Bah! Humbug!

*sigh* I want to go to sleep and when I wake up, I want it to be January 2. I used to love Christmas time. I loved buying gifts for people, wrapping the presents, and just couldn’t wait to see the peoples’ faces when they opened the presents, to see if they liked what I gave them. I would have to make myself NOT buy something for someone because I had already picked up more for them than I had planned. But I couldn’t help it – I would see something and think, “Oh, that would be perfect for so-and-so.” I loved going through the stores and looking at all the Christmas decorations, and picking up more stuff to decorate my home. I couldn’t wait to put up a tree and decorate it. I loved seeing houses decorated with lights, and felt like I could just watch the lights for hours. Making special treats and sharing them with others. Picking out Christmas cards and mailing them. Watching all the Christmas specials on TV – Rudolph, Here Comes Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, the Charlie Brown Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street. But this year, I’m not feeling it. I don’t see anything in the stores and think of someone, anyone. I have no interest in looking at lights. I haven’t even walked through the Christmas section in any of the stores I’ve been in, unless it was a shortcut for where I was headed. And in those cases, I didn’t slow down and look at anything. I signed up for the Secret Santa at OT, and now, kind of wished I hadn’t. I have a couple of ideas of what I’m going to get my giftee, but I’m not putting the same thought and consideration into it as I have in the past. If he/she likes it, great, and if he/she doesn’t, so what? I signed up for the cookie exchange, and now am feeling stressed about it. I can’t even decide *what* to make. How hard is it to decide what kind of cookie to make? Yet, I can’t seem to do it. I don’t want to spend Christmas with my family this year. It’s getting harder and harder to spend any length of time with them and not just lose my cool. And it’s not over anything big. People are getting on my nerves just by breathing. I’m feeling like a total Scrooge, but part of me doesn’t care that I’m feeling anti-social and selfish and self-centered.

more pictures

My sister and me. After she was born, I was asked quite often if she was my baby. Do I look old enough to have had a baby in this picture?
















This is me & my oldest nephew - this is probably December 82 or January 83.

Me & my oldest nephew, Christmas 82 (edit: actually, this is probably 83. D was born in 82, and there's no way that he was that big and riding a trike at 6 months.)



For motormouth: In case you were wondering, those strange knobs on the TV? *leans in to whisper* This is how we changed channels back in the olden days. We had to get up, walk to the TV, and twist those knobs.

Back row: My cousin Nathan, my cousin Frankie (they're brothers), my brother Joe
Front row: My cousin Carla, me, my brother Jay

Back home for a minute

Went down to Arkansas Wednesday - took freakin forever. Had Thanksgiving dinner Thursday - turkey, ham, candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, mashed potatoes, dressing, some kind of peas, deviled eggs, rolls, and for dessert, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, french coconut pie, lemon meringue pie, and pineapple cream cheese pie (my contribution). Came back to Tenn yesterday with arkieboy - went to see Happy Feet and then went to Wal-Mart so he could pick up some film and a CD. He's still asleep right now, which is how I am able to get on the computer.

While I was at Mom's, I went through her pictures and got several of me. She had told me once before, that if I wanted any of the old photos, to take what I wanted. I will be posting some sporadically, as I get them scanned. Here's a couple for now.

Furniture for
Motormouth
another piece
I actually kind of like these pieces.

This is a scream!

Now you know what I do when the boss is away

My Saturday "To Do" list

1) take car in for oil change
2) rake leaves
3) do laundry
4) CLEAN THE FREAKING HOUSE ALREADY
5) pay whatever bills have come in this week
6) maybe pick up some groceries?
7) Do something with the bumper from the Malibu that has been in the back room ever since that accident.

The next trip?

Arkieboy wants us to go to San Diego next summer. Why? Because he wants to go to the SD zoo. I've told him I will try to work it out. I think Southwest flies there, and if I can catch the airfare on sale, that might run me around $400 roundtrip for the two of us. I've checked online, and admission to the zoo will be $32 each. They do have package deals that would also get us into Seaworld and the Wild Animal Park, and also covers (I think) the bus tour at the zoo and maybe the aerial tram.

Any recommendations as to what hotels to stay at, and more importantly, which ones to stay away from?

My vacation

I flew into Oakland Wednesday. The flight was late arriving, and as soon as we landed, I turned on my cell phone and I no sooner got off the plane when catty called to find out where was I. I let her know we just landed, and I was headed to claim my luggage. While I'm waiting on my suitcase to come out on the baggage carousel, Catt calls again and says she's standing by the information desk. I look around, and there she is! We start talking while we're waiting on my suitcase, and it wasn't like talking to someone you had just met, it was such an easy conversation. We went back to her apartment and just hung out and talked.

Thursday. Ah, Thursday. Catt was not able to get off from work, but I told her I could go into SF and do the tourist thing by myself - it would be fine. I would be fine. Heh. My day starts off with me calling a cab to come pick me up and take me to the BART station. I could not understand the guy at the cab company, but we finally got that worked out. Then the guy couldn't find the apartment complex for a while. But he finally shows up, and I learn that the whole "cab drivers stink" stereotype is true. *gag* It's called deodorant, dude. Try it. I buy my ticket for BART, board the train, full of excitement that I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and confident that I can do this thing. I get off the train where the San Francisco Information Center is, thinking this is a piece of cake. I walk out, and start walking down the street. I see several people who look like they could be homeless. I keep walking down the street for a few blocks, and it's just getting worse. And it totally smells like pee. It's around 1:00 by this time, and I still haven't eaten anything all day. I'm not seeing any place on this street that looks like anything I would want to go into. I tend to shy away from eating establishments that have NO customers at what I would presume to be a busy time for such types of business. I've gone, I don't know, 5 or 6 blocks perhaps? and it's not getting any better. So I finally turn around and head back to the train station. By the way? I need to pee, badly. I did think that if I were to just squat down on the sidewalk, I would probably fit right in. On the other side of the train station is the Westfield San Francisco Centre. Freaking huge. It's a nine story structure. I believe the top 4 floors are office spaces. By now, I'm getting the shakes from not eating, and my back is starting to hurt. I go to the food court and start feeling like a total hick just down from the hills and in "the big city" for the first time ever (which, ok, I was) because unlike any other food court I've ever come across, here, the food is served on "real" dinnerware. Yes, actual plates and silverware, not Styrofoam plates and plastic forks and knives. I select where I'm going to eat (some Thai place), get my meal, and then wander around the very crowded dining area looking for an empty seat. The food was ok, but it wasn't anything special, but still a step up from the normal food court cuisine. After eating, I go up a couple of flights and look around. Unfortunately, I left it too long without eating, and I have the misfortune to have my body react badly when I do this. I don't get cranky, I get weepy. Being a bitch would be preferable, believe me. So now I'm shaking and just barely holding on to keep from having a complete and total meltdown. I get out of there and get back on the train, headed back to Catt's. Can I tell you how much I hate crying? And I have.no.control. over it. It's humiliating. So I'm on the train, thinking this was the biggest fucking mistake of my life. Tears keep running down my face, so I just stare out the window the whole time, and try to discretely wipe the tears off my face. Catt had something about I could use her laptop whenever I wanted, so the thought that keeps running through my mind is I can go online, change my flight, hopefully to one that day and just go home. After the train gets to final stop, I get off, and then it just so happens that arkieboy calls me to ask how my trip is going. I hate when I lose it around him. He amazes me sometimes. For a 15 yr old, he can be so mature and wise at times. When I told him I was thinking about coming home early, he started telling me I shouldn't do that, that I would regret it if I did. Anyhoo, as if all of this wasn't making a bad enough day, it gets more Griswold-ish. The cab ride had cost $14, and the driver had a hard time finding the apartment. I knew if I got another cabbie who couldn't find it, I would not be able to give any directions. Catt had mentioned that there was a bus stop just right there on the street by her apartment. I notice that the bus fare is only $1.50. So I call the bus station, give the woman the address of where I'm going, and ask what bus I would want, and what my stop would be. She tells me take the #8 bus, and to get off at _______ & _________. So, ok, I'm good, I can do this. (Have I mentioned, that other than flying, I have NEVER taken public transportation before this trip. This is all new to me. Cabs, buses, trains - all new.) I get on the bus, pay my fare, and I'm good. I miss the stop that the woman told me to take, so I get off at the very next stop. I'm one street over from the street that Catt lives on. But nothing had looked familiar at all. I call Catt, and leave her a voice mail to let her know I have no idea where I'm at. The police station was just a couple of blocks away, so I walk over to find out which direction I need to head. I notice that I'm on the #### block of the street. Catt's address would be 13 blocks away. So, if I had gotten off where the bus station told me to, it still wouldn't have been right. So, after asking someone at the police station whether I wanted to go to my left or my right, I head off. I call Catt to let her know that I'm not completely lost now, and have to leave another voice mail. Hills suck. Walking 13 blocks suck. Walking 13 blocks that include two hills really sucks. Catt calls me back, and I think I'm about halfway there at that point. She tells me that she will be getting off work soon, and will head straight home - I ask that she please stop and pick up some Diet Coke, because I'm going to need it. So I finally make it to her apartment, let myself in, and basically collapse. My feet were hurting to the point that even the tops of my feet hurt. So, that was my Thursday, and yes, I did want to go home then. If I had been able to get online, I probably *would* have changed my flight.

Catt asked me if I wanted to do anything Friday, and I said no, I was quite good with just hanging out at the apartment until Carey's birthday party. There was no way in hell I was going to venture out again by myself. Friday night was Carey's birthday party, and I'm not going to go into that because you've probably already her account of the party. I didn't drink very much - I don't know if I just wasn't feeling like myself or what the deal was, but I couldn't hang with the drinks. I actually gave one of the shots to someone else to finish. And people who know me, know that never happens. I do not waste a drink.

Saturday was really cool. Catt, Jimbo and I went to a few wineries in Livermore, and did the whole wine tasting thing. Loved it. I had never done this before, and I really enjoyed it. I wish that I could have gotten a copy of the wine lists that we tasted, so I could make notes as to which ones I liked and which ones I didn't, because I can't remember exactly which ones I even tasted, much less what I thought about all of them. Catt had offered to pick some up and ship them to me, but I discovered today that it is a felony in Tennessee to ship wine to a TN address. So, I guess that's out. *pouts*

Sunday, we went to see Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D, which is always really fun. I *heart* 3D movies. We also ate at In & Out Burgers, which was pretty good.

Monday, I packed up, took the bus to the BART station, and headed off to meet up with Carey. She picked me up, and we went back to her house to drop off my luggage. We then headed off to the Wharf (after turning around and going back so I could get my camera). So, I got to see the Wharf, see the sea lions, see where Alcatraz was (I don't do boats and water, so we didn't take a ferry out to it), and I picked up a few souvenirs. We then grabbed a bite to eat, and then went to the wax museum. If you ever go, don't sit in the electric chair. It didn't really hurt, but I don't care to get shocked on my ass. *grin* Because I wanted to see the ocean more than anything, Carey took me for a drive along the coast. We had lunch at Nick's, which is right on the beach. I could have just sat there and looked at the ocean for hours, probably. It's weird, I hate to be on the water, but I love being next to the water, and watching it. Then Carey took me to the Golden Gate Park. That's where we saw the fountains with no water, and the outdoor bench museum. Seriously. There's this one area that has all these benches, just bunches of them. That night, Carey and Michelle took me to the mall that has the 2 story Target. I have to say it - the cart escalator was freaking cool. After that, we went back to their house, and talked for a little bit. Michelle and I were talking, and suddenly, we hear this snoring. Carey had crashed on the couch. Then Tuesday, Carey took me to the airport, and I came home.

Parts of this trip surpassed my expectations and was so much better than I would have thought. Other parts where less than I expected. So. I'm glad I went, but I'm not sure I'll be doing anything like this again.

Strange sights

This? was the strangest thing I saw on my trip.

















Freaky, huh?

More pics

Denny the kissing bartender, Jimbo, and Catt (note the placement of Denny's hand)













Group/grope shot

Me, playing in a fountain. Don't get me started on the garden at this park.