Mom and my sister are conspiring to eliminate the xmas gift exchange. Mom says my sister told her we're basically just exchanging $50 bills. Last year I was my sister's giver and I put a lot of time and effort into her gifts. I am the only person in the gift exchange who doesn't get a christmas present from any other source. I know that receiving gifts shouldn't be the important thing about christmas but I want to cry.

I never had much luck with writer's groups either, Susan. Mostly, because old guys took it personally that a young blonde crip chick in her twenties *dared* to critique their wannabe Puzo/David Chase stories. I may not have been the beta they wanted, but I *had* read a book after 1984. They could use my opinion. mostly, though, they drove me insane, hyphenating "god-damn" and "mother-fucker" and they kept doing it after I told them I'd never seen it that way, ever. Laga, that does seem like missing the point. But I'm a girl, what did I know? Motherfucker.

I'd totally hang out with Fay in Thailand if I could beam down on her. C'mon, teleporter.

its a bad thing when the video rental place next a laundromat is having a sale. I now have 8 more DVDs. One of which is Hot Fuzz! Oops dryer needs more coins.

Erin, go you with NY mass trans. O how I miss it. LA area, blah! Sounds like you had fun. Do you remember any of the conference??

Oh, yes. There was some good stuff. The Learning Annex was having this big "How to Be a Millionaire" thing at Javits at the same time NCTE was there, so people kept coming up to us and saying, "So, do you want to learn the secrets of making millions?!" and every teacher was all "Are you high? I'm a fucking teacher!"

OK I had a little cry. it didn't help. Could it just be January now, please?

Laga, you need presents. We all need presents at the holidays. It's like a rule or something.

Help me keep from killing Daniel!

He's been napping on the sofa next to my desk all afternoon. Snoring!

Ok, so sometimes he's been reading. But most of the time? Sawing logs like a chainsaw.

I woke him a bit ago, and told him he had to stop, either go up to sleep in the bedroom, or wake up. A few minutes later and he starts with the ZzzzZzzzZzzz so I just about hollered at him. So to get him back I turned the tv on, whoa! static. And now I've got an ep. of Buffy playing. Yup, I'm tough him. But he wakes up, and says, "Besides, I'm not snoring, I'm purring."

Yeah...my family is also big on the Wad O'Cash, which can occasionally be very fun, don't misunderstand, but it's not, like, special. Like I thought about what you would like and picked this.