I'm writing this entry on a wireless keyboard that goes with this 42" monitor/TV that Steve got me? us? himself :) for my birthday/Christmas. He bought this gigantic monster and stuck it up on the living room wall. A very nice TV. I had asked for a little portable TV and he got me this PLUS all these crazy features like using my TV as a monitor. So here I am eight feet away from what I am typing. Below this monitor is a really nice Amish cabinet Mom gave me. This is definitely the lux du jour. I was a bit scared about how much this may have cost but I was told "I got a really good deal on this." And that is all he said. He wants me to stay out of the "man cave" (aka den). Well, not always. But often. I said, "Why don't you give me your old TV and you take this one to your man cave?" "No, no, no", he replies. "This is for your birthday so it is for YOU." The first thing I watched on it was the Bengals beating the Browns. I don't know what all this TV does and like Mom I have no idea why I need two remotes for the TV and what all these little buttons do and how to turn it off one thing and on to another. I'm such a girl. The person (probably a woman) who makes a woman-friendly remote control will make millions. Mom got Dad his big plasma TV a few years ago. She tries to turn it onto movies, back to TV, to DVD, to whatever, and then after we both try without success, Dad comes in and punches 2 buttons and says, "see how easy that was? Stop screwing up my remotes. You mess everything up." LOL Well, I'm going to learn how this monstrosity functions so I can at least enjoy all the little buttons that say SLEEP, COMPONENT, AV, CC, MTS, PIP, PIP CH -, PIP CH +, PIP INPUT, PIP SIZE, RGB, HDMI, and others as well as these little symbols that look like ET's alphabet. And you can't just punch the keys- they have to be punched in the right order. "Read the instructions!" Steve will say. Um, yeah. I'll get right on that. Now I want a remote control that doesn't have these buttons but has an automatic espresso machine- execute, a bathtub auto refill with aromatic options, offspring instant locator, and an aprés-work de-stressor switch.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS Below post is there to annoy the hypersensitive. Hopefully its Orwellian message serves its purpose if that's the kind of greeting you need. Admitting you have a problem is the first and most crucial step toward recovery. LOL

Oh, yes, for everyone else:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ROTFLOL

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

Sorry about the party- we decided to cancel due to weather and really few people could make it...and to be honest I could blame those things but Steve and I just weren't interested in doing this right now, either. But we decided this a.m. it wasn't worth it...but we are having our own party anyway and IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO see us this evening you would be more than welcome. By that I mean Karl is coming over and cooking, like every weekend. We just aren't having a "party" party. You know how women talk- we're having a party. It's no longer a party party, just a party. I have to admit I talk like this- has X left the company? Is she gone or gone gone? Gone = for today, gone gone = for good. Is your event dressy or is it dressy dressy? Is the movie funny or funny funny? LOL Works w/ nouns or adjectives. Verbs, too. Is he working or working working? LOL

LOL on Nathanael's Gigi comment. :)

So....

Saturday night you are all invited to watch the game with us (49'ers vs. Bengals) at our house. Come around 5, 6, 7, and the game starts at 8. So come anytime. Dave & Maria and kids, Dan and Tracy, Mom and Dad, and anyone else who would like to come. This is my shout out because I don't have my dayrunner with me and today's my day off. Anyone from elsewhere who is in town is free to come or if you want to fly across the globe to come at this last moment's notice, the more the merrier.

Karl would like to cook for you all. HE REALLY WANTS YOU ALL TO COME.

Anyone reading this please tell everyone else. If you can't make it, fine. If you can, come anytime for good tailgating-type eats.

OK I'll update.

Tom just scratched me. I mean HARD way down in my finger and it is THROBBING. Tom, btw, has a hurt leg (another animal bit it) and he's been taking meds for the ensuing infection. He scratched me because I've been giving him his pills. I spend more on him than on my kids or myself medically. No insurance for cats.

Update- our pets-
Tom (have had him for about 2 yrs) is a big old orange tom that we have had since we found him and his brother Aeron(who went to Brian's house). Aeron is an Aeron but no longer a tom and soon that will be happening to our cat's unfortunate jewels. Micah has been protesting but if Tom didn't have them he wouldn't care about his territory and therefore would not fight with other animals and get massively infected leg wounds.

Gigi (aka Gigi Falona Prissypaws) is our new cat-about 5 months old- spayed- totally indoors- great cat and very affectionate- cuddly and loves to lick faces but we also call her Heidi because she hides all the time. (Micah came up with that.)

Weasel is Steve's ferret. When she is out she sneaks around and hides all of our shoes in various places- under stove, behind couch, behind dryer, etc. so I never have a complete pair of shoes unless I put them in the closet where they belong. Besides shoes, she also hides cookies, balls, pieces of old things, whatever she can find to put in her "stash". Oh, and she BITES! And loves to tease Tom.

Gigi and Tom love each other and despite Tom's unrequited romantic overtures, they get along great and play and flirt a lot.

So there's the pet situation and I know I talk too much about pets so unless anything happens that's it for a while.

How 'bout them Bengals? Woot! Who dey! OK, OK, I KNOW yesterday was a gimme but we will take anything we can get!

I had 5 extra vacation days left over this year so I took 5 random days off. I had to use or lose them so this Wed. is the first one. I am going to Trinidad in a couple of months (methinks- not 100% sure yet) for a real vacation. Will meet a coworker's family. Fun!