Hey, I just found out that donations to First Book are being matched by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; for every dollar you donate, S&S will donate one additional new book, up to 1 million books: [link]

Planned Parenthood supporters -- any donations made before the end of the year (up to $250,000) will be doubled by a long-time supporter: [link]

t /PSA

Susan, I just checked my own credit score with Experian, and noticed that the scale there runs from 330-830 and if I properly remember the score you mentioned, yours would qualify at least as the high middle...

I checked mine with one of the other services, and they were apparently using a different scale--they said it ran from 500-900, and they also gave me a letter grade (low) and a percentile ranking (painful).

DH, however, pointed out that we were in similar circumstances when we applied for a home loan almost a year ago, one big enough that we actually could've bought a small house in Seattle, and were approved but decided it wouldn't be responsible to go through with it, so there's reason to hope we'd get approved for this much smaller loan.

Woo Hoo!

WH just gave me one of my Christmas presents (my "big gift"). He couldn't wait any longer.

I got a 160gig iPod Classic! It's hooked up and loading all my songs, podcasts, etc right now.

How I love this amazing man.

This is a good weekend for me, even though the bookstore has me scheduled for three 8-hour shifts in a row. Yesterday was a tad insane at the store (we surpassed our plan by $6K, when we thought we'd have no chance in even meeting it), but we maintained some calm and got through it. Today, otoh, was much more fits and starts, with chances to catch our breath at the registers in between the long lines that formed in waves.

I did have my bitch customer of the weekend today, though--she insisted that her PTA card got her a discount even though she's not a teacher and none of the managers had ever heard of this magical discount/partnership that B&N supposedly has with the PTA. Luckily, the head manager was able to come up and make the final call that this wasn't a legit discount and took the heat from her while I was able to shake her bad vibes off.

Then, I was able to get a co-worker to take the morning hours of my shift tomorrow, so I can sleep in a bit and get my laundry done before going in for only 5.5 hours--much less exhausting, and I still get a break and lunch.

And, I found out that my mom got the presents for her and my brother's family already, and I'll find out later if my sister got hers and my BIL's package, as well.

So, all in all, a good weekend!

I've had a nice weekend too. My aunt just took me to the movies and dinner, and it was awesome. Although I felt really bad because I picked Sweeney Todd, and she was completely unaware of what the gist of the plot is for that story. The one and only thing she knew about it was that Johnny Depp was in it. She didn't even know about the Tim Burton part. Which meant that she watched most of it with her hands over her face, and actually screamed at one point. And then she took me to dinner and gave me lots of presents. She's pretty great.

Also, I've come to terms with being essentially homeless, and I'm beginning to think of it as a blessing in disguise. It's going to mean that I'm going to be able to save some money, which will mean I can fix my car after the hack job that Jiffy Lube did to my engine. I will be able to get a haircut. I will be able to buy some clothes from somewhere that is not Forever 21, which means that there's a better chance that they'll wait a while before developing holes, and I'll be able to save some money in case of emergencies. That's going to be a huge relief. It'll also mean that when I do sign a lease, it's going to be a little ways away from this time of year, so I shouldn't end up in this position over Christmas again. Which will also be nice. And maybe I'll toss a few extra dollars toward my debt. But we'll see.

I think I'm going to have a similar experience at Sweeney Todd with my mom on Christmas, Alibelle.

I just saw a commercial for the Yule Log. It's going to be in HD this year.

S and I are finally home in LA. Our kitty is both very happy and very unhappy. Nobody could possibly be happier that we are home, but we are never allowed to so much as look at the door again, and too much frenzied activity prompts much complaint.

Just bought online tickets for the first showing of Aliens vs Predator Requiem (AVP R). The Neil's Christmas tradition continues.

You probably will, Hil. Sweeney Todd was great, but it was quite a bit more intense than I expected, and I did know what I was signing up for.

That said, the new ArcLight Sherman Oaks is not as impressive as the ArcLight Hollywood. It just felt a little shabbier, smaller, and a little bit more cramped, despite being brand new. However, they did have a few costumes on display from Sweeney Todd, and a few from Atonement. Gorgeous pieces.

P.S. I LOVE the yule log. I wish I had HD.

woke up dizzy, achey. vomited until nothing left. so happy I had a can of coke in the fridge.

Please body, let it just be something I ate and not The Sick. Haven't seen family in a year.

How do bulimics do this? HOW???? I'd rather gain pounds than throw up. Throwing up scares the bejeesus out of me.

Nausea subsiding. Must google whatever it is about Coke that helps. It's like magic, and should be part of their holiday advertising.