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Today isn't about making resolutions. It's about making changes in your life when the need arises.
It isn't about looking back. It's about looking ahead.
It's about change. One minute we're in one calendar year and the next we're in a new one.
And it's about champagne. Because every day that we're alive is reason enough to celebrate.
mohair : bunny fur :: corduroy : a Chihuahua with dreadlocks
:-)
I ran around a bit after work today to try and take advantage of some great after Christmas deals. Like buy one get one free at Yankee Candle? Yipee!! I tried to think smart about this whole thing and save some money on quality gift wrapping materials. Apparently I wasn't the only one with this idea. Hallmark and Target. Both of them were picked over. I managed to find some cute things, though.
And, no, Dawn, they do not have a red background.
Merry Christmas everyone! We all had a blast over Christmas... me, Daniel, Dawn, my friend Gabi, and the Christmas orphans from work.
Dawn arrived late Friday night. Actually, it was early Saturday morning. Her flight out of Houston was delayed like four hours or something close to that. So instead of arriving at LAX at 1am, it was more like 3:30am. I rounded in the hospital and removed an appendix later that morning. Then I came home and took a little nap to try to kick the cold I was (am) fighting. When I woke up, I had my second wind, and we started making Christmas cookies! This activity extended into Sunday. We would have been done *much* sooner if we had a second cookie sheet to bake on, but it's hard to justify that kind of expense when you only bake once a year like I do. We were a well oiled machine in the kitchen -- mixing dry ingredients for later, icing cookies, dipping biscotti. There is no way I could have made all those cookies without Dawn's help. So. Many. Cookies. We made:
I'm so glad I got the lime oil. It made all the difference.
The extra batches of cookes were for caroling on Sunday night, which we did at a friend's house. We arrived and set up "the bar" area in their kitchen. We descended like a plague and took over their kitchen. We could make about 15 different holiday themed drinks. They looked like girly drinks, but they were strong! We had all the garnishes and everything. We sang outside in the 60 degree Southern California winter's night for about 90 minutes and had a great time. Then we went back to eat and drink! We had a great time, and hopefully this will be the first of an annual tradition. We used to go caroling every year when we lived in Boston, but it has been a difficult activity to transition to California. The neighborhoods are usually gated and if they're not, then you might want to think twice about going there. This area was an older part of a little town, full of quaint houses on large lots and very safe. Many people weren't home and no one gave us figgy pudding, but it was fun anyway. When the evening was over, we took back the liquor that was ours, the mixing utensils and the martini glasses. Party in a box!
Our intent for Christmas Eve was that it be calm and peacful, because the old Polish tradition says that how you are on Christmas Eve is how you will be for the whole next year. So no fighting or pouting or anything bad. I have been in bad need of new contacts for about a month now and thought this would be a good time to re-order them. Turns out my prescription is expired. LensCrafters had appointments open, so I went in. I had to. They wanted to dilate my eyes. I usually say no becuase I have so much to do, but I had no excuse. Okay fine. I forgot how blurry everything is after that. (Does that mean my year is going to be blurry?) I was going to stop and get gas on the way home, but I realized that I wouldn't have been able to read the prompts on the gas thing. I was also supposed to get tuna and bread. I could handle the bread. Bread is big. Here's my credit card... where do I sign? But I was not going to buy tuna because I wouldn't have been able to see if it looked decent or not.
I got real sourdough bread from Boudin. But there isn't a lot of parking in front of the cafe. So I swung around and parked near another restaurant. There was some kind of sign right in front of where I parked, but I couldn't read it. I can only guess it said "Parking only for xxx restaurant" because as soon as I wiggled my way through the plants on my way to Boudin, some man started shouting "No! No!" followed by some unintelligible words in very broken English. I'm pretty good at Spanglish, but I could not make out what he was saying. "Maybe he was talking to someone else," I thought. "I am obviously not a native Spanish speaker, and he must be talking to someone else." I couldn't see his face, so I had no idea. I went in, bought my bread and went on my merry way. On the way out of the parking lot, I saw the same man hanging on what I think was a walkie talkie out of his car. And he glared at me as I drove by. I could see that much. Eh. I'm sure he got over it. Gimme a break, Amigo. It's Christmas Eve.
Daniel made a wonderful Vigilia, which is meatless in the Polish tradition. He made a beet and vegetable soup, served with my sourdough bread. Then we had homemade pierogi stuffed with saurkraut, herbed salmon, and... something else really yummy. Later off to midnight Mass at 11pm and then we came home and crashed.
Chrismas day was perfect. I got a Red Sox jacket, long sleeve World Champions t-shirt with bling, a stylin' short sleeve t-shirt (also with bling), World Series pint glass, a really nice rollerball pen, a bunch of movies, season 10 of The Simpsons, Cranium booster packs, tons of teas and candy! Daniel was a master in the kitchen:
We were *stuffed*. And happy.
On Boxing Day, we cleaned up and relaxed. I made some thank you cards for the gifts we received and decided that the American version of Boxing Day should be National Thank You card day. Watched more Christmas movies, ate leftovers, watched Simpsons. Then we took Dawn to the airport. :-(
Our Christmas celebrations are continuing... today is only the third day of Christmas! We're going to see the sights at Disneyland tonight. Hope you all had a safe and beautiful Christmas!
Yesterday morning, I met a fellow resident at a Starbucks to study before we had to be at work. We've done this a few times and I usually don't get anything because I don't like coffee that much. But yesterday I decided to go out on a limb and try a peppermint white chocolate mocha with only one shot of espresso instead of two. It was really freaking good.
Then I proceeded to spend the rest of the day in the operating room. Not unusual, being a surgery resident and all. Except that I wasn't operating. I was babysitting a patient who was getting an infusion of an experimental medication. Sitting on the sidelines, not doing anything except thinking of all the million other things I could have been doing that were infinetly more productive than my captivity in the operating room. I was pouting a fair amount, too. I was in there for 8 hours.
I called the other members of my team, informed them about what was going on, and begged them to go home to their families or go Christmas shopping or whatever. But there was absoluetly nothing that they needed to be doing in the hospital.
When I came in this morning, there was a cup of peppermint white chocolate mocha waiting for me.
I'm so lucky to work with the people on my team. Just goes to show you that even the crappiest day at work can be attenuated (or worsened) by the people who surround you.
I'm running around at work and home... in a good way. Taking a break with this list of questions from Dawn's blog was just what I needed!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
If I can wrap it and make it look half-way pretty, then I'll wrap it. Even if I have to try a few times. Otherwise, I resign and gift bag it. Makes me feel guilty for "cheating", but there ya go.
2. Real tree or artificial?
Real! I'd like to kill it myself, too, please.
3. When do you put up the tree?
If work allows, the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, work *didn't* allow. :-P
4. When do you take the tree down?
Epiphany, even if it's a fire hazard by that point. Sometimes it stays up for longer if Epiphany occurs mid-week and we're too busy to take it down til the weekend.
5. Do you like eggnog?
By itself? Meh. It's ok. Add brandy? YES!
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I can't really remember any *one* gift... they were all great!
7. Do you have a nativity scene?
No. We have been looking for the "right" one for years, but we are so picky, we haven't found one we like yet.
8. Hardest person to buy for?
This year it was actually my niece Zoe. She's usually the easiest because I just get her tons of Barbie stuff. This year, she's totally into all the High School Muscial crap. But she's only 7 and some of that stuff is a little too... pre-teen for her, if you know what I mean.
9. Easiest person to buy for?
Mom. Got her a ton of Yankee Candle stuff, which is fun... and easy!
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I got this watch from a guy in college who had a crush on me and was trying to impress me with a nice gift. It was a nice watch, but it was just over the top, and I didn't like him anyway. So it just made me feel very uncomforatble, which is the *opposite* of what Christmas gifts are supposed to do.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail! I love the two cards I designed and made this year. They have glitter on them. Glitter reminds me of magic. Magic reminds me of Christmas... and Disney.Yay glitter!
12. Favorite Christmas movie?
White Christmas, followed closely by the original Miracle on 34th Street with Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood. And Christmas Story!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I always say that I'm going to start in October, but I never start til November. But I started and finished in November, which I think is a first!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes. And I don't have *any* problems with it. Because I knew that the person who received it liked it *much* more than I did!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
umm... yes. :-)
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Colored, please. I love how warm they look and draw you into the tree to examine the ornaments on the boughs. White seems too... cold for my Christmas tree.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
In the Bleak Midwinter
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Because of work restrictions, I am usually a home body. I have to go in and see the patients that are in the hospital usually. Unless there is a scheduled vacation, which I don't do. Besides, if we travel, Daniel can't make his amazing feast, which I wouldn't miss for the world!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
yep!
20. Angel on the tree top or star?
Angel. Angels are almost prolific in the Christmas story... from Mary, to Joseph, to the shepherds. I want one in my house, too!
21. Open the presents on Christmas Eve or morning?
Morning. Jesus isn't born til the morning and we're still in a state of anticipation and watchful waiting on Christmas Eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Shipping charges. I know we have to pay for it, but more than $12 sometimes? Come *on.*
23. What I love most about Christmas?
The music, the beauty, visiting with friends and family, the food, and remembering that God became incarnate, as a helpless babe, for us.
Feast One Hundredd & Seventy Two
Appetizer
Make up a word and give us its definition.
squeezy -- to mess with a kitty and make it purr
Soup
What is currently your favorite song?
So many spring to mind immediately. I have to pick a Christmas song... Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. It's hard to beat 'ol Bing during Christmas!
Salad
What's at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
That my family and friends continue to have excellent health.
Main Course
Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.
Citrus reminds me of Daniel. He is obsessive about keeping bad smells out of the house. (I'm so lucky!) He regularly "plinks" the sink. A plink is this little gelatinous disc you put down a running garbage disposal to clean all the gunk off of the blades. It smells citrusy!!
Dessert
Who is someone on television you feel probably shouldn't be, and why?
I can list plenty of people that annoy me, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be on tv. It just means that I don't like them. And that's not reason enough to make any major decisions on! But I can't think of anyone on air who is causing the breakdown of our society or anything like that...
I just got back from the gym. My shoulder is all better now and I was able to do a full weights work out. I saw something rather disturbing that I had to get out of my system.
Have you ever seen those leotards the male ballet dancers wear? Yeah. This middle aged man was wearing sweats that were so incredibly tight they were reminiscent of leotards. Hell, they could have been leotards for all I knew; I really tried not to stare. Either way, it was oh so wrong...
I'm not sure what I did, but my right trapezius is really sore. You know the muscle on the top of your shoulder that fans back toward your upper spine. It's only on the right side and it freaking hurts. I can't even lift weights. Sometimes the spasms go up the side of my neck and make my scalp hurt.
I hope it goes away soon. Until then, I will be motrin's unwillling friend. I *hate* taking medicines.
Appetizer
What was the last game you purchased?
Rockband! I saw it at Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving. My friend Gabi, who is all-knowing when it comes to computer games, said it would be impossible to find before Christmas. Yet there it was! I immediately called her and asked if she wanted me to buy it for her and she could pay me back later. And, let me tell you, it is *super* fun!
Soup
Name something in which you don't believe.
I don't believe that people can't change. They may not want to and then don't, but if you put your mind to it, you can definitely change.
Salad
If you could choose a celebrity to be your boss, who would you pick?
I'm completely obsessed with Tim Gunn, of Project Runway fame. He's so dapper and civilized.
