{{{{sj}}}} that just sucks.

My favorite call today (in addition to all the various partner agency and alarm company employees being all cheery and 'happy holidays!' which is a nice change of pace) has been from a very nice Nordstrom employee. She had a bunch of packages shipped to her home address and some jerk stole them. That's not the good part. The good part is that the dumb thief took them to the store where she works to "return" them for cash. The clerk doing the "return" thought it was a little sketchy and copied his ID. So she actually knows exactly who it was and there's a paper trail. Kudos to Nordies!

TCG and I finished wrapping all of the gifts for the family, and now he is going to bed so I can wrap his gifts. Some year I will be organized.

Cash and Beverley, I hope you both feel better soon.

Hi all. I'm rarely here these days, but I just wanted to stop and wish you all happy holidays. You're all in my heart and in my daily thoughts.

Here's how it looks like two minutes away from my place in Haifa: [link] (not my picture).

Christmas conversation with Ryan:

"Look Ryan, this is a dollar from New Zealand. And what's this on the coin?"
"It's a kiwi!"
"That's right! Did we see kiwis?"
"Yes. [Turns coin over] And that's a sheep!"
"...That's the Queen!"
"It looks like a sheep!"

My boy has Opinions about New Zealand currency.

I think the Queen would smile slightly--then chuckle in private.

Ryan is a never ending font of joy!

Seasonal humor, Washington style:

Did you hear they had to cancel the Congressional Christmas pageant?

...

They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.

Ba dump bump!

I think, if we play Ryan rules for Settlers of Catan, hearing NoiseDesign saying "I have wood, I want Queen Elizabeth" will be rather awkward for those residents of the Commonwealths.

ION- I may need some alibi's. After buying all the supplies for the closet doors thing. And buying lumbar to "square up the opening, to do the project right", and me asking "are you sure those tracks will work? Will they fit inside the 5" frame?" And being assured they will work. While he was building in the bedroom I was helping mom with her new computer in the dining room. After much cussing. A second trip for a third board for the header. A third trip to Home Depot for longer screws. Around 5:30, mom goes in to the bedroom to bring him a glass of water. She comes out saying "oh! One door is up!!" I go in, and he's got the track set up barn door style (outside the frame). First off, it's not what we talked about. Second, it's ugly. And most important, where the hell will the second track go?!? So I ask him, what's the deal. "Oh, it's not going to work with these tracks. I'm going to have to cut off this and do that (basically butcher the hell out of the tracks) and then hope it blah blah blah". So? We need the right tracks, and it will be ok? "Yes, but then we have to wait. I can cut this and do that". No. I've already waited 6 months, I can wait another couple weeks. I want it right. The thing that pissed me off the most is, he's opened 2 of the 3 tracks, hung one of them in the wrong position, to demonstrate why it wouldn't work. @@ Really? So you had to make holes where there didn't need to be any to prove it didn't work? Ugg. I knew it. That's why I kept asking, and he reassured me. So fucking pissed.

Then I made dinner. Mixed wild rice steamed. Steamed fresh broccolli. And some chicken breasts baked in the oven soaking in lemon juice and covered with lemon pepper spice. Then I did the dishes, because nobody else was getting up to do them. Arrrgggh. If there was a night I want to have to myself, and play video games, it'd be tonight. Alas, I got this dude camping out in my living room. Where the xbox is. Aaarrrgggh.

(I'll be ok. Just venting).