It cracks me up that IAWL is seen as a feel-good Christmas movie.

I have survived trips to two grocery stores. I really should have gone this morning. On the upside, I've finally finalized the menu for my Boxing Day supper:

To eat:
spiced nuts
cauliflower soup with curried apple
gingerbread pancakes with two different sauces (maple syrup apples and citrus cranberry)
sweet apple chicken sausage
frisée and apple salad with dried cherries and walnuts
cranberry-maple pudding cake

To drink:
hot buttered spiced cider
Mike’s milk punch (which looks like it will be similar to the Brandy Alexanders we had on Christmas Eve in my family)

Happy Chrismukkah everyone! I must admit, this "Merry Christmas!" stuff in stores here still makes me do a double-take. It seems so un-PC for San Francisco.

I must admit, this "Merry Christmas!" stuff in stores here still makes me do a double-take. It seems so un-PC for San Francisco.

K-Bug has been here a couple of days and has done double takes when store clerks and such have wished her a "Merry Christmas". She is going to be even more surprised to hear that they are doing that in SF too.

The kids are off with their dad for the evening. In years past we have spent Christmas eve at my dad's. This year the kids are at their dad's - feels like opposite land.

Suzi!!

Yeah, this is my first Christmas without family. There are many advantages to this, but, talking to my niece and nephew on the phone made me a bit sad. It feels weird.

Also, if I had known I wasn't going to have to work today, I might have considered going back East more seriously.

I don't really care for IAWL. I feel rather bad about it.

I am still crocheting a Christmas present....

Kids are now home and we are watching IAWL. They are doing their last minute wrapping. I am done!!!

My first Christmas without family too. And I'm extra sad because none of the presents I ordered have even arrived yet, and due to the Snowpocalypse, I haven't done any additional shopping, either. Harumph! So I don't even have anything to wrap and put under my tiny tree. Nor to give to the one person locally I'm giving stuff to. (And Snowpocalpyse put the kibosh on running around and giving out dozens of cookies, because there was no running around)

BOO.

But things could be much worse--if I WERE trying to get home, my flight probably would've been canceled or seriously delayed, and I might've been spending lots of time in one airport or another. Which would've sucked a lot. So, better to be comfy in my own home, I suppose.

I made it to my Mom's. She's not doing so great this year, which is kind of worrying because the doctors are not coming up with clever ways to fix her -- on oxygen and she's rented a scooter so that she can go longer distances in the campus. I'm worried that this may be one of the last Xmases we'll have, even though every one that we've had since her bad bout of pneumonia 15 years ago has been a gift of modern medicine, truly.

I fell asleep with the exams in my lap, and have just now woken up. I missed waving hello to Perkins and Sue and Hil and everybody.

Now it's a race, me and the clock, who has their continually changing (and therefore slower to grade) mistakes. Who wins in the battle of giants? Only time will tell. And by time I mean 1.5 hours, minus the seconds it takes me to click "post".

I will have to actively try to reduce the amount I miss my Buffistas some other almost-but-not-yet-morning, alas.

Have good company, good food, and in general, simply good things, regardless of any religion or lack thereof, OK?

I'm looking at the Google graphic...and not having a real clear idea of what we're supposed to be seeing. I see the people, and that there's stuff on the table, but I do not know what the stuff is, or what the "flashes of light" are supposed to be.

I'm looking at the Google graphic...and not having a real clear idea of what we're supposed to be seeing. I see the people, and that there's stuff on the table, but I do not know what the stuff is, or what the "flashes of light" are supposed to be.

Yeah. If you click on it, it's a series of four graphics, with what looks like a father and son putting together some sort of gadget, but I still don't get it. Maybe the last one will be tomorrow, showing what it means?