Reading: The Sisters of Henry VIII

Moving: 30' Nordic Track today and yesterday

Watching:

Cooking: No supper today

House: taped the trim Monday, put one coat on three windows yesterday. Today I shopped.

5 December 2001: Stockings

A new USB card brought my trackball and webcam back. Wheee! But my chair is filled with buddy cage, so I'm just standing here. Blake's in my chair because we're having pub night--darts and Bad Company ("You haven't listened to this disc since college? That is criminal!" said SPM to RDC) and beer and Blake frantic because he wants to be with the company but he hates darts (flying things are bad) and Christmas paper (which I'm wielding on the floor around him).

Today I started shopping in meatspace. My notstepmother said she would like Christmas ornaments. Um, twist my arm. I wondered, though, because Christmas ornaments are a tricky thing, so personal. SMW said she was easy to please--she's definitely not related to my sister and me--but I needed a range:
"Okay, last year I saw animal print ornaments. Leopardskin."
"Ehh, no. I wouldn't like that."
"Good, good. Now, what I would like to get for you is a turtle." (She likes turtles.)
"I would love a turtle!" as if she'd never heard of a turtle ornament before.

I love people being easy to shop for. But ornaments and me, what a danger. In the immortal words of Hunter S. Thompson, "Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious [ornament] collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can." My goal, ornament-wise, is to recreate my mother's collection. There are the basic items: a pear, a bird, some stars, some balls. Also you must assert your personality, or have your notstepdaughter assert it for you. I found an apple and a pear. I found a sitting Labrador Retriever, which she can share with my father. I found two basic glittery blown-glass balls. I saw a partridge, but it was in Needless Mark-up so I left it. I found a sparkly glass ball with white, red, and green accents. I found a horse, because she used to have horses. And of course, I found a turtle. Now if everything survives the journey to Florida, all will be well.

My sister and I are doing only stockings for each other this year, and tonight I found her a green M&M figurine filled with miniature M&Ms, a book called I Don't Need to Have Babies--I Date Them, a Lucyvan Pelt Pez dispenser, the usual things like Blistex and Q-tips, a few hair doodads, a pedicure implement with a pumice stone on one side and a brush on the other, and some chalk so she can draw on the sidewalk. Another staple, Crane stationery with a C monogram. And glow-in-the-dark stars for her ceiling. It's a good start.

So.

My father, as usual, doesn't know what he wants. He's getting "Band of Brothers" and a half-share in the Lab ornament. Maybe Band of Brothers too.

Tomorrow back to painting. Everything but the windows will be done by Saturday, when we will get our tree tree tree! I should be able to finish the windows over the weekend, in time for our first party on Thursday. It might not count: it's just my department for a bit before moving on to the company party at the zoo.