Back to normal

Christmas was good. Liza, Mark and I always have a good time. There were some problems, which I may or may not go into but don't feel like talking about right now. There was no snow on the ground and it was 50 degrees and sunny most of the time. My mother and I went for a walk on the beach. I gave her a copy of Rockwell Kent's This is my own, which she read and quoted and really enjoyed. I was happy to have found it for her. I love online shopping. I got her a new coat, which she seemed to like. Mark and I (mostly Mark) got her a shed to store things in. This met with mixed reviews, depending on degree of sobriety.

We drank appletinis (too many, apparently) and gin rickeys (not enough). We ate lobsters on Christmas Eve (our tradition) and prime rib on Christmas (also tradition). We lit all the candles and it got incredibly hot in the living room. I slept in the bird room, where I love being with my dogs. They had a great time, especially Tess. She and Liza's dog play and roughhouse endlessly and have a fantastic time together. Chances and Tina not so much. At one point Tina had Chances nailed to the floor and was snarling at her, grabbing her by the tail, pulling on it hard. Chances takes it like a true subservient trooper. Duck and cover.

When I got home last night I could drive right to the house--there had been no "measurable" amount of snow, despite the predictions when I left. I talked to Ken, who said my livestock there were fine (he took care of my fish at his house--this involved emptying 2/3 of the water out of the fish tank and taking the tank, heater, filter and power strip to his house and setting it all up on the counter there, but he offered and I knew he'd enjoy having them there). He said he says good morning to them every day, and the day they answer he'll know he's crazy. I'm stopping there tonight to pick up my mail and visit and may or may not get the fish. I'm wondering if I should set him up with a small aquarium and a couple of fish.

Last night I read Esquire and came across an article about a graffiti artist of great reknown in London named Banksy--www.artofthestate.co.uk/Banksy/banksy.htm. His stuff is amazing. The article was about the Best and Brightest of 2005 and included two men who design new fonts which are widely and exclusively used. Way cool. Anyway, I thought the Banksy stuff was really great.

Now I'm at work and have finished reading email, checking phone messages and am ready to open the ILLs that came in the mail and via UPS and start working on the 50 or so correctional facility requests that arrived while I was out. That clerk will be back next week so I can quit doing her job and get back to the real work I'm supposed to be doing, which has piled up a mile high during the past month.

It's raining here, which means the foot & a half of snow at home is now the incredible shrinking white blanket. All the way home I pondered the magic of trading in my car for a 2005 CRV and taking advantage of the year-end eagerness of car dealers to get rid of their inventories. It would cost me at least $50 a month more in gas and who knows how much more in car payments. So no, I don't think so. Instead I think I'll just have my chimney cleaned.