finally!

Had trouble with my connection and then kept getting refused. Finally able to get in and add the monster update I wrote Sunday night. Enjoy! Ah, I am finally sitting down to a well-deserved rest. This is my reward for getting some major chores done. I�ve had laundry in various stages for a few weeks now. Clothes are cleaned and folded, but not always put away. Since I�ve been feeling somewhat under the weather off & on, I haven�t felt like finishing anything. So, I�ve had a basket (or two) of clean clothes just waiting for me to put them away. I�m normally a bit of a neat freak, so this wasn�t like me at all. Between class and illness, I haven�t had the time or energy. But with finals out of the way and just the tail end of a cold to deal with, I actually felt like tackling this project. And we did. Yesterday, J and I found a very nice laundry facility that allows us to do more than two or three loads at a time. We did all of our clothes at once and had plenty of room to nicely fold them. While it may not be a big deal to most people, it is to us. We have a very tiny laundry in our building, with little folding room, and people are constantly screwing with our stuff. I am very task-oriented. So I have a great sense of accomplishment when I�m able to finish something. I just put away the last of my clothes. So I sit here, a glass of wine next to me, and I sigh in relief. *Ahhhh* With all of the holiday things going on, I�ve not had a lot of time to write nor to visit and add some love to the comments on the blogs of my friends. I miss that, but I don�t miss the tired hands and forearms from being on the computer constantly. I�ve also missed writing. I have ideas of some little stories forming in my head that I hope to work on and post. In the meantime, I�ll just update you on what�s been happening. This entire month has booked up so quickly it�s not even funny. There have been errands almost every night, studying, papers, and finally � a final. I do have my Christmas shopping done, albeit not wrapped. We did not have to do any shopping this weekend, save picking up one gift certificate. It�s much easier to deal with the crowds (and stupid, rude people) when you don�t have an agenda. Last Friday, the 12th, was a wonderful night. I had a Christmas party in the afternoon, so I got home a few minutes early. J and I had an excuse to go out on the town, so we dressed up and went downtown. Traffic was light, so we arrived about an hour before we needed to. We stopped at La Gran Tapa for a couple of drinks. Have I mentioned that happy hour is a wonderful thing? Two margaritas, a scotch, a vodka (both the good stuff), and a mushroom appetizer later, we were out $15. Yes, I did type that correctly. We will definitely go back for some more fun; it�s a great place. We headed over to Copley Symphony Hall to hear Handel�s �Messiah� performed by the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Master Chorale. But just before that we attended a pre-party sponsored by Clos du Bois. Mmmm, wine. The performance was fantastic. The people sitting behind us were not. Who the hell brings something wrapped in cellophane and opens it during the fucking symphony? Peasants, I tell you. And these people were twice my age and should have known better. Age and money do not breed class, I tell you. I�m no angel nor a socialite by ANY stretch of the imagination. But at least I know to keep my mouth shut and food put away during a performance. Sheesh! We moved into another section and enjoyed the rest of the night. We don�t normally attend things like that because of the expense. But since the tickets were gratis, it was an easy decision. I hope to do more of that though � attend the symphony and opera. I enjoy dressing up and going out once in a while. But I probably enjoy just hanging out with friends more (often). The next night we went up to Anaheim for dinner and karaoke with a group of friends. That�s probably more our style. wink It was an absolute blast. We�d put each others� names in for songs and the results were chaotic and hilarious. Some of us actually ate dinner to counteract the alcohol. We were there from about 7:30pm to midnight. The bill for about 20 people totaled well over $500. And since a lot of people went up to the bar to get their drinks, it really was much more than that. There was a hotel next door and many of us stayed the night. At breakfast the next morning, we saw the news about Saddam on the TV�s around the restaurant. It was a bit surreal. The next night we had yet another Christmas party and I had to try to squeeze in studying for my final. I had a terrible cold coming on and I was miserable. I don�t know yet how I did on the final, but I hope it was at least passable. I was doped up on Tylenol and Sudafed. I sat in the back of the room in hopes I wouldn�t disturb my classmates. Wednesday we went and saw LOTR: Return of the King. I was so excited to see the final installment of the trilogy. Was I disappointed? Not really. The battle at Minas Tirith was awesome. Viggo and Orlando were *rawr* as usual. But it was so long, though. I think they could have effectively told the story in under three hours. Was I impatient to find out what happens, since I haven�t read the books? Probably. I�ll reserve judgment until I see it again since the first movie seemed too long the first time I saw it (and since doesn�t seem so bad). Of course, I was still suffering from the effects of my cold, so that may taint my judgment as well. I loved it. I really did. But it was hard to sit that long. Will I see it again? Hell yes. The munchkin should be off of restriction soon so we�ll definitely take her to see it after that. I had three different office parties this week (2 holiday and one retirement). It�s been a long week, let me tell ya. I had the option to be off for two weeks, but decided I really don�t want to use up a bunch of vacation right now. I�d rather save it for either a visit to the UK or a fishing trip (in addition to seeing family). I think it would be cheaper for both of us to go to the UK than it would be for both of us to fish for 7 � 10 days. We�ll just have to play it by ear. Finances will start to look better after the first quarter of 2004, so our options will open up. But there are several things we want to accomplish and most of it involves saving up for furniture for our place. The trip home is a given, so other things will need to be on top of that. We�ll just have to wait and see what happens. It looks like the career switch for J is a go, starting in April. I�m excited and happy for him. And a bit nervous. But the unknown makes me that way. Our vacation plans will probably have to change to accommodate the fishing season. That means our travels will need to be in the off-season. We�ll work it out at some point. I can always go by myself to see family, but I do enjoy having him along. I will have two days off for Christmas and three for New Year�s. We�re planning to go to Mexico sometime during the first few days in January. We haven�t been there in over a year and it�s well past time for us to go. I have ideas running through my head for a book. Will I follow through? I don�t know. It depends on how insistent it gets, I guess. I have a short attention span, so I don�t know if I could complete something that long.