We spent NYE watching silly movies with friends. WE got up Very Late (by Pete's definition, but I think noon is perfectly acceptable time to get out of bed), and we braved the mall to go to the silver jewelry cart and buy new wedding rings. (Our previous wedding rings had become too big; both of us are suffering from shrinking fingers or something.)

Now we are both going to be industrious and write, write, write. I hope everyone had a good NYE.

I woke up this morning, and before my conscious brain had kicked in, my subconscious brain was singing, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" which is a song I hate from a musical I hate. But my subconscious brain was all excited about the Rose Bowl parade festivities and game today. I might be a little obsessed.

Anyway, parade was great. Loved the giant origami dragon and the blind marching band. Awesome.

And the Winter Classic was great! Again a very competitive game, and it was probably the best weather conditions we've had in the three years it's been going.

Now I'm caught up on Tivo, so I'm watching the game but there are, gasp, commercials now. So hi!

SO is napping, recovering from his cut. But he's cranky about it, and I don't blame him. There's very little he can do, as it's the index finger of his dominant hand, and he's had to cancel out of a recording session today and playing bass tomorrow. Plus he feels superbad about canceling with the girls. Bummer.

But they're coming over tomorrow after lessons, so we'll still fondue with them then. Need to replace the shrimp. And probably the cheese, because I keep eating that. But everything else should be okay.

Anyway, yay New Year!

I was supposed to go to a party tonight with my sister and her friends, but I was way too tired, so I'm eating the collards and black-eyed peas I was going to bring.

JZ, The New Look for 2010.

cute! But JZ can smile in pictures, really she has a super duper smile.

mac and I had BK for lunch, then both got a pair of shoes at Payless, he got a new pair of size 10! pants, saw a friend, then grocery shopped. I am cooking, have marinara sauce simmering over turkey meatballs, sausage queso dip melting together in the crockpot, a mix of beans soaking after a quick boil, and arepas con queso in the skillet getting brown. I did prep work for making Ethiopian food tomorrow. I forgot to buy butter, so must go to the store tomorrow so I can clarify that with all the spices I mixed up. Then it will be lentils and split peas and chicken cooked up in various Wat mixtures.

now more champagne.

Graaah. I just sent email to an eBay seller letting them know that the "brand-new, sealed" DVD I purchased from them was so badly scratched that it wouldn't play, and that I want a refund. I also gently suggested that they should talk to their DVD supplier, because the image quality of the cover and included booklet makes the DVD look like a pirated copy. Which is me being very polite, because it is obvious that the damn thing is a pirated copy: the printed graphics on Disney Masterpiece editions are never that fuzzy or badly color-corrected.

HAWT! JZ, you look amazing! I mean, not that you weren't awesome before, but I just love that pic!

cute! But JZ can smile in pictures, really she has a super duper smile.

50s Vogue models don't smile.

JZ, you look fantastic!

I'm all blushy at the compliments. Blushy, but not smiley, because lately all my smiley pictures look profoundly double-chinned, way out of proportion to the way I look in real life; I've never been more than averagely photogenic, and always had a fairly large number of pictures so wrong they warranted prompt destruction, but it's gotten noticeably worse over the last year. The Vogue-ish not quite smiling pictures are practically the only ones lately that look at all like me, to me anyway.

Does this happen for anyone else? You look at the majority of pictures of yourself and you don't so much think God, I'm ugly as Who the hell is that? That doesn't look like me, it looks like someone who vaguely resembles me if you squint.