Thursday, December 31, 2009

holidays

Had a great Oregon visit... I should have kept track of comings & goings. But I do remember:

- Two quiet days at home with just Mum & Tim.
- Mer's arrival with Brian, Sunny, and the gerbils.
- Our kids' night out in Hood River with Joe -- from the British pub to the brew pub.
- Sister time in Portland, at Powell's and the Pearl Bakery, while Brian took the GRE's.
- Dinner at Celilo.
- A walk in the leftover slush up the old logging road, with Brian & Mer.
- A walk up the old highway with Dad, Mer, & Sunny. We came across a little waterfall that looked like somewhere in Ireland, a setting for elves and unicorns. Then Sunny met up with another dog & played with vigor. We noticed the redness of the fallen leaves. We returned as the sun was completely setting, and Christmas lights were going on across the river in Washington.
- Christmas eve at Maribeth & Robin's.
- Christmas morning -- waking up to the Nutcracker Suite blasting in the living room, as Mum tried to get us out for presents. Presents! Then getting ready and dressed for Christmas dinner with Grammy.
- Dinner at the Inn, overlooking the Columbia.
- Impromptu family reunion with Mom's cousin. Gouda the English bulldog & the cat-like Japanese Chin.
- A snowy hike with Mum & Mer up Gilhouly.
- Working at Dog River Coffee, then getting pizza with Mum & Mer & exploring bookstores.
- Lazy mornings, reading by the fire & drinking coffee.
- A last moonlit walk with Merrie & Sunny -- the moon was so bright we didn't need a flashlight, and the trees even had shadows.

Friday, December 18, 2009

prepping for a holly jolly christmas

Tonight Merrie & her boyfriend, Brian, arrive. With Sunny the sheltie & two gerbils in tow. Wondering what it will be like to add these creatures to the current mix -- Mum, Tim, me, Sasquatch the cat, and Benny the luck dragon dog. I arrived Weds. night, and Mum & Tim both had trouble sleeping. So last night, the dog and the cat ended up on MY bed. Funny story, that. Benny was quite fine, sitting by the fire in the living room, until he suddenly realized that, with me going to bed, HE WAS ALL ALOOOOOONNNNEEEE. CRISIS! He started barking. I came out, gave him a soft kick (not an oxymoron), shushed him, went back to my room & Sasquatch the cat. Benny started barking AGAIN. Well, not wanting him to wake up the parents, I took him into my room. But instead of curling up on the floor, he looked up at me, expectantly. I whispered that he had radically misunderstood the conditions upon which he was invited into my room. LEAPS onto the bed, which is rather high for a 10" high creature. Well, at that point, Sasquatch moved to the foot of the bed. Benny tried to wiggle up closer, but I halted him and said, BOUNDARIES. All was fine for the first four hours. Then Benny's periodic maneuvering and licking noises got to me and he was evicted.

Oh, pets.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

why I hate shopping for phones

Kid you not, this is the description for ATT's LG Neon:

Looking for a fun and flirty texting device that will get you noticed? Get ready for the LG NEON(TM) by AT&T! This compact and colorful phone lets you stay connected to your social circle wherever you go. Dial quickly using the external touch screen or slide out the full QWERTY keyboard for fast and easy messaging. Use Bluetooth® capabilities to share contacts, calendar events, notes, and more with all your friends. And, to really stand out in the crowd, groove to songs from your favorite playlists while multitasking. Taking pictures or video with the 2 MP camera is also a snap. Capture your latest look with the self-portrait mirror, then send out the photos to show off your trendsetting style. Go on - get accessorized and get attention with the LG NEON.

If you were wondering, YES, this is definitely being marketed to 14 year old girls. I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO TEXT WITHOUT HITTING THROUGH FOUR LETTERS EVERY TIME I NEED A Z!