I did a lot of Christmas shopping. I'm now done, except for Margie (my sister-in-law's mother), and a couple of little things for Ivy and Zia (friends from college who I only see now and then, but send little things to at Christmas - earrings, bookmarks, that kind of thing). Considering that in any given year I have somewhere between 20 and 40 friends and relatives to buy presents for, some of whom need multiple gifts, I think that completing my Christmas shopping by early December is pretty impressive. ESPECIALLY considering I haven't even gotten into London yet. I do need to go to the Trocadero for some last-minute things, mostly for Mom (and me, LOL), but the bulk is done.
Of course, there are always more things that I want to buy. It doesn't matter if I'm done by September - which I am, some years - I always, ALWAYS find things in the shops that I want to get for people, right up to Christmas Eve.
Yeah, I overspend at Christmas. I love giving gifts. Luckily, when your parents have multiple partners, you end up with halves and steps all over the place, and that makes Christmas shopping really fun.
:D
I really want to get a new wok for Mom, since the old one is starting to burn a bit when you cook, no matter how well you treat it. Even when I cut meat up using my Sabatier knives, which cut so cleanly that there's no scrappy bits at all, it still burns sometimes. I really shouldn't spend more money, though, or she'll be embarrassed. I suppose I could tell Tony, but I'm not sure if he'd get the right one. She needs a 31-cm Ken Hom from Robert Dyas. The 35-cm is too heavy, and the other brands are crappy, they put all sorts of teflon coating on, and they don't cook properly. Believe me, I've tried a whole lot of them, and none of the British-designed ones work well.
For a white girl who's never learned proper Asian cooking - or at least one who's self-taught - I know my woks.
:P
Ooh, or I could buy one for her birthday. Yeah, I'll do that. Problem solved.
My budget (oh, okay, my overdraft) even managed to stretch to a couple of things for me. A cropped white cardigan, very thin (read: must buy a nude bra to wear underneath it, or wear with a dress) with fabric roses and faux-pearl beads around the neckline. Sounds ridiculously feminine, but on me it works. A navy blue silk skirt from Jaeger, with tiny white polkadots on that falls down in a profusion of ruffles - that I somehow managed to get for £8.50 in the charity shop. I bought it for court - yes, there are occasions when Sati actually has to look respectable - but according to my kids, I look more like I should be going to Ascot or watching the polo. (They can bite me, because dressing well really DOES sway decisions in your favor sometimes, no matter how much people may laugh at the idea.)
Oh, and a green velour elf outfit that was going for half-price in Ann Summers. There's a halterneck dress with white faux-fur around the neck, and a matching hat and gauntlets for your forearms. The dress is far too short and tight to wear out in public without tights or leggings - because of my long long body, it doesn't even cover my ass, although on most women it would probably be a couple inches below - but with a white skirt or opaque tights, it's very cute.
You can't really see the whole outfit there, but there isn't anyone around to take pictures of me - Mom is death to machines - and so a close-up is the best you're getting. For now. Oh, and please excuse the giant mosquito bites on my cheek and chin. (I know, mozzies at this time of year - WTF?)
What else did I do while I was away? I arranged a time (this coming Monday) to go to Somerset to see Papa and Stepmama. I'll probably stay a couple days. I got the decorations out of the attic today, and got absolutely filthy doing it. I made many lists, including who I need to write cards to, although I didn't get round to actually writing them yet. I had a makeover at the Body Shop, which was really nice - the last time I sat in a chair in a shop and had someone pamper me was a haircut in November 2005. I love haircuts, and facials (STFU, pervs) and manicures and pedicures and reflexology and massages and...oh hell, I could go on forever - but I simply do not have the money to spend on myself. I cut my hair myself, or Mom does it. The rest...well, I try to keep myself looking neat and tidy at home, and occasionally do a pedi or something, but not as often as I'd like. I really need a gal pal for stuff like that; I love having so many male friends, but none of them are much for beauty and relaxation treatments. Except for LOML, funnily enough. I don't think he'd do anything like that at home, but I can definitely see him taking a spa weekend and getting massages and stuff.
Actually, now I think of that, I lied. Christie gave me a manicure in the summer. And she offered to cut and color my hair, and I'll probably take her up on the cut - we just haven't made our schedules coordinate, aside from Thanksgiving dinner.
I read several books. I'm currently on Southern Vampires (aka TrueBlood) number 6 - don't ask me what it's called, I can never keep the titles straight - and have read all the previous ones (aside from 2, which I don't have) in the last week. I read a couple of romances, too, and a little of this book that I bought on criminal profiling.
I talked to Curt a couple times. He called me yesterday and left a very funny message on my voicemail, singing Merry Christmas to me in a Santa voice...and then promptly fell ill. He left the message at 1.30-ish, when I was in the bath, and by the time I called him back 2 hours later he had the flu and had lost his voice, and couldn't talk to me. Oh dear. Could just be a cold, though. I love the man, but he is a little prone to exaggeration, especially when it comes to his health - every cold is the flu or pneumonia, every stomachache is appendicitis. It makes it a bit hard to know when he's really truly sick, and when he's just feeling a bit miserable. He's still at work, so I don't think he's at death's door yet, but I do hope that he's got someone around to remind him to keep drinking water and all that stuff.
I slept. Like, a LOT.
I got another ear infection, which is giving me a lot of trouble right now - which is why I'm online at nearly 6am. That makes three in the last couple months (two of them in the last month) and I didn't even bother going to the doctor for the second and third ones. There's nothing that they'll do for me other than give me the drops that I already have. I probably should go back and demand a swab, though, since it seems to be passing from ear to ear with no apparent reason. I don't use Q-tips, I don't use earplugs - I haven't even used headphones recently, since I still haven't taken my iPod in to be fixed - and I haven't been swimming recently either. I don't know why the infection keeps spreading around, after a couple years of not having it. I know it can't be poor hygiene - I'm the most anal person I know when it comes to personal cleanliness, although my surroundings sometimes get a bit dusty.
I'm sure I have other news, but I'm damned if I can remember it right now. I'm getting very sleepy - well, I've been sleepy all along, but the sleepy was masked with hungry / horny / pain - so I'm gonna take some paracetamol and see if I can get some shut-eye.
It'll take me awhile to catch up on blogs, but I hope to get it done soon. And then I can make a start on my mail inbox. *rolls eyes*
Happy Advent!
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