Monday, December 17, 2007
Helping the Parental Units
I headed to Halifax this weekend after spending early Saturday as a Dicken's-type character at East Point. (Boy, am I glad I wore some extra layers that day - it sure was chilly!) Dad had surgery on his ankle on Friday evening and he was still in the hospital. Sunday was a busy day - I started at 7 AM with laundry and then got to work on their tree. My folks like lots of lights on the tree, but over the years, it had started to lose its shape a bit and some of the rows of lights weren't working, etc etc. So I took off all of the lights, re-shaped the tree and then started from the top and put lights on each little branch. I had to pick up a few extra lights for it this morning, and mom and I decorated the tree and put the remainder of the house decorations up today. It feels good to have all of it done. :-)
Unfortunately, dad is still in the hospital. They want to keep him there until they are absolutely sure that there is no risk of infection. That being said, his surgeon stopped in while mom and i were visiting around supper time, and mentioned that he may have to put another screw in, so dad may require another surgery. The surgeon said he'd be back to talk about it in a day or two. So it looks like dad may be there for a while yet. That was exactly why I stopped into Micheal's Crafts after supper and picked up a small tree and some garland and ornaments for it (all on sale for 50% - 70% off@!!) and brought them in to dad - so he could have a bit of Christmas cheer in his room. Tomorrow morning I'm going to surprise him with a portable DVD player!! :-)
Posted by Dre at 11:08 PM
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Friday, December 14, 2007
Friday's Feast
Appetizer
Make up a word and give us its definition.
Fantabulous - fantastic and fabulous.
My favorite made-up word came from a contest hosted by The Washington Post: sarchasm = the gulf between one's sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
Soup
What is currently your favorite song?
"Ooh La La" by Goldfrapp.
Salad
What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
I'd just like to have a nice Christmas with friends and family.
Main Course
Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.
I'm just not used to people wearing scents anymore - and I wouldn't be able to name someone's perfume or cologne if asked.
Dessert
Who is someone on television that you feel probably shouldn’t be, and why?
I do wonder how Jennifer Love Hewitt keeps getting work...
Posted by Dre at 7:44 AM
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
A Scotch Tape Addiction
Not me. My cat, Hunter. That's right. I knew when wrapping Christmas gifts last night that Hunter wouldn't leave any ribbon alone, so the gifts are pretty sparse compared to my usual wrapping. And I knew that he would chew on the Scotch tape if I left the dispenser lying around. But I wasn't aware that his addiction to the tape reached even further than that. I found myself finding new homes for the wrapped gifts in the middle of the night as Hunter would not stop licking the tape. Silly cat.
Posted by Dre at 7:50 AM
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Ouch!
I feel terrible for my dad. He slipped on the front step yesterday and broke his ankle - badly. It was backwards. They were having freezing rain there and he was stuck sitting on the step in the rain waiting for the ambulance to arrive. It got to the end of the road and then turned around because there was a big accident that took precident. Eventually one came. They re-set his ankle then took xrays and have determined that he needs surgery, but with his heart, they cannot do it without a cardiologist present. So he'll be in the hospital for a few days. I hope they can find a room for him today - I can't imagine being able to get much rest at all being stuck in emergency.
Posted by Dre at 7:42 AM
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Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Stuck In My Head
"Ooh La La" by Goldfrapp has been stuck in my head all day. The video is not so great, but the tune is fun!
Posted by Dre at 1:19 PM
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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Holiday Getting to Know You
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Egg nog. I can't drink it anymore, unless someone can figure out a lactose-free version. And I sure do miss it.
2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree?
All wrapped up - which makes the unwrapping ceremony of Christmas morning so much fun!
3. Colored or white lights?
Coloured, of course!
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. Not real mistletoe at any rate. Isn't it poisonous for cats? Someone gave me a ball of fake mistletoe a number of years ago and I do put that up.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
At the beginning of December. I like to enjoy the colored lights and festive atmosphere for 2 - 3 weeks before the holidays.
6. Favorite holiday dish?
Mom's tourtiere. Although I can't eat it anymore as it contains bacon, and I'm allergic to pork.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
All those Christmases when I was so excited to get up and get going, and we'd have relatives, such as Aunt Jessie join us for Christmas!
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I can't remember. I think I just kind of figured it out from a number of clues. Although when I approached my mom and told her that I don't believe in Santa, she said if I didn't believe, then I wouldn't get gifts from him anymore. To which I replied, "I believe! I believe!"
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes, most Christmases, but not all.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
I inherited a lot of old glass ornaments from my parents and over the years I've collected a fair amount of ornaments that are unique and have personality. I have an artifical tree and I use cream ribbons and iridescent beads for garland. I have a new tree this year that has colored lights built in, and I love it. I like the lights and ornaments to really fill the tree up. I also have a Christmas village that lights up that I set up on my mantle, and a handful of snow globes and Christmas candles, etc. through the apartment.
11. Snow: Love it or hate it?
I love a beautiful fresh coating, especially the kind that clings to the trees, and makes you want to go skiing. That being said, I am not fond of shoveling out my car or dealing with the subsequent overnight parking ban and messy roads and sidewalks.
12. Can you ice skate?
Yes. My mom taught me when I was young, and when we lived in Edmonton, I took figure skating lessons. I quit when they were starting to pressure me to 1.)do jumps, and 2.)go competitve (which we couldn't afford, besides, I was also in 4H and Girl Guides as well so I only has so much free time for practice, but I digress).
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
The most memorable was the Sindy (like Barbie) doll townhouse that was taller tahn me, and it came with with ALL of the furniture, even silverware!!
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Spending time with friends and family.
15 . What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Mom's thumbprint cookies. Drool.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Christmas morning, getting up and making coffee and getting settled with my parents in the living room, with Christmas music on in the background. I get to play "elf" and dole out the gifts one by one. We would take turns opening the gifts and really enjoy surprising each other with what we got. It's not a rushed process at all, and often takes a couple of hours.
17. What is on top of your tree?
Just this year, I've inherited a beautiful bronze-colored Christmas angel from my parents.
18. Which do you like best giving or receiving?
I enjoy both, but I think I get more out of giving.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Carol of the Bells.
20. Do you like candy canes?
No. They are wasted on me.
21. What is your most desired Christmas wish?
To be able to enjoy the holiday season with as little stress as possible. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves over the holidays and there's usually a lot to do to get ready for it, and a lot of events to go to. I was talking to a co-worker the other day and she said that one year her and her husband had 15 Christmas parties to attend. They had found themselves super-stresed that season and agreed from that point on to pick and choose and only go to the ones that they really were in the mood to go to. There's a lot of pressure to "have a good time" and that can be tough to try to live up to, so I am trying to remind myself to just take the season one thing at a time and really enjoy and appreciate what I do choose to do. Now that I have my Christmas decorations up, and my apartment feels welcoming and festive and relaxing, I'm looking forward to helping Lisa decorate her place. :-) I think it'll be a fun evening!
Posted by Dre at 7:07 AM
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Monday, December 10, 2007
A Nice Long Weekend
I'm loving the Friday vacation days!
This weekend I managed to get the remainder of my Christmas decorations up, and my apartment is finally clean and organized again. My Thursday evening and Friday day were spent decorating/tidying/running errands. I went to a fun house party with Lisa on Friday night and met some very nice folks.
Saturday morning was an early morning, as Lisa, Scott M, Bob and I went to work as Dicken's characters at East Point Shopping Center. It was fun - we got to greet folks and wish them a Merry Christmas. We gave 15 turkeys away, and a ton of roses for the ladies. It was nice to brighten people's days, and I love our costumes!!
After the Dickens gig, Lisa, Bob and I rushed over to the initial readin g of Tuesday's With Morrie. If you haven't read the book, you should. It's so good. Of course we all wound up crying before they were done the reading of the play. I will be doing the set design for it, although it will be a very simple set for this show. Keith and I went to my work Christmas party on Saturday evening, but we didn't last too long. It was nice to see folks fromthe office dressed up, and good to chat with the couple of people that we did chat with before we left.
Sunday afternoon, Lisa and Sarah and Chris and I went to see The Golden Compass. I'm still halfway through the first book and I look forward to finishing all 3 books in that series. The movie was very enjoyable too. As for the rest of the day, i chose to hibernate. Just too chilly to leave the apartment. :-)
Posted by Dre at 7:35 AM
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Thursday, December 06, 2007
Big Tree
I have a new Christmas tree and finally got it up (with Keith's help, thankfully) and I love it! It's larger than my previous artifical tree (which is now going to Lisa) and it's so much easier to put up. It already has 800 multicolor lights on it and it's nice and full. I can't wait to decorate it!
Posted by Dre at 7:55 AM
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Wednesday, December 05, 2007
The Vet Visit
My cats just went in for their annual check-up. Good timing too, as Hunter has recently been making many trips to the litterbox without really doing much. Poor thing. He's currently sequestered in the living room with a special litter so I can collect a sample of his urine and bring it back to the vet. Terribly exciting times, I know. At any rate, he may be getting a bit of a diet adjustment if they find crystals in his urine. As it is, H&G are on a new diet of twice daily feedings with no dry food left out. It'll be nice to see Hunter slim down to a healthier size.
After the vet visit, I spend the remainder of the evening finally finishing the "spring cleaning" of my living room. That means tonight I can mop the floors and then pull out the Christmas decorations and start getting set up - aww yeah!
UPDATE
Well, it turns out that Hunter has a urinary tract infection and is prone to them. He has some antibiotics to take over the next couple of weeks and he now has a new diet of special food. I'm glad it's something that's manageable, and I'm glad he'll be ok.
Posted by Dre at 7:45 AM
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Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Long Weekend #2
I'm using vacation days to extend my weekends this month and I'm really enjoying it. This weekend I had Friday and Monday off!
My goal this weekend was to finish sorting through and cleaning out and organizing my filing so that I'd have room to put my tree up. As I started, I realized that I had some things, like scripts, that needed a home outside of the filing system with the remainder of theatre stuff. That meant making room and moving a few books, which then meant finding a new home for those books, and so on and so on.... It turned into cleaning out a ton of old books, cabinets, shelving, etc. - essentially my entire living room. I gathered a ton of garbage and I have a huge pile of stuff to drop off at the Salvation Army.
Friday started with running errands - getting groceries, oil change, winter tires put on, etc. I then spent the evening cleaning/sorting.
I got up early on Saturday and worked at it for 2 hours before heading over to Lisa's to help her move. The move went well, thanks to all of the folks who showed up to help. We finished around lunch time and went for a bite to eat at the Market, then Lisa and I headed back to her place and did a bit of unpacking with Nicole and Colleen so that she's be able to sleep there that night. By 4 PM, we finished up and headed to my place to get ready for Lisa's work Christmas party. It was nice and I had a good time. Congrats to Lisa for winning the big prize of the evening!
Sunday morning I hung out with Keith a bit and then took Lisa shopping for a coffee table/ottoman and a few other items. I helped her set up her book cases and organize all of her books (alphabetically by author) and then we had dinner at the Thai Hut and then went out to Brenda's shop for fittings. By the time I got home and returned a few phone calls, it was 9:30. I did a few hours of fining and then called it a night.
Monday I was up early and got straight to work cleaning things out. It was a super-productive day. I called it quits at 12:45 last night and I think I can get things finished tonight, even after digging out my car and taking my cats to the VET for their annual checkup. Maybe - I could even get my tree up!!
Posted by Dre at 7:47 AM
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