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There’s something about the image of a champagne bottle popping that makes me….nevermind.

So, it’s that time, again. December 31st. End of the year. That time when I look up at at the calendar and go ‘whaaaa? December 31st! Yesterday it was spring!? I’m not ready!’ But time goes on anyway, and I’ll wake up tomorrow and it’ll be a new day of a new month of the first year of a new decade.

Blogs galore are galavanting through the last decade, remembering and celebrating and commisterating, noting how much different they were back then, or maybe how much they’re exactly the same, whether that’s good or bad. I’ve done my fair share of that in my head, and in conversation, but I haven’t felt led to do much of it here on the blog.

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(This post is long and mostly for me, so if you don’t want to read it, I’m not bothered by it. *sniff* So… just… skip over it to something happy. *glances over shoulder to see if you’re watching*)

MEH. That’s about how I’m feeling, right now. I was doing pretty good, until a few days ago, and now I’m all MEH.

Short story long, here’s what had happened:

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Season’s Eatings

Just like it’s not summer until I hear Summertime by Will Smith, It’s not Christmas until I hear some Nat King Cole, specifically The Christmas Song.  This song, the entire Christmas album, actually, reminds me so much of home. My dad has a vintage Reel to Reel system, and every Christmas he’d put on the Nat King Cole and we’d listen to the entire album while opening presents and having breakfast, talking and such. In later years we replaced it with the CD of Christmas songs from Nat King Cole and every year, like clockwork, it’s playing when I call.

Every year since 2004 I have opted to stay here in Georgia over Christmas. Travel across the country is too expensive (yes, I plan ahead. It’s just too expensive!), and winter is mighty cold in Spokane. And there isn’t much to do and I no longer remember how to drive in snow and ice. No matter how cold I think I it is here,  it’s always worse there, so I’m thankful.  But every Christmas I make sure to listen to some Nat King Cole and call my parents and wish them a  Merry Christmas. It just helps me to feel more like I’m at home.

And then I pig out. Kidding. No, I’m really not.   Here’s some Mr. Cole for your holiday. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Hello World!

I’m here! I’ve been recovering from the Month of Writing Dangerously, aka NaNoWriMo. You know, sleeping, showering, eating, doing anything BUT writing. It’s been good and fun. Funny thing is, I’m kind of itching to get back to writing. I just sort of don’t want to look at my manuscript right now.

I am suddenly a social butterfly, it would seem. Odd. I’m kind of a loner. I have invites to two parties and my friend Kary is coming to visit in a couple of weeks. I’ve actually never met Kary, I only know her online. We’ve talked for a long time and share a love of the same band. Plus she is supercool supergood people and lots of fun, so I’m REALLY excited to be meeting her.

So, -this Saturday is Holiday Party #1- My boss’ Annual Holiday Bash. I don’t want to go. But I am making myself go. I know I will have fun once I get there. His wife is a delightful woman, I really enjoy her. So I’ll go and stay a few hours at least. My boss lives in the same building that Janet Jackson and Elton John have condos in. So, yeah slightly upscale.

Party #2 is not until the 13th and should be less fancy.  I mean, kids will be in the basement. It is my CFO’s Annual Party. I have been promised good food. Looking forward to THAT!

I often find that it isn’t that I’m anti-social… it’s that I party differently than others. I don’t really drink much, because I’m always driving. Party Hosts often assume everyone is drinking and rarely have juice or diet soda available. Which leaves me to bring my own. How lame do I look, walking around with a six pack of diet cherry Pepsi? Hmmm. I think both parties will turn out fine.

Not to mention, I am kind of shy. I KNOW! You’d never guess, huh? I’m socially awkward, I was never really taught how to be sociable. A good time for me is hanging out in the corner, watching people, waiting until I feel like I ‘know’ some people before jumping in. I like for people to ‘get to know me’ before meeting me. It takes the pressure off and I can be myself.  This is why I LOVED online dating. Until I met every freak, weirdo, scam artist and pansy who didn’t know what he wanted so he thought he’d drag me along for the ride while he figured it out.

OY.

Also in my world, I haven’t done any Christmas shopping. And I’m starting to stress out about it! It’s not that I don’t have the money, I just don’t want to shop. I’m not quite in the spirit yet. I’m going to see if I can drum some up over the weekend. I have Secret Santas and nephews to get gifts for. And MYSELF! MYSELF needs a gift!

This year I am hoping to get me a big-dang-TV and surround sound system. We’ll see. It’s a lot of money that I’m kind of not willing to spend on myself. But I know I will enjoy it once I have it. So I should just bite the bullet and do it. Huh?

Meh.

Is it vacation time, yet?