Hamm's the beer refreshing

My resolution about not being so selfish is already working. I let someone cut in while driving yesterday just to be nice. I also plan to make a resolution not to talk about money. Talking about money is crass and I've been doing it too often lately.

Had a lovely white wonderland time at the cabin. There were loads of fluffy snow just waiting for the tips of my skis to slice through them or to be smashed down by my snowshoes. On a different, smoky, dirty, and Ben-Gay-filled note, I went to a casino for the first time with the purpose of gambling - one of those huge Indian-owned casinos with parking lots that are always full. I lost money with surprisingly rapidity on fishing- and Price is Right-themed slot machines. I did find one old-school machine that actually allows to you pull down the handle, so that was exciting.

More interesting posts not centered on my banal thoughts to follow in the new year!

Selfish and blue

Well, Christmas spirit has got to me... namely reminding me that I haven't done anything really nice for anyone in awhile. No treats at the office, no quarters in someone's expired meter, no Sunday evenings at the shelter serving dinner. I haven't been a Scrooge necessary, but I haven't sought out any opportunities either. I see a New Year's resolution developing. I do, actually, (well, not that anyone who knows me is surprised) keep a yearly list of eight to ten resolutions that I check up on throughout the year. The day of reckoning is coming soon. It's much more fun to create next year's resolutions than it is to face last year's.

Snow report: About an inch, although I think it was enough to raise people's spirits.

I had an attack of the holiday blues this morning. I was driving to work at 6:58 (don't ask) and rockin' to my Mini mix, and suddenly had a thought of my grandpa who passed away a few years ago and was abruptly weeping. Those car rides are dangerous.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is two feet of snow and the cancellation of all work and school so that no one has to drive in it and I can spend the day skiing.
I've been quite good this year.
Fondly,
B

Was the recipient of some good news yesterday. Celebrated with what else? A nice tub of chocolate Kozy Shack. I ate spoonful after blessed spoonful in my jim-jams watching Sex and the City (episode: The perfect present) with the husband.

Holiday traditions, naughty and nice

5 holiday traditions that should be returned for store credit:
1. White elephant, Yankee, whatever the kind, gift-swaps make me bah-humbug
2. Figgy pudding (figs = good, pudding = fantastic, but together?)
3. Caroling by random people (door-to-door salespeople are awkward enough)
4. Gift receipts that are useless
5. The song Santa, Baby

5 holiday traditions that jingle my bells:
1. Mistletoe. Who doesn’t like a little mischievous adventure lurking under innocent doorways?
2. Spiced nuts. Mmm, but too easy to eat them all.
3. Christmas ornaments with stories and dried macaroni (mmm, syllepsis)
4. Figurines that move and dance and play music – brilliant.
5. Kitschy lawn ornaments. Our genius neighbors have a lit snowman who tips his hat. Every time I see him, I tip my imaginary hat back. Good day to you too, Frosty.

Re: Jell-O brand pudding and 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time: don’t bother, both are artificial. The fifteen minutes the Cafe Brenda Cookbook pudding takes is worth it.

Voyageurs and their Kozy Shack

Why in the land of plenty, where there are hundreds of cereals to choose from, is one limited to just Jell-O-brand pudding? Sure there are thirteen flavors and various combinations of flavors with instant, cook and serve, sugar-free instant, and sugar-free cook and serve, but isn't there a higher quality pudding mix out there? Perhaps I must learn to make it from scratch. I'm currently having a love affair with Kozy Shack chocolate pudding, which I love if only for the wonderful warm feeling the words Kozy Shack give me (I prefer to say it in my mind instead of read it and be affronted with the terrible spelling).

I just got a huge stack of books from the library (stacks of books from the library are a regular thing at our house, where we always have a 25-40 item long list of things on reserve), but this is an especially large and varied stack. I had a recent surge of I-want-to-go-on-a-wilderness-adventure, so I reserved many books about canoe routes and Canada. I just picked up Fur Trade Canoe Routes of Canada, Then and Now and realized with a strange sense of alienation that I must have checked out this book (and read parts of it) at least three times. Also in my stack are a few short story collections, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2004 and several travel anthologies that focus on women. I also checked out another one of those family-takes-a-year-off-to-travel-the-world books (I've already read One Year Off and Monkey Dancing; this one is 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time.)
Well, off to make some cook-and-serve, play cat-in-the-bag with Rocky, and read!

The peanut butter girls

I spent an hour or so in the coffee shop tonight reading Bloomability for the teen book club I lead and couldn't help but eavesdrop a bit on the two women speaking in overly cultured tones next to me. I could see a flash of camel and sky-blue coats and tall pointy black boots (what is the point, really, if everyone is wearing tall pointy black boots? Why bother?) But it was their discussion that was truly banal. They spent the twenty minutes going over what one would wear on her upcoming trip to meet her boyfriend's family in Connecticut. The Gucci camel sweater there, the H&M pinstriped blazer here, the oversize Prada purse for the plane. Perhaps if one cares this much about clothing this kind of commitment to planning is required. As they left I was surprised to see that they looked surprisingly normal - one a bit chunky, the other a bit plain. What kind of employment did they have that possibly supported their spending habits? Unusual, but they didn't seem that they were putting on airs and bragging about their couture, what to wear seemed like a conversation that they had every day. By carefully mapping out the perfect outfit for each day and activity of the trip, she assuages her nervousness and feelings of inadequacy.

Free money

Top 10 things I'd buy if I had a free $200 (because I don't really need them):
1. New sheets and a nice white woven blanket
2. Black socks
3. Caldrea cleaning products
4. New suit
5. New makeup
6. Underwear
7. Upgraded pressies for friends and family
8. Smart outdoor winter gear
9. Cat warmer
10. Lots of lovely wine