A weekend full of friends
It's clearly holiday time because All the Gatherings are gathering.
On Friday night, I kept a promise to see SL play with her band, Vixy & Tony at the Wayward Coffeehouse. It was their new CD release party. They played two sets, a combination of original music, covers, and filks. (It's the first time I've ever heard a mash-up of the Mahnah Mahnah Song and Kashmir--and probably the last! It worked way better than it had any right to. It takes a special kind of genius to come up with that.) I had the pleasure of seeing oldmangrumpus, along with LS, AH and a number of others. The show was great, a lot of fun, and certainly the most purely fannish thing I've done in months.
Saturday was Productive Day: chores around the house and holiday shopping (of which I've done nearly none this year, but more on that in a moment). Saturday evening was NK's annual holiday party. Usually the agenda is chat, hors d'hoevres, drinks and charades. Two of the guests rebelled against charades, which has been a staple of the party for years. They proposed a different game, which never got played. NK was somewhat dismayed, but in the end, a good time was had by all and I was glad to be there.
Sunday was about getting more chores done. Gifts were completed and wrapped, and I attended varina8's annual holiday gathering. It was smaller this year due to V's slimming the list and people being unwell. It was good to see her C; given his ongoing illness, he was actually looking good, and was in fine spirits and good form. And of course it's always a delight to spend an evening with the usual suspects: EB, ironymaiden and her C, mimerki and butterflydrming. I was glad for a quieter get-together. After the weekend--and the year, frankly--it was a welcome thing.
Regarding holiday shopping: there's been almost none this year. Finances are tight right now as I continue to pay off medical bills. I also spent quite a bit preparing for the company craft fair. I probably broke even there, but still have plenty of stock should I decide to indulge in such madness again. I suppose I ought to write about that experience at some point. But I digress.
In any case, the second half of the year has been at least as expensive as the first. The first half of the year's costs involved travel and bathroom renovation; the second my hospital stay. I've promised myself some serious financial discipline for the first few month of the new year to try to repair the financial damage. We'll see how it goes.
And now, on to the work week....
On Friday night, I kept a promise to see SL play with her band, Vixy & Tony at the Wayward Coffeehouse. It was their new CD release party. They played two sets, a combination of original music, covers, and filks. (It's the first time I've ever heard a mash-up of the Mahnah Mahnah Song and Kashmir--and probably the last! It worked way better than it had any right to. It takes a special kind of genius to come up with that.) I had the pleasure of seeing oldmangrumpus, along with LS, AH and a number of others. The show was great, a lot of fun, and certainly the most purely fannish thing I've done in months.
Saturday was Productive Day: chores around the house and holiday shopping (of which I've done nearly none this year, but more on that in a moment). Saturday evening was NK's annual holiday party. Usually the agenda is chat, hors d'hoevres, drinks and charades. Two of the guests rebelled against charades, which has been a staple of the party for years. They proposed a different game, which never got played. NK was somewhat dismayed, but in the end, a good time was had by all and I was glad to be there.
Sunday was about getting more chores done. Gifts were completed and wrapped, and I attended varina8's annual holiday gathering. It was smaller this year due to V's slimming the list and people being unwell. It was good to see her C; given his ongoing illness, he was actually looking good, and was in fine spirits and good form. And of course it's always a delight to spend an evening with the usual suspects: EB, ironymaiden and her C, mimerki and butterflydrming. I was glad for a quieter get-together. After the weekend--and the year, frankly--it was a welcome thing.
Regarding holiday shopping: there's been almost none this year. Finances are tight right now as I continue to pay off medical bills. I also spent quite a bit preparing for the company craft fair. I probably broke even there, but still have plenty of stock should I decide to indulge in such madness again. I suppose I ought to write about that experience at some point. But I digress.
In any case, the second half of the year has been at least as expensive as the first. The first half of the year's costs involved travel and bathroom renovation; the second my hospital stay. I've promised myself some serious financial discipline for the first few month of the new year to try to repair the financial damage. We'll see how it goes.
And now, on to the work week....