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Remember back in December when I was like “Hey, here are pictures of the Christmas cards I got this year!” and ten thousand of you were all “Hey, I don’t see mine!”? Well, that would probably be because when I got back from Maine I checked the PO Box and found that there were 40 cards waiting for me. And some of the cards were sent out as early as December 10th, which means they took more than two weeks to get from somewhere in the US to me. I guess Christmas cards aren’t really a priority for the US mail system, eh?
Anyway, I took pictures of them all, and you can see them here, here, and here. The first and second picture are particularly blurry, sorry about that. I’ll leave those pictures up ’til the end of the month, then I’m going to delete them in the interest of saving space.
I said it before, but I’ll say it again: Thanks, you guys, for all the wonderful cards you sent. I enjoyed getting them, opening them, and reading them. I loved seeing pictures of you and your families and (of course!) your cats and dogs. Shopping for cards, addressing them, and sending them out is what I enjoy most about the holiday season.
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I got a box o’ love from
Nance last night, and it absolutely cracked me up. I won’t show pictures of every single thing she gave me, but I do have to hit the highlights.
If this isn’t something that looks like it’ll come to life and kill you in your sleep, I don’t know what is. Those are some creepy, CREEPY eyes.
This is a great big ceramic shell candy dish. You know, I was just saying to Fred the other day “What the hell? We have NOTHING to put our candy in!”, and voila! Now we do. She included some candy for the candy dish, because she is Nance and she rocks.
I don’t know what cracks me up more – the big grin, or the fact that the cat is holding something that is either a toothbrush, or a nailbrush. He’s happy about it, whatever it is!
That picture was done by the Painter of Light himself, Thomas Kinkade! It’s not just a calendar, no. It’s also an address book AND there’s a notepad in the back. Does it get any handier than that? I think not. This means I can get rid of the separate address book, calendar, and notebook that are currently taking up way too much room in my purse, because I have an all-in-one!
A Gary Patterson calendar – the full-sized one! Yes, I have a Gary Patterson calendar on the fridge, but that’s a small, magnetic one. The pictures in this one are completely different from the other one. Miz Poo, however, does not approve.
Thanks, Nance. You rock!
Also rocking is
Jane, who sent me presents, too. Somehow she knew that I’d just tossed my old hummingbird feeder because it was gross and beyond cleaning.
Who doesn’t need cat butt gum? And for the record, it supposedly tastes like peppermint, but Fred suggested that maybe it REALLY tastes like cat butt, and I’m really too scared to give it a try in case it does. Cracks me up, though.
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I’ve seen this meme everywhere, and even though we’re well into 2005, I wanted to do it anyway. I edited it, though, so I only have to answer the questions I want to. Heh.
What did you do in 2004 that you’d never done before? Flew 12 hours to Hawaii. Oh, the hell. I never want to spend that much time on an airplane ever again.
Did you keep your new year�s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t think I made any for 2004. Uh, nope. I did a search and nothing came up for 2004. My only resolution for 2005 is not to buy any books, and concentrate on reading the ones I had. I just got money for my birthday, though, so I may have to make an exception to the resolution.
Did anyone close to you give birth? No, but my brother’s girlfriend is due in April, and finding out about that knocked us all for a loop.
Did anyone close to you die? My grandmother; I miss her far more than I expected to. Also, it’s been almost a year since Tubby died.
What countries did you visit? Nowhere outside the US, unless you consider Hawaii a different country.
What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004? I didn’t lack a thing in 2004.
What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 3rd, the day my grandmother died. January 28th, the day Tubby died.
What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finally coming to a decision and starting to follow through on it (she said cryptically).
What was your biggest failure? Waiting so long to make said decision. But sometimes it takes time to wrap your head around what’s really right for you.
What was the best thing you bought? The Dyson! I am still madly in love with it.
Where did most of your money go? To savings (we’ve got a kid going to college in a few years, you know!), and to books. We do lurve the books. Oh, and we bought a couple of computers, too.
What did you get really, really, really excited about? Seinfeld coming out on DVD! Shut up, I like Seinfeld. I just hope the rest of the seasons come out on DVD, too.
What song will always remind you of 2004? American Idiot, by Green Day. Fred “discovered” it, and I was reminded anew how much I really like Green Day’s music.
Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? About the same.
b) thinner or fatter? About the same!
c) richer or poorer? Richer.
What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercising, reading, writing, organizing.
What do you wish you’d done less of? Letting the assholes get to me.
How will you be spending Christmas? We spent Christmas day pretty quietly – Fred went for a hike, I made
mandarin muffins, the spud and I ate muffins, and then we pretty much just puttered around the house for the rest of the day.
Did you fall in love in 2004? I fell in love a thousand times over with the cats at the pet store.
How many one-night stands? Oh, please.
What was your favorite TV program? Survivor, Desperate Housewives, Amazing Race, Lost.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No, it’s a waste of time. And it gives the person you’re hating control over your life.
What was the best book you read? The Tie that Binds, and
Where You Once Belonged, by Kent Haruf. Every word that man writes is a gem. Also,
The Dark Tower, by Stephen King.
What was your greatest musical discovery? The Warren Brothers!
What did you want and get? The Dyson.
What did you want and not get? I wanted a new car, but ended up suggesting that we get Fred a new car in 2004 and wait a year to get me a new car. Making that suggestion, despite how very badly I wanted a new car, made me feel like I might finally be a grown-up.
What was your favorite film of this year? Cold Mountain.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 36, and Fred picked up takeout from our favorite chinese restaurant, and we had cake. I like the low-key birthdays, you know?
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? “Comfy”. If it’s not comfy, why wear it?
What kept you sane? Fred, the spud, the kitties (of course, they threatened my sanity as often as they saved it, too!)
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004. Never say never.
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He’s such a serious-looking little thing.
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