do not, for the love of all things holy, go into Old Navy. No matter what those snarky carol singers in the commercials promise you, Old Navy does not offer an easy, breezy holiday shopping excursion. It will scar your soul.

You know, I do not doubt this is true. You might need a cigarette in addition to that drink.

And possibly a tetanus shot.

I don't smoke, but I now have red wine and chocolate sitting next to my shopping trophy - a couple of strands of hair snatched from the head of a woman who tried to knock me into the middle of next week to get to a size 12 - 18 months blue and grey boy's fleece pullover while a whiny sales girl rambled on about how all striped hats were on sale for $2.99. Bitch thought she could take me out? Please.

OMG, what a mess my apartment is. I've been working for days straight it seems like, and nothing has got done, and I'm sad that I never did put up my little tree or hang my old stocking, and now I have one day to clean up and wrap presents and do laundry and pack, before driving six hours to sister's house for Christmas, and I don't have a cellphone anymore (I will spare you folks THAT rant) and I haven't had my car checked out like I normally do before a long trip, and... *gasp* ... we wonder why I sometimes have trouble breathing. Could it be the anxiety?

ION, I got an totally unexpected 3% raise. Totally deserved, too, let me tell you. In addition to the usual year-end pressure of making page budgets, my journals all increased their pages by over 20% this year, and just this month, one co-worker quit, and another went on disability, and another went on a long-ass vacation, and who's covering for all of them?? Oh, yeah. Me. The competent one who doesn't say no. My boss sighed at me the other day and said, Oh, I depend on you for so much, and you always come through for me! I said, Ah, that was my mistake! She laughed.

I think I'm going to go to bed now, and start my day early tomorrow. How crazy am I, driving on Christmas morning?

Woo zenkitty for the 3% raise.

Kat -- when Julie said something about Marissa going to counseling I suddenly remembered that this meant Oliver. . . shudder.

I am traveling tomorrow, too. We fly out at 7:40 am, which reminds me that I need to call and confirm our taxi to the airport. I actually really like flying on Christmas Eve. It's the second time we are doing it. The first time, the flight attendants all wore little red santa hats and sang a couple of carols just before we landed. We were flying on Varig and you haven't lived until you've heard a bunch of Brazilians sing "Jingle Bells" I'll tell ya.

I thought the second OC ep tonight was going to be the other Christmukkah ep.

It would be more fun to have both Christmukkuh episodes on the same night. . .

(Also, it's fun to post with both Kats on the board tonight.)

Ew, there he is . . . Oliver.

Oh, Oliver, you are such an unattractive man.

And you know, they could have done something really interesting with his character instead of making him this whiny needy psychopath.