Merry Christmas, Happy Ho Ho, and all that good stuff

Growing up, Christmas Eve was the big Christmas day.  My grandfather was a Lutheran minister and after the candlelight service on Christmas Eve we drank hot cocoa, ate sickening amounts of chocolate and opened presents until the wee hours of the morning.  Christmas Day was for gorging and playing with our toys.

Sadly this was the first year I didn’t spend Christmas with my brother – but we did have an early Christmas with him, his wife and cousin Rachel last Sunday.

This afternoon Rae and her brother Sam met Haley and I in Union Square for some MORE ice skating! We had super-fun!

Afterwards we went home and watched ELF!  Then we got dressed and went to church.

After church we opened our gifts:  Sam got motorcycle prettifying stuff; Haley got Cinnamoroll swag, Rae LOVES her UmberDove pillow and I got a supersoft bathrobe and a book from my dream gay husband, Thom Filicia

 Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

(I’m off to sleep -er – a long winters’ nap )

On thin ice

 Today I got all the other kids in our office “family” to come in to work.  It turned in to an unofficial holiday outing – we had a blast!  Between me and two guys in my office we have 5 kids aged 8 to 11 and they all get along famously.

After skating my boss gave me a nice little gift…  “working from home” for the rest of the year (Of course there’s nothing I can do from home!)

Edumacation FAIL

My alma matter is named here…  Now you’ll understand the quality education I received

Christmas in Overdrive

Well, we’ve certainly had a few days of CHRISTMAS!! festivities around these parts.  They have largely sucked the life force from me worn me out so I’m going to rely on pictures rather than my usual witty narrative

Thursday – Haley’s Christmas program…  Her class did a “news story” where she played her 2nd Grade teacher, and the Easter Bunny who lamented how Santa got all the good publicity…

Saturday – yesterday – we went up to Willits to see Sandi and Sal.  They had snow on Tuesday and some still stuck around.  Haley had fun being a country girl, playing in the last bits left in the yard.

Today Tim & Robin and Rachel came to see Miss Haley in the Christmas pageant at church. 

We were all a bit surprised her halo didn’t burst in to flames

Tomorrow will be another big advenure day – all the kids in my office are going ice skating.  Pray for me.  I’ll take pictures!

Hopefully a short-lived addition to our Christmas Eve traditions

In the Czech Republic, single women go out on Christmas Eve day and toss shoes. With their backs to the door, they throw one of their shoes over their shoulder. If the shoe lands with the heel facing the door, she’ll find herself single for another year. If the shoe lands with the toe facing the door, it means she should start making wedding plans.

Rae – you game?  Do we do MY front door or the real front door?

I dare you to stay grumpy…

… after listening to Christmas carols played on a banjo!  There was a guy in Embarcadero Station picking away furiously, fabulously and I’m still smiling.  I got all the way to the other end of the station, turned around and walked back. 

 That man totally deserved the five-spot I put in his banjo case.  You just can’t put a price on a smile that lasts over 2 hours.  But then again, maybe that’s from the champagne that started flowing the minute I got to my desk

This is not the guy that was playing, but you get the point

Maggie Update

Maggie and her guilty pleasure, blanket sucking

 

 IT’S NOT CANCER!

Still waiting for official diagnosis, but it’s not cancer and that’s all that matters!

Audacity of Hope?

…  Hope is seeming much less audacious these days.  It feels like a promise, a birthright is being renewed.  Last night I saw it, I didn’t just feel it. 

(Warning:  an attempt at a post of substance:  written by me, from my narrow perspective, an admission of my own imperfect view of the world, but intended in a wholly positive light.)

If you loved me you’d buy me this: Minx ring edition

Want!

The Noisy Plume rules – if you didn’t know that already!

Gingerbread Houses from talented people

Gingerbread a’la Eichler.  Mid-Century Modern Awesome!

Someone needs to put this engineering talent to work for the Peace Corps!  A firehouse!

Oh, to have this much time on my hands!

As if the economy weren’t enough to worry about

… Now I’ve got loved ones to pray for, too.

First up:  Miss Maggie Jones

My four-legged “sister” had to have surgery unexpectedly yesterday for a mass growing deep in her shoulder.  We are all on the edge of our seats awaiting test results from the ugly alien grossness that was removed. 

Maggie and The Child

And next:  Another family member – this time of the two-legged variety.

Without broadcasting someone else’s health issues, I just wanted to mention that I’m sending my “good test” vibes her way.  I’m hoping that this time it really isn’t something to worry about.

**HUGS**

Vegans, reborn

Most of you know (but do you care?) that the Girly Fabu-Palace is a vegetarian household, but the matriarch is getting a little tired of being f-a-t.  That, and she works with a very recipe-minded creative vegan who has been feeding her deeeeelish yummy treats

I was reminded that back in my vegan days I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and however much I wanted… and my weight never varied more than 5 pounds for years.  Size six, painlessly.

So yesterday The Child and I decided that was the way to go again.  The weight thing is great but really no one in our families has ever died of old age.  Ever.  The Child has diabetes, heart disease, cancer – to name a few – all within 1 or 2 generations.  We have decided to play it safe.  It’s not hard – it can be YUMMY!

We filled the fridge with fruit, veg and whole grains and are looking forward to guilt-free gluttony Tomorrow night we start after-work/school exercise too.  I figure 30 minutes can’t be that hard, right? 

Oh!  I got a dishwasher!  Check it out!

Christmas is officially a Shiny Thing

Can I see a show of hands who is surprised?

Of course I couldn’t simply trim a tree.  That would be far too pedestrian.  Noooo… It had to become part of the design.  Hopeless, I am.

Holiday photo expedition

Tonight The Child and I bundled up and headed downtown with cameras in-hand.  The lights this year are over the top and it was a fun cheap date on a Friday night. 

Whipper Snapper

Red lights

Skaters

Union Square

My mother is the only one allowed to FW anything to me

Because the stuff she sends is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S (and is highly unlikely to be a chain letter)…

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.

Gingerbread House of Ill Repute

Possibly the most pathetic attempt at the construction of a gingerbread house kit.  It was actually supposed to be a stable but we failed to figure out the lean-to configuration.  We were successful though at making a tragic mess.

*Sigh* The final product was not much better…

 Gee. doesn’t the “pond” and “woodpile” make it all better??

Mac Shmac – Mine totally looks better!

Yeah – my PC creation kicks it’s Mac ass.

Can you tell that I have not drank the Kool-Aid?  Yeah, that’s my excuse for not having an iPod or an iPhone… or an iLife

Birthday booty (finally!)

Oh.

My.

God.

MY FRIENDS RULE!!!

Friday night Rachel, Suzanne, Mark and Chelle came out to my ‘hood for dinner at Little Beijing (cheeeep Chinese).  Afterwards they even got me a cake!  (Yes, it was a flaming ball of chocolate chiffon! )

chocolate chiffon

Mark & Chelle jumped in a cab and headed home; Suzanne drove Rachel and I to the motherland The EndUp.  There we were joined by Adam, Jon and Steve B.  All in attendance ROCKED IT OUT!  The deep house beats were primo as usual.  The EndUp never disappoints!  Even better was the crew with me!  EVERYONE got along famously and everyone found something to bond with everyone in the group (Thailand, Burning Man, other places… ) 

Rae, Me, Suzanne, Jon, Adam = vodka-riffic!

I could not be luckier to have all my totally boss friends totally get along!  (We all know that does not always happen!)

Sadly missed:  Kelly (hmph)

The first of our madcap party didn’t peel off until after 3a, and I was safely in bed by 4a. 

Saturday Steve and Haley and I went to her school for their annual Winter Gala.  Haley told us she would be performing so Christine came down from Sacramento to take pictures.  Well, unfortunately that was a big fat wasted trip.  She won’t actually be performing until the 18th. (take note those who think they want spawn of their own!)  Got home around 3p and SLEPT.

Friend Steve B. took me to see Aries Spears on Saturday night.  Oh boy – I totally forgot how fun comedy shows are!

Afterwards we met up with about 6 of his friends and went to Miguel Migs’ birthday party!  Yes, his PRIVATE party!  I only made it until about 1:30a before I had to hang it up – but I still had a blast.  Once home I faceplanted until 1:30p on Sunday!  I still didn’t really get up until 3:30p, but I managed a trip to the grocery store before falling down dead again at 8:30p

Here’s the load of goodies from Saturday night…

 

And the Be-All, End-All disco dancing, fiercer than you could ever hope to be, one of a kind, original, labor of Jon Kessler’s love…  behold – THE BUCCI BAG!

** Note that every single thing on the bag is hand applied!  All the painting too!  We’re talking HOURS AND HOURS here, people!!

Some of the funniest SNL shorts – EVER

Damn, it was a good weekend for Saturday Night Live digital shorts!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Warning… not for the prudish

My latest crush is on Andy Samberg.  I love me some funny dorky boys!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

The Holiday Card – done

So this is the final product.  The background was chosen by one of my Directors so it’s not 100% my taste – but I’m relatively happy with it nonetheless.