Summary

It's safe to say that this weekend was, hands down, the most relaxing one I've had in months.

Thanksgiving was quiet and the days following involved a little shopping, some Christmas decorating, a long chat with Mia Sorella, and the construction of a set of bookshelves that I now need to stain and finish so I can get them moved into my living room.

I also watched the Macy's parade for the first time in at least four years and -- I admit it -- both paid attention to and cheered on the Packers Thursday afternoon.

I'm not ashamed. Mostly.

All in all, it was everything a holiday is meant to be, really. Quiet. Relaxing. A break from the rat race. Aside from my persistent single-symptom cold, it was absolutely fantastic.

Now the race is back. But what I really want to know is ... Cyber Monday?! Really? Is this truly necessary, folks?

Happy Thanksgiving

Thankful for ...

... a year with a lot of ups and downs because at least I was never bored.

... family get-togethers of all shapes and sizes.

... parents and siblings who aren't afraid of a little adventure.

... technology to keep up with those who are mid-adventure.

... a car that runs with tires that don't slip.

... turkey, potatoes and gravy, and crescent rolls.

I made it back to Sioux Falls last night in pretty good time. Now, I get to bask in a real weekend break, with no real obligations aside from helping cook.

Life is good.

Have a great Thanksgiving, folks.

*Cough, cough* Ahem...

Aside from waking up with an inability to speak, I'm having a pretty good day.

I described it to my mother yesterday as feeling like I was just getting over a cold -- but being confused because I have no recollection of having a cold to begin with. Yesterday was just a scratchy throat, however ... Today I couldn't speak.

Through hot tea, various liquids, and general use I'm back to almost-normal (a little hoarse and an octave lower than usual, but almost-normal). And I feel fine. I'd rather deal with one symptom (and one that's only a little annoying and not so bad, really) than a real cold. Oh please, let me only have to deal with one symptom and not a real cold.

It's hard to be in a bad mood this week, really. The office is already half-empty; I'm surprisingly caught up on my work and my desk is getting cleaner (as in I found it again). Holiday weeks are often some of the best ones -- fewer distractions, fewer panicky managers (although I haven't had to deal with many of those for a few months now), lots of conversations about upcoming plans.

And hey, in 48 hours, I'll be helping Mom prepare a small Thanksgiving dinner. That's an awesome thought.

Actually, there's a lot of fun coming up. This weekend it's Thanksgiving; next weekend is our company holiday party. A couple weeks after that we're doing a semi-fancy progressive dinner that should also be a hoot. And then -- hey! -- it's Christmas.

There is a lot of activity ahead.

I hope my voice can hold up.

PW Expedition

Yesterday was the trip.

I shall remember it well ... It started with 140 solid miles of fog, clearing up in time to see the last of Wisconsin, continued with some quality time at IKEA, ended with the Body exhibit at The Mall and 185 miles of dark (I recommend the exhibit to all, but the drive only to those who don't mind driving at night). There was some additional shopping in there, but more importantly, the purpose.

Yes, the Pioneer Woman herself was at The Mall yesterday. Brave woman -- I'm pretty sure the total signature line was no less than six hours long. (I wouldn't kid about something like that.) I'm not sure how many hundreds of people that was, but the crowd was huge.

I ended up in line with two other people there alone -- a woman buying books for her sisters (and, after waiting for a couple hours for the signing to start, bought one for herself) and the other a gentleman from Kentucky getting books signed for his daughters (and, after waiting fore a couple of hours for the signing to start, one for his wife). While our conversation wasn't necessarily deep or constant, we managed to be cheerful through the hours we spent together.

And hours and hours. My legs are still angry.

Anyway!

The wait was worth it. In addition to my companions (we became a designated "party" so that if any of us needed to leave the line we could have our spot back ... The Mall has very clear-cut rules for signings, which I have to admit were fantastic as well) there were some interesting moments.

- There were camera crews on the security guards the whole time. Turned out they were filming for a TLC (?) special on mall cops. No joke.

- When we made it up to the fifth circle (about half an hour from the front), security suddenly cleared and cordoned off an area, including moving all of us over a few feet. Turned out there was an abandoned bag on a bench not fifteen feet from me that they had to have sniffed by a dog, checked by what looked like a portable Geiger counter, and then hand searched.

- It also turned out that said bag was a diaper bag. Belonging to a woman about fifteen spots behind me in line.

- There were undercover security guards lurking as well, originally pointed out by the kid in line behind our little party. After that it became a game to track down the undercovers. (One of them was quite good-looking, too!)

-Hands down, the cutest moment was much sooner, when this table got set up and occupied. For those who aren't the slightly crazed fans, this is Marlboro Man and the male punks, a.k.a. Pioneer Woman's husband and two little boys. They set this up right behind us. We just happened to be at that point in the line, just as we were later at just that point when they cleared the area for the scary diaper bag. PW's boys are 1) outrageously patient for their ages, and 2) adorable. After ducking away so as to not have my butt in the pictures of eighty strangers, I had to get a couple pictures of them myself. And then look over their shoulders, only to realize that the youngest was "autographing" books by drawing a mustache and horns on pictures of his brother.

All in all, even with the long wait (which, when it was over, didn't seem like it had been that long after all), it was a fantastic day. And far from the average Saturday.

Twin Cities Adventure

Let me tell you a story.

Some time back -- I estimate between 18 and 24 months ago, although I'm not totally sure -- I took Sophie in for an oil change. As usual, I kicked back in the customer waiting area with my mp3 player and a book, paying very little attention to the things going on around me.

I glanced up as someone else walked in -- and caught sight of the television over my head, tuned in to some cable news station. The host was talking via webcam to someone I didn't recognize, and here and there still photos flashed up -- photos of cattle staring at the camera, photos of kids doing random things, and occasionally photos of men in chaps.

The chaps. The chaps were what ultimately made me take out my ear buds.

It turned out that the woman's name was Ree, and she ran a website that was quickly growing in popularity. I caught that last part as they went to commercial and the segment ended, and I quickly jotted down on a piece of paper the only reference I caught -- "Pioneer Woman."

And the rest is history.

Her website has evolved since that fateful day to include several parts, almost all of which I read with some regularity. I test her recipes. I follow her Photoshop tutorials and find new things to do with the program. I laugh at the stories in "Confessions," the section containing normal blog material. (I don't pay much attention to the homeschooling section for obvious reasons.)

And, when she released a cookbook last month, I had it preordered on Amazon.

The day it arrived (which took a little while because I love to not pay for shipping) I sat down and read the whole thing, cover to cover, page after drool-inducing page. Then I started cooking.

I recommend it to anyone, with a few warnings:
1) She's married to a rancher. She is not a vegetarian.
2) She uses olive oil occasionally, but she is not concerned about cooking with butter.
3) Or other fattening but delicious things.

This book is the original reason I'm going to Minneapolis tomorrow. You see, along with the release of said cookbook, she's going on a book tour. And tomorrow afternoon she'll be at the Mall of America.

Naturally, my planned day trip has evolved to include other things as well, but that's going to be right smack dab in the middle of it. A chance to meet one of my blogging hero[in]es. [Okay, I admit. It's a little weird to have a blogging hero in the first place. But there you have it.] And, well, you know me. I'll take any excuse for a road trip.

A book signing, DSW, IKEA, Trader Joe's, and hopefully the Body exhibit. Sounds like a great trip to me!

Ho Hum.

You know what?

Yesterday, I had a truly fabulous day. From beginning to end.

It started freakishly early. (I will never fully understand early risers. I like mornings, but I really, truly love my nice, warm, cozy bed.) It started so early because that's how I've been doing Tuesdays ... They're my mornings to talk to Mia Sorella, and yesterday was no exception.

Anyway, I got up freakishly early, got ready for the day rather leisurely, and found my way to a local coffee shop where I can sit in the parking lot and use their wireless without freaking people out.

Some of my habits are a little odd.

I saw two meteorites on my ten-minute drive, which basically made my day right then. Just plain awesome.

Anyway, I got some coffee, then made myself comfortable and logged on. While chatting with Mia Sorella, I got to watch the sun come up, and I made it to work an hour earlier than usual. Which meant leaving an hour earlier than usual, during daylight. Fabulous.

After work there was a beer release party at one of the microbreweries in town. Seven of us gathered there for some pretty good new beer and some absolutely fantastic limited-time appetizers ... and, of course, some good ol' group social time. By the time I got home, I was in the best mood I'd been in for weeks.

What I'm trying to say is ... today's a little disappointing in comparison.

Not bad, by any accounts, but not exciting.

It's been a decent day. Work was busy but fairly uneventful (arguably the best kind of day). I'm back at the B, enjoying my internet access (although I didn't order the drink I really wanted because I base my drinks on who happens to be working the cafe ... it's distinctly possible I'm here too much). I have some food to experiment with at home and a couple unfinished projects, so I won't be bored.

But not exciting.

I guess that's the trade for starting off a day with meteorites...

Memory, In Tones

Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia

July 2005

WotY

Oh my.

Monday In November

Here's the thing:

I have not had an exciting couple of weeks.

That's only half accurate. There have been some pretty neat aspects.

But there's not a lot to talk about.

I know, I know. It's a good thing, at least for you guys. Fewer totally useless posts. However, I'm starting to feel like a slacker again.

This past weekend, I started and finished my Christmas shopping. That's right. Finished. I'm not "done" -- I have three gifts that need to be put together and then there's the wrapping, hauling, shipping, and so forth -- but officially, I don't need to do any more shopping.

That is a strange and wonderful feeling.

Moonie and I also won a Cribbage tournament -- which was pretty cool. Made for a truly productive weekend. (I earned back some of that money I spent shopping for Christmas presents, which was just a bonus.)

In the next week, I need to get my apartment clean so I can start decorating ... And hopefully my parents figure out when they're leaving for Beijing (visiting Mia Sorella) so I can have some clue as to how Christmas will go. That'd be nice of them.

Could I have made separate posts about all that? Sure. I have in the past. But it would have been a continuation of the "Today I went to JCPenney" posts, and that's just not fair to my three readers.

Princess Communist Day

It's official. The Season is in full swing; every store I shop regularly has a sale going on today and I'm feeling ambitious. There is nothing I'd like more than being done with my Christmas shopping by the end of this weekend, and I may just pull it off.

It's a good thing I get paid on Thursday.

There is absolutely nothing that's turning out as expected about this Season. Not that I'm surprised -- 2009 has been anything but normal and if it were to end in a quiet manner I'd probably be a little disappointed. It's looking like Thanksgiving will be just my parents and I ... which hasn't happened since I was a year and a half old (for those keeping track at home, that would be 24 years ago). The parents may be on their way to China on Christmas Eve to visit Mia Sorella ... which means Shorty and I will be fending for ourselves. It's going to be an interesting few weeks.

I have this weekend to prep, regroup, and have some fun. Tango and an '80s movie last night (because they go so well together), some shopping already this morning and breakfast with Moonie, the Admiral, and the newlyweds, and tomorrow is a Cribbage tournament in Mosinee. [Side note: "Escape From New York." Hilariously bad.] Next weekend brings a day trip to Minneapolis that I may have to document later. It should be a good one.

For a few minutes, a break. Relax in the library, smelling vaguely of diner. Enjoy the quiet and the wi-fi before plunging back into the sea of moms, grandmothers, and aunts (with the occasional grudging but obliging husband) who are hitting the sales alongside me today.

Wish me luck.