Home for the Holidays

Christmas! Isn't it a wonderful time of the year. A time for family and friends. A time to relax and be at home and be completely lazy. The tree is up. The presents have been wrapped and now unwrapped. The eggnog has been drunk and the guests are drunk. The table is cleared and the left-overs are gone. And it still hasn't snowed.
I have been taking the last few days of Christmas vacation to vegetate and visit. The apartment is STILL a mess and I STILL have to clean it up but there is always tomorrow. I went to a Guildo Christmas party last Friday at Joie's. I had a blast. Joie's home is always so festive and decorated to the hilt. Dustin, Stacey, and I were the last guests to leave.
Speaking of Dustin and Stacey, they have their party this Friday. They are always a blast to hang out with and Lil'D will be there (that's Joe Nowacki in case you care). I will bring more alcoholic pies to this party just like I did last week. Plus a bottle of Spanish wine.
Other festivities I have been to this season was Danno's Christmas Extravaganza, lunch today with Cathy (she makes the most fabulous Christmas ornaments), Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas Day with my cousin John and his family (which includes mom), dinner tomorrow with Jim, Michelle, and the boys. Stopped by to see Charlie tonight. He's doing well, as is Emily. He is looking into graduate schools for his Masters. That is good for him but I will miss him if he moves away. Which I think is pretty girlie-man of me since I hardly ever get to see him but he is one of my friends from PIPPIN. Maybe we'll get to see The Producers within the next week.
Speaking of movies, the only two movies I have seen over the holiday season has been The Chronicles of Narnia and Brokeback Mountain. Talk about your extremes! I liked them both but for different reasons. I read the Narnia Chronicles when I was akid and again some other time. The first time it was for the fantasy of the literature and the next time it was for the Christian allegory in the literature. I think the movie did a good job bringing the book to life. The child actors were realistic as were the special effects. It didn't seem forced. I know these creatures do not exist in real life but it was hard not to get lsot in the story or the world of Narnia.
I went to see Brokeback Mountain beacuse a friend recommended it and my mom told about some write-up in the paper about it. It caught my curiosity. The movie was good. The scenery of Wyoming is great and it has a solid story. I found it more a story about enduring friendship instead of a love story. I really didn't see them as two gay cowboys. But then again they did have sex. I just felt sorry for them and the obstacles they had to face in their friendship. They seemed unhappy and were their happiest when they were with each other on their trips. The ending is very touching though.
The QAS Christmas Party is not for another week. This should be interesting this year. I invited Teri to come along. (That's not what will make it interesting). What should make it interesting is seeing how four Guildos will act at Andre's (and yes Dustin you can consider yourself a Guildo!). Well it is late and I am going to watch a moive and sleep in tomorrow.

Tis the season . . .

Today we continue the Christmas saga. Okay that's right I said the word: CHRISTMAS. Met early this morning for my Making Science Accessible for Students Grade 4-8. That is a laugh. They say be there at 8am and breakfast isn't served utnil almost 9:30am and then we hear why the supplies haven't arrived yet fro our classrooms. Anyway this is supposed to be about Christmas.
My buddy Dustin called and asked me what I was doing for lunch? Nothing other than grocery shopping before I could eat lunch. Him, Stacey, Becker (and others?) were meeting at Hooters at 12:30pm to watch the Tampa Bay Buccanneers' game. I didn't make it until almost 2:30pm Joey then showed up and after the game we went to South County Mall to do some Christmas shopping. I didn't buy anything but I did get some ideas and I did laugh my ass off at Dustin when he and Joey got into a race on the parking lot and Dustin tripped over his own feet and took a tumble. Not that that is funny but you should have seen it.
Later I went to Danno's 21st Annual Christmas Extravaganza. The theme this year was "White". Some people split by 9:40pm and I probably left around 11:00pm before driving home from Eureka. Are we getting old? I remember those parties going until all hours of the morning and cleaning up the next day.
BTW my Christmas tree has gold/yellow lights on it with white fiber optics. This is in honor of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary. My ornament this year is also a photo of the castle inside a glass ball. You've got to see it to believe it.
Still haven't doen my official Christmas shopping and probably won't until I get out of school on Wednesday. Still need to finish decorating. Will wait until I see what I get from my kiddos before putting out all my stuff.
I'll let you know next weekend.

It's the holiday season . . .

Well, let's see I have the tree up with lights and have started putting ornaments on it. I can't believe the amount of ornaments I have. Okay I can because I am a teacher and like to receive ornaments from my students. I mean what else (besides a gift certificate) can you get your male middle school Science teacher? Right now it looks nice all lit up but it needs more ornaments. Every year I always put the ornaments Cathy dsigns, makes and gives me. I think that is one of my most favorite things to look forward this season. I will also put up the ornaments I have designed and made. I have the lights outside up and even the wreath is on the door. Probably as I get closer to Christmas vacation I will really decorate the rest of the apartment. With the day off from school on Thursday (holy day not snow day) I started on my Christmas card list and finished up it today.
I will try to update this holiday adventure in the next few weeks.