what a night

Pats went 16-0. They broke all sorts of records and Brady and Moss need to go into the Hall of Fame together - it's official. It was quite a game - I'm so happy this is how the regular season ended.

We also got to talk to Ian, which was cool, since we haven't talked to him since October. He's halfway across the world protecting all of us from everything that is wrong with that side of the world. It was fantastic to hear from him, even if I did cut my conversation extremely short so Andrew could talk to him. (I know when I'm second place, I've accepted that)

Earlier today we went to Aaron's 1st birthday party, and of course I forgot my camera. But take my word for it, the kid is freaking adorable. I'm so glad we got to go, since we don't get to see nearly enough of him.

SAC03... er... and 05 :) Clearly we were playing Guitar Hero III right before this picture was taken. Sadly Bree has left us again, to return to SoCal in a few short days. :-( I know the world is shrinking, but those 6 hour flights are killer. Hopefulle we can get out to her turf again soon. I'd pretty much pay any amount of money to not have to be in a small cylendar hurtling through the air to get there, but I think I was born about 500 years too soon for that kind of technology. As soon as I can get more than week off from schoo though, I'm there. Those beaches are too fabulous to pass up!

That's all folks!

Hopefully everyone had a Merry Christmas! Andrew and I did, we got some nice things but our actual Christmas Day was kind of rushed. Andrew bought me ski racks for my car (though he can use them too... this is more of a "we need this so merry Christmas" kind of present) so we should be all set to hit the slopes in a few week! We got gift certificates to Gunstock, so we'll be heading up there the 1st weekend of January if things work out.

We went to my parents for dinner and then we headed up to Keene (where we got more presents including guitar hero III!) and spend the 26th up in NH. Today we were both back to work. I wish we could get more time off around Christmas, but what are you going to do.

My parents bought us a new camera, so I can finally post pictures again. I didn't take very good pictures, we were more messing around with the camera, but here you go!

I call this one "Michael handing out Christmas presents and being grumpy about it"

Kevin being extremely fond of his Bud Light...

I'm trying to read a book up in Keene and Andrew wants to play with the new camera --> hence this picture. Those are pajamas, by the way. I don't dress like that during daylight hours. Most of the time.

what a difference 10 years makes

Ten years ago I was a junior in high school (I cannot believe that was 10 years ago...) and on Dec 23rd my boyfriend took me to see Titanic (which I didn't even want to see, but he insisted that we see it... very odd for a 16 year old boy). Then on the way home he gave me a mix tape he made for me. Yeah a tape... that was before CD burners were affordable and WAY before MP3s were available. He left a Christmas party his parents were having to take me out, I think he was more about getting out of the party than anything else. Anyway, the only reason I remember that is that was the only time he actually paid for me (hello, I was 16 and I didn't work until March of my junior year... how about paying for me once in a while, you cheap bastard!), so it stands out in my mind. This December 23rd I will go to the Patriots game with my husband (when we were dating he paid for me all the time! Okay, well for the first year anyway) and we won't be going out soley because he doesn't want to be at home, and he won't give me any mix tapes, and I won't secretly be dating anyone else at the same time... (Yeah, I did do that... I shouldn't have... but I don't regret it. I was 16 and 16 year olds should not be so tied down and they should be able to date lots of different people and have a lot of fun). I'll be a lot happier this December 23rd and not just because Titanic sucks and not just because I'll be sitting on the 50 yard line in the 17th row. (If a girl gets arrested tonight for stalking certain Pats players, it won't be me... I promise...)

It will be because I don't have to listen to crappy ass mix tapes that a boy made for me, just to pretend I like his crappy ass music. Andrew already knows I hate his music. :)

But damn, I wish I was the same size I was when I went to see Titanic!

4.0 baby!

4.0 this semester!!!! and I only have 4 semesters to go!!!

do you ever root for the bad guy?

I have to admit, sometimes I do. Especially if the bad guy is handsome. Whatever, I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, due to a comment I left here yesterday, I'd been humming the Phantom of the Opera score in my head all day. So last night on my way home I pulled it out. And I really feel bad for the Phantom after he's managed to kidnap Christine from the performance of Don Juan Triumphant and is essentially begging her to stay with him.

Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime
Lead me, save me from my solitude
(He takes from his finger a ring and holds it out to her. Slowly she takes it and puts it on her finger.)
Say you want me with you, here beside you
Anywhere you go let me go too
Christine that's all I ask of . . .

He's just tired of being alone... he points out in the next song,

Hounded out by everyone!
Met with hatred everywhere!
No kind word from anyone!
No compassion anywhere!
Christine, Christine . . .Why, why . .

Really, all he ever did was fall in love with a girl and want to be with her. So what if he's already killed two innocent men. So what if the years of solitude have made him crazy and he has dolls of Christine. So what if he'd never let her go again... he just wants her to love him!

Yeah, I know, I'm crazy. I'm probably the only person who actually roots for the Phanton at this point in the show, but I do. And you know what, I'm right. In the end, after Christine chooses him to save Raoul - the Phantom lets her go. Why? Because he loves her. He's a good guy after all.

deep breath...

All I want is a stress free, drama free Christmas. Is that so much to ask? Apparently so. I can probably file that one away with milk chocolate that is fat free. Never going to happen.

Christmas is a week from today. I still have more shopping to do. I've only wrapped 4 presents. I have to work all day on Christmas Eve. Sometimes corporate America just sucks.

Can you tell I'm in a grumpy mood? I don't even have any wine to sip...

But I did buy a Muppet Christmas Carole that Andrew and I are going to watch on Friday night. That might make me a bit happier!

10.8 miles

Just 10.8 miles from where I work to where I live. It can take as little as 15 minutes without traffic (as most of those miles are highway) to about 35 with traffic. But any more than 35 minutes to get home is extremely rare and means a LOT of traffic.

Today? How long did it take me to go those 10.8 miles today?

three and a half hours. 210 minutes.


Yes. It took me three and a half hours to get home, thanks to this hellish storm. I actually have an appreciation of the blizzard of 78, because I seriously debated leaving my car at a dunkin donuts about 3 miles away from my house and walking. I'm still wondering if it would have been faster to do so.

At hour one I thought "yeah, this is about normal for a really bad snow storm".

At hour two I thought "Oh my god I want to go home"

At hour three I was crying. Big huge alligator tears.

At hour three and fifteen minutes I got into an all out fight with a car who tried to cut me off. He swore at me and I reminded him to mind his manners. Thank god I was in Canton.,, I probably would have been shot if I had been in other places. I mean, I rolled down my window and got into a screaming match with a douchebag who actually thought he could cut off traffic. "I HAVE BEEN IN THIS CAR FOR THREE HOURS AND YOU THINK YOU CAN CUT ME OFF????" came out of my mouth. he yelled back something nasty and I said "DID YOU JUST SWEAR AT ME??? WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS???" Because mine were present and accounted for as I was screaming bloody murder out of my car window. But come on. Who do you think you are, cutting off a line of traffic in that hellish commute? People were calling into the radio talking about how they had been in their cars for hours. And this douche thinks he can zip up the breakdown lane and someone will let him in? Ummmm.... in his words, go fuck yourself.

At hour three and 20 minutes I made the best decision of my life and went home some backroads that hadn't been plowed. It was a huge gamble because there was a foot of snow on the ground and the streets had not been plowed, but I guess the Almighty had pity on me, because at hour three and thirty minutes I pulled into my driveway.

Thank god for cranberry martini mix.

I don't want to!

"If 60% of my grade is an A and 40% is an F, what does that average out to?"

"umm.. a C"

"Not a B?"

"Go study!"

It's the most buu-uu-sy time.of the year!

At least for a grad student working full time

okay, that was me trying to make Busy into a three syllable word.

But anyway, Christmas is always such a blur that I haven't truly enjoyed it since high school. The one Christmas I had between college and grad school I was working retail. No, that wasn't a great Christmas either. But Christmas 2009... let me tell you, that is going to be a fantastic Christmas. No school, no retail, just me and Christmas. We are going to be good friends again. My niece will almost be 2, so I can go crazy buying her presents and have a normal Christmas.

I cannot wait


Okay, but to my marketing paper.

merging

We are a two peanutbutter household.

I am almost embarrased to admit this, but we maintain strictly separate peanutbutters. I cannot give up control over my smooth creamy peanutty goodness. I will not try to adapt to my husband's choice of peanut spread. He is wrong. And I am right. I am a Skippy girl. He is a Jiff boy. Our individual plastic jars of peanutbutter sit side by side in the pantry. They get along, trade war stories, talk about what the pasta is doing with the Oh's! cereal, but they will never merge. Peanutbutter is too personal.