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12918. lemwalker - 12/25/2004 8:22:08 PM Merry Christmas people 12919. Magoseph - 12/25/2004 8:29:00 PM Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année! 12920. Snowowl - 12/25/2004 8:43:14 PM Merry Christmas all.
We had a nice, but very quiet day, with just the 2 girls with us this year. Since we're having our big celebration on Twelfth Night, when the overseas members of the family will be here (with the exception of #2 son), we had something completely different yesterday. No turkey, no ham, instead a baked stuffed fish.
The sun came out for a while yesterday - that's the first time we've seen it in over a month of rain. Today, when the builder is supposed to be coming to work on the deck, it's back to raining again.
I've resigned myself to the fact that our visitors will have to climb over the piles of timber on the lawn in order to get into the house. 12921. wonkers2 - 12/25/2004 10:50:34 PM We're having roast pheasant from our local Whole Foods Market. Last year our #1 son shot some pheasants which were a hit for Christmas dinner. This year he didn't get home in time to shoot them.
I just had a toasted salt bagel, smoked salmon and cream cheese with a cold beer. 12922. wonkers2 - 12/25/2004 11:03:05 PM Practical presents prevailed this year. I received a two gig flash card for my digital camera and a HP fax machine.
Gifts for our three children included "Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing," silk long-sleeved undershirts, "Arc of Justice" by Kevin Boyle (a bit of Detroit history about the Ossian Sweet murder trial), "Common Errors in English Usage" by Paul Brians for our lawyer son, "Escaping the Delta Robert Johnson and the invention of the Blues" by Elijay Wald, a Dremel for our furniture maker daughter, plus several framed pictures by W2. 12923. Dubai Vol - 12/26/2004 9:14:46 AM Wow, 2Gb, that's massive, I know I thought my wife was mad when she got me a 512Mb card a couple of years back, but it's really nice to have. I'm startting t think about upgrading my camera; what are you using, W2? 12924. Dubai Vol - 12/26/2004 9:15:20 AM Oh, and happy Boxing Day, everyone! 12925. Frankster - 12/26/2004 9:39:13 AM (What is it I have forgotten to do ? What ? What ? What ? ... Oh, yeah!)
Season's Greetings, all you Beautiful Motesters. 12926. Frankster - 12/26/2004 9:40:33 AM ...Why is it that we sometimes overlook the closest and most obvious of friends ???
:( Sorry. 12927. Frankster - 12/26/2004 9:42:27 AM
"Mo-tes-ters" Did I really write that ? Boy, I really did overdo it on the Christmas spirits. ;)
Time to hit the sack. 12928. Dubai Vol - 12/26/2004 3:30:38 PM Sweet dreams :)
I always think of us as "Moties" from "The Mote in God's Eye." Perhaps a too-obscure literary reference. 12929. alistairConnor - 12/26/2004 4:51:58 PM Who is or was the author writing from Aukland
NZ ?
That was me, Max. I live in France most of the time, but I come from NZ originally. In fact I'm going back for three weeks in February.
Perhaps a too-obscure literary reference.
Obscure, Dube, but apposite... I think that's probably the reference behind the name : jj biener being a sci-fi nut.
I can't accurately date my arrival in the Fray, it must have been before Arky's because I remember her name being in reference to Clinton's sex life... Of present company, people I remember as my contemporaries include PP, Wabbit, Rick (aka JustSayYo), Thoughtful.
Motesters : I like the word, Frank. though I first read it as "molesters"...
12930. alistairConnor - 12/26/2004 4:57:53 PM A little bit of snow, but mostly rain, yesterday. Today it's snowing in earnest, very pretty. I'm pleased that I don't have to drive anywhere, though I could if I had to.
Small family Christmas. For new year, we generally have a small, last-minute gathering of whichever of our band of friends/neighbours are around. This year, we're having it in the stable : which I am finishing fixing up as an apartment (have been doing this for the past couple of years... world's slowest handyman).
I'm in the home stretch (the tenant is arriving on 1st January), there are only a zillion smallish things to do. 12931. judithathome - 12/26/2004 5:32:51 PM I came to the Mote at about the same time as Arky. I remember everyone but mostly I recall thinking I had landed in the wrong airport...sometimes I still think that but thankfully, people no longer tell me outright like they used to. 12932. arkymalarky - 12/26/2004 6:22:58 PM Fraaaaannnnk! Hope you have a great holiday season! I'd love it if we could see you this summer!
We had a nice quiet Christmas with my parents, bro, and SIL. Today it's a huge bunch with Bob's fam--5 boys under 4. I'm bracing myself. 12933. thoughtful - 12/26/2004 6:59:50 PM Just stopped in for a quick hello and belated season's greetings.
Still don't know why, but finally the sunrises have stopped getting later...seems to have topped out at 7:19 a.m. I'm so looking forward to lengthening days!
Here comes the sun!!
 12934. Max Macks - 12/27/2004 4:08:39 AM Muchas Gracis wonkers.
so tell me are you male or female?
When we had our long chat here the other day
I had impression you were male, but then some post
somewhere made me think your female.
Is there a Mister and Mrs. wonkers2?? 12935. wonkers2 - 12/27/2004 5:58:45 AM W2 is male and there is a mrs. w2 and three offspring, one female and two males--an architect, a lawyer and a software engineer, all supporting themselves! 12936. angel-five - 12/27/2004 8:27:47 AM This was the first Christmas we've had since my mom passed away. It was pretty hard on both my brother and I, but extremely hard on my father. He competently managed Christmas shopping and arranging and decorating and whatnot all on his own (he even put up two trees this year, because of all the ornaments) and he was happy (the more so to see his family) but it was pretty hard watching him as the day wore on. I guess lifelong love wouldn't be so special, if losing it didn't gut a man.
We did what we could, and I think he had a pretty good time much of the day, but in the end I guess there's no good way to spend your first christmas after you bury your wife. The ironic thing is that helping him was pretty much what made the season for me -- it helped me keep my mind off the fact that I was away from my girlfriend and that my mom wasn't there (which is no mean feat considering that she was always the centerpiece of any holiday with her organizing and hosting). 12937. angel-five - 12/27/2004 8:29:28 AM
That's how life is, I guess. My niece, who is nothing short of completely perfect AFAICS, was a pleasure to behold (she's a year and nine months so this was her first 'real' Christmas) and -- well, one of the things I got her was this large stuffed animatronic moose that sang a ridiculous 'Christmoose' carol. It was a smash hit and has the added side benefit of slowly driving my brother mad, because as all parents know when a child gets something that makes noise, they will maximize the noise-making in a way specifically ensured to leach away your patience. Tonight on the phone he informed me that it's been 45 minutes straight of the moose, with my niece shouting 'Moose!' 'Moose!' whenever she feels like hearing it again.
Like I said once; infinity is composed of finite parts. I miss my mother terribly at times like this, when you just can't help but think about her and her absence. But it's wonderful to see how Christmas gifts can kindle a child's joy. Warming. I never used to think I wanted kids, but now I know I do. I never used to understand just why grandparents were so intent about little children either, but now I think I'm beginning to understand. It might all be a nice sounding lie we tell ourselves when we start feeling the draft from whenever mortality leaves the door open on a late December day, and we start feeling the chain grow slack behind us even as we reach for the newest forged links to pull ourselves forward another step. But I don't think it much matters if it is, because it encapsulates life's rich poetic beauty all the same, true or false.
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