Giant Inflatable Snowmen

This year’s icicle lights. My wife and I walked around our neighborhood and must have seen 4 of these beauties. I’ve seen them in various stores and they only go for around $40. Hard to resist something like that for so cheap and apparently a lot of people felt the same way. When I first saw one, I thought that would look really cool in the corner of my cubical. But didn’t get one because it would have taken up too much room and the fan would probably be annoying after awhile. Still, it would have been a perfect statement on what Christmas has morphed into these days – something bright, loud and over the top.

No Heater Required

Started out as a typical Sunday where the Miata would just spend the day in the garage, but at 3:30 PM when my wife returned from grocery shopping with her mom, she came inside and said, “It’s a beautiful day out, let’s go for a drive.” So we did. A little 30 mile drive in the low angle sunlight of a winter’s late afternoon. No heater required, but by drives end it was nice to get back inside the warm house.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 348

Christmas Shopping II

We put the modified Plan A into action this morning. We went back out to our local mall and shopped for stuff we wanted and brought it home. I’ll wrap the stuff for her and she’ll wrap my stuff. We’ll act all surprised on Christmas morning, “Oh, it’s just what I wanted. How did you know?”

I bought a couple of long sleeve polo shirts for winter wear at Sears. The original price was $36, they were on a rack with a big tag that said, 40% OFF. At the register they were taking an additional 10% off for an Early Bird Special, so the shirts cost me around nineteen and a half bucks. What are they really worth, probably just that, a sawbuck. What did Sears pay for them in the first place, probably $10….and they wanted $36.

In With The Alligator

We went out for breakfast and to finish up the Christmas shopping. We left the house at 8 AM and we were done and heading home by 10:00. The sun was bright enough that we drove the half dozen miles home with the top down.

I put the Alley Gator teeth back on today.

Started up, went down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 348

Christmas Shopping

My wife and I have been married for 26 years and for the first 24 years it has been just us for Christmas. Because we don’t have kids we developed our own little tradition for Christmas, every year we would set aside a certain amount of money and the last Saturday before Christmas we would go to the mall and shop, for ourselves. We would wander the stores together and buy stuff. There would not be anything to “open up” on Christmas morning, but that was just fine by us.

But for the last 2 Christmases since Donna’s mom has been living with us we have had to go shopping for stuff to wrap for each other. We now go to the mall with lists and enter in the middle and then go our separate ways meeting back up at a predetermined time and place.

I think next year we will go back to a modified Plan A, we shop together for ourselves and then when we get home wrap them up to put under the tree….

Spouse Gift Giving

It had quit raining so we drove the work with the top down. It was 63 degrees and the day’s predicted high. It went back up while at work because there was still a chance for more rain. Even though it was cooler by quitting time, we put it back down for the ride home. It went back up for tonight’s trip to the mall. It was time for the annual Christmas shopping trip. We each make out a list of goodies we would like and give then give it to one another. At the mall and enter in the middle, where she goes left and I go right. We then meet up at a certain place after a certain amount of time having bought what we could off each others lists. When we get home, it is off to separate rooms to wrap.

Started down, went up, went down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 347

Oooh, It’s A Big One

The latest Rolling Stone came in the mail today. It was all shrink wrapped in plastic. Probably to protect the shiny silver bordered cover of this “Special Double Issue.” I don’t know what makes it special, except for perhaps that photo of Bill Wyman without his shirt on. I don’t know what makes it a double issue, because in thickness it is about the same or maybe even thinner than the last issue. Oh, I see why now, Ozzy is on the cover twice! Once by himself and another with his TV family….