Distracting myself from the news this morning so I don't have a rage blackout.

Successful distractions so far:

1) Shirred eggs over sauteed mushrooms and hash browns;

2) Observing the Guinea Pigs loaf about;

3) Coffee;

4) More coffee;

5) Lots of music played loudly. Currently on Belle and Sebastian binge.

Timelies all!

Got LDB'ed on Thursday, so I didn't even make it to December. Of course, when the lab is playing an all X-mas music station/channel, it was going to happen sooner or later.

Went out to lunch, then Gary and Mr. S got haircuts.

Pier 1 just LDB'ed me.

Kelly and I are puttering around today, we have massages in about an hour, and other self care indulgences.

I found myself impotently furious at the news, so after contacting my senators with "shame on you" emails, I decided to spend the day in a frenzy of consumerism. Now 90+% of my Christmas shopping is done, as well as acquiring a lot of the raw goods for my holiday baking. I did not do any of my frenzied consumer activity in a liquor store (yet), which is more restraint than I can put into words.

Impressive channeling, Calli!

And don't tell anyone, but my plan is no books by white men.

♥

The sushi restaurant was playing Christmas carols sung by a mediocre children's chorus, and I was sure I would lose the LDB game. Instead, I had to listen to 12 Days of Christmas.

They did have a few of the less common carols, like The Holly and the Ivy.

So, I grew up with "dount invite folks to the shower who aren't invited to the wedding/reception". So, would it be tacky to invite them?

I grew up with the opposite - an invite to the shower was to honor/appease those who weren't invited to the "small, intimate wedding".

(Anyone who thought they were your bestest most favorite and finds out they're not, thus has the opportunity to punish you with a shitty gift that you have to thank them for. Ideally, you'll keep it until their daughter has a shower and re-gift it to her. Maybe I'm too Southern.)

Someone needs to hose Seth Abramson down. Dude, you're getting *way* ahead of yourself.

lol I follow him, he's always in a lather. TELL US MORE SETH

Do I need to ignore history as well as the news?

The news makes me angry because I feel like we can still do something. History just makes me cry. Humans, as a species, are terrible.

My family has agreed that we aren't shopping retail this year. We'll find second-hand treasures and make stuff. Silly gifts are good too. One Christmas morning my sister and I chased each other around with tiny Nerf guns as the kids watched us in awe and mortification.

Man, I bought some mango at the store a couple of months ago, and it was amazingly good. None of the subsequent mangoes have been like that, but I keep buying them, like Charlie Brown and the football. Except Lucy's holding a mango.

I was supposed to go to a party tonight, but Mac is having someone over and we're running late and and, so I sent apologies and waste staying home.

The power cord to my Mac broke. I knew it was coming, but thought I had a bit w time. So now I am on my ereader.