My Very Own Blogetary (Blog: Web Log; etary or ary: engaged in or pertaining to)

Isn’t it beautiful?!?!?! You can find it on Mindflights.com, where they have some really cool stories and nice art work.

This is one of my favorites:

So, check them out when you get a chance!

One of my favoritest songs ever is Watershed by the Indigo Girls. I grew up in Washington state where I was taught that a watershed was not one of those things on stilts like in a Warner Bros., Paramount thing, or in the middle of orchards for irrigation, but was a natural phenomeno. A watershed is where streams enter into a lake, for example, mix around, and then water departs out another end.

Kinda like Lake Whatcom (pronounced watt-cum for neophytes of Washington state Native American place names out there):

Or Lake Chelan (pronounced shə-lān for neophytes of Washington state Native American place names out there):

(Note: And Spokane is pronounced spoh-kan and Wenatchee is pronounced wuh-nach-ee - okay, that’s most of the pronunciation pet peeves out of the way - let me know when you get to Pilchuck, Squilchuck, Squalicum, Skookum, Sequim, Sehome, Nooksak, etc).

It’s like a black hole or schrodinger’s box, a place where things are possible because they’re all mixing around and you’re not sure what will come out. And then when they do come out on the other side, they’re something different. Something has changed.

Today, is a watershed. All these things are changing. Piano is gone. Old chair will be gone (soon). I interacted with a former friend and it was okay. We smiled and laughed and it was natural as anything. My apartment is an absolute, complete mess, torn to pieces in getting the piano out, so it’s a good thing Christmas isn’t up yet. Now I have this wonderful opportunity to totally redo my apartment, but I’m not sure what to do. So, I’m just staring, measuring, and staring some more. And sweeping. And I ordered some pizza to feed my brain.

So, there are all these possibilities and I wonder how it will turn out. In a natural watershed, the water is the better for the mixing and the filtering, so I hope that’s the case here.

A couple of other cool things that I’ll remind you of later. December 22 will be the debut date of my short story “Santa is My Homeboy” on Mindflights.com. I’ll have a direct link then to usher you to that story. January 19 will be the debut of my short story “Scary Things” on BewilderingStories.com. More to come on that as well.

Okay, pizza has arrived, time to do something.

Here are the questions:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Pretty wrap, mostly, though bags are not out of the question. I like to challenge myself to see how creative I can get with what I can find on hand and what I have found on sale. And I reuse a lot of stuff. If I get pretty ribbons from people or really nice wrap, if possible, they are saved to reuse the next year.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Depends on my life. I used to always say real. But I live in SoCal and after a couple of years of real trees at WAY too expensive prices getting dry after a day, I opted for a fake tree that I paid for once and can reuse every year without fear of fire. Note: Even fake trees lose needles.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually Thanksgiving weekend, though I’ve been known to do it around December 15. Depends on my life - am I working a lot, do I have the energy and hope to clean the apartment and pull out the stuff.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Never before Epiphany - January 6, which is the 12th day of Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes, I do. So there.

6. Favorite gift received as a child:
As a young kid - a barbie apartment. Though just a few years later, at around 12, I got my favoritest gift ever - a desk and stool. The desk was really simple and my grampa made it using our old crib as some of the materials. The stool was just a wicker stool. They lasted for years. Still had the desk when I was in college, but I was moving and didn’t have room to move it and gave it to a roommate. Shouldna done that. Kept the stool and it finally fell apart about 10 years ago.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Men. Most men in my life - gay or straight - I just can’t seem to hit their gift vibe. I try. But typically, what they want, I can’t afford. And they aren’t interested in the cute little decorated nailfiles I found on sale at the general store down the street that make my girlfriends squeal. Got my dad a trainset, small, mind you, one year, only to get a, “yeah, it’s okay.”
Men.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Most of the women I know, but especially my sister. I always see things that I think she’ll like. THe trick is to not just buy for her.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
At one time I had a home made one that I made while in grade school out of homemade dough clay that I painted and shellacked. It lasted for years until I think one year it got left in my trunk and the trunk had a leak in it. Now I have some tiny wood ornament I hang on my tree. I haven’t seen a nativity scene I’m willing to spend money on. Most look too too to me. I prefer a nativity scene that might be a little more modern - pared down. Simple shapes, not too much detail. The kind of scene where someone could look at it and easily think that it could be anyone in there - any young girl looking at her baby and scared man who doesn’t know what to do with a family.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail, if possible. I like real mail. Positive, real mail - not just bills. And I’m sure other people do too. And in case you think it’s a waste. I don’t think so. All the card I get, I reuse. I save the ones with real notes in them, but the others, I cut up and reuse the next year for gift tags.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A plastic lobster accompanied by a plastic seagull on a plastic post. I have no idea why my friend thought it was funny. But he did. So I laughed when he gave it to me as if I understood, cuz I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and then donated them soon after.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim
Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire
Miracle on 34th Street - both 1946 and 1994

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
All year round, but especially after CHristmas when all the sales are on. I keep a gift cupboard and whenever I’m on a trip or at a sale and see something that I know would make a good gift later, I get it then. Put it in my cupboard, and then bdays and Christmas are not so much of a hardship.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I usually end up donating presents I don’t care for. Typically, if I don’t care for them, I don’t think anyone else will either.

15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My cranberry relish on toast. I also like to have a little smorgasborg I share with the cat - whatever I can afford that’s cold cut like and cheesy.

16. Lights on the tree?
I like white lights, mostly, but I also really like bubble lights. A lot of them have burned out. I need to replace a string or two, but haven’t been able to afford to. Maybe I’ll find some on sale after Christmas this year.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Christmas Carol or Christmas Song? I have quite a few. Love the Wexford Carol and the Boar’s Head Carol. Good Christian Men Rejoice and COventry Carol and many others. ALso like songs like White Christmas, Old-Time CHristmas, and many others…

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Depends. This year staying home. But sometimes I travel up north for Cmas.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!
On Comet! On Cupid! On Donder and Blitzen!
And sometimes Rudolph. And don’t forget Olive. And Rudolph’s younger brother.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Angel. But not the angels you think. Again - ultra modern where it is shape and form that suggests angelic-ness. I grew up with this angel mom got at a drugstore that I’ve never been able to replace. It was simple. Cone, head at top. Wings, and a halo. In bright tin painted blue and gold. Angels have no gender and are not children. They are separate beings with their own classifications. We shouldn’t impose what we think we are on them. So, I like just the simple suggestion of angelic-ness.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas morning. It ruins it to do it all on the Eve. Though it’s okay to open one on the Eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Having to apologize to all my cynical friends that yes, in fact, I REALLY DO LIKE CHRISTMAS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Orange kitties is one. Pretty shoes is another. Angels. Instruments. Motion ornaments that you hang over the lights so they’ll move (heat propelled). Whatever is pretty.

24. Favorite item of holiday wear?
I have wreath earrings I like a lot. And at this time of year (Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years) I can freely wear a lot of the blingy, sparkly stuff I have without having to make an excuse for it.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I would like the world to come a little closer to love, peace, and understanding. I would love for my sister and dad to declare a truce. I would love for Prop 8 to be repealed and people’s eyes be opened to the harm that prop does. But if you’re really interested, check my Amazon wishlist. It’s long and there’s lots to choose from.

26. On a scale of 1 to 10, how many lights (like the Griswalds) do you have outside?
None. I live in an apartment. I have a couple of strings of lights I keep up around the windows year round. I don’t turn them on often, except at Christmas. I like pretty sparkly lights.

29. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Doing stockings for my mom and sister.

30. Non-stop Christmas music radio station?
THere’s a clear channel radio station I only listen to around after Thanksgiving that has tunes that I listen to when I’m tired of my own, and there’s Live365 online that has Christmas year round. The clear channel station tends to be a bit smarmy and play the same stuff over and over again - usually that shitty song about the red shoes.

31. Stockings or not?
YES!

32. Pie or Cake?
Pie if it’s good and cake if it’s good. But I prefer cookies and candy and scandinavian/germanic breads. Pralines, pfefferneuse, liebkuchen, tortone, and stuff like that.

33. Do gift cards make good gifts?
Not this christmas. You don’t know which company is going to go belly up next. Get them a Visa or American Express gift card that they can spend anywhere.

34. What is your preferred spelling for the Jewish Festival of Lights?
I grew up with the H beginning, but respect the C beginning.

Be sure to visit my Winter Solstice Store at Cafe Press. Or try out my Christmas Shop at Cafe Press as well.

I usually gross people out with this song for some reason, so beware. Today, so far, I’ve sung it to my sister, and my BFF and I did a duet on the phone to each other.

*I* like it. (hee!) It’s sung to the same tune as “Have you ever seen a lassie go this way and that way…”

Gobble, gobble! Fat Turkey!
Fat Turkey!
Fat Turkey!
Gobble, gobble! Fat Turkey!
Thanksgiving is here!

He’s not here for living…..(dramatic pause…)
He’s here for Thanksgiving……(another pause)

Gobble, gobble! Fat Turkey!
Thanksgiving is here!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Saw this on a friend’s profile. Have no idea where they got it, so I can’t give credit to the source, but I love it:

I’m feeling very juvenile right now. Criminal Minds came to our office today to shoot a scene. We had to get there an hour early so we could still get work done for the paper before grips and electricians and such came tramping through. Actually not a hardship for me since I live a two minute walk away.

Anyway, they were all very polite at first, until they achieved maximum mass in our office. Then they were still polite, but in charge. There was a definite shift in the axis of control as a troop load of movie extraverts took over an office of introvert writers.

The two actors I saw were Joe Mantegna and A.J. Cook. She had short hair (she’s had long hair in past eps). I was kind of hoping to see the others. My sister and I are fans (I don’t think anyone else in the office besides me watches it) and call each other during commercials when CM is on. I was kind of hoping to be able to bring her something out of it. Oh well. I’ll tell her about the short hair.

Nonsequitur note: I still think one of my favorite crossover shows would be one with Garcia from Criminal Minds and Abby from NCIS working together. Another good one would be Dr. Reid (CM) working with Dr. Eppes (Numb3rs). I love the geek factor. Geeks and nerds and punk chicks and eclectic eccentric people who discuss physics and existentialism - those are my people.

So - back to our regularly scheduled juvenile blog - now they (CM) have taken over the ENTIRE STREET (okay, maybe not all of it - but the part of it where I live). The vacant lot next door is full of trucks and craft services and klieg lights and people talking and security guards. Feel sorry for the critters who normally hide out there at night - the stray and feral cats, the crows, etc.

Friends of mine who came by to pick me up this afternoon were bawled out by a security cop just for pulling over to pick me up. That was kind of ridiculous. I mean, I don’t have to worry about parking a car, so I was better off than my neighbors who had to find other parking spots today because of all the hoopla (and I don’t think they were offered any compensation for it). So, having a friend just pull over to pick me up doesn’t seem to warrant a lecture from a cranky middle-aged cop. If anything, they should have apologized to my friend for having to dodge all the cones. We are doing THEM a favor. Maybe I should write a letter. They film quite a bit on this street. They should respect the inhabitants.

AnyHOW - part of me just wants to start trouble. The kleig lights are shining into my window and the people are talking and I feel like shining mirrors or lights back down on them or asking if I can have some of the food from their potluck on the tables in the vacant lot next door or if they’ll pay us for putting up with them.  Cuz I would like the cash, thank you very much.

I’m just going to make do with making sure my tv is on really loud when my shows come on.

It’s a Matter of Love.

I’ve been loading CDs on my hard drive and then selling them on Amazon or at Amoeba. I can’t really do that with my DVDs, so I’ve been going through and pulling the movies I only kinda liked or the collections where I only had part of the collection but not all of it. Then last week I did a culling of books that could be sellable. I’m not saying I’ve actually sold all these things, but they are all listed on my Amazon.com store and part of that means pulling them from the shelves and putting them in bags around my desk so they’re at hand should someone order them.

This culling has left some room on my otherwise crowded shelves, which is nice.  But there was this one area, my “entertainment” center, where the small TV cabinet my tv sat on and my DVD and CD player sat in was just empty and ugly. Sunday I decided it was time to take that cabinet out altogether since I no longer needed the shelf space for DVDs. It was a bit of a project.

First, the TV, given to me by friends years ago when they upgraded, is one of those very heavy 40 inchers. After I cleaned the top of the TV off of the stuff I kept there (candles, and stuff), I pulled a couple of chairs from the kitchen and was able to ootch the TV from the cabinet and balance it on the chairs. I didn’t want to even try to pick the tv up off the floor once I was done because, well, it’s just too heavy for that. Then I pulled out cords and speaker wires and moved the CD and DVD player. The black pressboard cabinet was much heavier than I imagined — and DIRTY! So, I pulled that off and put it out of the way. That left me with the old metal and wood chest everything has been sitting on for the last few years. It’s the kind of chest that someone would have used when they went away to college early in the 20th century. Maybe the kind of chest a student would use when they went away to Hogwarts. I’d found it for $25 years ago in a land far away and to the north. It is more beat up than when I bought it. I have tried to shine the metal and wood as much as possible, but it’s still old and battered. I realized I hadn’t looked inside in a long time and didn’t know what was in there.

After dusting and cleaning the outside, I opened it up to find the boxes of keepsakes I’d forgotten I had: photos, cards, diplomas, honors cords, a receipt for care from when my family had gone to the health clinic for shots (2 shots and 1 exam came to $17.90 back in 1977), a coloring book of the Christmas story from Montessori School with a note of how Jesus grew up to be the best man in the world (the head teacher - free thinking that she was - had penned in “one of” before she’d signed it - San Francisco in 60s!), papers from college, reports from high school, junior high and grade school, and then, in a Camp Fire folder that I used to adore (red plastic faux leather with a GOLD stamp) I found stories I had written when I was 8 and poetry I had written when I was 13. I didn’t find the poem that was published in the Pioneer Junior High School newspaper back in eighth or ninth grade, I lost that long ago. But, I did find another one I had written I had forgotten about — on Algebra.  And I didn’t find the essay I wrote when I was 8 saying I wanted to be a writer like Laura Ingalls Wilder when I grew up, but I did find the essay I wrote about how I liked mountains. Then on the back of that was the one on how I liked trees. Then there was the essay on how I wanted to be taller than any tree and wanted to grow so I’d be able to reach outer space. Then there was the story about what happened the day the world turned purple.

I’d forgotten all about those things, written and found. It was comforting to see that I am who I am and just always have been this same person.

Then, of course, I had to call and talk to my dad and my mom and my sister and another friend of mine. And after putting it off for a long time, put everything back into boxes, put the boxes back into the chest, close the chest, dust off the TV and put it back on the chest, reconnect the DVD player and CD player, hook up all the speaker wires, find places to put the players, figure out what to do with tv cabinet for the time being, and then stand back, admire my work, and wonder where the day went.

It was quite the personal archeological dig.