Good news and bad, and a little Christmas
Dec. 27th, 2004 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwendolyngraceYes, because we need a little Christmas, right this very minute....
Or rather, not really.
Spent it with A's family, including a trip to the assisted living center to say hello to her grandfather (and then little else, as circumstances not-exactly-required but pretty-much-dictated that I clear off while she and her mum spent the visit with him). Not-quite-three Grazi and not-quite-one 'Lina were quite the trip, and I even got presents! - from A's mother, which I completely did not anticipate. And fuzzy purple-and-black stripey socks from A! And lots of chocolate, including cocoa and chocolate to bring in to work so we (A and I) don't *eat* it all. So yay.
Best Christmas present, though, was learning that I was cast as Gloria Upson in Mame. Yay! This is going to be a good production, I can feel it. I hope. So I'm set for the winter months. The unfortunate thing is no Ice Dragon, as Mame will run during that weekend. BUT...the fortunate thing is, no pressure to go to Ice Dragon. Only damper: Dad might come to see it. Eh. I guess I could live. I'd really rather he didn't, though.
His friend who's dying? Never updated her will in the last 15 years. The executor is a woman she had a huge row with and hasn't spoken to in over 10 years. Her primary beneficiary is her mother, who has been *dead* for six years, for chrissakes! The worst part about it? Celia had made notes about things she apparently wanted to change, but never actually got 'round to changing. Like charities she wanted to benefit. Leaving money to her boyfriend. And - oh yeah, including my dad, too (to the tune of Lots). And now, she's unable to make any changes at all. She's mostly unconscious and I think it's really a matter of days before she slips away. So, slap that up as one big huge-ass PSYCH! to the karmic wheel. It's just depressing for everyone - including people who would have gotten *less* had she changed things, because they understand and respect that her wishes - her current wishes - will not be honoured. And there's no way to change it now.
Lesson: If you find out about any major life-changing event, please make sure your affairs are in order. Don't leave your loved ones with a mess.
and the mess I'll have to deal with. We've been working on fixing the water heater at A's house, and it reminded me that my mother still has a whole drum of oil from the old oil heater, that we couldn't get anyone to take away (it's apparently more expensive to have it removed than it is to obtain in the first place). So I wonder how soon we should bite the bullet and remove the oil, so that at least I don't have a huge tank of however old oil sitting around in the house, possibly accruing fines, when it's time to divest the house?
Oy. Yeah, I know, it's the holidays and end of the year and we're supposed to hang on to the cheer for a little while longer, but sorry - this year is about transition for me, basically. I also really need to make sure that I've got things changed (like taxes) completely to Massachusetts before too long in the new year, or life will get sticky on that end, as well. Taxes, registration, license, insurance...what a pain in the butt.
And the news, of course. We can always count on the news to deliver a good swift dose of reality. Man. Nature in its glory never ceases to kill us off but good. I don't mean to sound callous - I really am saddened by the destruction and the body count - but there's this part of me that sort of shrugs and thinks, "Yep. Yesterday, the plague; today, the tsunami; tomorrow, the space ninjas." There's always *Something* causing mass destruction in the world - we're lucky this time; next time, maybe not so much. I agree with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
prncspnut and folk about the shocking centrism of American news about this, though. By comparison, our piddly snowstorms (even including people dying while shoveling snow) and grounded planes are...well, nothing.
On with the vapid commentary. It really wasn't that bad, apart from an incredibly annoying gaggle of foul-mouthed (and loud) teens at one point. I didn't mind the swearing so much as they were doing it at the top of their lungs, and malls are notoriously echoey. Unfortunately, they completely did not grasp my irony when I said "Excuse me, could you fucking knock it off with the fucking swearing? You're not fucking impressing anyone." Sigh.
I found a jacket like I've been hunting (one of those sort of new-fangled jeans jackets, only out of velvet and/or corduroy (in this case, velvet)) in a nice chocolate brown. Wouldn't mind a cord-ish one in a bright colour, like plum or something. I'm scared of pink - there are shades I really like, but I think the colour would frighten me too much to wear it.
We looked around in Hot Topic, had fun with all the Nightmare Before Christmas stuff (Sally underwear! Too bad it was too expensive), but bought nothing. (Of course, A has yet to post about her guilty purchase there last week....)
And in Lord and Taylor, we saw an absolutely *gorgeous* evening dress. Naturally, it was not on sale. But I tried it on and...damn. Yeah. Even the shop-women were saying that it was amazing - and it was so new, they told A, that they'd never seen it on anyone else yet. So, we'll be watching that to come down. If it dips below about $95, it's so coming home. Next time I'm in, I'll have to write down the designer and all that, so I can look for a picture.
Anything else to report? Slow work week. Trying to get caught up on non-work things while I've got the time. Heh. Mostly HPEF things.
Goals for week:
Tonight? - Filene's Basement? Maybe just hibernate. Or Wrentham, but I've a feeling the weather will have something to say about that.
Tuesday and Wednesday - Concord Players rehearsal for measurements and costume diving
Thursday - Wrentham to return Casual Corner Annex stuff, if not tonight? Maybe Friday during the day. Also need to buy more hangers. I've broken about 3 and I had exactly as many as I needed. Now I've got more clothes, too.
Friday - All the stuff I didn't get done before, and get clothes to the dry cleaner so they're off my floor.
Yes, sigh. My life is sooo hard. Stop me before I faint from the hardship that is my life.
Or rather, not really.
Spent it with A's family, including a trip to the assisted living center to say hello to her grandfather (and then little else, as circumstances not-exactly-required but pretty-much-dictated that I clear off while she and her mum spent the visit with him). Not-quite-three Grazi and not-quite-one 'Lina were quite the trip, and I even got presents! - from A's mother, which I completely did not anticipate. And fuzzy purple-and-black stripey socks from A! And lots of chocolate, including cocoa and chocolate to bring in to work so we (A and I) don't *eat* it all. So yay.
Best Christmas present, though, was learning that I was cast as Gloria Upson in Mame. Yay! This is going to be a good production, I can feel it. I hope. So I'm set for the winter months. The unfortunate thing is no Ice Dragon, as Mame will run during that weekend. BUT...the fortunate thing is, no pressure to go to Ice Dragon. Only damper: Dad might come to see it. Eh. I guess I could live. I'd really rather he didn't, though.
His friend who's dying? Never updated her will in the last 15 years. The executor is a woman she had a huge row with and hasn't spoken to in over 10 years. Her primary beneficiary is her mother, who has been *dead* for six years, for chrissakes! The worst part about it? Celia had made notes about things she apparently wanted to change, but never actually got 'round to changing. Like charities she wanted to benefit. Leaving money to her boyfriend. And - oh yeah, including my dad, too (to the tune of Lots). And now, she's unable to make any changes at all. She's mostly unconscious and I think it's really a matter of days before she slips away. So, slap that up as one big huge-ass PSYCH! to the karmic wheel. It's just depressing for everyone - including people who would have gotten *less* had she changed things, because they understand and respect that her wishes - her current wishes - will not be honoured. And there's no way to change it now.
Lesson: If you find out about any major life-changing event, please make sure your affairs are in order. Don't leave your loved ones with a mess.
and the mess I'll have to deal with. We've been working on fixing the water heater at A's house, and it reminded me that my mother still has a whole drum of oil from the old oil heater, that we couldn't get anyone to take away (it's apparently more expensive to have it removed than it is to obtain in the first place). So I wonder how soon we should bite the bullet and remove the oil, so that at least I don't have a huge tank of however old oil sitting around in the house, possibly accruing fines, when it's time to divest the house?
Oy. Yeah, I know, it's the holidays and end of the year and we're supposed to hang on to the cheer for a little while longer, but sorry - this year is about transition for me, basically. I also really need to make sure that I've got things changed (like taxes) completely to Massachusetts before too long in the new year, or life will get sticky on that end, as well. Taxes, registration, license, insurance...what a pain in the butt.
And the news, of course. We can always count on the news to deliver a good swift dose of reality. Man. Nature in its glory never ceases to kill us off but good. I don't mean to sound callous - I really am saddened by the destruction and the body count - but there's this part of me that sort of shrugs and thinks, "Yep. Yesterday, the plague; today, the tsunami; tomorrow, the space ninjas." There's always *Something* causing mass destruction in the world - we're lucky this time; next time, maybe not so much. I agree with
prncspnut and folk about the shocking centrism of American news about this, though. By comparison, our piddly snowstorms (even including people dying while shoveling snow) and grounded planes are...well, nothing.On with the vapid commentary. It really wasn't that bad, apart from an incredibly annoying gaggle of foul-mouthed (and loud) teens at one point. I didn't mind the swearing so much as they were doing it at the top of their lungs, and malls are notoriously echoey. Unfortunately, they completely did not grasp my irony when I said "Excuse me, could you fucking knock it off with the fucking swearing? You're not fucking impressing anyone." Sigh.
I found a jacket like I've been hunting (one of those sort of new-fangled jeans jackets, only out of velvet and/or corduroy (in this case, velvet)) in a nice chocolate brown. Wouldn't mind a cord-ish one in a bright colour, like plum or something. I'm scared of pink - there are shades I really like, but I think the colour would frighten me too much to wear it.
We looked around in Hot Topic, had fun with all the Nightmare Before Christmas stuff (Sally underwear! Too bad it was too expensive), but bought nothing. (Of course, A has yet to post about her guilty purchase there last week....)
And in Lord and Taylor, we saw an absolutely *gorgeous* evening dress. Naturally, it was not on sale. But I tried it on and...damn. Yeah. Even the shop-women were saying that it was amazing - and it was so new, they told A, that they'd never seen it on anyone else yet. So, we'll be watching that to come down. If it dips below about $95, it's so coming home. Next time I'm in, I'll have to write down the designer and all that, so I can look for a picture.
Anything else to report? Slow work week. Trying to get caught up on non-work things while I've got the time. Heh. Mostly HPEF things.
Goals for week:
Tonight? - Filene's Basement? Maybe just hibernate. Or Wrentham, but I've a feeling the weather will have something to say about that.
Tuesday and Wednesday - Concord Players rehearsal for measurements and costume diving
Thursday - Wrentham to return Casual Corner Annex stuff, if not tonight? Maybe Friday during the day. Also need to buy more hangers. I've broken about 3 and I had exactly as many as I needed. Now I've got more clothes, too.
Friday - All the stuff I didn't get done before, and get clothes to the dry cleaner so they're off my floor.
Yes, sigh. My life is sooo hard. Stop me before I faint from the hardship that is my life.
