Eighteen inches is several days off work

A couple of hours if your lucky. They used to give sun days occasionally back in the heydays before oil crashed in the 80s. But not since I've been here.

When my cousins were young in Anchorage, they got a new superintendent from Florida. First snow, he cancelled school. There was much joy among the students. Some adults took him aside and had a chat. That was the last snow day that year.

Edited because I know better than to make a plural with an apostrophe, really.

::bounces into thread::

My Secret Santa gift arrived, and quester outdid herself! The box overflowed with goodies, and they were all so cool! (And all the stuff just for me was wrapped in shiny purple paper!)

For me there were beautiful crescent moon earrings in a beautiful little wooden box with "Joy" carved on the front, a crescent moon Christmas ornament (I think it's definitely an ornament, quester -- at any rate, it's on the tree now!), a SILVER CIGARETTE CASE that made me squee out loud (!!!), the best fridge magnet ever (St. Von Nicholas of Myra, Patron Saint of Cakes and Cookies), notepads and playing cards and a gorgeous 2007 desk calendar of Peru, and all kinds of things for the family -- wind-up chattering teeth and a frog and a penguin and a platypus (I think), a Wizard of Oz flip book, and another Christmas ornament, which Sara has already claimed. Oh! And pirate bandages and a harmonica!

Best. Box. Ever. So many goodies, and such cool ones, too. Thank you, quester!

Eeeeee!

Here I am, sitting at work, and my co-worker brings in this big box from LUSH! I was puzzled at first, and said "I don't *remember* ordering anything from Lush...."

Lo, it was a prezzie for me! The aptly-named "Serenity" gift box, full of stuff I love and stuff I've been wanting to try! I want to go home now now now and take a bath! And then another bath! And then a shower! And a bath again!

I have only one question, though, which may seem silly: *which* Stephanie was my Santa? Vortex, or Ellie's mom?

My thanks are just as abundant regardless of which Steph was the Santa for me-Steph, but I just want to know who to thank....

OMG, I forgot to mention the very best part of my silver cigarette case -- aside from the fact that my 100s actually fit inside! -- it's an Alice in Wonderland case, with the Caterpillar smoking the hookah on a mushroom while Alice peeks up at it.

LOVE.

Okay, now I want to start smoking again, just so I can have a cigarette case like Amy's.

What I need now is a big fancy dress ball to go to, so I can elegantly withdraw my gorgeous cigarette case from a cunning little evening bag.

Not that there are any fancy parties where they let you smoke anymore, damn it all.

I have only one question, though, which may seem silly: *which* Stephanie was my Santa? Vortex, or Ellie's mom?

Nope, I was last year. I am sensing some "fixing" of the secret stephanie santas

Man, I want one of those cigarette cases, too!

::preens::

::blows smoke rings::

::coughs::

Seekrit Slacker Santa project has hit another snag -- everything is assembled, but Matilda has been craving holding almost incessantly for the past two days, so I manage to wrap one side of one object and then have to stop to lull her to sleep. So, it's taking approximately ten times as long as I had anticipated.

She does sleep beautifully during the Emmett drop-off/pick-up commutes, but it's even harder to wrap a package while tearing across the Bay Bridge and up Highway 80 than it is with a squalling babe on one's lap. So, Santee, I'm hard at work on it and hopefully it'll go out tomorrow, but in the meantime I suck.

(Note to Lee and Teppy: No more disputing about which of you sucks until after my package goes out. For now, all your suck are belong to me.)