Archive for December, 2007

It’s almost 2008…

Kasia December 31st, 2007

…do you know what your resolutions are?

I stopped doing New Year’s resolutions years ago. I never kept them, always felt awful about it, and finally decided it was better just to skip ‘em. However, in the last six months or so I picked up the idea of doing monthly resolutions from Michelle at rosetta stone, and that’s been very helpful.

Last month I made resolutions in three areas, and was really only anywhere near good about keeping one of them (the face cleansing). I did make some progress on spending time with the Blessed Sacrament, which is good, but it was nowhere near the 15 minutes per working day I’d planned on. And the decluttering pretty much stopped dead early in December as the pre-Christmas madness really got underway. So…

I’m going to repeat the resolution about spending time with the Blessed Sacrament, but I’m going to start smaller: five minutes per working day. If I do more, great; but that gives me a minimal benchmark to start from.

I’m also going to resolve to pack my meals more. That will require a corollary resolution that I will be more diligent about grocery shopping. My goal: buy a maximum of one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner out per work week.

That’s quite enough to be getting on with, I think.

Incidentally, I had made a sort of informal resolution to pare down my books to a certain level by the New Year. Specifically I wanted to be able to see all of the titles on the shelves. I’m not quite there yet, but I am extremely close, and there is still some space on the shelves (the books aren’t packed in as tightly as they could be), so I’m going to call it “close enough for jazz” and be pleased with myself for now. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t get the boxes of books to be donated all catalogued and down to the library for this tax year, but that’s OK; it’ll be a bonus in 2008.

Happy New Year to all, and may it be a joyful and peaceful one.

Take THAT, Macy’s!

Kasia December 22nd, 2007

Note to retailers: The way to win a new customer is NOT, repeat IS NOT, to flood her inbox with e-mails.

I have purchased from Macy’s exactly once in my life. It was in October or thereabouts, and it was off of a wedding registry. And yes, I do 90% of my shopping online, so this was an online purchase. So you got my e-mail. That does NOT mean I want to be bombarded with e-mails about your sales, how many days of shopping before Christmas, yadda yadda.

I have unsubscribed, you fiends, and if (Heaven forbid) I ever fulfill another wedding gift through your store, I will be VERY sure to click on the “No, I do NOT want to receive notices of special offers from you creeps!” radio box.

Do not mess with a woman three days before Christmas; for on top of the regular holiday stress, I am pre-menopausalmenstrual (thanks Puff!).

Bwahahahahahahahaa.

Christmas survey

Kasia December 19th, 2007

I’ve done this before - come to think of it, I think I may have even posted my responses before - but Jill sent it to me, and I’m a sucker for liking to think people actually CARE about these sorts of details about me. I mean, I like knowing these things about my friends, but I know not everyone’s like me…

However, since it’s Christmas and is ridiculously busy for everyone, I’m simply posting my answers as a point of interest, and not tagging anyone. If it tickles your fancy, do it; if not, just keep your sniggering at me out of my earshot, mmkay?  :-p

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here’s what you’re supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you…….Tis the Season to be NICE! 

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I’ve always thought wrapping paper was nicer, but in recent years I’ve become a biiiig fan of gift bags. Especially since they can be reused ad nauseam.

2. Real tree or artificial?  I grew up with real, and that’s where my heart is; but for practical and financial reasons I now have artificial. The Canuck feels strongly about having an artificial tree for environmental reasons, which I can respect; but I’ve told him that I want us to at least have a real wreath on the door so I can get my pine smell.

3. When do you put up the tree?  This year, I haven’t. I haven’t found a good place in my condo for it. Last year I put it up Thanksgiving weekend.
 
4. Do you like egg nog? Yes, in small quantities (a few glasses a year).

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  Not sure…my guess would be the gorgeous edition of A Christmas Carol that I just loaned to TBS, based on the fact that I still have it. At the time, though, I was probably more fixated on my Cabbage Patch World Travelers (Holland and Scotland)…


7. Do you have a nativity scene?  Yes, and it’s figured prominently into some recent blog posts.  :-p  It was my grandmother’s; she bought the figures a few at a time at Woolworth’s and my grandfather made the stable. However, I noticed this year as I was unwrapping it that some of the pieces are beginning to chip; so I think in a few years I may have to think about replacing it.
 
8. Hardest person to buy for?  Varies year to year, but my parents would always be in the running. My dad has gotten easier, as I gave up on being creative and just started getting him a bottle of Canadian Club and a pack of Three Musketeers bars.


9. Easiest person to buy for?  The Canuck. He and I gave up years ago on trying to surprise each other, and now we just set a budget and tell each other exactly what we want. This year he actually sent me the Amazon links to the exact items. I love it!
 

10. Mail or e-mail cards? I think mail is nicer, but I’m awful about doing them. One of my resolutions for next year is to actually send out cards.
 
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Ooh, that’s easy. Say it with  me, Big Seester: pink polyester pants suit.
 
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Probably the original Miracle on 34th Street. I get teary every time when Kris speaks Dutch to the little girl and she goes from being very sad and pleading-looking to glowing with a million watts: “Oh, u BIN Sinter Klaas!!”
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year I started picking around eBay for ideas in September or October…but don’t hate me too much; I’m still not done!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably, but nothing’s coming to mind offhand.
 15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?  Mmm…hard to say. That’s distinctly Christmassy and not available at other times of the year? Probably Springley cookies. And my aunt makes some very nice meringue cookies with chocolate chips that I like in small doses.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?  I love both. Right now I only own clear, because they’re hand-me-downs, and the Canuck strongly prefers clear lights; but maybe we’ll compromise and have clear lights on the tree but colored on the window. We’ll see.
 17. Favorite Christmas song?  I’m going to be nitpicky and say that O Come, O Come Emmanuel is an Advent song, not a Christmas song, so I can’t choose that. I’d have to pick a small group: O Come, All Ye Faithful (English or Latin); Silent Night (English or German); It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; Joy to the World; and We Three Kings (all verses). But as The Big Seester can attest, I’m a huge fan of Christmas music and always have been, so that’s just a smattering…
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?  I would prefer to stay home, but I’ve done both.
 
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?  Yup - being the big nerd that I am: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. And Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?  I have an angel. I think a star would be nice, though. (See earlier reference to hand-me-downs.)
 
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?  Presents? What presents?  :-p  We always opened Christmas morning, which ensured that my mother felt cheated once the divorce happened and she got Christmas Eve. So we opened presents Christmas Eve at Mom’s and Christmas morning at Dad’s.
 
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?  Hmm…
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?  Not sure. However, I do want bubble lights someday…

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?  My dad makes prime rib. Hard to beat that…
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?  Um. Well, The Canuck already got me what I asked him for (compact RSV Bible); The Big Seester inadvertently gave me the best Christmas gift I’ve had in years (a big pile of pantyhose and underpants - boy, am I old); and The Canuck already proposed, even though I don’t have the ring yet. So…peace on Earth, goodwill, etc?

Who ARE these guys?!

Kasia December 17th, 2007

That creche figure I thought was St. Joseph that isn’t? I don’t think he’s a shepherd, because they’re dressed differently and have sheep worked into their figurines.

I’ve accounted for everyone I can think of. They’re not shepherds (I don’t think). They’re not angels. They’re not the Three Kings. They aren’t even the Three Kings’ three attendants (we have those, along with the camels). And they’re certainly not St. Mary. She’s accounted for, as is St. Joseph (as I previously mentioned).

So…who else would’ve been present at the birth of Christ? Any thoughts?

Another birthday wish

Kasia December 17th, 2007

Happy birthday, Puff the Magic Dragon from The Spirit’s Sword!

I went from knowing NO ONE with this birthday at this time last year, to knowing TWO people this year. Ain’t it a treat?  :-)

Many happy returns to everyone who is celebrating a birthday today.

D’oh!

Kasia December 17th, 2007

Just this morning I was mentioning to Miko (one of my cats - yes, I talk to my cats. Shush up and don’t judge me) how static-y his fur is, and that I was going to need to do something to humidify the place better.

Well, I was throwing together one of my favorite quick-and-easy meals (penne with alfredo sauce), and sat down at the computer “for a minute”.

Thank God I didn’t burn up the pan. When I walked back into the kitchen (having completely forgotten I had water on to boil, of course) there was just a thin layer bubbling away at the bottom.

At least we got some humidity…  :-p

Well. This is embarrassing.

Kasia December 17th, 2007

By the merciful grace of God, I was given a snow day today.

(OK, by the fact that the Detroit public schools - in fact, ALL public school districts in the tri-county area except Grosse Pointe - were closed today, which is the benchmark for Monsignor to close the Cathedral office for the day. But I still see God’s hand in it.)

Anyway. I decided to sleep in a little, then do some cleaning, laundry, etc. Maybe I could even get some Christmas decorating done!

I had to dredge through many, MANY boxes in my storage unit in order to find what I was looking for: my grandmother’s creche (I will have to go back and look for the cheat-sheet that tells me how to put the appropriate accent onto that “e”). Most of them had Poppytrail dishes in them. That’s a story for another day.

ANYway, so I find the creche and stable and haul them upstairs. Good-o. I clear off the dining room table, put a nice tablecloth that Grandmère de Canuque crocheted for me last year on to protect the table finish, pull out the stable, clean it off, and begin to set up the creche.

I know better than to put Jesus into the manger yet, so I set that figure into a drawer. (Yes, I’m sure it’s disrespectful, but I’m sure He knows that I don’t mean it to be so.) I’m sorting out Wise Men, their camels and attendants, sheep, other animals, angels, Mary…umm, which one of these is Joseph?

At first I thought it was the guy in the brown, kneeling. But I don’t think so. He’s one of two very similar figures, so I think they’re meant to be shepherds.

Oh. OH. So it must be…this guy with the white beard, who’s standing but slightly hunched over?

I only heard in very recent years about the tradition that Joseph was much older than Mary (and about Mary’s perpetual virginity). I am quite sure that every time I set up that creche in years past, I probably put the wrong guy in Joseph’s place. Oops…

Hopefully St. Joseph has a sense of humor. And hopefully the Lord does as well.

Be afraid…

Kasia December 17th, 2007

…for I am planning a wedding, and I’m sure everyone reading this has seen at least one monstrously ugly bridesmaid outfit. Here is my favorite send-up of bridesmaid apparel (due credit to Deirdre Flint, the singer/writer, and musicsonglyrics.com):

My cousin Mary is a real good friend so she’s a bridesmaid for the tenth time
They say that love is blind and a bride to be can prove it
‘Cause what they pick for bridesmaids is a heinous fashion crime.
She pays 300 dollars for a dress the bride is claiming,
“If you hem it, you can wear it as a cocktail dress.”
Well, sure.
If you hem it, redesign the sleeves, tear off the bows and rhinestones, tuck in the sash and dye it black, well then, 500 dollars later you will end up with a gown that is quite obviously a bridesmaid dress altered to be worn as a cocktail dress.

Well, she called me when the dress came in and said,
“I can’t believe it, but this one wins the one for the most piteous.”
I said, “You’ve got a wide brimmed melon hat. Nothing
could be worse than that.”
But it was. It was hideous.
It was yards of silken aqua foamy green with lace and ribbons
It was Scarlett crawling back up from the dead
And as she shoved her feet into a set of matching four inch heels
For lack of any better words I said,
“Someday, jumbo butt bows, will be the rage that’s what my hunch is
“And someday, jade silk long gloves
“Will be the power dress for corporate lunches.
“They brought the bellbottoms back , we said it couldn’t be done
“It’s just a question of when.
“Don’t trash that satin, I’m telling you girl,
“You’ll use that dress again.”

The reception was a dinner cruise that sailed into the bay,
Despite the lace and ribbons Mary looked divine.
But another psycho bridesmaid who was jealous of her beauty
Lured her up onto the deck and pushed poor Mary into the brine.
Well, she floated on for days because the bustle made her buoyant.
And the sharks could not bite through the crinoline skirt.
And her parasol turned over caught her ten fresh quarts of water
Till she landed on the last uncharted island, whether beaten but unhurt.

She turned the rhinestones sunward, the reflection made a fire
And the natives were impressed with what they saw.
For they dined on wild bobcat Mary caught with bow and arrow
She’d refashioned from the wire of her underwire bra and she said,
“Hey this jumbo butt bow will make a nifty rescue flag.
“And hey, this extra bustle, I’ll sew into a sleeping bag.
“I’ll pay the natives fake pearls, they’ll go and carve me a boat
“And I’ll be homeward again.
“I’m sure that this skirt will yield three full sails, HEY!
“I’m using this dress again.”

Well, a Miami plastic surgeon came upon Mary’s distress note
She’d sent floating out to sea in pillbox hat
And as Mary waylaid anchor, he fell instantly in love
And he jumped into his private yacht and set to sail where he thought
She’d be at.
Well, a squall came from the south, the handsome surgeon’s boat took water
He prepared himself to die amidst the wreck
But as his head was going under, he heard, “Grab onto this butt bow!”
And our true love pulled him from the turgid waters safely up onto her deck.

They married two weeks later and our Mary wrote a book
Made 10 million on her video and tour
And these days when someone calls her at her mansion and says, “Hey!
“Will you be my bridesmaid?” Mary answers, “Sure!
“Just dress me in one hundred butt bows! And all the matching pastel gear
“Sure! I’d love a hoop skirt! I want to buy another oddly shaped brassiere.
“It needs more rhinestones I think, a nice tiara might help,
“What this dress needs is a train!”
So take a page from Mary, she’s doing well
Though you might feel foolish, you might look like hell
Don’t trash that satin, you never can tell, girls,
You’ll use that dress again.

Duh…Happy Birthday!

Kasia December 17th, 2007

To my very dear friend Jenn (a.k.a. Jaibee), who is entering the Super-Secret, Not-To-Be-Trusted Club today.

Fear not - just about everyone I’ve talked to has agreed with me that their thirties have been MUCH better than their twenties. And you’re not really old until at least forty-five… :-p
Yeah, I was out to lunch with my father and stepmother, TBS and The Canuck on Saturday, and I was telling some story that involved a fairly frail woman of 60 or 70 years. I started to say she was elderly or older, when suddenly I realized that the two people I was primarily addressing are turning 64 and 65 respectively next month. I quickly backpedaled and made her “at least 70″. I’m sure they noticed, but they were gracious enough to not call me out on it.  :-)

Tagged!

Kasia December 16th, 2007

I’ve actually been tagged for two things, but the hour being what it is, I will have to do one tonight and save one for a little later in the week. I’ll start with the older one…and since part of the fun of memes is that they mutate, I am going to use both lists for my meme. Oh - sorry, dreadful writing here…the meme is a set of questions about the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movies list, and I can utilize either the 1998 list or the new one. I’m using both, because…well, you’ll see. There’s some commentary I want to add.

My five favorite movies on the list(s): Hard to say, as I do like quite a lot of them. I’ll go with To Kill a Mockingbird; The Godfather; Casablanca; Some Like It Hot; and Dr. Strangelove.

Five movies on the list I didn’t like at all: Forrest Gump (I had the same reaction that Bear described); Citizen Kane (sorry, know it’s supposed to be a great classic, but no); Goodfellas (only saw half of it and couldn’t take the violence and cursing); Lord of the Rings (great cinematography and acting, but it took almost until the end of each movie for me to stop being bored and actually get into it a bit); and Doctor Zhivago (only got through the first tape).

Five movies on the list I haven’t seen but want to: Twelve Angry Men; All About Eve; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; From Here to Eternity; The French Connection.

Five movies on the list I haven’t seen and have no interest in seeing: Jaws (in its entirety; I’ve probably seen the whole movie in bits and pieces); The Deer Hunter (I’ve heard tell of a wedding scene that wouldn’t die); Rocky; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (I saw a small portion that featured Burton and Taylor nigh-brawling onscreen, and that was quite enough, thank you); Platoon (not that I object to military movies in general).

My five favorite movies that aren’t on the list: The Incredibles (though that has no business being on the list yet, and IMHO Toy Story had no business being on the list yet either); Full Metal Jacket; The Princess Bride; Miracle on 34th Street (with Natalie Wood, not the new one); and Sleepless in Seattle. Yes, I’m a chick. What’s your point?

Here’s where my additional commentary has to come in. I freely admit I didn’t like, say, Doctor Zhivago. However, when that gets knocked off the list and the freakin’ Lord of the Rings movie goes on, something is seriously wrong! And when Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and The Manchurian Candidate both go the way of the dodo bird, but that testimony to James Cameron’s ego Titanic makes it on…well, it’s a sad day in Mudville, folks. Don’t get me wrong; Titanic wasn’t a bad movie. It was well acted and had great special effects. But when you cut through all that, you’ve got a dubious script that got where it did because of (a) the aforementioned special effects, and (b) the fact that it was designed to play every cheesy heartstring in the audience. It was emotional manipulation, plain and simple. And while sometimes that makes for an enjoyable theater-going experience, I don’t think it should qualify for the Top 100 Movies.

OK. Rant complete. I tag the Canuck, Mrs. Kheldar, The Big Seester, Michelle R, and DigiStephanie.

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