Auld Lang Syne

TGIF, people. TGIF!

And I wish you a

You Should Celebrate Love

You may or may not be deeply in love, but it doesn't really matter on New Year's Eve. If you can't kiss the one you love, kiss the one you're with! You can't help but get swept away by the romance of this special night. Of course, drinking lot of champagne doesn't hurt make everyone else seem a little more appealing.

What Should You Celebrate?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Just Hangin' Out

It's Thursday -- thank God -- and my last day this week at Bizarro World. I'm thinking about calling the Yellow Pages and informing them that that's the new name of my firm. I'm tired, drained, and disgusted and I wish I weren't having another round of weekend company and could just vegetate all weekend, but you know what they say about wishes. And beggars.

So, why don't we play games today?

I like this Blogthing quiz. Damn skippy, I do!

You Are a Flirting Genius

You are an amazing flirt. You know how to charm almost anyone. You've got the moves and words down. You are both witty and charming. You know how to flirt when the time is right, but you also know when to hold back. You rarely send the wrong signals. You have your flirting under precision control.

Are You An Expert Flirt?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Să înceapă jocul!

Yeah, she's speaking in tongues today. And why the hell not?

You Had a Bad Year

Your year was horrible. There's no other way to say it. A lot went wrong for you, and you're still recovering from it. The good news is that things probably won't get worse for you. So look forward to the new year, where things will hopeful be much better!

How Did Your Year Rate?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Have a great Thursday!

Pretty Girly Things

I admit, I love shiny, sparkly, pretty girly things. Frilly stuff. Frou-frou stuff. And why not? I am a girl.

These are some of my favorite Christmas presents.



The shoes and perfume and adorable frog keychain are from my sister. She also gave me a purse and a really cute outfit. The troll bead bracelet and sapphire ring are from my "fella," who also gave me lots of other "stuff," and the other ring was from me to me. Yeah, I do that. Last year, it was a TV, so I got off cheap this year, even including the leather jacket I also bestowed upon myself. The other bracelet is "serenity stones," and very heavy.

This gift sparkled and shined in its own way, too -- until I spent it last night.



Free books just warm the cockles of my heart, even during a frigid cold snap. I love it!

It is warming up. We hit the low 40s yesterday and will be near 60 by Saturday. This is more like it! Once the snow melts, I really could live without seeing any more this year.

Have a Happy Hump Day!

Bada-Bing -- Spring!

I would like for you all to help me out here and start chanting now for the early onset of Spring.

Ommmm...


Chanting exactly what, and to whom, I have no idea. I'm not sure it makes any difference. It's the thought -- and thought is energy.

Oh, great and powerful Oz...

Okay, maybe not.

Although, I'm still not sure it makes much difference as long as some kind of words are coming out. If you put just a little thought into your chant, that produces energy.

Oh, great and supreme universe...

You're chanting, aren't you? No? Why, just look at the pretty picture! Don't you want to see that, like soon?



When you actually commence to chanting, that generates more energy. And the more waves of energy we can send out, the greater our chances of success. Am I right?

Dear Easter Bunny...

Forget that that's silly and just chant, please. Get that energy going!

Oh, sunny and fragrant if slightly homely goddess of fertility...



Might want to be careful with that one, but what the heck, I'm willing to do fertility rites if that's what it takes.

Yo, oingo boingo, bonka-bada-bam...

Are you chanting? Aren't you as anxious for Springtime as I am? I can't take much more snow and ice and single-digit wind chill.

Hey, I think I can hear you out there. Thank you so much!

Just think, this could be the end result of all that chanting.

Not a Day for Profundity

Hey, Happy Monday! I hope Santa was good to you. He certainly was to me. It snowed all day Christmas, so it was picture-postcard-pretty around here. It's cold and blustery today. Not so blustery inside the office, but cold. I've learned that when it's blustery outside, it's going to be cold inside at work. Ergo, I've learned how to dress for it. Today, it's three tops, socks, and boots. Wouldn't it be nice if I could find a nice normal job before I'm eligible for Social Security? LOL.

I would love to say something profound today but ... I got nothin'. Maybe later.

No Matter How You Say It...

Santa's probably loading his sleigh as we speak, preparing to spread joy and good cheer -- and presents! -- throughout the world tonight. Whatever holiday you celebrate, wherever in the world you happen to be -- or whatever planet you're on, or think you're on -- I wish you the best of the season.



Afrikaans - een plesierige kerfees
Arabic - I'd Milad Said Oua Sana Saida
Argentine - Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo
Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari
Gaghand Azeri - Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Basque - Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bohemian - Vesele Vanoce
Brazilian - Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Chinese - (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
(Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Cree - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian - Sretan Bozic
Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish - Glædelig Jul
Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
English - Merry Christmas
Esperanto - Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian - Ruumsaid juuluphi
Farsi - Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish - Hyvaa joulua
French - Joyeux Noel
Frisian - Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
German - Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek - Kala Christouyenna!
Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi - Shub Naya Baras
Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic - Gledileg Jol
Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit
Italian - Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latvian - Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu
Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori - Meri Kirihimete
Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo - Merry Keshmish
Norwegian - God Jul
Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia
Portuguese - Boas Festas
Rapa-Nui - Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rumanian - Sarbatori vesele
Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Serbian - Hristos se rodi
Slovakian - Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
Sami - Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan - La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic - Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serb-Croatian - Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
Singhalese - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak - Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene - Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
Spanish - Feliz Navidad
Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog - Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tamil - Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Thai - Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu - Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese - Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh - Nadolig Llawen
Yugoslavian - Cestitamo Bozic
Papua New Guinea - Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu


Soon, it will be time to once again pay lip service to ... New Year's Resolutions. I never keep them, so it's an exercise in futility for me to make them. So I don't. Save one, which I do intend to work on in 2011. Again. Its name is "Patience." Mine has been tried again and again and found lacking. I used to have nearly infinite patience. I'd like to get it to level off somewhere in the middle again. Life flows so much better when you're not in a huge hurry and you can apply patience to those situations which are going to happen with or without you. Sometimes, it's pointless to argue with life. It's going to do what it's going to do, and there's little you can do about it. Some things drive me just freakin' crazy. And realizing there's nothing I can do about some things just makes me crazier. On some level, however, I do realize that if you can approach "things" with a modicum of patience, you're starting out ahead of the game. Whatever one is lacking patience in is either going to happen, or it won't. The patience factor gives you an edge, I think. If nothing else, it keeps your blood pressure down. Or at least, it can't hurt.

There is this from the Tao Te Ching regarding patience (or the lack thereof): "Do you have the patience to do nothing?"

If you "get" that and can work with it, you can do anything.

Happy Holidays!

It's four days 'til Christmas, and it looks like we're in for a white one. It was snowy last Christmas, too. It'll be pretty, albeit cold.

Whatever you all have planned, have a lovely holiday. And if you're traveling, do be careful -- especially if you run into a white Christmas.

See you next week!

Your Christmas Stocking Will Be Filled With Coal

You haven't been *that* naughty this year Santa is just screwing with you

What Will Be In Your Christmas Stocking?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

You Should Have a Purple Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays represent a time of creativity and expression. There's no way you'd do something bland simply for tradition's sake. You are an independent person, and you definitely do the holidays your own way. And you're decadent enough to go way over the top with any unusual holiday ideas you have. Your purple tree would look great with: Purple lights and ornaments You should spend Christmas Eve watching: A Christmas Story What you should bake for Santa: "Kitchen sink" cookies - with a ton of things in them

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

I had a busy weekend. My sister was in town and kept me busy. We had a good time, aside from the mega-heartburn we both picked up at a local weiner purveyor we got a craving for.

My holiday gifts are all wrapped and most of them distributed. My cards have gone out in the mail -- way fewer of them this year. Some folks have insisted that I open their presents early -- very nice! My bonus check from work has been long since deposited -- and promptly spent. Now I can chill a little -- literally and figuratively. I'd rather be practically anywhere else but at work today. Sometimes you just have to do stuff you don't want to do. Such is life.

Hope your Monday is going well so far. Have a good one!

You Are Fanciful and Whimsical

You're the type of person who acts on impulse. If you're inspired, you just go for it. You're inspired for a reason. You are a big dreamer, and you tend to get lost in your ideas. You can't help but imagine how things could be. You tend to get swept up in the holidays. You love almost everything holiday related, and you stay as busy as you can. You're the type of person who might take on too much this time of year, but you hardly notice if certain projects don't get completed.

The Gingerbread Cookie Test

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Serena's Friday Playdate

And another one bites the dust. Another week, I mean. TGIF! Do the quizzes; they're fun ones. And play the video if you've a mind to. God knows, we all need a hero now and then. Now, definitely. Who has time for then?

Have a great weekend.

You Will Get Three French Burlesque Dancers

Twelve street musicians drumming Eleven carolers a-caroling Ten reindeer a-leaping Nine ladies waltzing Eight alpacas a-milking Seven hot chocolates a-steaming Six puppies a-barking Five golden bowls of chicken noodle soup Four calling secret admirers Three French burlesque dancers Two Jesus action figures And a chimp in a peach tree

What Will You Get for the 12 Days of Christmas?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

You Are Biscotti

You are a very direct, honest person. You don't have time for dramatics or emotional pleas. You feel most comfortable in the intellectual realm, especially with science and technology. You are good at understanding difficult subjects. Understanding people? Not so much.

What Holiday Cookie Are You?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

She's AWOL

Woo-hoo, it's a snow day. We have several inches of snow on the ground and it's still coming down, so I'm not budging from my warm, cozy cave. It's cold outside! Wouldn't it be nice if someone sent me a shiny, sparkling bottle of something warm and spirited to imbibe? What fun! I think I'll watch for the UPS guy. Weirder things have happened.

I don't feel a bit bad about being AWOL from work today. We had practically no heat in there Tuesday when the temperature was in the teens and 20s and the wind was howling. Same yesterday, until the repair guy got there in the afternoon. Apparently, it can be switched to an "emergency heat" setting when it's bitter cold and the heat pump doesn't work so well. It's just too bad nobody had sense enough to do that. The temperature outside actually got up to about 34 yesterday, which felt WARM. I don't know if it was the cold or just a critical mass buildup of stuff, but I went off on my boss yesterday. I don't feel bad about that, either.

How do you guys react to people lying to you? Do you just take it and look the other way, or do you finally get sick of it and go off on them?

Philosophy on Ice

If you could turn back time, would you? I think I would choose not to. I certainly wouldn't want to relive my childhood, not unless I had my pick of relatives. I wouldn't choose to relive my 20s, not unless I had the option to completely reinvent them. I wouldn't want to redo my 30s, either. They were okay, but not great enough to be revisited. After that, it was all right enough not to feel the need to correct anything. And from here, who knows what the future will bring? I just hope I do the right thing and make wise choices, because there ain't no going back and doing it over. I'd hate to be an 80-year-old screw-up with no second chances left.

Today's as frigid as Frozen Hell, but it's Hump Day and, if it's good enough, I might do that over. Have a happy one!

I haven't done Twisted Linguistics in ages. I picked these up over just the past couple of days. Aren't they beauties?

redar
regaurds
visabile
reinversed
endevour
concil

Strange Days

The weather here is completely insane. With daytime highs in the teens and 20s and 40 mph wind, it's just brutal. Now they're talking about snow, sleet, and freezing rain Thursday into Friday, and perhaps some "real" snow Sunday. And it's not even winter yet.

Crazy weather notwithstanding, something strange is fixin' to happen. I don't know quite what, or when, or where. I just have a "feeling." When I feel like something's going on, it usually is -- kind of like, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." It's a no-brainer, really.

Blah Humbug

Serena's in a bad, bad mood (I think it's that friggin' sly moon, never mind the actual lunar phase), my dears, so I just slipped in to say hi, love 'ya, and bye.

Have a good Monday, free of potential Monday Mishaps, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Serena's Friday Playdate

It's been a cold, cold week. Yesterday morning, it was 17 degrees. It warmed up to the 30s by afternoon and, I swear, it felt like spring after all that bitter cold. It's warmer today, too, and should be back near normal (around 50) tomorrow. They say we're in for more cold early next week, though.

I have a busy morning -- gas station, Post Office to ship presents, grocery store. But at least I'm not at work. TGIF!

Oh, and it's not only TGIF, but it's also G-man's birthday. You're probably all birthdayed out by now, but Happy Birthday, G.

You Spend Sensibly

You love to shop for holiday presents, but you are above all a savvy shopper. You know you don't have to spend a fortune to get the perfect gift, and you'll shop around to find the right thing at the right price. You prefer gifts that people actually want to receive to gifts that dazzle or impress. You hope that your gifts stand the test of time. If someone keeps your gift for years, you consider it a success!

Do You Spend Like a Santa or a Scrooge?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Buy Me a Ticket For an Aeroplane...

I've endured four bitter cold days and three nights so far and I have had it with Winter. I think three days is enough. Don't you? I demand a return to a more temperate climate. Now. Either that or I'm moving somewhere warm. But it can't be too hot. Where would be a good place? There's no prize for the best answer, but I'd like to know.

In the meantime, have a Happy Hump Day. I'll be freezing my hump off.

Old Men & Cold Make Me Cranky

I had a scare with my heat last night. It was working just fine when I got home from work and my place was warm ... until I turned up the thermostat a couple of hours later before taking a bath. It ran for a minute or two and then it just quit. I then turned it up even higher, and felt only cold air coming out of the vents. The temperature in my living room went down five degrees in ten minutes. I cranked it up to 80 and still -- nothing but cold air. And then it quit again.

I had no intention of spending a night without heat when it was 14 degrees, so I paged the landlord. He called me back and wanted to know if I had the setting on regular heat, or supplemental heat. I'd noticed the "supplemental" setting before, but didn't know what it was so I never messed with it. He told me to switch it to supplemental because, according to him, when it's this cold the heat pump on "regular" heat can't handle it. I did NOT know that. It might have been helpful if somebody had ever told me about it. Anyway, once I switched it over, warm air began flowing from the vents and all was well in my world again.

Now, if only the same could be said of work. The 82-year-old senior partner is nuts. I was working on stuff with deadlines yesterday and he kept buzzing me on the intercom for such ridiculous things as bringing him water, never mind that he's much closer to the water cooler than I am, and -- get this -- putting his coat on him. I guess I'm a pretty well paid personal valet, huh? LOL. But geez, if the old dude's too feeble to put his own coat on, he shouldn't leave home.

Have a Happy Tuesday!

It's Definitely Winter

Winter has definitely, for real and for true, set in. Saturday, it snowed. It was very pretty but, luckily, it was only about an inch and much of it was gone by yesterday afternoon. Which was a good thing, because I had to go out. My cell phone died yesterday morning -- and the cell phone store didn't open 'til 1:00. Turned out to be a dead battery -- so dead that it wouldn't even charge. You'd think the stupid things could warn you they're dying, but noooo. In any event, they gave me a new battery, completely gratis, and sent me home smiling. It's kind of scary how cut off you feel when your phone dies.

Last night, the temperature dipped into the 20s. It was windy, so it felt even colder. I bundled up and got the dog out and walked before dark, so that wasn't too bad. Last night, the dog and I cranked up the heat, pigged out on hullless popcorn, and watched TV under a blanket. I have flannel sheets on my bed, so I slept in a toasty, cozy cocoon while listening to the wind howl. If only I hadn't had to get UP this morning. Brrrr.

Y'all have a good Monday, and stay warm.

Serena's Friday Playdate

It's cold here. There's even a little snow involved in the weekend forecast. Brrrr! But the week is over and I can bundle up and chill in peace. TGIF!

You Are Generous and Loving

You approach the holidays in a warm, caring fashion. You make sure everyone is taken care of, and you connect with all the people you know. You think the holidays are all about personal relationships, and you enjoy making the people you love smile. You'll go the extra mile to make sure everyone is happy. Of all the types, you are the most likely to have the most types of wrapping paper. You're also the most likely to include a homemade gift - even if it's just cookies or a funny card.

The Wrapping Paper Test

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Your Elf Name Is: Fuzzy Candy Cane Lips

Son of a nutcracker!

What's Your Elf Name?

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

One Person's Treasure...

I recently became aware that an author I used to be friendly with -- and thought I "knew" -- had written a "tell-all" e-book, thinly disguised as fiction, about a certain debacle of old that caused a lot of people a lot of grief. I bought it, not to put money in the author's pocket but to -- finally -- find out the truth of what happened. Now I know some of it, I guess.

After finishing the thing, I was left, first and foremost, astonished and appalled at the level of the author's delusion. You just expect modern people to be savvy and intelligent and have a modicum of insight. You expect it even more when that person lays claim to being a professional writer. This person's naïveté and gullibility -- which went on for years -- is just beyond belief. Worse, the depths of depravity of this person's good buddy as revealed in the "tell-all" was shocking and sickening.

Of course, it wasn't a "tell-all." Conspicuously missing was the author's own role in a lot of Internet skullduggery, done purely for reasons of jealousy and revenge, that went on which hurt a lot of people for no constructive reason. I was disappointed, but not surprised, that the author failed to 'fess up. Had the author told the complete, unvarnished truth rather than gloss over the author's own egregious conduct, perhaps a few more copies would sell. And this is an author who knows all about stats and numbers, too. Maybe next time. Probably not. If I ever wondered whether I was "normal," I don't any more. Let me tell you, the bath I took after reading that sordid mess was absolutely necessary.

You guys have a terrific Thursday. I have to have a judge's opinion interpreted and drafted into a decree in time for court at 2:00 o'clock. Whoopee!

Heat

It's been an interesting couple of days. I got to work Monday morning and there was no heat and no computers. The heating repair guys got there late in the afternoon and got the heat going, but the computer guy didn't show up 'til shortly before I left for the day. Therefore, nothing on my (or anybody else's) desk got done.

I didn't dress like Nanook of the North yesterday morning since the heating guys had been on Monday and, naturally, there would be ... heat. Not! It went out again overnight and it was freezing in there. A cold rain fell all day, too. I wore my coat all day and if we hadn't had a little electric heater, it would have been too miserable to stay. I stayed, and I did a ton of piled up work. The heating guys finally showed up around 3:00 P.M. and got the heat on. I wasn't taking any chances this morning. I'm no damn dummy. Usually. I wore 2 sweaters, a camisole, a jacket, and socks. And yes, I got hot.

It rained all day yesterday, and then it REALLY rained all night. We're completely waterlogged here. Never a dull moment.

Hey, Happy Hump Day!