Goofy Gifts

Mike always goes shopping on Christmas Eve. The joke is that he doesn't buy my gifts until that day. This past Christmas, he asked if there was anything he could pick up while he was out and about. I asked if he could buy a few small items to drop in the stockings. He decided that whoopee cushions, Flarp (putty that is used to make fart noises), and bendy drinking straws were the perfect items for our nieces, who are ages 4 and 7.

He was right. They were huge hits. They played with those items more on Christmas Day than the other gifts they opened. I've learned their parents have since bought more Flarp. The fun continues.

Next year I need to remember the gifts that cost less than $5 were the biggest hits.

Taz and the Orange Chair

Mike and I own this orange chair. It started life in the late 60s, right around the same time Mike was born. It had a matching 7 foot couch. Mike's parents purchased the set new. It started its life orange.

We inherited both the couch and chair when we got married. It moved to Virginia with us, and found new life in the family room of our townhouse where it hosted the occasional Navy guy and put up with our four pets. The couch did not make the move back to Illinois, but the chair did. It got recovered in a deep green, and joined our living room furniture.

Fast forward a few years, and that chair got recovered again - back to a rusty orange color. It's been knocked around different rooms, in different places, and usually ends up in a corner.

Here's the thing: it's not one of my favorite furniture pieces. I actually think it's a bit ugly. It is, however, comfortable....... especially to the cat. Taz has completely claimed this chair. It doesn't matter where I move it. Considering I'd rather have him occupying that particular chair than one of our good chairs, I think I'll leave it where it is. Even if it does make the room a bit crowded.

2011 Escapes - Actual Places!

San Francisco. Work.

Atlanta. Work. Really!

Denver. Work.

The Windy City! A trip to see A Christmas Story, the Musical.

Vegas, Baby! A combo of work & personal.

Vegas, again. Work trip.

Bus trip to Lake Geneva. Totally work, totally fun.

Second trip to Wizard Academy, for Money & Cool Chicks. Met awesome, fantastic, wonderful people.

First Vegas trip of the year. Checked out the new bridge by the Hoover Dam.

Florida. Shuttle launch. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.

1st trip to Wizard Academy, Austin. New worlds of wonder.

Austin, Florida, Denver, Vegas, Atlanta, Vegas, San Francisco, Lake Geneva, Vegas, Austin, Chicago. Busy year.

Yep, It's Cool In Here

This is Roo. She's getting up there in age now, 15 and a half years old. She's a bit cranky at times, but still a sweetheart. Apparently she doesn't like that we keep the house around 60 degrees........... she likes to belly up to the heat register in the guest bathroom.

2011 Escapes: The Book Version

Looking through the list of fiction books I read in 2011, it is heavy in the urban fantasy genre. Apparently I prefer the company of witches, vampires, werewolves and fairies in my off time.

As a side note, I really like the new feature of Amazon Prime that allows book borrowing.

The stories that have stuck in my mind are the books of the Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. I did not realize the series was not yet complete when I started reading A Game of Thrones. If I had realized, I would have waited.

The Deadliest Bite, Jennifer Rardin
The Silence of Trees, Valya Dudycz Lupescu
Drink Deep: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel, Chloe Neill
A Reckless Witch (A Modern Witch, Book 3), Debora Geary
Black Night (Black Wings), Christina Henry
A Hidden Witch (A Modern Witch, Book 2), Debora Geary
Chasing Amanda, Melissa Foster
What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy, Gregory Maguire
Black Wings, Christina Henry
Mile 81, Stephen King
A Modern Witch (A Modern Witch Series: Book 1), Debora Geary
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
Grave Dance: An Alex Craft Novel, Kalayna Price
Succubus Revealed (Georgina Kincaid), Richelle Mead
Bloodlines, Richelle Mead
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel, Aimee Bender
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Magic Slays (Kate Daniels), Ilona Andrews
Tommy Nightmare (The Paranormals, Book 2), JL Bryan
A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five, George R.R. Martin
Jenny Pox (The Paranormals, Book 1), JL Bryan
Ascend (Trylle Trilogy, #3), Amanda Hocking
Torn (Trylle Trilogy, Book 2), Amanda Hocking
Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Book 2), Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Four, George R.R. Martin
A Storm of Swords: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Three, George R.R. Martin
A Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Two, George R.R. Martin
A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One, George R.R. Martin
Hard Bitten: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel, Chloe Neill
Dead Reckoning: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel, Charlaine Harris
Kill&Cure, Stephen Davison
Demon Song (The Blood Singer Series), Cat Adams
Iron Crowned (Dark Swan), Richelle Mead
Room: A Novel, Emma Donoghue
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel, Jamie Ford
The Hangman's Daughter, Oliver Potzsch and Lee Chadeayne
Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman
Camille, Tess Oliver
Grave Witch: An Alex Craft Novel, Kalayna Price
Arcane Circle, Linda Robertson
The Ritual Bath, Faye Kellerman
Hollowland (The Hollows, #1), Amanda Hocking
Letters to Elise: A Peter Townsend Novella (My Blood Approves), Amanda Hocking
Wisdom (My Blood Approves, #4), Amanda Hocking
Flutter (My Blood Approves, Book 3), Amanda Hocking
A Secret Rage, Charlaine Harris
Sweet and Deadly, Charlaine Harris
Carmilla, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu