Howdy all!
First off, Congratulations to Big Little Aussie. He is such an amazing person. You must be so proud Aussiegirl.
Well, I've had a totally frustrating night. I get home only to find out that I don't have my house keys! I hate when that happens. No one in my building was home. So, I had to slink home to my parents house, fortunetly they were home.
I had just cleaned out my purse, and i must have not put the house keys back in.
You know the funniest thing, Usually I check for my keys about twenty times before I leave the house in the morning. Ha! First morning I don't do that, and look what happens.

Oh well, the venting session is over. Gonna go get some sleep.
I hope everyone is doing well.

Thanks for that, guys! My big little Dux collected his trophys yesterday, and he not only got the Dux, but 4 other awards too! After the 4th time he went up to the stage, the school Principal started saying, "Not you again"!, heh. Anyway, suffice it to say that we are immensely, incredibly proud of our boy. We're thinking of having a surprise party for him, to congratulate him on all his success. So I'm trying to organise a cake and food and decorations etc, before he gets home from school. Today is the last day of school, yippeeeeeeee!!!!! It's 6 weeks of summer hols now, baby! And then high school....

Teena, don't you hate it when that happens? I too am a stickler for making sure the stove and the iron etc are off, and it would be the one day that I forget to check that the house would burn down!

Hi Pinki, Woodlock!

First of all, how incredibly cool, Aussiegirl! You just must be bursting with pride. What a lovely validation of all his toil and sweat--perhaps he'll tackle his homework with renewed vigor now, after he gets a summer off.
I was just thinking that Woodlock being an elf and all, he must be very busy this time of year; also curious as to whether his elf outfit has skin-tight tights or not; b/c really, they'd go well with a babydoll t.

I'm been flat out crazy busy of late, but am reading and keeping up with y'all, even though I can't always post. The kids and I are decorating a gingerbread house this afternoon. Can you say total chaos?
Oh, and I have a great book reco--Candyfreak, by Steven Almond. Laugh out loud funny, I tell you.
Hope everybody is doing well! Cheers!

Wow. V. quiet here! Was it something I said? Do I have BO? I had my sprinkle today, I promise!

Hey Hildy! How'd the house turn out? I used to do that every year when I was a little girl. It was so much fun. I did it more when Little Yogi was actually little, and it was even more fun.

Now I'm ready to chuck Christmas out my office window and head to an island in the Carribean. Grinchy, ugh? Christmas is just so labor intensive every year.

Congratulations to Big Little Aussie and you all, Aussie Girl. What an honor!

I don't even want to think about the key thing, Teena. But didn't Peachy look wonderful hacking through the forest with torch and voting chamber. It's amazing he didn't catch something on fire though. It made me nervous. Next time, I hope MB springs for a heavy duty flashlight. I would hate to see Peachy pull a Michael Jackson. Yikes!

Back to the gift mines, HO, HO, HO....

Hey Yogi Yep, the key thing was a real treat, but I got through it ok. Thank God my parents live close enough to me that I can go there when something like this happens. Yes, Yes, Yes Peachy did look good, all that traveling and not a hair out of place. Yummm!!

I hope everyone is doing well. Hildy Everyone must be shoppiing hard lately, but if it makes you feel better, "You smell Fine" :-)

take care all, and have a great night

Hey Guys!
I do have to say I love it when Peachy is like ultra-cheesy like he was last night what with the torches and the jumping and all, heh He melts my little elf heart.
There is a group interview tomorow at a store that just opened up here, hollister, so I figure they just opened they need like people Stat, and really how could you not give an elf a job this time of year haha.

Hi Hildy - I'm here now - it's been too hot to sit here and post during the day, I think I may well have to start posting at night when it's a little cooler. How's your back doing, mate? Hope you're feeling all ready for the festive season. Gingerbread houses and all.

And Yogi - throwing Christmas right out the window! Hee! Sometimes it really gets to that, but persevere mate, only 11 more days (or 12, if you live in the US). Though the Caribbean is certainly appealing....

It was just so incredibly hot here yesterday and we ended up getting a big tropical storm. The lights flickered briefly and there was I saying, "No! No!!!!!! Not now!The Survivor Finale is on tonight"! Luckily, although 40,000 homes lost power, we were not one of them. Teena, Woody etc how cool was Peachy with his daring, over the top adventures! Hilarious! What a man!

And today was going to be even hotter, so we just got the hell out of here early today and went to my sister's house (she has a pool). I swear, the ground was so hot that just taking the 3 or 4 steps from where I discarded my shoes to the pool (on wet ground) I burned my feet! But God it was great to just get wet and cool down. It was still 37C at 5pm today, and right now at 7.45pm it's 34C. Phew!

Best of Luck to you today, my Elfin Friend. Christmas should be your season, so all appendages crossed for you today.

I can't imagine a place in the world where it is that hot right now, Aussie Girl. I'm so glad you have a place to cool off. Sisters can be most helpful.

I fear for the electric company had you lost power on Survivor Finale Night - Oh. MY. HECK. We would have been reading about it in NYC!

Schlumping in to say Hi. It has been a long couple of weeks - sick kids - both of 'em, and holiday preparations and visiting with relatives and bleh. I just want to sleep. Hopefully this weekend I will get a chance to do that. (Yogi, girl, I can relate to your holiday fatigue - I say throw in the hat and give everyone a card and a kiss and call it Christmas)

Teena, sorry about your key fiasco. Been there, done that, done that, done that. Wouldn't it be nice if we never had to lock our residences? Not such a good idea, though, I know.

Woody, any news on the job? Hmmm?

Hello all! Hope everyone is doing welll.
Aussiegirl You poor thing. I wish I could send some of our cold weather out to you so you can cool off. Right now at 7:30pm it is 29 degrees. It supposed to only get to 30 degrees for a high tomorrow. BRRRRR!! If I were you, I think i'd just sleep in that pool. Stay cool Mate!

Heidihug I hope your kids are better now. So many people are sick right now.
I hope you get some rest this weekend. I wish we could just leave our doors unlocked, and forget about the keys. YOur right though, NOt a good idea. Maybe i'll just have them tattooed on me somewhere.

Sending good thoughts to the Elf. I hope you get that job. You should be a shoe in for it. Let us know.

I haven't seen iMissEthan around lately, I hope everything is going ok.

Well, gonna run. I'm sending xmas cards tonight. Everytime I do xmas cards and xmas lights, I think of that song "twelve things at xmas that are such a pain to me". The cards and lights are my favorite parts to that song.

Everyone have a great night!

Damn right! I can handle anything else life throws at me, but NOT THAT!

And Yogi, Teena, I can't imagine a place in the world where it is cold. Not when I'm sitting here with sweat dripping off me, and it's just too hot to live.

Heidi hope the kids are better now! And that you will get a chance to rest and recuperate.

Elf what news of the job search?

Hey all! I'm fine; just haven't really had much to say lately. Had a cool weekend...Friday night, went out with some friends to a cool little pocket of East Harlem I'd never been to before at around 116th & 1st. Saturday I met a good friend of mine who'd moved to upstate NY for lunch with some of his friends, and by the time I left his friends it was 3 in the morning, with much shopping and eating and drinking and hanging out in between. And Sunday I had some friends over for the finale. So all in all a pretty funfilled packed weekend!

The bad news: the place where I temp is closed from Christmas Eve through the Monday after New Years, so that's 6 unpaid forced vacation days for me (I'm on the list for short term assignments that week in between, but it's not very likely), which pretty much cancels out Christmas for me, even cards, as I'm going to have to funnel that money into getting through that unpaid week. I'm OK with it now, and everyone's very understanding, but I was really disappointed at first because although it's a cliche, I honestly like to give more than receive, about 75% out of altruism and 25% because my tastes are so random yet specific that unless it's a gift certificate or cash, it's rarely anything I can use anyway! Last year, for example, I had a whole Excel spreadsheet devoted to people's gifts and got geeky pleasure out of updating it as I went along. So this year I'm just going to do e-cards and put extra effort into everyone's birthdays. I'd rather do that, and know that I'm getting people something they'll really like, than get people something half-assed just for the sake of getting them something.

On the flip side, this year I have two New Year's Eve parties to choose from, both of which sound equally appealing, so that's a definite improvement over last year, where my plans fell through at the last minute and I wound up alone! So overall things are well with a few frustrations...hope things are well with all of you too!

ETA: Oh, to add insult to injury? Just found out that yes, I am indeed required to buy a "$20 unisex gift" and a refreshment for our mandatory departmental holiday breakfast here, even though I'm not an actual employee and I'm getting absolutely screwed on pay. Ho ho bite me.

I've been busy here too - some of you know, but I put in notice last week & will be starting a new job in early January. So it's been hectic & emotional to say the least. Phew.

As for "mandatory office giving" I think it generally sucks. I can handle a few bucks for a cake at someone's birthday but I think office stuff can go too far, even if you like your coworkers. If HR or the director or whomever feel that the need to pump up holiday spirit is by exchanging gifts, it has to be minimum at best - white (pink? I always forget) elephant, 5 dollar limit, or choosing to participate in Secret Santa. I completely agree gift giving is organic or should be.

Dodo if you can't get out of it (& it may not be worth rocking the boat), I say head to Old Navy & get like a scarf & hat - it's on sale this week according to the people singing at me in commercials and I bet it comes closer to 12 bucks but is worth 20.

Hi Dodo. I'm sure that your friends just appreciate the gift of YOU in their lives. That does suck though about having to cough up money for work gifts while you've got to manage without pay for a time. But your New Year parties sound great!

Hey Skachicka! I didn't know you're leaving your job and starting another. That's always a hectic thing to do, but I'm sure in time everything will settle down for you. So what's going on in your life, mate?

I'm hoping we'll have a new addition to the Meet Market soon, with another Aussie poster. If Hejjie drops by, please make her very welcome!

Yikes, Last Dodo! And Heh too!

I can't imagine expecting or requiring anyone to buy a gift. That does seem kind of Grinchy to me. On the other hand, I am insane in all the people I gift during the holidays. I think it's important to remember the people who work for you either directly or indirectly throughout the year. I can't imagine demanding they show up with a gift and a dish. How strange.

On the other hand, I hardly have a conventional office environment. We are closing the office for the second morning in a row so that my two assistants and I can finish putting up my Christmas tree. The others in the office are traveling, so it was sort of quiet (rationalization, rationalization.) Shame on Me! Don't tell anyone - heh.

HO, HO, Bite.... oh never mind.... Ho!

I already just got a $20 Best Buy cert and am done with it, but thanks for the suggestion...I appreciate it! It's the HQ of a TJ Maxx-like retail store, so I tried to stay away from anything we sell or any stores that would sell the same types of things, like clothing, shoes, etc. Along similar lines, the intern I work with (who I'm going to miss a lot when her internship ends next week--she helps keep me sane) got a $20 Barnes and Noble cert. I'm trying to look on the positive side, that I'll be getting a gift myself in exchange. (I just hope it's the B&N cert and not an Amazing Chia Herb Garden!)


Thanks. I hope so. I try!

So last night I did what's becoming an annual tradition...helping a friend of mine shop at Macy's. Last year we both had things to get, and she gets really frustrated with the crowds and the process on her own, but together it's fun...we make sure to take a coffee break midway through. She had to buy something for her sister, and man, I didn't realize the 80s were back to this extent! Lots of 80s-style purples and pinks, and there was this one leotard-like thingy that was zebra print but with green instead of white that practically jumped off the rack and screamed, "WE! ARE! YOUNG!" I've also proven to be quite useful if you need to buy a dress shirt for your conservative law student brother. Buy whatever I don't like!

That's very sweet of you. I'm fine and have been posting like mad as usual, but I do admit I haven't gotten down to the bottom of the list (I read TWoP alphabetically) in a few days. I'll also be away after Friday for a week or so. There will be computer access where I'm going, but I think it's dial-up, so if I do come to TWoP, it will just be recap reading for me since it will be too slow and frustrating to attempt the boards.

We did find a couples counselor and I have my appointment tomorrow. This guy wants to see each of us separately before our joint sessions begin. I guess that's standard procedure, but I have no idea. Things are actually much better with us now (not that they were ever really bad by any stretch of the imagination, I just think they could be better).

Hey Guys!
So yeah, I'm like worried, cause if I don't find a job by tomorow, I will have to find a new place of residence and I'm scared out of my mind, my mom wants to ship me off to my dad's, which I do not know what she is thinking cause while we get along now but before the devorce like, four years ago we did absolutly did not get along what so ever, that and I don't know if he has a computer are anything and he lives in Mississippi and I know this sounds very childish of me, but it's away from all of my friends.

Yogi, that sounds like a cool working enviroment, I am sure you are the coolest boss evah :)!

Dodo, thanks alot now I have Pat in my head haha. I am sure I have never been inside a Macy's, but I hear they put on a good parade.

It's good to see you again, Imisseathan!

Oh no! I am so sorry, Woodlock! That's got to be scary. And I know the economy is improving, but it's still not like jobs are growing on trees or anything. I went through the same thing for two years, and I have a good friend who's living with her mom and her mom is on her back all the time even though all she's been able to find are temp assignments. She wants to get a perm job here in NYC so she can get the hell out of living with her mom in suburban Jersey, so it's certainly not for lack of effort on her part!

I really hope all turns out for the best. Please keep us posted. I'll be wondering how things are.

iMissEthan, I'm glad to hear about the counseling/boyfriend situation! I've been meaning to ask you.

Woody mate, I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there no other option? Would your mum be willing to lend you a little money so you can stay where you are or something? Just keep your spirits up mate, and everything will work out okay.

Hey yogi bear - how's the putting up Chrissy trees going? Of course you had to close the office to do it, it's a lot of work to decorate them trees! Heh. This year we went all out, and instead of putting up our old, falling apart tree, we bought a new really big one, and some fantastic decorations for it. It really looks beautiful, everyone who sees it says it is the most beautiful tree they've seen. I guess I can get creative when I want to. Want me to come over there and help you with your office tree? Heh. Wish I could, mate.

Nice to see you here iME. Where are you off to? You said the place you are going to only has dial up, so I thought you must mean.... here! So annoying that we cannot get anything better, and we live in a big city. Anyway hope the counselling goes well for you both.

Dodo you sound like such a cool person to go shopping with!

Littlest Aussie has Chicken Pox! Poor thing. He's covered in them and is not feeling too good. Understandably. And we had a big day planned today, we were going to catch a train into town, meet my family and have lunch, and then check out all the magical Christmas displays. Oh well, not today.

*Waves* Hi everyone! Here I am, dipping my toe into the Meet Market waters - AussieGirl reassures me that the water is warm and the locals friendly, which is the conclusion I had come to after lurking for quite some time. BTW, do you guys know how cool AussieGirl is? If not, just thought I'd let you all know that she is way cool.

So... a little bit about me. I'm a single gal from Melbourne, Australia. I love reality TV, in particular Survivor, The Amazing Race, and America's Next Top Model, and by extension I read TWOP on a daily, nay hourly, basis (predominantly on these three boards, although I have to avoid TAR at the moment as we're only just now seeing TAR 5 and have no idea when we're getting TAR 6). Other shows that have brought me to TWOP include Popular, Freaks & Geeks and My So Called Life.

I work as an office manager at a small marketing company and have been with them since they started business about 4.5 years ago. Apart from doing a really good imitation of a couch potato, I love AFL football, going to the movies, shopping, listening to music, reading and pandering to my 4 year old cat's every need (total child substitute).

(You know I read and re-read the above but couldn't think of any other way of saying it without it sounding like an ad for the personals!! Which is totally not the impression I was going for!)

I think that's about it from me for my first time - I really just wanted to pop my head in and say hi! That said, I can't go without chiming in on the MM love for the Stephanie Plum books (from way, way, way upthread). For me, they are a neck and neck tie with the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton. Has anyone started to read the Bubbles books by Sarah Stroehmeyer (sp?)? I would recommend them to Plum fans everywhere.

Hey hejjie! Glad to see you've come to join our merry little group!

Yes, I think everyone does. I try, but alas, school gets in the way. I've had to cut my daily dose to once or twice a day.
Okay, I just reread that. It sounds like I'm a druggie. Really, I'm not like that! And if I am, I'm sure I'm not alone! Perhaps we should start a TWOPs Anonymus.

Thanks, Dodo, and Aussie, Y'all are great, but actually tonight I just went ahead and called my dad, cause I know sometimes you can grow by going out into the world, and so I will pretend that this is my Real World and that the six other strangers will just be my dad haha. Oh and I get to take my cat! Which I was hoping cause Mom really doesn't like him all that much, but I am so gonna miss my puppy, well I call her my puppie she is 11 and will be 12 in may which is frighting. And of course I'm gonna miss my friends so bad, but hey that's why God invented the phone right, and I hope he has a computer at his house, if he doesn't he will have to soon. But it looks like I will probably leave my house like next week sometime, I will of course keep you guys informed.
But really You are all the best gift an elf could hope for :)

On a lighter note welcome Hejjie!

And a very big Gidday to Hejjie! It's great to see you, mate - everyone here is really nice and I think you'll feel right at home. And it's so cool to have another Aussie here too! BTW, Marquesas is on it's way to you as I type. Enjoy!

Woody that is so sad, I just don't know what to say to you. But I think you are right when you said that you grow when you head out into the world. I know that I did. I was just 20 when I went over to live in the US, and it changed my life for the better. So, try to look on it in as positive a way as you can. And make sure you keep in touch.

Hey Pinki! I think for sure that I need to sign up for TWoP Anonymous, heh.

Hi everyone else too!

I'm going to my sister's house in New Hampshire. I don't even have a computer at home, just work, so the fact that she does makes it more technically advanced than my abode, but I'm pretty sure they're still on dial-up. With five kids they try to save where they can. But take a look at my post totals and I think you'll be giving me props or pity for posting so much ar work.

Woody Elf I'm very sorry your mom put you in this position - and right before Santa comes. I hope things work out better in Mississippi. Sometimes a change can lead to very good things.

Welcome hejjie!

IME glad you're pursuing steps to work through your relationship. Best of luck.

Aussie sorry about the timing of the chicken pox but at least he's getting them nice & young. Don't they run their course much faster when one's young than older?

Me? I'm so looking forward to no more crazy ass phone calls. Next to my head. About stuff I don't care about or want to know. Gah. Killin' me. Ugh.

Have good weekends all!

I've got to post and run, but I wanted to say hi to Hejjie - you'll like it here! Do you know AussieGirl in person? I just adore her - she's my (far) Southern sister.

woodlock - you know we're thinking about you, sweetie. Keep us updated with your move and other plans.

skagirl - congratulations! It's sounded for a while like this hasn't been your dream job so I hope your new one is a better fit. Are you staying in the non-profit world?

iME - have a great time in New Hampshire. I'm stunned you don't have a computer at home! I've always thought of you as one of the pluggeder-in people. And good luck with the bf.

Holiday cheer to everyone else, and I'll stop in again soon.

Hi guys! Babalu, great to see you again! How's Mr Lu doing? Have been thinking about you guys. And no, the lovely Hejjie and I haven't met in person, but are getting to know each other through our mutual love of Survivor.

And hi again Ska! Yay for no more crazy assed phone calls right next to your head, whatever that means!

Have a good time in New Hampshire, iME!

Littlest Aussie is having a very bad time with the Chicken Pox. He has a severe case of it, with hundreds of them all over him. Poor little guy, he's just miserable with all the scratching and woke up numerous times last night (I stopped counting after 25) so the two of us are not doing so well right now. Craving some sleep, but it's hard to even have a nap with him so uncomfortable and irritated, and the heat sure doesn't help.

Anyway, it should all be over soon. In the meantime, hope you all have a great weekend!

Hello TwoPer's!
First off, A big WElcome to Hejjie1 come by for a chat anytime!

Aussiegirl Poor Little Aussie. I hope he is feeling better real soon. Good to get those chickenpox out of the way at a young age.

iME I'm so glad you and your bf are doing well. i'm sure eveything will be fine. Thinking of you.

Hello Babalu Come back real soon, Ya hear!

Elf I"m so sorry your mom put you in that spot. Won't she let you stay at least till after the Holidays? I hope eveything works out with you and your dad. Maybe this can be the start of a better relationship. i"ll be thinking of you.

As for me, Got some bad news today. I took my puppy, she is 9, to the vet today. She is now in the hospital for a bad blood disease. They think that she has Hepatic Anemia. A dog is supposed to have a red blood count of 40 to 50. She has a count of 6! The doctor was surprised the poor thing was even awake. There is a chance that she has Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which can be contracted from a tic, or some kind of bug. There is also a chance she could have cancer in her liver or spleen. When the doctor examined her, she said that that area was swollen. She couldn't say exactly which was swollen though. I guess both are close together.

So, now that I brought the whole room down, I'm gonna run. I'm so numb right now about this. I thought that she just had a bug or something. i'll let you all know what I find out.

Oh Teena so sorry about your puppy, mate. Thinking of you and her, and please let us know how she is.

And about all I have to say, after 2 sleepless nights and 3 days of a crying, itching, miserable little boy, is I HATE THE CHICKEN POX!!!!

Hey guys!

I am in so much better spirits, me and mom have been getting along great this weekend, and I think maybe we do need a break, so I have good hopes, and I think Ill be in MS for a year at the most and then move back to Texas but instead of going home, I think I'll move to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Oh and I can take the computer so I won't miss much here so Yay!
{{{Teena, and Aussie}}}. I hope the puppy and chicken pox problems respectily go away.

Oh.My.Heck. I've taken to answering my e-mails and posting in the middle of the night. You can not imagine the chaos that is my life right now - home, office, you name it.

So I have had phone drama at the office for over two months at this point. I actually lost my temper with the technician, which is very out character as I generally try to make technicians very happy so they work hard for me and do a good job. I feed them lunch and treats and give them their favorite sodas and Starbucks. I'm shameless in my schmoozing. Nonetheless, I have no working fax at this moment and haven't for a week. Don't get me started on cell phones. Plus, I caught my computer tech (very pricey, very chi, chi tech man) trying to pry open my imac with his fingers because he thought my USB connections might be inside my DVD drive, and he didn't know how to open it. Ugh. Get some training, Bub! I'm pretty sure Mercury must be in retrograde or something. If you hear of a woman strangling a phone or computer tech the day before Christmas, I'm sorry to say, there is a real chance it might be me.

Anyway, there is a lot going on here too! Teena - poor puppy and very, very poor you. I love my dog so much, it's absurd. I'm sure you must be so worried. I'm hoping for the best for you. I'm also hoping Littlest Aussie is all pox free soon, Aussie Girl. Poor itchy thing. Is he all pink from the lotion? I remember that well from having it myself and from Little Yogi's excursion down pox lane. It's no fun. Little Yogi is going though his regular holiday bad time, so I'm with you on the sleepless thing. I'm so tired, I've taken to sleeping in the strangest places in public since I can't sleep in my house. Next thing you know, I'm going to be arrested for sleeping in public in the middle of the day. Except they don't arrest you for that in NYC, thank God.

Wow, Woodlock, I don't know what to say. I'm glad to hear that you will have a computer with you when you move so that you can stay in touch. I'm also happy that you and your Mom have found some peace in all this. I know that there have been many times in my life that I thought something that happened was really terrible, and it turns out to be just the thing I needed to make a change for the better. So in the end, it was a blessing. I do hope this move is the case for you. On the other hand, I'm not sure I would want to be openly gay in Mississippi, as I remember what some of the comments were like when I lived in rural Georgia. Please be careful until you get a feel for the situation. Are you going to be in a rural section or a city? I'm thinking the Catholic school girl outfit and the baby doll t-s may best stay in the drawer for just for the transition. And don't you have a new baby on the way at your father's house? This will be a wonderul opportunity for you to embrace being a brother - I think you will like it. Children are a lot of work, but they are also sort of magical.

Welcome to Hejjie. I love Stephanie Plum and Kinsey Milhone series, as well as Amelia Peabody (my favorite), so thanks for the recommendation of Sarah Stroehmeyer. I'm always looking for a new series as I just read these books so very much faster than they are written - heh!

Love to all. HO, HO, HO - zzzzzzzzzzz

Awww, yogi, things will be better soon. What a load of ho-ho-ho-bite me (tm The Last Dodo) to befall you at one time.

Teena - how's your baby? I'm completely in love with my cats, so I can imagine how worried you are.

We're having the most low-key holiday season ever, but that's fine with me. My Mr. Lu is enough holiday cheer for me.

Love to you all.

Awe, and wouldn't you just know that I ended up having a magical day today, Babalu, my sister? It was truly wonderful. Because of the sub, sub, subzero temperatures that graced NYC, I had the stores to myself. I went to Fauchon for Mr. Yogi's favorite candy, and ended up having lunch in the cafe with a friend. It was loveliness! I used to go to Fauchon in Paris all the time, but even though the one in NYC is just down the street, I had never made it before. Heaven! May I just say, hot chocolate made with Valharona is fabulous!

HO, HO, HO - my shopping is finished, my gifts are wrapped and sent, now it's just time for cards! Bite cookies!

Hello all! Just wanted to pop in to say, first of all, thanks for all the well wishes. Puppy is doing ok. She is home, and sleeping like a log right now. I doubt she got a wink of sleep while she was in the hospital. The nurses told us that her tail was going non stop. She is such a little trooper. Her blood work is still not great, but it's higher then it was. They are pretty sure that it is Anemia that she has. They are still waiting for the results of the Spotted Fever test to come back. She had a cat scan today and all they saw were very small stones in her bladder, which are not even big enough to be removed. I'm just so glad she is home!

Aussiegirl I hope Little Aussie is doing better. How long do Chicken Pox last anyway? I"m sure longer then any mum wants, i'm sure.

Yogi Sounds like you had a great time with your sister. Though, work sounds like no fun at all. Don't ya hate evil minded technicians? I hope it clears up soon for ya.

Elf Glad you and mom are getting along better. Sometimes a break is what you need to make it better. Thinking of you. Yay! you get to bring the computer!!

Good night all. Will let you know what's going on with the pooch. Thanks again for the good thoughts.

Hey Ms Yogi, I'm glad that things improved for you and that you had a good day. I hate phone drama - it should just never, ever happen! I hope that Little Yogi sleeps better soon, and that you do soon. Sleep deprivation is a very bad thing. Especially at Christmas.

Teena so glad that your dog is getting better, mate. And it's great that you have her home with you now.

Babalu I was really touched by what you said about Mr Lu being your holiday cheer. That's so sweet. Hugs to you both, my Northern sister.

Woody you sound like you are in good spirits, and that's great! So glad that you get to take your computer, so you can keep in touch with us. And I echo what Yogi said about being openly gay in a new place, it should not be like that, but it's best to be careful.

I took Littlest Aussie off to the doctor yesterday, who said he had a very severe case of Chicken Pox (tell me something I don't know!). But he prescribed 2 lots of medicines for the itch and the infection, and my little guy slept for the first time last night. Heaven! I think he's on the mend now, thank goodness, but still infectious, so we couldn't join the family today for my nephew's birthday celebrations. It sucks being in isolation when it's school holiday and Christmas time and there's so much going on. And Big Little Aussie misses out too, as we're housebound till at least tomorrow.

Oh yeah, I have already decided to put away the peacock feathers lol, but it shouldn't be too hard I don't have that many give away stuff and most of that is hidden from mom so, I'm used to it :)

Ho Ho Hell, it sounds as if quite a few of our MMers are having a tough time! Boo!

Aussie, a I just dropped a large hogsheadof calamine lotion off in Boston Harbah. Look for it in a couple years!
Woodlock, best of luck with your move! It sounds tough, but if anybody can make lemonade out of this move, you can! Oh, and buy ear plugs, if there's an infant arriving. You'll need it.
Yogi, You are taking care of everybody this holiday season, and you do it so well. But my question is, who is taking care of you? Go get a massage, girl! You deserve it!
And Yaaaaay for skagirl's new job! How cool is that that you left instead of having to wait for stupidhead coworker to leave? What're you going to be doing, and are you totally excited?
Babalu, you certainly have the right spirit for this holiday. Hope you and Mr. Lu have a blessedly healthy year in 2005. Big welcome to Hejjie and I hope your puppy gets better quickly, teena!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

AussieGirl, I hope the pox has started to clear up at your place. It's a horrible thing to have, and I'm sure the heat is not making it any better.

Teena, I'm glad that you have your puppy home with you. I hope that the vets can find a clear diagnosis soon and can get her on the path to wellness ASAP.

We're starting to wind up for Christmas here at work now and I for one cannot wait until Friday to sleep in (it is my birthday on Friday and so I decided to start my Christmas holidays one day earlier than everyone else!). We're also having our Christmas lunch tomorrow so really there is only one and a half days left of this working year for me. Yay! Does everyone here get a longish break? We've decided to "close" the office until the morning of 4 January this time round (public holidays and Christmas/Boxing Day falling on the weekend were most helpful in coming to this very wise decision).

So what's everyone got planned for New Years? I'm staying in this year with the couch, DVD player and a yummy dinner (perhaps fish and chips I think).

Hey Hejjie! It's great to see you here again. And I can't tell you how cool it is to have another Aussie post here! Apart from sleeping in on Friday, what else are you doing to celebrate your birthday? We're not doing anything much on New Year's Eve, it's a bit hard with young kids. I bet I know what you'll be watching on your DVD, heh! (For everyone else here, she'll be watching Survivor Marquesas).

Hey Hildy, thanks for Calamine Lotion drop mate! But two years is too long to wait so we already got some, heh.

I'm glad you decided to put away the peacock feathers, Woody. Mums just find that kind of thing hard to understand!

So how's everyone spending Christmas Day? We're going to my sisters, she has a pool and the forecast is for very hot weather, so that's the place to be. We're having brunch (and one of the dishes I'm taking is Yogi's Bacon on a Stick from Hildy's cookbook. I'm going through your book again today Hildy, to see what else I can make from it. It is such a bloody great book, and I am so glad that Yogi took pity on me not having access to it and sent me a copy. Thank you! My sister, who is a gourmet cook, also really liked it. I think she was hoping that it was maybe her Christmas pressie, but tough beans, it's MINE and I'm keeping it!

Wow, quiet around here today.

hejjie, happy birthday to a fellow holiday baby! (My birthday is tomorrow.)

Aussie, check out the weather forcasts for Minneapolis - you may appreciate your hot weather. It was -30 F with the wind chill this morning, making for a rather brisk walk to the bus stop. Fortunately, as we say 'round these parts, there is no bad weather, there are only poor clothing choices. In related news, Cuddleduds brand long underwear rule all within their sight.

We're spending Christmas at home this year, instead of heading east as we've done the past couple of years. Between one thing and another, money is tight, so we're staying put. Christmas Eve, we're having a traditional Swedish meatball dinner, and we'll go to the midnight service at our church (preceded by a carol sing). Christmas Day will involve pressies, cooking, eating, and playing with the kitty.

Today is my last day of work until after Christmas, and I don't post much from my pokey home dial-up connection, so I'll take this opportunity to wish everyone the happiest of holidays!

OK, so I have to eat some crow after all that bitching. That work holiday party with the mandatory gift turned out to be an absolute blast. What they did was they made a game out of it...you drew a number out of a hat, and you went in order. Basically, #1 selected a gift but didn't open it. #2 could take that gift or another one, and opened the one they chose. Every person after that could either open a new gift, or steal an already opened gift they liked from someone else, who got stuck with the new gift. Then #1 got to pick out of everyone's at the end. I was next to last, so I stole a Starbucks gift certificate. There were also gag gifts like padded toilet seats and hideously ornate ceramic birdhouses shaped like a ladies' flowered hat, but at the end it turned out they all got Starbucks gift certificates as the real gift. My Best Buy cert and this bottle of good wine were the two most popular...they each got stolen about 6 times! But it was a lot of fun and between that and the second Starbucks cert my bosses gave me, I'm set for awhile!

Haven't had much time to post lately, but I had an extremely fun and varied weekend that included a holiday party at a huge Upper West Side apartment where people actually gathered around the grand piano in the living room and sang carols...in perfect harmony, no less, which was simultaneously cool and kind of scary. That's musical theater people for ya! I saw a friend and former castmate give her first solo concert, which was awesome, hung out with some friends at an absolute divier-than-dive bar with $6 pitchers and country on the jukebox, and went to a birthday celebration at a lounge/club in Chelsea that was actually a lot more fun than pretentious. This keeps up and I'll actually start feeling like I have a life!

As far as Christmas, I'm spending Christmas Eve with my former stage manager and her friend. I'm bringing some champagne and my video/DVDs of A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph. Then Christmas Day is just my completely decadent ME! day. I pamper myself, don't do a damn thing other than what I want, order Chinese, and call in to my family's celebration back home and catch up with everyone. And I've been saving up holiday specials as they air all month for a marathon. That's what I've done every year since I've moved here, and I know a lot of people are like, "Isn't that lonely?" but I actually find it really relaxing and refreshing.

Oh--and like I said, I made customized e-cards this year for people, and themed most of them after TV shows we mutually watch. Here's my Survivor one. Happy holidays to a great group of wonderful, supportive people!

Hey Guys!

Firsts things first, It's Snowing! In Texas! Sorry but I'm not used to seeing it before January, but there is no point and trying to have fun with it cause its so freakin' dry you can't make a decent snow ball, much less a Snowman

Speaking of...Dodo, that card, is so awesome, and that is so a thing Peachy would do too.

Yikes Tracey, you try and spend all the time you can indoors!

Oh and I officialy move on monday, and Dad has his own computer, so I'm hoping its slighty better then this one and with any luck non-dial up, but I've never used anything other than, I am used to slow ones if I have to haha.

Happy Hollidays everyone!

Dodo that is such a great card! Awesome! (I especially love the Peachy part!). Glad to hear your work party turned out to be so much fun too. And you know what? A Christmas day like the one you have planned sounds exactly like what I'd like to do! Unfortunately, with kids that's just not an option as you really have to do the whole Christmas thing with them and for them.

And Happy Birthday to TraceyBee for today, or tomorrow, or whenever it is! It's tomorrow here today, so it must be time for you to celebrate! And oh my God, -30F brrrrrr! You poor things. And snow in Texas, Woody? As for poor clothing choices, I'd be lost. I don't really own much in the way of winter gear as we hardly get what you'd call a winter. Here, we're having our usual Christmas melt-a-thon, it's too hot to even wear clothes and you have to take cold bottled water wherever you go. I'm looking forward to cooling off in the pool on Christmas day, the forecast is for very hot and humid conditions in the morning, followed by an afternoon thunderstorm. Hmmph.

Just checking in to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEJJIE!

And also to wish all my MM friends a very happy and safe Christmas!

Happy Birthdays & Merry Christmas to all my MM friends!

Merry Christmas and Great Joy to all you guys!

Merry Christmas to All! And Happy Birthday to Tracey Bee and Hejjie!

I have been felled by a flu, so I wasn't able to send out all my cards after all. I did finish everything else however, thank God. And my fax machine is working! Unfortunately, my trip home was canceled, and Grandma Yogi is very sad. I have not been outside since Monday.

Hurray for Dad's computer, Woodlock. I'm going to believe it's the first of lots of good news coming your way in the next weeks. But to be safe, I'm sending lots of love and prayers and special Christmas blessings to you, dear elf.

Feliz Navidad, Baby!

Just a quick note to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa was good to all of you.