wow. not great, but far less than worst case scenario. glad you had it covered.

smonster in terms of car repairs that doesn't seem too bad.

I have to wrap presents and take them to the post office, and I don't want to. Thinking of going to the post office is making me antsy and uncomfortable.

Woo hoo, smonster!

eta: with added !

Strix, I'm glad to see you coming out of the dark.

smonster, that's a relief.

Yesterday, going holiday shopping with my Dad, I tried an experiment. I dressed like I always do, but didn't wear a top hat. Surprise, surprise, there were no "Oh, steampunk!" comments directed at me. Hmmm. Dear steampunk, the neo-Victorian goths did not relinquish custody of top hats to you.

Shopping with Dad was fun. It felt really good to help him pick out presents for his lady friend. She makes him really, really happy, and that's all that I want.

I'm glad the car stuff was in the low three figures, smonster.

The office is telling me to leave. I swear. Aside from having low motivation to work, here is what is conspiring to send me home:

• The wind is howling something fierce, and is rather distracting.
  
• The sun is glaring in the window, so I have to close the vertical blinds
  
• The sun is heating up the room, so I have to open the door for fresh air (no A/C)
  
• The slightly opened door blows the vertical blinds, such that they make annoying noise, and temporarily blind me with sunlight as the blinds temporarily ceases to keep the sun out

See? All good reasons to leave, right??

If only. I'm only staying another hour or so anyhow.

---- Smonster, glad the car will be repaired, and that it's relatively cheap, as far as car repairs go! And glad you had emergency funds to cover it.

Dear steampunk, the neo-Victorian goths did not relinquish custody of top hats to you.

Pretty much every event I've been to where there have been steampunk-themed (or maybe I should say "steampunk"-themed, for lo, I still believe that scare quotes can be used properly in this day and age) folks, it has all boiled down to top hats, goggles, and gears glued everywhere.

Pretty much every event I've been to where there have been steampunk-themed (or maybe I should say "steampunk"-themed, for lo, I still believe that scare quotes can be used properly in this day and age) folks, it has all boiled down to top hats, goggles, and gears glued everywhere.

One of the really fun bits from Steamcon this year was when I emceed the "Tea at the Sanitarium" event, because I was instructed to be mean. I was the mean, evil warden/headmistress at the asylum, and I needed to play that up. Which meant that I got to mingle with the attendees and say things like, "Goggles. On your hat. Do you know what goggles are FOR?" and "Do those gears on your sleeve do anything, or are they more like sequins? Overstated and useless?"

There are things about steampunk that I really like. But it also pushes all of my elitest ElderGoth buttons and can send me off into a Poseurs This Is Not A Costume And You Are Not An Airship Pirate rant at the clatter of a teacup.

I'm glad that shopping with your Dad was good, Jilli. Shopping with my kids has been one of the few nice bits about the holiday season this year. For some reason I'm just not really feeling it yet, it just feels like work. Which reminds me, I need to go finish cleaning Isaac's room.

For some reason I'm just not really feeling it yet, it just feels like work.

Yeah, I'm not quite to holiday spirit yet. Maybe I'll go mix up a batch of gingerbread dough so I can bake ginger bats tomorrow.