The parent's house = lots of sleep. For this I am thankful. We are doing presents tonight so I need to run out soon and pick up one last thing. I also need to wrap up a few more.

I'll probably also be helping cook the meal (also tonight instead of tomorrow) as my mother has bruised ribs.

Oww. Poor Msbelle's mom.

I got a good night's sleep too. (no cats on diets waking me up at 4:00!) Now I get to drive to Tucson.

Poorly timed e-mail? What e-mail? Never saw a thing.

I would have had a great night's sleep if I'd remembered to shut off my alarm. Silly me. And I realise I still haven't turned it off. Must address once the fluffy pancakes have gotten a little further along digesting, and the tea consumed.

How early is too early to call a complete stranger on a Saturday Christmas Eve morning? I need to set up going over to their place sometime today.

I hope your mother's ribs heal up nice and quick. Make sure she ices.

The baby Tabitha on Bewitched is ADORABLE. I need to IMDB her.

I miss The 11th Hour. Reading some of their pages makes me miss them more.

I really miss it. One of the best sites for fan writing ever. Didn't Allyson contribute there? Or Strega? or both?

I was interviewed, but not a contributor.

I have a question for the hivemind, particularly Jewish members--what is the tradition for baby showers? My co-worker is strict Orthodox and due within the month, and we'd like to have a shower for her, but don't know if there are any restrictions/taboos about when to have it.

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. And more cleaning. In the new year, I would like to resolve to be a person who cleans regularly so that it's never a big deal. Or, at least, rarely a big deal.

Oh, look, my five minute break is over.

Have fun Laura and Sheryl!

Kathy, there's definitely a tradition of not anticipating a baby until after it's born, lest anything bad happen -- it's not so much a religious rule as a superstition/taboo, but you may want to err on the side of caution. The standard workaround is to keep what baby gifts you get in advance at someone else's house, but depending on her sensitivities, having something called a baby shower before the birth may still feel taboo-ish to her. Maybe a going-on-leave party that's more focused on her, with instructions that people can send baby gifts after? Or alternately, a party after the baby comes home.

More info here: [link]

My cleaning list is getting some good strikethru's. Still a bit to do, but I'm getting some holiday blues. I wish I had something to open. Selfish, yeah?

we need to clean. and do the laundry. and repot some plants.

But really, we're going to Pain Quotidien to have breakfast breads.