Gifting

Maybe it's global warming , or my clock is all messed up, but I seem to have gone through my seasonal depression early this year. I'm looking forward to the holidays and the cold weather really isn't bothering me that much. What a change from a month ago. I may even decide to venture out to the stores early this year. I usually only Christmas shop a couple of days before Christmas. Daryl does mostly all the shopping for our house. He doesn't seem to mind it as much as I do. I just hate it. I don't want to exchange any gifts this year. I ran the thought by Daryl and I don't think he is going to go for the idea, as he didn't say anything in reply. I always take a no reply as a "NO" from him. I'm thinking he is going to get me a gift even if I didn't get him one. That means that I'll get him something too. It's always very awkward when someone gives you a gift and you don't have one to return. It makes me feel like I am either really lazy or just don't care. I guess when I think about it, I'm not against us exchanging a gift, it's just I don't feel the need to go all out and get a lot of gifts. We should be giving one another gifts all through the year. OK, now that I have that settled, I wonder what I'm going to get him?

Black Friday 2007

Black Friday

I am once again boycotting Black Friday. I refuse to spend any money on this day. I’m sure some people enjoy running around trying to find a bargain. My feeling is, if you have to stand in line for 12 hours or more to save a couple hundred dollars on a $1600 flat screen TV. Maybe, you really shouldn’t be buying that TV in the first place. And hell, if you just wait a few weeks, you will probably get the same deal after they put the item on sale after Christmas, avoiding the mess of killing someone to get it. I know fighting people in lines to get the best material things is what people think Christmas is about, but I would rather not deal with all the pushing and shoving that happens every year and just sit at home and spend my time relaxing. Call me crazy!


Turkey Day

Yesterday, Daryl and I did the two family events. First we went to my sister Joanne’s house for dinner. About ½ of the family was there. That includes my parents, brothers, sisters, their kids and some of their kids. About 45 people this year. It was nice getting together again as I don’t see everyone that often anymore. Everyone has busy lives and it takes a major event to get my large family together. Some I see at Thanksgiving and some at Christmas. You never know who will show up. We had the usually turkey dinner with all the fixings laid out buffet style. I did really well with not over eating this year. Yea, for me!

Next it was off to Daryl’s parents, a smaller group of 10 people. Once again the usually turkey dinner and all the fixings. Daryl’s parents had a bar in Vinton, Iowa for sixteen years and his sister brought a film for us to watch of the closing night of their business in 1993. It was hilarious watching it and seeing how everyone had changed in fourteen years. His sister has lost 100 pounds since then and Daryl was sporting a beard and slicked back hair. He appeared to have spent most of that night dancing with all the ladies. Wow, how times have changed. Just imagine how our lives would have been if both of us had remained closeted.


I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Don’t shop too hard today.

EVITA -

Listening to Evita is helping me pass the time at work today.

Flu memories

My left arm is still hurting from the flu shot I got on Friday after work. The shot itself I hardly felt at all. I wonder why it feels like someone has punched you in the arm? I have been getting the flu shot on a regular bases the last few years. The thing is, it's so convenient to get, because it's provided free by our health care plan and they come right to work and give it to us. If it saves me from getting the flu, it's well worth it in my book.

It's been many years since I had the flu and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I felt like I was going to die the last time I had it. I remember being up all day and night trying to get enough air to breathe. I was living by myself in a one room apartment in Manchester, Iowa. I had sold my first home and wasn't ready to buy another one yet. At that time you had to reinvest your capital gains into another home or pay taxes on it. I think I had a year to do it, but at that time I hadn't found anything yet and was living in an unfinished apartment. I basically had a mattress to sleep on for furniture and that was it. I had everything else in storage. What a depressing place it was. I guess if you have to get the flu, you might as well have it in a dark lonely apartment as anywhere else. I was so happy when I moved out of that place into a bright clean home. I hadn't thought about that place in a long time. I guess the memory of the place will always be tied to the flu.

I hope my arm is feeling better tomorrow. I hope I'm not getting the flu!

I have been feeling a little depressed lately and may have lost some of my zest for life. It happened the same time the weather started changing. I took the same journey that the morning glory plant in front of our house has taken. A few weeks ago the plant was filled with many bright beautiful blue flowers, but now sadly, they are all shriveled.

What to do? My plan has been to get up and go to work every morning and try to get through the day. It has been working. These last few days I am starting to feel like myself again. I am looking forward to the holidays coming up this month and next. I have four days off for Thanksgiving and ten off around Christmas/New Years. I will spend them by doing as little as possible. I’m sure something will come up, but it is going to be nice not having to go to work. It makes me happy just thinking about that.



PHONE BILL


I keep telling Daryl that I don’t need a cell phone anymore. I know it sounds strange, especially now that everyone has one and it seems to be a necessity for most. It’s not for me. Everyone that calls me knows enough to call the house phone or my work number if they need to reach me. Sometimes, I will have a message on my cell phone for days and I won’t know it, because it has been left on the counter at home in the charging mode and I haven’t bothered to check it. I hate having to carry it around. I use it mostly to keep track of the time and make sure I’m not late when I need to catch the bus in the mornings and evenings getting to work. When I think about it, do I really need a cell phone? How did I go from using a phone all the time to hardly using it at all? Have I become too isolated and haven’t enough people that need or want to talk to me?

Daryl and I share a cell phone plan. He used 1192 minutes. Look what I used!