It only gets brighter from here on out.

Thank god.

My mother and I just went and hung out for a while by my father's niche at the cemetery (for his birthday), and re-agreed that picking the indoor columbarium was not only the cheapest choice, but also the best, because it is pouring out.

For Christmas, we were going to just hang around and watch Christmas movies and maybe play games, but we got invited for roast beef dinner, so we're doing that, which should be fine.

Happy Solstice!

One of the people who is supposed to get my department content to work on apparently just realized that there will be no one there to work on it for the next week and a half. Boy, howdy, have the files been coming in fast and furious for the past hour. There are 54 minutes to go in my work day.

I just broke Mr. Loomy. I'm listening to the remastered It'll End In Tears by This Mortal Coil, and he made a comment about "I was going to suggest a drum solo coming in here, but I figured you wanted to hear the song uninterrupted." During the next song, he started making drum solo noises. After I said "This is one of my favorite albums, and I am going to fuck you up", he couldn't stop laughing.

That's a pretty wonderful plan, Fred, though I would encourage a bit of green food amongst all the red and brown (wryly insert smiley emoticon here). You know, just for traditional seasonal color.

plan ahead for maybe a horror marathon (she's a horror fan) and slice and bake cookies, and beer.

...which I was puzzled by at first, since I read it as 'bees', but no, it's a good plan!

msbelle, this time of year we have apprx. four hours of daylight and I have ten years of sights I planned to show my kid. So far said kid is sleeping off a pile of nerves from the last two weeks of craziness, including a week's driving cross country in driving rain and deathwish drivers. I have had my disappointed snit and have backed off. If these plans, as all the rest of my plans, don't happen, well. We lost power, internet, and heat for several hours yesterday. I have all of those things today and am being happy about that and have let go everything else. It's hard to do that. We've shed and reduced family traditions to the point now where we have none. I do miss it. But I'm healthier and better letting it go. Maybe in a year that's not so crazy we'll be able to start making new ones, that suit us better now. I wish you the same.

It only gets brighter from here on out.

Oh, thank all the gods and little fishes! Happy Solstice!

If these plans, as all the rest of my plans, don't happen, well.

My life. Beverly, I hope the kid feels better after sleeping off the trip. It is absurdly exhausting.

Happy Solstice indeed! I am ready. Hope it is clear tonight to see the full moon.

he couldn't stop laughing.

Have you checked to make sure he hasn't been replaced by an alien?

I cleaned a lot of the house today! But hardly neatened at all, because I'm still in the middle of everything. But I also wrapped everything, except for ribbons, so I can keep them all stacked together for now.

Am rewarding myself with The Winter Soldier.

As a Facebook memory reminded me, Christmas comes whether you're ready or not.

It only gets brighter from here on out.

For that, and for you, Tom, I am exceedingly grateful.

Happy Solstice, folks. Many thanks for all that you have given me this year.