Does it still count as Christmas shopping if I bought more for myself that for everyone else put together? But I did not buy a Christmas scented Glade candle. I don't have a lot for you today. Just a couple of photos I took over the past few days.
These cats are ALWAYS outside my house. I normally quite like cats but I am scared they might have some sort of disease I'll get or try to scratch my eyes out if I go too close. What's the opposite of cat nip so I can repell these surely rabid creatures?
I bet they had a leaf blower! Gets!
I feel like I have not slept at all. There was the biggest thunder and lightning storm last night. Seriously, it lasted two hours. At 3.00am I finally got up and had a look outside at it. Then I had a drink and tried to get back to sleep. This is normally not a problem for me, I could sleep anywhere, anytime on anything. But last night I could not get back to sleep. I think it was something to do with having the words to ‘My Favourite Things’ going round in my head and wondering how you would make play clothes out of my Venetian blinds.
Anyway, it is officially Christmas now in America. Thanksgiving kind of serves as a brake on the festivities, but now that it’s over, Christmas has come. You can look at it one of two ways. Firstly, it is good that Christmas doesn’t start until late November, unlike at home when it starts late October/early November. Or secondly, the pressure builds up so much that once Thanksgiving comes you are just bombarded with adverts, Christmas music and the like.
Here are some of the Christmas things I have seen recently:
This is the little hut thing outside my office window. It took TEN people all afternoon to put up these decorations.
These are the very first things you see in my local Wal Mart. Seriously what's the deal with these waistcoat things? And reindeers skiing? What says 'Christmas' better than reindeers skiing?!
Christmas trees are on sale everywhere, even at Roma's church. I like real trees. I will gladly suffer pine needles dropping because they are the best.
This is the Nativity scene on display in work, our sole decorations! I think it might win the Dullest Nativity Scene Ever Award!The Christian radio station that I listen to (106.9 The Light WMIT which is said at least four times in every break in the music. You’d think they’d come up with a shorter name) must have played through ‘Wow Christmas’ forty times over the weekend. The playlist is now totally Christmas music. It’s not even December yet!
With adverts there is no product that is left out of the Christmas market potential. At the weekend I saw an advert for Christmas scented (I imagine pine trees and cinnamon) Glade candles with pictures of Olde England in the snow on them.
Tonight I think I’m going to go into Asheville to start my Christmas shopping. This has more to do with it being pay-day today and that I’m going to Jose’s this weekend than the holiday spirit taking hold. I’ll let you know if I get myself one of those candles. I doubt it somehow, but the Christmas music in the mall might take over me.
I’m back! Did you miss me? I’m sure you didn’t know what to do with your time online what with no updates to read. Here’s the story of my first Thanksgiving to try and make up for it.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day (don’t think that is the actual term but I’m not from these parts) we went out for lunch. ‘We’ consisted of me, George and Virginia, Matthew (G&V’s son) and Sarah (Matthew’s wife), Ed (from the Travel company that is doing the conference) and Marge (Ed’s sister). It’s funny, even though I’ve never had Thanksgiving before I have a picture of it in my head. Going out for lunch was never part of it. Well, they never go out in American TV programmes or films. It’s always at home, usually with the mother getting really stressed about cooking for everyone and a member of the family having some sort travelling nightmare. But it always works out in the end and they have a lovely family time and discover the things that they really ought to be thankful for.
So Thanksgiving was not in a home, Virginia was not panicking about dinner, and there was no travelling disaster to report on. Neither was there an opportunity to share what I was thankful for. Gutted.
My dinner, an odd mixture. Going clockwise from the turkey, green beans, sweet potato with mini marshmallows burnt on top, mashed potato with nuts, honey glazed ham, butterfly shaped crackers with cream cheese, smoked salmon, a strawberry and bread. Sadly there were no tater tots or yams so I still don’t know what they are. It was a nice meal, but I prefer my mum’s Christmas dinners. For a start there are no marshmallows in her meals.After lunch we went to a fancy 5-star hotel which hosts, wait for it, the 2005 National Gingerbread House Competition. Seriously, I could not make this stuff up. I, of course, took photos.
According to the brochure contest entries are judged on overall appearance, originality/creativity, difficulty, precision and consistency of theme. I think it’s fair to say they take it preeettty seriously. Entries come from all across the USA. It is beyond me how some of them made it in one piece. They must have been wrapped in bubble wrap, in a temperature and humidity controlled box, travelling in a purpose built car which drove at no more than 5mph taking a route that carefully avoided all speed bumps and sharp corners.
This was one of my favourites. It was the Twelve Days of Christmas and was very clever, for example the three French hens had berets. Oh yes. Unfortunately it did not win.
Neither did this one. But if I had been a judge… The winning Gingerbread house was nice and all, but it was just shaped icing which must have scored big in the difficulty category. But this one was clever. She used ice cream cones (tree trunks), Pez and chewing gum (windows) Reese’s pieces, liquorice, and jelly bellies (domes), and candy canes (pillars) amongst other cleverness that I can’t remember now. It came 2nd, I think.On Thursday evening I was invited round to George and Virginia’s for dinner. Virginia, Matthew and Sarah are all vegetarian so there was no meat in sight. I used to want to be a vegetarian. My parents were too smart to fight it, they knew if they did I’d be more determined to do it. And more importantly they also knew that I don’t like enough vegetables to make them all I’d eat for the rest of my dinners. Having said that though, the meal was really nice. I’ve never knowingly had spinach before, but on Thursday I had it in some sort of quiche thing. It was alright but I’ll not lie to you, I was disappointed that my muscles didn’t appear a la Popeye.
My favourite thing about going round to George and Virginia’s was talking around the kitchen table. I love doing this at home. Sometimes I wonder if we could actually sit there from lunchtime til teatime. On Thursday night we talked about all sorts of nonsense, from serious stuff about NI, to the way George says vehicle (veh-hay-cul). Good craic.
The rest of the weekend wasn’t half as exciting. I spent a large portion of it in my jammies watching TV and DVDs. So yup, I’m still thankful for jammies.
Today is my last day in work this week because of Thanksgiving. I feel a bit like how Buddhists and all must feel at Christmas time. Thanksgiving really means nothing to me, nothing at all. My only experience of Thanksgiving up to this point is from American TV and films, mostly the Friends’ Thanksgiving episodes, usually the cheap mish-mash of other episodes or the brilliant flashback episodes.
Anyway, I’m glad it’s Thanksgiving because I get 2 days off work (no blogs until Monday). Pretty much everyone I've met since I arrived has invited me to their house for Thanksgiving, which was very nice of them but I decided to stay at the Lake and enjoy my free days without the pressure of being a guest at someone’s house. Friday may well be a designated Jammie Day. But tomorrow I’ll be having a big old turkey dinner with George and Virginia and family.
I wonder will they do that American TV thing of going round the table and saying what you’re thankful for. I should have a few things ready to say, other than ‘I’m thankful for jammies'.
The best thing about weekends is sleeping in. Absolutely, definitely, positively. I slept in on Saturday morning, and it was so so good. I do not understand these people who say things like ‘sleep is a waste of time to me’, ‘there are a million other things I’d rather do other than sleep’. Yadda yadda yadda. Sleep is good and should be respected.
On Saturday afternoon I went to the office to receive a super important phonecall from Lynsey. She's an aunt you know. When I was there I also nuck the office hoover. I cleaned outside and inside my house. I swept the carpet of leaves that lay on my path. I can honestly say have never been jealous of anyone with a leaf blower, until now. It took me ages. I want one, but seeing as it is turning to winter I will suppress that desire. I even cleared the gutter of all the leaves using my dad’s clever idea of cutting the bottom of a bottle off (don’t laugh, he once got vouchers for B&Q or somewhere of the like for getting the idea published in a magazine.) Turns out it was smart move on my part because the weather took a NI turn and rained for 36 hours straight. And to think I was beginning to miss the rain. Ha!
On Saturday night I went to see ‘Walk the Line’, but you already know that. I was clearly not the only one who enjoyed it, people laughed out loud at bits of it. Like really laughed. Then at the end people clapped. No, truly they did. This was my first cinema trip here so I don’t know if it’s a local thing or just they thought it was so good they had to applaud. It made me laugh though because my dad does that at the end of films he likes, actually at the end of all films. He’d love it here, because I got the impression people clapping were not doing it to mock their dad, like we do at home
On Sunday morning I went to Roma’s jeans wearing minister’s church. Sadly though that minister is off sick and the assistant minister was wearing black trousers. I really liked the church though. I knew the worship songs and spoke to the Youth Pastor about what youth things there are there. But I liked the Welcome Pack Giving Church of a few weeks ago too and it’s closer. But you can’t decide on a church after one visit each, so I guess it’ll not be until after Christmas before I decide.
On Sunday afternoon I watched a highly entertaining TV programme about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading team. It was kind of like X-Factor but for cheerleaders. It was absolutlely hilarious, although I don't think it was supposed to be. I then decided to go around the lake. This was the first time I had run (parts of) it since I bought my new trainers. And it showed.
Yesterday I spent the day in pain from Sunday’s ‘run’. Stairs are a mean invention aimed to hurt those who are unfit but are trying to better themselves. I also got my petrol door thing put on so now my car looks less stupid. This gave me a little field trip out of the office. I love field trips.
Last night I went food shopping. It was still pishing it down and generally miserable outside. Three times when I was in the supermarket the power went out. Three times I tell you. I, of course, thought of you first and took a picture.
Unfortunately the power only went off for 10-20 seconds a time so there wasn’t time for any looting.
When I got back from the supermarket I discovered that a couple of branches had come down outside my house. I was slightly nervous of leaving my car outside, afterall I had just got it fixed. It was all ok this morning, but I did see this on my half mile drive to work.
A whole tree came down. This was as close as I could get without getting out of the car. I know, a true photojournalist would have got out, but you are forgetting that I am still in pain and it's cold outside. So just squint to see it.
So that’s been the last couple of days. You're up to date.
