mcollinknight

So the past several days haven't been obscenely wonderful in themselves, but only in the fact that a few rather wonderful things have occured or entered them. One being that my sibling-unit Yaden, whilst searching at the bibliotheque publique, happened upon a DVD of 'My Neighbor Totoro'.

You have no idea how that made me feel.

I watched that movie at least once a week when I was about seven, at the Mginnions. Yaden would always want to watch 'Madeline Lost in Paris', but we outnumbered her. I love that movie. In some odd, inexplicable way, that movie made two years of my life. It's basically the only thing I remember from that period.

And I found another Neil Gaiman book! Mater-unit and I were waiting for food to arrive at le restaurant and she suggested I nip next door and pick out a book (since everyone knows that the surest way for the food to arrive quicker is for someone to leave the table). I went looking for Gabaldon's 'Lord John and the Private Matter', but both are at Fenbrook, and since Gaiman is next to Gabaldon (or near enough for my eye to catch it), I found 'Anansi Boys'. Which is sort of like 'American Gods'. Jaden, you should read it, it's ace.

Yesterday also, I nearly made myself sick on ice cream, a pleasurable experience in itself. First I went across the road at work to get some ice cream, and then mater-unit showed up and we went to Sweet Cremes, whereupon after finishing half of my cone, it dropped off the cone, so I was given another full order in a cup. And after taking Yaden to the rope swing for swimming after le dinner, Pater-unit remembered we hadn't had dessert, and took us out AGAIN for ice cream, and I had to finish Yaden's.

Also, Dark Bunny and I just finished discussing the merits of Moose Tracks ice cream vs Heavenly Hash, although I'm afraid I wasn't much help at all, not having had enough of Heavenly Hash. 

The only down note is my remembering that I don't like to swim. I suppose I like it fine, but not with other people. Not even with me. I don't.

I have just found a wealth of Shoebox icons, and I will most certainly be hoarding them. In fact, this is what I am doing now, thanks to theaeblackthorn , choir_hobbit  et al.

So, I've got about a page on my creative venture, hopefully all goes well, although I am a little nervous. I have attempted things of this scale before, but always just writing. This time I know what I want to do, but not precisely, and I don't have that much experience. Considering what I am trying to live up to, really. I shall see if jessica_june shall draw me the pictures, although she has already said she would, but won't take payment. I think I'll write a few parts first, before posting them or asking her to draw pictures. Also, I shall need her advice on how exactly to put all the stuff on here, because I don't speak computer.

So, the librarian has brought cupcakes, cookies and punch for all the peeps that came in on le snow day. The punch is great, but everything else is sugar-infused. The icing on those cupcakes would put a hummingbird in a diabetic coma. Am serious. So... what to type, what to type. AHA! Have found (or rather, been introduced to by Jaden herself) a really cool site. Go here: www.acciobrain.ligermagic.com 'tis very good. Go to art, and then sketches.

My cousin Jeff is coming up from New York State for the Chrissy Hols to stay with us. Unfortunately, I am working tonight and so will not be joining on the Great Tree Hunt. We have to get a huuuuuuge tree, about 25 ft. -ish. Lotsa fun, but I am working. Not that I am complaining. I love le work. I get paid to play with toys. Working in a toy store has it's perks, you know. Also, Christmas shopping is made easy.

You know what I read recently? The average Canadian spends about $800 on Christmas presents per year. What I want to know is: who's taking my share?!? Because abso-bally-lutely no freakin' way do I or would I spend anywhere near that much. You see, the focus of Christmas is all on the material aspect now. My friends and I decided just to do cards this year, but then Haleny goes and spends a whole wack of money on a huge pizza party for us, Marty buys me something, and Seahorse is getting me (apparently) a whole bunch of stuff, and I didn't even get a say! I confronted her about the whole "What happened to just cards" and she gave me this weird (sorta hurt) look, like, "Well, of course that doesn't apply to us, because we're BEST FRIENDS!!!" B-b-but... I didn't want anything!! And now I feel guilty, and she wants me to burn her cd's, which is totally unethical, but she won't tell me what else she wants *sighs*. You know, I think the Christians got it right all along. Christmas didn't start out to be about gifts. It was about the celebration of birth, miracles and all that jazz. And now, I'm sure if I pretended to not know a thing about Christmas and asked someone about it, they would mention gifts within the first five seconds. Coming up with a Christmas list was hard this year. I have a couple of books and calendars on there, but that's basically it. The only thing I want is the sword I used in my 'Narnia!' play because it has great sentimental value to me, not just because "I want that!!" that I hear so many people saying. And so that's a downside of working in a toy store. You see people lavishing money on huge gifts for kids that they will play with maybe a couple of times, and forget when they're older. When I'm 20, I won't remember what I got for Christmas, but I just might, I just might remember how all my family came up, how we made snow angels on the lake and went tobogganing down the driveway. Maybe I'll remember how snow tastes right before you have hot chocolate, and the sound of the Boston Pops doing Christmas music. I'll remember the lights on the tree and the cheese fondue we always have Christmas Eve, my pyjamas, the snow falling and lying on my back, snow trickling down my back as I look for Orion in the sky. Perhaps I might even remember our poor little dog-eared advent, taped together countless times, filled with small plastic animals that we arranged around the Nativity (I called it "The Jesus Set-Up" or "The Jesus Game"). But I won't remember how I got the toy that I wanted so badly.

I'm on a rant. I should just shut up. So I will. So there. That's what I think about Christmas nowadays.