Writing by Ear

The Good:

• I got the Kindle I asked for!!! YAY!!!

The Bad:

• Said Kindle was defective and had to be returned. BOO!!!

The Ugly:

• Mike and I spent a good hour Christmas Eve and another 1½ hours on Christmas Day on maddening technical/electronic issues at his parents. The switch to all digital TV FINALLY in their area necessitated new cable boxes (3) and endless phone calls to Comcast trying to get everything set up. Did not help that Comcast had their old address from 5 years ago (how is that possible? The bills come to the right place.) AND incorrect phone number. Still not working properly, so a tech has to come out. To boot, we bought them what we thought was a “simple for Seniors” digital camera, and just downloading the software to get the pix off the camera took 1½ hours (while simultaneously trying to solve the cable issues). Aaarrgghhh!

More Good:

• By the time we arrived for the second half of our Christmas celebration at my family’s around 3:00 p.m., I was a stressed-out wreck. First order of business was a good stiff highball with not one but TWO maraschino cherries. Aaaahhh…calm at last. (The second drink was the icing on the cake… 😉
• The replacement Kindle arrived yesterday and seems to be working fine. YAY!!! Now I get to play with my Christmas toy!
• Had my first experience at the Honeybaked Ham store on McKnight Road with my sister on the Thursday before Christmas. Line 10-deep outside and snaked all through the store inside. Everyone was in a jovial mood though — it felt very Christmasy. Counted many blessings that we were able to enjoy such a feast and be all together on Christmas.
• My little great-nephews were adorable in their Christmas jammies (which they wore all day).
• Mike and I ended weeks of research and deliberation (all his effort) and bought our first flat-screen TV for the living room. We also made the switch away from our giant entertainment center to a much smaller “media console” that fits the living room and our decor much better. Been having fun discovering the world of HD (but not happy about moving from 1 remote to 4!). (Old entertainment center only made it as far as the sunroom, awaiting give-away or donation. Big old ultra-heavy TV sits in the upstairs hall, too heavy for me to help carry it up to the attic. Perpetual clutter is our nemesis.)
• Had an annual breakfast get-together at Bob’s (Evans that is) with two dear friends (we missed you, Cindy!). So good to catch up.
• Had our annual ChristmasSisterFest (ChristerFest?) with my 3 sisters. A few hours of “us time” we all treasure.
• Spent a frigid afternoon downtown with my family visiting the Santas at PPG Place and eating lunch. Wow it was cold! But we had fun.

Best of All:

• Nobody is sick.
• Everybody is employed.
• We had a bounty of food, heat in frigid temps, warm clothes and beds, and each other. We are blessed. I am thankful.

Still to Come:

• Enjoying a couple more days of slacking, eating cookies, reading on my Kindle, and watching HDTV.
• Spending New Year’s Eve with our dearest friends. Temps in the 40s are forecast — what a treat!

Hope you are having a memorable Christmas 2010, too! And for all good reasons.

We do not remember days; we remember moments.
~ Cesare Pavese