Tonight I had my friends Brenda, Elizabeth and Janice over to catch up and commiserate and LAUGH. Over assorted cookies and warm puff pastry hors d’oeuvres (which I bought and just heated up in the oven) and lots of Earl Grey tea, they told me the newest batch of stories from my last place of employment. I am sort of sorry I’m not there to experience it all, but, as I told Elizabeth, I would only like to experience them in a sort of “Christmas Carol” way - visiting them with the Ghost of Employment Past. That way, I could see and hear but not actually be involved in any of it.

I told them about my love for my new job and they were just so supportive and happy about MY happiness. There were hugs and lots of laughing and the kind of laughing that keeps you from talking and the kind of laughing that makes you choke on your water/tea and the kind of conversation that spawns numerous inside jokes… like “she’s a gong-banger”, “to fix his BRAIN!”, “see money, think money, make money”, “you’re on a warning!” and “my children have more self control!!!!”

Trust me. If you had been witness to the whole conversation, these choice phrases would send you into hysterics.

Also, work was so good AGAIN. My walking tour was pretty darn good and I am greatly pleased with it… and my boss told me I did a great job with it and is going to include my name in the credits as the person who adapted/created the audio version. That’s pretty sweet.

It’s almost midnight and I should get to sleep since I have to be up early to get cash money from the bank and doing some more Christmas shopping. I have to find something for my father (I’m thinking perhaps a nice photo album and I’ll get some of his digital photos from his travels around the world printed up at the Kodak photo center thingie and create an album of his pictures) and get my little brother his present which I couldn’t find at the one store I went to today. I also have a couple of things on hold at Copabananas, so I have to go there, too. There’s another trip to A.C. Moore in my plans as well, so that’s all stuff I can do first thing in the morning.

There’s also the matter of something additional for my mother, but I have no clue. At all. Don’t know. I have one thing arriving early next week, but it’s not really something personal - just something she mentioned would be “good to have.” Utilitarian, really. Normally, she’s very easy to shop for, but this year she loudly poo-pooed anything my siblings and I mentioned. That sucks, yo.

Blargh. I am muchly tired. And I have a blister on my heel since my socks slid down today and my Doc Martens (which I wore since I expected to be trudging through puddles this morning and then the rain stopped) rubbed against my ankle. Ouchie. It will be a weekend of soft Saucony sneakers for me.

Well. That’s that. Yawning makes my impacted wisdom tooth jaw hurt. Time for bed.