Exquisite Turmoil

Well, Christmas was fun (aside from a random, unexplained fainting spell on Christmas Eve). The childrens got so many presents that it’s absolutely disgusting. Pre-Christmas we already had two overflowing toy boxes, four plastic bins full of toys, and a four shelf storage unit. Not to mention all of the toys just stacked up against the wall. Throw in the rest of the enormous horde that the children opened yesterday and it’s like……. Well, dot dot dot is all I can say.

Anya got a three-foot-tall pony that responds to touch and voice, a parrot that does the same (but thankfully isn’t three feet tall), various other stuffed animals and more random toys than I can count.

Alex got a roboquad (I think I like it more than he does, it’s soooo cool), a toy castle with secret doors and a cannon that Anya keeps shooting me with, and a nice big sandbox.

They got all sorts of other things as well, of course, but it’s really too much for me to list (or try to remember, for that matter). Suffice it to say that we don’t have ANY ROOM FOR IT. It amuses me greatly how my parents can go on and on about how Dan and I have no room over here and we shouldn’t buy anything (like we buy anything bigger than paint pots anyway) and they go buy Anya a freaking horse that practically needs a corral. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she got the pony because she wanted it very badly and I wasn’t about to drop $300 on it.. but it just drives me nuts how they can bitch about our lack of space in one breath (like it’s our doing, especially) and then shower the kids with stuff in the next.

Anyway, as far as presents for Dan and I. We both received money, of course, and we bought laptops this morning (AMD TL58, 2G RAM, 160GB hard drive, GeForce 7150Go). I had to ask Dan for those specs, of course, since they mean nothing to me QQ Anyway, $650 each. I really didn’t need a laptop, of course, and I told him not to get me one while he was out at the store this morning getting his (he really needs one for when he starts school soon, and it was a good deal), but we ended up going back to Fry’s later and I just couldn’t resist the temptation. It’s so sexy having a laptop! I had a shitty old Dell one that I dug out of a discard box from my Dad’s old computer crap but it was literally like, beyond shitty. Anyway, I was just using it to work on my novel, and it really was fine since I was only using Word.. but it feels much spiffier to have a nice new one. That’s actually capable of.. you know.. opening two Word documents at the same time. Not to mention, now I can browse the internet at speeds that don’t make me want to cry while snuggling next to my sexy man on the couch.

I totally got off the topic there, back to presents. Dan only asked for socks and polo shirts, so I suppose he wasn’t too surprised when that’s really all that he got from anyone (except me, of course). I got him a subscription to White Dwarf and finished fleshing out his Dwarf army — I bought him around 2,000 points or so.

I got an assortment of decorative scarves, some jeans from Dan, and a gift card to Victoria’s Secret and Dillards. My gift cards were, of course, converted into bras and shoes. All in all, the Christmas pickings were quite good!

Pictures to come soon, I’m sure.. as soon as I work up the desire to resize them all.

As an aside — during my proofreading I noticed that I say “of course” an inordinate amount.

No bird.. I’m too sad to go into it, sorry.

You’ll notice that I always post when Dan buys me something, yanno.. to talk about how wonderful he is and how much I love him. This time, however, he has truly outdone himself. I’ve been begging on and off for the past.. I dunno how many years.. for a bird. I’ve always loved birds and wanted a young one who I could teach to do tricks and snuggle me and all sorts of other things. Anyway, Dan has finally agreed that I can have a bird and after much searching I decided on a Quaker Parrot (or Quaker Parakeet, depending on who you ask). After much more searching I have found the perfect one! I was starting to despair of finding a baby quaker by Christmas, but here she is! Isn’t she beaaauuuutifuuuuul? She is nine weeks old and just weaned, and she’s the sweetest little thing. Right when I first walked in the house to see her (the breeder’s house, I mean) she wanted to snuggle and sit with me, and she kisses and is so adorable ^_^

I get to bring her home on Thursday! I’ll have to go get a cage and some toys and food and all that tomorrow.. I just can’t wait until I can bring her home. I need name help! I’m up between quite a few — any opinions would be really appreciated!

• Mika
• Mischa
• Nadia
• Vasya
• Katya
• Nina
• Raya
• Asya (Asiyah)
• Sonya (Sonja)
• Vika
• Arya
• Anika

So, proxy game tonight as planned. I got my ass kicked, of course. I’m a little irritated, though. I do admit that it’s my own fault for not having a better understanding of the rules, but not finding out until turn three when I’ve set up flank charges on like all of his units with my skinks… that my skinks.. don’t negate his rank bonus, don’t count for the +1 for flank charging.. don’t get rank bonuses of their own.. don’t do ANYTHING USEFUL.. etc……..

Anyway, yes. Grah. I’m sure that post made no sense, but I’m too irritated and sleepy to make it coherent.

So I’m planning to run down to the gaming store today (Imperial Outpost, that is) and pick up some movement trays and some more square bases, random other assorted things, whatever~

Dan and I are hoping to get in a proxy game between my Lizardmen and his Dwarves tonight. I still suck and don’t have an army ready to go. And I have to paint all the little figures for the train set at the children’s hospital before I finish up my Lizardmen.

Anyway, I have stumbled across something very interesting, and have decided that it would make for a much better proxy game.

Lots of new pictures up in the gallery — Halloween, some pics from helping my Grandma get her house ready to move in, and some professional shots we just had done. Videos to come if I ever get the time to upload them x.x

Link of the day: Adorable coyote ^_^