since Christmas is coming first, it would also depend on what I DON'T get for Christmas, wouldn't it?
What do you look forward to most in the next 2 months?
Christmas eve
Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
socks
When was the last time you cried?
I don't remember. That's a good thing.
What was the last thing you drank?
strawberry-raspberry juice from concentrate. It was pretty good
Favorite ice cream?
strawberry as a default. I also love Kings cinnamon
What is your favorite number?
11
What Jelly do you put on your PB&J.
strawberry (recurring theme?) And jam, not jelly
How many glasses of water a day do you drink on average?
Not many glasses, but several refills of my 32oz water bottle
What do you drink in the morning?
juice. and milk if I'm not actually eating the milk with cereal (like I'm having banana bread instead)
Would you rather kiss someone with or without tongue?
without
Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
yes
Whats so good about Fridays?
Nothing, but Saturday is nice because Jason is home
Any plans for this weekend?
after I come home from work tomorrow we may be going to the inlaws to help decorate
Do you eat out or at home more often?
at home, duh
How big is your TV?
pretty big?
Do you keep a piggy bank?
no, not me personally. Jason puts his change in a mug. Sammy has several banks, but no money in them.
What does your deo smell like?
No clue what that means. OH. DeODorant. Uh... most of the time I forget it. So far no one seems to have noticed.
Have you ever been in an ambulance?
not while it was speeding toward a hospital
Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
the ocean
Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat?
window
Do you know how to drive a stick shift?
no, but probably I ought to
What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
I don't like to spend money at all. I'm too cheap to like to spend money. But the answer would be gifts for people that I know they'll love. And no I'm not just saying that to sound nice. I honestly hate spending money on myself because then I feel guilty about it, like, "I didn't really NEED that...." And yes, I also hate spending money on other people if I'm not sure they'll love it, so it evens out.
Do you wear any jewelry 24/7?
my wedding and engagement rings, which are the only jewelry I ever wear ever
Do you speak any other language?
WELL?
Who is the funniest person you know?
huh. I think I answered Rick Baumann last this question came up, though I haven't seen him in years since he and his wife, who is the younger sister of one of my parents' oldest friends, divorced, so obviously we see more of her than of him.
Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
no
Do you still have clothes from when you were little?
Sammy might actually have something of mine. I'm not sure. He has lots of Jason's. He even has overalls that used to be J's MOM's.
What is the color of the walls in your room?
this room is off-white with little blue flowers (wallpaper). My bedroom I think is off-white too.
Do you shut off the water when you brush your teeth?
I honestly can't believe people actually DON'T
Do you still have pictures of you and your ex-bestfriend?
EX-best friend is so cruel and final. But I do have pictures of me and every one of my best friends over the years. I guess Jamie (2-5 grade, but only at home, never when cool kids could see us) is the only one I'm not still friends with in any even marginal capacity like occasionally-getting-emails-from-Amsterdam.
Who's the last person you had a sleepover with?
Hmm, my parents? We shared hotel rooms. Right party that was. 'Specially with Sammy waking everyone up repeatedly.
Who's always there for you unconditionally?
my family, which includes Jason and Sammy as well as the family I came from
What is something you say when you are mad?
cwap
Have you ever cried from being so mad?
I always cry when I get mad. This has led people to tell me that I "need to get mad more often instead of getting sad" because they don't get that crying is the way I express EVERY negative emotion, including anger. Anger doesn't mean a person is yelling. That's just the way some people, mostly the ones louder than me, express it.
Have you ever tee-peed someones house?
no
How long does it take you to get ready to go out?
It depends on whether I have to take sammy
Where's the closest hoodie to you right now?
probably in my dresser
What restaurant do you think has the Best French Fries?
I don't know, but Garfields has great onion rings
When's the last time you played the board game Clue?
I think possibly last year, but I'm not sure. It feels like a really long time ago. Which is sad because that was my favorite board game growing up.
What was the last picture you took?
sammy sitting with molly. Who is one of my supposed "ex"-best friends who I still obviously have pictures of. Being that one of them was the last picture I took. (
the third-to-last picture is actually cuter What did you wear today?
jeans and a sweater
THE END. Of today's pseudo-update.