Ideas for Christmas

Ideas for Christmas pt. 1

Go to Heifer International. Instead of loading down that special someone with more crap they don't really need, buy livestock and have it shipped to a poor family overseas. They will use the livestock for food and income, and in turn pass off some of the animals to others in their village or town. Give the gift that keeps on giving!

Horrible Customer

Horrible Customer

I had a teapot snatched out of my hand. This horrid customer was making comments about everything (Look, you can get this set of glasses for 2.25, or just go to the dollar store), pointing out how poorly the shop is run (That camera is pointing the wrong direction. What are they trying to look at?) and as I put her one teapot into a paper bag (could you wrap that), then tried to take the lid off to wrap it -- it wouldn't budge, so I wrapped the whole thing and tried to put it in the bag again while holding onto her credit card. At which point she snatched it away (The purpose of wrapping it in paper is so that it doesn't break when the teapot rattles!) and did it herself.

I'll admit, I'm not in top form today. I'm very tired. In fact, after her, and the lady who was NEXT in line who bought cart loads of stuff (totalling 75.15) which I had to wrap - All of it. Under the watchful eye of the first lady - I've been on the verge of tears for the last hour or so.

My saving grace was the couple who were shopping while all this was going on who roundaboutly maligned all and sundryafter they walked out the door. It's lovely when someone that can SAY something, does. When you can't. I liked them very much. Half an hour more and I can close the doors, close out, and go to dinner. I'm taking me out tonight. Since I'm apparently not going to see a movie this evening.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child

And keeping up with a years-old tradition (thought it's been years since we've done it) Teri and I filled several shoeboxes last night.

They're due Sunday if anyone's thinking of participating. You can print out labels online.

The more you know...

The more you know...ding. ding.

Just when you think you might get a good night's sleep, we get broken into. I, of course, had moved to the guest room. No locks on that door. Nancy called me when the alarms went off to find out if my cats were out. They weren't. And since the alarms had just set themselves, someone could have been in the building for hours and just tripped it. Nancy ran downstairs with a bat to check the alarm, and one door was opened. That's when we both stopped being brave and started cowering in her apartment behind locked doors.

She called her Dad and Sam. Sam, luckily, had just returned from picking up some "mystery meat" for the kitchen, and came speeding over with an economy sized maglight. Nan's dad arrived right behind him and searched the building. They think someone unlocked the door earlier, and then came back.

The good news in the whole thing is: we had alarms. Our system had been out for days and had just been online since that morning.

Hark the Royal French Hens Sing

Hark! the Royal French Hens Sing

How on earth am I supposed to keep my kids from cracking up in the Christmas program when they're singing songs like:

Hark! the royal french hens sing, "Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck, Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck!"

?

She had my second graders singing it, but it will be my firsts. 2nd grade wouldn't make it through one class, much less a half hour program. And they'd be making chicken sounds the whole rest of the song, and someone would beging flapping their wings....

I wonder if she wants hand motions...

We made it

We made it

We got all the way through one concert. There were some technical glitches, and loose endings. We got all the way through Jenny was a friend of Mine before anyone clued into what I was saying about not hearing myself. My keyboards had power, but the PA wasn't turned on. We played the song again at the end of the set just for another chance at it. All in all we had a pretty good run of it for a first go around. We play again in a month or so. And we'll have plenty of chance to practice before then. Hurrah for adding Evanescence!

Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night

Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night

I'm running out of heading ideas. I wish I could figure out my formatting problem.

I tried a new type of sleeping pill last night. Hurrah for eight hours of sleep and a two hour nap after work last evening. I think I only woke up three or four times. I hate that I have to rely on drugs for this - I don't even take pain killers most of the time. Stupid sleeping.

I'm ready, I think, for the Calzones first gig this evening. I'm all memorized, we have the new and improved set list down, and I'll be typing up a cheat sheet with my keyboard sounds numbers on it. We'll be heading to load our stuff at 5, eating dinner, sound check, and start after 8 sometime. I've never done anything like this. I hope my t-shirt is ok. Really, I'm more concerned about what to wear than how to play. And have you ever tried to nail guys down on what the band is going to look like? "I don't know. Don't worry about it." Ha. I'm a girl. It's my job.

I think Bible study was cancelled. I can't get ahold of Aimee. She was supposed to be out of town, but the passes have been closed a lot this past week. I'm going to go call her.

And we have no hot water in the building, so I'm off to my folks' house to shower. Gross. Yesterday I had a sponge bath in my sink with a teakettle of boiling water. I feel gross. And I couldn't get all the conditioner out of my hair. Or shave. Ok, enough ablutions talk. See some of you tonight at Grants.

The Insomnia has to End

The Insomnia has to End

I haven't slept through the night more than a couple of times since, well since Proof opened I think. Last night I was up for an hour at 4:15, finally got back to sleep on my loveseat and Cai decided he needed to join me. I moved to the floor and then the guestroom around 6:15 and got two good hours with no kitties, no squaling, no automatic litterbox noises, no Cai mewing to get out. Hm. Maybe this isn't a me problem. Maybe this is a cat problem.

Finds of the Week

Finds of the Week at the Lighthouse

Rachel got a Pierre Cardin vintage tan wool coat, and a pair of skis and ski boots by Rossignol.

Kris got (soon) a stack of music from the late 18- early 1900's.

Nancy, whom I'm never speaking to again, got a pair of PRADA shoes.

I think if anything comes in from Gucci, it better be in my size.

Calzones at Grants