snowflakes in the air, carols everywhere

It is rainy and cold outside. And I think I just heard thunder. Weird. Today is December 3, which some Memphians may recognize as the anniversary of Earthquake Day. I will never forget going to school that day in 1990 and wondering if I was going to be hiding under my desk soon.

I ended up having a really nice night last night, for the most part. Kathy came home unexpectedly and went to Kroger with me. Then we came home and she cleaned out the refrigerator while I cooked a feast-like frittata for our dinner. We finished off her pumpkin pie (made with Splenda so it was guilt-free) and watched good ol' Charlie Brown before she had to go back to school and work some more. It was so great just spending time with her doing normal things. I honestly think it's been at least six months since we've done that, just her and me. Having Evan around has not placated my need for female companionship. I'd forgotten what it's like to see your best friend for more than five minutes a day.

Anyway, then I happily settled down to work on Christmas cards. After an hour or so my sister called with the next chapter in her ongoing problem. I don't want to go into much detail, but basically her best friend at school has dumped her for no apparent reason and is now spending all her time with Debra's roommate. When they're not ignoring her, they're saying really mean things. Now the shunning has spread to other girls on their floor, former "friends," to the point that no one will talk to Debra. She has absolutely no idea what she did to them. It's the most cruel, snotty, middle-schoolish thing I've ever heard of, and by the time I hung up the phone I was absolutely livid. I had to go to Evan's so he could comfort me and prevent me from driving to Nashville right then to kick some butt. I can't believe this kind of thing is going on at a Christian college. Evan reminded me that, sadly, people are the same everywhere. Still, you'd think there would be someone holding them accountable.

Other than worrying about that, I'm doing pretty well today. So I don't mean to be a downer. Melissa reminded me that I haven't talked about Gandalf in a while. He's as crazy as ever. Getting the mail is still his favorite part of the day. He seems to prefer naps in the papasan to naps in the blue chair. Lately he's been scratching at Kathy's door in the middle of the night, so loudly that it wakes me up. He used to sleep nicely on my bed. Now he just wants to play noisily, and not even the cozy heating pad can make him settle down. Maybe the long nights are throwing off his internal clock. Also, he still tries to bite when we pet him. I thought this was a kitten phase he would grow out of. He purrs as he lunges at us, so clearly he enjoys the petting. I don't get it. :)

( random survey )

snowflakes in the air, carols everywhere

It is rainy and cold outside. And I think I just heard thunder. Weird. Today is December 3, which some Memphians may recognize as the anniversary of Earthquake Day. I will never forget going to school that day in 1990 and wondering if I was going to be hiding under my desk soon.

I ended up having a really nice night last night, for the most part. Kathy came home unexpectedly and went to Kroger with me. Then we came home and she cleaned out the refrigerator while I cooked a feast-like frittata for our dinner. We finished off her pumpkin pie (made with Splenda so it was guilt-free) and watched good ol' Charlie Brown before she had to go back to school and work some more. It was so great just spending time with her doing normal things. I honestly think it's been at least six months since we've done that, just her and me. Having Evan around has not placated my need for female companionship. I'd forgotten what it's like to see your best friend for more than five minutes a day.

Anyway, then I happily settled down to work on Christmas cards. After an hour or so my sister called with the next chapter in her ongoing problem. I don't want to go into much detail, but basically her best friend at school has dumped her for no apparent reason and is now spending all her time with Debra's roommate. When they're not ignoring her, they're saying really mean things. Now the shunning has spread to other girls on their floor, former "friends," to the point that no one will talk to Debra. She has absolutely no idea what she did to them. It's the most cruel, snotty, middle-schoolish thing I've ever heard of, and by the time I hung up the phone I was absolutely livid. I had to go to Evan's so he could comfort me and prevent me from driving to Nashville right then to kick some butt. I can't believe this kind of thing is going on at a Christian college. Evan reminded me that, sadly, people are the same everywhere. Still, you'd think there would be someone holding them accountable.

Other than worrying about that, I'm doing pretty well today. So I don't mean to be a downer. Melissa reminded me that I haven't talked about Gandalf in a while. He's as crazy as ever. Getting the mail is still his favorite part of the day. He seems to prefer naps in the papasan to naps in the blue chair. Lately he's been scratching at Kathy's door in the middle of the night, so loudly that it wakes me up. He used to sleep nicely on my bed. Now he just wants to play noisily, and not even the cozy heating pad can make him settle down. Maybe the long nights are throwing off his internal clock. Also, he still tries to bite when we pet him. I thought this was a kitten phase he would grow out of. He purrs as he lunges at us, so clearly he enjoys the petting. I don't get it. :)

( random survey )