On the Eighth Day of Christmas

Despite being incommunicado, I've been thinking of my blog friends and sending happy holiday thoughts. Barely checking email  or the rest of the web, though, so insert all appropriate belated greetings here.

I've taken off an entire two weeks for the sake of mental and physical health, and it has been glorious.  Lexi and I spent a whole week over Christmas in Rustingham with my parents and My Sister the Blond Artist, so I missed the great midwestern snow-in. I enjoyed napping extensively every day, and Lexi enjoyed the assortment of laps, and the fireplace, which she misses dearly, especially since it was 3F here this morning.

Phineas can't have all the cute kitty photos.

 

All these pics are from Chicagoland, since for some reason all the photos I took in NY were with MSBA's camera, and she hasn't sent them to me yet.

A few other highlights:

• Unlike the occasion of my last trip home, in August, none of the crazy parishoners stalking my father staggered into church falling down drunk and covered in their own vomit on Sunday morning.  I  suspect there are people who imagine the ministry as safe and boring.  That's so cute.
  
  
• Oh, oh, oh, how I miss Wegmans.  Like I can't even tell you.
  
  
• Also, Tim Horton's should really expand farther in the U.S. 
  
  
• Ohio must be in the middle of a rest stop renovation project, because the Ohio Turnpike has both the worst and the best travel plazas I've encountered in memory.  Seriously - one of them even sold me bland Cinnabons. How do you even do that?
  
  
• Best present: This clock, whose glory cannot be conveyed photographically, made by my amazingly talented uncle.  

He also made this sleigh tea light stand/Japanese vase several years back.

I may have mentioned this fall hasn't been a great one health-wise.  We're heading in the right direction, and mostly free of aches and pains (being able to use my hands more is good), but I'm still feeling kind of ick if I try to do much more than sit around.  But feeling good enough to be tired of doing nothing is a good sign.

Wishing a new year full of health and happiness to all my dear friends!

Look, more kitty.

And Lexi wishes a belated Meow-y Christmas and Happy New Year to: Micky, Sylvia, Megumi, Priscilla, Baker, Archie, Jacob, Phineas, and her favorite cousins, Izzy and Pippi.  And to Betty and Cora, even though cats rule and dogs drool.

Miscellanea. Cold Miscellanea.

1. It's cold, and getting colder. There was a noticeable temperature drop over the 45 minutes I was out for lunch. (Lunch was soup. Warm, but not terribly filling, to be honest.) Forecast high tomorrow is -3F.

The cat is also cold, and has been experimenting with the best ways to take advantage of baseboard heat.

No, my Christmas tree isn't still up, I took that last month. Speaking of Christmas, she was thrilled to discover this newfangled gadget called a fireplace while at my parents' house in NY.

There actually is a fire in there, you just can't see it. Her latest move has been attempting to share my pajamas in the middle of the night. It may be kitty sweater time.

2. In other news, I have done a little bit of Making of Stuff. Scarves, specifically.

These were done as a part of the Special Olympics Scarf Project, in which knitters and crocheters were invited to make scarves in the official Special Olympics logo colors for competitors to wear during the 2009 opening ceremonies. I have a weird fascination with charity crafting, despite being skeptical of the underlying philosophy (the issue of the man-hours vs. significance of accomplishment). Regardless, I like them occasionally as an excuse to try new colorways and/or patterns. For anyone interested in the technical, the one on the lower left is hdc 2 strands; the bottom right is sc back loop alternating colors (reversible crochet? nifty). The top, inexplicably, is granny squares. I hate making granny squares, and I hate SuperSaver (the authorized yarn - it scratches and squeaks), so I don't know what I thought I'd enjoy about the two in combination.

3. And speaking of scarves, I got something immensely awesome from friends for Christmas. No photo, because it doesn't really look like anything, but it's this. A microwaveable scarf. Detatchable grain-filled inserts that heat up and keep you toasty. It's getting heavy use this week. Combined with this - another Christmas present and really, really, Really, REALLY fabulous - I can be in my own rather icy little heaven.

More Christmas Catalogs

The latest batch of mail-order frivolity doesn't disappoint.

First, there's the paper catalog from Art.com. Web retailers crossing into print, or brick-and-mortar, isn't new - I recall getting newspaper circulars for Amazon several years ago - but it still triggers my nose-wrinkle reflex. It doesn't help that they've chosen to put in their paper catalog only those pieces of merchandise most reminiscent of those oversized printed canvases for sale in the wall decor department of Bed, Bath & Beyond. Where, in any house, does one hang a 28"x36" photo of Marilyn Monroe? Or a giant painting of a martini? Or a reproduction watercolor of agave?

The artist specializes in beverage depictions.

Then there's Levenger - Neiman Marcus for the bookish set. They're kind of an easy target, with their full-grain calfskin desk accessories, hand-planed mahogany lap desks, and bookends at $300 a pair. But they've always got something new and fun to look at, like:

A bronze penguin pen stand ($128)...


...bleachers for your index cards (cherry veneer, $58)...


...and, of course, a comic book graphic novel about...Winston Churchill.


I've also gotten an inordinate number of Eddie Bauer catalogs, but they don't really sell anything weird, unless you count the dude gifts (solar-powered radios, travel shaving kits, mini-multi-tools), but this time of year, those are pretty much everywhere.

The Christmas (Catalog) Season

One of my minor ambitions in life is to reach the age of 30 without seeing Christmas merchandise for sale before my birthday (late August). Only one more year and I think I just might make it.

Surprisingly, given the slow retail environment, the stores don't seem to be as far into it even now as they could be this late in October. And the catalog deluge has only just started this week. I like Christmas catalogs, because it's amusing to see the sorts of things companies are trying to sell me now that they'd never bother with at any other time of year. Like toys.

I had a conflicted relationship with Christmas toy catalogs as a child. I found them a sort of taunt, because they always contained things I wanted to ask for, but couldn't. Not because I wasn't allowed to ask, or because my parents couldn't afford to get me anything. I just hated asking for things. I thought asking for things made me look childish, which, as a child, I considered a fate worse than death. For someone who had an utterly trauma-free childhood and basically perfect parents, I was rather neurotic for a pre-teen.

My Sister the Blond Artist, on the other hand, devoured the catalogs with glee, asking for everything on every page, blissfully ignorant of the wreckage she was making of her credibility. How, at the age of five, she could dare be so careless of her reputation, my nine-year-old mind simply could not comprehend. I lamented to share a house with such dissolution.

Now, one of my favorite amusements is flipping through the Christmas catalogs in search of the most outrageous, amazing, or just plain cool loot on the scene. Which, if you don't mind, I'm going to share with you.

First catalog to arrive was from Oriental Trading Company. Inflatable is the word this year:

If inflatable manger floats, you could use it to put on a baby Moses play in the spring. Inflatable donkey is clever. Inflatable magi gifts are pretty weird.

OTC also featured lines of products emblazoned with the slogans, "Jingle with Joy for Jesus!" and "Sound the Horn, He is Born!" And, of course, it wouldn't be Christmas morning without talking Mary and Jesus dolls under the tree:

They recite scripture verses and "tell their stories." Fully posable, batteries not included.

Next up is the American Girl catalog. Now, everything AG is pretty outrageous. You can buy your doll a bathrobe that costs twice as much as mine. The one point of interest is the Just Like You doll, which I think has been around for a couple of years. You pick the skin tone, the hair color, the eye color, and get a doll that looks, well, just like you. Unless your mother suffers from Liberal Guilt (which doubtless she does, if she has the money to buy you an American Girl) in which case you get a doll that looks like the housekeeper. (Did I just say that out loud? Shame on me.) Anyhow, what I found interesting is that it's impossible to get a Just Like You doll that looks just like me. Red hair and green eyes is an unauthorized combination.

I always liked Molly's fashion sense best.

Once you have your doll, you can get her accessories, like (deep breath): a cell phone, an ipod, a guitar, a pony, equipment for snowboarding, skateboarding, volleyball, soccer, tennis, golf, cheerleading, ice skating, hockey, gymnastics, ballet, and karate, a treehouse, a typewriter, a wheelchair (and crutches, ace bandages and a finger splint), Ugg boots, love beads, and a wheelbarrow. Oh, and, like, clothes and furniture. You know, doll stuff.

Last catalog to date was MindWare, an educational toy supplier, where I found THE most AWESOME thing EVER.

Math Scrabble. I think I'm in love.

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Back To the House, or, The Post You Thought You'd Never See

Consistent with my usual failure to follow through, I never really posted final pictures of my living room. This is mainly because I was really dragging my feet about the finishing touches. Eventually it got to the point where I just had to give in and decorate for Christmas. I'm ready now, so...

For reference, the before shots are here. The floorplan is approximately this.

Facing the window, the right wall. The couch cover project
is still not done. It will be brown and red.


Left wall. The reclining bookshelf wants to be a Danish Modern
sideboard when it grows up.

And center. Remember the comfy gold chairs?

The star of the show, Mr. Greek-Nationalist Canadian Table.


The Big Shelf, supporting my primary obsession.
Where did I put my books before I owned this monster?



A relatively recent acquisition, next to my etiquette book collection.
He weighs considerably more than a real cat.


Carmella, the overexposed Guatemalan angel.



I looked for years before I found a creche that I liked that didn't cost
hundreds of dollars. Found this last year. They sort of have faces.


Ethiopian Triptych. Not purchased in Ethiopia, in case
there was any confusion. Never been there.

Rather than the end-of-AT housewarming, I had resolved to do some heavy-duty cocooning, and then entertain a bit later on in the year. Honestly, I haven't yet followed through on my grand-scale cocooning event. I'll try again for New Year's Day. I did manage to follow through on the party, though, which just took place. It was a small gathering of young ladies from church for a Christmas party. We had lots of good food and nice Christmas music and played games. I may have to write more about it in future, as it's got me thinking hard about hospitality and what it means - the latest part of an ongoing internal conversation.

And in case I don't get a later chance to say it, Merry Christmas (or other preferred festivity) to all you lovely, smart, fun ladies!

Freezing Fog Advisory

That's the forecast for tonight. I admit it's a new one to me. Speaking of forecasts, here's a preview of things to come: