Congratulations, Rob and Julie!

Thursday, after we had done the last-minute grocery shopping, Rich said to me, "OK, let's go out to the Nature Center." Now when I had said we would have to go back to look at the wild turkeys, it was a someday sort of thing, but I was happy enough to go right away. We didn't see as many turkeys as Sam and I had seen, but we did see some. They have this funny feather "bib" that hangs down in front. I can't imagine what use it is. Sam and I had seen one flying, which of course domestic turkeys cannot do.
Rich and I also saw lots of deer, including a group of does and yearlings. His camera jammed, so before we went out to the airport, he took it in to be repaired. He wants a working machine for our elephant seal trip.
This would be another mile walk or maybe a little more.

Niki had told Vince not to play Snood, since she can tell it was addictive (I don't know where she got that idea.) I introduced him to Elf Bowling, and that was fine while it lasted, but he just had to see what Snood was. He played till 4:30 AM and got stuck on the Hexagons, just as I had.
Of course, that meant I had to play just a little bit, to catch up... and then he's played, and I've played... he currently has 9 of the top 10 scores. (I reset it in order to try to beat my score, which was higher than Rich's, so Rich is also at work trying to best me.) I'm at level 26 now, and I don't know where Vince is.

Addictive? What would give you that idea?

Thursday night we went trolling for lights. Of course I couldn't find the map that I'd carefully saved, so we went where we knew, 53rd and T. (Vince has seen Dovewood and Agena, this one is new to us.) It was beautiful, of course. We came home via a neighborhood we always used to look at, and Rich said he thought they were going downhill. I don't think so, I think we're just spoiled by the huge light displays of the neighborhoods, and that this one is as it always was. What an amazing century this has been! Electric lights are now used for fun, and we expect our icicle lights and our net lights and our minilights to work, and work well. Can you imagine someone from 1899 seeing this?
Of course we pay for it by not being able to see the stars. I don't mind the light pollution that's seasonal, though. It's the year-round glow I am sorry for. 20 years ago, with my Girl Scout troop, we went to the observatory on campus and one of my girls told me: "Mrs. Yarnot, I saw the Milky Way once." Ouch.

Thursday morning for some reason my modem wasn't connecting. It wasn't the ISP as Rich's computer hooked up just fine. It wasn't my modem either, as I could hook up to my local BBS. It was just a mystery. Rebooting didn't fix it, but in the afternoon it was fine. I was a nervous wreck, but so it goes. I did go to Rich's and discovered my SETI@Home newsletter:

With your assistance, SETI@home has been amazingly successful. 1,500,000 people in 224 countries have downloaded the SETI@home screensaver and together they have contributed 125,000 years of computer time, with the common goal of finding the first sign of intelligent extraterrestrial life.

I was running an errand with my friend and the talk shifted to Bernadette's wedding. I began to cry. I really had wanted to plan this one. This is the one that should have been here, in our home parish. She has good reasons (not her friends, since they're scattering anyway, but her inlaws) for not coming here, but it's a major disappointment. I guess I'm a little tired of being a good sport, the stiff upper lip, that stuff. Rich is feeling better, so I'm snapping at him again. It's too bad that's a good sign!

That afternoon we went looking for cheap paper and lights. We did find some paper, and went over to Tower Outlet. Rich got started browsing in the Christmas music and we eventually got something like 7 CDs. This even includes a Frankie Yankovic Christmas Polkas album! As we went to the counter, I said "You just figure with Y2K you won't have to pay for these."

Then we had the Vigil Meal. I did well with it. I'd picked Grenadier for the fish. (I have no idea what this is.) I baked it, and it was perfect, just crisp enough, just tender enough. I'd forgotten to get canned potato soup so I boiled and cubed a couple of potatoes, and mixed them in with the canned cream-of-mushroom. (It's supposed to be clear mushroom soup.) Now I'm going to be stuck doing that every year. It was GOOD. The fish had butter-and-egg sauce, and was good. We had Trader Joe "patogis" because Monica mentioned them. This was the potato kind, so I also had cheese ravioli. Butter and paprika on these. Rich even liked the potato pierogis, so again, this is a new tradition. Cabbage, and poppy seed rolls. Yum. I suspect this may have something to do with the pound gained this week. Actually, it was clearly that Cotlet I had after Mass.

Monica has developed this a bit more. My mother-in-law wouldn't recognize the meal... they had salmon because Mark doesn't like the white fish, and peas because Monica doesn't like cabbage. They also didn't get Oplatek, but whatever: it's a traditional Polish meal! I think that's kinda neat. (Mark is half Peruvian. Isn't this a great country?)

And so off to Midnight Mass. One of the kids who was Vince's great friend sang a couple of solos. Wow. We caught up with who was doing what. Another friend is in Turkey, studying Urban Planning... got there before the earthquake, which seems like an excellent field study, no?

Yesterday we were not actually celebrating Christmas. The families are coming up today. Rich and Sailor and I walked 2.5 miles (total for the week, about 8) and we played lots of music. In the afternoon we went to see Toy Story 2. We were not the only people who wanted to see the outtakes, but the people at the theater hadn't spliced them on yet. Grumble. Oh, well, we'll see them on the video. Rich and Vince enjoyed the movie, and 'Bagger pointed out another joke which I hadn't noticed this time, either.

I fixed another good dinner, if I do say so myself. Chicken (1/4 for everyone), stuffing, cranberry sauce (Vince made this, he's the expert), cauliflower because we're out of broccoli or brussels sprouts, and plum pudding (steamed in my ricer) with hard sauce. Yumm.

Vince found his grades, an A, B, and C. It's what he wanted.

Pagan gave me a nice crystal candy dish (and I gave him a Dodger trivia book. Some imbalance there) and 'Bagger gave puzzles to the menfolk and THE COMPLEAT BOUCHER to me. I'd griped when he went to the bookstore without me, but I guess he was allowed. I gave him a schlock British skiffy show on tape.

So, we're ready for Bowling Day. I hope everyone else had a good day!