The horrors of the holiday...

I like the lights this time of year.  I love walking the dog in the evening, and seeing all of the twinkling lights that people put up.  I love putting up my own lights here at home - in fact it's pretty much the only decorating I do anymore (though I've thought about getting out some of my best ornaments this year).

Anyhow, I had to get a few new strings of lights this year, since a lot of my old ones had crapped out.  I got a new string of blue icicle lights, which I'll be putting up in the front window tomorrow along with a string of white icicle lights.  Those will look great!  Today I had to run out and grab a string of white lights to add to the doorway ensemble, as well as some lights to put into the fireplace.  I decided to go for red and white, and I dare say it looks lovely!

Don't worry - we don't actually have fires in our fireplace!  The lights won't burn up.

I dragged Nolan along with me to K-mart to get the lights today.  We also needed aspirin, and they even had my favorite thick socks back in stock.  YAY!!!  That made me very happy.  I'm down to my last two pairs and they're bound to wear out soon.  I was afraid I'd never see those socks again.

WHEW.

But those are all good things, and I promised you horrors.

We saw horrors, as we strolled along the back corner candy "gift" section of the store.

Behold the Limited Edition KISS Pez dispenser set...




Are you done beholding?

Better hurry, this was the last one left.  Obviously a popular item, and so early in the shopping season!

Certain to be worth several tens of dollars in a few years, as long as you don't open the package.

DON'T!

Could it get any worse than this?  Why yes, yes it could.






I have nothing more to say.

Let the fun begin!

I've decided to make the most of the holiday season this year.  Make the most fun of it, that is!

I was surprised how few people had their decorations up today when I took Syd for a walk after dark.  I suppose they were all busy fighting like crazed animals for "doorbuster" bargains on televisions and waffle makers and whatever the fuck else they're buying for themselves.  Fair enough.  I expect decorations to go up tomorrow.

Don't these people realize the season is short this year?  Thanksgiving is LATE.  Get on it people!  I'm putting my lights up tomorrow - I worked today so I have an excuse for not doing it today.  I really like the lights this time of year.  They make a difference on these short dark days.

But the other decorations... yikes.  Take above rifle toting snowman, for instance.  We passed a house with this exact decoration today.  Because what says Christmas more than a snowman set on shooting something to death?  Maybe he's just heading out to the Black Friday sales.

Nobody, nobody will get between him and that cheap off-brand tablet that won't be compatible with any of the apps people actually want to use.  NOBODY!

The DREADLOCK BANANA...

On Sunday I trekked down to the Holland Happening street fair and carnival.  Christine couldn't make it, but I took one for the team and headed down there by myself.  

The following pictures are just a smattering of the things I saw on this incredibly thrilling journey.  I took a lot more - of the dodgy rides, for instance, but haven't gone through them all yet.  It's my late night for working.

But lo, witness the glory that is the Holland Happening street fair.  It will knock your socks off [LIAR!] First, pretty flowers so you can center your mental energies and prepare yourself.   OHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMM

Okay.  Sit down and hang on.

The grimace of the disappointed.  They just wanted to see some nice handcrafted wares by local artisans.  Instead, they were treated to an onslaught of imported crap.

And here is that imported crap - at least five booths selling essentially the same stuff.  The shoulder bags caught my eye, and one booth did have a nice leather and wool getup that I really liked, but my tax return check had not arrived yet and I was feeling very thrifty.  Perhaps they'll be back on the 4th of July.  I'll start saving my quarters.

Nothing quite says "Holland" like imported Bob Marley stoner bags.  Did I mention this is the annual festival celebrating the Dutch heritage of our community?  There was one Dutch bakery booth, so I guess that counts.

Forgive my cynicism.  It can't be helped.

I also saw some dogs, who probably shouldn't have been there.  I think it's really cruel to bring dogs to these sorts of events.  Too many food smells, too many people, and too many other dogs!  Needless to say, Syd stayed home.  It was even too overwhelming for him to walk through the street fair on setup night, before all of the action.  TOO MUCH!  He also had to charge a black garbage bag at the edge of the carnival on Monday evening, when they were taking everything down.  EVIL garbage bag!

But the best thing I saw, the crowning glory as it were, was the DREADLOCK BANANA.  I saw a DREADLOCK BANANA before this news story hit the wires.  I knew the banana when it was just another carnival prize.  Before it hit the big time.

That's right.  Get lost haters.  I knew DREADLOCK BANANA before DREADLOCK BANANA was cool.

Stop!

Do not pass go into physical therapy.  Yes, that's right.  It's pointless for Michael to go, despite his doctor suggesting it.  I'm beginning to think that his doctor is feeling really bad about Michael's situation, and letting him try things to help him feel better.  There is no way in hell that he's ready for physical therapy.  The lady he saw today was a bit weird, but nice and honest.  It boiled down to the fact it would be ludicrous for Michael to use up some of his 25 alloted sessions to have this woman move his foot around, not to mention that we'll be paying a portion of them.  I'm really glad she was honest about things, and it was good to have the visit and get a baseline for where he stands (or doesn't, as the case may be).  Michael sees his doctor again on the 13th, and will have more x-rays and we'll see how things go...

In other news, it's starting to feel slightly vaguely almost like spring out there.  In fact, some of the plants are getting a little overzealous and sprouting and blooming early.  There are daffodils starting to open up!  That may not seem strange to some people, but it is REALLY EARLY for them here.  I'm happy to see all of the trees with their little green proto-buds just waiting to burst forth.  I love autumn, but I really love spring because the rebirth of greenery always makes me feel so good.
I'm really looking forward to getting back into the garden, but the ground is just so wet and the weather isn't quite right yet.  But seeds are on sale this weekend so I'll be getting some of those!  My poor garden has been sort of neglected - it's going to be a lot of work!  This is my goal for this year - giant cauliflower and broccoli leaves!

Recent Reads...

Today I will share with you some of the books I've been reading recently.

*cue applause*

I just finished two graphic memoirs.  I have a love-hate relationship with graphic novels - not the least of which is what do you call graphic non-fiction?  When the Japanese manga books first started to rise in popularity at the library, I HATED them.  Still do.  I hate the art, and pretty much everything else about them.  I used to say that manga was the way that the Japanese were going to take over America.  They would dumb down the populace with books devoid of words, and the next thing you know...
But then there started to be more and more in the way of non-manga graphic novels.  Not comic books - they're not to be confused with the Marvel superheroes or the classic comic books one can get.  And a lot of them are non-fiction, thus my issue with the term "graphic novel."  I've read graphics about science, true crime, memoirs... and fiction.  They're smart, funny, and often very touching.  Most recently I've read two memoirs.

 

"Drinking at the Movies" is the story of comic artist Julia Wertz's first years living in New York after moving there from San Francisco.  Crappy jobs, crappy apartments, and a bit too much drinking fill her not so happy time as she tries to find her place in the Big Apple. I liked all of it, but particularly the tales of her runaway wallet...  You'll just have to read the book to find out what happens - does she find her bliss?

 


Next up we have "Marbles" by Ellen Forney, another comic artist who happens to live in Seattle (I liked the local touch, especially her little map of traveling to Doe Bay and the commentary about how long it took!  Haha).  This book is the story of Ellen's diagnosis with Bipolar disorder, and the years it took to both come to grips with it and find a workable combination of medication to bring her life into uneasy harmony.  I personally have very little experience with anybody suffering from bipolar disorder, so I found it to be quite fascinating and educational.  I say I have very little experience, but reading Ellen's book I realized that I probably deal with many bipolar people at the library.  It's just not something one advertises about themselves.  I felt that the graphic format worked especially well to convey her experience - the weeks spent wrapped in blankets, barely unable to get out of bed, or the manic periods when the world was her oyster and nothing, NOTHING was impossible!  I hope if nothing else Ellen's book helps break the stigma of mental disorders and helps people have understanding and compassion.  I also deduced that Ellen and I share the same birthday, though I'm three years older!

Should you read these books?  Hell yes.

I'm reading something completely different now, a teen novel.  I need to finish it before I write about it.  But I have plenty of thoughts already...

Beach stuff!

How many people do you know that found a drawer on the beach? Not many I bet. None, except for me. I found it. It's mine.  I carried it back to the car.  It's mine.  MINE!!!!

I'll be planting flowers in it and moving it here and there in the garden. This may seem like a mundane thing, but I must say I'm quite excited about the things I might find on the beach these days!  I was hoping for a float, but this was quite a spectacular find!  Much better than a mere float.  But I still want floats! Last year  we saw these floats from a distance - unattainable!  Drats.  Way far below us...

And good ones, those.  Oh well.  I'll have to stick closer to home to find things for our garden.  But I do hope to end up with something like this someday!

It will take time, patience, and many hours on the beach!  I'm not sure we' ll never accomplish this (seeing as we don't live directly on the coast)

Oh well... a girl can dream.

My time off...

Just waiting now to hear about the job!  Hopefully news will come soon this week...  many of my coworkers are pulling for me!
In the meantime, I enjoyed my time off, though most of it was full of rather mundane activities.

1. Monday - Michael to the doctor
2. Tuesday - Me to the dentist
3. Wednesday - job interview, Syd to the vet
4. Thursday - Me back to the dentist, a bit of fun poking around downtown in the antique shops
5. Friday - FUN AT LAST!!!  Driving off island for lunch!

I can't really complain, it was really nice to have the time off.  I enjoyed poking around downtown, and managed to get some good photos of clowns and dolls.  What more do I need, right? On Thursday afternoon I headed "downtown" to see what was up in the shops.  My first stop was the jesus thrift store, which is worth checking into now and then despite the despicable music one has to endure.  I found one of my favorite sweaters there, and also these great ceramic mushrooms.  Nothing particularly great on this visit, other than the charming little cross stitch kit below.  I declined to purchase it, however.

I saw this flyer on the window of several businesses, and it both frightened and disgusted me at the same time.  There is just so much going on here that is WRONG.  For instance, why is this taking place in a public school facility?  Are they open to any and all groups?  It seems a bit dodgy to me.  Not to mention TOTAL WANK!

Then I headed over to the Trading Post to look at overly expensive antiques.   They had a set of four clown pictures that were a bit intriguing, but had not price tags.  I figured I'd ask, and it turned into a big rigmarole with the young kid working calling the owner.  There was a long conversation about them being "on hold" for some guy, but if I really wanted them they could call the guy and see if he still wanted them and BLAH BLAH BLAH.  The original price was $125 but they would let me have them for $75 BLAH BLAH BLAH.  Well of course that was way more than I was willing to part with (and I knew they'd be too expensive), but it was an interesting exercise.  Especially when I got home and told Michael about it, and then he explained how this is a standard sales technique!  Here's one of the charming clowns I passed up ~

They also had this very special "vintage" ashtray (collective groan, we are all older than VINTAGE now) - it looks like a second grader made it!  In fact, I was in second grade about that time...

Wow.  I haven't even gotten to the dolls yet!  They were in the antique shop, which is full of dolls.  I love that when you walk to the back of the store, they are EVERYWHERE... Here are my favorites from this visit.  The dollie with spider legs for eyelashes, and the bag of arms and a head.  The way she's fondling her own arm - my goodness!

Okay.  This post is getting a bit long.  I haven't even gotten to our trip off island yet!  I'll tackle that one next time!