( Cut for pictorial evidence )

In related news, we have had no trick-or-treaters yet ... .   D-:

Wishing everyone who is celebrating this season a sweet New Year!

(Heck, everyone should have a sweet year! And Happy Birthday, world!)

(Yes, I'm a couple of hours early. But I'm already in countdown mode for making dinner and getting to evening services.)

Fried ham, fried ham, cheese and baloney,
And after the macaroni,
We'll have pickles, onions, and pretzels -
And then we'll have some more fried ham!
FRIED HAM FRIED HAM FRIED HA-AM !!!

    - traditional Scout camp ditty

So the Mr. celebrated Father's Day by going down to the farmer's market on his ownsome (I was glued to my work laptop, testing some systems that had to be successfully "failed over" to back-up in time for work tomorrow because of power system issues at the main data center) and coming back with fresh beefsteak tomatoes, basil, - and sugar-cured fresh ham. Which he proceeded to fry up and turn into panini-ish sandwiches of ham, cheese (cheddar for him, campo de montalban for me), tomatoe, and basil leaves. MMMMmM!

... to everyone and especially my awesome and extremely patient f-list.

I am about to run home and get ready for our friend Michael's extremely long-running New Year's Eve party (we've attended it each year for more than 25 years, I think) - at which I do not intend to think about work. (Of course, it's like trying not to think of a blue rhinoceros.) I hope all of you have plans that please you, even if it's just sitting at home with a favorite beverage and the Intarwebs!

>hugs!<

The Yuletide server is taking mongo beatings from everyone trying to upload last minute stuff at once. I finally managed to upload my pinch hit, thank God - I was starting to panic.

So much for the happy plans I had for writing Yuletide treats. There was some good stuff, too. I had great plans for an SDK Akira/Benitora drabble-ish thing. But I'm just too wrung out. I'm still coughing a bit, and my throat is sore, and I want BED.

I'm hoping for some company tomorrow, too!

:-)

An early Merry Christmas to those celebrating!

I spent far too much time on these last night. The smaller pumpkin was more like a gourd: hard as wood. I had to add a Phillips-head screwdriver to my pumpkin-carving tools, to drill pilot holes for the little pumpkin saw-blade tool we got in a kit a couple years back.

In related news, the Washington Post had an article on youkai this morning

Godzilla's Older, Creepier Cousins: Beings Such as Filth Licker Haunt Japanese Culture

With an added video feature: 'Yokai' Make for a Scary Halloween in Japan

(telophase, is the book they mention in the article the one that you were ordering?)

What goes bump in the night? Apparently, a significant portion of my f-list ... .

( 'Ware creepies and crawlies and long-leggedy beasties ... . )

I like how avierra, always prepared to party, remembers the dip ... and jedishampoo is clearly the Bad Cop of this crew. And somehow I am not surprised that sanada is exerting her power over the living dead in her effort to snarf my candy!

This is all xskadi's fault! (Massively inappropriate, given that I'm fasting ... .)

(It's rough when your own kid gives you a used tissue ... as she said, it's like she's 4 again!)

Chances are that I should not be online, as this is a very serious holiday. But I probably will be, because I miss everyone. It's been too quiet lately ... .

Anyway, no food after supper tonight, until services finish at about 7:00pm tomorrow. Theoretically no water, but I need to take some with my pills (which one is permitted to do).

So what is everybody doing for New Year's Eve?

Our old friend Michael, who is quite the gourmet cook, is having his usual New Year's Eve party, so we're going to that. It's usually the only chance I get all year to really dress up. I'll be wearing the pearl-and-pink-quartz jewelry that the Mr. bought me last month, and a silver silk charmeuse blouse I bought to go with it, and either black silk or black velvet slacks (depends on how warm it feels when I get home to change), and actual "lady shoes" with heels (haven't decided yet whether I feel up to the strappy glittery sandals, or whether I'll just go with the ones I think of as my dancing shoes, less bare and with lower heels and criss-cross straps). Oh, and makeup and perfume ... all the stuff I don't usually bother doing.

How about you all?

It's definitely That Time of Year, for better or worse:
 

At the first sign of Solstice, I assembled all my stuff:

12 bows like pompoms
11 rolls of foil
10 spools of ribbon
9 bows that pop up
8 rolls of Kraft
7 sheets of stickers
6 books of art wrap
5 Hannukah rolls!
4 spools of silk cord
3 rolls of scotch tape
2 art tissue packs
and some sharp scissors with the long blades!

Thursday: Woke up late, did a little Intarwebs, woke the Young Lady, made My Famous Mashed Potatoes, and drove them up to Glenair, MD, to have Thanksgiving dinner with the Mr.'s family at our new stepsister's house (you may recall that the mom-in-law remarried Sept. 1 after 16 years of widowhood). There were the usual mishaps: dinner was 90 minutes late as a result of turkey mistiming, the green beans with dill and bacon were just weird, and my sister-in-law's back was killing her so badly that she had to lie down (I revived her with my amateur massage efforts - go me!).

Friday: Decided to brave Rockville Pike (a/k/a the Ninth Circle of Hell) and buy the camera that I had been saving performance bonuses for two years to buy. I will blog the camera later! It's spiffy! Bought challah and chocolate pumpkin loaf at the Great Harvest Bread Company, then got home to discover that the Mr. had bought challah and cinnamon loaf. Good thing we all like carbs ... . Hosted sister-in-law (the one with the bad back) and nephew overnight.

Saturday: Entertained visiting family until they had to leave. Went to friend K's house for turkey soup, home-made biscuits, and salad, followed by leftover pies and cakes. Hung out with K and her family (including her visiting relatives) and watched the Marx Brothers on their big TV until quite late.

Sunday: Met my sister and her family, and my old buddy Mike and his son and Mom for dim sum. Then did chores until it was time to go to the grocery, at which point I could not start my aged car. Neither could the Mr. We started to wonder whether someone had been messing with it, because I had forgotten to lock its door, and one of our neighbors had reported that several people had had their cars rifled through and small items taken. We even had the police out, but the officer said he couldn't see any signs that someone had tried to jimmy the ignition. After much to do and fretting (and being take shopping by the Mr.), we finally tried again and made her start this time. Oh Ruby Lee, you fussy old thing, must you torment me like this?

I owe y'all a proper post about manga or something interesting! (And I have 32 messages in my LJ Inbox.) Later, I'm afraid ... .

The pumpkin has been eviscerated and carved, the candy is in the gi-gantic plastic ice bucket/punch bowl, there's a chunk o' change in a pretty box for the charity box-bearers, the Mr. is stuck across town but will amuse himself at Tysons Corner Center (big, famous mall), and the Young Lady is at friend K's house, eating formerly frozen pizza and getting ready to take the little Pirate King out with his sisters: they are his crew. (And my God, he must be fearsome, to command a crew who are all twice his size, at least!). It's to be hoped that the Pirate King's sisters have settled who is going to get to use which sword ... they were fighting about this by phone an hour ago.

And I am wearing my Kisuke Urahara T-shirt in lieu of a costume and have a plate of re-heated homemade lasagna (with spinach and sausage) and my flist. Live is pretty good.

So everyone else has gone home for the three-day weekend in honor of Memorial Day ... and I was scatterbrained today (what's new?) and still have a few things to finish.

All sorts of folks are going out of town this weekend ... not us! We may do one day at Balticon, just for the hell of it. But it would be nicer to do something with friends too, and not just our li'l nuke'yular family.

Who else is staying in town (near his or her computer), I wonder ...?