The Fourth Day of Christmas

Yay, Christmas in Maine! Although we didn't get snow until the 26th, it was a wonderful Christmas at home. Fun presents, lots of good food, and plenty of visits with family. We went to Christmas Vigil mass and saw St. Joe's new priest. He kept the homily short and sweet, and has this funky surfer mullet going on, so he was ok with me. The day after Christmas was spent getting my brother out the door on his way to Africa. He had a long, snowy drive to Long Island, stayed overnight there, his girlfriend's parents drove them to JFK the next day where they boarded the plane that would take them all the way to Johannesburg. They arrive there at noon today (they stopped to refuel in Dakar), and then catch a connecting flight to Capetown. All told, a 22 hour flight. I can't even imagine how tired they'll be. You can read about his adventures here.

Also on the day after Christmas, we went to friends' house to watch the Brewski Bowl - Pats v. Jets, in honor of Tedy Bruschi. As usually happens with the Brewski Bowl, he did very well - many great stops and even an interception. One drink for every time he is mentioned or shown on TV, five drinks for the interception...I don't know what we would have done if he'd run it back for a touchdown... It's very odd to be playing drinking games with your parents and their friends. I had taken a Benadryl just prior to kickoff, though, and the first beer knocked me on my ass. I think I slept through much of the third quarter. Fun times.

I have hidden the wise men in our creche behind the stable, as it is not Epiphany yet, but my mom moved them so they are peeking out around the sides. I told her that they weren't even in the area, and that made them look like they were stalking the baby Jesus. She astutely pointed out that wasn't far off from the truth.

Merry Christmas to all!

My First Week Back in Maine

So... Yeah, Maine! The way life should be...

Things I find ONLY in Maine:

• The weather - a high of 10 degrees one day and 45 degrees the next day
  
• My parents' SUPER HIGH SPEED 56K modem
  
• People who know how to respond when I do the weird little 'ayuh' thing
  
• My dad, explaining why the printer won't work, "She wasn't printing, so I gave 'er a good whack and now she's all stove to hell"
  
• People who are still clinging to their 1987 curled bangs
  
• The BEST STORY EVER: My uncle is waiting in line at the grocery store the other day, and in front of him is a little old lady with six bottles of wine and a 24 pack of Heineken. after a few minutes, he says to her, "I guess the party's at your house tonight!" "Oh, no, deah," she replies, "This has got to last me all week."
  

Last weekend in Florida... :(

• Went to Disney World!
• Met Mickey and Minnie
• Took a boat cruise up the St. John's River and around Lake George
• Tried to see the manatees...but they weren't there
• Shopped at SUPER TARGET!!
• Made gingerbread houses
• Saw Tropical Santa Claus at the mall
• Attended two Christmas parties
• Snuggled with the bulldog
• Soaked in as much nice weather as possible!!

A Geico commercial gone horribly wrong

So I am sitting here on the couch, calmly making out my Christmas cards when, out of the corner of my eye, I see a sizable gecko run across the living room and into the bedroom. I have no such similar problems with reptiles as I have with bugs, but I would really prefer they not run around my room while I sleep. So I run over to block its path and it scurries back toward the living room.

Where the dog is waiting.

Handsome runs at the thing, it tries to make a bolt for the front door (which is closed), and the dog traps it in a corner, growling and chomping away. I have horrible visions of him eating the lizard, which could very well be a teensy bit harmful, so I run over, and sure enough, the little gecko is in the bulldog's mouth. I grab the thing, manage to get it halfway out, and then...ew, like half of it breaks off, and it is flopping on the floor. Ew, ew, ew. I drag the very upset dog away, and go to dispose of the gecko's remains, when...yup, it moved. It is mortally wounded, though, so I scoop it up in a napkin and throw it away. Poor gecko. It really didn't know what it was in for when it scurried into this apartment...

Reason #528 I Love Christmas

This is the only time of year we get to see commercials for Aspen and Stetson. Nothing says the holiday season like a rugged cowboy riding through drifts of snow in search of a fur-clad woman who thinks he smells good.

I LOVE this site. It feeds into my extreme need for nostalgia. Here, you can get Hires root beer, Jiffy stovetop popcorn, Charleston Chew, Big League gum, and finally, proof for everyone who thought I was off my proverbial rocker when I told them that in New England, we eat bread out of a can.

Gym Etiquette

So I'm at the gym. Alone. As there is nothing I like on TV on Monday nights, I turned to TBS, where I figured I had a good chance of catching Friends. A few minutes later, I am happily running along, watching Rachel and Monica crash Joey's soap opera party, when in walks SERIOUS WORKOUT GUY. You know - he has all the workout clothes, he has his little MP3 player, fancy shoes, he looks all in shape, etc. He gets on the other treadmill and starts running. We run companionably for a few minutes and then I notice he is glancing derisively at the TV. Hmmm, I think. He doesn't look as though he's really a Friends-watcher; he'd probably much rather ESPN or the Outdoor Life Network. We run for a couple more minutes, during which there were many more snooty glances. I start to think.

What does one do here? Ask what he would like to watch? Volunteer to change the channel? Say we'll watch Friends and then switch it? Or does she who gets to the gym first dictate the TV programming?

I ended up not saying anything. Needless to say, I was extremely gratified to find that, ten minutes later, Workout Guy was sucking major wind and making these odd grunting noises every time he exhaled. Shortly thereafter, he started walking. Slowly. It was great.

Only in Maine...

It's December!

And I know it's December, because my mom sent me a little advent calendar and I get to start opening doors - one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Mom has sent me an advent calendar every year since I left the old homestead, even when I was living in Galway. Mom rocks.

And speaking of Galway, I have been reading the Advertiser online, and I have discovered that some parents in Knocknacarra have started an ABA school! One I get my degree, I could go WORK IN IRELAND. And this time, stay away from Irish men. No, no, not really... But I just had a nice half-hour imagining about working there for a few years. I could have a nice apartment this time, and make new and different friends and buy my clothes at Oasis and River Island instead of Topshop. Heh. And drink excellent pints of Guinness at my neighborhood pub. MMMMMM.... Actually, I am just excited to see that opportunities for autistic kids are growing in Ireland, too. And about the Guinness.

So the cable guy was meant to come "between 8 and 11" this morning to undo the DSL and cable. Needless to say, he didn't show up. And I am enjoying an extra day of TV and internet! I thought I should check out as many channels as possible (I know, pathetic!), so I ended up watching three episodes of Laguna Beach. OK. So I know these kids are from a posh, beachy type place, and that 2004 is not 1995, but I have to say, "WHAT?!" Who lives like this? Who lives like this at 18?! My memories of high school aren't THAT fuzzy, and as I recall, there were no trips to Cabo, no new VW's for graduation, and DEFINITELY not that much freaking time spent on hair and makeup. And yet I watch. And evaluate my mascara supply.

I finally saw The Shipping News, and liked it much more than the book. I just can't get into Annie Proulx. John recommended the book to me while we were out walking once in Cork. I think he thought I'd enjoy it because it was set in Newfoundland, and my people are from sort-of-nearby. At any rate, it (the movie) made me oddly homesick. I think it was because everyone was wearing boots and wool hats. I miss my winter clothes.

Lest I be totally consumed by the evils of television, I am also reading the most excellent I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles. I am in love with all things Elizabethan lately. I wish she had run in the election. Can you imagine? What happened to women leaders like that? What happened to leaders like that?

**I just heard from my dad, and the juice truck arrived in Maine safe and sound. All my things are now piled up in the garage. Excellent.