It's very slow here at work. My co-workers are entertaining themselves with geek smack talk. I do like having geeks around me.

Timelies all!

Hugs to all.

We are at the airport a couple hours early.

We are watching A New Hope now and have tickets for The Force Awakens this evening. Might get in Empire Strikes Back before we have to leave. Had hoped to get through episodes iv, v, and vi but didn't start early enough.

Apparently four days and the start of a cold is what it takes for me to be Over the holidays and being in my sisters house and dealing with a four year old. Ugh. Just want to be home, in my own uncluttered clean house with nice pillows and Netflix and a comfy couch...I might be extra cranky because of the "getting sick" part.

I've posted this before, but I love it so. Let's call it a holiday tradition, and my gift to you. I love you all.

Identical Snowflakes

Timelies, folks. I hope everyone is getting some restful downtime this weekend.

Me, I am a Christmas MACHINE. I have today off, still got up at 6 to walk the dogs. Since this morning I have: done laundry, changed the sheets, gone to the store (which was insane, even at 9:30AM) and picked up the ridiculously-expensive prime rib, made a chocolate fudge pie, prepped two loaves of bread (now on their last rise), and started the wild rice for tonight's salad.

Still to do: clean the mud off the kitchen floor, make a big salad, finish laundry, finish the bread, walk the dog again, wrap presents, set the table, go to mass (possibly), make Bittman's Portuguese mussels with chorizo for family dinner, load the dishwasher, collapse into bed.

look at it as an accomplishment that i got through it all,

Wow, Amy, that's a huge accomplishment. So impressive. And really impressed by your willingness to face all your friends with the truth. (And impressed with your friend Terry.)

In short: Impressive.

Amyth, I echo what the others have already said. You're brave and thank you for trusting us with that.

College was fucking hard. I've always been disappointed with myself over it.

Except for half the family getting caught in a mother of a storm in Richmond, we're all having a great Christmas Eve!

Amy that's huge.

Mousehole update: ok, I have looked everywhere in the kitchen that I suspect of of harboring murine access points (I had to look up that word, it's a good one!). The hole above the stove that opens into the attic I have sealed with foam. There's a hole under the sink (to inside the wall, may or may not be accessible from the outside by small critters, checking all that is a project for another day) that I think should not be permanently sealed. IIRC it turned out to be necessary to access some of the plumbing for the kitchen faucet. My plumbing is...idiosyncratic. Anyway, I'm thinking I should just patch it over with something, a small piece of plywood or even plastic attached with screws so I can easily open it up again. I'm suspicious of the gaps on either side of the base of the dishwasher but I can't figure out a better way to get a good look under there (current technique is lying on the floor and peering with the aid of a headlamp) unless I start taking bits of the dishwasher off. Not sure if that is an okay idea or a terrible idea. Not going to do it right now, anyway.

So I guess I should go to the hardware store? That would mean getting dressed. But if I don't go today I can't go until at least Saturday, right? I don't want to start putting clean dishes back on the shelves until I've patched that one hole at least. and I'm down to my last empty plastic tote.

I also need drawer slide hardware. I can't figure out how to get the one drawer to come completely out of the cabinet, either - is it possible that it just doesn't? But maybe if I look at some at the store I can figure this one out.

That might be all I need right now. OK, a few measurements, get dressed, hardware store, Starbucks, and I'm done with the outside world for a bit. Sounds doable.