Reflections on Birthday Gifts Past

So I just turned twenty-twenty six the other day.  No hoopla.  I'm not really hoopla people.  We kicked around going out to lunch but I didn't wanna get out of my jammies so we watched college football and enjoyed the rainy, wintery day.  I was tickled by the messages left for me on my Facebook wall.  Some of my friends hoped the weather was cold and rainy, "just the way you like it."  That made me laugh.  I wonder how many other people love rain so much that their friends hope the weather is crappy for their special day?  Ah dew loves mah rayne.  UW Huskies beat the Cal Bears (my 2 fave teams) with 1 second left on the game clock, 4th and goal. Incredible way to end the game.  I got cards and calls, including a recorded musical birthday greeting from our State Farm agent, which was strange to say the least.

I opened my gifties and we got to talking about the 'ghosts of gifts past'.  Brian has always, for the most part, gotten me really good gifts.  (I say 'for the most part'.  I'll get to that later).  This is due in large part to a system we've employed since after our 2nd Christmas together.  I get tons of catalogs during the year.  I fill out the order forms, put a stamp on the envelope and clip a pre-made-out check to it. All he has to do is sign the check, stuff it in the envelope and mail it. Wrap when received.  I usually give him the order forms in the late summer or early fall, which is why when the gifts are opened, I don't have a clue what I wanted, except in general terms.  Like I know there was something from the Signals catalog, but can't remember what it was.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?  

If you are like me, and not too many people are, you are a compulsive list-maker.  When Brian hands me a catalog with gift ideas circled, I dutifully type a list.  And not just a list, but a table that I create in Word Perfect with the gift item and the total cost so that I can keep track of our holiday budget.  I know what's in the boxes as they arrive, and always unpack them to make sure everything is correct.  Brian, on the other hand, waits till he is going to wrap the gift (which is usually the night before or morning of the holiday) to see what was on the order forms, because he didn't write it down.  

This has lead to a fair bit of head scratching, and a great bit of frustration, on his part, as he opens the boxes.  There was the year that I had filled out an order form with all kinds of weird, but inexpensive, stuff from a science-nature catalog.  I haven't gotten the catalog in ages and I can't remember what it was called, but it was brilliant.  One of the items was a sack of break-your-own-geode rocks.  Except to Brian, it looks like a sack of dusty rocks.  "ROCKS?  WTF??  SERIOUSLY?  ROCKS?"  The next item he unwraps is a package of charcoal pellets which was for use with a small metal cauldron that was ordered from a different catalog.  But again, because he did not make a list, he's like, "Charcoal?  Charcoal pellets?  What is she doing to me here!"  Then he opens another envelope and there's a Grateful Dead themed window cling sticker.  "A WINDOW CLING STICKER IS NOT A GIFT!"  The next item he unpacked was called "Dirty Old Coins"...Poor man nearly threw a clot.   He told me that the reason he ends up with a panic attack over my gift selection is that it's the morning of my birthday and he's finally seeing what's in the boxes and is horrified.  For the last 21 years I've said over and over, "So why didn't you just make a list and unpack them as they came in?"  He looks at me like I've just said something in Swedish.

This year the source of his confusion was a set of jewelry ephemera booklets.  I loved them.  I exclaimed "EPHEMERA!"  He's searching my face, thinking, 'is that a good EPHEMERA or a bad EPHEMERA?'  I was thumbing through the pages, cooing, "ooooooh pweeeettttyyyyyyyyy".  He goes, "OK can I ask you something?  What the fuck is ephemeral and is it a good thing?"  I said, "EphemerA are cool tiny art bits for making vintage looking jewelry, ornaments, etc. You use them with mini frames and encase them behind small pieces of glass."  He goes, "So you know what it is then?"  "Uh, yuh."   Phew. I can see it in his eyes:  Another gift-bullet dodged.  Then I added, "Remember a couple years ago when you gave me that copper metal tape?  That's what I use it for."  The copper metal tape was another gift that left him wondering what in the Sam Freakin Hill I was thinking.  

One Christmas a few years ago, I opened the CD of one of my favourite albums, "Architecture & Morality" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.  Brian scoffs at most 80's music...he calls the 80's "The Great Black Period of Music".  He was all about Led Zeppelin when he was 16; I was all about the Sex Pistols when I was 16.  He has no idea who "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark" is, and only knows them as OMD. He never actually saw the band's name written out before.  He thought it was a DVD of some weird movie or show.  Again, he's searching my face for reaction.  'YAY!!!!!  OhmygodIlovethisalbum!!!! Thank you!!!!"  He relaxes, "So you've heard of this?"  "Of course, it's one of my fave albums.  Reminds me soooo much of my senior year in high school" I say, ripping the plastic off so that I can listen to "Joan of Arc".  He says, "So, it's music?"  I turned around, and said, "Duh, what did you think it was?" He goes, "I don't know! I never heard of this before! I thought it was some architecture show or movie or something!  I opened the box and thought, 'this can't be right....'"

Poor lad.  Does try.  That's not to say that we haven't had our fair share of clunker gifts, which we laugh about now.  Let's face it, men just aren't good at the gift thing.  Sure, a few guys get it right all the time, but not many do.  Most men wait until December 24th to do their shopping.  The first Christmas we were together, he got me, among other things, a chemistry set.  I was perplexed.  Because we always save what we think is the best gift for last, that was my last gift.  I never took chemistry in high school or college, and I never aspired towards the sciences.  Esp. since I suck at math.  

Then the following year he got me a giant colouring book of Andy Warhol designs.  I never understood that one either because never in my life did I ever say that I liked Warhol.   Just cause I'm a Deadhead and love the 60's doesn't automatically mean that I loved Andy Warhol too.  Last year he had a major anxiety attack over my birthday gifts, withdrew money from the bank account, and standing at the bank, literally halfway between Ben Franklin Crafts and Fred Meyer, he opted to go to Fred Meyer's toy dept. and get me board games.  Board.  Games.  In fact, it was around this time last year that I was kicking around doing a blog post called "Bored Games", about all the annoying holiday commercials for games, because who does game night, really?  The only reason I didn't do it is that I didn't want to rub salt in the wound, should Brian read my blog. 

If I've told him once I've told him a million times:  If you are having trouble w/ a gift idea, there's always a Ben Franklin gift card.  No amount is too small.  Even a $20 is appreciated. I think I'm pretty easy to please.  Instead, he keyed in on one innocuous sentence I made during a commercial, weeks earlier that, "I used to like playing Battleship when I was a kid".  That somehow translated to:  "Please get me Battleship for my birthday".  I can be hinting up a storm about something I really want, and it goes right over his head.  But one teeny, tiny comment made in passing and that's what he decides to buy.  It's a behavior that I actually find fascinating.  Back in California I apparently once said that I could use a little red wagon to haul around my craft supplies.  I got a Radio Flyer for Christmas.  I was so confused.  He goes, "remember?  when you said....?"  I was like, 'Oh, um, yeah....I guess.... if you say so..."

Anyway getting back to my birthday last year, I don't even remember what the other 2 games were because I've blocked it from my memory, since all 3 went back to the store.  I snuck out to Fred Meyer before Brian woke up the next day to return them. I told the customer service clerk that I felt so awful returning the gifts....but seriously, Battleship?  For a 45 year old woman? Who was an only child and only rarely played board games?  Brian came from a family that had regular game night events.  My family was soooo not like that.  My mom hated games and my dad used to crush me at Monopoly to the point where I would be in tears because I just wanted to buy the pretty properties, and he was putting hotels on Boardwalk and owned all the railroads.  I was out of money, and he'd be leaning over the board, picking through my pitiful, cheap, purple and light blue properties, taking them in lieu of what I owed for landing on yet another a hotel. Then laughing at me as I got a "Go Directly to Jail" card.  My mom is hissing, 'Johnny!  She's just a child! She doesn't understand the point of the game!"  I'm horribly scarred by those game experiences.  I loved my dad to pieces, but I saw another side of him whenever he played Monopoly.  The only game I've ever consistently loved is Trivial Pursuit.

But on the upside, Brian's also gotten me some amazing, super surprises that he thought of all on his own.  Like in 1994 for my 30th birthday, he had a 49ers jersey specially made with Brent Jones' name and #84 on it.  We couldn't find a Niners jersey w/ his name at that time and there was no search engine back then either.  You could only get Steve Young, Jerry Rice....Joe Montana.  So he had a sports shop in San Rafael silk screen "84" on the front and "JONES 84" on the back of a plain 49ers jersey.  A couple years ago he got me a beautiful glass paperweight with a satelite view of Cape Cod.  There was also one year where he got me a beautiful stained glass Christmas tree lamp.  And he also got me my very first Christopher Radko glass ornament.  For my 40th birthday he bought me the most unique past, present & future diamond pendant that I have ever seen.  They are in the shape of snowflakes and he had it on layaway for months as he chipped away at it.  It also came from a local, mom and pop jewelry store and they were the only ones who had anything that unique.  That jewelry store is now, sadly, out of business.  I am not a woman who has ever asked for, or expected, diamond jewelry.  That's what makes that necklace so special.  He did it because he wanted to give me something really nice and special, not because I am one of those women who nag and goad and guilt trip their husbands into buying expensive jewelry.

I know it's the thought that counts and believe me I do appreciate it.  I just find it amusing that the "Guy Giving Gift to Girl" thing seems to be the same across the board, since it seems most women have great stories about gift gaffes. 

Oh, and besides the ephemera, he also got me a silver crescent moon dragon pendant, a blue sparkly whale and ocean themed shirt and a Doctor Who mug, that has a TARDIS on one side that disappears with hot water, and which reappears on the other side of the mug.  Too bad it also doesn't make the TARDIS noise too! lol  

On The Street Where I Live

I took Pepper out for walkies and decided to bring my camera, since I don't really have many pics of my street.

I wish I had the talent to paint like this!

Kitteh keeping a watchful eye on Pepper who was too busy sniffing to notice.

Thundercloud plum tree

She does love to sniff.

I'm Dreaming of a White......Thanksgiving????

Last week it was wind, rain and a 4.2 earthquake, this week it's snow!  It started on Sunday night and continued off and on all day Monday.  I went in to work at 7:30 and left at 10 and I'm glad I left when I did.  It kept snowing all afternoon and night, and the temperatures plummeted.  Some people were stuck in their cars, on I-5, for 8 or more hours last night due to so many accidents and the icy roads.  One guy was on a metro bus for 12 hours.  We awoke on Tuesday to a brilliantly clear but bitterly cold day.  The Dept. of Transportation begged people to stay home.  Hey you don't have to tell me twice!  

I worked on my holiday cards and played with the doggies in the yard while shooting pics. Later in the afternoon, we popped in "Best of Show".  Sagan climbed onto my couch with me, curled up with his head on my lap and slept.  Best heat source ever.

Enjoy the photos!

Life Update

So Halloween was kind of a bust.  I got 2 pumpkins earlier in the month so that I could roast the seeds.  We used to carve them but we've never gotten many kids and the past couple of years have been so crappy that I stopped.

I did, however, decide to do this just to take a picture of it.  I call it, "Unhappy Pumpkin is Unhappy".

We were barely able to keep awake to see if any kids showed up.  Finally around 7 we had one group of 4 kids.  I didn't buy candy till the day before Halloween because we'd end up eating it.  The first year we lived here, we got 30 kids, which was a lot considering we got no one in California.  But then the building boom came and all these giant neighborhoods sprung up, with flat, well lit streets and houses right next to each other.  Our older, hillier, darker street has gone ignored for years now.  No one wants to climb our driveway, which is slick with pineneedles, not even for free candy.  The roasted seeds were delish, by the way.  

I was asked to donate a necklace for the Art for Equal Justice auction at the Tacoma Art Museum in December.  The proceeds go towards funding legal programs for low income people, like the Volunteer Legal Services Panel, for whom my boss has volunteered from time to time.  I didn't take a decent photo before I brought it into work so these aren't the best.

I used cobalt blue cat eye (a/k/a 'miracle') beads with faceted Czech crystal coins, bead spacers, and that faceted glass drop.  I hope someone bids on it.

The Puget Sound region was rocked by the sudden death of Dave Niehaus, the voice of the Seattle Mariners since their inaugural season in 1977.  He always did the first half of the games on TV, and in the middle of the 4th inning, he'd switch over to radio for the last half.  We have grown accustomed to his voice, his unmistakable play calling and expressions that have become part of the language of Seattle sports.  He called a Grand Slam, "Grand Salami".  Whenever a Mariner would hit one, he'd belt, "GET OUT THE MUSTARD AND RYE BREAD GRANDMA!!!  IT'S GRAAAAND SALAMI TIME!!!!!" Dave was inducted into the Broadcasters' Wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, as well as into the Mariners' Hall of Fame.  No one can imagine future Mariners games without his voice, and he will be greatly missed.  

We had a bit of a health scare with Brian and I am really glad to be writing 'scare' instead of the alternative.  I didn't tell very many people, just a few b/c I didn't want to sound the full on alarm.  But his bloodwork came back a couple of weeks ago with 'tumor markers' for his liver.  He has HCV and we believe that he contracted it in the army, in the late 70's from shared innoculation needles.  They just gave all the kids their overseas shots with the same airgun, and Brian was at the end of the alphabet, so he had everyone from A to WE's blood shot into his arm.  Blood borne pathogen information was in its infancy, as AIDS was just about to explode onto the world scene.  His biopsies and blood work have always been pretty good, all things considered, but the risk of liver cancer is very high.

When he got the news from some underling at Multicare, he agonized if he should call me to come home from work, but finally broke down and called and I flew home to await the call from the doctor herself.  Which call came close to 5:30.  OK I realize they are busy, but for the love of god, it's just not right to keep people waiting on tenterhooks all fucking day long, wondering what the hell is going on and if they have a ticking time bomb in their bodies.  All she said was that she wanted him to have an ultrasound the following week b/c the blood test was quite a bit elevated from the last test he had in 2009.  

I went with him to the ultrasound on Tuesday.  I was allowed in the room, but the visitor's chair is against the wall, facing the tech, so I couldn't see the screen.  Not that I wanted to.  Brian was studying her face and trying to get a read on her body language, esp. when she'd be scanning, stop short, and then go back and do it again slower and harder.  Then after she was done, the radiologist would have to read it, dictate a report and get it to his doctor's office.  It was the longest 3 days.  Talk about the 'elephant in the room'.  I did my best to remain upbeat, and did what I could to push out the thoughts that could easily have spiraled out of control.  Basically, I was Cleopatra:  Queen of Denial.  My boss had a conference to go to, and he knew I was in a great deal of turmoil, so it wasn't a big deal that I left early every day whenever I could, so that I would be able to be home in case the doctor called.  

At 5:20 pm on Friday night (11/12), someone from Multicare called to give him his results.  First of all, it's always a good sign when an assistant delivers the news, because that means it's not serious.  If he had a tumor, I assume the doctor would have called to discuss the immediate treatment plan.  The ultrasound was negative, nothing was seen.  No tumors, no gallstones, no inflammation, no dark spots.  No cancer.  Talk about relieved!  Over and above the health issue, surgery and treatment, with no health insurance it would have wiped us out financially.  

I love it that we're back on standard time.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, it makes no difference in energy usage and we don't need it for farming anymore.  And in a northern state like Washington, we don't need daylight savings time in the summer.  It stays light for a long time up here, thank you very much.  Arizona is the only state that refuses to adopt DST.  I wish we could as well.  But noooooo.  A few years ago they decided to shorten standard time even further so that the precious little kiddies could have more light to trick or treat in on Halloween.  Give me a break.  How ever did our generation get through those dark Halloween nights of trick or treating when we were kids??  Now standard time in the US goes from the first weekend in November to the first weekend in March, then back to DST.  I hate it.  Of all the things that Ben Franklin accomplished and invented, I curse him for DST.

I finally got my Etsy store opened, link on the right side.  I've made a handful of sales this first week and am pleased that my work is out there and that people like it enough to purchase.   A huge thank you to all of you for your ongoing support and your kind words and encouragement.   I appreciate it!!  Another huge thank you to Joe, who has been resizing all my photos because I don't have a clue how to do it on my computer w/o buying an expensive program that I'll be too scared to  learn use.  

Our winter sunrises are becoming more dramatic, so I'm hauling the camera to work with me every day for the next month to see what I can capture this season.

11/10/10 at 7:15 am

11/11/10 6:45 am

Damn those power lines.  I just get a better view from my office than from ground level.

The meteorologists and local media have been pushing the panic button about this being a La Nina winter.  Last year was El Nino.  This means that there will be cooler than normal subsurface water in the tropical Pacific Ocean, near the Equator. When it's La Nina, the Pacific NW, it means cooler, wetter and stormier weather than normal.  No one can dispute the erratic and vicious storms that have occurred thanks to climate change.  Since I am First Snowflake Freakout Lady (I highly recommend clicking on that you tube link and listening to this radio spot.  I nearly drove off the road I was laughing so hard), I have been stocking up on soups and frozen foods just in case we get a ton of snow like in 2008.

Because of the geography of the state, it is virtually impossible for them to accurately predict the weather.  I hear that a new radar station is going out on the remote coastline so that they can finally see what's out there.  Case in point was the other night.  We were told it'd be windy, blustery, rainy.  That's fine, it's normal.  Unfortunately by the time they realized that our blustery weather was going to be a full-on winter wind storm, it was too late.  Of course our power didn't go out because why would it?  Just because we sunk thousands of dollars into a state of the art generator, it'll never go out again.  So I went to work as normal on Tuesday morning and heard that there were some outages in University Place, near where I work, but in the nearly 11 years since I've worked there, we've never lost it.  However,  I arrived to find the traffic signal out, and all the lights off in the office complex also out.  The office was freezing and my boss was sick, so he was trying to nap in his office.  I sat in the conference room, trying to catch some Zzzz's and wondering what we should do all day.  Deb arrived soon after me and she and I chit chatted, lamenting the fact that we had no coffee.  As we were talking, the whole building shook really hard.  I called Brian from my cell to ask if he felt anything, but he didn't.  

As we sat in the cold, dark office, Steve finally came into the conference room.  I told him that he should go home and get some rest, and Deb and I would just cull files till the power came on, and then we'd call him.  He hesitated then said, "There's no reason for any of us to be here.  You guys get outta here."  Didn't have to tell us twice, Deb & I bolted.  She gets a ride into work, but she only lives 12 miles east of me so I drove her home, and I was home by 9:30.  Oh, and it was a 4.2 quake we felt.  Now we're getting ice cold air flowing down from BC, and there was snow in the counties near the border.

So it's American Thanksgiving on Thursday, and as usual I am off beginning on Wednesday.  I'm in the midst of making holiday cards too, which is a task I do enjoy, even though the list of "homemade cardworthy" people grows every year....I feel bad about not sending them to every single person I know, but I would have to start making them in January and it'd cost a buttload in postage.  I've had to limit them to only my closest and oldest friends, the ones who have been there for me outside the blogosphere.  People who have gone above and beyond to help Brian and I.

And lastly, I'm sad to report that my Uncle Dick passed away on November 20.  He was 96.  He was actually my Great Uncle, as he was my grandmother's brother.  I grew up down the road from them and he was the closest thing to a grandfather that I ever had, as both of mine had passed away when I was a preschooler.  He was our town's only TV repairman.  And his name wasn't really Dick, it was William.  Family lore explains that he was in a play and his character was named "Dick".  When I was little, I'd get so confused when people would ask how my Uncle Bill was doing.  It the end of an era.  He was the last of Filomina & Giovanni's 8 children who was still with us.  He served in WW2 too. Rest in peace Uncle Dick.

Killing Time till the Ferry Home

This little snack cart is set up next to the Royal BC Museum on Belleville Street.

Another totem pole, above the Inner Harbour Causeway.

There was a small pro-marijuana rally on the corner of Government & Belleville.

And by small I mean three guys.

Brian keeps begging asking me to quit taking this same picture of the Empress but I can't help myself.

After my stomach issues and nap, I was awakened by the sound of the MV Coho's very familiar horn as it came into the Harbour.  I got up and went out on the little balcony and found this guy hanging out below my window.

I had also heard the sound of the sirens on the Johnson Street Bridge, signaling it's need to raise for tall water craft.  Now you know why I was afraid I'd be out there midspan when this happened.  

And there's the Coho, loading up vehicles for the return trip to Port Angeles.

I felt much better and I had time to take a quick walk over to the Gatsby Mansion and the other historic mansions that surround it.

As mentioned previously, the Gatsby Mansion is haunted.

Well I hope you enjoyed my epic tour of Victoria as much as I enjoyed showing you around.  It took one month to the day to post (nearly) all my photos.  I will be back.  Most definitely, I will be back.

A Quick Trip Through the BC Legislative Buildings

I am not sure, but I don't think people are allowed to wander into American federal buildings and start shooting photos. Maybe if you are on a guided tour, but not self-guided tours.  I could be wrong.  See how little I know about my own country?

Anywho, when in Victoria, it's well worth a quick stop inside Parliament to check out the area that's open to tourists.  It's never crowded.  There are hourly tours, but if you are pressed for time, you can just go inside and wander around and take photos.  The stained glass is amazing, but the windows have been placed where they are in both bright light and dark shadow from the tiny courtyards and light spaces behind the windows.  It's a massive building to walk around from the outside too.  

Lunch at the Sticky Wicket & Thunderbird Park

This was the car I rented.  I chose it because I also drive a Hyundai Elantra, except this one was a wagon.  I wasn't terribly crazy about being given a larger car than the one I'm used to driving, but fortunately the traffic wasn't too bad and I know my way around fairly well.  

I may have driven in Canada in the past, but it was always my own car and never one with Canadian plates.

One of my Facebook friends who lives in Victoria said Big Bad John's is a Hillbilly Bar.  Peanut shells on the floor and stuff like that.  I'll have to check it out next time. If you check out the link, you can see a photo of the bras tacked on the ceiling and walls.

I really like this drawing. It cracks me up.

The Sticky Wicket is a British Pub, located in the Strathcona Hotel.  It's a great little restaurant.  Val, I didn't take a picture of it, but there was another red phone booth outside the entrance.

This was a delicious lunch.  Pity I lost it later.....

I had to walk up to this funky art/bench installation next to the Queen Victoria Hotel, on Douglas Street.  The info plaque said that it was placed there in 1997.  I first saw it in 2005.

Looks like a real mattress, doesn't it?

You'll be in for a rude awakening if you flop on this and think it's going to be soft.  It's made of cement.

I love Canadian traffic signs.  I don't know why.

I stayed at the Queen Vic for my 2005 trip on the Clipper.  Great hotel, but a bit of a walk from the ferry.

I also like visiting Thunderbird Park whenever I'm in town, as I have always loved totem poles and I admire the time it takes to make them and attention to detail in the carvings.  The only thing is that it's next to impossible to get a decent photo of the totem poles because of the direction they face vs. the shade or position of the sun, no matter what time of I day I visit.  So I apologize for these pics.