this post follows possibly the most nondescript Christmas day ever. gran was still here of course, but everyone else was doing other things so we just sat around all day. I slept disgustingly late and didn't even get dressed. it was glorious, but the best part was the weather. I woke up thinking that it seemed way too light outside (it had been nasty and overcast). open the blinds...snow. the first white Christmas in quite a while. white stuff came down all day til we had about four inches. it's still out there, all purty and stuff. and the weatherman hadn't even predicted it!

in light of some excellent observations about the holidays I read on a fellow blogger's site, I have added links to some folks on the left. anyone who doesn't wanted their online journal associated with mine, let me know and it won't be. and neither will I associate with you. kidding.

got the GRE scores in print today. got a 5 out of 6 on the writing assessment, not too shabby. too bad I'm not actually going to use it anytime soon. I'm starting to wonder about my decision not to go to grad school yet, but I have a little time to think it over. the SFSU deadline's not until March 1, after all, so I could at least give them my stuff and see what happens. we'll see.

am about 200 pages away from being finished with the entire Harry Potter series. dunno what I'll do with my time then; I've been devoting 6-8 hours a day to reading it. damn things suck you right in.

Tiff and I are going to W-S shopping tomorrow. matter of utmost importance: music choice. we haven't driven around together at all in so long, I have to think carefully about what to expose her to on the 4 hours or so we'll be in the car. probably: Wilco, Beulah, Sleater-Kinney, Flaming Lips, Replacements, and a QFS mix. hitting highlights of each. wish me luck.

funny things about "a Christmas story" that you don't hear about on the TNT interviews:

the character of Flick was played by Scott Schwartz. he later went into the adult film biz. guess he went from sticking his tongue to light poles to sticking it...heh...yeah.

Yano Anaya (the wicked little Grover Dill) had three film roles ever. one in "a Christmas story," one in something called "the blue iguana" and...the paperboy in "better off dead." ergo, he rules.

tonight was Christmas part three. I love entertaining, but I'm so sick of it I almost just stayed in my room. tonight's roster: me, 'rents, Gran, Rick, Pam, Sheena. Cody was nowhere to be found. Sheena had a stomachache and didn't eat or speak much. Pam looked beautiful, although her health has been bad. Rick has grown a very strange beard. it's a little too thick to be a chinstrap, but it's close. words to live by: whenever you become dismayed by your own strangeness, look to your siblings.

Pam made a big tray of candy, too. I've been hoping she would for months. one bite of her creations and "Christmas miracle" takes on a whole new meaning.

most presents yet to be opened, but tonight I got the DCfC EP to complete my collection and a bottle of the Givenchy cologne. Rick got me some nice AEO pajama pants, and he didn't even know I'd been wanting any.

I've been sending out holiday e-cards like mad. I also need to call Carra and Cassie as soon as Xmas dies down to get the weekend finalized.

Tiff should be in town, but I haven't heard a word. strange. hope she hasn't forgotten my number.

anyway, back to the traditional family viewing of "a Christmas story." if I could get a buck for every time I'll hear "you'll shoot your eye out" for the next few days, I could hire actors to perform a live version next year.

okay, just a couple of thoughts.

the "sproing" noise in the background of the Flaming Lips' song "Ego Trippin'" makes me think of the breaking string noise in The Cherry Orchard every time I hear it.

I had a laughing fit tonight thinking about how some people are old. that's all, just that "some people are old." then I started thinking of old celebrities that no one hears about any more trying to get attention in public places. they'd stand in malls, wave their geriatric limbs about, and say things like "Hey! I'm freaking Tab Hunter! I'm old!" then I laughed harder.

I'm disturbed.

finished the first Harry Potter. am heading to Wal-Mart for the others. God help us all.

insomnia has prompted me to play around with the blog. I think it's more readable now. I've been tinkering around with HTML to get it to look the way I want, but blogger.com and some of the sites I've tried to link to aren't cooperating. so, right now, those pretty buttons on the right are about all the showing off I can do.

also added a guestbook. good idea to have one, J. see link above.

depending on how bored I get (and how annoyed with Blogger), I've earmarked some space for an actual homepage. IF I decide to bother with it, I'll update as it happens.

a little more stuff to relate. I won $10 on the slot machine last night at the club. that was fun. what wasn't fun was getting hit on by a forty-something pharmacist with more hair on his upper lip than his head. that was my cue to leave, blecch.

didn't go to Lotito Park tonight. Mom got out of the mood. fine by me.

I decided randomly today to quit smoking. all the crap like Nicorette is too pricey, so I developed my own stop-smoking method: gum. lots of gum. and some suckers. wish me luck. (note: anyone who belittles my efforts by saying things like "suuuuure. quit smoking? right." will be henceforth redubbed "Asshole." as in "hey Asshole! wanna go grab some dinner out somewhere?" said nomenclature will last indefinitely.)

does anyone else live in constant worry that they are somehow failing their significant other? it takes me at least a couple months in a relationship to stop feeling that way. I'm still in that mode, alas. I think I'm worried mostly cuz I found this random text file on my hard drive last night that was a big collection of e-mails that Lam had sent me. there were all these passages like "sorry you were busy today, maybe we'll talk tomorrow" and "you haven't seemed yourself lately; is something wrong?"

it made me think about how much he put into that relationship and how little I gave back. it's the one break-up that I feel truly guilty about. not that I'd want him back or anything--wonderful guy; we just weren't suited for each other--but I don't want to shortchange anyone like that ever again. I've got a pretty fantastic fella at the moment, and I just hope he walks around like a Cheshire cat the way I do. and if he ever stops smiling, that he'll tell me why. unlike another gentleman who, exactly this time last year, was stringing me along because he didn't have the balls to kick me to the curb quite yet.

spineless jerk. but I digress.

I broke down and bought the first Harry Potter book tonight. sigh. I guess it was only a matter of time.

the whole holiday shebang took place tonight. me, the 'rents, Granny, Debbie/Laura/Patrick, Jeanne, and Jim (Jeri Ann was home sick, and Aunt Debbie was home with her sick dog). went okay, but I almost didn't wake up in time to get ready for the 2:00 supper. my stuffed mushrooms disappeared quite rapidly, as always. almost no one wanted the wassail. aw, screw em. got some nice gifts, although I can't open mine from the parents or Rick until Tuesday.

dinner party last night with Sis and the crew was good too. Mom's spaghetti always rules. found a good shiraz to serve. the tiramisu turned out bee-u-tee-fully.

enough about food. two weird dreams last night, both musical. in the first I was in Binford talking with friends about "March to the Scaffold" in Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. that's the piece where the drums signify the falling guillotine and the rolling head of the corpse. in the dream, I realized after hearing the music that it wasn't safe for me to go outside, so I refused to leave. I was terrified. oh, well. if you're gonna have a nightmare about a piece of music, that's the one.

number two. I was sitting at some sort of autograph table with Thom Yorke and he was graciously signing various things for people and accepting gifts. one person walked up, handed him a slim blue booklet, said "Merry Christmas," and walked away. the booklet was the 1989 annual from my elementary school. Thom and I had a good chuckle over my chubby kid picture. I have no idea what that means.

on a last "note" (haw haw), Deb got me the Flaming Lips CD. I entertained the crowd with it while I taught Laura to play ERS. she kicked my ass. this semester I should really go visit her; I miss her so much! although she was totally on crack tonight. she kept throwing rolls against the kitchen cabinets and laughing manically. you can so tell we're related when things like that happen.

turned on the Game Show Network tonight thinking "heh heh, bet Betty White will be on. she's always on."

nope. Adrienne Barbeau. even better.

I am finally watching "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Katharine Ross is in it. we have the same birthday. only she's 62. she rules.

sadly before the flick is over I have to leave to go on a carriage ride with Mom and Dad through Lotito Park and see the Festival of Lights. I do NOT feel like it, but Mummy hasn't felt well and it would be selfish of me not to go since it'll make her happy. wagons roll.