We’ve rolled with the punches and dropped what needed dropping and it’s been real good.

That's how to do it!

Mozzie, no! That's not how to do it.

Wishing you Thai food soon, smonster.

As Matilda articulated, Xmas Eve is where it's at, and Xmas Day more of an anticlimax after the prezzies. I'm overstuffed and ready to get to running again tomorrow.

Kind of missing our friends' Open House on Boxing Day which was just the right amount of low key mingling with others to taper off the holiday.

Xmas Shows Watched This Year:
Grinch
Charlie Brown Xmas
Holiday (Cary Grant/Katherine Hepburn)
Elf

Traditionally Watched But Not Watched This Year:
Rudolph (where we jeer at Santa and other reindeer for being assholes)
Olive, the Other Reindeer
A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott version favored here)
It's a Wonderful Life
Invader Zim Xmas

Bonus Watching:
Matilda and I have been re-watching the Harry Potter movies, and I think I have to move Half-Blood Prince into second place after Prisoner of Azkaban. It's got Rupert Grint's best comic scene (love potion), Daniel Radcliffe's best comic scene (luck serum), second best guest teacher (Broadbent as Slughorn), Michael Gambon's best scene (drinking the poison), and best scene by Kloves that wasn't in the books (Lily's fish gift to Slughorn). Also, the SPFX with the ink-in-water Pensieve scenes were so inventive and beautiful.

Confession: I watched Olive with my the due South fanartist mom of my deceased friend, who is now my friend in her own right, and we will probably watch either It's A Wonderful Life or the GC Scott Christmas Carol sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Sorry to hear about the kitty, Shir.

Aurelia, best wishes for your uncle - and your dad!

Roommate made lasagna and we watched Moonstruck. I’m still feeling the Chianti.

Merry day everyone. My life continues to go appallingly smoothly. Took time off work to come down to do Christmas with the folks - we've both been isolating so we're almost in the same bubble. I got what I wanted, which at this age mostly means cookware and clothes. The presents I was most worried about went over great:

Me: Mom, I got you a book about organized crime in the town you grew up in.

Mom: Oh, this is terrific! I just wish I could show your grandfather....

Then we did a Zoom with Mom's brother and my sister and her kids, then a dinner with spiral-cut honey ham, topped off with watching Soul with the folks.

So some parts of the world are still going OK, but all the -ma to those who need it. Good night, all.

{{{smonster}}}

Oh, smonster, I'm sorry. Much ~ma.

Brenda, yicks! about Mozzie. Such a scare.

Happy holidays, and so much ~ma to those who need it, especially in this time of year.

Thank you for all of your ~mas. This week, and yesterday especially were a nightmare. We came back home from the vet, cleaned it thoroughly, I cooked, and basically did whatever house chores we could to get ourselves really exhausted to sleep. At night we watched Die Hard - my roommate has a Christmas tradition of watching it - it was the first time for me (movies aren't my forte). Getting ourselves exhausted worked, and I finally slept through a night for the first time in a week. We also lit a candle and had calls and a friend coming over, first time since February (within covid-saftey conditions, her being two meters apart and next to two open windows). It really helped. Another friend might be coming later tonight too. My parents sent food (half of it went to the freezer), and we lit a candle. So it was a mini-shiva for her. Well, mostly for us.

I am 1000% sure we did the right thing. I'm just missing her terribly and wish I had more time with her.

{{{Shir}}} It's always that way for good cat-parents.

San Francisco won Christmas with their own "mysterious monolith"...except theirs is made out of gingerbread and frosting. And there was a rainbow over the city!

San Francisco won Christmas with their own "mysterious monolith"...except theirs is made out of gingerbread and frosting. And there was a rainbow over the city!

::fist pump!::

That is awesome.

It turns out my coworker who has been out had covid. We weren't told because of HiPAA and she didn't expose us enough according to CDC guidelines.

Even though we were sometimes maskless to drink or eat a snack it wasn't long enough exposure for her to tell anyone. And also her roommate seems to be the point of infection.

She's been out for 2 weeks and none of us have had symptoms at this point.

There are 10 houses on my block; one is empty and one is a rental (two units, but I've only ever seen one car) that I have never met or even seen the residents of. I've been here less than a year in a global pandemic and I got card and or baked goods from 4 of them! I really like my block. I baked a lot, so I put some out on everyone's porch. I think we may HAVE to do a block potluck when this virus is over and I may HAVE to organize it.