Five rather rambly things

1) Off to Tomaas' cabin for New Year's as of tomorrow. Although, since we're not leaving until 6:00PM (One person in our travelling quartet has to work until then), there's some talk of catching the lunchtime performance of Sherlock Holmes. (There was some talk of catching it tonight, but literally nobody was up for it)

2) Christmas and related were good in all ways: lots of seeing friends not long in town or other hanging out, deliberately related to Christmas and otherwise (we had a music night, and watched Hogfather, and had other random parties for no particular reason). I didn't end up catching up as much as I would have liked with my cousins on Christmas (though there was some chasing around with one of the young kids and some pleasant dinner table conversation with the ones who'd stayed upstairs), as we were all three of us (Jeff, Colin and I) pretty tired. And the power went out just as we started opening gifts (Freezing rain outside knocked a line or two down for the neighbourhood). And right after we'd put out all but one candle; which meant Jeff was hastening about relighting all the ones on the table from the survivor.) This, however, probably hastened our departure; tired, unable to see the people we were visiting seriously, in a room of wrapping paper and vocal chaos stopped being wholly appealing.

I got Colin a pile of Blu-rays and the comic collection on which the Middleman TV series is based, and Jeff a guitar tuner and some CDs. Mom got mostly books (Pratchett, Chabon and Obama), but also (Or will when it arrives) a National Geographic public participation kit, which is this thing where you send them a DNA sample and they determine from whence your ancestors came (in long term and in detail). Grandma as ever got romances and/or historicals and/or literature about generations of women (I tried going as far out of her standard as Outlander; it didn't work for her, though apparently mom liked it ok; I haven't read that one myself, but I knew it was popular and often offered to those who don't like fantasy as such. It was still too fantasy for Grandma).

Other gifts I have given, or am waiting to go out include books and a couple of CDs and the like, mainly for Twelfth Night.

Things I got include: DVDs of Coraline and the Dark Knight, the Michael Praed half of Robin of Sherwood (Which I suspect is as dangerously formative to my teenage years as Labyrinth, but I suspect survived the jump to adulthood better), two Oysterband CDs (The Oxford Girl and other Stories, which is really good, and Northern Light, a passable live album), a writing book (Which seems commonsensical and useful, but it's hard to say until read) and Sherwood Smith's Wren's War (Because mom wanted to read it as much as I do, I think). And a trio of fairly nice shirts.

And the friend who had the Blackmore's Night Christmas CD returned it.

3) Colin still did a metric load of his own shopping Boxing day: I ended up going with him to McNally (I also got a gift card for them) and spent about $20.00 total: on a dvd (Curse of the Golden Flower, on the logic that for five dollars, all it has to be is really pretty) and three books, most noteably Jim Hines' the Mermaid's Madness. I almost asked them to special order me Jim Macdonald's the Apocalypse Door, and seriously considered picking up the movie set including the Three Musketeers and the Four Musketeers in one, as I seem to recall that two-film version being the popular favourite in the local SCA. But I didn't. Because I also caved and ordered Jim Moray's Low Culture from Amazon (I've only wanted it over a year...)

4) I may do the extra special order and pick-up at McNally anyhow once we're back from the cabin; according to Colin, McNally is now filing for Bankruptcy protection and closing at least one in-town store. Granted, the Polo Park store is rather dizzyingly arranged, and makes me long for the smaller Portage Place store, where they didn't have as much, but I could find my way around. But - it's still a store I prefer over Chapters. This gives me a horrible urge to go me forth and spend more money so i can at least say that if I lose my favourite store EVER, I did my part in trying. And, well, I know I should be mature and guard my money well, considering this whole not-sure about near-future employment thing.

5) Mom and I went to the Nutcracker; first time in about ten years for this ballet (And other ballets have been a bit sparse between, but not absent; I know I've been to Dracula twice in the intervening years and Swan Lake once). The story is still weird dreamy wish-fulfillment, halfway between a child and a woman. Good thing it's all about the dancing and the music. And the dancing was splendid; the RWB no longer has a jump-up standout the way Evelyn Hart was, where she has only to walk onto the stage to be twice as graceful as any other ballerina. But I think the ensemble is stronger than it used to be. And the two male leads were quite quite good. (And yes, easy on the eyes in that "Damn, he must be ten years younger than me" way).

Oh, and mom, the Pas de Deux music does come traditionally before the tarantella and sugarplum. But I still say it sounds like a better climax and finale than the finale. (And it sounds weirdly melancholic for such a bright moment in the dancing)

Five rather rambly things

1) Off to Tomaas' cabin for New Year's as of tomorrow. Although, since we're not leaving until 6:00PM (One person in our travelling quartet has to work until then), there's some talk of catching the lunchtime performance of Sherlock Holmes. (There was some talk of catching it tonight, but literally nobody was up for it)

2) Christmas and related were good in all ways: lots of seeing friends not long in town or other hanging out, deliberately related to Christmas and otherwise (we had a music night, and watched Hogfather, and had other random parties for no particular reason). I didn't end up catching up as much as I would have liked with my cousins on Christmas (though there was some chasing around with one of the young kids and some pleasant dinner table conversation with the ones who'd stayed upstairs), as we were all three of us (Jeff, Colin and I) pretty tired. And the power went out just as we started opening gifts (Freezing rain outside knocked a line or two down for the neighbourhood). And right after we'd put out all but one candle; which meant Jeff was hastening about relighting all the ones on the table from the survivor.) This, however, probably hastened our departure; tired, unable to see the people we were visiting seriously, in a room of wrapping paper and vocal chaos stopped being wholly appealing.

I got Colin a pile of Blu-rays and the comic collection on which the Middleman TV series is based, and Jeff a guitar tuner and some CDs. Mom got mostly books (Pratchett, Chabon and Obama), but also (Or will when it arrives) a National Geographic public participation kit, which is this thing where you send them a DNA sample and they determine from whence your ancestors came (in long term and in detail). Grandma as ever got romances and/or historicals and/or literature about generations of women (I tried going as far out of her standard as Outlander; it didn't work for her, though apparently mom liked it ok; I haven't read that one myself, but I knew it was popular and often offered to those who don't like fantasy as such. It was still too fantasy for Grandma).

Other gifts I have given, or am waiting to go out include books and a couple of CDs and the like, mainly for Twelfth Night.

Things I got include: DVDs of Coraline and the Dark Knight, the Michael Praed half of Robin of Sherwood (Which I suspect is as dangerously formative to my teenage years as Labyrinth, but I suspect survived the jump to adulthood better), two Oysterband CDs (The Oxford Girl and other Stories, which is really good, and Northern Light, a passable live album), a writing book (Which seems commonsensical and useful, but it's hard to say until read) and Sherwood Smith's Wren's War (Because mom wanted to read it as much as I do, I think). And a trio of fairly nice shirts.

And the friend who had the Blackmore's Night Christmas CD returned it.

3) Colin still did a metric load of his own shopping Boxing day: I ended up going with him to McNally (I also got a gift card for them) and spent about $20.00 total: on a dvd (Curse of the Golden Flower, on the logic that for five dollars, all it has to be is really pretty) and three books, most noteably Jim Hines' the Mermaid's Madness. I almost asked them to special order me Jim Macdonald's the Apocalypse Door, and seriously considered picking up the movie set including the Three Musketeers and the Four Musketeers in one, as I seem to recall that two-film version being the popular favourite in the local SCA. But I didn't. Because I also caved and ordered Jim Moray's Low Culture from Amazon (I've only wanted it over a year...)

4) I may do the extra special order and pick-up at McNally anyhow once we're back from the cabin; according to Colin, McNally is now filing for Bankruptcy protection and closing at least one in-town store. Granted, the Polo Park store is rather dizzyingly arranged, and makes me long for the smaller Portage Place store, where they didn't have as much, but I could find my way around. But - it's still a store I prefer over Chapters. This gives me a horrible urge to go me forth and spend more money so i can at least say that if I lose my favourite store EVER, I did my part in trying. And, well, I know I should be mature and guard my money well, considering this whole not-sure about near-future employment thing.

5) Mom and I went to the Nutcracker; first time in about ten years for this ballet (And other ballets have been a bit sparse between, but not absent; I know I've been to Dracula twice in the intervening years and Swan Lake once). The story is still weird dreamy wish-fulfillment, halfway between a child and a woman. Good thing it's all about the dancing and the music. And the dancing was splendid; the RWB no longer has a jump-up standout the way Evelyn Hart was, where she has only to walk onto the stage to be twice as graceful as any other ballerina. But I think the ensemble is stronger than it used to be. And the two male leads were quite quite good. (And yes, easy on the eyes in that "Damn, he must be ten years younger than me" way).

Oh, and mom, the Pas de Deux music does come traditionally before the tarantella and sugarplum. But I still say it sounds like a better climax and finale than the finale. (And it sounds weirdly melancholic for such a bright moment in the dancing)