Even their names rock.

My great-grandparent's names were Claire and Raleigh.

Well, they were sorta my step-great-grandparents. Previously. By marriage. To people who are now deceased.
Basically, they're not related to me and my great-grandparents aren't my great-grandparents at all.

My great-grandmother, who's name I don't recall, and never met, died. So my great-grandfather, who's name I don't recall and who I also never met, married Claire, and then he died. Claire married Raleigh.

So when the dust settled, Claire and Raleigh had amassed a great fortune of step-relatives. I say fortune, because they were sweet enough to see us that way. They sent me animal posters and long letters (even though Claire had arthritis in her hands and the only thing that was easy to make out in the letters was her sweet and thoughtful nature) and a Christmas card that said, "the stockings were hung by the chimney with Claire" with a drawing of an old woman hung with the stockings (by the apron strings, not by her neck, it wasn't THAT demented), and they invited us to their house in the desert once when they got a thin layer of snow, and let me muss up their whole front yard by scraping it all into one rather dirty snowman.

So all that to say that I wish they were still alive because they were my kind of people.

It's All Very Gift Of The Magi, O. Henry-esque.

I set my sewing bag, the one with the stuff to make Nick's present (flannel pjs and a robe) on the external hard drive thingy of his computer.
Well, Nick says I might have set it next to it, and it might have been him that actually set it ON the hard drive. But he's just saying that to make me feel better.
It's my fault, I'm sure.

His hard drive is dead.

Moment of silence, please.


*bows head*


So Nick was making me some mix cds, because Nick has extraordinary taste in music (and girlfriends), but all the music is gone now.

It's a wonder he still loves me.
I suck.

Christmas 2006

All is calm, all is bright....







Sleep in heavenly peace.

We Three Kings

Following yonder star, up on the hill, Nick, Luca and I set out to see the Christmas lights on Christmas Eve.

Funny how the addition of Christmas lights makes all the other normal lights seem even more festive. The lights on the airstrip next to our place, they reminded me of when I was a kid and I visited my Gramie's house a week after a fire had ripped through the area, and the flowers were starting to grow back in, bright colors against the coal black of the ground. The Christmas lights on the long, low ranch houses on the hill, from a distance looked like tiaras on the draped black velvet of a jewelers case. As you might be able to guess from the above description, there might have been a wee bit 'o schnapps in my cider mug.

It was a bit of a hike, but we loved every minute. Luca made a bajillion new friends. Luca is so used to everyone wanting to pet him, that he doesn't wait for them to ask, he just greets everyone who passes. We even met the Grinch!

By the time we got home (with a half dozen pine cones that Luca picked up) we were all very ready to fall into bed and wait for Santa to come.

Please Think Of Me This Christmas...

..... as you do any of the following.

• Take a walk to see the christmas lights
• Stretch, like reallyreally long, and wiggle your toes
  
• Roast anything over an open flame
• Toast anything with eggnog
• Put on a Santa hat
• Sit upside down on the couch
• Get crafty
• Take a nap

And I'll think of you while I'm doing all of these things and maybe, justmaybe it will be at the same time (with or without considering timezones, either way, I'm not picky) and then we'll be thinking of each other and it'll be like you're here or I'm there and this Internet won't seem so big after all.

My connection will be spotty the next couple of days, and just in case we don't talk, I wanted to tell you all how much you mean to me, and that I hope the holidays find you blissed out on sugar, in comfy socks, and that maybe, for one day, all will be right with the world.

Santa Was Here!

In the lobby!
To visit me!
He came down from the roof! Well, down the stairs from the exec's offices. Same thing.

I tried to call Owner with a Sense of Humor, because I knew he'd really wanna meet Santa, but for some reason I couldn't find him.

I got TEA! And this tea ball thingamabob! I shall call him Jerry.


I'm going to make a video clip of "Jerry" talking like a puppet, thanking the French Exec for my Secret Santa gift. I'm only about 80% sure it was French Exec's handwriting on the gift tag, but if I'm wrong, it's even funnier.

I now officially have enough tea to reenact the Boston Tea Party. Or to bathe in it all year, which sounds like a better idea. I shall be lightly caffeinated, by osmosis!

When I looked up from my present, Santa was gone.
Magically.
Before I got a chance to ask him if he could make my parents love each other again.
Oh well. Tea is more comforting anyway.

There were a lot of chocolate fountains on sale.

Sarah Smile - *holding gift cards* "So. What do we want from Bed, Bath and Beyond?"

My Nick - "Something from the Beyond section."

Sarah Smile - "Hee."

My Nick - "Suddenly you're falling through space. 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Oh, here are the coffee mugs.'*"


*name that show

I'm Very Content With Life At The Moment.

I think we all know about my platonic crush on my boss (no, seriously, not like that. He's, like, a grown-up, ew). I'm convinced he's one of the loveliest bosses to ever grace a leather swivel chair.

And no, I have no reason to suspect he's reading this (but just in case you are, sir, don't worry, I'll get back to those office supply orders right after this, cross my heart).

Here's my newest reason to heart him, to end this post and get those supply orders done, to nonchalantly slip into my veryvery bestest phone voice when he passes through the lobby, and preen just a little.
It's exactly what I would have asked Santa for, if Santa hadn't cut me off after "And I wanna dance with Fred Astaire," and reminded me that a lot of kids were waiting for their turn and that I was kinda hurting his knee.
Tea! In handy little bags that fit the tea strainer in the mug!
And yes! A tea strainer in the mug!
Scone mix!
And a doggie tree ornament to top it all off!
This all makes me a Very Smiley Sarah.

Also (yes, we're not done!) there is the matter of my lunch. The lunch Nick made for me last night while I was out launching my karaoke career at Coworkers M and J's place. It's squash, it's tomato saucy goodness, it's love in tupperware. It's also mostly gone already. SO GOOD.

And then there is this. (Still more goodies!) A gift from another coworker, such an absolute sweetheart, who every year gives me some festive goodies and a note telling me she enjoys working with me. I love the glaze, I love the smiling snowmen, and I especially love that if you put it on your desk and stare at it awhile, it appears that the snowmen are shoving Christmas trees up each other's bums.
And if that doesn't give you a festive feeling, nothing will.

This Makes Me Very, Very Happy.

No, not just the picture, although that does make me wanna dance about and ask if my ears are on straight, whatever that means.

This guy has a great collection of vintage kids records. Click on the picture to see the record cover, and click on the title to hear it.

Holiday Goodness!

Hand delivered, no less, by the lovely and charming Miss Kendra.
We had an all-too-brief visit, into which we squeezed my birthday dinner, puppy cuddling and fabric shopping.
And you know how you're all imagining how much fun it would be to fabric shop with MK? Yeah, it's everything you'd think. She bought enough fabric to make a circus tent. (Sidenote - I really hope she DOES make a circus tent.)

I'm at a complete loss to explain how she managed to come and go without me getting a single picture of her.
But like Santa Claus, I can prove she came, by the holiday goodness left behind.
Behold!

Plotting Mischief At The Office Party.

Coworker, She of the Lovely Curls and I.

(Thanks to our Friendly Rhymes with Bentel Rep for the picture)

I Love My New Camera Almost As Much As I Love My Lobby.

My itsy-bitsy desk tree. Her name is Cassandra.
Flowers I bought and arranged myself.


The beast, my phone. It's like playing the piano sometimes.


Eek! A mouse!


It's almost like getting to work outside.


Some flowers (not for me, just waiting to be picked up) and my poinsettia, Captain Josef.

What I Really Want For Christmas, Hanukkah, My Birthday, This Holiday Season.

• Cherry Tomatoes. The Trader Joe's Organics Mixed Medley Cherry Tomatoes, specifically.
• Someone to pay my bills. Well, not pay them exactly. Just someone who'll take my money, address the envelopes, lick the stamps and drop them in the mail. Wait, no, someone to pay my bills. With their money. That's even easier.
  
• This album. For Heat of the Moment. Which is a.) a kick ass song, and b.) Nick and I can't help giggling like crazy when ever we hear it because it reminds us of that episode of South Part where Cartman sings the song to the Congress to convince them to pull the plug on Kenny so he can have Kenny's video game. So the song just makes me happy all around.
• Juicy pear or black licorice JellyBelly jelly beans.
  
• A note from my doctor excusing me from any meeting longer than 20 minutes.
• A small yacht.
  
• A day off to do nothing but lay in the sun with my puppy.
• Sea Monkeys! Can you believe Colsy heard on the radio that they were on the Worst Gift list?
  
• A bunch of plane tickets, to fly in all my lovely readers for my birthday party.
• A bunny.
• World peace.