So what have I been doing, since I obviously haven't been writing here? Well, I decorated the tree. The cats undecorated the tree. I decorated again. They unwound tinsel again. Balloons?? They laugh at balloons. They bat them across the floor and when one pops they both come running to investigate it. I found one ornament that actually is a cattoy, so I strung elastic on it and hung it on the Kit Mahal. They loved it. They've also now taken it off and hidden it somewhere.

I went to three movies this week. I had wanted to see Flawless because I like DeNiro, and I quite enjoyed it. However, it's not going to be my favorite movie of the year, by any means. Then I saw Bicentennial Man on opening day. That one was kinda fun. I'd heard bad things about it, but it was much better than I expected. However, I think medicine will have advanced beyond the story by the time Little Miss has a stroke. Today I took Sam to see Stuart Little. It was fine and the child really enjoyed it. There's more. I've been entering the SacBee Movie Club drawings, and didn't get Bicentennial Man or Anna and the King, but I did get passes to GalaxyQuest next Tuesday! As we'd planned to go together, with Vince, on Christmas day, I went to check with Rich, playing "just one more game" in the back room. This because Tuesday night he cannot go. This is the Christmas Sharing God's Bounty meal. I, however, plan to enjoy the movie!

When I came back from lunch on Tuesday, Rich was at my 'puter playing Snood. This continued for about an hour after I got back, and I just sat down for a minute and lost a couple of hours myself. Then Wednesday, he was playing in the back room on his own computer. He got to level 29, where I'd been stuck forever, and stayed stuck there. That night, on the "five games" I have been allowing myself, I got to where I had knocked down most of them, but thought I was going to lose, and showed him, and he suggested how to get the last bunch down. (Bouncing the blue balls in). Then I got into the mid-30s, and so the next day, Rich went to play right after he got back from his electrocardiogram... and was still at it 6 hours later. The bells aren't up on the mantel, but he finally finished the game. I have gotten to level 45, where I'm well and truly stuck. (There are 50 levels, turns out.) This is even worse than Lemmings. Evil evil game.

But I did get the bathroom clean and put the Christmas towels out.

Besides his little forays to the doctor, Rich also went to a school board meeting at Loretto and was the only person to vote against the tuition raise. It's bigger than they need, he says, and he feels that just like Washington, if they have more money, they will spend it. Oh, well.

I called the Polish-American clubhouse to ask where to get Oplatek, and found out that they were having a bake sale today. We went out, bought the Oplatek (flat altar bread used in the Christmas Eve dinner), sweetrolls to use at Christmas (which we are celebrating on the 26th this year) and a poppy seed loaf for Christmas Eve (which we're celebrating on the 24th just like other people.) They are also having a Wigilia tomorrow night, which I'm looking forward to. Rich is not so eager, since they make potato pierogis instead of the cheese or prune his Mother used to make. But I think we've talked him into it.
I then went and did some shopping. I picked up a Christmas sweater for myself, as well. I got more Christmas cards and have been writing them. I had to buy some more Christmas stamps, since I misplaced the first set. I said to the postman "You know you'd miss me if I didn't come in here every week!" I also got two Millenium Jack antenna balls, one for the car, and one to make another ornament out of. The tree is really full even without any of the breakable ornaments on it. (I really hope the cats have settled down some next year!)

One night I was eating some chili-pepper sunflower seeds. I made the mistake of rubbing my eyes. Talk about that true Seattle experience!

My data unit at SETI@Home finished up on Thursday, but the database was down for maintenance so I didn't get to start #4 till late Friday. And as noted, I've been playing Snood, so it's going slowly. I'm in 703,302nd place of the 1,519,555 of us. 59,748 other people are in the same place. It's the 49.785 %tile. So I'm looking forward to getting above the 50th %tile next time. (If I ever stop playing Snood.)

My uncle called to find out about Rich one day. That was really nice to hear from him.

Thursday night we went to the Discovery Museum for their Christmas party. They always have neat food, though I didn't like the wraps as much this time as usual, and these tiny paper plates, so I'm always dropping stuff. I suddenly had the bright idea... next time we will bring the buffet plates we got at the Zoo last year! They are sturdy and have enough room to put a roll and a carrot stick on at the same time! I went to tell this to Rich, and he claimed I had seen this woman with her buffet plate. Obviously, she too is brilliant, but I did think of this independently.
At the party we each made a reindeer ornament, out of a brightly painted clothespin, pipe cleaner, and fuzzball for a nose, not to mention the googly eyes. (Rich's reindeer has different sized googly eyes.) These are on the tree now.
He really upset me after the party. I was having trouble getting my jacket on because my shoulders hurt (they are getting better, and I'm much more flexible than I have been, but they still bother me) and he helped me then told me that when I'm heavier, I should wear a bigger jacket because it would be easier. He loses the bowling ball he's been carrying around his waist, and suddenly he's fat-intolerant. Argh. I explained (via a kick in the pants) that this was shoulder related, not weight-related.

Last night we were out in Roseville at the Loretto Choir's concert. Really very nice, as usual, and we got reserve seating as special guests, even if Rich did vote against the tuition increase! That's two concerts, so I don't feel too badly about missing the Festival of Lessons and Carols this year.

My white Christmas cactus is blooming. The one Crombie has been eating and playing with is barely surviving. We'll see. Outside, in the rose garden, a sunflower blooms. We found another one up in the mulberry tree.

A little busy, yes.